Space Races, Chases, and Faces in Gaming Quiz

Answer: Super Mario Galaxy

"Super Mario Galaxy", by and large, was the main "Mario" series spin-off for the Nintendo Wii. The follow-up to the 3D platforming adventures in "Super Mario Sunshine" (GCN), "Galaxy" took Mario into the cosmos, flying from star to star, as he collected Lumas and Star Bits on his quest to save (who else?) Princess Peach from (who else?) Bowser who, this time, has taken to the infinite vacuum of space.

The game was so popular that a direct sequel, "Super Mario Galaxy 2", was released a short time later. Both games used the Wii Remote's motion controls to add a new dimension of maneuverability onscreen.

Answer: Star Fox 64

Although all of these games did appear on the Nintendo 64 and most, to an extent, featured space in some way, shape or form, "Star Fox 64" ended with Star Fox and Co. in their Arwings, facing off against the evil Andross (or, at least, his head and hands) on the planet Venom. "Star Fox 64", of course, was the reboot for the earlier "Star Fox" game seen on the SNES. Fox has since become a famous face for the Nintendo family, later appearing in the "Super Smash Bros." series.

He appeared in further flight games and a few platformers on later consoles.

Answer: Dead Space 2

'The Sprawl' is actually a large residential craft orbiting Titan, one of Saturn's moons, in the fictional nightmare that is "Dead Space 2". After escaping the Necromorphs aboard the USG Ishimura in the first game, he was taken to The Sprawl for further tests and used to extract information implanted in his mind about the evil marker found on Aegis VII.

This game was met with critical acclaim for its fast-paced story, genuine horror, and terrifying atmosphere, mostly set in the paradoxical confines of space. "Dead Space 2" was released in 2011; a third in the series appeared two years later.

Answer: StarCraft

Vespene Gas is one of the two major resources required in "StarCraft" (PC, N64) and, along with Minerals, it's used to build specific units and structures necessary for wiping out enemy bases and fleets. Harvested only by your typical worker units (SCVs for Terran, Drones for Zerg, and Probes for Protoss), Vespene Gas, unlike Minerals, must be refined using a suitable building constructed at a low cost.

It would be nearly impossible to catapult your team to victory, what with research costs and the general upkeep of strong armies, to avoid needing more.

Answer: F-Zero X

The game's leading protagonist is Captain Falcon, a character perhaps better known for throwing punches and kicks in the "Super Smash Bros." series. Nonetheless, the character made his start as far back as the first "F-Zero" game on the SNES in 1990 though with a reboot in the N64's "F-Zero X" he found new fame (along with many others) in a futuristic, high-octane race game set on gnarly tracks in outer space.

The races are usually utterly dangerous and the racers have no regard for the safety of themselves and others, but it can be highly addictive, even in Survival Mode where the goal is to simply live.

Answer: Halo

In the "Halo" series, the player character is usually Master Chief (though there have been a few notable exceptions) and he is almost always somewhere on a distant planet, fighting forces of an 'enemy' race. Although he has fought on the newer colonies of Earth many of his travels have taken him to Halos-- planet-destroying superweapons designed to wipe out all life as a means of killing the parasitic lifeforms known as The Flood (mainly by destroying every source of food, but you get the drift).

After the original trilogy of "Halo" games, later sequels omitted The Flood, but brought Master Chief to more exotic locales.

Answer: Space Invaders

"Space Invaders", one of the first shooting games released to arcades, found almost immediate fame during the early days of coin-op and paved the way for further success in the industry, especially with burgeoning interest in Japan. Perhaps the most famous franchise under the Taito name until the release of "Bubble Bobble" nearly a decade later.

In the game, the point is to shoot lasers at the invaders descending on you from above; they touch down, you lose.

Answer: Ratchet and Clank

"Ratchet and Clank" paired up the engineering-savvy Ratchet with the robotic Clank as they set out to stop the evil Chairman Drek from using his Deplanetizer (and, yes, it sounds like what it is). The franchise became one of Sony's most famous in terms of platforming releases and several different sequels made by original creators at Insomniac Games were created for the PS2 and PS3.

In the series, the duo uses high-tech weaponry to collect bolts, upgrade, buy more, and ultimately stop whatever bad guys stand in their tracks, usually traveling between exotic planets in the galaxies.

Answer: Mass Effect

"Mass Effect" put the player into the role of Commander Shepard, the leader of the SSV Normandy moving through the different planets and uncovering more about the history of the galaxy. The game, made by the "Baldur's Gate" and "Dragon Age" developers at BioWare, became a quick classic filling a rather empty futuristic-RPG void in the market. Sequels followed soon after, branching onto other systems like the PS3 and Wii U, and an expanded universe developed in other media due to the series' lasting popularity.

Answer: Pikmin

Poor Olimar. While making a delivery for Hocotate Express, he ended up crashing on an alien planet populated by what he would later call Pikmin, eerily-charming, eminently-throwable creatures in several colour (collect them all!) each with different traits and abilities.

In the first game, the goal was to rebuild his ship in thirty days before his life support gave out. In the second game, the goal was to return, harvest odd items for resale value, and leave (with the bumbling Louie) once the company's debt was repaid.

The original "Pikmin" was released on the Gamecube (as was the first sequel); "Pikmin 3" was released on the Wii U. Olimar (and Pikmin) later became a character in "Super Smash Bros. Brawl".