Co-created by Yoshio Sakamoto and the late Gunpei Yokoi, the Metroid series began on the NES in 1986 and was praised for its unique open-ended and non-linear gameplay, but had very long password sequences since the game didn’t have a save ability. In 1991, Metroid II: The Return of Samus released as a direct sequel to Metroid, fully taking advantage of the cartridge’s save ability by scattering save points throughout the large world. 1994 brought about the release of Super Metroid on the powerful Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Much to the dismay of fans, the series went into a hiatus for nearly a decade, and it wasn’t until 2002 that the next title in the series, Metroid Fusion, was released. For eight years, Sakamoto didn’t direct a Metroid title – excluding the GBA remake of the first Metroid (2004) – as Nintendo opted for second-party development house Retro Studios to develop the critically-acclaimed Metroid Prime trilogy. Since the Prime trilogy was finished in 2007, Sakamoto returned to create another Metroid title with many members from the Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion team, along with the help of developer Team Ninja. This new game, Metroid: Other M, promised to bring out the emotional side of series protagonist and galactic bounty hunter Samus Aran with CGI cut scenes and full voice acting, along with a return to the series’ classic roots; many began to herald Other M as the second coming of Super Metroid.

Check out my full review here!

The timeline in The Legend of Zelda series is  a highly debated topic amongst the Zelda community, with split timelines akin to Back to the Future, a singular chronology, and no timeline at all. Eiji Aonuma — current Producer of the series and Shigeru Miyamoto’s right hand man when it comes to Zelda — recently stated that there is, indeed, a timeline to the critically acclaimed franchise. That statement is more a nod to Zelda timeline enthusiasts than anything; they may have super secret timeline documents now, but they didn’t in the past and probably haven’t had an idea of it until after The Wind Waker. Hardcore Zelda fans such as myself have been over analyzing the series and piecing together a jigsaw that doesn’t quite fit for years now, but with a confirmation that The Legend of Zelda actually has a set chronology, it’s time to flesh it out. The following representation of the Zelda timeline, of course, is not fact. It’s also noteworthy that non-canon games such as Link’s Crossbow Training and the forsaken CD-i series are not included. Please note that this article also assumes the reader has basic knowledge of each game’s story.

Check out the article here.

Here are some quick links to my E3 2010 impressions for Metroid: Other M, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, and Sonic Colors. Enjoy!

Metroid: Other M
Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
Sonic Colors
Goldeneye 007

Updated with Goldeneye 007.

Zelda is by far my most beloved franchise in gaming. I started playing back with A Link to the Past on the ‘ole SNES and I’ve beaten every title currently released — except for the CD-i games, of course (we don’t speak of those). My level of excitement while standing in the line to play The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was beyond what I’ve ever experienced before. Naturally, the press had some worries about the game — Miyamoto had trouble getting the motion controls to work properly during the on-stage demo. Rest assured, though, because the controls work amazingly.

Check out my full impressions here!

Holy balls it's been three whole years! I'm rather surprised this site isn't fully dead by now. Thank you few members for actually sticking around. Here's to the dying days of the website!

 

Super Mario Galaxy first took Mario into the final frontier back in 2007 and received critical acclaim — many heralded Mario’s third 3D adventure as one of the greatest video games ever made. The impact on players was high; the gravity based gameplay was incredibly unique, with many great ideas and level design coming around every turn. Running on the same engine and featuring the same art style, Nintendo has to go above and beyond with Super Mario Galaxy 2 in order to prove that the game isn’t a simple expansion — the sequel was originally planned as a Super Mario Galaxy 1.5. Does Super Mario Galaxy 2 add enough to the already established formula to make it feel fresh?

Check out my full review here!

In this exciting episode of RoboCast, Carl, Eli, and Joey discuss open heart surgery, a revolt is planned, and every hope Carl has of talking about Monster Hunter Tri is destroyed by the not-so-friendly Canadian.

Plus, the crew discovers why Jynx has been absent from the last two podcasts!

Joey's in this podcast guys!

You can listen to RoboCast 006 by clicking here.

In honor of one of our favorite robots of all time we bring you RoboCast 005.

In this episode we talk about super spies, Bobby Kotick’s diabolical plans, and I just can’t shut up about Monster Hunter Tri.

Also we yap about Nintendo goodness such as Super Mario Galaxy 2. WhooHooooooo!!!!

Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast and support RoboAwesome!

Check it out here.

In this fourth episode of RoboCast Eli and Jynx join me as we yap about Monster Hunter mania, South Korea and their Starcraft obsession, and some other uncomfortable topics. Then we answer some interesting reader mail – plus a super big announcement!

Check out the Podcast here!

Many articles discuss the plethora of great titles coming to the Wii in 2010, but many gamers overlook all the top-tier games hitting the DS this year. With games like Monster Hunter Tri and Super Mario Galaxy 2 hitting Nintendo's home console this year, it's easy to understand why Nintendo's current-gen handheld platform would be ignored. With titles like the epic sci-fi RPG Infinite Space, however, the DS is primed for great software lineup this year.

Check out the full Article here!