Monthly Archives: January 2019
SSR #23: “Bart Gets Hit by a Car”
Introduction:
The Simpsons are known for having some of the most memorable and talented recurring guest stars. There is Joe Mantegna who plays the role of Fat Tony, the late, great Marcia Wallace who played Edna Krabappel and John Lovitz has starred in a number of guest roles and appearances as well. However, as amazing as all of those performances are, there is one guest voice who always manages to catch my attention and bring the nonstop laughter, and that voice is none other than Phil Hartman. Why is this relevant? Well, the next episode we are taking a look at is “Bart Gets Hit by a Car,” which just so happens to be Lionel Hutz’s first appearance, and Phil Hartman’s first credit as a voice actor on The Simpsons.
SSR #22: “Itchy & Scratchy & Marge”
Introduction:
Are cartoons really that violent? I mean, the last episode I looked at was the episode where Homer plummeted down Springfield Gorge twice and ended up bloodied and in a full-body cast. Aside from that though, I’d say The Simpsons is a pretty tame show. We can also take a look at shows like Looney Tunes where the bad guy gets endlessly tormented by the evasive good guy, but even those shows haven’t felt incredibly violent either. However, when it comes to The Simpsons version of Looney Tunes; Itchy & Scratchy…I can start to see where some parents, much like Marge Simpson, might have some issues. And today, we are going to see what her issues are in the episode; “Itchy & Scratchy & Marge.”
Wario Land 4
Game: Wario Land 4
Start Date: January 7th, 2019
End Date: February 1st, 2019
Videos: 11
After having some pretty successful and fun adventures on the Game Boy and Game Boy Color, Wario decided it’s time to take things to the Game Boy Advance for his 4th installment. News of a mysterious pyramid full of treasure has started to spread and naturally Wario feels that pillaging and treasure hunting is right up his alley, so another adventure awaits. We have a pretty interesting and unique adventure in front of us this though, so let’s see what it’s all about!
I had initially intended for this project to be the closer of 2018, but with some projects taking a lot longer than I had anticipated (coughFIREEMBLEMcough), I figured there was no harm in starting the new year with it. Besides, with my upcoming trip to AGDQ 2019 and the start of a new upload schedule, something quick and painless seemed like the perfect fit here. The Game Boy Advance was actually quite perfect for those types of games, now that I think about it…maybe it was the best gaming system of that generation!
Mario Party: Star Rush
Game: Mario Party: Star Rush
Start Date: January 5th, 2019
End Date: —
Videos: —
Mario Party was starting to get stuck in a funk, at least as far as faithful, die-hard fans were concerned and Nintendo didn’t really seem to have any interest in going back to the roots of what made Mario Party such hit in the first place. However, when they decided to change things up, remove the car-based gameplay, and try something new with some elements from Mario Party of old…even fans like myself, who were losing hope and interest, took notice of this new change. Say hello to Mario Party: Star Rush!
I was really happy that both Mario Party 10 and Island Tour were over with at this point, because now I could start focusing on some games where I at least had some positivity to share with people, and my first impressions of Star Rush were generally very positive. I don’t think I would take it over a majority of the original 8 installments, but it was a pretty interesting take on the Mario Party gameplay and I applaud the effort that Nintendo decided to take with this one.
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
Game: Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
Start Date: December 4th, 2018
End Date: December 20th, 2018
Videos: 10
When a game series does well for a new console, it’s only natural that you want to make a sequel as soon as possible to continue the hype, and that’s exactly what Naughty Dog did with Crash Bandicoot as they released the next game of their franchise not long after the first one had hit it big for the Playstation. Dr. Neo Cortex may have lost the battle with Crash in the last game, but now he has a devious ploy in order to do in his rival once and for all…trying to trick him into giving him crystals? What? Will Crash really fall for that?
I mentioned when I finished the first game that I wanted to jump right back into the series with Crash 2 at some point during the year and since I needed one small project to help complete 2018 with, I figured I may as well take the opportunity to take care of that loose end before the year wrapped up. I have to say though, despite overall liking this game more than the first game, I was way more prepared for the first game than I was for this one. There were definitely some difficult parts that threw me through a loop, especially near the end.
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
Game: The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
Start Date: October 29th, 2018
End Date: January 2nd, 2019
Videos: 25
It’s time to enter the world of Zelda yet again, but this time with a two-for-one special! After the success of both Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, Nintendo knew the Zelda train should continue on the Game Boy Color, and with the additional success of Pokemon and their strategy of creating multiple versions of essentially the same gameplay concept, the Oracle games were born!
I’ve been wanting to do Wind Waker for awhile now, but before I officially go on to tackle that beast, I wanted to get the Oracle games out of the way first, just so I can continue the Zelda series in the order of game release. I don’t have the most experience with playing the Oracle games, but I do enjoy the gameplay system set up by Link’s Awakening and thought it would be a good series of games to do in the chill-down period of 2018. I finished Oracle of Seasons a few days prior to the beginning of this LP, and continued straight after with this game, Oracle of Ages, using a Linked Game playthrough!