Reviews

No, I'm not saying that this is a bad game, it's just far too challenging. Yes, this is the REAL Super Mario Bros. 2, but it was released in Japan only, because Japanese people enjoy more challenging games. This is a nice follow up game, and another reason it wasn't released in the US or UK was because of repetition (it's far too similar to SMB). However, there are new features, such as the poison mushrooms, sky-rocketing trampolines and the extra worlds. We know this game as SUPER MARIO BROS: THE LOST LEVELS, and gamers got to enjoy it 7 years after its first release (which was in 1986) on SUPER MARIO ALL-STARS, and it's also a secret mode on SUPER MARIO BROS. Deluxe. But what is the problem with this game? Well, it's FAR too difficult. I can only seem to get to World 5-3 before the life-losing streak begins. I've played the original on the NES, and it's quite enjoyable although difficult (what's also confusing is that even if you are playing as Luigi it still says MARIO in the top left corner! Wierd.), but Luigi can seem to put some of this difficulty away, as he has a brand new jump technique far higher than Mario's jump, but he tends to skid around a lot. Overall I rate this game 8 out of 10.

The first video game I have EVER played is still the best! Man, about 12 years ago I was about 3 years old and I still remember my first go on the best platformer ever made! I was over at my cousin Gary's house and he asked if I would like a go on his new NES. So Gary took me upstairs and once I saw him playing the game, I was instantly attracted. Gary gave me a go and I wasn't pretty good (but hey, I was three!). 1985 certainly was Mario's year, when Shigeru Miyamoto had created his best game yet. It was released in America in 1985 and Europe in 1987. The game sold 40.3million (!!!) copies worldwide, but it's pretty obvious why. I still love this game more than any other along with Sonic the Hedgehog (this was the first game that belonged to me). I bought SUPER MARIO BROS. Deluxe last year to relive the action I had witnessed 12 years ago, and I am currently borrowing a SNES off my friend along with SUPER MARIO ALL-STARS, which also has SMB on it. I even bought a NES a couple of months ago JUST FOR THE SAKE OF PLAYING THIS GAME!!! Even my dad enjoyed it when I got it back home (he had the first go). Even though this game is over 15 years old it still beats many of the games out today for consoles such as PS2 and X-Box. This game is a true genuine classic, no matter how old it may get. 10 out of 10, thanks to Shigeru Miyamoto, the greatest game genius alive!

In 1981 Nintendo was saved thanks to Shigeru Miyamoto and his revolutionary game DONKEY KONG. Because of its massive success, Shigeru decided to develop a sequel, which was DONKEY KONG JR. DK Jr. is DK's supposed son and is out to rescue his father from the evil clutches of Mario (then known as Jumpman). This game was released on arcades worldwide in 1982, and like its predecessor, was a great success. The only confusion was how come Mario is the bad guy - well, he had taken Donkey Kong back to the jungle and DK Jr. is out to save him, but Jumpman's not going to let that happen. Like DONKEY KONG, this game is action packed and rather exciting for a game that was released 20 years ago, and we have been allowed to revive the long lost action on the NES on DONKEY KONG CLASSICS (contains DK and DK Jr.). The sound may have been a little twitchy, but hey, it was 1982. An exciting game, which is a must for retro gamers to discover the fun of Mario's early career.

After DONKEY KONG JR. had been released, Nintendo had Shigeru Miyamoto to thank again for another brilliant game. Shigeru was thinking about making another game, but this time it would feature Mario as the main character. Before then Mario's name was Jumpman, but Shigeru decided to change it because of a guy who had heavily helped Nintendo (his name was Mario). So it was 1983, and Shigeru was designing his new game but decided that this could be a 2-player game, and Mario's partner would be his brother Luigi, who made his first appearance in this game. Mario was also a plumber now instead of his old job as a carpenter. Mario and Luigi's job was to rid the sewers of the strange creatures that have infested it. This game is loads of fun, it gets more challenging after every phase, and it is a never-ending game, which can give the challenge of seeing how far you can get. MARIO BROS. was released on arcades in 1983 and on the Atari 2600 in 1983. The arcade version is MUCH better, as the Atari's version has horrible graphics, sound, and control. It was also out on the NES by 1986 to let gamers enjoy classic days once again. However, the problem with this game is repetition, you can get bored with the same level over and over and over again. Playing it with a friend can make it less boring, and I think overall this game is pretty good; I rate it 7 out of 10.

Many people think that the only thing about Nintendo is consoles and games. Actually, only about 70% of it is. In 1890 Nintendo was founded by a Japanese man named Fusajiro Yamauchi, and they were a successful card company. By the 1950s their company had expanded and by the 1970s they were selling toys. Due to the popularity of video game consoles they decided to make their own. They hired Nintendo's soon-to-be-top-man Shigeru Miyamoto in 1977 and they created the Game-And-Watch device. It failed miserably and Nintendo were starting to run out of money. So in 1980 Shigeru promised to make things right when he started developing his new game, DONKEY KONG. The game was finished by 1981 and released on arcades worldwide. Unbelievably the game was a massive success and Miyamoto had saved Nintendo. This game starred Jumpman the carpenter (soon to become Mario the plumber), a giant, stupid ape called Donkey Kong, and Mario's girlfriend Pauline. Jumpman has to climb a giant construction site to save Pauline, but Donkey Kong has planned many tricks and traps which Jumpman must get past. The game is very fun and a huge revolution for Nintendo. Yes, it is over 20 years since the excitement began and now gamers of today would laugh in the face of this game, it is definitely one of the greatest classics ever to come from the greatest game company of all time.

Well, it seems that this film hangs in the balance of being a good film, or a bad one. I really don't know...I kind of did want to see it considering the hilarious TV show that I never stopped watching back in the day, but seeing it wasn't too pleasant. There aren't that many funny gags like in the show and Bean isn't really acting like he does in the show. I think I've only laughed a couple of times seeing this film, and yeah - it's ok, I just don't know how to rate it (I'd probably give it a 5 out of 10). The unseen scenes at the end of the video are what would have made this film good, especially the scene where Bean drives his mini through a mall! The feature song, "I Love L.A.", is amazing, and both the "music videos" on the video are quite good, this song should have been in the charts! Well, Rowan Atkinson has had some success with motion-pictures, and this one is ok IMHO. Unless you REALLY want to have it to add to a collection or something, I'd suggest renting it to see what you think first.

Man, this film blasted me off my feet! And to think Episode I was eagerly awaited but this film was sold out all over the country for weeks! So Ewan McGregor is back as Anakin Skywalker and with Obi-Wan Kenobi they set out to find out about some sort of cloning process going on on another planet. After Anakin's mother dies in his arms he is hell bent on gaining revenge and this is where it really kicks in! The fight near the end is excellent, and especially the funny quotes Obi-Wan makes are unforgettable! Anakin has his arm chopped off by a light saber and he marries the princess, and later they give birth to Luke Skywalker. Although this film is called ATTACK OF THE CLONES, the clones only attack during the last 15 minutes of the film, so Episode III is really about the war (boy, I can't wait till that comes out!). This film has some really advanced technology and buildings and computers (it must have cost a bomb to pay for it all!), and it is really interesting, your attention will never leave the screen once you get first glimpse. 10 out of 10. Episode II or Spider-Man? Episode II all the way!!

Well, well, well, Jean-Claude Van Damme has made his presence felt in another hard-hitting film. And this one is one of my favourite Video Games, STREET FIGHTER. Well actually it's based on STREET FIGHTER II, but that doesn't change much. Plenty of nice moves and slightly comical. Kylie Minogue is in it too, I noticed, but she's not really for the acting department, she's better off as a singer anyway. Everything has managed to be kept in similarity to the game unlike other films based on games (check out my other reviews). There is nice sound in the film, plenty of action and a storyline that makes it worthwhile to be watching it, as Master Bison is smuggling weapons, instead of just a plain old fighting tournament like Mortal Kombat. IMHO this film deserves more than a crappy 3.1 as a rating - I'd give it 6.5. It's a pretty darn good film but after you watch it three times or so, you can quickly get bored. So my suggestion is renting it from somewhere, but pretty good overall.

I just can't believe it, another classic Bob Hoskins film! And it's certainly unique! Okay, so the story here is that a rabbit (Roger) has been framed for murdering Mr. Marvin Acme and R.K. Maroon and Eddie Valiant (none other than Bob, of course) is sent to investigate. The catch is that Eddie's brother was murdered by a toon years ago, and he can't trust Roger. After discovering the will that Acme has supposedly never wrote, he wraps up the case of the real murder crime and has Toontown bequeathed to the toons. The film mixes cartoon with real life actors (how do they do it?), and this gives it a nice touch. The storyline is quite good, and the overall film is exciting as well as enjoyable. I was just about a year old when this film was released, and I have been watching it since I was five years old, and I still watch it today (after all, my favourite actor is in it). I rate this film an unbeatable 10 out of 10, a pure classic, just as enjoyable for adults as it is for kids!

Some time in November or December 2001, I went to Carlisle to watch one of the latest releases: Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Because I am a veteran at Final Fantasy games, I thought watching this film would be quite suitable for me. After seeing the film, I wasn't too disappointed, but what made this film less enjoyable than the games was the lack of things in the Final Fantasy series. Yes, there is advanced technology and stuff, but no magic, materia, PHS, Shin-Ra, Garden, SeeD, pretty much stuff is missing. The storyline is that this scientist called Aki-Ross is trying to stop an invasion of alien creatures. Similar to most other FF plots. The detail and graphics are amazing; nice, clear sound and exciting. I'd give this film a 8 out of 10. So although it's like an oddball out of the Final Fantasy series, it's still quite enjoyable. A really good film.

Why does this film have such a low rating? Sure it may not be along the storylines of the Super Mario Bros. game for the NES back in '85, but in my opinion, it has to be one of the best films I have ever seen. Some noticeable changes are in this film, such as that the princess' name is Daisy, and she's being held in a tower instead of a castle. There's plenty of fungus and mushrooms around, but I think that the storyline is actually improved from the game, because if it were exactly like the game, it would be just running round, bashing blocks, grabbing coins and eating mushrooms all the way, which would eventually just become boring. This film has variety, like in a real world, there are phone boxes, houses, restaurants, and much more than just pipes, flags and castles. It just also happens that my favourite actor, Bob Hoskins, has the main role as Mario, which makes this film more appealing and exciting. There are also things from the Mario games in the film such as Bob-Ombs (licensed by Reebok, mysteriously), and Goomba Shoes that are powered by Bullet Bills. So to top it off, this has to be one of the best films ever made, and one of my all-time favourites.