Rabbite's Blog

Daily Blog of Creativity, Thoughts, Reviews, Projects and whatever else tastes like cotton candy.

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Rabbite - Hobbyist, Digital Artist | DeviantArt

Check out Rabbite's art on DeviantArt. Browse the user profile and get inspired.

Here are some links to other social media and websites that I operate!

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“We’ll squeak up—ahem, sneak up. C’mon hen—er, men.” ~ Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

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Kirby Art Project - 0003 - Bronto Burt

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I return!

Hello audience of no one!

I decided that I wanted to start blogging again, and while I do have a website I could be using, Tumblr is infinitely more convenient.

Maybe I'll merge the two somehow, in some ways...?

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Kirby Art Project - 0002 - Cappy

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Kirby Art Project - 0001 - Waddle Dee

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But what if I back from the dead.

What if I did that, huh?

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Kill me.

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In Loving Memory of Bryan.

RIP 0:40 - 0:42

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Pretty much this.

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The 1st Chapter - Donkey Kong Jr

Welcome back once again to The First Chapter!

This time we’re dropping back to the NES once more.

Once upon a time, Donkey Kong threatened Mario’s girlfriend Paula by kidnapping her and holding her onto of a large scaffolding.

Enraged by this, Mario punished the Kong by trapping him in a cage and challenging his son/Grandson to rescue him!

...Uhm, sure. We’ll go with that.

This is an unusual game. But one that I personally enjoy more than standard Donkey Kong.

As you can see, Like stated above, Mario has DK trapped in a cage. This time you’re playing the diaper wearing toddler on his way to save him.

You’ll do this by climbing vines and jumping to vines...

All while avoiding monsters like crocodiles, flyby birds, and the accidental missing of a jump.

The face on JR says it all... This is traumatic for a little guy to handle all by himself...

And Mario with his whip isn’t all that comforting by comparison.

Getting caught is never a good thing, but in the case of JR it sends him into such a low self esteem, stress induced panic that he hurtles himself off the bridge into the raging waters below.

You know! For kids!

The next stage introduces new obstacles, and a new way for me to die like a moron.

using springs PROPERLY boosts you up to the gooey vines above that you grab a hold of.

Here the swooping birds are rushing you at every opportunity, trying to pry your meaty meathonks off the vines ropes.

It’s like everything in the world does NOT want you to save this Kong.

But considering the big Kong is supposedly Cranky Kong in the DK canon (if such a thing exists) maybe that might explain it...

Unfortunately my affinity for dying in idiot-proof traps kept me from personally experiencing levels beyond these two, but for an idea of what fresh hell awaits you beyond...

The final stage specifically requires you to lead a series of keys up the ropes by pushing them from the bottom to the keyholes at the top.

This action frees DK/Cranky from his prison and sets the events in motion once again!

Like most arcade-style games there is no true ending, merely opportunity to continue to boost your score higher and higher.

Because of this that concludes the supposed ‘first chapter’ of this game.

This review may be brief, but so is this game. An experience that you can take in bite sizes, or long playthrus depending on your patience or skill.

Still, despite that I still prefer this game over DK. I like the climbing mechanics, the extra levels of difficulty, and the look on JR’s face when he knows death approaches.

I didn’t mention mechanics like knocking fruits down on top of enemies for extra points, but it’s uh... you can do it.

The First Chapter of Donkey Kong Jr. for the NES gets a:

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The 1st Chapter - Super Mario 64

We’re back once again with the first chapter! And this time we’re stepping into the realm of the Nintendo 64!

That’s right the N64! Once codenamed the Ultra 64, this badboy brought us some of the greatest games alongside the SNES!

Plenty of good gems, and what better place to start than the king of gems himself:

Once upon a time, Nintendo crafted a masterpiece... A lot of them, actually. This is just one.

And here on The First Chapter we like to dissect the opening sections of a game and identify how well they did.

What will surprise you about this particular deep dive, is that for Mario 64′s first chapter.... we never enter a actual level.

That’s right! lets find out how!

Early on, one of the best game decisions I ever seen was the title screen.

Hearkening back to the days of Mario Paint with an interactive title screen, Mario 64 allows you to tug and manipulate Mario’s face in often hilarious broken ways.

What a awesome way to show off the then, new age technology!

And honestly, how many others besides myself gave Mario cool shades with his own mustache?

The game takes little time setting up your reasoning for being at the castle. Peach is bakin you a cake and wants you to enjoy it with her!

....Hhhhhokay then.

Now for the second fantastic thing that this game does to set up the first chapter, a fantastic flyby of the castle.

This beautifully done cutscene perfectly sets up the expansive playground you’ll have at your disposal, getting you excited for you first 3D romp in the mushroom kingdom!

It also gives you an introduction to your camera companion, a Lakitu! 

Once upon a time these dastardly Koopa’s threw spiny shells at you or tempted you with delicious 1ups. Now they’re content following you around on your adventure.

With a quick explanation of the basic controls, you’re suddenly free to begin doing... whatever you want!

Really anything!

Start flipping around!

Dive over the landscape!

Fight invisible foes!

Climb the nearest tree!

Or maybe go for a swim!

The world is your oyster!

If you should need some help with the controls or ideas of neat moves, there are handy signs littered about that will assist you.

The sign messages never seem overwhelming or lengthy, always giving JUST enough info to get you going.

As you approach the castle you meet your new companion, the fore mentioned Lakitu. He gives you the lowdown on camera controls, as well as his purpose in your adventure.

A clever explanation for camera controls in a 3D adventure, one that would never really be revisited after this.

But soon you do make it inside, an a threatening Bowser voice warns you to beat it!

The look on Mario’s face says it all... here we go again!

And then here you are, now free to explore the castle interior!

While the game does give you freedom, you’ll notice some restrictions right away.

Some doors require star power to access, others require keys.

This helps drive you to want to find out what could be behind those doors?

There’s also a basement with a backside courtyard to explore.

The backyard is filled with signs that hint at creatures called ‘Boos” setting you up for encounters you will have later!

The only door accessible is on the left side of the main lobby.

Going inside leads you to the first world entrance.

What’s brilliant here is that the painting on the wall, the way you access levels, is the very first thing shown to you. The game is smartly guiding you by focusing on the object you’ll be interacting with.

When you push against the wall, the painting shimmers... alerting you to the strange magical property it holds.

Bravely, you take the leap forward, and are whisked away immediately to a new world... full of exploration, freedom, and challenges.

However, that’s where the first chapter ends. What lies behind the painting? You can only sit and wonder...

Mario 64 is the perfect example of introducing your player to a game. You’re given a brief concept of the story, freedom to learn the control and moves, and while the game is very open, it smartly locks off certain areas to help funnel you towards how you’ll begin unlocking those areas.

All this done in bright colorful environments that were, at the time, a beauty to behold.

Lets not forget the cute little interactions Mario does if left alone too long...

The First Chapter of Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64 gets a:

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I MADE IT TO THE BIG TWO FIVE! Woo hoo!

That’s about all I have to say about that. Carry on!

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The 1st Chapter - Centipede

Aaaaaand Welcome back to the first chapter. Last time we were in the BW days. Today we crank it up a notch and add some color!

Eeyup. I’m taling da GAMEBOY COLAAAAAAH

Still gonna be sticking with the arcade experience though. Because this time we’re reviewing:

Anyone else remember this game? I used to waste a few quarters on this one. Usually ended the same way.... Utter disappointment.

I may not be a master of the game, but I can sure waste a few minutes of your time (Or seconds depending on your reading speed level) telling you how the first chapter goes!

Here’s the basic plot of Centipede: 

They are bug. 

You are not.

They will try to kill you.

Kill them back.

With the power of your... bug spray ship? Maybe? You fire upon the deadly centipede as it wiggles it’s way down the screen.

On your way to victory you encounter nasty Spiders that shimmy shake up and down the arena and try to throw you off.

Or you may find yourself up again one of these falling... Slime guy-dude-thing-mabobs.

As they fall they create extra mushrooms for you to shoot through.

Mushrooms are obstacles you need to shoot through to get to the Centipede before he gets to the bottom. But they also create a sort of directional path for the Centipede to go through...

If you play clever enough you can create a funnel for racking up kills quickly and efficiently.

See, the many parts of the centipede will change course if they hit a mushroom, so if they’re forced down on path due to mushroom placement... 

And this wasn't anything i knew prior, this was experimenting when i was suddenly overwhelmed with mushrooms all over the screen.

I’m sure a pro or two out there already knew this and are giving me that condescending, all knowing smirk and slight shake of the head right now.

The game goes on as long as you want it to. Which means there really isn’t much more to talk about.

Eventually the screen gets pretty crowded, faster choices need to be made, a lobster dances across the screen...

But really the main focus is front and center.

And once again, no tutorials, no explanations...

The centipedes are coming down, you shoot at them. Get hit and you die.

There isn’t much music... Only a high pitched warbled intro to each stage...

But really no “1st Chapter’ persay.

Centipede for the GBC gets a:

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The 1st Chapter - Alleyway

Welcome back to the First Chapter!

Y’know, not all games have a clear first act... Some of them are more arcade-like, and go until you can't take it anymore.

In those cases, I follow through till it’s at what I think is a decent intro stopping point. Somewhere that feels like the first bite of the game has been taken. That’s more or less the rules I’m following here for this particular review.

ANYWAYS ‘NUFF OF THAT CRAP ON WITH THE REVIEW.

Ahh Gameboy. You will be my baby it don’t matter if you’re black and white.

The days of the giant brick you needed a special light attachment to see properly...

Anyone else remember that god-awful thing? Love how if the screen smudged even a little it made the entire game look like a mosaic.

....Where was I?

Oh right. Review.

Why on earth am i reviewing an Arkanoid clone made by Nintendo?

I have no idea.

How much can I get out of this review?

Iunno. Am i stalling because the answer is not much?

OF COURSE NOT.

Yup. Couple more spaces should do it. Here we go.

Alleyway is a simple premise: 

Hit the bouncing ball with your left and right moving paddle. 

Bounce the ball off the different shaded blocks above.

Don’t let the ball hit the empty nebula below you.

See? Easy.

Immediately it’s pretty apparent what the objective is, because wisely the ball begins just above your paddle, falling towards it, and then bouncing back off again.

Furthermore, it’s impossible to not hit at least one block on your first bounce, giving you right away the objective of the game without much thought.

Pressing either right or left guides the paddle along, and you realize pretty quickly you have to be fast to keep up with that ball.

Easy to understand, no tutorials needed!

Sometimes you can get lucky and send that sucker bouncing along the top. I tell yah it’s a good feeling, accompanied by some fun jingles and jangles that only the Nintendo brick could provide!

Sidebar: Did you know these things have survived freaking wars? That’s insane!

As you progress through stages, the obstacles change.

The next stage shifts along horizontally, forcing you to rethink your brick breaking stra-tee-jory.

And stage 3 starts off looking like a repeat of Stage 1 unti-

WHOA THE CEILING IS SHIFTING.

Now you’re being pressured to finish quickly, once more making you change up the way you play.

Personally I thought this made the game easier, there was less space to think about.

Finally we come to the Nintendo Seal of Approval; The reason for why Nintendo wanted a shot at the formula. All so they could plaster Mario all over it!

This is the bonus stage, something that appears in different forms throughout your playing experience.

It adds an extra bit of flair to the game that breaks up (or breaks out hahah- I’ll show myself the door now) the rest of the puzzles.

Plus you’re timed, so it’s a bit of a race against the clock to try and get the best possible score.

But were these minigames worth Nintendo making a portable clone of another game?

Iunno. Was it worth me wasting an entire review talking about a freaking portable game where you break blocks?

Despite everything, Alleyway does exactly what it sets out to do. It gives you a portable experience that you can pick up and drop. It truly exemplifies the deeper meaning that Sony captured with it’s PSP.

(Poop Station Portable)

Either way it’s mindless, easy to grasp and yet difficult to master.

This 1st Chapter earns itself a:

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The 1st Chapter - Donkey Kong

Lets take a step backwards and revisit the humble beginnings of Nintendo.

No I don’t mean the baseball cards, I’m talkin bout dis thing right HEE-YUH.

MMMMMM SOOOOON. YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS.

The Nintendo Entertainment System. Your parents help you hook it up.

For some, this is where all their earliest memories lie. One thing I noticed early on with playing through the NES library again is how freakin hard it is (See Also: how much i suck at classic games.)

But we’re gonna dive into one of the first games on the system and it’s earliest chapter. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you...

Not gonna be a whole lot to say about this bad boy. Sure it started in arcades but it soon made it’s home on our consoles. Now we could repeatedly chase that damned monkey up a scaffolding in the comforts of our own home. 

Snuggled in our feetsie jammies, bowl of cap’n crunch, in front of our huge 8 inch concrete heavy television sets we set records like none other.

So how did those early stages go again?

The game is established right away. 

You’re the fellah in the red overalls.

He’s the fellah in the Monkey suit.

She’s the fellah that’s a womanly fellah.

Go get’em.

Giphy has the perfect images for just about anything. Here’s a bite-sized view of the first stage of Donkey Kong. Make it to the top, save the lady. Save the cheerleader, save the world.

There’s obstacles a’plenty in your path to damsel rescuing.Living flames, rolling barrels, Satan’s Springs.

Eventually you reach the top and save the day!

Unless you don’t.

The second stage adds the obstacles of elevator platforms that move either up or down. 

Jumping too soon can kill you.

Jumping too late can kill you.

Jumping for them at all can kill you.

You can not ride these elevators. This game hates you me.

These are Paula’s (The girl you’re rescuing) things. She absolutely refuses to be rescued without you collecting them. 

They’re designer label, cost more than your car, and she loves them more than you. 

They’re also placed in locations you’ll likely die on your first few times trying to get.

Oh, also, she won’t stay your girlfriend after this game.

In the third and final stage, your objective is to walk over spaces holding the platforms together. Getting all of them without dying...

Is how you win.

Now you and Paula can live happily ever af-

Donkey Kong is a fun little snippet of the Arcade version. It lacks some of the in between cut scenes, the challenge from DK to chase him up the tower...

As well as a few extra stages...

Good god...

The funny thing here is that the 1st Chapter of this game, is actually all the content available. Only three stages, and afterwards, you start them over for a higher score.

Game mechanics aren’t super difficult to understand, it’s something of a trial and error.I didn’t mention the super hammer, or how jumping over obstacles give you points...

The music as well isn’t the most ear pleasing either. This was before game OST’s were taken seriously.

Eventually Donkey Kong would branch out into his own, much more sophisticated series... but that’s another review for another time.

The first chapter of Donkey Kong for the NES gets a:

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The 1st Chapter - Super Mario World

I’ve been wanting to do a simple series of posts where I play through what I consider to be the first chapter of a game. 

What that means to me is that either the first world, opening scenes, or sometimes first stage of a game is all I play, and judge the game based on.

I like doing things nice and neat and in order so I started with the Super Nintendo, and one of it’s first ever released games:

Look at that big ol’ colorful bag of nostalgia just waiting for me. lets jump in shall we?

Right off the bat you’re told what’s happening and who is responsible. Not to spoil things right out of the gate for yah, but rumor has it that Bowser is likely behind things.

Also take note that she’s still going by “Princess Toadstool” here. Ahhh, the days before Peach.

The other thing the game establishes by one of the first few screens is a mysterious figure known as Yoshi. This poor spa who has an island and a race named after him has gone to look for his poor Dino pals. And once again, Biggity Bowser has somethin to do with it. That rascal.

After messing with the controls for about the tenth time I took a look at the map screen, and right away...

NNGH. DAT NOSTALGIA. Hit me right there man.

Now first impressions are very important to an experience, even if you are revisiting your childhood. Which is why the first thing i did was get killed by the very first enemy right off the bat.

But one quick trip to the controls for the hundredth time and suddenly everything was coming back like second nature.

The first stage does a great job in establishing basic mechanics of the game. Stomping enemies, ducking Bullet Bills, Grabbing shells and kicking them over your head to gain power ups, finding hidden caves in pipes... All great abilities you’ll be using more fully in the rest of the game.

As you complete stages you open up more paths on the map, leading you to new areas.

If you beat the stage to the left of the Yoshi Hut, you’ll open up one of the useful secrets right away.

What I love about this area is it gives you an early view of what’s coming up next in your adventure. You get to see this game is more than the first island, and get a hint at what’s in store. A ghost house? A Lake? Another castle? Sounds fun!

Completing the secret stage just makes things easier for you moving on, and seems to imply there are more places like this later. (Spoilers: there are.) Plus, you get to farm for coins! Now who doesn’t love that?

The second stage introduces you to Yoshi, the fellow in charge of the hut at the beginning. You become instant pals, and riding him offers you new exciting abilities like eating enemies, stomping enemies, eating fruit to create an extra life, and of course...

The third stage brings on a series of platforming obstacles on high mountains. This stage teaches you timing, patience, control...

And gives you a chance to try out that great maneuver if you’re a moron and screw up a jump.

The third stage introduces water hazards. Not just the water itself but jumping fish, sinking platforms...

...And the floating spike balls I totally didn’t lose two lives on because apparently I just suck at games.

And finally you arrive at the first castle... This puts everything you learned prior to the test. You have fences to climb, enemies to avoid, Boiling lava to not die in, and those large smashing pillars to scream in terror from.

And at the end of it all, the first boss fight. Nothing super challenging, but it will require you to play it safe regardless. Every tap on the head sends the Koopa Kid closer and closer to his fiery demise, but only if the platform is slanted in the direction you want him to slide.

While that’s nothing super clever now, at the time this was a pretty brilliant and new mechanic. I can’t imagine how many people died on their first few attempts.

When you win you’re awarded these fun little castle destroying scenes, and a little text blurb of what you’ve accomplished. Iggy is gone, but more kids, and Bowser himself, still remain.

Plus you saved a Yoshi egg! Well done!

And now here you are, the place you got a sneak peak of earlier. Your journey continues, with more to discover and be challenged by!

That’s the end of the first chapter, and what a chapter it was! plenty of energy, excitement, other filler words you use to describe things and pad out a review.

Throughout the adventure you get to hear a good selection of the soundtrack, learn most the games mechanics, Meet unique enemies and fight your first boss. Not bad for a start!

Plus Yoshi’s hut is a great place to play around and explore without any risk of death, meaning a good spot to test out your skills and learn the mechanics.

Nothing bad to say here! Super Mario World’s 1st Chapter is awarded a perfect: