Well here I go: into the last weekend of winter break, which really means it's back to work for me. I have made a commitment to be more productive in that which relates to school (writing, programming), while spending my free time working to better myself in other places (working out).Perhaps the biggest new initiative that I'm working on for the new semester is scheduling. Time management has always been a pretty important issue throughout college, but I've always sort of procrastinated: school, homework, getting up in the morning, working out, Meijer - I usually spent more time trying to delay tasks than actually doing them. No more. If nothing else, budgeting my time is the single biggest item of change that can help me this coming semester. To what level do am I looking to budget my time? Something like this: school gets priority for most of my day: during what will be a typical twelve-hour day away from the house, I plan to log 8 to 9 hours towards school-related work (including time in class). Otherwise, I plan to budget 1 to 2 hours per day towards video games, which right now consume almost all of my time, by contrast. Managing my time will take one hell of a commitment, but I think it'll be for the best. Unfortunately, my friends and my immediate sanity might suffer a bit because of it. It'll be an interesting experiment, if nothing else.Part of managing my time involves data management. I know it sounds highly technical, but it really isn't. New to this semester will be a new way for me to keep organized and connected. Keeping a tight and consistent schedule can really only be accomplished by staying highly organized. I've spent most of my college career tied to digital organization: USB flash drives, laptops, PDAs. I plan to move away from the PDA scene (my smartphone is just too cumbersome), which means I'll be looking for a new way to stay organized. Given the travel ubiquity of my Asus Eee PC and my tight integration with Google applications at the moment, I'm seeing an always-on, always-connected lifestyle coming for the new semester. It'll be fun to start from scratch, if nothing else.But yes - organization and time management are the two major changes that I plan to focus on going into this semester. So what about those core focal points that I mentioned at the beginning of tonight's post? Writing, programming, and working out?I guess there's no better time to start than the present, eh? First up: writing. I know that I need to write a lot, although it is quite difficult to write everyday. Motivation is a hard, hard thing to scratch at when I'm simply not in the mood. Tonight I'm forcing myself to write, write, write, and luckily I have found something that interest me. Without further ado, my complete review of three Super Nintendo Entertainment System classics.Donkey Kong Country (series) Review
Donkey Kong Country A late 1994 release, DKC is in many ways the game to kick of the Super Nintendo's swan-song era of titles (Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Super Mario RPG, Yoshi's Island). In addition to showcasing high-quality animation and overall graphics on the aging Super Nintendo hardware, DKC also introduced a linear-yet-refreshed platforming experience that invited new players but challenged veterans.
And so it is that on the Virtual Console, we are treated to the same experience that Rareware released onto the SNES over a decade ago.
Although games have progressed immensely in gameplay paradigms and graphics, DKC stands the test of time in many areas. Graphically, the ACM-based graphics and animation are still impressive today, even when blown up to larger screen sizes than the 25-inch norm for the day back in 1994.
On the gameplay side of things, DKC brings together platforming, on-rails side-scrolling, and mild exploration that felt refreshing in 1994, and still maintains a plesant balance of variety today. The pacing of the game – time between levels, boss stages, and exploration – is fairly balanced and never dulls, although players may feel fatigued after playing the same cave-themed world four of fives times by the latter half of the game.
Overall, however, DKC is a platforming powerhouse, and a game that should not be missed by fans of the genre,
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Additional variety, improved visuals, and expanded gameplay are the three areas of focus for DKC 2, and it shows is spades. Arguably the best game in the series, DKC 2 does a lot of things right, both as a standalone game and as a sequel.
First, everything is improved. In addition to platforming, on-rails scrolling, and exploration, additions include varied swimming levels (present in the original, but enclosed entirely underwater), flying levels, and some new, level-specific vertical challenges (beehive levels, for example). Graphically, the game brings more frames to character animation, and expands the ambiance of the levels with rich, lush, animated backgrounds as well. Gameplay is expanded greatly by all these additions, but is really cranked up with the addition of bonus stages that not only contribute to 100% completion of the game, but also add the hunt for bonus coins that are used to unlock secret levels. DK coins are also added, and enhanced the exploration factor on many levels.
Unfortunately, basic tasks such as traveling between worlds and saving the game require in-game cash to be performed, and drag this sequel down a bit. The expanded gameplay and additional challenges (the game is overall considerably harder than the first) should really attract fans of the original quite well and those new to platforming in general.
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble
The long-winded title of this game kind of preempts everything that this title stands for: bigger worlds, longer levels, incredible graphics, tighter control, and an endless variety of challenges make the closing chapter of the DCK series bigger, badder, and better than the two previous incarnations.
It should go without saying, given the track record of the series thus far, that this game takes all the concepts from the previous two games and expands upon them yet again. Mixing varied styles of game play with tons of minigames and non-linear overworld exploration are a welcome addition to the DCK series, and it's hard not to consider this the pinnacle of the series.
Unfortunately, this game also feels a bit different than the previous games in terms of presentation. Yes, the graphics are insane for the SNES, and yes, the gameplay holds up amazingly well (if not amazingly challenging at times). However, the game introduces a whole new cast of characters, in addition to the Kongs, and moves the game into a highly-polished world, rendered so well it almost seems dream-like, compared to the more nature-based organic worlds of the previous games. In other words, as amazing as DCK 3 is as a game, it makes nostalgia for the original two games that much more stronger.
Final Word: Picking “the best” of these three games is a tad bit challenging. It's easy to say that DCK 3 is the winner thanks to a completely fleshed-out variety of gameplay and graphics, but I really think that this series can be defined by preference. I enjoy the platforming of DCK 2 and the natural worlds of DCK, but I love the variety of DCK 3. Declaring a “best” game of the three is difficult. My advice is to pick a style of play that suites you and run with it: any of these three games are worth their space on the Wii.
Whew... what a night to blog, eh? See you on the flipside.B3 out.
