February 2006

Justin Bailey. Justin Bailey. Justin Bailey.

Ok ok… so I’m having a flashback. Sue me. I recently gave [i]Metroid: Zero Mission[/i] a run-through, and let me tell you, I’m impressed. Sure, this game could have been better, but then again, how could it have been? It was a remake of a 20 year old game, so I really couldn’t expect something mind-blowingly awesome.

But then again… I did really enjoy it.

The first thing I must let people know is that this game is very short, and if you want to give it a try, I’d recommend buying a used copy on eBay or something to that effect. Short it may be, but it was very fun. It was great going back through a remade version of the old game that I had played as a kid. It was great seeing all the new things they added to the game. It was great that this game played very much like [i]Super Metroid[/i], which is a truly awesome game. That’s perhaps the best way to describe it. [i]Metroid: Zero Mission[/i] is essentially [i]Super Metroid[/i] but taking place in the story of the first game. That’s the simplest and most easy way to explain exactly what it is like.

One nice thing is that they fixed the few spots in the game where you can get stuck. For those that remember the old NES title, there are some holes that you can fall in that are either extremely difficult to get out of, or completely impossible. Those areas have been fixed so you can’t fall in a hole that you can’t get out of.

One of the biggest differences between this game and the old one is the addition of another area in the game. I won’t say anymore so as not to spoil it, but it was a great new place to explore, and I had a lot of fun with it.

Other changes included Kraid who was a giant like in [i]Super Metroid[/i], and Ridley who seemed to be exactly like he was in [i]Super Metroid[/i] (like I’m complaining. It’s hard to improve on awesome).

The best addition to this game though is a map, and it telling you where you are supposed to go next. When you are new to the world of [i]Metroid[/i], it’s pretty daunting to get around without a map, and certainly not easy without someone telling you which general direction you should be going in. [i]Zero Mission[/i] solves those problems.

It’s really hard to write anything in depth about a remake of a 20 year old game, but to be as clear as possible, I will reiterate a few things. This game is basically [i]Super Metroid[/i] in the setting of the first game. If you ask me, that’s a great thing. I loved this game, and although it’s a tad on the short side, it was also originally made in 1986, so I can’t say much.

If you are a [i]Metroid[/i] fan in the least, you owe it to yourself to pick up this game. You will not regret it.

Madden NFL 06

February 5, 2006

The [i]Madden[/i] series for more than a decade has been one of the biggest games every year, not only in sports but in all of gaming. Hardcore and casual gamers alike flock to stores every August 9th to spend their hard earned cash on what is arguably one of the greatest series in gaming history. While this year’s incarnation is not the pick up and play title it once was, it is still stunningly addictive.

This new version brings us into a new era of [i]Madden[/i]; the exclusivity era. EA sports has bought the NFL license, so there will be no competition in the sim football realm. Despite this monopoly EA has continued to bring new elements and to change the game to make it the best it can be.

Some of the controls in this year’s game have been changed as well as some new controls being added. Ball carriers no longer control their nearest blocker with the right analog, but can now truck stick defenders by pressing up on the right analog. While this helps break free of most tackles it also increases your chance to fumble. Pressing down on the right analog now performs a back juke, or a quick stop for defenders who over pursue.

There are a few new animations this year but they are few and far between. Franchise play is essentially the same, other than a few presentation changes, and the new interviews and dialogue on the Tony Bruno Show. John Madden and Al Michaels supply the commentary as always, although it is virtually unchanged from last years. One great addition to this year’s edition is the NFL Films tracks that have been added to the soundtrack.

[i]Madden 06[/i] brings some revolutionary elements to the table in both the Q.B. Vision and precision passing systems. In an attempt to bring more realism to the game a quarterback’s vision is limited to a highlighted A

Big fan of Diablo here. I really loved the atmosphere of the first one, and the ability to run, all the new items, and new features of the second one. I have been dreaming for a full 3D Diablo game for some time. Are we going to get one? It [url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6143594.html]seems to be[/url] a possiblity.

Of course, the people they are looking for will be working with what’s left of the team that was behind Diablo. Naturally, this doesn’t neccesarily mean that they are working on a new Diablo game, but what the hell. I’m going to get excited anyways.

New Diablo! New Diablo! New Diablo!

Ok… now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, let’s move on. I hope this will be a new Diablo game, but I would even go for a new Hack n Slash RPG by Blizzard.

Hey everyone, just wanted to let you know that we will be recording our next podcast tomorrow evening. We will be talking about The positive and negative effects in cheating and cheat codes in games for the first segment. In segment two, we will cover piracy in the gaming industry and its effects. For the Lifestyles show, we will talk about retro games and the popularity of them in the next gen consoles. Also the how they still remain entertaining today. We will be giving our humble opinion on these matters, but most of all we would love to hear what you have to say on all these topics.

If you are interested in sounding off, you can post your opinion in the forum thread which will be read on the podcast. Also send us an email or audio feedback. Please remember to keep the emails and audio feedback short and clean, and also if you plan on sending us audio feedback please make them no longer than ten seconds. You can send us all that at [email protected]. I’m looking forward to hearing what you have to say.

Happy Birthday Lactose

February 2, 2006

We here at Snackbar want to wish our very own Lactose a Happy Birthday. Lactose is our chief editor here at Snackbar Games, and he does a wonderful job leading our sister site Moviethunder.com. So please stop by here or at Moviethunder.com to wish him a Happy Birthday. We love you bro!! Cheers!!