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Rapid Review Saturday #2: Jackal (Linkin Park, Dorkly, PokeAwesome) [Daily Bloggity Entry #15]

El Héroe Oscuro

IG: elheroeoscuro
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Date: 08 March 2014
Time: 12:23 AM ET
Mood: Confident

"Rapid Review Saturday" is a new series in the Daily Bloggity where I look at a video game, movie, or show and give some quick comments on them. Spoilers may be given. This is a weekly series and will appear every Saturday at 5PM ET.

A lot of people today like to argue whether or not the Xbox One or the PS4 is the superior console, and in the process I believe that a lot of people lose hindsight on what's really important; whether or not we are getting quality games. It doesn't really matter to me whether or not a game is in HD or not, or if my console has the ability to play Blueray movies. Rather, when I look at a console or a game, I am looking for something that will blow my mind with great gameplay mechanics and an immersive experience that can come with it. For that reason, I like things nice and simple, and that is why today's Rapid Review will be focusing on an old school classic called Jackal.

Daily Music - "Breaking the Habit" by Linkin Park
Spoiler:
Released for the Nintendo Entertainment System by the company Konami in 1988, Jackal was a port game of an arcade game that was released in 1986. In a nutshell, it is a very clear-cut game: with your Jeep, get from point A to point B while running over foot soldiers, destroying turrets and tanks, and rescuing your fellow comrades. By rescuing your comrades, you will be able to upgrade your weaponry from grenades to missiles to multi-directional missiles, which in the long run is a much needed upgrade when you come to the bosses at the end of each level. Jackal, as it is an arcade game, is quite short; 5 stages in total - but it's not about the quantity of the game, but rather the quality of it. It's tough enough to make you come back and play it again and again, which is exactly what a video game should make you want to do.

Daily Comic - "Xbox Live Demands" by Julia Lepetit and Andre Bridgman of Dorkly
Spoiler:
A few years ago my family had ended up throwing out a lot of our old systems, including our Nintendo Entertainment System and our copy of Jackal. Luckily though at a local flea market, I spotted this holy relic of video gaming for $5 and instantly bought it. When I brought it home, you should have seen the look on my brother's face. Jackal was a game that my brother and I both adored when we were younger, both spending many hours trying to complete the game (as it is a 2-player game). I remember that day we spent many hours trying to beat it, but alas we still cannot. We managed to get to the very last stage - a feat we could not do when we were younger - but the final boss, a humongous tank, proved to be quite formidable. Although we didn't beat it, it showed me that even games with such poor graphics compared to today's standards can prove to be just as fun as today's current generation of gaming - it's not about 1080p visual displays, but rather the experiences you have that you are able to share with others.

Daily Video - "PokeAwesome" by animator Egoraptor
Spoiler:
Jackal is a game that gets your blood going from the start. Right from the main screen, you get this message: "Your brother in arms are hostages behind enemy lines, and you're their only hope for freedom. But the firepower you'll face to rescue them will be awesome. Rescue the POWs in the buildings. You'll need a pocket full of miracles, and the ferocity of a wild. Jackal. . No fancy CGI displays, no 10-minute cut scene - you click A and you get dropped right into the action with one of the catchiest NES soundtracks in my opinion. With each enemy you kill and each precious life that you have, you steadily see the game progressively getting harder and harder, but you feel more and more accomplished as the game goes on. You feel like you can do it, like this is the run where you finally get past that hurdle that's been squandering your victory each and every time. And that's the greatest thing about Jackal: in today's generation of gaming, I feel like there aren't a lot of games that have a lot of great playback value. However, 18 years after it's initial release, Jackal still stands in my opinion as one of the greatest Nintendo Entertainment games the console has to offer.

How do you think the Nintendo Entertainment System has held up over the years? Have you ever played Jackal before? If not and after seeing gameplay of it, think you might get it? Comment below as I'd love to hear your opinion on it!

‡ As always, the "Daily Bloggity" is self written by myself and includes just some of my opinions on different mediums. If you have a subject that you might want me to touch on, feel free to PM me or comment below! I would love to hear some of your ideas! Tune in tomorrow at 5PM Eastern Time for the next edition of the "Daily Bloggity!" Cheers! ‡

- elheroeoscuro
Spoiler:
 
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