Category Player Two Start!

Player Two Start!: Favorite Video Game Power-Ups

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power-ups

Today’s Player Two Start digs into the Digital Goody Bag and pays tribute to some of our favorite video game Power-Ups, those fun little boosts and advantages that make reaching the end of a level, completing a stage or laying waste to that Big Boss just that much easier.

First, the boring stuff: we won’t be reviewing any of these games, as we don’t do reviews here; there are already so many game reviewers in Cyber Land that us attempting to do it would be superfluous, especially since we’re even more clueless gamers than Conan O’Brien. Also, this list isn’t in any particular order, so I won’t be numbering them. That said, Press Start.

INVINCIBLE STAR (Super Mario Bros. games)

Invincible Star

"Come at-a me now, bro! I-ah DARE you!"

“Come at-a me now, bro! I-ah DARE you!”

Arguably one of THE most famous and revered Power-Ups in all of gaming. Snag this bad boy and you can just run through anything, knocking any and all obstacles out of your way for several second, accompanied by a Bossa Nova beat. It’s good to be the king.

"I told you clowns before. I'm UNSTOPPABLE!"

“I told you clowns before. I’m UNSTOPPABLE!”

BOMB PIZZA (TMNT: Turtles in Time)

"PIZZAAAA POWERRRR!"

“PIZZAAAA POWERRRR!”

Similar to the Invincible Star, this greasy wonder will cause you to spin around like a maniac, bringing da pain to any and all surrounding enemies. Any Pizza served in a red box with a fireakin’ bomb on it has to he dangerous…or just loaded down with jalapeno peppers.

FIRE FLOWER (Super Mario Bros. games)

FireflowerNSMB2

It allows you to whomp enemies with fireballs. ‘Nuff said. You’ll never look at a flower with eyeballs on it the same way again.

"Burn, baby, burn!"

“Burn, baby, burn!”

CAPE FEATHER (Super Mario World)

This feather ain't no lightweight.

This feather ain’t no lightweight.

This little beauty turns Mario into Caped Mario, allowing him to fly indefinitely through levels, and attack spiked enemies by spinning it around.

"It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a-ME!"

“It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a-ME!”

WARP STAR (Kirby games)

Warp_Star_Trophy

Kirby on Warpstar

It’s the little pink ball’s primary mode of transportation, that flies Kirby to another part of a level once he gets on it. Sometimes a Warp Star is the only way to reach the end of the level; sometimes they allow Kirby to reach secret areas; while other times, they just provide a faster (and safer) way to get across. Sure, it has a tendency to violently crash land, destroying itself in the process, but it’s a flying star. It’s just naturally cool.

SPINY SHELL & LIGHTNING BOLT (Super Mario Kart games)

These 2 are favorite ways of laying waste to your competitors.

Mario_Kart_Blue_Shell

The Spiny Shell (aka the Blue Shell), when fired, seeks out the lead car in the race and takes it out….

LightningBolt

…While the Lightning Bolt shrinks all the racers except for the user, making them slower and vulnerable to being squashed by normal sized racers.

"Say, you know if I can get those on the black market?"

“Say, you know if I can get those on the black market?”

TANOOKI, HAMMER & FROG SUITS (Super Mario Bros. 3)

I’m listing these last 3 together since they’re all from the same game.

TanookiMario

The Tanooki Suit may make Mario look like a college football mascot, but it can do some cool stuff. With it, he can fly across levels…

"I don't mean to nitpick, but raccoons aren't really known for their flying."

“I don’t mean to nitpick, but raccoons aren’t really known for their flying.”

Statue_Mario

…Plus it allows him to evade enemies by transforming him into a statue. (I don’t get the correlation between raccoons and statues, must be a Japanese thing.) Incidentally, if you time it just right, if you do the statue transformation move as Tanooki Mario is going down a pipe, when he comes out the other end, the Tanooki Suit will be gray. I’ve never done it myself.

Hammer Mario

The Hammer Suit allows Mario to fling hammers at his foes a la the Hammer Brothers, and it grants him invulnerability when he ducks down into his shell.

"Proper!"

“Proper!”

FrogMario

The Frog Suit won’t earn you any style points, but it does enable you to swim farther and faster in underwater levels, and you can jump high and far on land.

-Plus, as a nifty little bonus, if you can manage to keep your suit while beating the Koopaling at the end of the level (I usually couldn’t), you’d get a different message from the King of that level!

Here’s the Tanooki King’s message:

Tanooki King Message

Frog King message:

Frog King Message

And the Hammer King message:

Hammer King Message

After all that, I can think of only one thing to say:

2 Funny/Player Two Start!: 1983 Pole Position Ad

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One of the more memorable features of the 1980’s (aside from the cartoons which were essentially just 30-minute toy commercials, jam shorts and those skinny neck ties) was how cracker barrel crazy their video game ads were. As this ad shows us, if you were a corporate stiff who was against fun and exciting things, you ran the risk of incurring the wrath of the video game gods. Enjoy this spot for Pole Position from 1983.

Player Two Start!: Norimaro – The Man, The Myth, The Legend

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Today, we’re going to spend some time talking about….this guy.

Norimaro

For those who don’t know, it’s Norimaro from Capcom’s Marvel Super Heroes Vs Street Fighter. Norimaro is an original character created and owned by Japanese comedian Noritake Kinashi (one half of the comedy duo known as “The Tunnels”) who represents neither Marvel nor Capcom. He appears as a regular character only in the Japanese arcade and console versions of the game, but was removed in all the overseas versions. He portrays a nerdy, cowardly schoolboy-type guy armed with a camera, who throws common school items like mini-Gouki (mini-Akuma) dolls and plushies as projectiles, and would attempt to ask for his opponent’s autograph mid-battle (can be seen when the player presses the START button during a match). Occasionally if this is done while facing the computer controlled Dan, his taunt will be done where he signs an autograph and throws it at Norimaro. He uses the comical “Hyper Strong Miracle Treasure” Hyper Combo, which has him throwing a massive amount of school supplies and other objects, and the equally-comical “Ultra Variety Private Memories” Hyper Combo, where he rushes his opponent and inflicts a multi-hit combo while wearing costumes. He is playable on the US version via hacking or if a cheat code is done with an emulator, and even has English dialogue in the Apocalypse and ending scenes, as well as win quotes, which indicates that he was intended for the overseas versions as well in the development stages of the game. Likewise, while he has been removed from most of the game’s overseas promotional materials, some overseas gameart still contains him, such as the game cover art above.

Here’s a taste of Norimaro in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IanPO3i3Rs4

Norimaro’s special movies include:

  • Tourist’s Treasure: Norimaro panics and turns around, which swings his bag and causes a doll or a school item to fly out, which acts as a projectile. The many items tend to vary, from a protractor to an Akuma figurine.
  • Personal Victory Jump: Norimaro leaps into the air diagonally body first, yelling “Shouryuuken” in what he probably thinks is a deep, serious voice. Works as an anti-air, has some recovery time, but sadly is the weakest anti-air in the game.
  • Fierce Hand Current: Norimaro cries while flailing his arms about while moving forward a distance, then falls over. Is a good move and sends the opponent flying if connects and does multiple hits, but has a lot of recovery time.
  • Banana Slip: Norimaro slips with a banana peel, launching the opponent in the air. This is Norimaro’s hard kick and technically isn’t a special move, but it has a special feature: if the banana hits the opponent, he will slip as well, and the peel can hit OTG.

Hyper Combos:

  • Hyper Strong Miracle Treasure (Level 1): Norimaro panics and throws thousands of school supplies and toys out of his bag.
  • Ultimate Grand Champion Jump (Level 1): Norimaro charges and then does a body-first diagonal high jump that hits multiple times.
  • Ultra Variety Private Memories (Level 1): Auto-combo/ranbu super. Norimaro dashes forward, and if this hits, he rapidly switches between a variety of silly poses which recount his memories, such as taking a bath, hiding behind his father, drawing on the floor, flipping an egg, dressing up as Rockman, playing with a teddy bear, being bit in the leg by a dog, playing in a cardboard car, and singing karaoke.

Unbenkownst to us Yanks, there were some additional Norimaro animations which didn’t make it to the final cut, such as the one below, in which Mr. N spots something interesting and jumps to the ground. This animation would have been used for victories against the game’s female characters, Chun-Li and Sakura; instead of his usual win animation of heading over to the fallen form of his opponent and snapping a photo of himself, Norimaro would take this opportunity to sneak a peek under his defeated opponent’s skirt. You dirty dog, you!

“Ooh, what do we have here??”

There is also what appears to be a unused Hyper Combo depicting our guy fantasizing about a particular Capcom character, triggering an explosive nosebleed. Several variants of this animation exist, specifically for Chun-Li, Sakura, Cammy, Morrigan and Felicia, as well as Anita (a little girl) and Zangief (a man). Clearly, this silly otaku’s fandom isn’t limited to just the ladies!

        

BOM-CHICKA-WOW-WOW!

One final point of confusion (for us Americans, anyway) is Norimaro’s game ending. Bizarrely, beating the game shows Norimaro’s ending images with Dan’s ending dialogue and Captain America’s nametag. Norimaro’s ending is basically him conquering the world, dying, and becoming a tedious subject for history books. Living proof that nerds rule.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is sailor-moon-usagi-tsukino.gif

“Oh, I’ve got to get me one of those!”

Go-Go

“Norimaro = HAWT!”

These remarks come as a surprise to no one, since it’s well known that Mr. N rocks the sexy!

Player Two Start!: A Salute to TMNT: Turtles In Time

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Today, we’re going to look back at the 1991 Konami arcade video game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Turtles in Time.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time, released as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles: Turtles in Time in Europe, is an arcade video game produced by Konami. A sequel to the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) arcade game, it is a scrolling beat ’em up type game based mainly on the 1987 TMNT animated series. Originally an arcade game, Turtles in Time was ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992, whereupon it was retitled to serve as a sequel to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project. That same year, a game that borrowed many elements, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist was released for the Mega Drive/Sega Genesis. Here’s the game’s intro:


My first ever exposure to Turtles in Time was when I saw it in the arcade at The Center at Salisbury, Maryland (The Center is the name of the main mall there). I saw it there, but I wouldn’t actually play the game until my younger brother Chaz (aka, CJP on The Otaku Gamer Spot) rented and later purchased the home version of the game for the SNES. He was a major TMNT fan at the time, while I myself was mostly a casual fan. being a child of the ancient 1970s, I was 18 when Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles debuted in syndication in 1987, so most of what I knew about TMNT, I knew from Chaz. Apart from the TMNT arcade game, which was never released to any home consoles, I’ve played Turtles in Time more than any other TMNT title. I’ve only played TMNT III: The Manhattan Project once when Chaz borrowed the game from a friend of his, and we rented The Hyperstone Heist of couple of times from Blockbuster Video (remember when Blockbuster stores were around?).

TMNT: Turtles in Time is probably the closest you’ll ever get to playing the arcade classic. Like the arcade game, you can play as all 4 Turtles (Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo). Of course, in the SNES version, you only get 2 controllers, so you can only play as 2 Turtles at a time, but Chaz later streamed a PC version of the game where all 3 of us could play at once. Both Damon and myself have played as Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo, but neither of us has ever played as Donatello. Donatello was always Chaz’s favorite Turtle, and still is to this very day, so whenever we would play Turtles in Time, Chaz would always play as Donatello, no matter what, and we respected that.

Anyway, the story of the game is pretty basic: Shredder kidnaps April and the Turtles go to her rescue. After the first couple of levels which are very reminiscent of the arcade game, Shredder sends the Turtles “…through a time portal from which you will never return!”, and the Turtles play through different periods of history as levels before the final confrontation with Krang and then with Shredder (at least until the next game) in the Technodrome. The time levels were an interesting mix; ranging from prehistoric times, the old West and not 1 but 2 future levels. The background music for “Bury My Shell at Wounded Knee” and “Neon Night Riders” is, in my opinion, the best music in the game. I have both tracks on my mp3 player.
Give a listen:


My only complaint is that there were some other time periods that I would have liked to have seen used in the game. a Medieval Europe level, an ancient Rome level or a Colonial America level would have been nice to see.

I’ve played through Turtles in Time many times. If you know the cheat code which gives your characters 99 lives, you can easily go through the game without having to continue. What I liked most about Turtles in Time is the afternoons that I’ve spent playing the game with my brothers. It was actually a bonding experience for us and it helped me and my kid brother become closer as people.

Yeah, I know it’s corny, but too bad. This is how I’m ending this. Here’s to you, TMNT: Turtles in Time.

SAAAAAA-LUUTE!

Player Two Start!: The Wit an’ Wisdom o’ Rufus

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We here at Twinsanity like to spotlight the obscure, less celebrated and just plain odd, so take one such character: Rufus from the Street Fighter franchise…please.

Rufus

“Butt-whoop. It’s what’s for dinner!”

For those who don’t know, Rufus is an obese American Kung-Fu fighter in the Street Fighter series who made his first appearance in Street Fighter IV.
Rufus is a loudmouthed master of Kung-Fu, hailing from the U.S. Believing himself to be the strongest in America, he develops a personal hatred for Ken Masters, who carries that title officially. Often seen riding his motorcycle with his girlfriend, Candy (an attractive but not very bright brunette woman with a notably tacky way of dress), who seems to adore him and agree with his beliefs. He is very hasty and impatient, constantly jumping to conclusions to reach a goal, which often results in him sacrificing accuracy for speed.
Rufus is prone to loud-mouthed rambling, often spouting off at the mouth continuously until someone cuts him off. Said ramblings are usually about trivial things he notices about the characters, doting over Candy, giving random anecdotes, or mistaking several members of the cast for Ken Masters (including Cammy, Guile and Ryu).He’s also prone to saying whatever random thoughts come to his mind, regardless of how rude, irrelevant or just plain stupid they are. In fact, his win-quotes are so long they’re normally impossible to read beginning to end before the results screen is gone. So for the benefit of those players who never quite get to read them all, assembled here are all of Rufus’ various SF4 win quotes and general deep musings and words o wisdom:
Win Quotes
  • When I was a kid, I used to go to the movies all the time. I totally dug all the kung-fu action flicks. I mean, I was practically obsessed! So I started taking all these martial arts correspondence courses. Then, I rode my hog all around China, picking up skills!
  • So I’m, like, a legend in the biker world. Or more like a god. But I ain’t satisfied with that status. This time, I wanna be a god in the fighting world, ya know? Like, on a worldwide basis! People tell me I should be satisfied with “best in America,” but…
  • The way I see it, bein’ a biker is, like, a total lifestyle choice. I mean, you pick a bike and you customize it and all that. It’s a real commitment, ya know? And the best part is, you can go pretty much anywhere on a bike. Everywhere but the ocean, that is.
  • I don’t actually remember the dude’s name, but there was this one guy, and he was, like, the greatest fighter in the USA or whatever. So, I don’t actually know much about him or whatever, but I’m pretty sure I could take him in a fight ‘cuz I’m one tough cookie!
  • I’ve got a great body, don’t I? My girlfriend is all, like, “It bounces around like a waterbed!” She’s a real freaky chick, man. But don’t get me wrong, OK? I spend plenty of time with my dude friend, too. I mean, bros before hos, right? Am I right? So, anyway…
  • I consider myself to be a pretty modest guy, really. People don’t always see me that way, but that’s totally who I am. Like, I’m not necessarily the greatest fighter out there yet, but I don’t let it get to me, ya know? I mean, there’s a lotta dudes out there…
  • So, I’m totally dating this chick named Candy, right? And, lemme tell ya, man, she’s just about as sweet as candy, too! Know what I’m sayin’? The name suits her well, man. At first, I was, like, “Is this some kinda stripper stage name, or what?” Guess I was wrong…
  • So, you’ve got a significant other, or what? I do! And she’s, like, totally hot, man! Just smokin’! I mean, we fight once in a while just like any couple, but it’s all good. She sure is aggressive, though. One time, she totally started throwin’ stuff around, man!
  • Anyway, things are gettin’ pretty serious with me and Candy, right? Like, she totally talks about gettin’ married and whatnot. I’m cool with all that an’ all, but I’m not so big on fancy ceremonies and stuff, right? I mean, it’s not like I stockpile tuxedos or…
  • My old lady, Candy? She’s not just about good looks, man. No way. She’s got an awesome personality, too. The two of us are, like, the world’s most perfect couple, ya know? We both suck at math, so we can borrow each other’s hands if we have to count past 10.
  • I’ve got this rad pool back at my pad, and not one of these kidney-shaped thingamabobs, no way! Mine is, like, totally original and just oozing with style and class! Check this out, man… It’s shaped like a freakin’ dollar bill! Is that the greatest? Isn’t it?
Win Quote vs. Abel
Now you know how it feels to lose, Ken Masters! What’s that? You say I got the wrong guy? No way, man! I ain’t stupid! You got the blonde hair, the gloves… Maybe you changed your pants or whatever, but still! I know Ken Masters when I see him! Yeah!
Win Quote vs. Akuma
Phew! That was tough! I kinda knew just lookin’ at you, man, that you ain’t no pushover. I was like “This dude means business, Rufus! Watch out!” And you totally proved me right, ya know? I’ll hand it to you, you’re pretty tough. But I came through in the end!
Win Quote vs. Balrog
So, my friend’s got this sweet lowrider, right? It’s pretty cool an’ all, but I think if I ever bought a car, I’d go for a luxury sedan or somethin’, ya know? Pleather seats, drink holders, all that classy stuff! ‘Cuz I’m a classy guy, right? Anyway, I…
Win Quote vs. Bison
Y’know, ever since I was a kid, I’ve always wondered what I’d do with super-powers. ‘Course, if you think about it, do you really need ’em? Like, we ordinary folks seem to get along fine without ’em. I guess if you forgot your keys and had to break down a door…
Win Quote vs. Blanka
My old lady, she wants to get a cat, but I’m like “No way, babe!” I mean, those things just meow and meow all day, ya know? How you s’posed to get to sleep with all that racket? Cats are cute an’ all, but I gotta be able to hear myself think! So…
Win Quote vs. Cammy
I finally beat you, Ken Masters! What? You’re not Ken Masters? Sure you are! Just one look at that blonde hair of yours and I knew it was you. ‘Course, you look a lot bigger on TV. What are you wearin’? Some kinda reverse elevator shoes or somethin’? Anyway…
Win Quote vs. Chun Li
You sure got some ham hocks on you, lady! But it’ll take more than mad cankles to defeat the mighty Rufus, though, do ya? I mean, you’re fast and move all graceful an’ stuff, but you’ve gotta have skills to get along with all that. And skills are my speciality! Ha ha!
Win Quote vs. Crimson Viper
So, I was gettin’ outta bed the other day an’ the whole thing broke on me! You know those wooden slot thingies under the mattress? It was all like “Crack!” An’ that’s all she wrote! What’re they made out of? Toothpicks! That’s the third one I broke! Geez…
Win Quote vs. Dan
Take that, Ken Masters! Huh? You say you ain’t him? You can’t fool me, man! I mean, you got the whole karate outfit an’ gloves and crap, right? Maybe you dyed your hair or whatever, but I know it’s you! ‘Course, you are weaker than I woulda thought…
Win Quote vs. Dhalsim
Nothin’ tastes better than a sandwich with chunky peanut butter and gobs an’ gobs of grape jelly, ya know? But lately, I’ve been puttin’ bananas in there. That’s right. Bananas! Crazy, right? I could see why you’d think so, but it tastes awesome! Try it!
Win Quote vs. El Fuerte
Dude, I can hardly tell what you’re talkin’ about! You don’t sound like a fighter at all, man. What’s that? You’re a chef? That’s pretty cool, I guess. Maybe you were all like, “What should I cook for dinner an’ stuff?” and couldn’t concentrate on the fight, huh?
Win Quote vs. Fei Long
So many dudes nowadays are all talk, no action, y’know? I mean, you can do all the fancy moves an’ whatnot on the big screen, but once I get ya in the ring, you’re all like, “Oh no! I’m all powerless an’ stuff!” Yeah, I got your number, dude. I got ya pegged!
Win Quote vs. Gen
Do you have a will all set up an’ whatnot? You probably should get that taken care of, man. If not, you will have all these weird third cousins an’ stuff just crawlin’ outta the woodwork beggin’ for scraps! That ain’t no way to treat your legacy, man. Anyway…
Win Quote vs. Gouken
So why don’t guys like you wear shoes, anyway? Like, is it some kind of rule or somethin’? Or do you just have really bad corns and shoes would make it worse? I had this corn once, man. It was the size of a freakin’ jellybean! An’ what if you stepped in dog doo?
Win Quote vs. Guile
Did you enjoy your beating, Ken Masters? Huh? I got the wrong guy? Don’t play me for a fool, man! Look at that blonde hair! How could you not be Ken Masters? You can’t fool me just by changin’ your hairstyle, dude! I’m no dummy, pal! I can see right through you!
Win Quote vs. Honda
I hear that you sumo dudes eat nothing but sushi and stew and tofu and stuff, like, 24 hours a day, man. There’s this sushi place near my house, but there’s all these rumors goin’ around that they serve spoiled fish! One bite, an’ you’ll be on the toilet all day!
Win Quote vs. Ken
Now you know what it feels like to lose, Ken Masters! I bet you totally thought you could run from me, but I proved you wrong an’ then some, didn’t I? Oh yeah! You never thought I’d find you, but I did! And I gave it to you good! Were you even fightin’ for real?
Win Quote vs. Rose
I’ll never forget when I first met my girl. It was a rainy day in October and I was on my way home from a fight. Suddenly, this chick came outta nowhere an’ was all like “Help!” I guess she pulled a dine an’ dash, so I beat up the waiter that was chasin’ her!
Win Quote vs. Ryu
So you’re Ken Masters, huh? What? You’re not? Are you sure, man? You sure look like him in that outfit. I mean, you’ve got the gloves and all that, I guess maybe you coulda dyed your hair or something. But that’s not enough to fool me, Ken! I’m on to you! You hear me?
Win Quote vs. Sagat
Y’know, I think the way a dude wears his hair tells you a lot about his personality, right? Like, I took forever an’ a day to finally decide on my look. It’s not a decision you can take lightly, man. I put a lot of thought into this. I spent years plannin’ it!
Win Quote vs. Sakura
You could totally use a makeover, girl. What’re you doin’ wearin’ your school uniform, anyway? Are you so poor you couldn’t afford a cool ensemble like the one I’m wearin’? You won’t get far in the fighting world in an outfit like that! What you need to do is…
Win Quote vs. Seth
What a crazy fight. Never expected to run into a weird dude like you, man. What with that weird basketball thing stuck in your belly an’ all. How do you eat, anyway? Do you just spoon stuff right into that ball? What’s it like bein’ a robot thing? Is it fun?
Win Quote vs. Vega
So, I finally found you, Ken Masters! How does it feel to lose to me, Masters? Are you filled with regret? Rage? How about rue? I bet you’re filled to the brim with rue, ain’t ya? What? You’re not Ken Masters? C’mon, man! It’ll take more than a mask to fool me!
Win Quote vs. Zangief
Now that’s what I like to see! You an’ me, we think alike, ya know? I mean, all these skinny dudes runnin’ around like they’re so cool, but you an’ me, we know that only wimps and losers are skinny, right? No one likes a guy that looks like a skeleton! Seriously…
 ******************************************
Well! Now that we’ve all got a gander of the gems of this guy’s mind, I think I speak for all Street Fighter players, fans and combatants alike when I say……