Aside from being another WTF moment, there’s just something thats disturbing about this box cover…

So..how was everybody’s frickin Christmas? Get any good presents? Mine actually wasn’t too bad after all…due to the gifts I got. Usually I would get ridiculous stuff that either I don’t need or definitely don’t want (like socks…why socks..???).

Last post I was grumpy, possibly because I was one of the few who decided to wait to the last minute to buy gifts. Then came to the realization that I hate buying gifts, then ultimately came to the conclusion that I hate Christmas altogether. Well, I don’t totally hate it, but I’m going to make sure next year I’ll start a bit more early, before the Grinch bug attacks me again.

So what did I get? Well, the usual useless stuff that I’ll probably never need. But this time around I did happen to get something of interest to me.

Yes, The Simpsons Game for the Wii and The Simpsons Movie. Finally something cool for once! Dunno about you all, but since I’m the only person in the world who hasn’t seen the movie yet, I’m off to watch it now…

Old Favorite Now on the DS

Hell yeah…

The original badass shooter is back in full 2D glory. On two screens! It seems ol’ skool gaming is where it’s at right now, and this game takes us there.

So here’s the down low. Lance and Bill are back, along with two other dudes named Mad Dog and Scorpion (actually, Lance and Bill’s NES names) and that douchebag Red Falcon is once again starting crap with the people of Earth. The game takes place 2 years after the alien wars and truly feels like a sequel.

What can I say about this game, its freakin’ sweet. Much better than any of those other sad excuses for Contra games we have been getting in the past years (Legacy of War or Neo Contra anyone?). The game has gone back to its 2 dimensional roots and it’s damn fun. From the second you turn it on and hear that familiar Contra intro and the sounds of your guns firing you know that this game was made by a group of people who loved the game just as much as we did.

This game is HARD. Even on easy, this game is hard. The development team knew this and made it obvious in their manual. The enemies are abundant and so are the death screams. Cool little bonus though, if you play the game on hard you get to hear the original music and the weapons actually change slightly to be more like they were in the original game. That is actually a really cool thing, some of the functions actually change on hard mode, such as a button that lets you ditch your weapon.

I have to say that this is some of the best use of the Dual Screen I have seen in a DS game. It is pretty fresh to see a game that doesn’t rely on the touch screen at all, as far as I know, but I may be missing something. Enemies come at you from both screens and it makes for overall a much bigger playing field than we have had in any previous Contra games. To get you up to some of the higher places that are often times on the top screen you get a kick ass Bionic Commando style grappling hook, the only downside is it only shoots up and you cant use it as a weapon too. They also added in a function that actually lets you shoot in place, so you can more easily shoot enemies around you.

If you are an original Contra gamer all the classic weapons are there, and you will probably still avoid the crappy “F”. You will race towards the “S” and the “M” they are all still there in those flying do-a-mabobs. They even have the cool exploding bridges and the damn turrets on the rock sides.

Don’t get me wrong, there are still a few surprises from Konami in this game (I totally did not expect the first boss to do that). And I have yet to play multiplayer, because the one really bad thing is you need two game cards to play two players. Not too much of a problem, but it’s hard to find another DS owner with the exact same game.

Since this was a Christmas present, I got it for free (THANKS LISA! I LOVE YOU). Would I pay 30 bucks for it? HELLZ YEAH!

Oh, and one more thing. The Konami code, it’s still in the game. Like I said though, Konami did add a few surprises, you will have to figure that one out for yourself…I did.

Lets Spread some Happiness!

Maybe it’s just this year. Maybe it’s I’m getting a little older. Or maybe it’s just me. But for a person who don’t really celebrate Christmas in the first place, this Christmas season has become to dull to me lately. The magic that once was felt is no longer around. Seeing the rush, the annoying stampede of people, the tons of money spent, the false happiness that everyone tries to present, the goddamm egg-nog,  just isn’t working for me anymore. I just feel tired…

So its official, The Wii Effect has become Grinch Central.

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates on my part. Just got home and with the holidays around it’s been rough. When you work a shit retail job (like me) this is the busiest time of the year. I am working on a few articles and hoping to post them soon. Until then, check out part two of the AVGN’s Christmas Carol.

Angry Video Game Nerd

This guy is funny as hell.

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