Aladdin zSNES

Short, simple, amusing platforming and moderately okay controls equal up to a short and fun gaming type of experience. Firstly, lets get that big SNES mark up, out of the way.

Wiki Says:

Disney's Aladdin is a video game based on the 1992 motion picture of the same name. Unlike some cross-platform games of both then and now, the five versions (Sega Mega Drive, Super NES, Sega Master System/Sega Game Gear, Game Boy and NES) are each different games.

That is why this is being specifically pointed out as the SNES version, the "Z" is simply the emulator I use to play SNES games (ZSNES). Mainly as that is the only version which was played, personally. Clearly the games are not exactly ported to every system at the time, either. So, again, this is a look at only the SNES version. The easiest way to share the game without actually sharing is to provide a video walkthrough.

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Dark Water (Childhood Cartoon)

The Pirates of Dark Water was an animated cartoon done back in the early 1990s based on a simple concept of "World going to poo, save it." Personally do not recall to much from the show as its not been seen in about a decade or two but there are things that are remembered to a point.

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Lemmings

No matter how hold you are or when you started to game everyone should have played this for at least a few moments or two. Its the SIMS minus the annoying bablish language with just as much dependency and idiocy.

Picture tiny little creatures who only know how to walk forward and you are there (demi)god! It is your duty to make sure as many of these stupid, and ugly, little creations gets to their home in one piece. As this (demi)god, you are granted several powers in order to do this. Your most used being the stop command. A command which makes whatever Lemming you click on stop in his tracks and act like a bouncer made of diamond.

NONE SHALL PASS!

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Pacman Tetris

Pac-Attack!

A game that is 80% Tetris and 20% Pacman is nothing but win. The game doesn't run in odd shapes but more along the lines of Dr. Mario or Magic Jewelry. The shapes are very constant (Short L pieces in the case of Pac-Attack) with typical finish a row across and get points etc. The difference is the ghosts and Pacman.

On the SNES and Sega Genesis (as well as ports to Gamegear and GBC) the game doesn't seem to get that much attention beyond a certain group of puzzle solving manics. Give the game a whirl, if you can.

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Pick A System (Harvest Moon)

Harvest Moon is a game with so many, moderately well made, renditions that it has a home on every Nintendo system except for the NES. Made by the Natsume, there are also several "unofficial sequels" to other systems. Most of those that are on other systems to not have the actual Harvest Moon name.

The games are rather simple in concept but what always blows me away about each of them is the citizens in the towns your are placed in. While their responses are a bit limited they somehow always seem to make you care, if only a little, about what has or hasn't happened to them.

This feature is easiest seen by the player as they search for a life partner. It was only until recent games that the player was anything other then male, and that is the only type which I play, but the females that where protrayed didn't change much.

They Consisted of:

• Flower Girl
• Religious/Politic Girl
• Tool Girl
• Party Girl
• Traveler

Recent Games have included other arcitypes such as the sick girl and her nurse but the originals are the main staples.

Out of the common listed girls, three are almost always present. "Party girl" usually runs the bar, which is open really late. When she is not, most of the time this female is wondering around town and looking at flowers. "Flower girl" operates the place where the player goes to get seeds, this is usually operated by the girls mother. When not working at the see shop, she is usually in a part or other place of that nature. "Religious/Political girl" is usually the mayor's daughter. In some games this girl attends church and in others she is in the library.

Personally, my two favorite versions of the series are two, out of the three, that are on the gamecube. A Wonderful Life and Magical Melody, are the most well done and have the best NPC to PC character interaction.

Overall, its an excellent game series with excellent characters to interact with and a really good game to kinda zone out to at times.

Note: Harvest Moon and other games related are slightly classified as "farming simulators" but this is not the case. These games are small town simulators, but only in a very simplistic way.

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Original Racing (Uniracers)

Uniracers had to be one of the most original racing games for its 18bit era and still runs as, at least in my personal opinion, the best side scrolling racer. Its rather simple, the concept and style. Take a unicycle, some rock music, lots of bright colors and noodle like tracks and you've got yourself gold.

Despite the game tracks being a bit more about memory and time trial then an actual race, the game is pretty freaking awesome. Generally, unless racing an actual 2P player, it feels like a "ghost" or "time" trial unless doing one of the 10 (I think its ten) stunt tracks.

Stunts in the game are your racers turbo, provided you land them correctly. Upon a "wipe out" you lose a lot of speed and any landing that is awkward causes in a slight lose of speed or no speed bonus. The trick, with tricks, is to land "just right" on the tracks. This can be a problem unless you know the track by heart. Even as a "returning player" I found it difficult to remember where all the twists and bends were. (Slight learning curve is what I'm getting at)

However, the best part about the game is its music. This game has some of the best 18bit music I've ever heard. Its just wonderful and catchy! I find myself humming along to the intoxicating tones as my little green unicycle bursts around the track.


Uniracers Title Music


I suggest that when you play the game, assuming not on the SNES itself, you find a controller. Playing this game with the keyboard is next to impossible in my opinion.

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Pokemon Remake (Fire Red)

To start this post with anything other then "I play Pokemon" would be ignoring the fact that I do. Thus, "I play Pokemon" is now out of the way and I may speak of the proper issue at hand.

That issue being fed a remake of a "classic". Pokemon Red for the GBC was one of the first two that ever started "Poke-fever" and it was remade for the GBA and given an "overhaul" with the title of Pokemon Fire Red. The problem is that if you have played either Pokemon Red or Blue then Fire Red and Leaf Green are just dumb and you would rather play the old "crappy version".

The thing is you would expect something new to be added to these remakes. However, that is not so much true. The only additions, minus the sound and graphical ones, are a few islands and the additional Pokemon that have been released so far in the "Poke-verse". That is, of course, after you have beaten the game. This is slightly irritating.

All the "add ones" from the latter versions, after the original Red, Blue and Yellow, are not there until the game is beaten. This is, again, very, very, very frustrating. The most obvious, and most annoying, was the day care center. This is the location where you place two Pokemon to mate and get Pokemon Eggs. Usually, for me at least, one of them was always a ditto. The day care center was not opened until much later and at that time I no longer cared to make breeder Pokemon.

I think I would have had more fun with the game if I had others to battle or trade with. That is where a lot of Fire Red's features are. As I was playing on my PC VBA emulator with no intention for any netplay (Even with myself upon opening multiple emulator instances), I was basically stuck only playing the 1p mode. That is cool but I wish more things were open in 1p mode.

Guess I'm saying you should play the original Red, Blue or Yellow and deal with the crappy graphics. There is also the option to play Silver (which I am doing now) or Gold. These are the two best in the series, at least in my opinion.

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CoolROM

Safe, secure and mostly legal, CoolROM.com has to be your best choice for ROMs, ISOs and other emulator files. This being, for one main reason. CoolROM has some very strict rules about what does, and does not, get posted on its site.

While there are many, many, available ROMs and links to emulators to play them, nothing on CoolROM will ever be taken down to a legal infringement. Simply put, any ESA protected ROMs, franchises and anything pertaining to the Xbox, PS2 and up is not allowed on the site. Only obsolete and dead consoles are allowed for download via the main site. This basic practice and premise keeps the site about the games and less about "free stuff" while also keeping away the troubles that comes with "early emulation".

All of that, plus a great community that is all about the games and you've a winner of a site. Covering everything from the Atari 2600 up to the PSX, CoolROM has what you're looking for if you are worried about the ESA or just don't want anything that you should not. The site even runs Dream Cast ISOs, which is moderately rare for most sites. You've to join the forum if you wish to get ISOs for the Dream Cast and PSX but when you do there is a wonderful set of people ready to help you with anything you need.

Not to mention that CoolROM's best feature, ROM suggestion, on the side of the screen always has you pointed at popular ROMs for the system you are browsing. It fluctuates, on average, weekly to monthly.

Here's to seeing you on-site, cheers.

!Metroid!

Nintendo is good at beating the dead dog when it releases new games but the Metroid series is one that still has lots of life to it. Starting off on the NES/Famicon the Metroid games have lasted as long as Final Fantasy and Mario.


Nice little magic hybrid shooter platformers with collectible items and with recent games a range in difficulty. Having the series span all of Nintendo's systems Metroid currently has itself a rather large fan base. Of course there is the whole "Metroid Pinball" thing but one mess up can usually be ignored while the rest are rather gold. The "Metroid Pinball" game wasn't horrible by any means but it isn't exactly what one comes to expect from Samus.

Samus, the main character in all the Metroid games, is a female bounty hunter decked out with a plasma gun and a high tech space suit with armor abilities. She goes about her galaxy fighting space pirates and removing other scourge like any good bounty hunter but while she's on the job there is a problem with a nearby race call the Metroids. These creatures of unimaginable power are being bred by the space pirates to be the equivalent of a nuclear bomb of today. Starts the story of Metroid (One) on the NES.

Further, Metroid took a to Nintendo's first hand held which is sometimes called by gamers "the GameBrick" rather then GameBoy due to the handhelds bulky size. One this adventure Samus takes the fight to the Metroid home world, trying to wipe out the deadly creatures before any more harm can come. She does her job for all but one Metroid which decides to follow Samus like a puppy.

Taking the "lost Metroid" back to be studied, Samus then decides to leave the space station in pursuit of a bounty. This is where the best Metroid, Super Metroid, starts. The beginning of the game has Samus Aran briefing you, the player, on the past games events and the fact that there has recently been a distress call from the station she left the creature at. Soon, you and Samas find that a giant alien monster, known as Ridley, has taken the metroid for itself. Samus fights the best to no avail, Ridley grabs the metroid and the station starts a self destruct sequence. If Samas manages to escape the station before the countdown reaches zero she follows Ridley to the planet Zeebes and it is there that this adventure truly begins.

Super Metroid for the SNES has to be one of the best games on the system itself. There is plenty of action, a driven story and the game has a mild retention of its difficulty even through multiple play throughts. Mastering some of the extra moves or finding out ones you did not know where there is also a fun thing to try.

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Multiple Endings

In Crono Trigger you play the role of Crono (You may rename him and the rest of your party members upon meeting them) the main plot behind Crono Trigger is to save the world. The trick is WHEN to save the world. As the name of both character and game imply the "Time Trigger" is what needs to be watched out for. There is a greet evil that will eventually destroy the world and its up to Crono and his group to defeat it.

That "feature" alone for Crono Trigger allows for several different endings, none of which I will state here. I will state that the "happy ending" requires the most play time and the saddest least fulfilling of the endings requires the least amount of play time. The story is beautifully written and does not hold the typical standards that most RPGs, in general, have.

Suggestions:

• Open the "Black Chests" in the present after examining but not opening them in the past for better items.
• When playing the first time through do not look for "easy outs" on killing the final boss.
• Talk to Crono's best friend Lucca's (or whatever you have named her) father for Lucca's best equipment.
• Do not fret when you may have possible "mess something up", this game is intended to be played multiple times so you may try again next time.
• Play the game AT LEAST TWICE.

The game starts in Crono's room where he is pestered by his mother to wake up. From there he is encouraged to go to the fair, but I'd suggest exploring town a bit before you do. The fair is filled with a few mini games and has a battle training area where you fight a singing robot.

After a little bit of time Crono, literally, bumps into a blond chick who doesn't give her name. Crono and the chick decide to explore the festival together. At the "top" of the fair/festival is where Crono's best friend and her father are making a new invention. The two think the invention will change the world, and it does, but not in the manner they think. An error occurs on the machines and an odd dimensional rift is created, sucking the blond chick inside. Crono, of course, decides to follow regardless of the risk and the adventure begins!

Traveling between time and locations, Crono Trigger is a grand game that evolves multiple endings. For its time, this was a rare thing, to be implemented correctly. If you've an SNES or the ZSNES emulator, I'd highly suggest this game. Playing on the ZSNES would be the preferred as their is less chance the game will crash or fail. There is also the added bonus of extended memory and the ZSNES features.