Archive for the ‘Review’ Category

Star Wars Arcade

Developer: Sega Interactive/LucasArts

Publisher: SEGA

Published: 1993(Arcades) , 1994 (32X)

Platform: Sega 32X, Arcades

Features: 1-2 Players

Star Wars will always have a special place in my heart, I always get a rush when I see Luke Skywalker flying his X-wing down the trench run on the Death Star. Star Wars Arcade allows you to feel a part of the battle like no other game of it’s time, except perhaps the Super Star Wars Trilogy. Star Wars Arcade was originally released in arcades in 1993, then was ported to home consoles in 1994 as a launch title for the infamous Sega 32X.

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Hi every one, I’m the new guy Impish. As my first appearance at You Tube may have shown, I’m a bit of a Sonic-head, and so, for my first review, I will be covering one of my favorite games, Sonic Adventure. It might not seem all that old, but Sonic Adventure came out in japan in 1998, definitely fitting into our pre-1999 policy.

Sonic Adventure

Platform: Sega Dreamcast (Original Release). Nintendo Game cube & PC (Director’s Cut), Xbox live (Coming Soon)

Released: 1998 (Japan) 1999 (Internationally) on Dreamcast (2003 Director’s cut)

Developer: Sonic Team

Publisher: SEGA, (PC version by Activision under Sega PC)

Features: 6 different single player storylines, dozens of mini-games, A-life Virtual Pet Chao Garden, VMU game Chao Adventure (DX also includes 12 Game Gear Sonic Games)

Sonic Adventure was the first actual 3D Sonic game. It was released as a launch title for Sega’s final Console, the Dreamcast. Sonic Adventure was the best selling dream cast game during the consoles entire history, selling 2.5 million copies. And in my humble opinion was one of, if not the greatest, Sonic titles ever.

The games story focuses around six different playable characters, Sonic the hero, his young sidekick Tails, the gruff and tough Knuckles, Sonic’s wannabe girlfriend Amy Rose and newcomers Big the Cat and E-102 Gamma. These six characters have a wide variety of game play, and give the game a huge amount of replay ability. The game also introduced the English speaking world to Dr Eggman, the name of the villain known to us English speakers as Dr Ivo Robotnik .

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Developed and Manufactured by Nintendo

Released- 1992 in North America/Europe and Japan

The Super Scope is the official first party light gun for the Super Nintendo and was released in 1992 to North America, Europe, and gained a limited release in Japan due to a lack of consumer demand at the time for another expensive and limited use addon (after salt most likely being rubbed into the wounds of Power Glove owners after they purchased that….”so bad” is right…).

This thing is huge.

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Platform: N64, Xbox Live arcade

Released: 2000 (N64), March 17^th 2010 (Xbox Live Arcade)

Developer: Rare (XBLA port by 4J Studios)

Publisher: Rare/Nintendo (XBLA- Microsoft)

Features: 4 Player Split Screen multiplayer, on cart saving, AI bots, hidden features, Dolby Surround Sound

Ok., this does go a bit beyond the cut off date of 1999, but it’s still on a console considered retro by most. Another game that came very late in the life of the N64, and alongside Mario64, Goldeneye, and Zelda:OOT/MM it is one of the must have games if you own one.

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Sonic the Hedgehog (8-Bit version)

Platform: Sega Master System, Game Gear

Developer: Ancient

Features: 1 player, continue

Release Date: 1991

“Bust the video game speed barrier wide open with Sonic the Hedgehog. Blaze by in a blur using the Super Sonic Spin Attack. Plummet down tunnels and spin through space. Bounce around ‘til you’re dizzy in a pinball machine. You’ve never seen anything like it!”

You may ask yourself; “Is it really necessary to review a Sonic game?” We all know it was a good game for its day. We all know what it’s all about and what you have to do, don’t we? Or do we? Sonic the Hedgehog was one of the first ‘blockbuster’ games that was released on multiple platforms. We all know the Mega Drive Sonic pretty well, and if we didn’t, Sega made sure we did with a plethora of game anthologies that included a copy of the game. Read the rest of this entry »

Strife

Developer: Rogue Entertainment

Format: PC (MS-DOS)

Released: May 1996

Features: Game save, voice overs, multiple endings and dialogue options.

This is a game that I had only heard of (let alone played) until recently. One of those games that I see mentioned everywhere as one of a few first person Sci-Fi RPGS (the main one being “System Shock”, by looking glass studios). Needless to say it has blown my mind at what could be done with a good idea and a drive to change what a game engine (that’s normally associated with hell on Mars) can do.

Released in 1996 by Velocity, “Strife” is one of a lowly few first person RPG’s released in the early-mid 90’s, in a genre dominated by the fantasy territories of Ultima Underworld, and the bleak space station of System Shock.

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Action Fighter

Platform: Sega Master System

Release date: 1986

Features: 1player, 2players (alternating)

Developer: Sega

“Get ready to play a starring role in the incredible world of international espionage. You receive five different assignments. All action-packed. And all extremely dangerous. Your secret weapon? A vehicle that transforms into a dozen different deadly devices.

Your high-speed motorcycle can turn into a customized car and then into a sound-barrier-breaking jet plane. All in a matter of seconds. The real test? To know when to use which weapon. Because the wrong machine, at the wrong time, can prove fatal.” Read the rest of this entry »

Hey guy’s, I’m back from having a bit of a summer break and raring to go!

Since it’s moved a year forward I’d figure I’d review something as late in what I would define as “retro”….

Developer- Epic Games

Release- November 1999

Platforms: PC/Linux/Mac and later Dreamcast and PS2

1999 was the year I’d consider one of the last years of “current gen-retro”. By this I means its more than 10 years old, and a huge turning point in the industry as far as how we looked at online gaming.

Until then, multiplayer was just something that came up alongside other games main campaigns, there was no focus to create a multi player only shooter. The only strictly multiplayer shooters were modifications such as Team Fortress or Counter-Strike- however these were just mods to retail games that allowed you to mess with the map editing and code of the games (not to say this wasn’t a bad thing).

Then along came Epic who broke the rules with “Unreal Tournament”.

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Alex Kidd in Shinobi World

Platform: Sega Master System

Features: 1 player

Release date: 1990

“After ten thousand years, the once-banished Dark Ninja returns to make another attempt to take over the Miracle World. Someone’s definitely got to stop him! Guess who dares to meet the challenge? The Kidd, the prince who knows no fear. He’s the only one who can fight back!”

There were two Alex Kidd games I was really interested in during my youth. The first was Miracle World, but as I became over exposed to it, my interest leaned more towards the final game to be released in the series. That is Alex Kidd in Shinobi World. Nearly all my friends preferred this title ahead of all other Alex Kidd games. Why, I could never be sure. Perhaps it was because of its rarity, perhaps it was because they wanted to be the first to own the next Alex Kidd. However, I tend to think the reason for it being so likeable is because this was the first cool Alex Kidd game. You were now a ninja, and you were off on an adventure to do battle with an evil ninja. That just sounds awesome, dude! Read the rest of this entry »

Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle

Platform: Sega Mega Drive / Genesis 

Features: 1 player, continue feature

Release Date: 1989 for Japan and North America, late 1990 for Europe   

“BASH! BIFF! POW! Alex Kidd is punching, kicking and leaping through Paperock Planet, trying to save his Dad! He’s having a tough time, what with scorpions, pufferfish, monkeys, and mummies blocking his way!   

PAPER! SCISSORS! ROCK! Alex gets dragged into a frantic game of Janken.”  

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