VGM of the Week #65

Hey, it's Josh again with another VGM of the Week!

This time, I wanted to go with something that I think is just awesome...NintendoLand has a Ton of Charming Content, but I love almost every Remix that appears in the game (As well as the few completely original tracks)...

My favorite remix happens to be from a game that I have yet to play in NintendoLand, Mario Chase. The Music from Mario Chase's Chase Arena is a wonderful remix of Super Mario Bros. 3's Athletic Theme...I think all of the Bleeps & Bloops, as well as the Background music really add something to this Classic Mario tune.

Extra Joy #7 - Wii U Nintendo Direct

Yesterday, Nintendo announced a whole ton of stuff at their latest Nintendo Direct conference all about the Wii U. Things we haven't heard of before, things we wanted and things we didn't know we wanted until now. Bombs were dropped and we came from the battlefield cover in ash. So naturally, we decided to talk about it in podcast form. It might be shorter than our average Extra Joys but hey, if you want to know what we thought of all the news, it might be worth a listen.

You can check out the downloadable MP3 version here.

Let's Try That Again - Super Mario 64

Our 50th Let's Try That Again! We decided to go all out with this one by having not one, not two, but four different people play a single player game. Yes, Ricky, Matt, Don and Phil all took turns collecting 30 Stars in our 50th LTTA Extravaganza! We hope you enjoy our take on one of the most popular games of all time as much as we did.





So hey, we've been putting up our 50th Let's Try That Again slowly over the last two weeks and boy, is it a doozy. We really wanted to do something special for our 50th, so having four people play a single player game for the first time ever seemed like just the ticket and personally, I think it's one of our best. So sit back, relax and have some laughs with our 50th Let's Try That Again.

VGM of the Week #55

It's that time of the week again! Time for some awesome VGM goodness! This time, I'm picking a tune from Super Mario 64. I decided to go with Bowser's Road.



This tune has always pumped me up for the coming Battle with Bowser, as it sounds kind of like a Battle March.

VGM of the Week #45

As you may or may not be aware, I'm a sucker for a Boss Fight tune. Final Boss tunes are even better in my eyes. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is no different!



This music sound like it comes straight from Kingdom Hearts...I have no idea if I only think this because I'm currently replaying Dream Drop Distance, but this really feels like it should be used in Kingdom Hearts...Regardless of where it's from, it's a pretty awesome tune!

Adamant Ditto Review: New Super Mario Bros. 2

We meet again, Mario. We meet again.

Alright everyone, we've got another Mario game on the docket, and not just any Mario, New Super Mario Bros. 2. Ultimately, that's exactly what it says on the box. We've played New Super Mario Bros. and we've played New Super Mario Bros. Wii, this game didn't bring much new to the plate.

VGM of the Week #30

Hey there Party People, Are you ready for some Music? No? Well TOO BAD! 'Cause I have some Music that's straight outta a Video Game!

Going with a True Classic this time...One that should be embedded in our memories until the end of time



That's right, the Super Mario Bros. Theme! I'm surprised noone has used this yet, it's a True Classic. This song has probably been done with every instrument out there, remixed to death, but the Original is still the best version in my eyes. You have to love the Chiptune-y goodness of this amazing Classic.

So, enjoy this glimpse into the Red Plumber's Humble Beginnings

The Eleven Stages I Want In The Next Super Smash Bros.

Well, my last two lists have been about the best and worst stages to ever be featured in the Super Smash Bros. series so I might as well talk about the stages I’d love to see in the next installment. With such a huge selection of characters and franchises, I find it hard to believe Nintendo would ever be pressed for ideas for stages. Personally, I’m of the belief that every character in the game should have their own stage for when you fight them in Classic or All-Star mode. I remember finding it very strange that Young Link’s home stage in Melee was Jungle Japes.

What happened to you, man? You used to be cool.

So, in an attempt to come up with ideas for stages to be added into the next Smash Bros.,I give you my list of the eleven stages I’d love to see. Why eleven? Because I came up with one last minute and didn’t want to get rid of anything. Now, it was hard coming up with this list. There’s tons of ideas for stages I’d love to see, many of which from the franchises that already get the most stages. I tried to be fair and give each franchise one stage but I couldn’t do it so there’s two Zelda and Mario stages on the list anyway, OH WELL! 

Let's Podcast - 2011 Year in Review

Just like last year, this year we decided to do a Podcast about all the games we played in 2011. Everything from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword to the 3DS to Portal 2 to the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The five us plus our good pal Phil share our opinions and thoughts about 2011 in Video games all while I play The Legend of Zelda quite poorly in honor of Zelda's 25th anniversary.

The first part is below, follow the annotation at the end to get to the next part.

The Top Six NES Games That Should Get 3D Classic Remakes

If you caught my Monday Top Picks last week, then you know I was focusing on the 3DS and what games I’d like to see Nintendo remake for it. Well, this week I’m listing the NES games I want to get the 3D Classic upgrade. 

Ugh. Seriously guys?

The 3D Classic games are enhanced version of classic NES games made to show off the 3D on the 3DS, though for the most part it isn’t very deep. I mean, it is a bunch of 8-bit sprites, how deep can it be? Whether you find the 3D interesting or not, it’s still a fun concept. However, the choices for games so far have been… questionable at best. The first was Excitebike, which was a fine choice, it’s a highly nostalgic and well remembered game for many gamers and the 3D was actually pretty cool. Then there was Xevious and Twinbee, two third party, shoot-em-up games that are okay but nothing I would imagine fans were demanding. Then there was Urban Champion. I will never understand Nintendo’s obsession with this game, it’s terrible. You could literally make a list of every other first party Nintendo game on the NES and every single other game on it would be a better choice than Urban Champion. The most recent 3D Classic was Kirby’s Adventure, which marks the first time a really great game got the treatment, as well as one that felt like a game by today’s standards. Gaming has come a long way since the NES days and games like Excitebike and Xevious might keep gamers entertained for a while, but they likely won’t hold their attention for long. It’s great to see a game like Kirby’s Adventure, and the upcoming Kid Icarus remake, get the treatment because, well, they can actually be beat.

So I’m going to take a look at the six NES games that should get 3D Classic remakes. Unlike the last list, I’m going to include third party games because, as I already mentioned, Xevious and Twinbee have gotten the treatment. I’m also not going to include any of the ten games Nintendo gave out for their 3DS ambassador program. While it would be great to get games like Super Mario Bros. or Metroid as a 3D Classic, a lot of people already have them plus, they seem like obvious choices at this point. So I’m looking at six games you can’t get on the 3DS at all yet. So let’s get started.

Review: Mario Kart 7

Those of us at Adamant Ditto have a long-standing appreciation for Mario Kart, as our group Wii outings can attest to. Most people would call Mario Kart DS the best entry in the series, and while I have a profound appreciation for that title, I'm afraid I'm the only person I've ever had contact with who keeps fonder memories of Double Dash. 

Still, it's hard to deny that Mario Kart DS was a tremendous leap forward for the franchise. It was the first game to feature an online mode as well as to include retro tracks, and even its original tracks are some of the best in the series. It featured a robust Mission Mode with actual boss battles (!) and, hands-down, the best single-cart multiplayer on the DS.

So how does Mario Kart's next portable title hold up?

The Top Six Characters I Want in the Next Smash Bros. that Have No Chance of Making It

When it comes to Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. series, it seems like the one thing everybody always talks about is the roster. No matter what gaming site, blog or forum you visit, you’re bound to find a topic dedicated entirely to fans discussing and debating which characters deserve to be in the game, who they think will be in the game and who they want in the game. We here at Adamant Ditto have plenty of discussions about it, in fact, before Super Smash Bros. Brawl was released, it was all we talked about.

Everybody has their own opinions and favorites when it comes to Nintendo characters and it’s not hard to see why. Nintendo more so than any other gaming company out there has so many lovable and unique characters, there’s always going to be some character that people feel was unfairly left out. Though sometimes, it can be a little ridiculous. Just because a character is cool doesn’t mean they stand a chance of being playable. You may be a big fan of Umbreon or Agent J. from the Elite Beat Agents but chances are, they weren’t even considered.

Though thinking about it, we'll probably get Wesker instead.

So that’s what I’m looking at today. I’m counting down the top six characters I want in the next Smash Bros. game but have no chance of making it on the roster. Now keep in mind, this isn’t my list of my most wanted characters, there’s plenty I want in the next game that I feel actually stand a decent chance, such as Krystal, King K. Rool, Lil’ Mac, Starfy, Mega Man, I could go on and on. Yet, there are some characters I want to see that I know have no chance whatsoever of ever being playable. So without further delay, let’s begin the list.

Mario Kart Madness TONIGHT

So anyway, join us tonight at 8 PM EST and we'll be playin' some Mario Kart Wii. Hook us up with your friend code if you wish to join. Should be a grand ol' time had by all.

And uh yeah.

Happy Birthday Shigeru Miyamoto!

Yes, 59 years ago today, the man himself was born. It's hard to imagine the gaming world without him. He's been with Nintendo for more than half of the 59 years he's been alive! It's also pretty cool that his birthday this year just happened to fall inbetween the releases of Nintendo's two biggest games of the year, Super Mario 3D Land and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, his babies. What a way to celebrate!

So here's to you, Miyamoto! Thanks for everything you've done and everything you've changed about the way gaming is played.

The Ten Worst Mario Characters to Ever be Playable

Over the course of his 30 years in video gaming, Mario has made a lot of friends and a lot of enemies. So like any normal human being, he enjoys spending time with these people. Sometimes he likes to golf with them, maybe shoot some hoops or even throw a pretty crazy house party. Whatever he’s doing that day, Mario always has a colorful gang of characters to join him.

It's better than doing math.

But sometimes he makes some pretty dumb decisions when making up the guest list for these events. Doesn’t he ever stop to think that maybe those of us at home don’t want to go kart-racing as Baby Peach? Or lobby some tennis balls as Donkey Kong Jr.? Yes, the Mario universe has a great and varied bundle of characters but not all of them deserve to be playable. So I’m taking a quick look at the ten worst offenders. This is my list of the Worst Playable Mario Characters. 

But before we begin, I do want to get this out of the way now; no third party characters are on this list. Yes, I know Mario played basketball with Cactuar. I also know he once raced against some Tamagotchi thing. And yes, he has snowboard and jumped hurdles with Silver the Hedgehog. I know. But none of them are on this list. I’m looking specifically at Mario universe characters. Just because Bomberman once fought against Wario does not make him a Mario character. So without further delay, let’s start the list.

And you thought I was making the Tamagotchi thing up.

Review - Super Mario 3D Land

At long last, the 3DS has a stand-out original title that not only looks great in 3D, but actually uses the third dimension and integrates it into its gameplay. Super Mario 3D Land is the first 3DS game to feel that it was designed specifically to be played in 3D. Even as colossal spiked pillars fly towards the screen, the application of the 3D feature somehow manages to avoid feeling gimmicky, instead feeling perfectly natural, as if it were an extension of the game.

Matt's Top Ten Favorite Mario Kart Tracks

When it comes to video games, Mario Kart has to be the most prominent and important series in my life. Mario Kart 64 was the first Nintendo game I owned and was the whole reason I ever got into Nintendo as much as I did. It’s also the main reason I met everybody I’m great friends with today. If it wasn’t for my love for Mario Kart, I never would have joined my first internet message board, Mario Kart Central, and I never would have met the person who would lead me to meeting all the people I am currently associated with today. Mario Kart means more to me than any other video game ever could. Hell, my internet handle was Toadkarter for many years. Needless to say, I frickin’ love Mario Kart.

One of my favorite aspect of the Mario Kart series is it’s incredible track design. Nintendo has such a way with creating unique, fun and often times challenging levels and stages, so it makes sense that same creative genius would spill over into Mario Kart’s tracks. Whether avoiding boulders on Choco Choco Mountain or launching off of tree branches in Maple Treeway, the Mario Kart series simply can’t be beat when it comes to track design. So today, I’m counting down my top ten favorite Mario Kart tracks. It’s pretty difficult to narrow down over 90 tracks to just ten, but I’m going to attempt to do it the best I can.

Admittedly, this is still the best racing game with Pac-Man in it

Now before I begin, I just need to get this out of the way; there are no courses on the list from the SNES or Gameboy Advance entries of the series. The tracks in those games are mostly boring and just don’t stand out very much. It’s not really Nintendo’s fault, the game consoles they were working with just weren’t powerful enough to handle any truly wacky tracks that weren’t just…flat. Sure, Super Circuit has some cool ones like Cheese Land or Ribbon Road, but those are purely aesthetic. The tracks are still flat and boring. Likewise, there’s no tracks from either of the arcade entries on the list either. Partially because I’ve only played each of those games a few times, but also because the tracks in that game are pretty boring too. Racing through Diamond City from WarioWare is pretty cool, but look at the map in that screenshot there. It’s boring and uninspired. So no Arcade games this time around. Feel free to disagree, though. Anyway, let’s start the list.