NES Game Review: Tetris

 Tetris is the most well-known puzzle game in the video game world.  It featured on the NES but also has had different iterations of the game and launched other puzzle titles like Wario's Woods, Kirby's Avalanche, Dr. Mario as well.  This game started it all for puzzle games and it still lives on well today.  What does Tetris do well? What makes this game fun? All that and more below.

Positives: 

1. Speed- Like with Dr. Mario, speed is a major plus but with this you have time to think if you want, rather than decide right away.  You have options which if you are a fast player is fine, or if you are more methodical player to learn more as the game goes along.

2. Difficulty- Kind of like the speed part, the difficulty picks up as you beat levels.  This isn't a long game so long as you do well with figuring out the puzzles without running out of space! It can be super addictive to play and have fun with over time to challenge yourself.

3. Music- This game is strangely good in the music department.  I enjoy the sounds of the game of Tetris and it is something to behold for most every player.

4. A game that can be run so many ways- This is an oddity but this game can be done with so many puzzle strategies it is ridiculous how open it is.  It's one of the more fun things about this game and that kind of separates it from other puzzle type games.

Negatives: 

1. Repetition- Yes there are many ways but it feels repetitive with no major thing other than figure out to clear the level to the next one.  There are variations of the blocks and you can adjust the speed of the game, but overall just the repetition is the only major thing wrong with this game.

Rating:

Honestly I'd have to give this game a solid 9 to 9.5 out of 10.  It's a good game, one that has withstood time and really had a lot of iterations of it on PC, Switch and so forth.  So it's a game with it's speed and difficulty with being a puzzle game that is really just great overall.

NES Game Review: Dr. Mario

 Dr. Mario is a game with a Tetris style approach for the NES.  There are some differences from the game from Russia brought over to the worldwide audience, but there aren't many differences.  The main one is playing with what would be different colored pills rather than the bricks and shapes that Tetris has, and there are essentially what looks like fuzzies that are germs.  Dr. Mario is a game that still holds in high regard still and the game still has a good following.  What does it do well? What didn't it do? What's my rating of it? All that and more ahead.

Positive:

1. Some differences from Tetris: I'll mention one in a bit but this feels a bit different from Tetris.  Tetris can shift from slow to fast pace but this game just feels different overall.  It is a smaller game space than Tetris so you have to think fast, which is good.  It also has Mario as a doctor, so you can get a good laugh about it.

2. Faster pace: Like I said with Tetris, you can kind of switch how the game goes about with pace.  With this, it is fast paced and you have to think quick.  That is good for quick puzzle solvers.  If you aren't, then you have to speed up.  Personally I liked it and it presented challenges.

3. Amount of levels: The amount of levels are good too.  It's a game that matches your skill set overall and at the end, you beat the game and it is done. It's a quick game that you can play multiple times to get really good at it.

Negatives: 

1. Repetitive: This is mainly with any puzzle game.  At some point it just becomes repetitive and it is the same thing over and over again.  Nothing against it, but if you want more variety, then you'd have to look elsewhere for games.

Rating:

Overall though, Dr. Mario is a really good NES game.  The pacing is fantastic, the differences are subtle but good to Tetris.  I overall enjoyed this game so I would rate this game probably around a 9 out of 10.  They did the best they could due to the limited capacity that is the NES.

SNES Game Review: Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is the main game for SNES that features the Zelda Series, though before Ocarina of Time, it was one of four Zelda games to hit in the 80's and early-to-mid 90's.  Nintendo wanted to make a big splash with A Link to the Past.  To say they made that splash is an understatement as this is widely considered by many as the best Super Nintendo game and one of the best in the Zelda series to this day.  What makes this game so good? Are there any downsides to it? What's my rating of it? All that is right below! 

Positives:

1. Music: Nintendo, music, Zelda.  They all go together and have stood a test of time for several decades of games made and even with A Link to the Past the music is absolutely phenomenal. 

2. Gameplay: Very fluid, very structured, no major foul-ups in the design of the game play make this an easy positive.  It is always a good game for gameplay and one that warrants someone to play it.  Another thing I like is this game does not hold hands and you have to do this yourself at the time (Remember, this is the 90's and the only thing that came along was a strategy guide.) 

3. Graphics: Nintendo, Zelda, graphics.  I would not need to say more but the design of the graphics was also a terrific thing as well.  They did well overall to paint a world and also use it to do a dark world as well.  Overall very, very well done.

4. Not exceptionally long: There is a theme with a lot of SNES games not named FF6, they tend to be on the shorter side of the ledger on time frame.  For instance with this game, you can beat it in a 10 hour span easily.  I beat it in less than 8.  It is a popular game for speedrunners.  Overall it won't take long to beat this game so long as you consult a guide to do it.

5. The changing worlds: I feel if Nintendo tried this again with A Link to the Past it wouldn't be vastly as successful as it was then.  I have no doubt how great they did the worlds and it is absolutely magnificent the job put in to make the worse to make it succeed overall.

6. Bosses: I could point out maybe 1-2 bosses that were super easy and deserve maybe a bit harder remakes.  And one is the first boss, which is really just an introductory one.  The other one is in the dark world.  After that, they are really well done and while can be a pain, are not unfair or a boss that makes you hate life. 

Negatives:

Good luck with that, because there really aren't any.  I hear people say they didn't know what to do and the game isn't helpful.  Here's what I say to them, there are things called YouTube, Google, look it up what you are supposed to do.  They then downgrade the game because of not knowing what to do and that also confuses me because that just makes me think you didn't have good expectations anyway. This game isn't Breath of the Wild, it isn't Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask.  You'll just have to deal with that.

Rating/Rank:

There is no doubt that A Link to the Past is one of the best games on the Super Nintendo.  It's an all-around gem in this era of gameplay and games.  This is the fourth of the four games to get a perfect rating from me, a 10 out of 10.  And myself ranks this game 4th on my Super Nintendo rating system.

Simmons Field: A Relic in Kenosha

  Simmons Field is a historic ballpark located in the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin.  It's been around over one hundred years, 101 to be exact, but has seen it's share of moments of renovation and rebuilds.  It hosts in the summer the Kenosha Kingfish, a Northwoods League team (see also the Lakeshore Chinooks from my previous article.)  The Kingfish, like the Chinooks, are noted with players that can make the major leagues at some point.  On a Sunday, I decided to go to the game they had against Kalamazoo.  Do note the title and we will see how I rate it the way I do.  

 Upon getting to Simmons Field, one will note two parking areas mainly, one nearest the ticket office, and another beyond the right field wall.  They are both free, but the one near the ticket office is always going to be full because it is so size limited, so your best bet is the right field lot area.  However, it can be infested with mosquitos so do bring bug spray if you need.  The entrance is easy and the ticket office is a rather large building that also has other things like the fan shop as well.  The parking is free and is right outside the park so you don't need a shuttle or anything at all.  With that, how are the amenities?

 The good part with Simmons Field is the first base line specialty food areas, like pulled pork and specialty sandwiches for specialty ticket holders.  Those can be good and are a reasonable price.  However their main food/drink stand behind home plate leaves a lot to be desired.  A lot of the food is either burned, too soggy or a mix of it.  I had a burger and onion rings and the burger was charbroiled it was noted but it was tasting of just everything burned, while the onion rings were full of oil and soggy.  The drinks, in this case soda, just came from a machine you would find at a restaurant and it tasted like it would have come from a BK or McDonald's.  Needless to say, upgrade yourself for that game for the specialty food/drinks and you will do a lot better for yourself.  The park's fan shop is quite nice actually and provide good selections of stuff, and as always I got a hat and it was regularly in the with other teams as well in the Northwoods League.  With that, how is the park overall and the on-field product?

Simmons Field 

 The park itself has all seats to the stadium that I saw and sat in.  It was actually pretty comfortable seating so that was a plus.  However it is awkward down the first and third base lines and if on a busier day (just about 40 minutes north, the Brewers also played at home) could lead to a lot of crowding to get to seats.  They want to exemplify the old school look which would parlay well but in this case it doesn't work overall for a summer league park as it just seems narrow for the sake of being narrow. The seating as I said was good, so you have no issues there.  The seating rows and aisles are quite wide for ease of access.  I think the field needs a lot of work, as it just needs a lot of maintenance.  The dirt looks aged, as does the grass and it seemed too high for really any sort of summer league team should have.  The walls probably need to be re-done as well.  One cool feature is a boat in left field that is there as well for fans to have a party deck of sorts.  All in all, it would suffice that the park go through some intensive upgrades I think.  The on-field product is quite good, as is the on-field entertainment and that is something the Kingfish staff should enjoy.

 In conclusion, when I say a field is a relic, it means it needs upgrades in a lot of ways.  Much like Northwestern's football stadium, Simmons Field needs upgrades I believe to the food and/or equipment to the food to make it a lot better.  It would also suffice that with the ice cream part as well.  I think upgrades to the field would make this a lot better too and the product that much better.  They do a good job the staff do overall and making it just a decent product.  However for Simmons Field, it lags behind Madison, Fond Du Lac and Lakeshore on the Northwoods League Stadiums I have been to. 

Kapco Park is a Gem in Mequon

 Kapco Park is a collegiate ballpark at Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin right off the shore of Lake Michigan.  It is part of a athletic complex at Concordia that is next to the soccer/football field as well.  During the summer as well, Kapco Park hosts the Lakeshore Chinooks baseball team of the Northwoods League.  In addition to the Concordia baseball team in the Spring, the Chinooks play host to teams in the Northwoods League in this part, and the Northwoods League is a summer wood bat league for collegiate players looking to make the MLB one day and are trying to make it further along for their collegiate teams in the fall/spring as well.  A lot of the Northwoods League players end up being drafted at some point so it is a formidable training ground for players against each other.  Kapco Park is a park I went to in the Summer of 2021, post-pandemic (well.. sort of.)  Here is what I experienced at Kapco Park. 

 Upon entering the stadium the main thing is the parking.  You are helped with signs on where to go, where to park but a main stay is that parking is free.  That is a major plus if you wanted to watch summer league baseball.  Another nice perk the Chinooks staff do is offer a golf cart type shuttle from the lot to the park, albeit it a short walk away, for free as well.  So they really go out of their way to help fans on that.  Like I said in the first paragraph, it's a park located on the campus of Concordia University but it is well done with the athletic complexes like the basketball fieldhouse, football/soccer stadium and so on.  Also another noted thing is anywhere you sit just behind you is the Lake Michigan shoreline so you get a great photo of the lake as well.  With the picturesque take of the stadium, what does the stadium actually offer? 

Kapco Park, Lake Michigan background

 To be honest quite a bit.  There are concessions all around the home plate and first base lines.  They can't really do much on the third base side other than a neat patio area behind the stands due to the proximity of the football/soccer field behind it.  However they boast an array of food and drink options.  The plus side to this? They are all pretty good features.  I got basic foods like chicken tenders, fries and soda and later some ice cream.  The staff does a splendid job with their food and it is at an affordable price for families as well.  They have other options around the first base line as well so they do a good job with food/drink options.  Along the first base line as well is their fan shop, which is really just a small part underneath the stands on the first base side.  They have the basics, hats, shirts, hoodies and so forth.  Do note that unless you spend a lot of money on food/drinks, this is where you would spend the most money at a game.  They run in line for Northwoods League prices (25 a hat, 30ish for hoodies and so forth.) and are decent deals with minor league baseball as well.  This presents for a good night out for families and is essentially more budget friendly than most, if not all, major league parks.  This also goes for ticket prices as most are typically under 15 bucks per person.  Mine happened to be 9 bucks that night.  With that, how is the on-field entertainment?

 The on-field promotions and game itself is quite alright.  One plus for the Chinooks is this is a league where players are looking to make it to the pros so you are seeing really good collegiate players possibly before they get drafted by the major leagues.  The entertainment aspect is pretty much centered around young kids and they are legitimately focused on the family/kid aspect in the promotions and their mascot, which is a fish as well.  I think it is a solid approach and they deserve credit for their efforts on it.  Overall the field is a nice field and one that Concordia and the Chinooks should take pride in.  I feel that they do well overall with the seats as well and there is not a bad seat in the house. 

 All in all, Kapco Park is a gem and Concordia University and the Lakeshore Chinooks should take good pride in what they do with it.  They provide good amenities and they do really, really well with the family aspect while being accommodating to all fans.  If I were a diehard summer league/baseball fan, I would check out Kapco Park for a game and watch some good baseball with some really cool lakeside views. 

Soldier Field: A Lesson in Old vs. New

  Soldier Field is a stadium that hosts the Chicago Bears of the National Football League, as well as numerous events other than just the Bears.  One such event in 2019 was the United States Women's National Team in Soccer.  I happened to attend this game and got to see what Soldier Field offered but my opinion must be like the feeling of a lot of peoples thoughts already, so it might be digging a lot up that is already there.  But here is my thoughts on Soldier Field overall.

 As you walk to the stadium (or ride the train or whatever you please to do) you will notice it has a pretty big area around the stadium on the outside.  What happens here is most likely just a lot of different things for kids, for talking and chatting.  For the soccer game there were a lot of stands for snacks, for games and different things.  There is also a Walter Payton statue outside, which if you are entering by a specific entrance is the first notable thing you see outside the stadium itself.  Moving along the sidelines, for lack of better words, outside the stadium would be where the old columns were moved as they are not part of the inner stadium itself which led to a lot of controversy when they re-configured and re-built the stadium in 2002.  To me this is a bit of a rough thing to judge, but ultimately it doesn't really play a gigantic role into my review here. 

Myself at the USWNT Game at Soldier Field, 2019

 One of the things that makes me think a lot was the design of the stadium, it just feels too awkward to make it look like a spaceship style stadium when that's not what Chicago is, it's not what Chicago is about.  Chicago has a history of classic buildings, from Wrigley Field especially, but also history in it's sports people like George Halas, the aforementioned Payton, Ernie Banks, and many more (Literally this thing would be a mile or two long if I spoke about Chicago legends) and so you would think that the new stadium would be a mix of new vs. legendary feels but the newer Soldier Field doesn't.. really encompass any of that.  The best part is just seating with the seats a lot of stadiums feature today.  So what about the concessions/amenities?

 They are alright, if overpriced.  Let's face it, no stadium isn't overpriced on concessions when you are a pro sports team (Unless you might be a Minor League Baseball team) and you get what you pay for.  One shock, and unsure if this is changed or not, but the stadium sold RC Cola rather than Coke or Pepsi.  The food is a lot of the typical but also it features a lot of Chicago options.  So you won't be short of choices and most of the food is good.  What does perturb me a bit and probably could see this with the NFL games is how long it took to just get in the stadium because the gates are really narrow as you get towards the stadium.  The waiting took longer than I thought it would but I would love the analysis from Bears fans if it takes longer.

 All in all, while the game was great, I can't get passed the fact that Soldier Field doesn't seem to be a top half NFL stadium like others would be, but I could be wrong.  I certainly can't put it higher than Lambeau Field however.  The upside over Lambeau is seats vs. bleachers like Lambeau has.  However I feel has they incorporated better allowance of entrances for the stadium and employed some of the classical things the old stadium did then this would be really, really good overall. 

The Perk Provides Good D3 Action

 Perkins Stadium is not named after the restaurant chain in the United States.  It is named after former University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Head Coach Forrest Perkins.  Perkins Stadium is home to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks, a Division Three team that plays in the WIAC in that part of NCAA sports.  It's the biggest stadium in Division Three, with 13,500 seats plus standing room if needed (for such occurrences like Family Day or Homecoming.)  It's a stadium that has a large 'home' grandstand and a pretty decent sized 'away' grandstand on the opposite side.  For UW-Whitewater they are typically a powerhouse every year and have great success nearly every year as well.  So how does this stadium do overall?

 For starters, this stadium does well with being in a opportune area of the campus.  It's towards a large athletics area with the softball, soccer, baseball, basketball, and track facilities all in that area as well.  The football field provides pretty ample on campus parking for gamedays, though if you want to get around that, downtown parking is also there and is also free, and all you have to do is walk about a mile to the stadium after that.  If you rather the parking on campus, it will not break your wallet and it is relatively cheap anyway.  

 The stadium has one main fan shop in the entrance of the stadium, followed by on the right hand side a student athletic center where the locker rooms and medicine/rehab places are for the athletes.  However, to the fan shop, it is pretty basic and not entirely expensive so you can be fine with that.  If you want anything prior to the game, there is another on-campus bookstore with merchandise if you want to go that route.  However, the fan shop as I said is pretty basic so you won't have too many frills with it.  That same can be said for the concessions.  They are pretty basic offerings, things like water, soda, hot dogs, snacks and things like that.  Do note though that it is student run, so this is not going to be what you see at an NFL stadium, probable Division One FBS in the NCAA stadium or other pro sports.  These are students running these stands and you need to be patient with it.  The concessions are pretty inexpensive so you won't run up a major bill at this stadium.  With that, how is the atmosphere?

 Typically UW-Whitewater is a powerhouse as mentioned prior.  They don't typically lose at Perkins Stadium and are typically one of the best teams anyway in Division Three.  The gameday atmosphere can largely depend on what is happening that day.  In my particular game instance, I went as there was a opening act of a Jesse McCartney concert, so there was an opening day record crown over 10 thousand fans in this game.  The Warhawks went to dominate but when the crowds are good, they typically have a lot of energy and the people can be into the game.  That can be the same for Homecoming and Family Day, both of these games typically draw the biggest crowds of the season.  The players hitting the rock as they come out onto the stadium has become a feature, as their slogan is pound the rock.  That is in the College Football Hall of Fame as well which for a Division Three team is pretty amazing.  But the team typically winning is a good asset to have, and now the student base is showing up and staying for the games which is a good thing as well. 

UW-Whitewater in College Football Hall of Fame

 All in all, The Perk provides a good semblance of what D3 football is.  They have a good gameday atmosphere, though if you are a flashy person on that it wouldn't be that with Perkins Stadium.  Remember, D3 teams do not have the budget of a Alabama, Michigan, Wisconsin, USC or others so they have to do what they can to provide good entertainment to bring fans in.  UW-Whitewater does do that and they do a pretty alright job of it.  Just expect the fact that the concessions and fan store to be student run and you will be alright there.  

Road America: Always Amazing

 Road America is perhaps America's most iconic road course and one of the world's most notable road courses in motorsports.  It features a laundry list of racing, from the WeatherTech Sports Car Series, NASCAR and IndyCar, to AMA Superbike and many other things in between.  It plays host to many events in the spring and summer now, including the NASCAR Cup Series in 2021 on the July 4th weekend which was highly successful.  I have gone to Road America four times in my life, in 2012, 2016 two separate times (IndyCar and Sports Car) and in 2019.  My basis for this is really all of them to provide how they have continued to get better and better and keep improving each time.  I am hoping to go again in the next couple of years to the Cup Series race.  Here are my thoughts of the race track, its amenities

 Road America is noted as a 14 turn road course about a length of 4 miles, and features a massively long front stretch, a long back stretch, a carousel corner, a corner named Canada Corner and a massive infield.  That infield features victory lane, a disc golf course, a go kart track, and a lot of amenities.  Patrons can go to a host of different stands or the fan store for merchandise and there will be several other places with merchandise as well.  All the concession stands feature something different through the course so one concession stand may have different food from the next but it is a great thing because the variety is amazing and the food is as well.  There is always something at Road America for someone to try and all of it is good.  With that, how is everything else at the track?  

 Typically for Road America non-race weekends they have a disc golf course but having seen it prior it is a pretty neat thing to see up front when there isn't a race weekend at the track that the disc golfers can do.  Also there is a go kart track as well that features a track layout that is a approved track for karting series world wide.  Having driven that track a couple of times in the past it is a pretty fast, pretty technical course and one that tests limits pretty steadfastly for any karting driver.  The track also provides what amounts to a shuttle to the different locations and seating arrangements around the track so your really never miss much through the time at the track.  If you are going to the track too, dependent on the series, you should be able to have a free paddock/pit pass or you will have to get one in advance but it is a good place for meeting drivers seeing tech inspection and just seeing the trailers and cars up close.  All in all typically how is racing at Road America?

 It is a pretty exciting time most races.  The best races tend to be the NASCAR races there due to the aggression able to happen with the drivers and ability to drive the cars harder and risk take more than the Sports Cars and IndyCar series'.  IndyCar is also a very solid race year in and year out with restarts being very wild with a lot of passing a lot of the time.  Sports cars at Road America are just the genuine style as well and they are probably the most open of the series as they feature different brands everywhere on track and the ability to do a lot of the time better with availability than most series at being accessible to the public.  Road America provides some of the best accessibility overall and it is very much worth the ticket to go.

 All in all, Road America through the many times I have gone provides some of the best racing but some of the best all around entertainment at a track.  It is iconic but it provides exceptional services.  All the amenities are terrific and plentiful, and you always have a terrific day of it at the track.  I would highly recommend a visit times over and it is a place I want to go back to in the future years to come.

SNES Game Review: Super Mario Kart

 When you see Mario, you think of Super Mario, Mario and Luigi, Yoshi, Toad, Princess Peach, Bowser, and Donkey Kong due to the arcade game.  Nintendo must have thought what about all of those characters plus a couple more in a racing game? They did that and what came about was Super Mario Kart.  This game spurred the phenomenon that is now the Mario Kart dynasty that continues to this very day with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Switch.  In a trip to nostalgia road, what did Nintendo do well with this very first game of the dynasty that is Mario Kart?

Positives:

1. The graphics: Honestly, Nintendo literally just makes everything great in graphics don't they? I know it is kind of a beating the drum type of thing but still has to be said because they are so so good at this.  This pertains to Super Mario Kart as well as the whole game is graphically great for the SNES.

2. The Music: Again, yes beating the drum over and over but the music in this game is also terrific.  This is every level, even the battle mode as well.  Nintendo did a spectacular job with this game and it deserves a lot of credit.

3. The tracks: The SNES is pushed to the limits here and it tells.  If this were later versions, it gets a lower grade easily.  However with the limits of the SNES in the 90's, the tracks here are really well done and they take the SNES to the limits on its graphics and innovation which was good to see.

4. The powerups: This is underrated to be fair but the birth of a lot of these games for Mario Kart started with this game.  You have the shells, banana peels, the coins, and the lightning bolts as well as the starts all started with this game and it makes it a lot better over time. 

5. Improving difficulty: This is a staple in every Mario Kart it seems but the difficulty rises as you go and it is a good thing.  It gets tougher from 50cc to 100cc to the other difficulties.  Battle (Or vs. Mode in this game) is always fun to play with.

Negatives:

1. Sliding/Drifting: Yeah if there was a negative and is a negative with Super Mario Kart, it's undoubtedly the drifting in this game.  You really just turn and start sliding, you do not even need the controller  to do much and you are sliding.  If you drift you go way too wide in a corner regardless.  They have obviously fixed this and made it better in games in the future, but this is a downside to this game.

Neutral: 

1. Rainbow Road: Oh yes, the most polarizing track in Mario Kart history is a neutral here.  It's not a half bad race track but one wrong mistake and it is unforgiving.  That's sort of how I like race tracks but I can see how players like this and then how they don't. 

Grade/Rank:

All in all, Super Mario Kart is probably the best game of the racing category on the SNES.  Overall it brings great racing, great battle mode.  The sounds are terrific and for its time, the graphics/tracks are put to the very limit to offer a great racing game.  In all as well, it is a great Mario game, that has gone on to several generations of games later on in time.  I would overall rank this game.. probably 9th on my list of games but that is subject to change I feel.  I can't not put it in the top 10 but I feel 9th is appropriate.