Nintober 2011

In the corridors of the Haunted Halls, the undead pirate Kremling Kackle awaits all who dare to enter.

As soon as Diddy and Dixie Kong ride their rollercoaster car through the double gates, Kackle appears with his trademark evil cackle and gives chase.

If the duo hit all the Plus Barrels and avoid the Minus Barrels, they they may just make it through alive. But one false move and Kackle will strike, bringing an end to the Kongs' adventures on Crocodile Isle.

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• Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (Super NES)

Collect the Crystal and the Hawkmouth gate will open to the next stage. While grabbing the Crystal may prove a challenge, the Hawkmouth is always your goal.

After fighting your way through the traps of Wart's palace, the penultimate challenge is no more than an empty room with a Crystal and a Hawkmouth gate.

With a flash, the Hawkmouth rips away from the wall and swoops around the room. The unwary player is taken by surprise, losing valuable health before the final challenge.

Only by attacking your once-trustworthy friend can you stop it, opening the way to the final challenge. I hope you didn't lose too much health!

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• Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)

A once-great scientist, Andross's unethical experiments caused a great disaster on Corneria, leading to his exile to the planet Venom on the far side of the Lylat System.

There, Andross went slowly mad, using his genius to build terrible war machines and develop his telekinetic abilities.

Over the years, Andross transformed into a monstrous being of enormous psychic power. He appeared only as a head, at least one hundred feet tall, easily capable of biting down on an Arwing.

With his armada, Andross struck out at the Lylat System. Even the Cornerian Army didn't stand a chance.

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• Star Fox 64 (Nintendo 64)

Like many of the characters in Dream Land, Scarfy is a cute, round creature with bright eyes and a big smile. It floats around in the air without a care in the world.

Unless Kirby tries to eat it.

Then Scarfy undertakes a terrible transformation. Its bright eyes are replaced by a scowling eyeball. Its smile becomes a gaping, fanged maw. In its fury it begins to chase Kirby and, with a final blast of uncontrollable rage, Scarfy explodes, taking out anything nearby.

While the horrors that visit Dream Land are often extraterrestrial in nature, it is always worth remembering: there is at least one nightmare native to Popstar.

Related Games

• Kirby's Dream Land (Game Boy)

A vast and beautiful wind goddess, but also a cruel challenger who does not hesitate to bring an end to Lip's quest.

Despite her beauty, she is a proud, powerful being. She challenges Lip with an ominous laugh. She reveals that she was able to manipulate the great Demon King Thanatos to do her bidding.

However, it has been said she hides a secret that only Lip can discover.

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• Panel de Pon (Super NES)

A bio-engineered parasitic lifeform, discovered on the planet SR388. The Metroids were developed to eradicate the X Virus, but once their purpose was complete, they became an even more deadly plague.

The Metroid attaches itself to the head of its victim, draining it of life energy in an instant. It uses the energy to fly using a mysterious process. As such, live specimins are sought by both energy research laboratories and for military applications as a devastating bio-weapon.

Immune to most forms of weaponry, often the last thing its prey will hear is an ear-piercing shriek as it closes in for the kill…

Related Games

• Metroid series

In ancient times, the sibling gods Doma and Mila disagreed on whether humanity should strive for power or for peace.

Their violent dispute separated the continent of Valencia into the power-hungry Rigel in the north and the peaceful Sofia in the south.

Centuries pass. King Rudolf of Rigel seals Mila away in the Falchion sword, allowing his armies to march south. Resistance groups rise to fight back, led by Celica and Alm.

When the dark priest Judah tries to sacrifice Celica and her army to Doma, Alm must face and destroy the terrible god of power with Mila's divine protection.

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• Fire Emblem Gaiden (NES)

You know you need to unlock the door, but you also know that the key will be in a hidden chamber lined with creepy red and white masks…

Phanto is the guardian of the keys in Sub-Con. As soon as you touch a key, Phanto awakens. No matter where you run, so long as you are holding its key, Phanto will pursue. It can swoop into the sky, pass through walls – nothing is a barrier.

Your only hope is to make a dash for the locked door and pray not to be caught.

But what do you do if its chamber is at the bottom of a sandpit? Or within the narrow corridors of Wart's castle?

Where do you run then?

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• Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)

It shuffles back and forth, scythe in hand, patiently guarding the Underworld. Every once in a while, it shoots a glance over its shoulder, hoping to catch sight of a hapless hero trying to give it the slip.

But if you are caught in its line of sight, the Reaper doesn't just strike. It dances around, crazily waving its arms and legs while a strange tune plays. It also calls its Reapettes as reinforcements to fly in and finish you off.

The reaper is more than just the living embodiment of the afterlife.

It's also totally insane!

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• Kid Icarus (NES)
• Kid Icarus: Of Myths & Monsters (Game Boy)

Hyrule has a dark past, of war and evil. Many have died over the years, and both temples and tombs have been erected as permanent reminders of these times.

Wherever you find acts of evil, of dark magic and of death, you will hear the moans of the ReDead.

Beings animated by dark magic, the ReDead shuffle around, looking for living flesh.

If they see you, their shrill scream will paralyze you as they slowly approach. If they get hold of you, they cling with all their limbs and feast.

However, from time to time, they have been known to enjoy a good dance.

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• The Legend of Zelda series

The people of Dream Land love to sleep and they love to dream. Such a planet was ripe for the picking for the dastardly wizard Nightmare who tried to use the Fountain of Dreams to control Popstar.

He was foiled by King Dedede, who broke the Star Rod, trapping Nightmare, but the heroic Kirby misunderstood Dedede's intent and restored it.

Nightmare rose into the sky and did battle with Kirby, who was armed with the Star Rod. He revealed his true form and unleashed waves of his dark magic at the brave Dreamlander.

As long as there is fear in the heart, Nightmare is always able to return…

Related Games

• Kirby's Adventure (NES)

It began as an experiment. A creature able to defy and manipulate gravity, captured by the Galactic Federation. Its powers were incredible, and they began to experiment, aiming to control and weaponise the creature for their own ends.

The result was a bio-mechanical monstrosity. The creature was encased in mechanical enhancements with mechanical limbs and a gravity cannon. A haunting metal mask was placed over its face.

But it became quickly obvious that the experiment had failed. The creature was unable to be controlled and now it was too powerful.

As they closed it down, the researchers nicknamed their creature "Nightmare".

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• Metroid Fusion (Game Boy Advance)

Gastly is made of mostly poison gas, using it to shroud its victims, suffocating them. Groups of them hide in the eaves of houses in bad weather, as they are unable to hold their form in strong winds.

Haunter lurks in dark places, stalking its victims from the shadows. It can pass through solid matter, and steals away your life with its gaseous tongue.

Gengar hides in its victims' shadows, slowly draining their life and chilling the air as it does so. If your shadow cackles and dances alone, or you feel a nasty chill on a dark night, a hungry Gengar is near.

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• Pokémon series

A terrible witch who lives in the mountains of Japan. She likes to feast on monkeys and captures Ome in order to lure the brave Matsunosuke into a trap.

Matsunosuke heard Ome's call for help using a charm. He evaded the witch's ambush by pretending to be a statur, but the monster wasn't finished.

Posing as a little old lady, the Mountain Witch tricked Matsunosuke into following her into her lair. He managed to rescue Ome and escape, but the Mountain Witch wasn't finished.

Her fearsome claws and fangs gnashing, the Mountain Witch pursued through the forest. As she pounced one final time, she plunged into the rapids and was gone…

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• Heisei: Shin Onigashima (Super NES)

The terrible beings known as Dark Matter has terrorized Popstar for many years. Kirby finally battled his way to the heart of the Hyper Zone and discovered the being that controlled them, Zero. In an epic duel, the brave Kirby defeated Zero and destroyed the Hyper Zone.

But Zero wasn't finished.

When Dark Matter surfaced again, Kirby this time fought his way to the center of the Dark Star. There he found the undead remains of Zero, now known as 0².

The giant terror was near invulnerable, but its weakness to the crystals Kirby had found were used to bring an end to the intergalactic horror.

For now…

Related Games

• Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (Nintendo 64)

Genetically engineered to be the ultimate killing machine, Dr. Andonuts created the Ultimate Chimera from more than two genetic sources, and activated it using an internal battery. The Ultimate Chimera is capable of destroying anything in an instant and featured only one weakness – an 'off' switch on its back.

Along with the other chimeras, the Ultimate Chimera was freed by Salsa and Samba, but it began to hunt Lucas. When cornered, Lucas refused to sacrifice Boney to the beast. The pair were rescued by Salsa, hitting the 'off' switch.

However, after they escaped, the little bird on its head hit the switch. The Ultimate Chimera roamed the halls once again…

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• Mother 3 (Game Boy Advance)

After diving into a birdcage guarded by a Boo in Princess Peach's Garden, Mario was confronted by a giant haunted house.

Mario crept into the house as the cackle of Boos and the shuffling of Scuttle Bugs filled the air, edging forward and testing the doors in his hunt for the 8 Red Coins.

In one room, a grand piano sat. As Mario passed through the room, he spotted a Red Coin hidden behind. He made a move to take it, when suddenly there was a crash.

With a gnashing of teeth, the Mad Piano awoke, hopping around the room, slamming its lid. Mario was helpless against its fearsome bite.

He grabbed the Red Coin and ran…

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• Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64)

The demon Ogura has been locked back in his enchanted jar for the second time, and Pufftop was at peace.

One day, a bolt of lightning shattered the jar. Ogura was free again, and without the jar he would be near impossible to stop.

The cause of the storm was a being of ultimate evil, simply named 'Evil'. He joined forces with Ogura to conquer and devastate Pufftop.

In the final showdown at Old Castle, Starfy saw Evil for the first time. The grinning monstrosity, powered by Ogura's abilities, took the forms of a watery giant and a flying demon before being brought to an abrupt end.

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• Legendary Starfy 3 (Game Boy Advance)

In the depths of the Wind Temple lies a terrible beast, buried beneath the sands, protector of the seal.

The monstrous Molgera, a grotesque giant Lanmola, erupts from the sand with a terrible scream. It buries itself in the sand once again, using its flapping jaws to snatch prey enticed by its colourful tongue.

Link faced the Molgera when trying to awaken Makar as the Sage of Wind. Striking at the tongue with the sword was the only way to bring the whale-sized Horror to an end.

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• The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Gamecube)

The relationship between man and Pokémon is sometimes blurred, no more than the Ghost types Yamask and Cofagrigus.

In a bygone era of the Unova region, Yamash would rise from the entombed dead, carrying the memories of its human life, as well as a mask showing its human face. If Yamask looks at the mask, it will often break down and cry.

Yamask evolves into the ferocious Cofagrigus, a gold-plated ghoul that hides in tombs where it feeds on gold. If a grave-robber approaches it, it eats them alive, mummifying them in the process.

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• Pokémon: Black & White (Nintendo DS)

When Mario took the Excess Express to Poshley Heights, it seemed like an easy journey. When the train stopped off at Riverside Station, a fault with the bridge mechanism prevented progress.

Mario discovered some strange little creatures clogging the mechanism. He chased them away and they continued.

On the next leg, passengers began to disappear. While trying to solve the mystery, Mario was suddenly aware of a strange presence outside the train.

The little creatures, the Smorgs, had joined together to form a horrific beast with 1000 staring eyes. With scared passengers wound in its tentacles, Mario climbed onto the train roof and prepared to battle…

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• Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Gamecube)

Kakariko Village was built on top of vast tombs of the dead. These became home to monstrous creatures that forced the Hylians to seal them away.

At the bottom of Kakariko Village well, the Dead Hand lurks. Its long arms wait for something to approach, then they clasp with extraordinary strength. The Dead Hant emerges from the dirt and remains of the deceased, its hideous maw edging closer as it seeks to devour.

Once captured, it can be difficult to escape its jaws as it chews through your flesh. Even slicing through its arms won't stop it, as new arms spring up moments later.

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• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64)

When Captain Olimar arrived at the Distant Sprint, a strange egg appeared on the horizon. Crossing the lake water, he sent blue Pikmin to crack it open.

What emerged was the Smoky Progg, a mollusk-type creature that emitted a poisonous gas that instantly suffocated every one of Olimar's Pikmin.

As Olimar ran back to the Onion, he realised the Progg was following him, instinctively hunting the Pikmin. Able to pluck them from the ground in order to suffocate them, the Smoky Progg was interested only in destruction.

After the smoke cleared, Olimar's research suggested the Smoky Progg was a mutated Mamuta whose love of flowers was notable.

Related Games

• Pikmin (Gamecube)

Deep in the Ghostly Galaxy, an undead terror awaits any traveller who ventures onto its battlement.

Bouldergeist starts out as a form of ghostly dark matter. Using its power to control rocks it forms a huge stone face to protect its soft epiglottis, and giant stone hands that it uses to attack. The dark gases that surround it birth Bomb Boos that follow Bouldergeist's instructions.

When Mario stumbled into Bouldergeist's lair, he discovered he could use the Bomb Boos to reveal Bouldergeist's vulnerable, almost comical form.

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• Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)

King K. Rool's Frantic Factory puts out dangerous, violent toys unsuitable for anybody, of all ages. When health & safety is of no concern, it takes a very special toy to end up in the reject chute.

When Tiny Kong reached the bowels of the Frantic Factory, she was lifted onto a series of pillars as a jack-in-the-box dropped out of the chute. From it burst the giant Mad Jack, blowing fireballs and firing lasers from its bionic eye.

Tiny was helpless against the creature, until she realised she could trigger electric shocks through the pillars Jack stood on. Bit Jack used his final trick – turning invisible as he attacked the poor Kong…

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• Donkey Kong 64 (Nintendo 64)

The king has been kidnapped by ghosts! Hundreds of brave warriors step up to the plate to take out all the ghosts that plague the kingdom. Using swords and magic, each ghost falls to swarms of knights.

Atop the Mirage Tower, the Armored Fiend, leader of the army of ghosts, fell to the sword. The king was released from his cage. As he prepared to thank all the heroes who sacrificed themselves for him, a giant hand scooped him up.

The foul-smelling, slimy Ultimate Ghost appeared. The demonic form was the most powerful of all the ghosts. As waves and waves of warriors fought against it, it just laughed off their attacks.

Can you truly rescue the king?

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• StreetPass: Mii Plaza (Nintendo 3DS)

When Mario and friends faced the demented Count Bleck and prevented his destruction of all worlds, the forecast of the Dark Prognosticus appeared to have been halted.

Dimentio, one of Count Bleck's minions who had been secretly assisting Mario and friends throughout their adventure, revealed his true ambitions.

Combining the Chaos Heart with his own power and that of Luigi, he conjured a being of pure darkness and chaos: Super Dimentio.

Unless Mario could bring down the titanic puppet, the destruction of all worlds predicted by the Dark Prognosticus would come true after all…

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• Super Paper Mario (Wii)

The planet SR388, formerly a Chozo colony infected by the X Virus. They developed a bio-weapon to fight the virus known as "Metroid", but they lost control.

Many years later, Samus Aran arrived on SR388 with the instruction to destroy all the Metroids. She discovered that over time the parasites grew into complex forms.

As she eradicated each Metroid, her counter counted down. Only 1 remained, deep within the caverns of the planet. As she approached, swarms of newly born Metroids attacked. Where were they coming from?

After dropping into a dank cavern, she found the answer. The horrific queen, able to produce an endless supply of Metroids that could wipe out all life in the universe…

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• Metroid II: Return of Samus (Game Boy)

After Link summoned the Four Giants to catch the falling moon, Link confronted the Skull Kid. However, the ancient demon that possessed Majora's Mask revealed it had used Skull Kid as its puppet to bring chaos and destruction to Termina. Casting the Skull Kid aside, it attacked.

First, the mask grew tentacles, then it transformed into Majora's Incarnation, an insane, erratic and agile beast.

Finally, the mask summoned its powerful, humanoid form known as Majora's Wrath. It used its tentacled hands to attack Link from afar. It put every ounce of its destructive power to try and destroy Link, the boy who had ruined its plans.

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• The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (Nintendo 64)

The X Virus, a deadly life form that infected SR388 and nearly wiped out the settlement there until a cure was developed: the Metroid. After Samus eradicated the Metroids, she returned to SR388 as part of a research team. Without their natural predator, the X Virus had returned. Samus was infected and drifted into a coma.

Samus was saved by a Metroid vaccine, but her bio-mechanical Power Suit, still infected, developed a duplicate Samus known as SA-X. Roaming the research facility, it aimed to eradicate Samus and end a secret Metroid development facility.

Samus finally confronted the duplicate, but the unstable genetic code transformed the Power Suit into a hideous hybrid beast.

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• Metroid Fusion (Game Boy Advance)

As Yoshi and Baby Mario ran through Kamek's gauntlet of spells, they came across a small playroom. There they found Baby Bowser, the future king of the Koopa.

With a screech, Bowser tried to dismount Mario from his "Green Donkey", but Yoshi's Ground Pound made short work of the pint-sized turtle.

Kamek rushed in to his master's aid. Casting a spell on the young Bowser, the castle shook and Yoshi found himself on the ruins of the roof. In the distance, a giant figure cloaked in shadow.

Yoshi flung every egg he could at the approaching titan before the entire castle was trampled. But every time he missed, the gargantuan grew ever more near…

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• Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (Super NES)