Past-due Recap on Fire Emblem (GBA) & Mario Kart DS (Nintendo DS)
So I have decided to move my pitiful personal game reviews from my Gamespot Account to LiveJournal (which I won't link) and now it should stay here at JoeUser. As I stated in my farewell on the Gamespot account, I will continue using that for the game database features, I just wish they would add a “Completed” option along with the "Wishlist," "Collection," and "Tracked" options.
The last game which I decided to recap was Paper Mario for the N64 which I didn't finish until last year for various reasons. Since then I have managed to complete Fire Emblem for the GBA and Mario Kart DS for...well the Nintendo DS obviously. I also completed a Gamecube title or two which I will recap when I remember them and will also detail my excursions into F.E.A.R., possibly the worst titled game of recent memory, and gladly that was the worst part of the game.
So the handheld front has treated me well lately. Fire Emblem, that is the Super NES port and not new The Sacred Stones, which I do plan on getting, was a spectacular title that I missed during my childhood. At the time of the title's original release I was one of many kids who didn't grasp the RPG genre, and I largely blame my brother for that. You see we pooled our money and bought games together, and anything that wasn't multiplayer or at least exciting to watch often didn't make the cut.
Obviously for that reason I can't compare the GBA port to the original, but if the original was anything like the port, that title was also a smash. Unfortunately for me I didn't know at the start of the game that losing an avatar meant losing them for good. The feature, although annoying if you didn't know about it, certainly made the game more challenging and made you connect with your characters more. Losing a character means not only losing some class' benefits but also losing a lot of story and dialog. Plus, any game that can offer a legitimate challenge nowadays is a good thing.
As any turn-based strategy game of the time goes the gameplay was pretty much commonplace but the character dynamics, sprites and storyline made it one hell of a package. I can't think of anything in the title I wish they could have tweaked or changed but I did finish it back in mid-December. At any rate the title was stellar and I only wish I could remember more specifics to offer a better recap, so in short if you like the TBS genre and have a Super NES, GBA or DS then you should definitely pick up Fire Emblem.
The next handheld title that I knocked off, and boy did I finish it fast, was Mario Kart DS. I already did a small review of the title after I first got it, I was just that damned pleased with the thing:
I also received Mario Kart DS [for Christmas] and have completed through the 100cc mode so far. I have yet to tackle the mission mode but the game is already is the best title in the coveted series in my opinion. Its everything the Gamecube version should have had but didn't. Internet play, good racing, good battling, power slide & bunny hopping and old school courses. Some reviewer said he couldn't give it a 10/10 because it didn't use all the DS features. What the hell kind of crap is that, just because it barely uses the touch screen and doesn't use the voice recognition at all means its not an amazing game? Thats like saying that a game isn't good because it doesn't use every button on a standard controller, or doesn't have progressive scan support.
After completing the game in whole, including the missions and unlocking everything including R.O.B. The Robot and the alternate start screen, I can honestly say that Mario Kart DS is the 'Killer App' of the Nintendo DS. Judging by the title's sales figures, the general population agrees. Simply put, its everything I have wanted from a Mario Kart title since the franchise's introduction on the Super NES. Being a fan of the franchise and not grabbing Mario Kart DS should be some sort of crime...