If there is
one constant throughout this year that has resonated with me, it is
that time marches on, even for video games. While we will always
be retrogaming focused here, the dawn of a new generation of video
games only weeks away shows the resiliency and continual advancement of
the industry. The success of present-day modern gaming only
reinforces the importance of celebrating and exploring its roots and
that's exactly what we will continue to do here. Let's do so
together!
We close out
the year with everything from jolly treats to ghoulish frights,
beginning with Merman's look back at the Commodore 64 homebrew scene
throughout 2020. Donald Lee shares more ways to keep active at
home during current times, as he dusts off the Nintendo Wii to expand
his workout routine. Action packed street racing roars into
Arcade Obscure with an often overlooked title from a celebrated
developer. Our annual Holiday Gift Guide returns with an
assortment of retrogaming themed gift ideas as chosen by newsletter
staff, past and present. Speaking of newsletter staff, The
Retrogaming Times welcomes new contributor Dan Pettis with his review of
Bucky O'Hare on the NES. FAITH, a retro-inspired horror game, may be the
perfect companion to changing seasons and cooler nights - that is if
you can keep yours. In this issue's cover story, the classic NES
driving game Rad Racer slides into victory lane with a turbocharged
retrospective. Duck Hunt was an important part of Nintendo's
entry into American home gaming, and Todd Friedman looks back at his
experiences with this original pack-in game. All that and
more are ahead in this issue of The Retrogaming Times!
I want
to
again remind our readers if
they
have comments or questions about anything covered in the newsletter, or
there is something they would like featured in a future issue of The
Retrogaming
Times, to contact me directly at trt@classicplastic.net!
Of course article submissions are also always open. If you have
something
ready to go, the address is the same, trt@classicplastic.net. "If
there is something you want to write about, send it in!"
If
you're stir crazy at home and are a retrogamer, there has to be
something on your mind - let us know by submitting an article!
NOTICE: Due to the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic, many shows and events have canceled, postponed, or
modified their dates. For the latest on the events listed below,
please visit their individual websites or contact their relevant
customer support channels as the current situation continues to
unfold. Thank you.
~
~ ~
KansasFest, July 19th - 25th 2021,
Kansas City, Missouri, USA
KansasFest is
an annual convention offering Apple II users and retrocomputing
enthusiasts the opportunity to engage in beginner and technical
sessions, programming contests, exhibition halls, and camaraderie.
KansasFest was originally hosted by Resource Central and has been
brought to you by the KFest committee since 1995. For photos, videos,
and
presentations from past KansasFests, please visit the official
website.
If there is a
show or event you would
like listed here, free of charge, please contact David directly at trt@classicplastic.net.
Please include a short official blurb about your event along with any
relevant
links or contact information and it will be published in the next issue
of The Retrogaming Times. The event listing will remain posted
until
the issue following the event date. Big or small, we want to
promote
your show in our newsletter.
Check out
these great events, shows,
and conventions and let them know you read about them in The
Retrogaming
Times!
More
C64! - 2020 Releases
by Merman
It has been another
fascinating year
packed with new games for the Commodore 64. Here's a look back at some
of the best, and a brief guide to the competitions that took place.
RESET
CRAPTASTIC CODING COMPETITION
RESET magazine ran its
third coding competition, challenging people to cram a game into just
4K of memory. (That is the size limit for the final executable file,
with modern compression techniques helping.) I was part of the judging
panel, with sponsors providing prizes. There were some unusual ideas
among the 38 entries, such as Goerp's 1991 USSR Deep Space Probe
Control Centre Janitor - where a Russian janitor must press the button
at the right time so the fast-moving probe takes photos of a distant
planet. Diagonally-scrolling Avoid and first-person shooter Bring Back
My Bones both used PETSCII graphics in clever ways, while the topical
puzzle game Customs had cruise passengers having their temperature
taken as they left the ship. Other hits include the hilarious Orcapult
from Ant Stiller (fling orcs at a tower to weaken it) and Makealevel by
Monsters Go Boom (platform game AND level designer in just 4K!)
The
compilation
disk menu with all the entries, and Jumpin' Jalopies.
The top three in my eyes
were: Blockheads from Carleton Handley -
superb wall-jumping platform game inspired by Super Meat Boy, with 5
single-player and 5 two-player levels to conquer. Hose It Out by Oziphantom - sliding
tile puzzle game where you just direct water from the tap to put out
all the fires. Clever use of PETSCII graphics and a gradually
increasing difficulty level. Jumpin' Jalopies by Chris
Stanley/Megastyle - jump your way up a multi-storey car park, avoiding
the moving vehicles. Cute and superbly presented.
My
favourites
in the 4K competition, Blockheads and Hose It Out.
Richard Bayliss of The
New Dimension continued his series of SEUCK (Shoot 'Em Up Construction
Kit) competitions, inspiring another nine entries. The top three won
prizes, including extra features added to the "prize" version of each
game (such as a loading screen). Synthia in the Cyber Crypt by
Eleanor Burns was a worthy winner. Using extra code to switch screens,
this is actually more of a platform / arcade adventure game than a
shoot 'em up. Featuring a huge main character and impressive hi-res
graphics, the aim is to collect objects and then use them in the right
place. It proves how flexible Sensible Software's Kit can be, with the
help of some modifications.
The
competition
winner Synthia, and runner-up Spearhead.
Runner up Spearhead was by the master of
SEUCK, Alf Yngve. Huge expanded sprites, parallax scrolling and shadow
effects make this Scramble-inspired game look incredibly impressive for
something created with the Sideways SEUCK editor. And Richard took
third place himself with Guillotine,
a horizontally scrolling space shoot 'em up with power-ups and other
enhancements. Personal favourites included Fish Pond by RoboVox (a platform
game inspired by James Pond 2 - Robocod) and Lagrangian Point 3 - The Earth-Moon Elevator
(due to its clever premise and unusual graphics).
If you want to find out
more about SEUCK, visit: http://www.seuckvault.co.uk MILLIE & MOLLY Below
The Tower / Bitmap Soft and Bobr Games
Veteran C64 programmer
Carleton Handley has returned to the format to program new games, and
he drew inspiration from classic Game Boy title Catrap (and its earlier
incarnation Pitman) for this game. Millie and Molly must run over all
the monsters on a level to destroy them. Rocks can be pushed and fall
via gravity to act as platforms, and ladders used to reach higher
platforms. Early levels see the player controlling Millie, but later in
the game you have to switch between Millie and Molly to complete more
complex puzzles.
The unique idea at the
heart of the game is the Rewind feature. At any time you can reverse
the moves you have made, either just one step or all the way back to
the beginning (as well as resetting the level completely). This is
accompanied by a visual effect designed to look like a VHS recorder
rewinding. Completing the level gives you a password, and there are 100
levels to tackle. And then there's the added bonus of a level editor to
create your own puzzles.
As well as a digital
release, this brilliant puzzle game has had two physical versions. The
tape and disk version from Bitmap Soft have ten exclusive levels
especially designed for it. The cartridge version from Bobr Games (also
available through the Protovision store) is the basic game. Carleton is
now working on an iOS version of the game, and I am helping test it.
Levels
10 and
20 of the brilliant Millie and Molly.
This was the landmark
100th release on the Psytronik label, a spiritual sequel to the earlier
Legend of Atlantis. An inspector specialising in missing person cases
is sent to a small village in the north-east of England, where the
whole population of the village has gone missing. After a detailed
intro sequence relates the plot, the game itself takes place in a
rainstorm (although this effect can be switched off). Searching to find
a key, the inspector enters a building to discover...
With its dark atmosphere
inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, this is a really challenging
game. Luckily the inspector can find extra ammo for his pistol, and
upgrade to stronger weapons. Programmed by Stuart Collier, the game
design and graphics are by the prolific Trevor Storey and the spooky
music by Saul Cross.
The
incredible
animated intro, and aiming the Inspector's pistol at some bats.
Set in the 1960s, when
he loses his young wife to flu a desperate man turns to the occult. He
discovers a ritual that could bring her back to life - if performed on
a mysterious island off the coast of England. The incredible intro
sequence is followed by an "action RPG" (think early Zelda) set over a
huge scrolling map of the island. Helpful objects must be found,
including keys to unlock doors and a compass to show hidden objects.
The scythe lets you cut down grass to find secrets, the shovel digs up
graves, and the sword helps you deal with the aggressive wildlife.
Starting out with five hearts, dead enemies drop hearts to restore your
health - and killing enough enemies increases your number of hearts. As
well as keys to unlock the buildings, there is a crowbar to open
hatches and a hammer to bash down stakes.
Full of secrets and with
a long quest to conquer, finding all the jade stones and placing the
four Elemental Stones to unlock the final ritual is worth persevering
with. Fortunately the game can be saved, and if you run out of energy
you can restart with all the objects discovered so far still in your
possession. An amazing end sequence with a twist awaits. This is
another great game designed and drawn by Trevor Storey, with music by
Saul Cross and Jason Page and programming by Achim Volkers.
Part of
the
amazing intro sequence to Isle of the Cursed Prophet, and the church
with its graveyard holds many secrets.
Lasse Öörni
has been perfecting his run & gun games ever since 1999's Metal
Warrior, with recent titles Hessian and Steel Ranger adding more
Metroid-style features. He has returned to that original Metal Warrior
(the first of four games in the series, also available as an excellent
Quadrilogy pack from Psytronik) and remade it with new features.
The story sees metal
guitarist Ian joining a band and getting drawn into a mystery set in a
near future city. Why are the members of heavy metal bands disappearing
or being killed? And why did he dream about being held in a research
facility? The new features include character portraits as you talk to
people, a mobile phone to keep track of what to do next and an upgrade
menu to enhance Ian's skill. You earn experience by killing or subduing
enemies - more experience given for using non-lethal weapons - and when
you fill the experience bar you earn a Skill Point to spend on one of
five attributes. Later in the game you even get a grapple (similar to
Bionic Commando or Batman) that is fun to use. Disk and cartridge
versions allow you to save progress, continuing from the last
doorway/entrance you used.
This is a great game and
a skilful update. The story is gripping and there is a lot of depth
(with the map covering over 800 screens). Oh, and you can buy alcohol -
but avoid getting too drunk, as it affects the controls!
Buying a
beer
in one of the many bars and clubs, and character portraits appear
during dialogue.
Disclosure: I was one of
three composers who created music for this game.
Carleton Handley has
been working on this title for nearly three years and it finally has a
physical release - on cartridge from RGCD, to be followed by disk and
tape versions from Psytronik. The colourful cover artwork was created
by games industry veteran Ste Pickford, and it's the first release in
RGCD's new deluxe packaging.
So what is Grid Pix? If
you have played Picross on other formats, you will know. These puzzles
are sometimes called nonagrams, and require you to fill in pixels to
create an image. Clues appear as numbers on the top and left sides of
the grid. 5 would mean 5 filled pixels in a row, 3,1 would mean 3
pixels followed by a gap of at least 1 pixel and then another filled
pixel. Grid Pix comes with a great tutorial and starts out with small
5x5 puzzles. With 100 puzzles to solve up to 15x15 in size there is a
long-term challenge here. Although there is a timer, there is no limit;
it's there as a guide. As mentioned, there are tunes from three
different composers to listen to or the option of silence.
But there's more! Both
the cartridge and disk versions will come with the option to load DLC
(downloadable content). This will allow you to load in new sets of
puzzles. The cartridge version can hold six sets of puzzles, keeping
track of your progress as you play. The disk and tape versions use
passwords to track progress. And the physical versions come with a
puzzle pad, blank grids for you to create your own puzzles. Sending
them to RGCD via the email address could see them included in a future
DLC release. Although I am a recent convert to Picross, I loved solving
the puzzles in this nicely presented game.
The
tutorial
shows you how to play Grid Pix, and level 4 is almost complete.
This puzzle game is only
available on cartridge, as it streams data from the cartridge ROM
during gameplay. The graphics by Lobo are gorgeous, and there is some
clever sampled sound (as well as music by Aldo Chiummo). The story sees
a clumsy wizard accidentally fill the kingdom with noisy skulls, so
it's up to his cats Boxy and Moxy to get rid of them. Boxy the blue cat
can destroy skulls, but keeps moving in one direction until he hits an
obstacle. Moxy the pink cat can be moved by the player to act as an
obstacle, but cannot destroy the skulls. The player switches between
the two cats with the fire button, trying to clear all the skulls on a
level in the optimum number of moves.
Completing a level in
the minimum moves shown earns three Stars, one or two extra moves gives
two Stars, and taking three or more extra moves earns one Star. The map
of each section shows how many Stars you have earned on each of its 20
levels. Earning a set number of Stars unlocks the next section -
starting in the Forest, 50 Stars unlocks the Village and 110 Stars
unlocks the Castle. This one will definitely stretch your brain as you
try and earn all the Stars, and it's very cute. The cats are great and
Antonio even sampled a real cat meowing.
Getting
rid of
skulls in the forest, and one of the great presentation screens.
2019's Neutron was a
brilliant vertically scrolling shoot ‘em up based on arcade classic
Starforce, and then there came the Christmas-themed update known as
Santron. Now Neutron's creator Sarah Jane Avory has returned with
another vertically scrolling game, this time based on arcade game
Gemini Wing.
There are seven huge
stages to rid of the mutant infestation, with a giant end-of-level boss
waiting at the end of each stage. Your fighter can earn extra power by
shooting a complete wave of enemies and collecting the P token left
behind. Collect 12 Ps and the shot strength is increased by a level;
die and the shot strength drops one level, but the power gauge stays
where it is. The Z and W targets can be shot for bonus points.
What is so impressive
about this game is more than the graphics and sound. Sprites are very
well drawn and the bosses are made up of multiple sprites moving
fluidly. The backgrounds feature impressive layers of parallax
scrolling, especially the caves of level 4 and the vegetation of level
7. The music and sound effects play simultaneously, which is a clever
trick. But it is the gameplay and design that really shines. Attack
waves move in more than just straight lines, and the difficulty level
(there are a choice of three on the title screen - Easy, Medium and
Hard) is very well balanced. It is a very addictive game you will want
to keep playing and conquer. Currently there are no plans for a
physical release, but the download is generously priced at just US$3.99
plus sales tax.
Catch
the
tokens before they scroll off the bottom of the screen, and avoid the
flames from stage 2's crocodilian boss.
As mentioned in previous
More C64 columns, I have been lucky enough to be involved in testing
new games for the C64. I was helping test The Isle of The Cursed Prophet, and
was gutted when I reached the end of one beta version only to find it
crashed instead of loading the ending!
Another game I helped
test this year was ARCADE DAZE
from ICON64. The design and graphics are by Trevor Storey, the music by
Saul Cross and programming by Stuart Collier. This will actually be a
perk in the Kickstarter campaign for the ZZAP Annual 2021 (which I am
heavily involved in, writing reviews and articles) before going on
general sale. The game sees a kid running around an amusement arcade
filled with machines, picking up coins the owner has dropped so he can
play the games. Getting caught by the owner Kelly will cost one of
three lives, while her patrolling cat will spin you around and make you
vulnerable. Ten coins can be traded for a token at the central booth,
and each play of a machine costs one token.
The 18 machines play out
as mini-games based on six classics with changing graphics - a Lunar
Lander type game (rescue people from the platforms), Pac-Man (collect
the dots), Space Invaders, Centipede, Frogger and a maze-based tank
shooting game. To win the whole game you must complete all 18 machines.
Kiddie Mode makes things easier, awarding 5 coins per coin picked up
and making the machines easier. Master Mode reduces it to 2 coins per
pick up and harder machines. I had a lot of fun testing this, and made
several contributions to fixing/changing the game (such as suggesting a
change to the number of coins earned in Kiddie Mode, and finding bugs
in the mini-games). END
OF THE YEAR
And there are more great
games on the way, including Sarah Jane Avory's Soul Force, huge RPG Vulcano Towers and platform game Looter: Haunted Castle. I haven't
mentioned the incredible Fix-It Felix
Jr by Antonio Savona, or his series of outstanding Atari 2600
conversions in collaboration with Saul Cross and Steve Day. So far this
has included Chopper Command, Frostbite,
Keystone Kapers and Crackpots. Future titles planned include a
conversion of Garry Kitchen's classic Pressure Cooker, and a C64
adaptation of Dan Kitchen's Gold Rush. (This unreleased Atari 2600
title started life as a sequel to Keystone Kapers, but when it was
rediscovered Dan has undertaken to complete it under the new title with
funding via Kickstarter).
The C64 continues to
have a vibrant and evolving game scene, and long may it continue.
Ralph
gets ready to wreck the
building in Fix-It Felix Jr, and Frostbite Bailey tries to build his
igloo.
Note: all the games
mentioned here are PAL
and NTSC compatible. With the exception of Boxy Moxy, the digital
downloads include files compatible with the C64 Mini and THEC64. Buying
the physical games from the suppliers shown will also include a free
digital download.
Welcome to
this edition of Don's Desk. It is October 10th, 2020 as I write
this article. Things are still rather crazy in the country but I
hope everyone is staying safe and well. For this issue, I am
focusing on EA Sports Active Personal Trainer for the Nintendo
Wii. I've mentioned the Nintendo Wii a bit before but have never
really discussed any games for the system. Let's talk a bit
about my history with the Wii and why I never really played a lot of
games for the Wii.
Back in the
summer of 2008, I was playing in a summer basketball league. The
league has over 70+ teams spanning men, women and kids teams.
With so many teams, the league held a kickoff dinner before the first
week of the season. It was a chance for the participants of the
league to catch up and also meet new players and teams in the
league. As part of the summer 2008 season, the league had a
raffle. I can't remember what other prizes were available
(probably sports oriented) but the main prize was a Nintendo Wii.
So it was a surprise to me when my ticket number was called. To
this day, I still have the picture of me with the Nintendo Wii at the
league kickoff dinner.
To be honest,
I wasn't sure what I was going to do with the Wii as I had a
PlayStation 2 already but one big use case popped up. It would be
an interesting way to get my mom some light exercise. I can't
remember exactly when my mom retired from work but at some point,
doctors had told her it would be good to get some exercise
regularly. My mom wasn't always motivated to do exercise but I
did manage to get her to play the Wii (via Wii Sports - bowling and
golf) for a little bit. She actually could play it a little bit
as it wasn't too complicated.
Since Wii
Sports worked, I thought maybe I could get my mom to do more exercise
and maybe do some myself. So EA Sports Active had been introduced
and I picked it up. Alas, it was probably a little too
complicated for my mom. I tried it myself but I was a little too
young and impatient to learn the nuances. So EA Sports Active and
the Wii ended up getting mothballed. Since I had a PlayStation 2
and a computer, I spent most of my time playing games on those machines
instead.
Fast forward
to late 2019. My mom had passed away in April of 2019. My
dad had decided to remodel his house and needed some stuff to be
cleared out of the house. If it wasn't anything I wanted to keep,
it was going to get dumped. As I was slowly bringing some things
over to my house, it occurred to me that the Nintendo Wii was still
around. Even though it had been years I had played with the Wii,
I realized I missed Wii Sports. So I packed the Nintendo Wii, the
controllers and some of the discs I had and moved it over to my
house. The Wii was plugged into my TV and put next to my Xbox One
and Nintendo Switch. Despite not being used for a long time, the
Wii and Wii Sports still worked great, which made me happy.
I would play
Wii Sports every now and then when I had time. Then as we all
know, the COVID-19 virus hit and we were all now stuck at home.
As I mentioned in a previous article, I discussed some video game
exercise plans I had, some of which involved the Wii. The Wii
portion involved playing Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort.
At some point
a couple of months ago, I found the box for EA Sports Active.
However, the disc was not in the box. I looked around but could
never find the disc. I thought perhaps I had misplaced the disc
and it was lost permanently. Then one day, I was looking at the
other Wii discs I had and guess what I found? Apparently, I had
put the EA Sports Active disc with Wii Sports. So I was back in
business.
I didn't know
much about EA Sports Active so I dove in and tried a few things.
One issue I discovered is that I didn't have the Wii leg strap.
Due to that, I thought I couldn't do some of the exercises. I
tried a few things but again like I did previously, I didn't want to
spend much time learning about the program and put it aside.
However, my curiosity got to me so I ended up ordering the leg strap
and resistance bands from eBay so I could really try EA Sports
Active. The funny part? The strap (at least for what I'm
doing now) isn't needed. You could place the nunchuck portion of
the controller in your pants / shorts pocket and it works ok!
After spending
some time working with EA Sports Active, I've developed a couple of my
own custom workouts. I cycle through a boxing exercise, baseball
exercise, dance exercise, tennis exercise and repeat for about three
rounds and end with some "running / leg" exercises. In total, I
do about 25 minutes of exercise. These custom workouts are hardly
intense but light exercise is better than no exercise at all.
This is the stuff I really like. What don't I like about EA Sport
Active? The leg strap isn't great and the Wii doesn't always
recognize what you're doing. The Nintendo Switch leg strap and
motion recognition is a lot better. Some of the sports exercises
like basketball is very clunky. As someone who plays real
basketball, the exercises aren't too exciting or fun. Volleyball
is meh to me so I've stuck to the custom programs I've created.
Despite some
of the negatives, my Nintendo Wii has a new lease on life and I'll be
using for a long while to come. Listen, these exercises aren't
going to get me into great shape. But when combined with my other
options (Nintendo Switch: Ring Fit Adventure, Fitness Boxing, Jump Rope
Challenge and a couple of exercise machines), it's a nice change of
pace.
In retrospect,
the Nintendo Wii was a bit ahead of its time. The Nintendo Switch
is a nice evolution of the Wii concept though it would be nice if there
were more motion games / programs on the Switch. So if anyone
still has a Wii, EA Sports Active can be had relatively cheap on Amazon
or eBay and is worth a look.
Video
games based around illegal street racing in one form or another
have been around since the earliest days of driving games.
However in the early 1990's one game came along that was about gaining
street superiority by any means necessary. Lethal Crash Race is a
high speed, vertically scrolling driving game, with the goal to beat a
series of rivals in one-on-one street races spanning the globe. There are ten cars
to choose from, each with a different driver hailing from a different
country. The cars are all based on real world manufacturers and
models but with their names skewed to avoid directly infringing upon
them - so you'll be driving cars from the likes of "Honta," "Pherari,"
"Lamborjini" and others. Beat all ten drivers, including a mirror
battle against yourself in palette swap fighting game style, to
complete the game. Each race takes place in a different
international destination. Depending on the driver selected,
the order in which rivals are faced and the regions in which they are
encountered changes a bit. This means that although a full
playthrough will always be made up of ten races across ten stages,
using a different character may send you to previously unseen alternate
locations as you work through the rival list. This adds some
replay value, as the mixed variety of race venues creates an incentive
to use different characters in subsequent playthroughs.
Additionally each character has their own short ending story, once
again similar to a fighting game, with many of them ending on a zany
and comedic note.
Each
car has
slight variations in steering responsiveness, acceleration, and
speed.
They also vary in what can best be described as weight, as in how they
respond to collisions with other cars. Steering is controlled via
left or right on the joystick, with one button to accelerate and
another to brake. Slides and skids can be performed with a
combination of the buttons, although the vast majority of the game will
be played with the throttle wide open. Races begin with a bit of
banter between drivers as they pull up to the starting line. If
there's one thing I've always remembered Lethal Crash Race for it's
the girls who signal the start of each race, as they're thinly veiled reworks of the
main cast from the Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon anime. After the
call to start is given, a point-to-point heads up race begins.
Either beat your rival to the finish or destroy their car by smashing
it into the terrain, hence the "lethal crash" in the title of the
game. If your rival's car is destroyed the race ends instantly
with you as the victor but destruction of your own car or being beat to
the finish leads to a game over.
Chasing
your rival up a stairway (left), Makoto Kino starts a race in an
unlicensed cameo (center), racing through a Japanese festival (right)
Races take
about a minute to complete and while there are turns and
narrow sections to contend with, they are usually short with the
emphasis on speed. Similar to other vertically scrolling driving
games, such as F1 Circus and Video System's own F-1 Grand Prix,
upcoming turn direction and severity indicators will appear to warn
players of deviation in the straight ahead path. While success in
most races can be improvised by relying on the turn indicators, some
courses have obstacles, narrow sections, jumps, and obstructions that
really rely on memorization and repeat play. Obviously these
sections were put in to munch up a few more credits but they're not
overly frustrating and I didn't find them to sour the fast reflex
driving experience. However what I did dislike are long sections
of curved road where the entire perspective of the road surface
rotates. For some reason these areas affect top speed although
there's no representation as to why you are slowing down. These
areas are always vast, wide, multi lane stretches so the speed scrub
doesn't make any sense. Unfortunately there aren't any shortcuts
or alternate routes to discover in the densely packed courses, which is
a shame as they are beautifully illustrated and cry out to be
explored. Anything goes in these races and you'll often
be screaming through traffic, jumping up stairways, screeching around
back alleys, and plowing through goods and furniture. Hitting some
objects will release money that can be picked up for bonus points at
the end of a race but generally this only serves as a driving
distraction. Collisions with roadside objects and other cars will
decrease the vitality meter, displayed in the upper corner of the
screen. The meter can be replenished by driving over a strange
green wrench icon that apparently has arms and legs and dances
around. Generally these pass by in a blur, as do most objects in
the game, but they're often located in the center of the road and tend
to show up exactly when needed.
It's those
little flourishes of strangeness that give Lethal Crash Race
much of its
personality, as well as solidifying its importance in the lineage of
games that lead to a very popular shooter series. In 1991, Video
System released Turbo Force, a vertical shooter featuring flying
sportscars. This was followed by Aero Fighters / Sonic Wings in
1992, a more conventional shooter built upon refinement of the gameplay
mechanics of Turbo Force. In addition to being a very tightly
designed and well-playing game, what made Aero Fighters stand out from
other shooters of the time was its cast of eight unique pilots, each
with their own visual design and personality. Video System
followed up Aero Fighters with the release of Lethal Crash Race in 1993
and although it was a change in genres, it very much continued a house style Video System
was establishing - crazy characters, super detailed graphics, and
over-the-top action occurring in otherwise mundane environments.
This creativity would explode a year later with Aero Fighters 2 / Sonic
Wings 2, a game that would not only transition the series to the Neo
Geo platform, but establish itself as the signature shooter franchise
on the hardware. In fact Ellen and Cincia from the Aero Fighters
series are first introduced in Lethal Crash Race, where they drive as
the New Zealand team. Additionally
Emma (who drives the Lotas Super 77) also appears in an Aero Fighters 2
ending sequence, still working as a mechanic and servicing Mecha-Keaton
if the game is completed with him and the team of Cincia and Ellen.
The
unlicensed cameos continue with Minako Aino (left), the narrow
passageways of a busy port (center), nicely detailed environments
(right)
More than
anything, the audio package
makes Lethal Crash Race feel
right at home in the company of Aero Fighters. The music is
outstanding and perfectly rides the line between orchestral and
electronic. Sound effects aren't anything spectacular but they're
serviceable and are fine for this type of game. While a two
player option is included, I find it not much fun to play as it
requires both players to remain in close proximity to one another on a
single screen. Falling behind far enough to reach the bottom of
the screen will trigger the same response as a large collision, with
the game advancing the trailing player to catch up. Anyone who
has played a scrolling driving game where all players have to stay on
the same screen knows it doesn't remain entertaining for long and I
can't recommend the two player mode here.
I suppose the
question at the end of the
day is if Lethal Crash Race is
a hidden gem or not. It's certainly an obscure arcade game from
the team that would go on to make and inspire spectacular games in the
future, and it certainly is representative of the creativity that those
later games would showcase. With that said, I can't recommend
this one for everybody. There's a solid game here to appreciate
and enjoy but the core gameplay is very simple, as the individual races
boil down to getting out in front and not hitting any large
objects. I suppose that could be said for any racing game but
with races this short the experience isn't as fulfilling as many other
similar games. Lethal Crash Race really does feel like a driving
version of Aero Fighters and if that sounds appealing to you
then you'll probably have some fun here. For others the simple concept
and unbalanced challenge that hinders some of the courses may do just
the opposite. Regardless of opinion, it's still an interesting
part of the history of Video System and a "deep cut" in the Aero
Fighters
series.
Continuing
as an annual tradition first established last year, The
Retrogaming Times Holiday Gift Guide features gift recommendations and
ideas from newsletter staff. Holiday gift guide
features
were always my favorite seasonal inclusion in video game magazines and
on game review shows, as they provided a little more insight into the personalities
behind the productions. Once again the call to select a holiday
gift
recommendation went out to anyone who had previously
contributed to any "Retrogaming Times" newsletter in its over twenty
year history. This special column
is published every November, so
if you missed out this time and are Retrogaming Times alumni, let
me know and expect an e-mail next year for your 2021 holiday
pick! Please enjoy our newsletter's annual showcase of special
gifts for the retrogamers on your list.
~ ~ ~
Merman:
On June the 15th 2019 my wife Alison
and I attended an amazing orchestral concert here in England. The 8-Bit
Symphony saw the Hull Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Robin Tait)
playing arrangements of Commodore 64 tunes. This had long been the
ambition of C64 Audio founder Chris Abbott. However there was no
recording of the concert allowed due to copyright restrictions.
So, a new Kickstarter called 8-Bit
Symphony Pro funded recording sessions with the Czech Symphony
Orchestra in Prague. Robin Tait was there to conduct again. Legendary
C64 composer Rob Hubbard was responsible for several of the
arrangements, and Amiga legend Allister Brimble helped with the
mastering. All of the tracks from the original concert were freshly
recorded for the CDs, but arranged in a new running order. These
incredible arrangements are now available for purchase as a physical
2-CD set or digital download (FLAC/MP3).
I have just the perfect Christmas
gift for a retrogaming fan, the Anbernic
RG350M! This is a pocket gaming device running on Open
Dingux Linux with a 640x480 IPS display. It includes built in
emulators for many
classic home and arcade game systems from the 1980's and 1990's.
Dual analogue sticks, a directional pad, ABXY face buttons along with
shoulder buttons allow you to relive your childhood memories with
accurate controls in a compact package.
The stock handheld comes with a few
public domain games included but
more can be added via a micro SD card. Although it features a
powerful 4770 dual 1.0 GHz
CPU with 512MB RAM and 16GB internal storage, it's small enough to fit
in a pocket so you can take it anywhere. The "M" in the name
denotes an all metal
case, with a plastic bodied version sold under the model number RG350P,
but both handhelds are the same otherwise.
In the era when graphics in an arcade
game
were made up of small pixel grids laid out adjacent to one another,
on-screen text would have to be created in the same way. This
meant that in addition to a game's sprite assets and backgrounds, a
pixel typeface would have to be designed to work within the hardware's
limitations of resolution and color, as well as precious memory.
Doing such with visual flair and outrageous imagination gave us the
pixel typefaces that have become synonymous with many retrogaming
experiences. Arcade Game
Typography: The Art of Pixel
Type details this often overlooked subject that was massively
important to the advancement of video games as a visual medium.
Documenting the full pixel typefaces of many arcade games from the
1970's to
the 1990's, author Toshi Omigari presents a showcase of practical
beauty
that grew from a utilitarian task, that of displaying information for
the player.
The book is beautifully
printed with a quality finish and feel that is more akin to a high
grade academic text, although its clean layout and clearly explained
information makes it approachable for any casual reader. In
addition to the highly detailed text examples contained within, equal
care is given to full screen shots of many games, showing how each
typeface integrates into a game's visual style. Rarely does it
seem to be thought
of but each character of a video game typeface is a tiny illustration,
drawn within confines of as little as 7x7 pixels. Each character
of a game's typeface shares the same design limitations of any other
graphic in a game, making them one in the same. This means text
and graphics in many arcade games are interchangeably cut from the same
digital cloth, born from
the same visual artistry, and should be equally celebrated and
appreciated. I also find it very interesting to see how a
typeface evolves over the years, with many being conscripted between
different developers only to further be modified and enhanced
again.
The subject may seem a little
strange
but anyone who admires the artistry and details found in arcade video
games would more than likely enjoy this book. It's also nice to
see a publication about a retrogaming topic that hasn't been previously
covered in such depth.
Recently, I
saw an announcement posted on a Facebook group named "Apple
II Enthusiasts" from one Ken Williams: "...my wife Roberta and I
founded and ran for nearly 20 years a consumer software company called,
Sierra On-Line. We were one of the first software publishers for the
Apple II. I'm a software engineer and coded some of the early games
personally. Some of our better known titles were King's Quest,
Leisure-Suit Larry, Half-Life and many more. Anyway, to make a
long story short: Roberta and I had big plans for this summer, but the
virus kept us locked down. I was bored and Roberta said, "Write a
book." I've thought about it for over 25 years and finally had the time
to sit still and write."
So for the
2020 holiday shopping season, I recommend purchasing Ken's
book, Not All Fairy Tales Have Happy Endings, about Sierra
On-Line. Even though Sierra On-Line was around when I was young,
my first Sierra On-Line game was technically King's Quest. Alas,
my
King's Quest experience was not great due to human inexperience. I knew
King's Quest required 128K of RAM and had double high resolution
graphics. However, when my mom got the game for me, the graphics
didn't come up properly so we ended up returning the game. What I
didn't realize was that my memory card needed to have a jumper to
enable double high resolution graphics. So while King's Quest
didn't go well, I later got Space Quest and finished the game.
Maybe I'll revisit Space Quest in my Apple II column at some
point. If you're into the history of the 1980's computer and
video game industry, this book should be a nice one to read and
gift.
More
information and ordering options direct from Ken Williams: https://kensbook.com/
~ ~ ~
Happy Holidays
and high scores from the staff of The Retrogaming Times!
This excellent late era
platforming shooter featuring a funky fresh
green rabbit named Bucky O'Hare might not have have happened without an
assist from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The series was a product
of the radical animal toy line craze of the late 1980's and early
1990's, sparked by the over the top popularity of the Ninja Turtles.
They had millions of kid shouting "cowabunga" and launched many
imitation toy lines. Like the turtles, Bucky O'Hare originated as an
independent comic that was created by Larry Hama and Michael Golden in
1984. The titular green hare Bucky leads a motley crew of mammals, and
a young boy from San Francisco named Willy Du Witt, in a desperate
struggle against an oppressive regime of evil toads for control of a
galaxy stuffed full of spaceships known as the Aniverse. It's kind of
like an animalized riff on the Star Wars films but aimed at kids. The
show even gave a nod to George Lucas' ground breaking sci-fi series by
naming the bad guys the Toad Empire and dubbing their disposable
lackeys the Storm Toads.
Unlike his green brethren the Ninja
Turtles, Bucky O'Hare never quite caught on with kids and failed to
truly launch as a pop culture phenomenon. Despite the short life of the
cartoon show, the series was given a proper video game treatment
courtesy of one of the greatest developers of the era: Konami. Bucky
was featured in two video games, both released in 1992, the first of
which was an arcade game in the classic Konami street brawler beat 'em
up style. It played similarly to the Ninja Turtles arcade games, but
let the player use guns as their primary weapons. This was another in a
long line of excellent quarter munchers from Konami but for Bucky's
sole home outing, Konami decided to go a different route. They crafted
a platforming shooter for the funky fresh rabbit in the vein of Mega
Man and it was launched exclusively for the Nintendo Entertainment
System.
The game finds Bucky's entire crew
kidnapped by the sinister toads, and the player tasked with finding and
rescuing them one by one and putting an end to the toad menace. The
first set of four stages can be tackled in any order. These stages are
incredibly varied graphically and thematically. They are not however
very creatively named. The Green Planet has giant trees to climb,
waterfalls to traverse and features evil woodland critters to blast.
The Blue Planet is a slippery, cavernous ice themed zone. The Red
Planet is a volcano filled area with lava to outrun and many instant
death spots. And finally, the Yellow Planet is a huge industrial zone
with fast coasters to zip along on and asteroids to ride.
Bucky scales a tree
on Green Planet (left), the planetary sage select screen (right)
After completing each one of the
initial stages, a new member of the team will be rescued, each one with
different and useful skills that will help you in your quest to take
down the toads. The game features a fairly unique charging mechanic. By
holding down the B button, which is also used to shoot, the player can
access each crew member's unique ability. There is also a power bar
that can be expanded by power ups found in the levels to increase the
duration of each character's special ability. Deadeye Duck
found on the Red Planet has a shot with three bullets and can climb
walls. Jenny in the Blue Planet can charge a powerful psychic blast
that can be moved throughout the screen by the player. Willy of the
Yellow Planet has a strong default blaster and an even stronger charged
blast. Rounding out the team is the one eyed robot Blinky who can hover
for a short amount of time and has a downward sloping blast capable of
destroying ice and certain blocks.
Each character can be switched on the
fly by pressing the Select button. Having five different playable
characters gives a nice variety to the tried and true jump and gun
gameplay. Being able to switch without pausing helps the player stay in
the flow of the game and keeps the game moving along. After rescuing
the rest of the crew you'll be tasked with destroying the Toad
Brigade's biggest ship, the Magma Tanker, from the inside. Inside of
the Toad's ship the game switches genres to become an R-type style auto
scrolling shooter, as Bucky and the gang board miniature space ships.
These segments become increasingly common the deeper you venture into
the Toad's ship. Despite the late game genre switch, these segments
still feel like they belong with the rest of the game.
You'll have to put all of the members
of Bucky's crew to good use to get through the obstacles you'll face.
This difficult game will challenge even the most skilled of retro game
veterans in its later stages. The action is pretty straightforward with
out any real puzzle solving but you will have to get creative in your
use of Bucky's specific crew member in order to pass certain areas.
Many of the trickiest obstacles of the day make appearances, including
the infamous disappearing and reappearing blocks commonly featured in
Mega Man games and lots of spikes, pits and enemies that can kill you
instantly.
Deadeye zips along on
a cart (left), Jenny navigates an escape route (right)
The difficulty level while
challenging, is not unfairly brutal. It'll take some memorization and
difficult jumps to complete the game but it is still a do-able
challenge. You'll probably die a lot, but the game features frequent
checkpoints as well as many extra lives to be had. Your life bar can
also be upgraded by items found in the game and in general, enemy fire
does not damage your character all that much. The game also has
unlimited continues, which go a long way towards helping you complete
your quest. Thankfully the game also contains a password system as the
game is rather long for an NES game.
Bucky O'Hare features highly detailed
colorful graphics courtesy of Konami's skilled development team. Bucky
and his allies have very detailed sprites and closely resemble the look
of their cartoon show and action figure counter parts. The toads and
other enemies you'll be blasting are also similarly detailed and easy
on the eyes. The game even features a nicely done animated opening cut
scene, to get you in the mood to croak some toads. There are also
conversations between Bucky and his crew after you rescue them. The
game also runs perfectly smooth on the NES hardware and does not suffer
from any major slowdown or pixel flicker issues despite the pretty
graphics.
All in all I would say Bucky O'Hare
is well worth your time if you are looking for a fun, well designed
shooter. It's absolutely packed with variety and crammed full of catchy
tunes. While it has become a little expensive to obtain a physical copy
due to its status as a late era NES game with a cult following, I'd
highly recommend searching this one out. If you get the chance to help
Bucky and his crew end the Toad Wars you'll have a blast! I declare
this game to be a hare above the rest of the shooter crop on the NES
and a definite hidden gem.
"...What
I am about to do has not been approved by the Vatican." Halloween
may have just passed but as days turn cold and nights grow long, you
may still be looking for a game with spooky chills and an eerie
atmosphere. FAITH, developed by Airdorf Games, delivers these
sensations along with a retro computing aesthetic and setting right out
of the 1980's. On September 21st, 1986 Father Allred, along with
his assistant John Ward, travel to the house of the Martin Family in
rural Connecticut. The purpose of their visit is to investigate
an apparent demonic possession of the Martins' teenage daughter,
Amy. Father Allred's attempted exorcism on Amy goes terribly
wrong, leaving himself and Amy's family dead, with only John Ward
surviving the incident and Amy's whereabouts unknown. One year
later John Ward returns to the Martin residence to conduct a second
exorcism, finish with he and Father Allred started, and attempt to
bring peace to Amy's soul as well as his own.
Although
released in 2017, FAITH is designed to both resemble and play like a
game from the vintage in when it takes place. The game will feel
visually familiar to anyone who has experience playing computer games
of the mid 1980's, specifically Apple II or MS-DOS games.
Controlling John Ward is very simple with directional movement and an
action key, generally used to hold up a cross to exorcise demons or
defend yourself. As John approaches the Martin residence he will
come upon objects that can be cleansed by holding up his cross.
Once an object is purified it will leave behind a note - sometimes a
letter, other times a newspaper clipping - these serve to establish
both the backstory and narrative of the game. Interestingly many
of the notes seem to contradict one another and depending on the
player's actions, different notes may be obtained that often lead to
more obscurity rather than clarity.
John prepares to
repel an approaching demonic creature that has killed a deer (left), a
child's strange illustration found in the Martin residence (right)
The forest
outside the Martin residence is fairly large and randomized outside of
a few key locations, creating a sense of disorientation right from the
start. A demonic creature also roams the forest, appearing
suddenly and rapidly scrambling toward John at a moment's notice.
Holding up the cross in the direction of the approaching demon will
send it back but the player must remain on alert at all times.
These attacks never cease to be startling, compounded with crude
digitized speech created with vintage text-to-speech software.
Once inside the Martin house the mystery only deepens, with beautifully
rotoscoped cutscenes that further surprise, yet remain within the
vintage aesthetic of the game.
FAITH will
take about an hour to complete and features multiple endings to
discover and secrets to find on additional plays. What I enjoy
most about the experience is just how well-written the game's narrative
is, coupled with how it is structured. The more information the
player uncovers, the less of what actually happened that night in 1986
becomes clear. It's not very often a game of this style and short
length causes me to think about it so much but FAITH did just
that. There's also something to be said about a modern indie
horror game, set during the "Satanic Panic" in the mid 1980's, that is
designed to resemble and play like a game released in the mid
1980's. There are even a few humorous deaths that feel like a nod
to the Sierra adventure games of the day, as well as plenty of other
ways to meet your demise.
John exorcises a spirit from a crib in the
basement of the Martin residence (left), awaking to a rotoscoped
cutscene (right)
FAITH can be
downloaded for free as the full and complete game, with the only
limitation that a saved game will not persist after closing the
program. For as little as $1.00 a deluxe version can be
purchased, which not only adds save game retention, it also features a
pair of different lighting modes that freshen up the experience on
subsequent playthroughs - adding to the atmospheric tension. The
series continued with FAITH Chapter II, which is a bit like two games
in one with a standalone demo story in addition to the sequel
itself. As with the original game, the continuing story often
creates more questions than it answers, and it too can be purchased for
as little as $1.00. FAITH III is currently in development with a
standalone demo available on Steam, with the entire series slated to
appear on consoles in the future. It also must be emphasized that
although the FAITH games feature simple retro computing graphics, the
subject matter they pertain to is absolutely intended to be played by
an adult audience. Turn out the lights, put on some headphones,
and be prepared for a spine tingling retrogaming mystery.
Download and
purchase FAITH and FAITH II as complete, DRM free programs at itch.io:
By the
late 1980's Nintendo had proven there was still a market for home video
games in the United States. Contemporary news reports and
television media is awash with stories about how the country is in love
with the Nintendo Entertainment System, a sharp contrast to what many
were reporting about video games at the end of 1983. It could be
said that Nintendo single-handedly saved the American home video game
industry from oblivion, or at least rapidly restarted it, as their
hardware flew off shelves coast to coast. Yet by 1987 one very
popular genre is still lacking on the NES: auto racing. Sure there
were many superb platforming games and quite a
few solid arcade conversions, lots of shooters, a couple great
adventure
games - but not really a defining racing game. Even in Japan the
offerings were quite slim, outside of games such as Excitebike and F1
Race, both of which certainly felt like games from an earlier
era. That all changed when
Square released Highway Star for the Famicom in Japan, which was
quickly brought to the NES as Rad Racer. In the United Sates Rad
Racer became one of the early signature games for the NES platform,
actually being published by Nintendo directly, giving it a much
deserved first party advertising blitz. This was
with good reason as the game featured
sharp graphics, a great soundtrack and intense gameplay.
Rad Racer
drops the player into the seat of either a Ferrari 328 or F-1 Machine
on a coast to coast speed race. Both cars handle and perform the
same, although when driving the F-1 Machine all computer controlled
traffic cars will be F-1 Machines as well. When driving the 328
Twin Turbo each course is accompanied by a different make of traffic
car, all of them modeled after real world automobiles. There are eight
courses in all, some which have day
and night cycles as well as changing weather conditions to add some
visual variety. Each course
begins at a standing start with an audible chime that counts down until
the race begins. A timer constantly ticks down and the objective
is to reach checkpoints spread out along the course before the timer
reaches
zero. Upon reaching a checkpoint more time is added and the race
continues. After reaching the end of a course any remaining time
is converted into points, which are added to the player's score as a
bonus,
then the next course begins. The initial starting time for each
course
is always the same in respect to which course it is and remaining time
from
the end of one course cannot be carried over to the next.
Surf and sand at
Sunset Coastline (left), San Francisco Highway features impressive
visuals (center), flipping after hitting a tree (right)
The traffic cars
become more and more of
a nuisance as each course is completed. They will begin to change
lanes more
often, move at different rates of speed, and by course five generally
become
very challenging to get around. While the only thing the player
is
racing against is the clock, the traffic cars must still be
quickly navigated
around to save precious time. If a traffic car is traveling at
around
the same speed as your car and is collided with, you will bounce off of
it. What direction
and how hard you bounce off is determined by where you strike a traffic car.
If a car is hit dead on you'll simply be bounced back a little, however
if you slide across a traffic car's rear bumper
you'll be thrown to the side.
Additionally if you come upon a slow moving traffic car while traveling
at
high speed, you will crash and be tossed from the road surface.
This
is also the case if you hit any objects along the side of the
course.
After your car lands it is automatically moved to the center lane and
the
game continues however this eats up valuable time. Thankfully control
is fast and accurate with the directional
pad left and right smoothly controlling steering. Holding up on
the directional
pad turns on the turbo which boosts your car's acceleration from the
100
km/h band until it tops out at 255 km/h. Pressing down on the
directional
pad cycles through three different background songs and is also how the
background
music can be turned off. The A button accelerates and the B
button
brakes, simple as that and extremely responsive.
Even though it
wears influences of Sega's Out Run on its sleeve, this game set the
standard for how driving games on the NES would look for the remainder
of the system's lifespan. Viewed from a behind-the-car
perspective, the sense of
speed is incredible for a game of this era. Where games like Pole
Position and Out Run used the same perspective, none quite conveyed how
fast you were zipping by traffic and the roadside like Rad Racer
does. Trees, road signs, light posts, all whiz by at a blinding
rate. Traffic cars move at many different rates of speed which
further enhances the feeling
that you car is actually moving and sliding along the tarmac, rather
than
being a stationary object in the middle of the screen. Sliding
around
a corner, slowly losing grip while knocking against a traffic car, then a slower
traffic
car
appears on the horizon, you flash by both cars as trees stream by along
the roadside - it all makes it seem
as if your car has mass and is moving quickly, which is the point of a
racing game.
Roadside
objects change in each course and there are generally three or four
different
objects that will show up in each one. Checkpoints are always
represented by a pair of checkered flags, one on each side, and the end
of a course is lined with them on both sides.Each
course features a different backdrop,
color of the area around the road, and skyline. For instance the
first course, Sunset Coastline, is along a beach with sand on either
side
of the road, the ocean in the distance with palm trees on the horizon
and
a breezy sky overhead. The first course is also one that features
a day and night cycle. Near the midpoint of the course the sky
will
begin to darken and then fall to the curtain of night, a short while
later
the sky will brighten once again. Two courses are run completely
in the night - San Francisco Highway and Los Angeles Night Way.
Both these courses were definitely show stoppers in their day, even
being featured as the box art for the NES version, and are still very
impressive to look at. A
couple of the later courses feature changing weather conditions that
work
much in the same way as the day and night cycle at Sunset
Coastline.
There are also elevation changes abound and each course has multiple
levels
of background that scroll at different speeds, further enhancing the
feeling
of speed and depth.
Navigating
tight Los Angeles Night Way traffic (left), zooming along the Snow
White Line (center), each course begins with a route map (right)
Matching its
visual presentation, the audio package of Rad Racer is easily one of
the most superb on the hardware, especially among its contemporary
releases. There's a nice digital
engine sound of your car throttling up as well as a slightly different
sound when you are on the turbo. When entering a turn, wheels
squeal
as they lose traction and the car slides. Bumping into traffic cars
produces a loud screech and crunch sound and the sound of the car
flipping
over in mid-air after a wreck is unforgettable. There is a
different and audible sound for nearly everything in the game, from the
start of a course until sliding across the finish line, and all of them
make sense and are of high quality. The music, simply
put, is amazing. The score for Rad Racer is some
of Nobuo Uematsu's earliest
work,
long before he would be known the world over for his Final Fantasy
compositions. In my opinion it is also his
best. There are three background
music tracks in all and while each one is completely different, they
all
have a blues and jazz feel. It's incredible that Uematsu was able
to get this kind of sound out of the NES hardware, especially
considering
how young the hardware was at the time. Also all this was
accomplished
without using any special sound chips. It's a shame that the
music
from Rad Racer is not given the praise in the video game community it
so
rightly deserves. Being able to design music that sounds this
good
on hardware restrictions of this era is mind boggling.
Of course
those who owned this game when it was new probably remember it had a
bit of a gimmick in the box. Rad Racer featured
a "3D" mode with a pair of standard red
/ cyan filter glasses included with the game. This was a cheap
and fast rework of the
higher quality Japan-only Famicom 3D System accessory,
which actually provided a decent 3D experience through the use of an
active shutter visor. However the 3D mode in Rad Racer boils down
to a flickery
mess which is why only one other US released game, 3-D WorldRunner,
featured
the 3D mode. Note that the Japanese
version of Rad Racer (Highway Star) and the Japan-only sequel to
WorldRunner
(JJ: Tobidase Daisakusen Part II) both featured support for the Famicom
3D System, as did a few other Famicom titles. It's a shame this
never
had an NES counterpart or was more widely supported, as it's a pretty
cool accessory.
The Japanese
version supported the Famicom 3D System headset, offering a more
impressive 3D sensation
Over 30 years
after being released Rad Racer still looks, sounds, and plays near
perfectly. It remains a solid and responsive challenge that I
continue to come back to no matter how many times I scream through its
eight courses. Anyone with even a passing interest in NES racing
games should have a copy of this one, there's simply no reason not to. It stands as a prime example of perfect
game design of the NES era - easy
to pick up and play yet complex enough to invest a good amount of time
in. Rad Racer would do so well in the United Sates that it would
spawn a US-only sequel in 1990, however due to some questionable design
decisions it would never do as well as the original. Rad Racer is
a true classic of the hardware, of the era, and of the NES
cultural experience. To me it's every bit a part of the NES as
Super
Mario Bros. and that's saying quite a lot.
Most of the time if
you ask a gamer to name some popular shooter titles, they will tell you
games like Call of Duty, Doom, Halo, Grand Theft Auto and
GoldenEye. Before all of these hit the shelves, Nintendo had a
provided a shooter game with the new Nintendo Entertainment System
launch in 1985. One of the games that would be the poster child
of the NES shooters was Duck Hunt. The NES offered an alternative to
the games using the control pad with the "NES Zapper." This
plastic gun shaped controller made shooting the TV screen exciting and
challenging at the same time. Duck Hunt was a game designed for
all ages. As simple as the task of shooting birds in the sky was,
the game itself brought challenges to the gamer.
The rules were very
simple, when one or two ducks flew out a time you would shoot them
down. The higher the level you get to, the faster they fly
around, making it tricky to get them. In the way are some trees
and bushes to block your shot. At each round a finite number of
ducks will come out. When the round is over points are added up
based on your performance. If you hit the necessary target score
for that round you move on to the next one. Each time the ducks
fly onto the screen the player gets three shots in order to hit the
ducks. If you miss them, then an annoying dog pops out of the
bushes and laughs at you.
There are three
different game modes for Duck Hunt. The duck game has Game A and
Game B. The Game C option replaced ducks with clay pigeons. This
clay shooting simulation gives the gamer an alternative challenge that
does not include the ducks and that laughing dog. Game A,
for the novice players, only has one duck on the screen at a time
during gameplay. If you are ready for a challenge, Game B will
have two ducks on the screen at one time. Either way the game
never gets old. Trying to get to the highest level or beating
your friends score made this game one of the reasons to get an NES for
the holidays that year.
Duck Hunt was also
an arcade game, called "Vs. Duck Hunt." The annoying dog is more
of a pain in the arcade version because he can jump out and block you
from shooting the ducks in exclusive bonus rounds. Also, another
big difference is the amount of ducks that come out. In the
arcade game up to three ducks can fly out at a time in the bonus rounds
opposed to the maximum two on the NES. One of the nostalgic parts
of Duck Hunt is that you need to play it on a CRT television. The
LED and flat panel TVs of today will not work with NES Zapper.
There have been a few knock-off, plug and play versions of Duck Hunt,
but nothing beats the original. Nintendo made a handful of other
NES light gun games such as Gumshoe and Hogan’s Alley, but in my
opinion, Duck Hunt will always be the best of the bunch.
Every Friday on The Retrogaming Times
Facebook
page (facebook.com/theretrogamingtimes),
we present a Weekly Retrogaming Trivia question. This
just-for-fun
trivia challenge provided each week is an opportunity to test your
arcane
and oddball retrogaming knowledge. The answer to the question
from
the previous week is posted along with a new trivia question every
Friday!
Below is the recap of all
questions and
answers posted between this issue and the previous issue:
08/28/2020 - WEEK 178 Question: Mega Man
series regular, Proto Man, is known by what name in Japanese releases
of the series?
09/04/2020
- WEEK 179 Question: Bruce
Willis provided his voice and likeness for what original PlayStation
game?
09/11/2020
- WEEK 180 Question:
Infamously, the opening dialogue of Darius II discusses wanting to try
what food?
09/18/2020
- WEEK 181 Question: What
classic Activision Atari game can be completed in under six seconds?
09/25/2020
- WEEK 182 Question: "The
worst foe lies within the self..." is the slogan for what RPG?
10/02/2020
- WEEK 183 Question: The NES
game Little Nemo: The Dream Master takes place in what year?
10/09/2020
- WEEK 184 Question: The
LucasArts adventure game Loom begins on what birthday of main character
Bobbin Threadbare?
10/16/2020
- WEEK 185 Question: What is
the only video game series that later incorporated a "Worlds of Power"
novelization into its official narrative?
10/23/2020
- WEEK 186 Question: What
Activision developed Atari game features a cardboard overlay for the
console itself?
The very awesome and very
wide Darius II opens with banter that has become a bit of a joke among
shooter aficionados.
Answers: Week 178 Answer: Blues. Week 179 Answer: Apocalypse
(1998). Week 180 Answer: Tuna sashimi. Week 181 Answer: Dragster. Week 182 Answer: Parasite Eve
(1998). Week 183 Answer: 1905. Week 184 Answer: His
seventeenth. Week 185 Answer: Blaster
Master, beginning with Blaster Master: Blasting Again for PlayStation. Week 186 Answer: Space Shuttle:
A Journey Into Space.
Bobbin Threadbare
awakens on his seventeenth birthday (left) Space Shuttle: A Journey
Into Space came with more goodies than usual for a 2600 game (right)
We
need your questions! If
you have a trivia question you would like to submit for possible
inclusion
in the Weekly Retrogaming Trivia question pool, e-mail it to trt@classicplastic.net!
If you question is selected to be featured, you will be entered in our
year-end prize drawing!
In closing out
this year of the newsletter it is my deepest hope that our readers and
their families are doing well, both physically and mentally. I am
so very thankful to be able to continue to publish this newsletter,
something I can only do because of the dedication of our staff - both
present and future - in submitting quality articles. I still plan
on continuing to edit and publish The Retrogaming Times for the
foreseeable future and that will continue for as long as we have
contributing writers and our much appreciated readers. If I could
make one request of our reader base it is to please continue to spread
the world about the newsletter. The one difficulty we have always
had is reach - it's simply a hurdle of an old school newsletter such as
this. We have made great strides in the past couple years to
better grow our social media presence but at the end of the day our
core is, and will aways be, the publication of this newsletter.
Thank you for your continued readership. With that said, I wish
you all a wonderful and safe conclusion to 2020 and hope you will
return for another year of The Retrogaming Times.
Thank
you once
again for reading The Retrogaming
Times. We'll be back on January 7th with our next issue.
Be sure
to follow The
Retrogaming Times on Facebook and join our community for the latest
updates and information! Additionally The
Retrogaming Times Info Club on Twitter features up-to-the-moment
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and notifications for all things The Retrogaming Times! I
sincerely
hope you enjoyed this issue and that you will return to read the next
issue
and possibly submit an article yourself. Remember, this
newsletter
can only exist with your help. Simply send your articles
directly
to me at trt@classicplastic.net or check out the submission guidelines
on the main page. Submit an article today and join a great
retrogaming
tradition!
