Some Instructions Would Be Nice! Quiz

Answer: Mario Kart 64

One of the best-selling titles on the Nintendo 64 console, "Mario Kart 64" was released in 1997 to many fans who hadn't seen a "Mario Kart" title since "Super Mario Kart" nearly five years earlier on the Super Nintendo. In addition, "Super Mario 64" was chock full of three-dimensional tracks in which players could experience realistic racing.

It was one of the earliest instances of this type of game on the Nintendo 64 though it was soon followed by the generously-popular "Diddy Kong Racing" which spawned a number of Rare-related titles (ie. "Banjo-Kazooie", "Conker's Bad Fur Day", etc.). "Mario Kart 64" later appeared on the Wii Virtual Console in early 2007. Red Koopa Shells are one of the game's many power-ups.

In this case, Red Shells home in on enemies and stun them for a brief second. Green Shells are similar but need to be manually aimed.

Answer: Gears of War

"Gears of War", only available on the Xbox 360, is one of the leading IPs on Microsoft's second console. Developed in-house at Epic Games, "Gears of War" is one of the most critically-acclaimed titles on the system and one of the most popular amongst fans selling millions of copies in its first year.

Its sequel, "Gears of War II", released in 2008 to large amounts of hype and sold over five million copies. The games follow Fenix and Dom as they try to stop the Locust invasion on Earth. These creatures, once dormant under the Earth's surface, have emerged to destroy most of mankind. Delta Squad stands between them (with their chainsaw/gun hybrids) and success.

The game allows for splitscreen and online co-op.

Answer: Yoshi's Story

"Yoshi's Story", a game released on the Nintendo 64 in 1998, was one of the many early Mario-family titles set up on the console in its run. Although Mario doesn't make an appearance, a series of Yoshis makes their way across six storybook worlds to defeat Baby Bowser who has stolen the Super Happy Tree, a piece of foliage which creates a number of fruits in the shape of hearts that cause Yoshis to become rambunctious and ecstatic over pretty much everything. To get through each world, Yoshi needs to eat different fruits in each stage.

The amount of large hearts collected in each level determines the amount of level choices you have in progressing through the story mode. "Yoshi's Story" wasn't the most popular game from a critical standpoint, but it became a very popular title on the system.

Answer: Flower

"Flower", brought out for the PSN system in February 2009, was an innovative title in which the player assumed the role of the wind to blow flower petals across the land, opening up new pastures to spread the joy of the garden. Within the different levels, the goal is to brighten up a city windowsill by letting flowers flourish through your actions. Although the game is short, it's one of many to begin what many regard as 'zen gaming'. You tilt the motion-sensitive Sixaxis controller to steer your flower petals, and little else.
The game was released to extremely positive reviews.

Answer: Dance Dance Revolution

One of the most popular early rhythm games ever released, "Dance Dance Revolution" began appearing in arcades in the 1998 and spread across the world and into home consoles over its first decade. Arcade systems come with one or two metal pads with four arrows (up, down, left, right) which must be hit according to timed sequences played to dance songs on the screen in front.

These songs can be originals or popular hit songs. Home console versions of the game are typically sold with strong, plastic mats along with the game disc though players can buy specially-made foam or metal pads from different outlets. "Dance Dance Revolution" for the Playstation 2 was one of the few games to make use of the Eyetoy peripheral while the Wii version also makes use of motion control to enhance the game experience.

Answer: Lips

While a number of songs blanket themselves across various music franchises, "Lips" is the only one to contain the three songs listed by our specific instructions, and all three were #1 hits in North America. "Lips" was released on the Xbox 360 console in 2008. Equipped with wireless microphones for a karaoke feel seen previously in the "Singstar" games of the Playstation 2 and on "Rock Band", this is Microsoft's signature singing game. Though moderately received, the sales for the game (both as its own product and as DLC) weren't so overwhelming. Since its original release, "Lips: Number One Hits" was released in 2009 with motion-sensitive mics.

Answer: Starcraft

"Starcraft's" economy seems based around these two substances in its construction of Protoss, Terran, and Zerg buildings and units though none of these pass through others' hands. Using Probes, SCVs, and Drones, you need to mine minerals manually and use a properly-built structure to harvest Vespene Gas. "Starcraft" was released in 1998 on the PC and in 2000 on the Nintendo 64 (with the expansion pack, "Brood War", automatically attached). Both were quite popular in terms of sci-fi RTS titles with thousands of online users participating in battles.

The game was one of a number of extremely popular Blizzard games released around the same time (along with "Diablo II" and "Warcraft III") solidifying the developer as a major force in the industry.

Answer: Perfect Dark

Often seen as a spiritual sequel to "Goldeneye" on the Nintendo 64, "Perfect Dark" follows Joanna Dark, a special agent who has been instructed to investigate DataDyne, an evil corporation. After Rare's acquisition by Microsoft, the "Perfect Dark" series ended up moving with them to the Xbox 360. "Perfect Dark: Zero", though considered a bit flawed on the new console, was a launch title (and one of the most successful ones at that).

A "Perfect Dark" game also appeared on the Game Boy Color and a series of comics and novels have been made to coincide.

The original game was one of the most popular to ever be released on the Nintendo 64.

Answer: Wii Music

"Wii Music", part of the Wii series of games (also consisting of "Wii Sports" and "Wii Play"), was released in 2008. Although a great amount of hype was placed upon the game after a major E3 appearance, it turned out to be somewhat of a flop, getting low review scores. Nonetheless, it became an extremely popular title selling over two and half million units.
"Wii Music" consists of a number of mini-games with music themes. Since the game contains over sixty different musical instruments, the possibilities can last a while. The Wii Remote and Nunchuck are used to control them all.

Answer: The Conduit

A Sega game released exclusively on the Wii, "The Conduit" was released in June 2009 to moderate reviews. Many praised Sega's attempt to bring more mature games to a console oversaturated with 'casual' titles though it didn't really work in Sega's earlier instances (ie. "Madworld" and "House of the Dead: Overkill"). Nonetheless, it remained a popular first-person shooter for devoted fans. "Ninety-Nine Nights", a critically-panned by highly-anticipated Xbox 360 title, was released in 2006. "Enter the Matrix", based on the "Matrix" film series, was released in 2003. "Grim Fandango" is even further back.

It was released by Lucasarts in 1998.