January Virtual Console Wrap-up — N64 in the Hizzouse!
31 January 2010 9:08 pm |
The Top 10 Returns — The Best Action Adventure Games
31 January 2010 3:49 pm |
It's been far too long since I've added one of these lists, but doing it right takes a lot of work, and when you manage to discover worthy candidates you also end up doing a lot of game playing rather than web coding. This list covers a nice range of systems and styles of action-adventure, but in an effort to get away from my TurboGrafx-16 and Genesis bias, I'm going to highlight some fine SNES titles you can look forward to reading more about in the Top 10 Action-Adventure Game List. |
Retro Tunes — Lords of Thunder is Even Better Than You Can Imagine...
19 January 2010 8:56 pm |
...If you enjoy classic metal. Even if you don't, you have to admire this red book audio. These tracks gets you so amped—perfect when you're slamming the fire button as fast as possible yet carefully preparing a special weapon deployment. This soundtrack makes my short list for best 8- or 16-bit score ever. Sure, the CD-ROM formats of the Sega CD and TurboGrafx-16 CD have an unfair advantage compared to the early 8-bit consoles, so you might think I'm biased, but it's amazing how many CD-ROM games failed to properly utilize the medium. I can run down the list of NES titles that trump most CD games— Batman, Blaster Master, Castlevania III, Just Breed, Mega Man 2—but it's so long enough that I become bored before approaching the end. I digress. Trust me, Lords of Thunder (a.k.a. Winds of Thunder) is one of those state of the art titles that retains its brilliance to this day—over 15 years later! Without further ado, I present: The music of Lords of Thunder. |
Retro Tunes — Why TurboGrafx-16 Music Doesn't Suck
9 January 2010 6:05 pm |
For any regular readers, my affinity for the NEC's 16-bit wonder should be well-known. I ripped some excellent music clips for some of my favorite HuCards ages ago, but at long last I've gotten around to writing a proper column to pull it all together. Check it out here. |
Holiday Virtual Console Update — Final Metal Blaster and More
30 December 2009 9:20 pm 9 January 2010 1:50 am |
Why the strikethrough? Well, my new computer that included all sorts or updates had to make a sudden trip to Apple's repair center. I won't bore you with the details. Just trust me that we're back on track now.
The big news of December was easily Sunsoft teaming up with Gaijinworks (founded by Victor Ireland, former President of Working Designs) to return Sunsoft titles to the North American market. Blaster Master for the Wii Virtual Console is a fantastic start. Let's hope this means we'll also receive the likes of Journey to Silius (likely), Mr. Gimmick (would technically be an import for North America), and Batman (unrealistic with licensing issues, I know).
Finally! A Final Fight game worth downloading! Final Fight Tough (a.k.a. Final Fight 3) easily ranked high in the top 10 beat 'em up list, thanks to its melding of Street Fighter II-style special moves and wonderful array of playable characters. Rounding out the truly outstanding new releases is the original Metal Gear. Not the Engrish-laden, clumsy NES port that first introduced Solid Snake to the Western world—the brilliant, complete MSX original! Sadly, since the MSX is only well-known in Japan, it's highly unlikely that this version will ever get a North American or PAL release.
Though the Virtual Console isn't exactly deprived of Street Fighter II titles, the PC-Engine Champion Edition import and the final Street Fighter II released on the SNES are staggering demonstrations of the capabilities of their respective hardware. Not only was a complete version of the legendary fighter could crammed into a hucard and able to run smoothly on the PC-Engine's 8-bit processor, it manages to rival the Genesis and SNES ports. It remains one of the most impressive hardware feats I've seen on any console. Street Fighter Alpha 2 also includes an insane amount of content, made possible by the S-DD1 graphic decompression chip. Some frames of animation had to be cut, and strangely there are load times (decompression!) before matches. Nevertheless, capturing such a massive arcade game so completely on a 16-bit cartridge is an incredible accomplishment.
Rounding out the lineup are two arcade additions. The very first installment of Sega's once-mighty Shinobi franchise is one of those games with eternal appeal. Yeah, you can see its age pretty clearly, yet it's still an absolute blast to play. You've already seen Valkyrie no Densetsu's port hit the Virtual Console in Japan. It's one of those awesome, underrated titles that no one seems to know about. While the PCE port is very good, the arcade original is even better. |
Sega CD Coverage Expanded — When One Page Turns into Two or Three
19 December 2009 3:15 pm |
Ahh, vacation, how wonderful it is, provided you can dodge this monstrous snow storm. Anyway, I've been adding some bells and whistles to the Sega CD page lately. I've added the two titles below: 3x3 Eyes and Shin Megami Tensei. But a much bigger undertaking was creating unique pages for just about every regional release of the top Sega CD games. Try clicking on the flags, and hopefully you'll discover some properly-functioning inter-page linking. |
A Closer Look at Sega CD Box Art — Brilliant Compositions...In Some Regions
8 December 2009 11:15 pm |
Anyone who has checked out this site regularly has probably figured it out already. I'm a Sega CD apologist. In other words, I'm a Sega CD fan. So it took very little effort on my part to come up with a list of great games and compare their artwork across their respective regions. The results were, surprisingly, actually. Read after the break for the details. |
The Console War Never Ends — Top Genesis Games Added, Too
6 December 2009 12:41 am |
Adding 6-Pak and Lost Vikings is pretty straight-forward. The former contains too many great games ( Revenge of Shinobi, Sonic, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage). That's four titles that have already made the Genesis greatest games list — all on one cart! It's already a hell of a deal before you even throw in the last two mediocre titles (Columns and Super Hang On). Lost Vikings made the list for all the same reasons that it's SNES cousin did.
Simply a great puzzle game.
Speaking of puzzle games, Klax is rather old school and plays a lot like Columns, but it has a much slicker appearance and feel, helping to distinguish it from the all-too-typical Tetris wannabe. Next up is Snake Rattle 'N' Roll. Sadly, it's not a sequel to the brilliant NES original. Nevertheless, the Genesis version bears all the quality and challenge that are Rare's hallmarks.
We'll wrap up with a little strategy action, two distinct approaches to the genre, in fact. General Chaos is real-time, flame-throwing and rocket-launching mayhem that supports as many as four players at once. It's also one of the most underrated part games ever made. If turn-based action with more of an RPG feel it what you like, and especially if you're a fan of pirates, then you have to check out New Horizons. It's one of the best strategy games of the era. |
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Giving the SNES A Little Love — New Top Games Added
4 December 2009 9:05 pm |
Thanks to the ability of web forums to—well—inform me, I've recently discovered two solid candidates for the top 10 run 'n gun and shoot 'em up lists. Choujikuu Yousai Macross: Scrambled Valkyrie is a shoot 'em up that was never released outside of Japan, yet it represents an impressive package of excellent graphics and a deep weapons system. Metal Warriors is a run 'n gun developed by—you're never going to believe this—LucasArts! Fo realz, and only in the USA. While the level design is pretty average and the music is unremarkable, the gameplay is insanely good.
Next up are the Viking Games. Who'd have thought that before Warcraft, three goofy vikings were supported biggest franchise for Blizzard (originally known as Silcon & Synapse, when the original Lost Vikings was released). There are a million turn-based and falling-block based puzzle games out there, but he hybrid puzzle-meets-platformer approach of the Vikings games is quite refreshing even 15 years later.
Rounding out the new arrivals are two more titles with top 10 potential, for lists that haven't quite arrived yet. Not only does Ganbare Goemon: Kirakira Douchuu Boku Ga Dancer ni Natta Riyuu have one of the most ludicrously long titles ever, it's a brilliant platformer, full of clever minigames. The sequel to Uncharted Waters, New Horizons, has to be one of the best pirate games ever made, a fine example of the strategy genre from exactly the developer you'd suspect: Koei. |
November Virtual Console Highlights — MSX Resurgent and Neo Geo CD!!!
30 November 2009 9:45 pm |
At long last! Super Mario Kart makes it to American VC shores. About frickin' time! While the single player gameplay may feel a little dated by today's standards, the multiplayer action still holds up quite well. Indeed, some people maintain that this is the best installment in the entire franchise. Indiana Jones represents another excellent platformer/adventure game, yet another reason why LucasArts support of the VC is a boon to Wii owners.
Though Solomon's Key and Street Fighter II have been seen many times before, these two installments have their distinctions. Not surprisingly, the arcade version of Solomon's Key is superior to the already available NES version. On the other hand , Street Fighter II: Champion Edition for the TurboGrafx-16 is an insanely successful demonstration of just how far the TG-16's 8-bit processor could be pushed. While some contend that the "true 16-bit" ports are superior, the differences are pretty minor. Factor in that you can own the TG-16 version for a few hundred Wii points less than its rivals and you have a highly underrated bargain of a port.
I saved the best for last. Not only did Nintendo introduce a whole new console, the Neo Geo CD, but it also relaunched the MSX. Ironclad is a gorgeous shoot 'em up, one of the best for the Neo Geo, period. Rather rare these days, having it easily accessibly and affordable on the VC is fantastic. Turning to the MSX, Konami treats VC fans to two very different and quite excellent titles. Penguin Adventure happens to be the first game that now legendary Hideo Kojima worked on. It represents an excellent and cute—duh!—blend of platformer/adventure action. Finally, Space Manbow is a shoot 'em up. That plus Konami? Need I say more? |
Stuff Looks and Reads Better — Not That You Noticed...
19 November 2009 9:31 pm |
No major updates lately, but I have been jazzing lots of things up behind the scenes. For example, I scrubbed the box art for the Genesis and SNES lists, making sure that everything was in the highest resolution I could find, and replaced some bad rip-offs of eBay sales with quality scans. I also added an introduction to the top 10 fighters list. Other than that, I'm working on various new features, uncluding a Sega CD box art comparison.
For those readers who like obscure video games, I've got a little quiz for you. ShadowWraith? Ring any bells? Well, I recently tracked down the .mod music for this gem of an obscurity, and now I'm listening to it daily. One of these days I might even need to make a foray outside of my niche and take a closer look at this computer game—at least its music. |
Axelay and Ranger X Blast Into Top 10 Lists
16 November 2009 1:07 am |
No matter how hard I try, I'm never totally happy with any of the top 10 lists, probably because there's no such thing as a perfect top 10 list. So every list I upload is basically a fluid entity, and it's time for a little adjustment. I recently put in a proper playtest session with Axelay and—Damn!—that game is good. Vertical and horizontal levels. One of the best weapon systems ever implemented in the genre. Fantastic bosses with original attacks, like the laser web below which consticts your ship's movement. Axelay has been long overdue to make the top 10 shoot 'em up list. Ranger X may look like a shoot 'em up, with the thruster sending your hero into the air below, but it's actually more of a run 'n gun. The combination of short aerial hops, having an independent vehicle that assists you on each level, plus a secondary weapon that you can switch from within your secondary vehicle makes for some of the richest gameplay ever seen in the genre. That it deserves to make the run 'n gun top 10 list is without question. |
Genesis/Mega Drive Box Art — Japan Maintains its Artistic Edge
7 November 2009 5:45 pm |
The debate over whether or not video games can be art continues to rage today. At a minimum, though, we can all agree that what's contained on the front of a video game box is a piece of art. This art may be designed to sell a given game, but it's, nevertheless, subject to all the analysis and criticism that any art piece would be. Consider how one game's box art varies across regions and the debate becomes even more interesting. Hot on the heels of the similar TuroGrafx-16 feature, I present a comparison of Sega Genesis/Mega Drive box art. |
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