intelligent systems

Favourite Moments in Fiction #25 – The Hooktail Boss Fight (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door)

/ Michael Beckwith / Leave a comment

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

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It’s such a shame that Nintendo doesn’t seem to know what to do with the Paper Mario series anymore. The first three entries are fantastic games that I could easily recommend to anyone with even a passing interest in RPGs or games with well-written stories and dialogue. Of those three, there’s no denying that the GameCube title, The Thousand-Year Door, is the best one. I could write several of these articles on that game alone with how many memorable moments it has, but for this instance, I’m going to focus on the game’s first major boss fight. Continue reading →

My VG Music Picks #66 – Tomorrow Hill/Falling Off Tomorrow Hill (WarioWare: Smooth Moves)

/ Michael Beckwith / Leave a comment

There is a surprising amount of vocal tracks in the WarioWare series. I dunno, I just find that strange; I never would have pegged a series like this to get that kind of content. But, these lyrical pieces are not only quite fitting but are easily some of the most popular and memorable music tracks from the series (probably because they last more than five seconds).

And while there’s a certain little witch whose theme song reigns supreme above the rest, I want to shift the focus to another one for the time being – specifically Tomorrow Hill from the Wii title, Smooth Moves. Continue reading →

WarioWare Gold – Glorious, Gaming Goodness or Just Gross?

/ Michael Beckwith / Leave a comment

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I never realised how much I missed playing WarioWare games until I tried out the demo for the latest entry – WarioWare Gold. It was like meeting up with an old friend you hadn’t seen in years and finding out that you’re still on the same wavelength and have a fun time together. And considering the last WarioWare game came out in 2013 (assuming you even count Game & Wario, that is), I feel that comparison is perfectly apt.

But is WarioWare Gold deserving of that name? Is it the game that long-time fans have been waiting for? Or is it just like Wario himself and full of hot air? How about I stop asking rhetorical questions and we get on with the review. Continue reading →