World 2-11: Cave Story

Cave Story

~PC

Cave Story was released as freeware in 2004 on the PC, and later came out on the Wii Virtual Console. It was received very well for a 2D game released in a 3D world, partly for it's great storyline and partly for the great game play feel. Cave Story's popularity proves that video games do not need high definition graphics and crazy special effects to make a great game, no matter how many people try to argue that fact. 

I loved almost everything about this game, from the simple yet effective upgrade system of your guns to the gravitational pull of your character (who I don't even think had a name). The towns and caves were so simple and beautiful; the artwork is definitely one of the many strong points of Cave Story. As should be expected, the farther you travel in the game, the farther it is between save points and healing points. By time you reach the final bosses, there are no save points in between battles, and there is a lot of strategy required to finish the game smoothly. Personally I spent a good couple hours trying to get through the final cave and finish off the last battle, but all in all I'd say it was definitely worth it. This is a game that anybody can get into!

World 2-10: Exmortis

Exmortis
~PC: flash game

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/189227

Well, this was a pretty creepy game. It wasn't as hardcore as I expected it to be, but there were a few parts that made me jump and gasp out loud. I played through it with my BFF Ashley so it was probably twice the fun since both of us were pretty much peeing ourselves silly.

Exmortis is not a very long game if you know what you're doing. At the very last screen of the game, I accidentally clicked to another page and lost all my progress, so I had to run through the entire game all over again - it only took me about 5 minutes. But it was definitely worth the play. The music was especially haunting, and I found myself very on edge for the entire duration of the game.

World 2-9: Brain Age 2 - Sudoku

Brain Age 2, Sudoku
~Nintendo DS

That's me up top, the funky swirly A thing. I finished all the puzzles:

-33 basic (And 4 tutorials)
-50 Intermediate (And 4 tutorials)
-25 Advanced (And 4 tutorials)

That's a total of 108 full puzzles and 12 tutorials!

Admittedly, this isn't much of a video game, but I figure it counts enough since you can't really "beat" Brain Age 2; the Sudoku was the only section you can actually complete. Although just for the record, I have unlocked all the special features in the rest of the game and hit some pretty good high scores too.

World 2-8: Kirby Superstar

Kirby Superstar
~SNES

Well, it took a LOT of hours, but I finally finished this "game" off. In reality, this is 6 games in one, not including the bonus games. But I'm still only counting it as one. I'd say Milky Way Wishes was my favourite part of the game.

For me, this was too much Kirby. He's a cute little guy and it's a fun series, but it's not very fun when it's drawn out this long. This game is definitely meant to be played casually. Still, it was totally worth it. There were some frustrating parts (not to mention my emulator kept randomly glitching out and sending me to the final boss in the middle of a level, and putting huge bonus switches in the middle of nowhere), but overall, as per most Kirby games, it was a fairly easy play through. Awesome music, cute graphics, and lots of neat power ups and bonus games made this an instant Kirby Classic. I definitely recommended to anybody who likes Kirby, or just likes a simple game to pick up and play casually.

World 2-7: Mario Kart 64

Mario Kart 64

~N64 

Mike, me, and the computer all tied for first... somehow I ended up getting the gold trophy though. HELL YEAH.

Mario Kart 64 definitely deserves a full 10/10. This is a game that anybody can play for hours on end and still not get bored. Whether you are playing Grand Prix or battle mode, there is always something hilarious that will happen to keep you bawling with laughter. 

World 2-6: Super Mario Kart

Super Mario Kart

~SNES

I don't remember how the hell I was so good at this game as a kid. I actually tried to beat it on 100cc - and failed MISERABLY. I guess the fact that I was on special cup didn't help either. 

While it's not a perfect game, there are definitely a lot of good times to be had playing Super Mario Kart. Sure, you might swear the computers have hacks and that your controller didn't register your button mashing, but there is no denying the greatness of this game!

World 2-5: Super Smash Bros.

Super Smash Bros

~N64

I ended up beating this one with Pikachu (Shh he's one of my favourite characters). It was incredibly easy, but then again I think I had it on medium mode. I'm sure I could manage on hard mode just as well, considering I didn't lose a single life. I beat it again with Fox and died several times. He is definitely not my favourite character.

Super Smash Bros is another instant classic from Nintendo. The full controls take a bit longer to grasp than many other Nintendo games, but are definitely worth mastering. This is again another game that will keep you and your friends occupied for hours on end. And if you get tired of playing, you can even set up CPU matches and just watch the computers fight!