Backlog Summer: 08.23.2014

With summer winding down, the staff near the end of their backlog excursions.

By Nintendojo Staff. Posted 08/23/2014 12:00 1 Comment     ShareThis

Welcome to the penultimate edition of Backlog Summer! Just as August is winding to a close, so too are the Nintendojo staff reaching the end of their summertime backlog journey. What have they been playing this week? Read on to find out!


Robert Marrujo

Fossil Fighters: Champions really sold me by the time I got to the end. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: this is not Pokémon. Which, ultimately, is to the game’s benefit. These sort of creature collecting/battling games are always going to be related to Pokémon, whether fair or not. While some are certainly better than others, I think this endless back and forth leaves some games in unfair predicaments. Pokémon is in a league of its own, so the only way to enjoy titles like Fossil Fighters: Champions is to focus on what it does well, what it does unique. This particular installment got me juiced for the series’ debut on 3DS.

Mega Man ZX just keeps surprising me with how dang fun it is. There’s so much harmony between the lightning-fast gunplay, interesting story (I’ve really come to love all the different Mega Man mythologies, from over the years), and little tweaks to the gameplay in the form of the various Biometals that can be snagged. With Gunnvolt and Mighty No.9 on the way, I honestly can’t help but think Capcom is a little crazy to be letting its Mega Man franchise literally gather dust. I hope both of those spiritual successor are huge hits and push Capcom back into making these sorts of games.


Marc Deschamps

My quest through The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD has almost come to an end! I have six of the eight Triforce pieces, and I think I have an idea on how to get the last two. While this portion of the game still isn’t quite my favorite, it is a lot more tolerable now than it was back in 2003. It’s hard to say for sure, but I really think the re-release did make it a less frustrating experience. I’m hoping to get this over with quickly, however. I’m more than ready for the game’s epic final battle with Ganon. I have to wonder if that moment will have the same impact it had back in the day.

I also revisited Mario Kart: Super Circuit this week. I’ve had less and less video game time of late, and I haven’t had the time to play Mario Kart 8 that I would really like. As an alternative, I started playing the old GBA iteration of the franchise on my lunch break at work. It’s a lot of fun, but I can’t stress enough how hard it is to go back when you’ve grown accustomed to all the nuances that have been added to the series since. Plus, I miss using Morton Koopa and the Comet bike!


Nicolas Vestre

Another 2D Sonic game bites the dust! After losing countless lives, I reached the end of the Game Gear version of Sonic the Hedgehog and took down Robotnik. Sadly, I nabbed only five of the six Chaos Emeralds, so I’m playing through the game again to get that last elusive gem. Finding the Chaos Emeralds strewn across the Zones instead of playing a difficult bonus level to get them was a breath of fresh air. The showdowns with Robotnik are a lot harder in the Game Gear version of the game because there are no rings in the boss levels, so one wrong move means death. It’s easy to see five or more lives spent just because of a little mishap, which happened to me many times. I’m back in the final zone looking for that final Emerald, and with five continues and over ten lives (thanks to the awesome bonus levels), I hope I find it.

After I get the best ending, I’m going to do a buster only run of Mega Man: Dr. Wily’s Revenge, which might be difficult because of how useful the Robot Master weapons are. But when it comes to Mega Man, I’m always up for a challenge!


Iain Farrell

And so our summer of old games nears a close, a soggy close as it turns out here in the UK.

In typical “me” fashion, I’ve flitted from retro game to the next like some sort of time-traveling butterfly. As the darker days were coming I felt it only fitting this week to slap in and make up some ground in Boktai for Game Boy Advance. The cleverest thing about this game for those not in the know is the fact that it featured a solar sensor. I’d threatened to break it out a few weeks back and was pleasantly surprised by how engaging a game it still is. Ideally played on an original DS or clamshell GBA SP, as that means that the solar panel is pointing up, you explore a world ravaged by the sun and where your most useful weapon is light itself. And no cheating by sitting yourself under a light or even a sun lamp; I’ve tried all that and as far as I can tell it only wants pure, unadulterated sunlight. A cracking RPG that I’ve not played all the way through but was delighted to make my retro adventure for the week.

I do hope we all get together and do this again next year!


What games have you been playing recently? Let us know in the comments!

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