Modern “Classics”
Even though I primarily play older games, I dabble in more modern ones on occasion — especially lately with the Wii. I posted a while back about how I got a bit of a “classic game” feel out of playing Killer 7 on the GameCube, and I’m getting a similar feeling from a couple of titles on WiiWare now. If you’re a retro gamer with a Wii, I recommend looking beyond just the Virtual Console selection and explore WiiWare if you haven’t already. While the service is only a few weeks old, there are several games with retro roots. The flagship is a Dr. Mario update and there’s even a new entry in the Star Soldier series, but the two I really want to recommend to retro gamers are a couple of puzzle-platformers: LostWinds and Toki Tori.
LostWinds is a wonderful little side scrolling adventure that uses the Wii remote to blow gusts of wind that help your character make jumps, fight enemies, and so on. There are some interesting puzzles and the whole thing just oozes wonderful atmosphere. Toki Tori is a little more conventional and reminds me a lot of Lost Vikings and similar ilk. You’re a small, flightless bird that has to work its way around a side-scrolling maze to collect eggs. You have powers like bridge building and even short teleportation. Both games actually make interesting use of the second remote, even though they’re both one-player games. A second person can join in LostWinds to play around with blowing gusts of wind and in Toki Tori, they can draw paths on the screen and point things out to make recommendations. It’s very clever, and Toki Tori has been a lot of fun with two people collaborating on the hard puzzles.
Anyway, just a couple quick thoughts, and a recommendation that if you like older games, WiiWare might actually have some newer ones that could appeal to you.
RetroTube: Video Power
Alright, I haven’t posted a RetroTube in a while, and I’ve been sitting on this one for some time now. For the longest time, I had these vague memories of a game show where two kids face off in video game competition and the winner gets to run through a room full of games where they get to grab anything they want and stick it to their velcro suits and helmets. I wanted so badly to run around and pick up all those free NES games like those kids got to do.
But what was it called!? The years had worn away my memories of the show, but finally, with the help of a friend, I managed to remember its name: Video Power! Man, I loved that show… Of course, the venerable YouTube has a clip! I figured I’d share and maybe stir up a little nostalgia for the rest of you. Doesn’t this show look like fun? I feel a little bad for the kid that won the Neo-Geo, though. I bet nobody told him that he’d never be able to afford a single game for it!
(Note: Be sure to turn your volume all the way up if you want to hear it, this clip is really quiet.)
Enjoy this few minutes of hokey nostalgic game show fun. I have something even better in store for next time…
Blaster Master (NES)
(Note: This is an unfinished, Evolving Review. Stay tuned for futher updates as I complete more of the game.)
I’m a big fan of “underdog” games, hidden gems that not everyone has played. Yeah, everyone knows that Mario and Sonic and Zelda are going to be good games, but what about the games that flew under the radar and never became megahits? There are some great ones out there with interesting and unique play mechanics. Enter Blaster Master.
Continue reading Blaster Master (NES)…
Review Philosophy: “Evolving” reviews
I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I’m going to do a slight format change that will hopefully encourage me to post more reviews. I’m not a big fan of writing in the traditional review style where you play a game to completion and write a retrospective/post-mortem to sum up your thoughts and make a recommendation. The main problem is that I don’t have much of an attention span with the games I play. I’m usually playing several at a time and I jump around a lot. Sometimes I’ll even start a game then let it sit for months before going back and playing it further.
So instead of forcing my play-style to change so that I can write more reviews, I’m going to tailor my review-style to my play-style. I’m going to start writing what I’m calling “Evolving” reviews. If I sit down and play through a quarter of a game, I’m going to post my impressions of that first quarter then slowly add to the review over time as I complete more of it. So I’ll post the first part of the review, then if I get back into the game a week, month, or even a year later, I’ll add more thoughts on the additional parts I’ve played.
So, over time, a post will ultimately culminate in a complete review but will allow the reader to follow along as I play the game further. This will even allow me to go back to games and reviews I’ve already completed and add additional thoughts on a second or third playthrough.
Hopefully, this will make the site a little more dynamic and fluid and keep it from going through long periods of stagnation. Stay tuned!
Super cheap Turbo Duo/PC Engine extension cables
Those of you who have played the Turbo line of consoles (TurboGrafx-16, Turbo Duo) or the Japanese equivalent (the PC Engine consoles) are well aware that that the systems are fantastic, except for one little thing… The cords on the controllers are ridiculously short! They’re something like three feet long. That gets irritating, fast. The problem, though, is that official extension cords are somewhat hard to find and a little pricier than they should be. $15 or $20 for a piece of wire? Really?
But after another grueling Turbo Duo session where I was forced to sit on the floor and crane my neck way back to see the TV, I decided enough was enough and there must be an easier way to get an extension cable. After all, the connectors look like pretty basic old PC-style connectors, right? Well, after a little asking around, I found out the Duo and PC Engine controller connectors are actually standard 8-pin mini-DIN adapters — commonly used with old Macs. I hit up trusty old Monoprice (never buy cables anywhere else) and sure enough, these cords are dirt cheap.
Get some 6ft extension cables for your Turbo Duo or PC Engine for $1.53! Or even cheaper if you buy multiples… Never feel tethered to your system again. If you know of a good cheap extension cable for the TurboGrafx, let me know and I’ll add it to this post.
(P.S.: I’m in no way affiliated with Monoprice or anything, I just wanted to point out a good deal.)
The Catch-Up Post: SMS Badass Edition
Well, it’s been a couple of months since I posted, and I mentioned that I’d be instating a moratorium on classic game purchases after the Midwest Gaming Classic. Did I stick to it? In fact, I did! I went the month of April without making any classic gaming purchases. My wallet thanks me! (Though I did have to pick up Mario Kart on the Wii because, I mean, c’mon… It’s Mario Kart. It’s not a classic game, anyway, so I win on a technicality.)
But since I only had a one-month moratorium and I haven’t posted in two months, that means I have about a month’s worth of catching up to do. Let’s start off with the Midwest Gaming Classic. For those that didn’t attend (probably most of you), I really highly recommend this show! I had a ton of fun. I got to see all kinds of cool games and had a chance to play around in the museum with some interesting systems I’d never experienced before (like the FM Towns Marty and Nuon). On top of that, there was a nice lineup of speakers. I had a chance to hear a bunch of cool talks from people like Walter Day of Twin Galaxies/The King of Kong fame, Sushi-X and Trickman Terry of EGM fame, and Ben Heckendorn of “can turn any system into a portable” fame. And, best of all was the vendor area, where I amassed the following:
- Dracula X: Rondo of Blood (PC Engine CD): Probably the crown jewel of the show for me. I picked up the best “traditional” Castlevania game ever, and at a pretty good price. I’d never played it before, but it totally lived up to the hype.
- Rotary Controller (Jaguar): A fantastic hand-made rotary controller for the Jaguar. It breathed all new life into Tempest 2000. I will never use the D-pad again!
- Sega Master System (Hardware) and games: I was always curious about the Master System, so I bit the bullet and finally picked one up. Hooray, new hardware! It’s always exciting to have a new library of games to explore. I started off with Alex Kidd in Miracle World and Alex Kidd: High-Tech World.
- Rad Racer II (NES): Man, I loved Rad Racer on the NES. I had vague memories of playing Rad Racer II once, but always wanted to pick it up and give it a real playthrough. Honestly, it’s kinda disappointing. It didn’t quite live up to the original, but oh well. At least it was cheap.
- The Need for Speed (3DO): There was a small showing of 3DO games at MGC, and this mint copy of The Need for Speed is my first true complete 3DO game. It even has the advertising inserts! I gotta say, those longboxes are total overkill. They’re oddly appealing, though.
- Instruction Manuals (NES): I’ve had a barebones copy of the original Mario Bros. (the arcade game, not SMB) for the NES since I was something like 10 and finally got a manual to go along with it. I also picked one up for R.C. Pro-Am, since I got a cart-only copy of that not too long ago.
Okay, so that covers it for MGC. I will definitely be returning next year. There was so much cool stuff that I wanted… But enough of that, I also made a few other purchases, the biggest of which was:
- Sega Master System Lot (hardware and games): After getting a Master System at MGC, I went home and hit up eBay to expand my collection. I found a nice deal on a big lot of stuff, which included another system, a couple extra controllers, a light gun, a bunch of games, and (most importantly) a pair of the SMS 3D glasses. Games in the lot were After Burner, Black Belt, Choplifter, Enduro Racer, Ghost House, Hang On/Safari Hunt, Maze Hunter 3-D, Sports Pad Football, and Zaxxon 3-D. My favorites of the bunch were probably Maze Hunter 3-D and Ghost House with honorable mentions for Enduro Racer and Zaxxon 3-D. The rest are pretty mediocre, quite frankly. I think the SMS is going to take some digging to get to the truly good stuff.
And, finally, I hit up old reliable, Pre-Played, for a few random additions to the collection:
- Missile Defense 3-D (SMS): This is a neat lightgun game that makes use of the 3D glasses. It’s a pretty cool effect, shooting at 3D missiles that are popping out of the screen at me. Not to mention I look like a badass with both the glasses and phazer in tow! (See the picture above).
- Blaster Master (NES): This game really deserves more praise but never really gained the public awareness to become a favored classic. It’s something of an underdog, which is probably part of why I like it so much! For those not aware, it’s a fantastic shooter where you split your time between side-scrolling and overhead sections. Commandeer a tank in the side-scrolling sections, or hop out at any time to head out on foot. Enter caves to switch to an overhead view. The game has a nice, quirky, light-hearted feel to it, too. I mean, the story involves chasing after your pet frog after it’s grown to humongous size after being exposed to radioactive waste…
- Golgo-13: Top Secret Episode (NES): This is a unique game that mixes all kinds of different play mechanics like side-scrolling action, horizontal shoot-em-up, FPS, and “sniper modes” and wraps them all up in a spy/espionage plot. Very interesting overall, but the controls in the side-scrolling sections suck. Not bad for 99 cents, though!
And, most recently, I grabbed a new NES 72-pin adapter off eBay to resolve the damn blinking problem that every NES ever has. I should have done this years ago, it works beautifully!
Whew, okay, that about does it for now. But as you can see, I’ve added a ton of games to my collection without actually writing any new reviews. I’ve become resigned to the fact that I’ll probably never review all of them at my current pace. So, don’t be surprised to see a slight format change soon that will allow me to get reviews up much faster and more frequently.
Latest Haul and Impressions: TurboGrafx-16 Edition
Boy, I feel like I’ve been spending a lot of money on games lately. But between the 3DO Testing Station last month and this haul this month, that’s not far from the truth. In fact, it is the truth! And to think, I’ll be going to the Midwest Gaming Classic in a couple of weeks, too… Argh, good thing it’s tax refund season!
Anyway, the latest group of stuff contains Space Squash for the Virtual Boy, which I already reviewed, and four titles for the TurboGrafx-16: Air Zonk, Blazing Lazers, Keith Courage in Alpha Zones, and Parasol Stars. Between getting these four games just recently, Buster Bros. not long ago, and all the games I already had, I’m building a nice little Turbo collection. I love this system! Anyway, here are my thoughts so far:
- Space Squash (Virtual Boy): See the review. ($48 new, eBay)
- Air Zonk (TurboGrafx-16): A bright, colorful, cute-em-up in the spirit of Bonk, but in the future. This is a great little shooter that doesn’t take itself too seriously, so it’s hard not to have fun with it. The graphics are some of the best the Turbo has to offer, and the sound ain’t too shabby, either. (~$30, pcenginefx.com member)
- Blazing Lazers (TurboGrafx-16): Another shoot-em-up, but this one is a little more standard than Air Zonk. A little easy for the first half, but the difficulty ramps up later. It’s a vertical scroller and the graphics are solid but not stunning. The sound is good and even includes some (fairly muffled) voice samples. Just a good, solid game in general. (~$10, pcenginefx.com member).
- Keith Courage in Alpha Zones (TurboGrafx-16): This was a pack-in for the original TG16, but since I have a Turbo Duo, I never got to experience it. As far as pack-ins go… Well, NEC could have done better. It’s not a bad game, it’s just no Mario or Sonic, you know? Anyway, it gets trashed on a bit, but I’m having some fun with it. It’s better than I expected. I love the revolver-heads! (~$2.50, pcenginefx.com member)
- Parasol Stars (TurboGrafx-16): aka The Story of Bubble Bobble 3. If you like Bubble Bobble, you’ll like this game! And who doesn’t like Bubble Bobble? The play mechanics are different in that there’s no blowing bubbles — you use a magical parasol (yes, you read that right) to stun and throw enemies. It’s bright, extremely colorful, and ridiculously cheerful and appealing. (~$30, pcenginefx.com member)
The TG16 prices are estimates because I bought them as a lot. I assigned a price that totals what I paid, but divided according to their approximate individual value. All in all, I’d say this is one of my best hauls yet (and it better be, considering how much it all cost). I’m enjoying all of these games! Naturally, stay tuned for the full reviews of each (whenever those may come).
Oh, and one more thing. Given how much I’ve spent on games the last couple months, I’m putting a one month moratorium on new game purchases after MGC. Hey, maybe I’ll actually play all these!
Space Squash (Virtual Boy)
It’s a lot of fun when this happens. I’ve wanted Space Squash for the Virtual Boy for something like 10 years now — since a little after I got the VB. I never really bit the bullet because it’s an import-only game and was always kind of expensive. Then I packed up the system for several years and never really touched it. Well, I got it out a couple weekends ago, dusted it off, and started playing again. Naturally, that made me want to buy more games for the system (such is the plight of the classic game collector). Then, when some fairly reasonably priced new copies of Space Squash showed up on eBay (as they seem to be doing regularly now), I decided it was time. But would it live up to 10 years worth of anticipation? Surprisingly, yes! And maybe more!
Continue reading Space Squash (Virtual Boy)…
RetroMacro (3/13/08)
It seems like I haven’t been posting much more than the games I’ve recently bought, and that can’t be too interesting (though hopefully the impressions are at least a little interesting, albeit short). Since it’s been a good six months, I figured it’s time for another RetroMacro! So here you go… Of course, click the pic for a bigger version and a fairly cryptic hint. And since it’s been a while, or if you’re new to the site, a RetroMacro is a zoomed in/cropped shot of something gaming related. It’s something you might be familiar with, but aren’t used to seeing in this perspective. Think you know what it is? Post your guess to the comments! (Tip: Post your comment as a reply to this post, not to the image.)
Latest Haul and Impressions: Buster Bros. & Battletech
Believe it or not, I’ve been pretty busy with retro gaming lately. I may not be posting much, but I’ve been playing a lot of my Turbo, lurking messageboards, and watching eBay like a hawk. My latest acquisitions are Battletech (Genesis) and Buster Bros. (TurboGrafx-CD). Battletech was a nice find, because someone at work posted to the internal classifieds that they were giving it away for free. Being the collector I am, I immediately put dibs on it! I was bummed to see that he took the poster that was included with the game and hung it up in his office, but hey, free is free. Buster Bros., on the other hand, was an eBay purchase. It’s a fun little game that turned out to be a pretty good deal — it’s in pristine condition. Anyway, here are my thoughts after playing them each a bit:
- Battletech (Genesis): It’s a top-down/isometric shooter reminiscent of the Strike series, but you pilot a mech in the Battletech universe. It’s a well-made game with nice graphics and controls, but wow! It is brutally hard! I still haven’t passed the first level! This one is going to take some serious playtime to dig into. (Free, from a coworker)
- Buster Bros. (TurboGrafx-CD): This is a fun little old-school arcade game. There are a bunch of bouncing spheres invading the Earth, wreaking havoc, and it’s your job to destroy them all. When you shoot a sphere, it splits into two smaller ones until, finally, the smallest ones can be destroyed. You get more points for shooting multiple spheres of the same size in a row, so you’re rewarded for filling the screen with tiny, hard to avoid, bouncing balls — it gets pretty hectic! The soundtrack makes use of the CD format, the graphics are simple but charming, and the gameplay is straightforward but challenging and addictive. ($5.17, eBay)
Anyway, I’m on a real TurboGrafx kick these days. I think I might flesh out my collection a bit… Of course, I should probably get around to writing some reviews before I do. But we’ll see about that! (My source for good screenshots is gone, so I’ve kinda been using that as an excuse not to write any lately ;))
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