Sports games really aren't my thing. My mentality is that the sport is a actual game. I mean, jeez, go outside and play it. Another thing is how they basically release the same sports games every year aside from a few very minor changes. But I always had a soft spot for sports on the classic consoles, especially the NES. My favorite sport is Baseball (playing Baseball, not watching or tracking it), so naturally I started to play baseball games on the NES. Most are decent, some are flat-out putrid, but there is one that is probably my favorite sports game: Bad News Baseball.
BNB released in '90 by Tecmo alongside Ninja Gaiden II. At first glance the game wasn't geared toward an American audience, sporting anime-style graphics and several occasions of surreal humor. But this is a good old-fashioned baseball game with simple, arcade-like design, and nice cinematic touches, taking a page from Ninja Gaiden's cinematics. There are several teams, all based off of American cities (New York, L.A, etc.)
but unfortunately the game isn't licensed by MLB, so the teams and players are fake. But it doesn't seem to detract from anything, so it's a minor quibble. There is also supposedly a option to play girls teams, but I don't know how to access it.
The graphics I can already tell will be a turnoff to some retro players. The players are quite cartoony, with goofy expressions and exaggerated motions. Also I discovered that the umpires are.........bunny rabbits?
Yep. Rabbits. BNB was clearly geared to a younger audience, but I find the graphics and surreal touches to be quite charming. The music is the same way, being nothing worth listening to on a MP3, but enjoyable for what atmosphere it's trying to convey. There's also alot of stuff to do in the game, you can play by yourself , with a friend (best way to play), play a harder "All-Star" mode, play 2-player with the All-Star teams, or just relax and watch a game.
However it does have issues. The main problem is the computer. If you hit the ball into the air, almost every single time the outfielders will catch it. Almost every time. It's as frustrating and cheap as it sounds, but it does add a dash of challenge to the game. But BNB is most enjoyable being played with two players, making quick and intense matches that are based on skill. Another issue is the speed on the outfield: if you miss catching the ball after a hit, the batter will already be at the 3rd base by the time you get the ball to the catchers.
While imperfect, BNB is one of the most enjoyable sports games in the market. It's charming animated graphics, cute music and sound, surreal humorous touches(What the hell is Mr. T doing in there?), and amazing two-player action. It's on the cheap, too. I found a copy for about three bucks at a local game store.
If you want arcade-style baseball with a funny twist, you could do far, far worse than Bad News Baseball.
Bad News? Anything but.
Pros
+ Charming Anime-style graphics
+ Amusing cinematic shots and music themes that convey a good atmosphere.
+ Best two player sports action on the NES.
+ Surreal Humor adds a funny feel to the action.
Cons
- CPU outfielders are quite cheap and unfair.
- Slow action where the outfield is involved.
- Cute appearance may be a turn-off to some.
?: Why is MR.T in the dugout?
Ranking: 8 freaky Mr. T's out of 10
Monday, July 26, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
NINJA Gaiden Shadow (TECMO, 1991, Gameboy)
Ninjas. Ninjas are cool. Ninjas are awesome. Everyone knows this by now, and if you don't, Ninjas probably snuffed you out already. Or you're just lame.
Anyway moving on. The Ninja gaiden series is held in high regard by it's fans, including myself, and it's easy to see why: Intense, fast paced gameplay, energetic and catchy soundtracks, a surprisingly EPIC storyline conveyed with comic-like cutscenes (In fact, Ninja Gaiden was the 1st game to use in-game cutscenes to convey a story.) One thing to note about the series is it's insanely difficult nature. You really need ninja-like reflexes, a sharp mind, and a lot of patience to master these beasts. But with practice, a lot of practice, the games are beatable. Plus aside from NGIII the games offer unlimited continues so there not impossibly tough.
There's one game in the franchise that a lot of fans don't know about. It's a Gameboy game called Ninja Gaiden Shadow, which released in 1991, the same year that Ninja Gaiden III released.
There's some history behind it too. In 1990, a game company called Natsume released another action game very similar to Ninja Gaiden called Shadow of the Ninja. Natsume had plans to port over Shadow of the Ninja to the Gameboy. Sometime during the development, TECMO purchased the rights to the game and reworked it into a Ninja Gaiden game, set to be a prequel to the trilogy of games already released at this point.
The storyline is short, bittersweet, and to the point. In 1985, a "generic evil dictator" named Garuda takes over a skyscraper in New York City and turns it into his HQ. The series hero, Ryu Hayabusa, goes out to stop him.
Unfortunately the usually epic storyline is very downplayed and in fact not even mentioned during the course of the game, only in the intro. This is common in games of this type, but it's a Ninja Gaiden game. Story should be a crucial part of it. A insignificant quibble, yes, but it's worth noting to long-time fans of the series.
The gameplay is a little different than the NES games, since it wasn't supposed to be a Ninja Gaiden game in the first place. You can run forward and backward, jump, swing your sword, etc etc.
But it's slower paced than the NES titles. You have six life units instead of twelve, you have only one Ninpo (Ninja magic) attack: The Art of the Fire Wheel. Spiritual energy which was for being able to perform a ninpo attack, is measured with Japanese symbols instead of a number count.
There are six levels (?) each ending with a boss fight, pretty basic as far as action games go. The difficulty is somewhat easier. It's still quite hard, but it feels softened from the other Ninja Gaiden games. There is usually next to no way to get knocked into a bottomless pit (the most common way to die in a Ninja Gaiden game),
enemies are typically kinda easy to evade for the most part, there is a surprising abundance of life powerups and ninpo charges, and the boss encounters are a little too easy aside from the end boss. Good news for newcomers, I suppose. The music is standard Ninja Gaiden stuff, but there are songs ripped from Shadow of the Ninja, such as the title jingle and the final boss theme. On the same note the villain of this game, Garuda, is also the villain of Shadow of the Ninja, in appearance and in story context, I think.
Ninja Gaiden Shadow really isn't a Ninja Gaiden game. It wasn't supposed to be. So we are left with a relatively mediocre Ninja Gaiden game, but a pretty sweet action game in it's own right (a lot better than Ninja Gaiden III in my opinion). There are no glaring flaws in the game aside from the lack of a coherent story. It's worth checking out for Ninja Gaiden fans for curiosity's sake, but action game fans who want some challenging action gaming on the go will get the real kick out of this one. Be warned, however, obscurity often leads to rarity, meaning this game may be expensive. Emulators are always an option, though..........
7.6 out of 10
Anyway moving on. The Ninja gaiden series is held in high regard by it's fans, including myself, and it's easy to see why: Intense, fast paced gameplay, energetic and catchy soundtracks, a surprisingly EPIC storyline conveyed with comic-like cutscenes (In fact, Ninja Gaiden was the 1st game to use in-game cutscenes to convey a story.) One thing to note about the series is it's insanely difficult nature. You really need ninja-like reflexes, a sharp mind, and a lot of patience to master these beasts. But with practice, a lot of practice, the games are beatable. Plus aside from NGIII the games offer unlimited continues so there not impossibly tough.
There's one game in the franchise that a lot of fans don't know about. It's a Gameboy game called Ninja Gaiden Shadow, which released in 1991, the same year that Ninja Gaiden III released.
There's some history behind it too. In 1990, a game company called Natsume released another action game very similar to Ninja Gaiden called Shadow of the Ninja. Natsume had plans to port over Shadow of the Ninja to the Gameboy. Sometime during the development, TECMO purchased the rights to the game and reworked it into a Ninja Gaiden game, set to be a prequel to the trilogy of games already released at this point.
The storyline is short, bittersweet, and to the point. In 1985, a "generic evil dictator" named Garuda takes over a skyscraper in New York City and turns it into his HQ. The series hero, Ryu Hayabusa, goes out to stop him.
Unfortunately the usually epic storyline is very downplayed and in fact not even mentioned during the course of the game, only in the intro. This is common in games of this type, but it's a Ninja Gaiden game. Story should be a crucial part of it. A insignificant quibble, yes, but it's worth noting to long-time fans of the series.
The gameplay is a little different than the NES games, since it wasn't supposed to be a Ninja Gaiden game in the first place. You can run forward and backward, jump, swing your sword, etc etc.
But it's slower paced than the NES titles. You have six life units instead of twelve, you have only one Ninpo (Ninja magic) attack: The Art of the Fire Wheel. Spiritual energy which was for being able to perform a ninpo attack, is measured with Japanese symbols instead of a number count.
There are six levels (?) each ending with a boss fight, pretty basic as far as action games go. The difficulty is somewhat easier. It's still quite hard, but it feels softened from the other Ninja Gaiden games. There is usually next to no way to get knocked into a bottomless pit (the most common way to die in a Ninja Gaiden game),
enemies are typically kinda easy to evade for the most part, there is a surprising abundance of life powerups and ninpo charges, and the boss encounters are a little too easy aside from the end boss. Good news for newcomers, I suppose. The music is standard Ninja Gaiden stuff, but there are songs ripped from Shadow of the Ninja, such as the title jingle and the final boss theme. On the same note the villain of this game, Garuda, is also the villain of Shadow of the Ninja, in appearance and in story context, I think.
Ninja Gaiden Shadow really isn't a Ninja Gaiden game. It wasn't supposed to be. So we are left with a relatively mediocre Ninja Gaiden game, but a pretty sweet action game in it's own right (a lot better than Ninja Gaiden III in my opinion). There are no glaring flaws in the game aside from the lack of a coherent story. It's worth checking out for Ninja Gaiden fans for curiosity's sake, but action game fans who want some challenging action gaming on the go will get the real kick out of this one. Be warned, however, obscurity often leads to rarity, meaning this game may be expensive. Emulators are always an option, though..........
7.6 out of 10
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii, Nintendo, 2010)
In 2007, a little game called Super Mario Galaxy released to Wii owners and won over gamers of all kinds due to it's amazing graphics, dead-on control, and incredibly innovative gameplay: comfortably familiar and yet so strangely and awesomely different platforming action. In my opinion, it was the best Super Mario title, and the best video game that I have ever played. It was basically like the revolutionary Super Mario 64, but with strange gravity-based gameplay that had a trippy feel to it, and was just as (actually even more so) fun. It was and still is a must-own title that is worth buying a Wii console for.
It's hard to imagine Super Mario Galaxy as being a game that could be topped, even by Nintendo themselves.
About half a year ago, a sequel was announced. This was notable for being the first true sequel to a 3D Super Mario game, not to mention that it would also be the first time that two 3D Super Mario games were on one console, the Wii. Anyway, gamers were defiantly excited to hear about it: It was to have Yoshi, new power-ups, higher difficulty, improved co-star play, the list goes on.
Gamers thought Miyamoto's greatest game was created, and that Nintendo couldn't top The almighty Super Mario Galaxy. And guess what?
That's exactly what Nintendo did.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a special video game. It makes gamers appreciate why we play games in the first place. It makes people see video games as something other than child's toys, instead as works of art. In short, it's exactly what video games should be in the first place. A work of art.
The game's storyline has been streamlined from the original: Bowser has kidnapped Princess Peach for the millionth time, and as usual, Mario sets out to saver her. Kingdom Hearts it ain't, but when do you play Mario for storylines? The core gameplay has been untouched, which isn't a bad thing at all. If it's not broken, why fix it? You play though stages, or "galaxies", to acquire a golden Power Star. Get enough of them and you can advance further into the game. The way you get to the galaxies is different from the first one: Instead of exploring a hubworld like the Comet Observatory, it goes the Super Mario Bros. 3 route and uses a map screen navigated from your personal spaceship, Starship Mario (which, incidentally looks like Mario's head).
The Original's main strength was it's near-perfect level design. And of course the sequel improves this level design ten fold. Every galaxy in this game is a unique and masterfully designed playground. Every stage introduces a new concept, whether massive or small, making the game always seem fresh and intresting.
The challenge has also been stepped up. While the original was a near perfect game, it had a rather tame difficulty level, even with the optional challenges which are usually very hard to complete. This issue has certainly been addressed with the sequel. The main quest which is cleared after getting 70 stars is more difficult than the first one, but still maintains a relatively easy difficulty. However the mostly optional "Comet challenges" will give even the most seasoned platformer master a run for his/her money. Thankfully for beginners there is a feature called the "Cosmic Guide" that is askin to the Super Guide in New Super Mario Bros. Wii.
But if you use the guide, you get a bronze colored star instead of a gold one, showing you took the easy way out. This is another example of Mario Galaxy 2's masterful design: Giving a stiff challenge to veterans while maintaining a easy option for beginning players.
The Cooperative mode in the original has also been improved by letting the 2nd player control a orange Luma, which can grab out-of-reach objects with ease and defeat/stun enemies, while still allowing you to pick up Star Bits and slow down environmental dangers and enemies.
Mario Galaxy 2 also introduces new Power-ups. The biggest new power-up is defiantly Yoshi. Unlike Yoshi in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, he makes a more prominent role in the game. Yoshi's most useful feature is his famous chameleon-like tongue. Yoshi's tongue is a absolute blast to use thanks to the rather innovative implementation of the IR sensor, allowing precise control over devouring of enemies, coins, or whatever might be standing in your way. Yoshi can also use his tongue as a grappling hook and swing from notches that look like flowers. Yoshi can also transform into three different forms using different kinds of fruit. The Dash pepper makes Yoshi move as Sonic-fast speeds and can run up walls and across water. The Blimp fruit causes Yoshi to inflate and float upwards to reach high platforms. And the Bulb Berry makes Yoshi light up and reveal hidden passageways. Mario himself has a few new forms too, he can acquire a Cloud flower and be able to create temporary platforms. He can also get a Rock mushroom and turn into a fast moving boulder to plow over enemies. Mario can also get a drill for traveling through entire planetoids. The Bee suit returns too. All of the powerups are used in unique and innovative ways throughout the stages, again showing Galaxy 2's masterful design.
The graphics are quite similar to the original game, meaning that Galaxy 2 looks like a living piece of art. The graphics are actually comparable to graphics from a Playstation 3 or a Xbox 360. Galaxy 2's simple art style allows it to use smoother textures to make the game seem like a work of art. Basically, Galaxy 2 has the best graphics on the Wii.
The music in nothing short of incredible. The original's soundtrack is no different (listen to Gusty Garden galaxy on YouTube and you'll be amazed) Unlike most Mario games, the music was actually orchestrated, making the music seem epic and majestic. Galaxy 2's soundtrack is better than the first, although the music seems to revolve around one general theme (Sky Station). In my opinion, Galaxy 2 has the best soundtrack of any game I've ever played or heard.
Luigi is also back in the sequel, and he's almost playable right from the start. He's only in certain galaxies, however. If you complete a stage with Luigi, you can try your hand at a Developer Speedrun, a cool feature.
Luigi becomes fully playable if you complete the main game, just like the first game.
There are no glaring flaws in Galaxy 2, however just like the first game, there two minor gripes. The first one is the difficulty of the bosses. In the first Mario Galaxy, bosses were frequent but very, very easy to defeat. The sequel is no exception to this, in fact they are is some cases easier to defeat. The second gripe can be a bit of an annoyance to beginners, there are some cases where you have no choice but to complete some of the Comet challenges, which can be devilishly difficult. This only happens twice in the game, but you can't use the Cosmic guide for these challenges, which can get certain players stuck.
I couldn't possibly give Super Mario Galaxy 2 anything less than a perfect 10 out of 10. It is nearly flawless in every way. The graphics are Top-notch, Wii or otherwise, the music is perfect, the challenge is stiff yet accessible, the new power-ups are masterfully designed, and the best part, the flawless level design and perfect control all make a return and blow the original Mario Galaxy completely out of the water. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is nothing short of a work of art.
Take a bow, Mr. Miyamoto. You've made the closest thing any video game developer has come to pure gaming perfection. In my opinion, this is one of the best video games ever made.
Because for gamers, Casual or Hardcore, it doesn't get much better than this.
*****10 out of 10*****
This is Vicviper, signing off. ;)
It's hard to imagine Super Mario Galaxy as being a game that could be topped, even by Nintendo themselves.
About half a year ago, a sequel was announced. This was notable for being the first true sequel to a 3D Super Mario game, not to mention that it would also be the first time that two 3D Super Mario games were on one console, the Wii. Anyway, gamers were defiantly excited to hear about it: It was to have Yoshi, new power-ups, higher difficulty, improved co-star play, the list goes on.
Gamers thought Miyamoto's greatest game was created, and that Nintendo couldn't top The almighty Super Mario Galaxy. And guess what?
That's exactly what Nintendo did.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a special video game. It makes gamers appreciate why we play games in the first place. It makes people see video games as something other than child's toys, instead as works of art. In short, it's exactly what video games should be in the first place. A work of art.
The game's storyline has been streamlined from the original: Bowser has kidnapped Princess Peach for the millionth time, and as usual, Mario sets out to saver her. Kingdom Hearts it ain't, but when do you play Mario for storylines? The core gameplay has been untouched, which isn't a bad thing at all. If it's not broken, why fix it? You play though stages, or "galaxies", to acquire a golden Power Star. Get enough of them and you can advance further into the game. The way you get to the galaxies is different from the first one: Instead of exploring a hubworld like the Comet Observatory, it goes the Super Mario Bros. 3 route and uses a map screen navigated from your personal spaceship, Starship Mario (which, incidentally looks like Mario's head).
The Original's main strength was it's near-perfect level design. And of course the sequel improves this level design ten fold. Every galaxy in this game is a unique and masterfully designed playground. Every stage introduces a new concept, whether massive or small, making the game always seem fresh and intresting.
The challenge has also been stepped up. While the original was a near perfect game, it had a rather tame difficulty level, even with the optional challenges which are usually very hard to complete. This issue has certainly been addressed with the sequel. The main quest which is cleared after getting 70 stars is more difficult than the first one, but still maintains a relatively easy difficulty. However the mostly optional "Comet challenges" will give even the most seasoned platformer master a run for his/her money. Thankfully for beginners there is a feature called the "Cosmic Guide" that is askin to the Super Guide in New Super Mario Bros. Wii.
But if you use the guide, you get a bronze colored star instead of a gold one, showing you took the easy way out. This is another example of Mario Galaxy 2's masterful design: Giving a stiff challenge to veterans while maintaining a easy option for beginning players.
The Cooperative mode in the original has also been improved by letting the 2nd player control a orange Luma, which can grab out-of-reach objects with ease and defeat/stun enemies, while still allowing you to pick up Star Bits and slow down environmental dangers and enemies.
Mario Galaxy 2 also introduces new Power-ups. The biggest new power-up is defiantly Yoshi. Unlike Yoshi in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, he makes a more prominent role in the game. Yoshi's most useful feature is his famous chameleon-like tongue. Yoshi's tongue is a absolute blast to use thanks to the rather innovative implementation of the IR sensor, allowing precise control over devouring of enemies, coins, or whatever might be standing in your way. Yoshi can also use his tongue as a grappling hook and swing from notches that look like flowers. Yoshi can also transform into three different forms using different kinds of fruit. The Dash pepper makes Yoshi move as Sonic-fast speeds and can run up walls and across water. The Blimp fruit causes Yoshi to inflate and float upwards to reach high platforms. And the Bulb Berry makes Yoshi light up and reveal hidden passageways. Mario himself has a few new forms too, he can acquire a Cloud flower and be able to create temporary platforms. He can also get a Rock mushroom and turn into a fast moving boulder to plow over enemies. Mario can also get a drill for traveling through entire planetoids. The Bee suit returns too. All of the powerups are used in unique and innovative ways throughout the stages, again showing Galaxy 2's masterful design.
The graphics are quite similar to the original game, meaning that Galaxy 2 looks like a living piece of art. The graphics are actually comparable to graphics from a Playstation 3 or a Xbox 360. Galaxy 2's simple art style allows it to use smoother textures to make the game seem like a work of art. Basically, Galaxy 2 has the best graphics on the Wii.
The music in nothing short of incredible. The original's soundtrack is no different (listen to Gusty Garden galaxy on YouTube and you'll be amazed) Unlike most Mario games, the music was actually orchestrated, making the music seem epic and majestic. Galaxy 2's soundtrack is better than the first, although the music seems to revolve around one general theme (Sky Station). In my opinion, Galaxy 2 has the best soundtrack of any game I've ever played or heard.
Luigi is also back in the sequel, and he's almost playable right from the start. He's only in certain galaxies, however. If you complete a stage with Luigi, you can try your hand at a Developer Speedrun, a cool feature.
Luigi becomes fully playable if you complete the main game, just like the first game.
There are no glaring flaws in Galaxy 2, however just like the first game, there two minor gripes. The first one is the difficulty of the bosses. In the first Mario Galaxy, bosses were frequent but very, very easy to defeat. The sequel is no exception to this, in fact they are is some cases easier to defeat. The second gripe can be a bit of an annoyance to beginners, there are some cases where you have no choice but to complete some of the Comet challenges, which can be devilishly difficult. This only happens twice in the game, but you can't use the Cosmic guide for these challenges, which can get certain players stuck.
I couldn't possibly give Super Mario Galaxy 2 anything less than a perfect 10 out of 10. It is nearly flawless in every way. The graphics are Top-notch, Wii or otherwise, the music is perfect, the challenge is stiff yet accessible, the new power-ups are masterfully designed, and the best part, the flawless level design and perfect control all make a return and blow the original Mario Galaxy completely out of the water. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is nothing short of a work of art.
Take a bow, Mr. Miyamoto. You've made the closest thing any video game developer has come to pure gaming perfection. In my opinion, this is one of the best video games ever made.
Because for gamers, Casual or Hardcore, it doesn't get much better than this.
*****10 out of 10*****
This is Vicviper, signing off. ;)
Monday, June 7, 2010
Donkey Kong (1982, Nintendo/Coleco, Colecovision)
Ah, Donkey Kong. My favorite video game character's origin story. I can't help but love this game. It's one of my favorite vintage arcade games, even though I totally suck at it (It's those damn purple springs...) It was a phenomenon when it released to arcades in 1981, spawning toys, apparel, books, breakfast cereal (I am not making this up) and even a TV show. Donkey Kong sits up there with the greats in arcade game history.
As common practice with any successful arcade game to release, Donkey Kong received home console ports.
The biggest one in particular (in 1982 anyway) was released, well actually packed in with the Colecovision console which released in 1982. The system sold six million units, and I'm betting that the decision to pack in Donkey Kong probably did alot to help the sales. But did Donkey Kong for the Colecovision suffer the same fate that Pac-Man for the 2600 did? To answer briefly: Hell no!
This port is nearly everything that fans of the original game could ask for, with graphics that are amazingly close to the arcade game's, all of the same sounds which are remarkably close to the arcade, and of course, all of the great challenging gameplay amazingly intact. For lucky Colecovision owners back in 1982, it didn't get much better than that.
But this is 2010. Does the Colecovision port hold up to the arcade version well today?
Well, yes and no. The gameplay is still remarkably similar to the arcade. The graphics for the time of the port's release were unmatched, but the magical year of 1985 came along and brought us the NES version, whose graphics were near dead-on to the arcade, making the Colecovision port seem weak in comparison. The sound suffers the same fate, while neither the NES or the Colecovision ports have dead-on sound to the arcade, the NES certainly seems closer. This isn't the Coleco port's fault, Nintendo just released a better port as time went on.
The game plays like this: You are Mario, a carpenter (around this time at least) whose lady love has been kidnapped by the big hairy ape, Donkey Kong. And in stereotypical movie hero fashion, you gotta go save her. The game has 4 screens (keep this in mind) that you have to traverse at on time or another. The first screen is the barrel screen. Mario must climb up the girder structure while jumping over barrels rolling towards him. To help even the odds, Mario can grab a rather conveniently placed hammer to temporarily gain the ability to smash them to little tiny pieces. The second screen is the lift screen where you must traverse lifts and jump platforms to reach the top where evil purple springs attempt to flatten Mario. The third screen is the Pie factory screen where you dodge evil fireballs while climbing retracting ladders. The fourth and final screen is the rivet screen, where you remove giant yellow bolts in the girders and make Donkey Kong fall to has doom and finally save your sweetie. After that, the game starts over again at a higher difficulty.
The Colecovision port accurately portrays these scenes, aside from one which has been cut out entirely for seemingly no reason. Thankfully it's the conveyor belt scene, which isn't very well liked anyway, but it's a silly omission nonetheless. Actually, as a matter of fact, the NES version does the exact same thing! I really don't understand why. Maybe because it kinda sucked to begin with? Maybe? Hmm.............
Oh yeah, when you finish the rivet scene in the original, there is a moment with Donkey Kong falling and doing a head-plant. That has been taken out of the Colecovision port due to memory concerns.
Well, what to give this port? I'll give it a 8.5 out of 10, because for the time of it's release, it was unbeatable: America's #1 arcade game almost in it's entirety at home. It was missing the Conveyor screen and the end animation, but it was still very much worth the $199 you had to pay to play it. It wasn't the best game to come out in 1982, no, that would be the 2600 version of Ms. Pac-Man. But it definitely did what gamers dreamed: brought the arcade experience home.
*****8.5 out of 10*****
As common practice with any successful arcade game to release, Donkey Kong received home console ports.
The biggest one in particular (in 1982 anyway) was released, well actually packed in with the Colecovision console which released in 1982. The system sold six million units, and I'm betting that the decision to pack in Donkey Kong probably did alot to help the sales. But did Donkey Kong for the Colecovision suffer the same fate that Pac-Man for the 2600 did? To answer briefly: Hell no!
This port is nearly everything that fans of the original game could ask for, with graphics that are amazingly close to the arcade game's, all of the same sounds which are remarkably close to the arcade, and of course, all of the great challenging gameplay amazingly intact. For lucky Colecovision owners back in 1982, it didn't get much better than that.
But this is 2010. Does the Colecovision port hold up to the arcade version well today?
Well, yes and no. The gameplay is still remarkably similar to the arcade. The graphics for the time of the port's release were unmatched, but the magical year of 1985 came along and brought us the NES version, whose graphics were near dead-on to the arcade, making the Colecovision port seem weak in comparison. The sound suffers the same fate, while neither the NES or the Colecovision ports have dead-on sound to the arcade, the NES certainly seems closer. This isn't the Coleco port's fault, Nintendo just released a better port as time went on.
The game plays like this: You are Mario, a carpenter (around this time at least) whose lady love has been kidnapped by the big hairy ape, Donkey Kong. And in stereotypical movie hero fashion, you gotta go save her. The game has 4 screens (keep this in mind) that you have to traverse at on time or another. The first screen is the barrel screen. Mario must climb up the girder structure while jumping over barrels rolling towards him. To help even the odds, Mario can grab a rather conveniently placed hammer to temporarily gain the ability to smash them to little tiny pieces. The second screen is the lift screen where you must traverse lifts and jump platforms to reach the top where evil purple springs attempt to flatten Mario. The third screen is the Pie factory screen where you dodge evil fireballs while climbing retracting ladders. The fourth and final screen is the rivet screen, where you remove giant yellow bolts in the girders and make Donkey Kong fall to has doom and finally save your sweetie. After that, the game starts over again at a higher difficulty.
The Colecovision port accurately portrays these scenes, aside from one which has been cut out entirely for seemingly no reason. Thankfully it's the conveyor belt scene, which isn't very well liked anyway, but it's a silly omission nonetheless. Actually, as a matter of fact, the NES version does the exact same thing! I really don't understand why. Maybe because it kinda sucked to begin with? Maybe? Hmm.............
Oh yeah, when you finish the rivet scene in the original, there is a moment with Donkey Kong falling and doing a head-plant. That has been taken out of the Colecovision port due to memory concerns.
Well, what to give this port? I'll give it a 8.5 out of 10, because for the time of it's release, it was unbeatable: America's #1 arcade game almost in it's entirety at home. It was missing the Conveyor screen and the end animation, but it was still very much worth the $199 you had to pay to play it. It wasn't the best game to come out in 1982, no, that would be the 2600 version of Ms. Pac-Man. But it definitely did what gamers dreamed: brought the arcade experience home.
*****8.5 out of 10*****
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Namco Museum 50th Anniversary (Namco, 2005, Playstation 2)
Classic collections are a dime a dozen nowadays. Well, now there a little off-put by Virtual Console and Live Arcade. 1n 2005, the Japanese video game company Namco reached it's 50th anniversary. To celebrate the occasion, the released, wait for it........a Classic Collection. Something Namco is no stranger to: There is more than likely a version of their famous classic collection series, Namco Museum, on at least ONE of your consoles.
This one in particular contains most of their well-known ones, like Pac-Man and Galaga, that kinda thing.
The interface for NM:50th is noted on the back of the disc case, "Brand new retro-cool interface-explore a virtual arcade." This sounds promising, but this is borderline false advertising. This "Virtual Arcade" is a total waste. All it is, is the games, in their arcade forms, underneath a horrible looking Namco sign. What a disappointment. Namco could of at least made it like the PS1 Namco museum titles, where you actually moved around a virtual museum filled with cool extras........
On that subject, NM:50th has no extras. This is your 50th anniversary celebration? No history videos or old artwork for the game on the disc? This collection doesn't seem worth it, but I didn't get to the quality of the actual games yet. And how they stand......they are actually almost perfectly emulated, aside from minor sound issues. The controls are spot on for most of the games, except for Pole Position, which is still playable, but the controls aren't nearly as good as the arcade original. It comes with:
Pac-Man
Ms. Pac-Man
Galaga
Galaxian
Dig Dug
Rally-X
Pole Position
Pole Position 2
Xevious
Dragon Spirit
Bosconian
Rolling Thunder
Mappy
and SkyKid, also two unlockable titles: Galaga '88 and Pac-Mania
So as you can probably tell, the game does come with all of the well known titles from Namco's retro library.
But SkyKid and Dragon Spirit? Hmm. Kinda peculiar titles to include in a 50th anniversary collection.
Let's recap. We have a lazy interface with a choppy framerate (on the PS2 edition) and poor graphics, a complete and utter lack or extra content......and yet excellently emulated retro arcade games with spot-on control (aside from Pole Position 1 & 2). So I'm kinda on the fence on this one. If you just want some way to play Pac-Man and Galaga at home, this will do the job. But if you're a retro arcade enthusiast who wants info on Namco's history will be very unhappy with this merely-okay compilation. As a added note there is a authentic 80's soundtrack on the game select menu, but the music's only played on the selection screen, making the soundtrack a complete afterthought and utterly pointless.
PROS:
+ Well-Emulated games with great control
+ The soundtrack on the menu is kinda awesome.........
CONS:
- ............the 5 seconds you get to listen to it.
- Bad interface with a horrible framerate and terrible graphics.
- Absolutely NO extra content.
- Low-quality obscure titles such as SkyKid and Dragon Spirit. The unlockable games aren't very good either.
Overall score: 6 out of 10
This one in particular contains most of their well-known ones, like Pac-Man and Galaga, that kinda thing.
The interface for NM:50th is noted on the back of the disc case, "Brand new retro-cool interface-explore a virtual arcade." This sounds promising, but this is borderline false advertising. This "Virtual Arcade" is a total waste. All it is, is the games, in their arcade forms, underneath a horrible looking Namco sign. What a disappointment. Namco could of at least made it like the PS1 Namco museum titles, where you actually moved around a virtual museum filled with cool extras........
On that subject, NM:50th has no extras. This is your 50th anniversary celebration? No history videos or old artwork for the game on the disc? This collection doesn't seem worth it, but I didn't get to the quality of the actual games yet. And how they stand......they are actually almost perfectly emulated, aside from minor sound issues. The controls are spot on for most of the games, except for Pole Position, which is still playable, but the controls aren't nearly as good as the arcade original. It comes with:
Pac-Man
Ms. Pac-Man
Galaga
Galaxian
Dig Dug
Rally-X
Pole Position
Pole Position 2
Xevious
Dragon Spirit
Bosconian
Rolling Thunder
Mappy
and SkyKid, also two unlockable titles: Galaga '88 and Pac-Mania
So as you can probably tell, the game does come with all of the well known titles from Namco's retro library.
But SkyKid and Dragon Spirit? Hmm. Kinda peculiar titles to include in a 50th anniversary collection.
Let's recap. We have a lazy interface with a choppy framerate (on the PS2 edition) and poor graphics, a complete and utter lack or extra content......and yet excellently emulated retro arcade games with spot-on control (aside from Pole Position 1 & 2). So I'm kinda on the fence on this one. If you just want some way to play Pac-Man and Galaga at home, this will do the job. But if you're a retro arcade enthusiast who wants info on Namco's history will be very unhappy with this merely-okay compilation. As a added note there is a authentic 80's soundtrack on the game select menu, but the music's only played on the selection screen, making the soundtrack a complete afterthought and utterly pointless.
PROS:
+ Well-Emulated games with great control
+ The soundtrack on the menu is kinda awesome.........
CONS:
- ............the 5 seconds you get to listen to it.
- Bad interface with a horrible framerate and terrible graphics.
- Absolutely NO extra content.
- Low-quality obscure titles such as SkyKid and Dragon Spirit. The unlockable games aren't very good either.
Overall score: 6 out of 10
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project (1992, Konami, NES)
TMNT on the NES isn't really the game franchise in it's best form. The first two games aren't really worth playing, and are quite disappointing for fans. But I'm happy to say that the third breaks this trend and gives us the 2nd best brawler on the NES: The Manhattan Project (which I just realized is the name of a nuclear bomb. 0_0)
The plot is that The Turtles are enjoying a nice vacation in the Key Islands, when all of a sudden The Shredder announces that he is kidnapping April O'Neil and taking the whole island of Manhattan by lifting it off of the ground.
The gameplay is vastly improved from the second game. You can now perform combo attacks, and can even impale and throw your enemies; a nice touch. Not only that, Each of the Turtles has their own special attack that's always useful in a pinch, however it can burn through your energy quickly. The 2 player has made a return, and still is pretty slow and it still flickers quite a bit, but it's still fun and makes the game more enjoyable. Another nice touch with the game is the ability to swap out Turtles when you lose a life. It really helps when you need another characters special attack during a tough boss battle.
About that, The Manhattan Project is a pretty tough game. Not as hard as say, the first game, but it can get nasty at times. The enemies have some pretty tricky attacks and the bosses are incredibly aggravating, but with some patience and a bit of skill they are easily conquered. The visuals are nice, colorful and stylish. All of the in-game environments are diverse and unique, and the art direction for the turtles and enemy characters is top-notch.
The music is also amazing. The tunes are upbeat and intense, featuring the TMNT theme throughout the compositions, as expected of course. My personal favorite is the theme that plays during the credits; it's funky and is a nice reward for completing the game.
Other that a few changes and different levels, The Manhattan Project is not much different from the second game. It's much better than TMNT II, but it suffers from the same glitchy cooperative play, and the boss encounters can be unfair from time to time. But as it stands, it's a lot better than the first two, and aside from Double Dragon 2, is the best beat em' up for the NES.
PROS:
+ Pretty Colors.
+ Can swap out players.
+ Fun co-op.
+ Catchy music.
CONS:
- Similar to the 2nd game.
- 2-Player still glitch-ridden.
- Frustrating Boss fights.
Overall: ***8 out of 10***
The plot is that The Turtles are enjoying a nice vacation in the Key Islands, when all of a sudden The Shredder announces that he is kidnapping April O'Neil and taking the whole island of Manhattan by lifting it off of the ground.
The gameplay is vastly improved from the second game. You can now perform combo attacks, and can even impale and throw your enemies; a nice touch. Not only that, Each of the Turtles has their own special attack that's always useful in a pinch, however it can burn through your energy quickly. The 2 player has made a return, and still is pretty slow and it still flickers quite a bit, but it's still fun and makes the game more enjoyable. Another nice touch with the game is the ability to swap out Turtles when you lose a life. It really helps when you need another characters special attack during a tough boss battle.
About that, The Manhattan Project is a pretty tough game. Not as hard as say, the first game, but it can get nasty at times. The enemies have some pretty tricky attacks and the bosses are incredibly aggravating, but with some patience and a bit of skill they are easily conquered. The visuals are nice, colorful and stylish. All of the in-game environments are diverse and unique, and the art direction for the turtles and enemy characters is top-notch.
The music is also amazing. The tunes are upbeat and intense, featuring the TMNT theme throughout the compositions, as expected of course. My personal favorite is the theme that plays during the credits; it's funky and is a nice reward for completing the game.
Other that a few changes and different levels, The Manhattan Project is not much different from the second game. It's much better than TMNT II, but it suffers from the same glitchy cooperative play, and the boss encounters can be unfair from time to time. But as it stands, it's a lot better than the first two, and aside from Double Dragon 2, is the best beat em' up for the NES.
PROS:
+ Pretty Colors.
+ Can swap out players.
+ Fun co-op.
+ Catchy music.
CONS:
- Similar to the 2nd game.
- 2-Player still glitch-ridden.
- Frustrating Boss fights.
Overall: ***8 out of 10***
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game (1990, Ultra, NES)
The first Turtles game for the NES was quite disappointing. It was annoyingly difficult, the licence was almost completely wasted, and the ending was a total bomb. I had high hopes for it's sequel, which is a port of my favorite arcade game, which I haven't really seen outside of Chuck E Cheezes, so having a home version would be nice. But when I played it, I had mixed thoughts. It was better than the first game, but only barely. As a port of the arcade, it was a pretty big letdown.
The plot for the NES version is this; Shredder survived his defeat at the hands of the Turtles, and wants revenge. So, he kidnaps April O'Neil (Again?!?) and Master Splinter, regroups his robotic Foot army, and hires two intergalactic bounty hunters (more on that later). So it's up to the Turtles to rescue their friends and defeat Shredder once and for all (heh).
The game is simple; move right and beat the snot out of all that stand before you. You have two attacks; your basic weapon attack and a special move executed by pressing both buttons at the same time. Your most common enemies are of course Robot Foot soldiers which either take you on with their fists, or a array of other weapons. These guys typically go down with two hits, but that's not always the case. Unlike the original NES game, TMNT II has 2-Player co-op. This is a neat feature in theory, but the flicker and slowdown are so bad that your better off playing by yourself.
The levels you fight through are varied enough. The first stage even takes place inside a burning building! You go through the streets of New York, the sewers of New York, the freeway, and of course, the infamous Technodrome. But included in the NES version (at Nintendo's request, apparently) are two new levels; a frozen Central Park and a Japanese castle. Both have two new bosses; Tora, a mutant, bitch-slapping polar bear, and Shogun, a weird alien with a big spear. Normally I would applaud a arcade port for including new levels and bosses, but I can't with a clear conscience because these new features, quite frankly, are pretty mediocre (aside from the music).
Another big issue is the collision detection. When you hit a enemy, they snap into a animation that reflects that you hit said enemy, right? Well, you cannot hit the enemy again until they snap out of this animation. In layman's terms; you can't perform combos! This makes the combat very uninteresting, and almost breaks the game.
But to the game's credit, it is still pretty fun to thrash hordes of Foot Soldiers, and as glitchy as it is, the co-op is still damn fun! TMNT II looks pretty good, but I noticed something that I found pretty shameful; there are Pizza Hut ads all over the place, hell, the game even comes with a coupon for a Pizza from the restaurant! The Turtles like pizza, I know, but it's still silly!
Unlike the first game, the music is really good. Most of the songs are renditions of the TMNT theme (which is awesome) but they are good remixes. The snow level is probably my favorite.
TMNT II is kind of a mixed bag for me. The 2-Player is slow and bug-ridden, and the inability to do combos make the game pretty much so-so, but the decent graphics and awesome music keep me playing, not to mention that I'm a big fan of the TMNT franchise. So I think TMNT II is a okay game, very good for beat 'em up fans, and for Ninja Turtles fans, but for all casual fans and retro gamers this game will be mediocre for you.
PROS:
+ Pretty visuals.
+ Good tunes.
+ Co-op in a beat 'em up is always a good thing.
CONS:
- Glitchy Co-op in a beat 'em up is always a bad thing.
- You can't do combos!
- Pizza Hut ads are kind of...odd.
OVERALL: 6.5 out of 10
The plot for the NES version is this; Shredder survived his defeat at the hands of the Turtles, and wants revenge. So, he kidnaps April O'Neil (Again?!?) and Master Splinter, regroups his robotic Foot army, and hires two intergalactic bounty hunters (more on that later). So it's up to the Turtles to rescue their friends and defeat Shredder once and for all (heh).
The game is simple; move right and beat the snot out of all that stand before you. You have two attacks; your basic weapon attack and a special move executed by pressing both buttons at the same time. Your most common enemies are of course Robot Foot soldiers which either take you on with their fists, or a array of other weapons. These guys typically go down with two hits, but that's not always the case. Unlike the original NES game, TMNT II has 2-Player co-op. This is a neat feature in theory, but the flicker and slowdown are so bad that your better off playing by yourself.
The levels you fight through are varied enough. The first stage even takes place inside a burning building! You go through the streets of New York, the sewers of New York, the freeway, and of course, the infamous Technodrome. But included in the NES version (at Nintendo's request, apparently) are two new levels; a frozen Central Park and a Japanese castle. Both have two new bosses; Tora, a mutant, bitch-slapping polar bear, and Shogun, a weird alien with a big spear. Normally I would applaud a arcade port for including new levels and bosses, but I can't with a clear conscience because these new features, quite frankly, are pretty mediocre (aside from the music).
Another big issue is the collision detection. When you hit a enemy, they snap into a animation that reflects that you hit said enemy, right? Well, you cannot hit the enemy again until they snap out of this animation. In layman's terms; you can't perform combos! This makes the combat very uninteresting, and almost breaks the game.
But to the game's credit, it is still pretty fun to thrash hordes of Foot Soldiers, and as glitchy as it is, the co-op is still damn fun! TMNT II looks pretty good, but I noticed something that I found pretty shameful; there are Pizza Hut ads all over the place, hell, the game even comes with a coupon for a Pizza from the restaurant! The Turtles like pizza, I know, but it's still silly!
Unlike the first game, the music is really good. Most of the songs are renditions of the TMNT theme (which is awesome) but they are good remixes. The snow level is probably my favorite.
TMNT II is kind of a mixed bag for me. The 2-Player is slow and bug-ridden, and the inability to do combos make the game pretty much so-so, but the decent graphics and awesome music keep me playing, not to mention that I'm a big fan of the TMNT franchise. So I think TMNT II is a okay game, very good for beat 'em up fans, and for Ninja Turtles fans, but for all casual fans and retro gamers this game will be mediocre for you.
PROS:
+ Pretty visuals.
+ Good tunes.
+ Co-op in a beat 'em up is always a good thing.
CONS:
- Glitchy Co-op in a beat 'em up is always a bad thing.
- You can't do combos!
- Pizza Hut ads are kind of...odd.
OVERALL: 6.5 out of 10
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