Star Trek TNG - 4x05 - Remember Me

"Following an anomaly in a warp bubble experiment, Dr. Crusher finds that crewmembers are beginning to disappear, while she is the only one who seems to notice."

Star Trek TNG - 4x04 - Suddenly Human

"The Enterprise crew discovers a young Human boy being raised by the aliens who killed his parents."

Video Game Demo Chat

Today's demos: Mutant Mudds on the 3DS and Dragon's Dogma on PS3.

Star Trek TNG - 4x03 - Brothers

"Data jeopardizes an emergency mission to save an ill child when he gets a signal from his creator. "

Review - Kid Icarus (3D Classics)

This review will cover what's new and changed in the 3DS version of Kid Icarus. This game is not a straight emulation of the NES original; it includes some new graphics, sounds, and gameplay features that make it a unique experience. For my thoughts on the original game, please read this review. Most of the core concepts apply to both versions, but I think keeping these reviews separate will be helpful to old fans wondering if the new edition is worth their time.

Review - Kid Icarus

This review covers the content of the original NES game. For my thoughts on the 3D Classics edition, please click here.

Nintendo's Kid Icarus was released on the NES in 1986 after the completion of Metroid, a title which shared much of the same development staff. Aside from staff, the two games share a lot of other similarities; both involved a great deal of vertical platforming as opposed to the horizontal norm, both feature a hero who can shoot enemies but only (at first) at a very short range, both went sequel-free until receiving less well known Game Boy sequels, and both have an obnoxiously long password system. They also both feature Metroids themselves as enemies, though they're far less scary in Kid Icarus. While both titles earned a cult following, Metroid emerged as the more popular series. I kind of wish it had gone the other way.

Star Trek TNG - 4x02 - Family

"Captain Picard takes leave on Earth and visits his family while recovering from his assimilation into the Borg. Worf's human parents visit the Enterprise and help him deal with his discommendation."

Star Trek TNG - 4x01 - The Best of Both Worlds 2

"With Captain Picard assimilated by the Borg, the enemy is able to totally vanquish a Starfleet/Klingon armada at Wolf 359, leaving Riker in command of the Enterprise and forced to go one on one with his former captain."

Star Trek TNG - 3x26 - The Best of Both Worlds 1

"The Borg begin an invasion of Federation space much sooner than was expected. With the Enterprise unable to affect them, the Borg capture Captain Picard and turn him into one of their own."

Star Trek TNG - 3x25 - Transfigurations

"The Enterprise rescues a critically injured amnesiac who is undergoing a mysterious transformation."

The Add Salom to Everything Contest

It's the Add Salom to Everything Contest! Lately, Salom Lancoven, the seal monster hero from Walthros and Who Killed Dinosaur Giant? has found himself in a bit of a jam. Specifically, he's stuck in a pipe. A PIPE!

Review - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Today is Patriots' Day, a holiday no one celebrates outside of Massachusetts and Maine, so what better game to review today than Metal Gear Solid 2? Metal Gear Solid 2, originally released in 2001, was one of the most anticipated sequels of its generation, and in the end, it left a lot of players angry, in spite of being a huge step up from the previous game when it came to controls, combat, encounter design, and audio/visual qualities. Whether the story is a step up is a more debatable topic, but suffice it to say, I'm a big fan of MGS2, even if I know the pacing's undoubtedly messy and some of the plot threads are unfortunate.

Review - Final Fantasy IV Complete

Final Fantasy IV is one of the most often re-released/updated games in the series. Originally released on the SNES in 1991, FFIV has been re-released on the original Playstation, Game Boy Advance, Wonderswan Color, as a downloadable title on the Wii, and probably some more minor releases I'm missing. It was also remade for both the DS and PSP, although the two remakes went in very different directions, with the DS version implementing full polygonal graphics, new dialogue, and new gameplay systems. The PSP remake, released as part of the Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection, maintains the original version's gameplay systems in their entirety while introducing new recordings of the classic soundtrack and new, higher resolution pixel art. For this review, I'll be talking about the PSP version, though outside of specific references to the new graphics, nearly everything I say can apply to the non-DS versions as well.

Video Game Demo Chat

Skullgirls
I want to preface this review by saying that I really appreciate the idea of an indie group bringing a new fighting game to consoles and selling it cheap. I love Street Fighter, but it's always good to see someone new take a shot at the genre. That said, I don't think Skullgirls is for me.

Cool Guy Bob Surlaw - UFOs

I haven't had much time to write reviews lately, but I have been working on Cool Guy Bob Surlaw. Here is a series of UFOs that you'll see in this game. They're Walthros's equivalent of cars in this game. You'll see them parked on the streets of the main city.

Star Trek TNG - 3x24 - Menage a Troi

"A Ferengi DaiMon kidnaps Riker, Deanna, and Lwaxana Troi."

Video Game Demo Chat

Demo Talk for April 7th, 2012. I'm playing through downloadable demos for Closure, Scarygirl, Blades of Time, I am Alive, and Elevator Action Deluxe.

Star Trek TNG - 3x23 - Sarek

"Violent emotions sweep the Enterprise when Ambassador Sarek comes aboard to finish a long diplomatic mission."

Star Trek TNG - 3x22 - The Most Toys

"A trader fakes Data's death to add him to his collection of rare and unique objects."

Star Trek TNG - 3x21 - Hollow Pursuits

"Lieutenant Barclay, an introverted diagnostic engineer, is having difficulties dealing with his fantasies."

Month One Done

The Words of Mouth have been flowing for a month now. I originally started this blog years ago, but never posted on it once until this March. It feels good to have a place to post game/Trek stuff in a place people will actually see it, rather than the two people a week that visited the Walrus Forum in the time before it closed.

Review - Final Fantasy IX

Final Fantasy IX, released in 2000 towards the end of the original Playstation's lifespan, was billed as a return to form. After the high-technology, sci-fi atmosphere of Final Fantasy VII and VIII, IX was meant to be a throwback to the more whimsical styles of the series' earlier installments. I always found this kind of a silly selling point, especially since Final Fantasy IV features space travel and the world of VI is pretty industrialized. Part of what appeals to me with the Final Fantasy series is the way in which almost every game has a fresh style and tone. IX doesn't feel like a rehash at all, but it doesn't feel exactly fresh.

Star Trek TNG - 3x20 - Tin Man

"The Enterprise races against Romulans to make first contact with a powerful entity code-named "Tin Man.""

Review - Shadow of the Colossus HD

There have been a lot of HD collections of PS2/Xbox games released in the last couple of years. Some have been well done, others have been cheap, poorly optimized, or otherwise lacking in some way. Re-releases of older games really seem to bother a lot of people on the internet, but the way I see it, it's no different from re-releasing a album previously released on tape on CD. As long as the price is decent and the conversion is well done, it shouldn't be a point of anger. You don't need to buy every version of a game you love, but it's a great option for people that never played them before. In 2011, Sony released HD versions of two of their most critically acclaimed titles, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. I'm happy to say that this collection gets pretty much everything right.

Review - Alpha Protocol

Developed by Obsidian and published by Sega in the summer of 2010, Alpha Protocol is ambitious, flawed, and captivating. The game went largely unnoticed at release, probably as a result of Sega not properly promoting it. I hadn't even heard of it until I found a copy of the PS3 version for $10 less than six months after release. PC copies go for even less; this game regularly shows up for $2 on Steam. There aren't many games where I say this, but I kind of wish I'd paid more for it. Alpha Protocol was my biggest surprise of 2010, and it remains one of the most engaging games I've played in years.

HamsterSpeak 60 Online

HamsterSpeak 60 

This month we have a celebration of Bob Surlaw's birthday, the results of the Collaboration Contest (and reviews of its games), Game of the Year 2011, and more.