Dear Readers,

It's been too long. It's been far too long. It's time for the show that truly brings up the best of the best in all of platforming. This time, it's time to show the Ebony that sits alongside every Ivory. It's time to prove why two heads are better than one. This is… the one show. THE ONLY SHOW. This is…

And today, it's time to celebrate Valentine's Day… in a sense, by discussing the bond two people can have between each other. No, not love you gooey romantic. I'm talking teamwork and friendship. This week, we'll be handling...

PARTNERSHIPS

A dynamic duo, a two-man team, double trouble, whatever you call them. These are the teams that strive towards their goals (usually…) because two heads are better than one, and with the help of a friend, nearly anything is possible. Especially when your friend just so happens to be awesome and can do cool stuff. The key to a partnership is each person carrying their own weight, yet still supporting one another in the harsh times. When the going gets tough, the tough have got to get going. The following four duos (or eight characters) are perfect examples of how two things can easily lead to one whole masterpiece. The paintbrush and the canvas. The pencil and the paper. The knife and the fork. Even the spill and the napkin. The console. And the controller. Let's hit it.

Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright (Kirby's Adventure)

So, remember when Nightmare tried to totally take over Dream Land, thus corrupting King Dedede and sending out a bunch of baddies to be sure Kirby doesn't get that damn star rod? Yeah, so, at the end of the Butter Building world, Kirby has to get another piece of the rod, and he runs into this duo of polar opposites. Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright work together by taking shifts on kicking some pink puffball ass. Mr. Shine throws boomerangs and just rams right into Kirby. He also sends down meteors in the shape of stars to add some aerial. Mr. Bright shoots down some fireballs, and also rams into Kirby. He sends huge waves of fire energy to Kirby. Both of them can be avoided by simple crouches, which is a flaw in their defense, but both of these men truly know how to lay the smack down. And they won't let Kirby escape. One of them is ALWAYS on offense, as they will aim for Kirby if he tries to jet. Shine and Bright definitely have solid teamwork. it also helps they have cool designs which complement each other perfectly. One's got the whole fire aspect going on, with the badass flames. And then the other has the crescent, leaving a nice blue circle of extra coolness.You gotta admit, while that look is kinda expected, it's still awesome to see executed. Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright appear all over the Kirby series, and it's deserving, as they are two of my favorite boss characters in the Kirby franchise.

Banjo and Kazooie (Banjo-Kazooie)

The bear and the bird. This is a combination that most would not consider… safe. Let's just say, a bear would most likely eat a bird. Probably. But in the universe of the critically acclaimed and a-hell-a-awesome N64 game Banjo-Kazooie, these two species can co-exist, and in fact help each other in times of need. For example, Banjo is Kazooie's transportation. Kazooie gets tired every once in a while, and since she can fly and he can't, Banjo kinda needs her. Big time. So, in exchange for some high-flying action, Banjo keeps her in his backpack. As Banjo runs around Clanker's Cavern, Mad Monster Mansion, and Freezeezy Park, Kazooie relaxes safely, covertly… and slightly uncomfortably. So, yes, Banjo has to take her around everywhere, but Banjo has incentive. You see, Kazooie can fly. 'Nuff said. Because Kazooie can fly, Banjo can reach a ton of places with Kazooie he could never imagine reaching himself. Seriously… think about it. What would the adventure in Banjo-Kazooie be without Kazooie? Or Banjo? The mutual work between each teammate helps the relationship go smoothly. I'm sure Kazooie has more than one therapy session over her having to carry a bear TWICE her size in flight. Her back is probably killing her. And Banjo's feet are probably killing him! See! Everybody has an aching body! Everybody wins! Yay! So, clearly, Banjo and Kazooie have a pretty, um… "mutual" partnership.

ToeJam and Earl (ToeJam and Earl)

A three legged red alien who looks like a Twizzler octopus, and a fat orange-yellowish alien who likes hot dogs and Cyclops visors. These are the two main characters of our little story. Let's not forget to mention they both wear gangster clothing and look like 80s teens. If you aren't already interested, then you are way too used to weird things. These hip, groovy brothers accidentally land on our home planet of Earth, and the wreckage is now all over the place. Thus. they must now travel all over our beloved homeland and rebuild their ship. Now, why do I have these two lovable aliens here? Well, these two hip gangstas actually work pretty well together. Comedic duos must have good timing and must work off of each other well. This is specifically in the multiplayer mode, but these guys know how to crack some jokes. They bounce right off of each other and they are definitely a really good team. I could just imagine these two in one of those roommate sitcoms. Something goes terribly wrong, they have to fix it, and along they way they'll learn a few things while cracking a few puns. I mean honestly, why hasn't America adopted a ToeJam and Earl cartoon? All we need is an obnoxious human character that needs to keep the secret that they're aliens, and a bunch of other obnoxious characters to put them in situations for the secret to be possible revealed! Honestly, how could this not work? We have a great game to look on as reference as well. But as much as the game is great, the titular characters are really what makes the game fantastic.

Mega Man and Rush (Mega Man 4)

This faithful robot companion to the blue bomber, Rush, actually first appeared in Mega Man 3, but I chose Mega Man 4 because Rush truly became a jet in this game, which is what his main purpose is. Mega Man games are full of pits, there's no question, and every gamer fears those dreaded pits. This is especially if there's a block appearance pattern to jump through. Oy. But, with Rush, this could be avoided similar to Mega Man 2's second Dr. Light special item. With Rush, you can fly past these for a brief period of time, as Rush's energy will eventually fizzle. In Mega Man 3, while he was awesome, he was a little bit cheep. If you jumped, you could easily keep him going forever. In the fourth installment, Rush is more fair. So, Rush does a lot for Mega Man. He's a big help, but what does Mega Man do for Rush? Well… what does any owner do for any dog? Mega Man gives him purpose. He gives him love, compassion, and the knowledge that someone cares. A dog is a man's best friend, so he needs a man to feel loved and to have someone to help and do things for. A dog without an owner is just aimless. Plus… Dr. Light BUILT Rush for Mega Man. So without Mega Man… what the hell is he anyway? Seriously, Rush needs Mega Man. A robot dog isn't really wanted by too many people, so for him to get an owner the minute he's officially alive is a godsend. As they say, a man's best friend is a dog. So… I guess the Mega-Dog is the Mega Man's best friend. Eh? See what I did-- oh. You did. Wasn't funny? Yup.

And there ya go friends, a faithful return to a series that desperately needed one. I do have some other episodes planned before the big #20, so expect those to come as soon as they can. Also, more movie stuff and the fourth part of the games of the year list are coming soon enough. See ya on the flip side!

- Larry :)