The best (Top 10) videogame Cannon Fodder of all time

Videogame Cannon Fodder . . . Goombas need power-ups to fight back!
My friends, we are going to take a moment today to honor a very important part of villainy: cannon fodder. If you are unfamiliar with the term, “Cannon Fodder” are brave souls whose sole purpose is to throw themselves in the way of oncoming bullets.

No evil genius, diabolical tyrant or power-crazed overlord would be complete without an endless supply of minions to throw against every hero or protagonist who dares try to oppose them.

Thus I have devised a list of the best of these endless hoards. I humbly submit to you the Greatest Videogame Cannon Fodder of All Time.

Disgaia Prinny Wallpaper

10. Prinnies

This is a shameless plug from a blatant Nippon Ichi fan. As this isn’t the number one series of all time . . . yet, I’ll explain the Disgaia series and their lovable cannon fodder briefly. Disgaia is set in the Underworld. It is full of all manner of demons and monsters. Amidst all of these powerful and dangerous creatures vying for power, there must be useless peons to do the grunt work. Prinnies are those peons. They look like penguins with fanny packs. They are actually the vessels for human souls who are atoning for the sins from their life. They use knives and bombs and overuse the word “Dood.” They are quirky and lovable and are fun to beat up. Oh, they also explode when you throw them. For more information, be sure to check out my Disgaia: Hour of Darkness review.

Videogame Gangs & Thugs caused problems all throughout the 8 & 16-bit eras. Like in this Final Fight screenshot

9. Gangs/Thugs

Ever since the golden age of Double Dragon and River City Ransom gangs and thugs have been stealing girlfriends and getting in a hero’s way; armed with guns, knives and lead pipes. No one is quite sure why they have been doing this. Have they been hired? Were they bored? Did they just need a hug? We may never know. What we do know is that they will be obtruding the paths of heroes until the end of time.

Koopas & Goombas. And they call us the bad guys artwork

8. Koopas and Goombas

No matter what generation you grew up in, if you grew up playing videogames there is a pretty good chance you spent some quality time killing the Mario classics: Koopas and Goombas. Vicious turtles and shambling mushrooms of death have been a training ground for the untrained thumbs since 1985, with no sign of letting up. They have a warm spot in the hearts of most gamers and definitely deserve a spot on this list.

The Simpsons Everyone All Characters artwork. The cast of Springfield

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Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories Review (PS2)

Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories for PS2Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories was released for the PlayStation 2 in America on August 29th, 2006. The game is the sequel to Nippon Ichi’s most popular and critically acclaimed hit, the original Disgaea: Hour of Darkness.

Plot Synopsis
“Darkness is back. Overlord Zenon has cursed the land, and now, Veldime is transforming into a nasty Netherworld. Memories are sterilized, bodies demonized, the world is falling into chaos. The only one unaffected is a young man, Adell. He stands up to fight the curse, but things never go as planned. The haughty daughter of Zenon, a filthy little frog, lovable demon siblings and a washed-up rock star!? No one can ever predict what goes on in the world of Disgaea. And of course, other Overlords refuse to sit still watching…”

Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories logo

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Phantom Brave Review (PS2)

Phantom Brave for PS2Phantom Brave was released in America on August 31st, 2004 with two editions available. The Phantom Brave – Special Edition came with a free soundtrack CD but a shortened instruction booklet when compared to the normal edition.

Phantom Brave was Nippon Ichi’s fourth release in the U.S. following Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure for PS1 and Disgaea: Hour of Darkness and La Pucelle: Tactics for PS2. Games with which Nippon Ichi had seen significant sales success (particularly with Disagea).

Now without further ado, to the review!

Story

In the year of 913, in a world called Ivoire, lives Marona, a 13 year old orphaned girl with a special ability to communicate with phantoms. Her ability brings resentment from others, but cheerful and optimistic Marona is not bothered. Marona believes in her parents’ teachings that people will one day come to like her as long as she stays compassionate and kind. Now Marona travels throughout Ivoire with her guardian, Ash the Phantom, taking jobs somewhat similar to a bounty hunter.

Phantom Brave logo

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Soul Calibur 4 Review (Xbox 360 and PS3). Does the soul still burn as bright as before?

Soul Calibur 4 wallpaper includes character artwork!

Soul Calbur 4 is the latest installment in the Namco-developed Soul Calibur series which has risen to prominence and popularity over Namco’s OTHER fighting game franchise, Tekken. Soul Calibur earned it’s rightful place due to high marks by both gamers and critics alike thanks to it’s realistic weapons-based fighting that set it apart from the pack.

Pre-order Soulcalibur IV for PS3 (includes Darth Vader)Pre-order Soulcalibur IV for PS3 (includes Yoda)Given that this is the fourth entry, we are now well into an established and popular fighting game franchise. So let’s start off by looking at the meat of this game: the mechanics. Soul Cailbur 4 is on a 3D platform (meaning you have 360 degrees of movement in any direction while fighting) and focuses on weapons combat in a technical way that few fighting games have matched over the years.

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Disgaea: Hour of Darkness PS2 review

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness in-game picture
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness: “Remind the netherworld just who is next in line to the throne. Laharl awakes from a long slumber to discover that he must fight to claim his rightful title as Overlord and bring order back to the netherworld.”

System: PS2, PSP, and soon DS
Genre: Tactical RPG
Released: January 30th 2003 (JPN), August 27th 2003 (USA), May 28th 2004 (EUR)
Players: One Player
Developed by Nippon Ichi Software
Published by Atlus USA
Origin: Japan
Rating: T for Teen with Comic Mischief, Mild Language, Mild Violence

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Classic PS2 review: La Pucelle Tactics

La Pucelle Tactics for PS2La Pucelle Tactics: “When the powers of evil are at their peak, the Maiden of Light shall appear to destroy it. Prier is out to prove that she is destined to become the next Maiden of Light and let all those who stand in her way meet divine justice.”

Editors Note: Today we’d like to introduce you all to VGB’s newest review writer: Glorious Leader. No doubt after reading this review conclusion — and in time his future reviews — you’ll come to agree with us that he’s got the writing chops to inform you about the various RPG classics. Take it away Oh Glorious Leader! …

System: PS2
Genre: Tactical RPG
Released: January 31st 2002 (JPN), May 4th 2004 (USA), April 1st 2005 (EUR), April 15th 2005 (AUS)
Players: One Player
Developed by Nippon Ichi Software
Published by Mastiff
Origin: Japan
Rating: T for Teen with Blood, Crude Humor, Mature Sexual Themes, Mild Violence

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