Video Game and Comic Book of the Week

VIDEO GAME OF THE WEEK

SUPER MARIO 64

Released in June 23, 1996, Super Mario 64 was a huge phenomena!  Nintendo decided to take a risk and put their famed mustache hero into their first ever 3-D (instead of being in their comfort zone in the 2-D platforming games).

In this game, you control Mario as you venture around Peach's castle.  You literally jump into paintings to access levels.  You do this "painting hoping" to find Princess Peach, who was captured by...(drum roll)...Bowser!  Who would have guessed?!?!  And how do you find Bowser?  By collecting Stars, of course.  One thing that you eventually learn about playing Mario games is that stars serve as either a map or a key to unlock new directions.  It's almost like when the Wise Men followed the stars to find what they were looking for...I get it!  It makes sense now!

Super Mario 64 started something new and exciting to Nintendo.  What followed it was other very popular games like Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time, Donkey Kong 64, StarFox 64, and among many others.  I remember how much fun it was in Super Mario 64 running up that giant hill while trying to avoid giant balls of doom.  Then when you get to the top, you get to throw a giant Bob-omb with a crown on his head.  



COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK

Batman: The Long Halloween

Batman: The Long Halloween was a 13 issue series published by DC in 1996 and 1997.  It was written by (the legendary) Jeph Loeb and it was drawn by Tim Sale.

The story follows Batman as he tries to uncover a mystery killer.  The killer is cleverly named "Holiday" due to him killing people on various holidays.  The story spans over one year.  It begins on Halloween night and it ends on the next Halloween night a year later.  That means that for one year, Holiday has been running around and killing people.  While Holiday was having his fun, he left Batman and Commissioner Gordan baffled as to whom he may be.  Various popular villains make cameos throughout the series including The Joker, Poison Ivy, Scare Crow, and Cat Woman.  Also, of course the main suspect in the whole series is in it... Calendar Man.  The story also tells the origin tale of Two Face.

I personally love this story.  It is one of my all time favorite Batman stories.  Actually, it's one of my all time favorite comic book stories!  I love the darkness that this story leaves behind, just like any Batman story should.  If you haven't read Long Halloween...do it now!

DO YOU REMEMBER PLAYING THIS GAME OR READING THIS COMIC BOOK?  SOUND OFF IN THE COMMENT SECTION BELOW TO TELL CULLINATION ABOUT YOUR FONDEST MEMORY ABOUT THESE THESE CLASSIC TITLES!