In Deck Post-Turkey Time

Did everyone have a good Thanksgiving? I hope so. I did, though I haven’t played as many games as one might expect. More often than not I’ve been resting or just goofing off with my spare time. Plus, I don’t have Left 4 Dead yet (and probably won’t till after Xmas). For shits and giggles, here’s what I’ve been playing over Turkey day and beyond:

River City Ransom

What a classic! Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to play as much as I want, but recently played a little with a buddy where we cleared out some areas and earned some money. This is one classic that holds up big time today, deserves a remake, and should be on any and everyone’s Wii Virtual Console library. I never played it as a kid, but thanks to the glory of emulation and now the Virtual Console, I’ve been enjoying it for years.

F-Zero GX

The F-Zero obsession continues. Maureen is practically undefeated in any multi-player match up we have in any version of F-Zero. She fell short the other day while we played with our pal, Aaron, however and he has lorded it over her head since. F-Zero GX is probably my favorite F-Zero, as I think Sega brought a lot to the table. The various racers, the details put into the vehicles and their drivers, the insane track designs… It’s just so excellent. I also really dig the music, though Maureen and I agree to disagree on this point. Plus, there are so many characters and tracks, especially if you visited an arcade to unlock more of them (or used an Action Replay to unlock the extra stuff, which is what I did). Seeing as the Wii has no F-Zero even announced, GX still holds up enough to merit playing and enjoying. I’ve played some of the other F-Zeros in the past (and still tinker with the original here and there), which I’ve brought up on other In Deck/On Decks, but over the past week at least, GX has held my interest beyond just a solitary session.

Super Mario RPG

I bought this for VC with some long, lingering, leftover Wii points a couple weeks ago, but just recently started playing it. It’s been nice returning to this game, and even though I’m not very far in yet, the old joy returns. However, it’s more interesting to see it for what it is: the ancestor for both the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi RPG games Nintendo puts out now. There are many things that have been adapted from this classic title, which is great, so it’s intriguing to play the old one again, when timed hits and platforming combined with an RPG was still a new thing. I also really like the characters Square made up for this game, Mallow and Geno. Those guys need to make a comeback somehow…

Tetris DS

I just got this back about a few weeks ago, and now that I have it back, I’m wondering why the hell I loaned it out in the first place. Tetris DS is not only the game of Tetris we all know and love, it’s infused with several unique modes that keep me coming back time and again. Plus, there are Nintendo characters and music galore that decorate each mode. Even the guy from Gyromite makes a cameo! It’s addicting as hell, as Tetris should be, and has enough variety to keep things interesting. I’ve taken to playing it at any dull moment, even during commercials! It’s a phenomenal game, and the game I’ve probably been playing the most lately.

Super Mario World

True to my word, I’ve come back to Super Mario World. It’s been a brief visit so far, but I am definitely loving the return to Mario’s 2D roots. A lot of this game, from the aesthetics to the gameplay, all brings back a lot of great memories of the Super Nintendo days. Still, as much as I’m enjoying my foray into SMW, I think I need to get back to exploring Super Mario Galaxy.

No On Deck today, as I don't know what exactly I'll be playing next. I have some ideas, but nothing solid.

Max