Latest Haul and Impressions: TurboGrafx-16 Edition
March 19, 2008 by Tim · Leave a Comment
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)
March 16, 2008 by Tim · Leave a Comment
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!
RetroMacro (3/13/08)
March 13, 2008 by Tim · Leave a Comment
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
March 7, 2008 by Tim · Leave a Comment
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 ;))
Polls
Loading ...