After nearly 25 years, Bowser finally gets his first starring role, and he doesn’t disappoint. I talked about this game a bit in my Bowser writeup, but he’s pretty awesome in it. He’s got some pretty great one-liners, and he’s really fun to play as. The premise for the story is simple, albeit silly. The Mushroom Kingdom has been overrun by this disease known as the Blorbs, which causes Toads to swell up into a ball. It turns out that the cause is related to this special kind of mushroom a “merchant” has been selling. This merchant is actually Fawful, who has been using these mushrooms to incapacitate the citizens so he can take over. On one of his routine invasions of the Mushroom Kingdom and subsequent defeats by the Mario Bros., Bowser runs into Fawful, who gives him his own special mushroom. However, this mushroom basically turns Bowser into a vacuum after he eats it, and he inhales Mario, Luigi, Peach, and several other Mushroom Kingdom residents in the aftermath. Now it’s up to Bowser to stop Fawful, with Mario and Luigi sort of “working together” with him from within to aid him.
The gameplay is really fun in Bowser’s Inside Story. Bowser has his own set of moves, including the ability to inhale foes and let Mario and Luigi defeat them. Along the way, you can also gain the aid of various members of the Koopa Troop, such as Goombas, Thwomps, etc. Like other Mario RPGs, the battle system revolves around the idea of timed hits, which I’ve mentioned before that I love. Each special move with the Koopa Troop has its own unique timed hit combo, some of them using the touch screen as well. There are also special battles where Bowser grows to gigantic proportions and has to fight a really big enemy. The gameplay for these is much more simplified. It’s basically a glorified tug-o-war match, where you have to push the enemy to the edge before he pushes you to the other edge. They’re pretty fun battles.
Of course, Mario and Luigi have their own role to play in this game. They usually work to supplement Bowser’s natural abilities to help him get past areas he normally couldn’t. This usually takes the form of silly mini-games, like using energy balls to massage Bowser’s muscles so he can get strong enough to move an object or something. Like I said, it all sounds kinda weird, but the gameplay design is pretty fun. The inside of Bowser’s body also functions as a series of “dungeons” as well, so you end up having to navigate it at various points throughout the game to progress the story. Despite the strange premise, it actually works out pretty well.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the amazing final boss fight of the game, with its top notch battle music, although I’m sure some of you will disagree on that point! (If you haven’t heard it, check it out here: Now it’s time to get all spoilery for a Mario game, yessir! The last boss fight against Dark Bowser and Fawful is really fun. I love how Dark Bowser uses all of your moves against you, and now you have to use the right timing to defend against them. It’s a cool reversal of fortune kinda thing. The parts where you have to fight Fawful as Mario and Luigi are really good as well. It’s just a really great fight, a fitting end to a great game. Also, I do like the scene in the ending where Peach sends Bowser a cake to thank him for all his help and he tries to act like he doesn’t care, but after everyone leaves, he kinda looks around to make sure no one can see him and he takes a peek at it. It’s kinda sweet in a way, really. Makes you think that maybe Bowser’s not such a terrible guy after all.
Bonus Question: What is your favorite instance of getting to play as the bad guy in a game?
Man, it was hard not to laugh when that song started playing at the beginning of the trailer. Not what I would've expected for a Metal Gear game. The gameplay looks all right, I guess, but I'm not too interested in it.
But I do love how at the end of the trailer, Raiden says, "But I was wrong," and then a random voice shouts right at the end of the trailer "WRONG"
Rules Just post yes or no as to whether or not you like the character in question. It can be for any reason. You're welcome (and encouraged!) to give an explanation, but none is required. No alts, obviously. Topic generally lasts for 24 hours, but may go on longer if the new one is not up yet. The links to the character info may contain spoilers. If you don't know the character in any way, please don't vote. Nominations are welcome! Any help keeping this bumped is appreciated.
30. Terry Bogard (Fatal Fury) Quote: “I’m axin’ you if you could do me the favor of stopping your bleeding over my new shoes.”
Haha, I was having a hard time coming up with a quote for Terry, as I’m sure the one I chose indicates. He doesn’t exactly have a lot of lines in the games! I actually don’t have a lot of experience with his games. I’ve only played the Fatal Fury games for the SNES, but they were a lot of fun. Terry was always the guy I liked to play as because he has a really cool design (Apparently, Terry was based on Japanese perceptions of American stereotypes, so this is what SNK thinks Americans are like!), and he had some fun moves. Burn Knuckle was always my favorite of his specials. Plus, his victory animation where he tosses his hat is so smooth.
But really, Terry isn’t on this list primarily for video game reasons. It’s more because of his roles in the Fatal Fury animes. Now maybe that’s a bit cheating because I’m a fan of his more for something not related to video games, but hey, it’s my list! I can do whatever I want! Terry’s generally a pretty laidback guy, even when it comes to fighting. I do like how nonchalant he is when he fights. He’s just having a good time. He does take it seriously when someone hurts a person he cares about. This is especially true of Geese Howard, who kills both his father and his girlfriend.
Speaking of which, I like Terry’s “Lone Wolf” persona. It becomes a big part of the third movie as he tries to keep his distance from Sulia because he’s afraid of what will happen to her if they get too close. The third one is probably my favorite of the three, although it has its own plotline unrelated to the games, if only because Terry seems so totally outmatched by the bad guys. He’s got a couple of really cool moments in the game, like when his desperation causes him to unleash a massive Power Geyser, and the last fight of the movie where the situation basically causes him to reach the full potential of his power and helps him defeat a being of pure energy. Good stuff.
So yeah, Terry Bogard is just a cool dude all around. I probably didn’t do this writeup the justice it deserves, but trust me, he’s a good character.
Bonus Question: Is there a video game character you’re a fan of for reasons other than video games?
Yes, he's pretty good in the first two movies. I don't really like some of the stuff they did with him in the third, but overall, he's still pretty good.
