As we close
out yet another year it is my sincerest hope that our readers and their
families are doing well, mentally as well as physically. Although
things continue to be in a constant state of readjustment, classic
video
games remain a great way to take a break and have an entertaining
experience. I truly feel that 2021 has been one of the best years
of The Retrogaming Times in terms of the breadth of its content and
contributions, with this issue as no exception. Before we get
into
it I wish you all an enjoyable conclusion to 2021, safe travels if you
are planning on such, and hope that you will return in 2022 for another
excellent year of The Retrogaming Times.
There has
become an expectation that we cap off the year with a great issue and
we're back to do just that. More C64! begins with Merman's wrap
up of new Commodore 64 releases to hit the scene throughout 2021.
The Apple II Incider pays homage to its original namesake with a
collection of digital archival issues presented by Donald Lee.
Thirty years after The Rocketeer made his silver screen debut, the NES
game created as a film tie-in is given an in depth review. It
wouldn't be the holiday season without our annual Holiday Gift Guide,
containing an assortment of retrogaming gift ideas as chosen by current
newsletter staff. Check out our picks and spread some retrogaming
cheer. Battletoads is a much loved and talked about
franchise that got its start with an ambitious NES release but find out
if notoriety makes for a good game. Dan
Pettis celebrates his first year with the newsletter by looking at
another anniversary, the GameCube's 20th, with a collection of twenty
games that defined the system. Totally new original games made in
the style of older hardware concessions are nothing new, in fact they
have become a huge genre unto themselves. However back in 1997
one such collection of games released for the PlayStation may have
introduced this idea. That game was
Cellophanes, a title that has been mostly lost to time and its
fascinating history is detailed in this issue's cover story. At
the launch of the Game Boy a new Super Mario game was created
specifically to showcase what could be done on the hardware. Take
a look at Mario's first true expansive portable adventure with a game
that would spawn a series. 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 - 24th 2022,
Kansas City, Missouri, USA
KansasFest is
the world’s only annual convention dedicated to the Apple II computer
that revolutionized the personal computing industry. KansasFest
invites hobbyists, retrocomputing enthusiasts, and diehard aficionados
to gather from all corners of the world.
KansasFest is
about a computer and a camaraderie unlike anything
else. The Apple II attracts people of a certain mindset and
spirit who exhibit a rare creativity, resilience, dedication, history,
and nonconformity. The Apple II has lasted for more than 40
years, and the friendships and memories made at KansasFest will last
even longer.
Classic Game Fest, July 23rd - 24th
2022, Austin, Texas, USA
The biggest
retro gaming event in Texas is back for its 15th anniversary! Enjoy 70,000 square feet of retro video
games and fun at the Palmer Events Center. The annual summer event will feature all
the expected attractions
including special guests, live music, free play games, a massive vendor
hall and more. Ticket information will be available
soon.
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! - 2021 New Releases
by Merman
Its been another amazing
year for new releases on the Commodore 64, and as we head towards 2022
and the 40th anniversary of the computer there doesn't seem to be any
signs of the games stopping. Here is a round up of some of my
favourites so far this year and news of my own new project...
TINY QUEST
Reunite Mr Cube with his
lost love, traveling through hazard-filled screens. Each screen must be
completed quickly before his energy runs out. He must also pick up
coins to pay for the journey home again. Cute, minimalist graphics and
good controls make this fun to play if ultimately a little repetitive.
The password system gives you input codes to skip forward, but these
only work for the current session; switch off and the codes change.
Bitmap Soft have produced physical versions on tape, disk, and
cartridge, or it can be downloaded digitally from itch.io.
Jumping
towards
the exit of the current screen and finding a hidden key in Tiny Quest.
SPACE FIREHAWK
This is inspired by the
classic Nintendo arcade game Space Firebird and really creates the
atmosphere of an early 1980s coin-op. Shoot your way through waves of
enemies, upgrading your ship to improve your chances. You can increase
the speed of movement, the number of bullets and the speed of firing -
but die and you lose the last upgrade. You have five defence shields
and can earn / add extras. You can also trigger the Assault Shield
(hold Fire & Up) to launch the now-invulnerable ship into enemies
for a brief time. But you only have a limited supply of these. It's an
addictive game for those chasing high scores. Available as a free
digital download.
With
your
shield gone one more hit is fatal and taking on the large
Emperor.
DR. MORTALWOMBAT
That's an unusual name,
and it represents a coder who used to have a C64 and has made a return
recently with two quite different games - a horizontally scrolling
shoot ‘em up and a 3D space trading game.
PLEKTHORA
Here is a nifty little
game for shooting fans, with some neat parallax scrolling. Take on the
enemy invasion fleet, collecting power-ups and dodging obstacles.
Shooting enemies drops crystals and collecting enough will earn extra
continues to let you carry on playing. As you shoot more enemies, your
score multiplier increases - but die and it resets. Clever presentation
touches include the ship's shadow on the ground, the incoming radio
messages that tell you what is happening and the homing missiles (once
you find them). While the difficulty curve is well designed, it does
lack a little variety in the enemy types and hazards.
Picking
up the
L will give you a laser, while this formation will take multiple shots
to destroy.
GATES OF THE ANCIENT
Inspired by Elite and
Space Rogue, you are a space pilot exploring the galaxy. Sectors are
linked by Gates left behind by the Ancients - some are locked requiring
you to activate the switch, and all Gates require you to line up your
ship with the centre of the three beacons and hit the central portal
correctly. As you explore, there are other ships and targets found by
your sensors - with readings appearing in the cockpit readout below the
main view. They might not be hostile or turn hostile if you shoot at
them. Ancient robots, minefields and space traders can also be
encountered; defeat the robots as fast as possible, shoot the mines to
clear the field and enter the trader's fortress to buy extra equipment.
Defeated ships leave behind cargo, either Credits to buy things with or
items to add to your ship - upgrading your sensors, engine, shields and
weapons, but you will need a stronger generator to make extra power for
better devices. There's no doubting how smooth the filled 3D graphics
are, with ships and cargo pods looking great with textures. The
starfield effect is convincing too, and sound is basic but adequate. It
does take some getting used to the controls and learning to read the
sensors, with the low-powered laser you start with making things tricky
too. The digital download comes with a PDF of the instructions that is
worth reading. The game also gives you a code to continue where you
left off (at the last sector entered, or the start) retaining your
Credits and equipment. There's a large galaxy to explore for those that
persevere.
Lining
up a
Gate to jump to a new sector, then the player comes under enemy fire.
ICON64
Trevor Storey (known as
Smila) has been a prolific designer and graphic artist on the C64 in
recent years, and two more of his titles have been released this year
through Psytronik Software. These are available as digital downloads
and in physical form, supporting both PAL and NTSC machines as well as
the C64 Mini and THEC64.
SOULLESS 2 - THE ARMOUR OF GODS
The original Soulless
had a Special Edition released as part of the Kickstarter for the vinyl
soundtrack album covering Soulless 1 and 2. Soulless 2 is the
follow-up, with King Razik (transformed into a beast in the first game)
fighting the evil wizard Kalen again. The wizard is after the fabled
Armour of Gods, and so Razik must find it first. Starting in the
Forest, the player must find useful equipment and the keys to unlock
the door to the next level. The pistol once found lets the player shoot
enemies, which will drop extra energy and ammo. The keys in the first
level are in chests located behind a pool of water, with a colour
combination (matched by shooting the orbs found on a particular screen)
creating a bridge to the chest. Once all six keys have been found, the
player must fight the large monster behind the locks to get to the next
level. On level 2, the Temple, the actual Armour and the items to power
it can be found as well as more keys. Once the Armour is activated, the
player can fly and hover around to move faster - and a more powerful
gun will do more damage. Hidden in each of the four levels are Crowns
that will award an extra life, and there are ten in total to find.
This is another
good-looking game, inspired by Metroid and the C64 classic The Sacred
Armour of Antiriad (known as Rad Warrior in the USA). Unlocking new
abilities lets you progress further, and the game will automatically
save your progress at the end of each level. The intro sequence is
outstanding and sets the scene, and the title screen includes a
continue option allowing you to restart at the highest level reached in
a previous game (with the number of lives at that point). Brilliant
music and sound FX add to the atmosphere, and the four levels (each
with a distinctive graphic style) are huge. Some of the enemies can be
quite fiddly to get past, but learning their patterns and movements
helps. This is one that will need to be mapped out and studied to
succeed.
Physical versions
from £9.99 plus postage (budget disk £9.99, Premium+ disk
£14.99, USB cassette £19.99, Basic Box set £24.99,
Collector's Edition box set with soundtrack CD, poster, disk, keyring,
and stickers £39.99): https://psytronik.bigcartel.com/product/soulless-2-the-armour-of-gods
Level 1
requires you to set the Orbs to the correct colour combination to reach
the chests, while exploring the Caverns in the Armour you encounter
these large spiders.
BATTLE KINGDOM
Inspired by the Exidy
arcade game Venture, use your magic bow to defeat enemies and find the
pieces of the Master Sword. A random selection of buildings is open
each level on the castle map, with diverse types of enemies appearing
in each room. Once all the enemies are shot, a bonus item appears - a
piece of the sword, a quiver of arrows or jewelery for bonus points.
Shooting arrows depletes your stock but they will regenerate slowly.
When the sword is reassembled, you must fight the dragon in the main
castle. Graphically this is nicely made and backed by an excellent
soundtrack. However, there is not much variety between levels - it
simply gets harder and requires more sword pieces to reach the tougher
dragons.
This
room is
crowded with enemies to be killed with your magic arrows; on the
overhead map you must avoid the dots and enter a room before the dragon
flies after you.
C64BOOKS.CO.UK
This was announced a
couple of months ago, but I have started a new website at https://www.c64books.co.uk.
This will serve as the selling point for a new series of books and
eBooks aimed at C64 owners and retrogamers.
The first two releases
are due in November 2021. THE
COMMODORE 64 BOOK 1982-199X was originally only available in a
limited-edition paperback, but now is finally available as an eBook
(PDF) to view on many formats. There have been changes and updates to
the text, and the layouts have been altered to make them easier to read
electronically.
PIXEL POETRY is a collection of my
poems based on the themes of video games and technology. From famous
characters to social media, Pong to the Millennium Bug I'm sure there
will be many familiar ideas to the readers of my More C64 columns. This
one will be available as eBook and printed paperback (printed on
demand), with specially commissioned bead artwork by Cave of Pixels (https://www.caveofpixels.com)
for the cover and inside illustration.
The big announcement is
for August 2022, and the 40th anniversary of the C64. THE COMMODORE 64 BOOK 199X-2022 will
serve as the sequel to the original book, reviewing over 200 games
released since 1992 (including a few not covered in the first book).
This will also be available as paperback and eBook.
And finally, there are
plans for a fourth book to be released in November 2022. MORE C64 - COLUMNS & CUTTINGS
will bring together in eBook and printed paperback my More C64 columns
from ten years writing for the Retrogaming Times newsletters, along
with some of my other online and printed articles, together for the
first time. More details will be in a future issue.
It's hard to believe that the 2021
year is almost over. Depending on the part of the country you
live in, how you live your life may vary quite a bit. In
California we have had a lot of lockdowns and mask requirements.
I have been fortunate to be able to get back to some sense of normalcy
with some things I do like basketball but not everything is quite back
to normal just yet. As I've noted before, the name of this column
(Apple II Incider) is a nod to one of the original Apple II magazines
(Incider, later Incider A+).
For quite a few years I had kept
copies of the old Incider / Incider A+
magazines at my parents house. I guess I was the sentimental sort
as I would occasionally go back and re-read the old issues but keeping
all the old stuff around isn't always practical. So I put some
old issues on eBay and sold a few to people. Unfortunately not
every issue was sold and I ended up trashing the rest. With the
rise of scanning, I was hoping that the owners / publishers of Incider
(and other Apple II magazines) would publish the contents online or
sell some archives.
Recently due to COVID, I was home and
online searching for some books
on the website archive.org and I stumbled upon multiple issues of
Incider / Incider A+ that were available: https://archive.org/details/incidermagazine
I haven't looked through the entire list but there's a good number of
issues there, though maybe some of the older issues may be
missing. Regardless, this is a reason why modern day technology
and Internet archival is so good. You get the chance to look at
some of the older things you used to read.
Have a great rest of 2021 and see you
in 2022!
Looking
Back At Thirty Years of The Rocketeer (NES)
On June
21st, 1991 The Rocketeer was released to movie theaters after
navigating nearly a decade of development and production
conflicts. An adaptation of the late Dave Stevens' most popular
creation, it follows Cliff Secord, a race plane pilot who has his life
turned upside down after discovering a stolen experimental rocket
pack. Unwillingly thrust into adventure, Cliff becomes The
Rocketeer, a proto-superhero set against the backdrop of the golden age
of aviation in 1938 Los Angeles. Intended to launch a series of
at least three films, the good but not spectacular box office returns
and hard-fought production history resulted in The Rocketeer quietly
disappearing from mainstream attention. With everything that was
working against it, that the film was even completed is an incredible
feat - even more so that the result is a superb period piece that
sweetly captures the characters and world
that Dave Stevens created.
A collection of Dave
Stevens books including the complete adventures of The Rocketeer and
other merchandise, author's collection
I was
nine-years-old when The Rocketeer was released and saw it that week at
Century 21, a massive domed theater that was originally designed to
show widescreen Cinerama films in San Jose, California. It
completely blew me away - so much that later that afternoon I set to
work building my own Cirrus X3 rocket pack out of cardboard sheets,
boxes,
soda bottles, construction paper and tape. That October I made
the request that I wanted to be The Rocketeer for Halloween. Of
course there were no costumes, as the movie didn't do that well, but my
mother obliged and somehow fashioned a reasonable representation of the
trademark helmet out of felt. She also helped me spiff up a new
rocket pack I made, as the first had been beat up over the rigors of
summer play. So I went to school with an improvised rocket pack
on my back, made of bits and pieces of things I found, that I made
myself - which was actually the second one I built! No one knew
what to make of it... and I freaking loved it!! I was The
Rocketeer!! Crude as my rocket pack may have been, I knew Nazi
agents were waiting to ambush me for it. I was at school as a
1930's reluctant pulp hero and I couldn't have been happier. Now
looking back thirty years later, my first brush with The Rocketeer
wasn't the feature film or the comics, but the NES video game.
The May 1991
issue of Nintendo Power featured a rather large section detailing the
upcoming Rocketeer NES game. At the time I had no idea who the
character was and the advertising push for the upcoming film hadn't
really gotten underway... but something about the game shown in those
magazine pages clicked with me. The entire game with the
exception of the final boss fight was detailed in that issue, finishing
with the line, "The high-flying adventures of the Rocketeer are soon
bound for the silver screen. Watch for him this summer at a
theater near you!" I soon found the game at a local video rental
store and although I did find the later stages rather difficult, I
really enjoyed it and it got me excited for the upcoming movie.
After the movie made me a certified Rocketeer maniac, I received my own
copy of the game for my tenth birthday.
Published by
Bandai and developed by Realtime Associates with assistance of staff
from Ironwind Software and LucasFilm Games, The Rocketeer is an action
platformer in the vein of Sunsoft's Batman or Tecmo's Ninja
Gaiden. The narrative follows a slightly reworked version of the
film's plot, possibly influenced by a slightly earlier film script, but
hits many of the same major beats with characters that are clearly
based upon their film counterparts. In the game Cliff Secord
discovers the stolen rocket pack tucked away in one of his
planes. With his friend and mechanic Ambrose "Peevy" Peabody, he
is preparing for a test flight when they are surrounded by thugs.
The hired muscle is attempting to recover the rocket for Hollywood film
star Neville Sinclair, who is in secret a Nazi agent with the goal of
using the rocket to create a flying infantry. Although not the
hero type, Cliff has no choice but to use the rocket to escape,
becoming known as The Rocketeer. Most of the main characters
resemble the film cast, especially Cliff who is easily recognizable as
being modeled on Billy Campbell in closeups and looks surprisingly
good. The game is broken up into six chapters, usually bookended
by a cutscene at the beginning and end, with a simple password code
presented upon the completion of each. The action begins at
Chaplin Field, moves to the streets for a couple chapters, heads to the
South Seas Club, a brief escape from the Hughes Aircraft Company,
through Griffith Park, and finally aboard the airship Luxembourg for
the final confrontation.
The game has a ton of
visual depth and detail (left), easily one of the nicest portraits on
the hardware (center), The Rocketeer battles an enemy rocketman (right)
Similar to
Sunsoft's Batman, Cliff has an array of weapons that all draw from the
same pool of ammunition, with more powerful armaments consuming more
ammo. The Select Button cycles through the weapons, including a
short-range pistol, a quick-firing rifle, three-shot pistol, hand
grenade, and a powerful bazooka. There are times when selecting a
weapon can feel a bit clunky but the quick change is fast and
responsive. He can also use his fists for no ammunition cost and
this will be the attack of choice for dispatching the majority of the
game's standard low level enemies. Collision detection is often in your
favor, as Cliff's punch has a slightly greater range than may be
assumed. Also while Cliff has a moment of invulnerability when
hit by an enemy or projectile, the enemies do not - so wail away on
them for fast takedowns. Although I prefer to punch my way
through most of the game, ammo drops are very frequent throughout,
allowing quite a bit of choice in how to approach each situation.
Also be sure to punch at lockers in the backgrounds, quite a few of
them can be broken open to reveal ammo or health replenishments.
The rocket
pack is activated by quickly pressing the B Button twice, essentially a
double-jump motion in other games. It is deactivated by either
running out of fuel or landing on a surface. Motion in flight has
a completely different feel to the rest of the movement in the game,
with a very specific momentum that allows for both level flight and
slow movement along a vector in any direction. Cliff feels as if
he has controllable weight, being suspended and propelled by the Cirrus
X3 rocket pack strapped to his back. It's honestly pretty amazing
that this game mechanic is so perfectly nailed and feels both
predictable and totally natural. There are a lot of side
scrollers with characters that can fly and they just never feel right
but The Rocketeer shows them how it's done. I have seen some
discussion that this game is "about a man with a rocket pack who barely
uses his rocket pack" but I disagree. Fuel can be somewhat
limited but this factors into the level design and enemy
placement. In areas where the rocket pack comes into play, there
are often spots where a full tank of fuel can be quickly and easily
farmed by defeating respawning enemies. This is by design, as if
the game is suggesting use of the rocket pack but ultimately leaving
the decision to continue using it up to the player. Many areas
have multiple paths that can be taken, allowing Cliff to stay near the
ground, fight along the rooftops, or quickly rocket through the skies.
Although Cliff
can
be controlled in mid-fall and mid-jump, his jumping motion feels
somehow both stiff and floaty at the same time, and will take a little
adjustment to feel comfortable with. Thankfully this can be
worked out
in the very first area but learning the parameters of where Cliff's
jump both begins and ends becomes critical as the game
progresses. In
addition to avoiding hazards there are some very complex platforming
areas in the later portion of the game that require precision.
It's very easy to loose a ton of health rapidly, not because of poor
design but due to the amount of projectiles and enemies Cliff has to
deal with constantly. While Cliff can fall from dizzying heights
without penalty, touching the smallest bit of fire or flame will hurt
him.
The freezer area
reminds me of The Goonies II (left), rocketing through high society in
the South Seas Club (center), closing in on the final battle (right)
My biggest
gripe with The Rocketeer is the same one I had when I first played it
thirty years ago and that is the sudden increase in difficulty.
The first two chapters have some challenging areas but for the most
part can be taken slowly and are rather direct. The third chapter
introduces floating cannons, rotating turrets, and enemies that match
themselves to Cliff's position. While methodical and controlled
movements are still the smoothest way to advance, the screen is simply
swamped with enemies and projectiles from start to finish. The
fourth chapter is where the game really starts to stretch out, with
multiple and complex environments to navigate, each riddled with
enemies and traps. Chapter five was always the breaking point for
me as a kid. It takes place in Griffith Park at night and adds
flying bats to the regular complement of enemies. The bats here
give the bats in Castlevania a run for their money in terms of causing
cheap damage. Not only do they move quickly and occasionally
blend in with the dark background, they can also attack at a difficult
to counter altitude. However Griffith Park features something
even worse than the bats - tree branches that break off and fall to the
ground, injuring Cliff. Some of the branches are extremely hard
to differentiate from the static background as they are the exact same
color as the trees they fall from, giving only the slightest indication
before breaking loose. Coupled with these factors, Griffith Park
is also a very long stage that finishes with multiple tight areas that
are crammed with enemies. The final chapter moves back to a more
conventional environment but ramps up the areas in terms of both size
and difficulty. One area has electrified barriers that can only
be shut off by destroying a radio transmitter, then backtracking to the
start and following the newly opened path. It's neat
that they tried something new here but it's not made completely obvious
that the radio dish is what is controlling the barriers.
For the most
part enemy design is appropriate, consisting mainly of mobsters in
suits along with enemy rocketmen flying with experimental prototype
rocket packs. Admittedly there are some flat out video game-y
enemies thrown in - little tanks, mounted cannons that fire constantly,
hovering satellites - as well as clever little traps that require both
fast reflexes and calm strategy to clear cleanly. There are four
boss encounters throughout the game but two of the bosses can be
dispatched almost immediately with a couple well-aimed bazooka shots or
grenade lobs. The only boss fight that feels reasonably out of
the film is against Lothar, Neville Sinclair's top operative,
however it occurs far earlier in the game's narrative. Lothar kicks
all of Cliff's weapons away at the start of the fight, similar to what
happens in the movie, but he's easy enough to defeat with jumping
punches and is of little challenge. The final battle against
Neville Sinclair is essentially no different than dispatching any
regular shooting enemy in the game, except he shoots a larger burst and
requires more hits to take down.
Background
graphics are very detailed, beautifully so in a few areas, with lots of
little touches to add depth. The hangar environment from the
first chapter is reused briefly at the start of chapter five but aside
from that there's pretty good variety and a solid attempt to re-create
the locations from the film. Cutscenes are upper tier for what is
seen on the NES, with good color, nice details and consistent character
designs from beginning to end. This is one of
those games that really looks phenomenally better on a CRT, as there is
quite a bit of dithering in both the backgrounds and cutscene graphics
designed to take advantage of the technology of the time. The sprites
are a bit small but in line with most NES action games and have an
acceptable amount of detail for their size, although admittedly their
animation is a bit limited. The Rocketeer himself looks pretty
good with
some nice color separation. On a technical
level the game runs very smoothly and predictably, with the only real
slowdown occurring during the first boss fight, which slows the tempo
of the music a bit. Speaking of
the music, The Rocketeer has some of my favorite musical compositions
of any NES game. While none of the late James Horner's incredible
film score is used, the game features a wonderful assortment of tracks
that range from heroic and action packed to smooth and jazzy.
Each piece of music clearly establishes a character or mood and the
entire game is scored as if it were a film itself. It should be
no surprise the music is so good as it was produced by The Fat
Man himself, George Sanger.
Referencing a line of
dialogue from the film (left), The Rocketeer ascends toward the Luxembourg (center), cutscenes are very
nicely detailed (right)
While The
Rocketeer is far from being one of the greatest games of all time, I
think its reputation as being mediocre is unfair, same with the film of
which it is based upon. It's not the deepest game and if you know
what you're doing and are on top of the challenge it can be completed
pretty briskly, yet during that brisk run it tells a coherent and
complete narrative. Being comprised of only six chapters may seem
light on content for an action game but many of them are quite lengthly
with multiple continuous areas and can be very challenging. The
long and winding nature of many levels, with their surprising amount of
vertical movement, feels like something out of a Super Nintendo game
rather than a NES game based on a movie license. At the end of
the day that's what this is - a licensed game based on a movie, which
generally yields some pretty poor video games but The Rocketeer is an
exception to that. After thirty years I still love The Rocketeer,
miss the immense talent and dedication of its creator Dave Stevens, and
really enjoy this video game adaptation of the feature film.
I have often
said that Dave Stevens' high flying adventures of Cliff Secord had a
profound influence upon me, probably more than anything else I
encountered in any media. My love of the air age, pin-up women, Art Deco
style, building things on the kitchen table, air races, the Gee Bee
Model Z and so much more all sprung from that film and have never left
me since. This game is what gave me that first taste of the world
of The Rocketeer and it only got more interesting from then on.
Shortly after Dave Stevens passed away in 2008 the entire collection of
Rocketeer stories was combined, recolored, and reprinted in a single
volume as The Rocketeer - The Complete Adventures. The comic was an homage to
everything he loved, especially the 1949 Republic Pictures serial "King
of the Rocket Men," and still stands as an amazing work from an
incredible artist who left this world far too soon. If you have
even the slightest interest in The Rocketeer and have never read the
original stories, then I urge you to pick up a copy.
Continuing
as an annual tradition, 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. Please enjoy our newsletter's annual showcase
of special
gifts for the retrogamers on your list.
~ ~ ~
Merman:
This year I am
going to choose a book as my holiday gift. Life is a Game - The Inspirational Success
Story of a Legendary Game Developer is the autobiography of
Mevlut Dinc. Mev was born in Turkey and moved to Britain in the late
1970s. Working in a factory, a colleague suggested he buy a ZX81 - one
of the early computers from the recently deceased Sir Clive Sinclair.
It changed Mev's life. Teaching himself how to program, Mev then became
one of the UK's top developers for the later ZX Spectrum. Turning his
hand to game design, Mev worked on several formats and created some
legendary titles - including First Samurai, Street Racer and S.C.A.R.S.
Moving back to Turkey, Mev helped start new companies and game design
courses that led to a thriving Turkish software industry. And while he
has now officially retired, the book's closing sections deal with his
life as he moved round Europe and sat down to write his life story.
It is a
fascinating rags-to-riches tale, filled with hardship and
moments of inspiration. While there is some technical detail it is
never too much for a casual reader. The short sections and style of
text are very readable, and I found it difficult to put down as I
became engrossed in the story. There are plenty of screenshots and
photos too. I have had the pleasure of meeting and talking to Mev, and
the book describes him perfectly, a mix of knowledge, passion, and a
humble nature. One of the best books on video games I have read in
recent years.
There are a lot of really good bands
specializing in video game music that are active right now, showcasing
both the artistry of the original compositions and adding their own
unique flavor to create something totally new. Super Soul Bros.
is one such band and their most recent album, Motherlode, is my pick for this
year. Although they are based in my hometown, I first encountered
Super Soul Bros. on YouTube before attending live performances at local
conventions and venues. They are by far my favorite video game
music ensemble, building an energy akin to what was seen in live
performances by the Sega and Taito house bands of the 1990's.
However it's not just high energy live covers of video game music on
offer. The members of the band are each accomplished musicians in
their own right and combine that professionalism and experience with
the beauty and fun of video game music to create a very unique sound.
Released a few years ago, Motherlode
is their first full-length studio
produced album, spanning the Mother / EarthBound trilogy of
games. The Mother games have always been renowned for their
diverse and funky soundtracks, which combined with the musical stylings
of Super Soul Bros. is a match made in Magicant. At least one
composition from EarthBound is usually in the setlist for a Super Soul
Bros. performance but an entire album of hand-picked songs from
arguably the biggest cult classic RPG series is a treat for the
senses. Each track is true to the original source while at the
same time features the band's own soulful jazz spin on one of the most
eclectic songbooks in video game history. What I find most
enjoyable about the album is how all the different types of music
seamlessly blend together in one amazing and oddly nostalgic
collection. I suppose that's one of the reasons the Mother games
are so popular. This is an outstanding gift for anyone who enjoys
video game music, the EarthBound games, funk and soul music, or
absolutely sparkling jazz. The current pandemic has been
especially hard on musicians and this is a great way to support a
spectacular band who continues to create spectacular music.
I'm taking a
big swing of the bo staff with my holiday gift pick. If you're really
looking to do it up big for the gaming geek in your life this holiday
season, then perhaps there is no way to do it bigger than with one of
Arcade 1up's at home arcade machines. For 88 lbs. of gaming fun, I
highly recommend the brand new Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time Arcade Machine. Enjoy
playing as Leo, Donnie, Raph, and Mikey as they travel through time to
defeat Shredder and mow down wave after wave of Foot Soldiers and other
baddies. There's no better way to say "I wish you a Turtle Christmas"
than by giving them their very own arcade!
Turtles In
Time is a fantastic arcade brawler and a massive improvement
over the original Turtles arcade game. For starters, there are brighter
more colorful graphics, bigger bosses, better animations, and more
varied levels. If you wanna compare and play the original Turtles
arcade game, it's included in the cabinet too. The cabinet art looks
authentically retro, online play is included, and the buttons even
light up! And if the Turtles aren't quite their thing, there's a full
line of other excellent arcade cabinets on the Arcade 1up website,
including newer models like The Simpsons, Killer Instinct, and the
original Tron arcade. With Arcade 1up you're sure to find something
perfect for the arcade lover in your life that'll help bring their
gaming area to life. As an extremely happy owner of their NBA Jam
cabinet, I can confidently say that this would make an excellent gift
for that special dorky someone in your life. Cowabunga!
For this
year's guide I suggest a pair of games for your Apple II
lover, Nox Archaist and Attack of the PETSCII Robots.
I've mentioned Nox Archaist some time ago. I bought both a
physical copy and the digital download version. Alas, while I've
had the game for a while, I haven't delved into it fully. While
the concept of a new retro game is cool, it's just so much easier to
boot my Nintendo Switch and play Nintendo Arms which has been my modern
go to game for over a year. Attack of the PETSCII Robots is an
interesting game, which I got after Nox Archaist. I think I was
in a buying mood and when I saw another new Apple II game and I decided
to give it a spin. I also got the physical and digital
copies. Unlike Nox Archaist, I have played Attack a few times,
though I have yet to figure out exactly what I'm support to be
doing. There isn't much information describing the game play on
the website, although it recently occurred to me that I should read the
included manual (which I just did) and I learned a little more.
In any case
it's incredible that in 2021, about 28 years after the last
Apple II (Apple IIc) was discontinued, there are still Apple II games
being developed.
Battletoads
is a very interesting beast in the NES library. Regarded by some
as one of the greatest games on the platform, by others as one of the
most difficult games ever made, and by many as one of the most
frustrating games they've ever played. Released in the summer of
1991 among
the impending 16 bit generation of home consoles, Battletoads was able
to take advantage of the later years of the NES to provide a noticeable
step up in graphics over other titles on the platform. Although
billed as a beat 'em up, the gameplay in Battletoads features a diverse
mix of already established styles including traditional side scrolling
platforming and high speed vehicle based action. The
bright colors, varied gameplay, and immense challenge won Battletoads
many industry accolades and awards - becoming a favorite of many gamers.
On the flip
side, the challenge would often border on absurd, earning Battletoads
the reputation as one of the most difficult games ever created.
More often than not the difficulty comes not from challenge but from
high levels of frustration which only increase as the game rolls
on. This is compounded with an extremely limited continue system
and a two player option that severely punishes mistakes made in the
high speed sections of the game. Those looking for a game similar
to the Ninja
Turtles arcade games would end up with something far more than they
expected,
for both better and worse. Yet Battletoads continues to be on
many "best of" lists concerning NES era video games and beat 'em ups in
general, so I thought I would give it a fresh play and a fair shake.
The
Battletoads, a trio of intergalactic crime fighters, are en route to
the Terran homeworld escorting Princess Angelica home. One
of the Battletoads, Pimple, sets off in a smaller transport with the
princess for some relaxation before continuing the journey. Along
the way they are both captured by the Dark Queen and taken as prisoner
on her home planet. It's up to Rash and Zitz, the remaining
Battletoads, to infiltrate Ragnarok's World and rescue Princess
Angelica and their captured comrade. The Battletoads repel down
to the planet's surface from their ship, under the guidance of
Professor T. Bird. Where
as many games would follow the same gameplay formula from start to
finish or possibly switch between two different styles, Battletoads
strives to throw everything at you one level after another. This
variety becomes both the biggest triumph and the greatest
disappointment of the game but it does a good job to lure you in
initially.
The first stage plays like an arcade style beat 'em
up, similar to Double Dragon or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade
games. The stage ends with a very impressive looking boss battle
shown from the perspective of the boss in first person. After
that the second stage plays completely different, the Battletoads now
repelling down a long shaft from ropes. The third stage opens up
with much of the same beat 'em up gameplay from the first stage but
then moves to a game of high speed obstacle avoidance. These are
often considered to be the most difficult parts of the game and while
they're no cakewalk, there are more difficult areas to come later
on. Most players however tend not to be able to get passed the
third stage, especially those who were younger during the game's
original release. It wouldn't be a stretch to call stage three
one of the most initially irritating areas in an NES game, as I can
imagine many NES control pads being thrown across the room in disgust
over the challenge here. The dirty secret is that the game will
tend to repeat stages similar to these, always with a few changes such
as different vehicles, a couple more times before the end - and they
only get worse.
While many
would say the high speed obstacle course levels are the most difficult,
personally I find some of the later parts of the game far more
frustrating. One stage in particular is set up as a flooded maze
with instant kill spikes, huge gears that appear at a moments notice,
enemies that are almost impossible to defeat without taking damage, and
some jumps that border on impossible. I must have spent at least
three straight hours attempting to complete that stage. The
problem was that rather than having an enjoyable, challenging gameplay
experience, I only grew more frustrated with every death and continue -
having to go back to the very start of the stage each time. This
joy of a stage is followed up by yet another exercise in frustration
where you must outrun a series of crazed rats that will set off
explosives if they beat you to them. Attacking the currently
running rat will slow it down but only slightly. I'm sure there
are people out there that can get through this area without even
breaking a sweat but for me the stage felt poorly tested, bordering on
broken in terms of level design. That's a good way to sum up
those two levels, nearly broken in design. Another stage that
proved to be overly frustrating is one in which you use a vehicle that
resembles the front wheel and handlebars off a bicycle with suction
cups on the tires. You must direct the vehicle all over the
stage, making sure that you make your turns efficiently as possible as
deadly giant energy orbs give chase from start to finish. The
more cornering mistakes you make, the closer the orb gets. This
stage will wear your thumb down to the bone and your directional pad
won't like it very much either.
However the
final stage of the game proves to be the absolute most
frustrating. I suppose it could be assumed that it would be,
since it's the last stage after all. This stage involves a long,
long, long tower climb in which missing a jump usually means
death. The gameplay of the tower climb changes slightly as you
ascend and the cylindrical design reminds me of the classic action /
puzzle game Nebulus (better known as Tower Toppler or Castelian in the
USA). The climb feels like a haphazard mash up between Nebulus
and Double Dragon, with the game sometimes forgetting exactly what it's
trying to do. If you don't believe me, run around the tower a few
times and then try to change direction and see what happens. Also
along the climb there are parts where you must hang onto poles sticking
out of the tower and do nothing else to avoid being blown off. As
with the rest of the game, this is all trial and error. The
platforming here is also
very loose, again, feeling like the game can't decide how it wants to
proceed. Some platforms float around the tower in opposite
directions and unless you jump in exactly the precise spot that the
game wants to cooperate with, expect to fall through platforms or fly
off in an unexpected direction. Add into this my most hated item
in
platforming games, the springboard, and anyone reading this should know
that by the end I was at my wits end with this game. Then to add
insult to injury, the battle at the top with the Dark Queen is a total
piece of cake.
Things start off
excellent (left), a challenging area that is actually my favorite in
the game (center), challenge becomes flat out irritation (right)
For all the
difficulty and frustration that Battletoads will dump on a player, at
least the journey is stunning to look at. The 16 bit console era
was in its earliest days and Battletoads showed that Nintendo's 8 bit
workhorse still had a few visual tricks up its sleeve. Sprites
are amazingly detailed, especially the Battletoads themselves.
The most well-known examples are that of the Battletoads' finishing
attacks with their hands becoming giant fists, a foot stretching out
into a huge boot, ram horns morphing from their heads during a
headbutt, or turning into a wrecking ball when hanging from a
rope. These moves are done with smooth, slick animation that
lends to a very comic book feel in each stage. Added to that are
the large sprites that are used for almost everything in the game, with
minimal flicker. Backgrounds and terrain are very colorful,
bright, and also well animated where required. Cutscenes are very
nicely done and as with everything else, well detailed. Again,
the lack of flicker is what really pulls together the look. Sure,
it's still there but only in it's most minimal form and it never gets
in the way of the game. If there is one big letdown graphically
it's the lack of polish during the final battle. Unfortunately
the attention given to the detailed look of the game sadly wasn't paid
to the audio. While completely passable there really isn't much
here that's very memorable. The main theme never really gets
going and plays out more like a string of sound effects.
Individual stage themes won't be sticking in your head, in fact it may
be hard to recall them after a play session. Amazingly enough the
music from Battletoads that everyone remembers is the beat heavy tune
that plays when the game is paused. Even this can get extremely
annoying after prolonged listening and with a game as difficult as
Battletoads, pausing out to take a breather is near mandatory.
Sound effects are decent, if not subdued, but do their job. A
symphony for the eyes but not for the ears. I know many may
disagree with that, as most Rare games have incredible
audio, just not this one in my opinion.
My biggest
gripe with Battletoads is how the play control can go from rock solid
to nearly completely falling apart, sometimes within the same
stage. The beat 'em up based portions of the game play
spectacularly. Control is solid, fast, the Battletoads do exactly
what you want them to do. Even during the high speed parts of the
game, the control is right where it should be and is fairly
precise. Where the game tends to have problems is during the
traditional side scrolling platform levels. This is most apparent
in level nine, the flooded maze. There are jumps in this stage
that I must have done over one hundred times and regardless of my
input, positioning, enemy
placement - everything being exactly the same, the outcome would vary
wildly. Whether this is due to poor level design, programming
issues, lack of enough playtesting or too much playtesting to the point
where the issues were accepted and overlooked - it makes the game far
too frustrating. This also applies to the tower
climb at the end of the game but to less of an extent there. The
arcade style drop-in two player mode may add some replay but due to the
tight extra life and continue setup the game uses, don't expect to have
a very good time. If anything it makes the game even more
difficult. When I first
played Battletoads years ago I said that the only way one could have a
reasonable amount of enjoyment with it was to use a Game Genie and my
opinion is the same today.
Without using a Game Genie code, once you're out of extra lives you'll
only have three continues for the entire game. That's just not
enough for a game of this size and brutal difficulty, even if you're
skipping levels by warping. Which begs the question why even have
warp points in an action game? The better idea from square one
was to make continues unlimited or at the very least implement a
password feature.
Now I know I
sound very harsh in my criticisms of this game but I think that is more
because it's a game that I have always really wanted to like. It
has a lot going for it - beautiful graphics, a detailed world, tons of
variety. However the problem with Battletoads is it can't decide
what type of game it wants to be. There are some parts that are
simply excellent and others that are frustrating to the point where you
want to stop playing and turn the game off. Any game that makes
you want to stop playing games, not just change to something else but
actually end your gaming session, should not be considered a good
game. While I didn't care for the SNES sequel "Battletoads in
Battlemaniacs" I did enjoy both the first follow-up "Battletoads &
Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team" and the Battletoads arcade
game. Both of those mainly stick to the beat 'em style and feel
consistently designed start to finish. I suppose all I can really
say about Battletoads is if you have a couple days to kill doing
nothing but playing a tough as nails classic NES game, and you own a
Game Genie, then you'll find some entertainment here. Otherwise
you'll play a couple stages in, get frustrated, and put the game on a
shelf and never come back to it. I may go against the grain but
for anything other than graphics, this game deserves no place on any
"best of" lists in my opinion.
Ah, the Nintendo GameCube. A
misunderstood system to say the least.
Approximately twenty years ago, it was released to the world at large
to a collective shrug, and was promptly trounced on the sales charts by
the PlayStation 2 and the original Xbox. The system was a big flop by
Nintendo standards, becoming their weakest selling home console at the
time by a wide margin. Many people chose not to buy it, but for those
who didn't get one, they really missed out on a library chock full of
fantastic and unique experiences. Although it may have finished in
third place on the sales charts, it finished first in many a gamer's
heart as the quirky home of some of Nintendo's finest and most bizarre
games.
While not as much of quantum leap
forward in technology as the N64, which held the hand of gamers as they
jumped into the 3D generation, the GameCube took 3D gaming and refined
it, giving us a much better game playing experience. The GameCube era
found the big N taking some wild swings with the installments of their
big franchises, their choice of media format, the lunchbox style design
of the console, the layout of the controller and some pretty random
accessories. But time has been kind to the legacy of the GameCube, and
so in honor of the twentieth anniversary of the GameCube's release in
2001, here are twenty of my picks for the greatest GameCube games ever.
The
Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker: A gorgeous seafaring
adventure through the sunken kingdom of Hyrule. It was initially dissed
by the hardcore Zelda fan base for its controversial cel-shaded
graphics and cartoony art style. But the game and its colorful graphics
have aged like a fine wine and the game has rightfully taken its place
among the greatest Zelda adventures of all time. With a massive ocean
to explore, an engrossing story, and a crazy amount of secrets to
discover, this game finally delivered the gigantic world map that
Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask only hinted at. The game is full of
offbeat characters like Tingle and Tetra, who you'll grow to love. It
is a must play for anyone, so come sail away, come sail away, come sail
away with Link!
Resident
Evil 4: A sheer triumph and still arguably the greatest
game in the series, this installment first appeared exclusively on the
GameCube before being ported to virtually every platform released in
its wake, including an upcoming VR release for the Oculus Quest 2
headset. Starting Leon Kennedy from Resident Evil 2, this was the first
game to push the series into a more action oriented direction. This
game was mind blowing, and I mean that quite literally. Who can ever
forget their first explosive head shot, or their first encounter with
the chainsaw villager? Settings like a creepy village and a chilling
castle will fill you full of fear while still delivering a ton of fun.
It's the perfect blend of terror and delight, so as the sales guy in
the game always says, "What are yah buyin'?" Hopefully this gem of a
game.
Super
Smash Bros. Melee: The first Smash Bros. was a truly
revolutionary party game. As a fighter that was simple, unique,
accessible, and full of Nintendo's greatest mascots, it was a brilliant
idea. But it was merely a trial run compared to this killer sequel
which packed in so much content, it's no wonder it's still played like
crazy today by a lovingly devoted fan base. Infinitely better than the
original, this is the one that set the bar for all future Smash Bros.
games to follow. This game is so beloved that it has helped keep the
GameCube controller alive as the primary choice of control for many
Smash pro gamers and it continues to be supported by Nintendo. Melee is
complete with all the trademarks of the series fans have grown to love
like bigger, crazier stages, truly random playable characters, tons of
weapons and match options, collectible in-game trophies, and a lengthy
story mode. It truly is the total package.
The Legend of Zelda
The Wind Waker: Link brings home
the bacon (left), Super Smash Bros. Melee: Melee is a faster,
fuller, Smash game (right)
Metroid
Prime: As the first Metroid game to be released in over a
decade, the first developed by American based Retro Studios, and the
first to mainly use a first person 3D perspective for gameplay, this
game had a lot riding on it. Every previous installment in the Samus
saga was a bona fide classic, so any slippage in quality could've been
disastrous for the franchise. But once Metroid Prime was released by
Nintendo in November of 2002, it was heralded for the masterpiece it
truly is. The first-person perspective was incredibly immersive, as it
truly made you feel like the kick-ass bounty hunter as you used her
trademark visor to scan the environment of planet Tallon IV for
information. Third person morph ball segments also help to give it just
enough of a classic Metroid feel. It was a true triumph in every way,
and one of the best action games not just on the GameCube but of all
time.
Animal
Crossing: When the COVID-19 pandemic started to truly rage
last spring, so many people took solace in crafting their perfect
island getaway in the sunny land of Animal Crossing New Horizons on
Switch. But that wouldn't have been possible without the debut of this
feel good series in North America with the release of first Animal
Crossing game on the GameCube. The game was completely packed full of
personality and charm, as you moved into a fairly empty town and grew
and customized it as you saw fit. It was the ultimate low stakes
friendship simulator which has exploded into a phenomenon with millions
of fans. Future installments improved and refined the formula, but
there are still people out there customizing and tinkering their
original town on the GameCube daily and still finding plenty to do even
twenty years later.
Star
Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II: This is spaceship
combat perfected. Launch title Rogue Leader put players back in the
cockpit of their favorite alphabet shaped Star Wars air ships, and let
them duke it out against the oppressive Empire and their disposable
army of TIE fighters. The graphics and presentation of this game are
still stunning 20 years later, and the gameplay is still simply
fantastic too. The recreations of some of the most famous battles from
the films, especially the ever present Hoth battle, are a true joy to
live out. If you don't get goosebumps while making the trench run on
the first Death Star as Luke, well, I guess you must be more of a Star
Trek person. The force with was strong with this one indeed.
Resident Evil 4:
Don't lose your head
while in the village (left), Viewtiful Joe: The graphics give this
game a comic book look (right)
Viewtiful
Joe: VJ was born out of Capcom's game-changing GameCube
Five partnership with Nintendo for five exclusive games including
Resident Evil 4. It is a radically unique side scrolling beat 'em up,
released at a time when those type of games were really considered old
news. The game featured mind blowing Matrix-style time control powers
at the player's disposal and simply blew minds back in the day. Luckily
the game is still a ton of fun to play. With absolutely Viewtiful
cel-shaded graphics to give the game a comic book style appearance,
this is a playful trip into the movies with plenty of superhero and
sci-fi love. I definitely think this game deserves an HD remake or
another form of re-release, so that the modern superhero obsessed
society we live in can experience this campy classic for the first
time. Or it could make a pretty epic live action movie... just sayin'...
Super
Mario Sunshine: After perfecting the 3D platformer with
Super Mario 64, Nintendo switched it up for the follow-up. This game
finds Mario traveling to the gorgeously sunny Isle Delfino where he's
promptly framed for vandalism, and forced to clean up the mess with the
help of super water powered backpack named FLUDD. This backpack gives
Mario a whole new set of unique tools to use for platforming, that have
yet to show up in another mainline Mario game, like a watery jet pack
and a spray of water that rockets Mario upwards. For those who were
expecting a more straight forward follow up to Mario 64, there are
several secret levels where Mario is water-pack free for some more
basic platforming sections. But be warned, the challenge in these areas
is off the charts. Who said the Mario games were only for kids? Even if
Nintendo didn't quite top Mario 64, this game was a ton of fun, and
received a worthy inclusion in the Mario 3D All-Stars compilation
released for Nintendo Switch in 2020.
Pikmin:
Just another odd stroke of genius design from the legendary mind of
Shigeru Miyamoto. This game that he apparently dreamed up while
gardening, finds you in the role of Captain Olimar, a would be
astronaut, who has crash-landed on a strange planet full of lush
greenery that may or may not be Earth. Olimar enlists the help of the
human / plant hybrid Red, Blue, and Yellow Pikmin to recover the parts
of his damaged spaceship and escape. It's essentially a real time army
simulator, wrapped up in an irresistibly cute, easily digestible
package. The power of the GameCube's CPU let you put up to 100 of the
little guys on screen without slowdown and commanding a Pikmin army of
that size feels incredibly satisfying. As the day's clock ticks down,
you'll frantically try to recover the spaceship parts and you may even
find a wave of sadness washing over you every time you accidentally get
your trusty Pikmin killed. This was a great way to showcase the power
under the hood of the GameCube and a great start to an under
appreciated series that continues to this day with the port of Wii U's
fantastic Pikmin 3 on Nintendo Switch last year.
Super Mario Sunshine: This
game is so
bright, it might make you thirsty (left), Mario Kart Double Dash: Baby
Park is a mad
dash trough a tiny course (right)
F-Zero
GX: This futuristic racer was born out of a once seemingly
impossible partnership between former blood rivals Sega and Nintendo.
Developed by the Sega owned developer Amusement Vision, the pair of
former enemies collaborated to release this devilishly, controller
spikingly hard racing game. Get your eye drops ready, and get your game
face on, because if you so much as blink on some courses, it will ruin
an entire trophy cup run. The AI of your 29 opponents are out for blood
and looking to wreck your space racer at any opportunity.The game is
packed with features including a frantic and still fun four-player
mode. There's even a story mode where you take on the role of the
Falcon Puncher himself, Captain Falcon. Sadly there has not been an
original, full scale F-Zero game released on a home Nintendo console
since this one. Hopefully the time is coming very soon for Nintendo to
finally give the fans of this adrenaline pumping series a true sequel
with modern hardware.
Mario
Kart Double Dash: This is another perfect example of
Nintendo using the GameCube to try something a little different with
one of their classic franchises. For Mario Kart Double Dash they took a
hard swerve away from making a basic follow up to the classic N64 and
SNES games. They zigged where others may have zagged with this left
turn of a sequel. Nintendo could have played it safe but instead added
a very interesting wrinkle, putting two riders inside each kart, hence
the subtitle Double Dash. This opened up a new world of strategy and
item management, as well as a unique co-op mode where both players rode
together and shared a Kart. The battle mode was also refreshed with new
modes in addition to the classic Balloon Battle as a welcome extra
treat. Although many of the tracks from this game have made their way
to other Mario Kart games, this dual rider mechanic has not been
repeated in any of the other MK installments, making this a very
special kart racer to add to your Cube's library.
Super
Monkey Ball 2: For those who have never had the pleasure
of playing a Super Monkey Ball game, let me try to explain. It's kind
of like the classic game Marble Madness only with monkeys inside of
transparent balls for lots of inspired monkey madness. The game starts
simply enough but as it goes on it becomes pleasantly, absurdly
challenging. Only the finest gamers alive will be able to get through
all 150 stages. I'm featuring the second game in this list since it has
a lot of the content the first game did plus lots of extra bonus
goodies. In addition to the main mode Super Monkey Ball 2 is a damn
fine party game, featuring all kinds of four player mayhem. Players can
play Monkey Billiards, Monkey Golf, Monkey Bowling and perhaps the
wildest of them all, Monkey Fight, in which players have a boxing glove
attached to their ball and attempt to knock the others off a stage
using wild 'n crazy power ups. It's a great time and a fantastic
addition to your party game lineup.
Luigi's
Mansion: When there's something strange, in your old
mansion, who you gonna call? Luigi!! That's right, in this game you
play as Luigi as he inherits a spooky mansion and gets outfitted with a
super powered vacuum to help make it ghost free and rescue a kidnapped
Mario. This game is basically Nintendo's version of Ghostbusters and
it's a ton of fun while it lasts. Stylistically, this was a bold choice
to launch the GameCube with. It showed right out of the gate that
Nintendo was willing to take chances and experiment with their big
marquee franchises this time around. The mansion Luigi inherits is
dripping with a creepy, gloomy, Resident Evil for kids atmosphere.
Perhaps if it hadn't had the intense burden of being the Mario Bros.
launch title and had to live up to that incredible legacy, it would
have performed better. Who knows how differently the GameCube era would
have gone if they had made Super Mario Sunshine first and launched the
console with that game instead of this ghoulishly creepy spinoff.
Super Monkey Ball 2:
Going for the goal
in a jam packed game (left), Luigi's Mansion: The view from the
lobby of the mansion (right)
Super
Mario Strikers: Nintendo let developer Next Level Games
give the Mario cast an aggressive edge that was never seen before for
this soccer outing that suits the game very well. In an era of super
popular extreme sports games, this is about as extreme as Nintendo ever
got with their usually cuddly cast of characters. You feel the pain of
all the tackles as Koopa Troopas scream out in pain as they get
electrocuted and bone crunching slide attacks swipe the ball from
defenseless Toads. Waluigi is extra bratty here, cementing his role as
a weirdo cult Mario Bros. icon. It's a very underrated Mario sports
title that came out late in the system's life but now seems to have
found it's target audience. That's at least if the average overinflated
price on eBay for a used copy of the game is any indication. Goal!!
Sonic
Adventure 2 Battle: The Sega Dreamcast is kind of like
Sega's version of the GameCube. A massively under appreciated console
with lots of creative, fantastic games that sold relatively poorly.
After the failure of the Dreamcast, Sega did the unthinkable and
started to release Sonic games on a Nintendo system. This felt so wrong
at the the time but yet it felt so right. It helped Sega step up and
became one of Nintendo's MVP's: or Most Valuable Publishers. This was
the first time Sonic ever appeared on a Nintendo console and it was
mind blowing at the time, which is easy to forget because it has become
so normal to see Sonic appear in Mario games today. This improved port
of the Dreamcast game added better graphics and a variety of other
small upgrades. This game also introduced Sonic's rival hedgehog
Shadow, and a huge campaign with tons of characters to play as and
things to collect. Sonic has had some shaky games come out after this
one, so this may very well still be the best 3D Sonic experience ever
made.
Eternal
Darkness: Sanity's Requiem: Nintendo allowed for some
genuinely mature experiences on the GameCube even though their primary
focus was being family and kiddie friendly. Eternal Darkness is an
unforgettable, terrifying experience from developer Silicon Nights and
publisher Nintendo. The game features a story spanning the globe and
generations, starting with a female protagonist named Alexandra Rovas
as she discovers a sinister book made of human flesh and body parts
known only as the Tome of Eternal Darkness. This genuinely creepy game
may just drive you insane with some of the tricks it plays on the
player as your on-screen character loses their sanity. I won't spoil
them here but you'll question your own grip on reality as the game
plays fourth wall breaking tricks on you. It's the kind of experience
that sticks with you and you may never be able to forget, no matter how
you try. Play it and see, and it may even become your favorite GameCube
game.
Soul
Calibur II: The sequel to Soul Calibur was released on
PS2, Xbox, and GameCube on the exact same day. But the real stroke of
genius in the pre-DLC world by publisher Namco, was to include a
special guest character for each platform's version of the sword
fighting button masher. The Xbox got comics character Spawn,
PlayStation got Heihachi from Tekken, but the Cube got the best
exclusive character, hands down, by letting you play as the adult
version of Link. This version by far sold the best on Nintendo's system
and opened the door to all kinds of other guest appearances in other
GameCube games. It also didn't hurt that Soul Calibur II is loaded with
things to do and to unlock and is hands down one of the best fighting
games of all time.
Sonic Adventure 2
Battle: Sonic meets his
Shadow in this upgraded sequel (left), NBA Street Volume 3: Peach in
mid-slam dunk (right)
Donkey
Konga: Before Guitar Hero and Rockband cluttered living
rooms with a variety of guitars and other plastic instruments, there
was Donkey Konga. Apparently at that time, DK didn't want to work, he
just wanted to bang on his drums all day. Playing a rhythm game with a
pair of plastic bongos seems weird at first but if you give in to the
strangeness, you'll soon be clapping and smashing and singing along
with Donkey Konga. The game is an absolute hoot and the song selection
of the first game is very eclectic and interesting. It's definitely the
only video game featuring Rock Lobster, Blink 182, the Pokémon
anime theme, and the Happy Birthday song in its playlist. There's also
a multiplayer mode that can get very heated and competitive. If you've
got space in your game room for another plastic instrument, I highly
recommend picking this one up.
Pac-Man
VS: Believe it or not, this game was conceived by none
other than Shigeru Miyamoto, and is one of the killer apps that justify
the reason of the existence of the Game Boy Advance link cable. In this
game, the player with the Game Boy is Pac-Man and runs through a
standard view of a maze. Meanwhile on the TV the other players are the
ghosts trying to catch him, only they can't see the entire maze. This
makes for some very intense and often hilarious fun. The brilliance of
this concept lives on to the day with a recent port to the Nintendo
Switch, that's much easier to pick up and play today. It's overall a
little short on content, but will surely be a big hit at your future
four player GameCube party.
NBA
Street Volume 3: The GameCube was a stealthily sweet
sports gaming device. EA and Nintendo were tight back in the day and
GCN owners got lots of great sports content including the Madden NFL
games, NBA, Golf, and FIFA games, just like owners of the the other big
two consoles. They also got multiple installments of EA's Big extreme
sports series, including the NBA Street games. These games were like a
spiritual successor to NBA Jam, with tons of over the top dribble moves
and dunks. The roster of playable characters was always a fantastic
treat with an amazing mix of legends like MJ and Dr. J and fantastical
creatures like a yeti and a rock monster. I'm giving Vol. 3 the nod
here, because it gave you the incredibly bizarre sight of a stubby
Mario, Luigi, and Peach ballin' and playing hoops against the more
traditional looking NBA players. Sadly, this partnership would not
last, and EA's support of Nintendo consoles has gotten increasingly
spotty over the years. But we'll always have their fantastic GameCube
sports collaborations.
Released only in Japan for the
original PlayStation in 1997, Cellophanes
is an obscure and forgotten game that was ahead of its time for the
notion of looking back at the past. Cellophanes may very well be
the first commercially released game designed around the style,
aesthetic, and limitations of games from decades earlier. Not
conversions of existing older games, or a compilation release, or a
repackaging, or even an homage to any specific title. Rather
Cellophanes is a collection of twelve original games that would feel at
home in the arcades of the 1970's and very early 1980's. The idea
here is to invoke feelings of nostalgia for an already bygone era of
gaming, without directly duplicating any of the games from that
time. In essence, Cellophanes is a deliberate attempt to create
what we would now term a modern retrogame. Published by the
equally obscure Ninelives as apparently their lone video game release,
the game is rather uncommon bordering on rare, and I can't imagine it
was a very big title in its day.
The game opens with long video
sequence, with a style in that of colored pencil illustrations. A
door opens on a small darkened Japanese arcade and a young boy steps
in. Looking out at the games before him, he sees a 1970's style
cocktail cabinet beckoning to him with a glowing display. In his
hand is a 100 yen coin, synonymous with a single credit in a
Japanese arcade game both then and now. Light cascades along the
silver coin in the palm of his hand before it flies across the arcade
toward the cocktail cabinet. The coin falls into the cabinet's
coin slot, awakening a group of tiny creatures - electron gnomes
perhaps - who were slumbering within. The creatures run around
the circuitry, reviving the dormant arcade game as the boy takes a seat
at it, his reflection caught in the monitor briefly as the title screen
appears. The intro really cements the intention of nostalgia and
the wonder of being a kid with pocket money in an arcade during the
golden era. Then there's a crackling power on sound as the title
screen rolls upward as if the vertical hold on a CRT is locking into
place.
A 100 yen coin leaps
out of the boy's hand (left), zips across the room into a cocktail
cabinet (center), where tiny creatures bring the game to life (right)
The menu is very simple and contains
four options - Game Select, Memory Card, Akiba Parts Shop, and Staff
Credit. The individual menus and options will be in Japanese
beyond this point and while some of the selections can be felt out, the
deeper options can be difficult to navigate if you can't read the
language. Thankfully the text set used is very clean and white
against black, meaning that a smartphone translation utility such as
Google Translate should at the very least give you more of an idea of
what each option is. Game Select takes you to a simple menu with
each of the twelve game titles written in Japanese. These
can generally be figured out through repeated play or compared to the
text
in the instruction booklet. Memory Card is the save / load system
and the Staff Credit option is exactly what it says but shouldn't be
skipped over as it has some great music. Akiba Parts Shop allows
for the purchase of modifiers and enhancements for each of the twelve
games and we'll be getting back to that shortly. First let's take
a look at the twelve games in the order they appear in the Game Select
menu.
The Cellophanes title
screen introduces the concept of cellophane strips over a black and
white display (left), which is used in Computer Block (right)
Computer
Block starts things off as the perfect example of the type of
game that not only the collection represents but also where it gets its
name from. Computer Block is a block breaker game, a genre that
became very popular in Japan and continued as such well into the
late 1980's. This type of game involves knocking down rows of
blocks by hitting them with a ball, directed by a paddle at the bottom
of the screen, which the player controls. The most famous
examples
of the genre are Breakout and Arkanoid, however there are countless
games that play in a similar manner. Most of the early block
games, and early arcade games in general, used black and white monitors
with
strips of colored cellophane attached over the screen to add the effect
of color. As a representation of this era of gaming,
"Cellophanes" is a rather perfect title for a collection of games
styled after this type of hardware. Computer Block is a
reasonably bare-bones block breaker game with three areas of colored
strips and chunky graphics that would be right at home in an arcade
game of the mid 1970's. The ball will accelerate and the paddle
will shrink after coming into contact with the higher areas, creating a
familiar difficulty curve. After clearing all the blocks on the
screen another set loads in, each time in a different
configuration. The illusion of colored cellophane across a black
and white screen is done pretty well, with the ball changing color as
it moves beneath the different zones. Sound is also appropriate
for what would be heard out of an analog game such as this. Block
breaker games are the most widely represented genre within Cellophanes
and it's nice they started off with the most textbook representation of
this type of game.
World Travel's title
screen is very simple (left), while its gameplay is a step forward from
first generation paddle games (right)
World
Travel is a slightly newer generation of block breaker than
Computer Block, featuring color graphics and slightly higher
resolution. The biggest difference is that the individual blocks
are now smaller and square, only slightly larger than the ball.
This allows them to create large dot grid pictures of various landmarks
and sights from around the world, hence the title. While this
adds a lot more variety to each stage, the smaller blocks also tend to
cause the levels to drag out longer as they can be more difficult to
hit with the ball. Even with the much larger number of blocks to
break and complex patterns the ball physics are good and quite
predictable. Some stages can be difficult due to the lower levels
of blocks being positioned so close to the paddle but I still found
World Travel to be a fun block breaker. The game also features
some rudimentary music and wonderfully authentic sound effects.
Lord Block has a
rather striking title screen title screen (left), however the gameplay
is similar to World Travel (right)
Very similar to World Travel is Lord Block, which uses the same size
blocks but has a feudal Japan theme rather than one of modern world
travel. While it plays much the same as World Travel, I find the
patterns less fun to work through and ultimately a bit frustrating to
play. The audio package is different than World Travel with very
heavily compressed speech samples at the beginning and end of a
game. My Japanese isn't good enough to understand what is being
said but it certainly has the low fidelity of a very early talking
arcade game.
Dancing Zoo's title
screen looks right out of the early 1980's (left), but the gameplay is
rather frustrating (right)
Dancing
Zoo is my least favorite game in the collection although it has
an interesting concept and good presentation. Another paddle
game, this one eschews breaking blocks and instead is about collecting
animals in a zoo. The graphics are a step forward from the
previous three games, will full color animated sprites more akin to
what was seen in the early 1980's. In addition to the different
animals there are also barriers which can be broken open or used to
deflect the ball upon impact. The physics of Dancing Zoo are the
sticking point with me as it plays unlike a traditional block
breaker. Instead there is an element of downward gravity that
makes the whole thing feel like the bonus stage in Nintendo's Famicom /
NES Pinball game. It always feels like the ball is building more
momentum downward than you can ever hit back with. It's as if,
physics wise, the playfield is situated almost totally vertical.
This also means the ball is prone to some wild and often random
deflections and sudden acceleration. While the visuals are cute
and have some personality I find the frustration factor just a bit too
high with Dancing Zoo.
The title screen for
Delta is minimalist as most vector games were (left), it presents a
unique take on the ball and paddle genre with interesting quirks (right)
Going from my least favorite to most
favorite game on the disc, Delta
combines block breaker gameplay with the visuals of a color vector
game. The playfield is presented in a 3/4 perspective with a scrolling
starfield behind it. The first stage starts out rather standard
with a few rows of rectangular blocks that simply need to be hit
once to be destroyed. Further stages add different
objects which must be hit multiple times to clear out the
playfield. These range from things like cacti on a barren
backdrop, a schematic diagram on a neon grid, musical notes along a
staff, and many more unexpected challenges. The creativity
present in Delta really shines and goes far beyond simply making a
vector-based block breaker. It's quirky, extremely fast paced,
and a lot of fun. The visuals are bright and crisp, easily some
of the better representations of vector graphics I've seen for a
standard raster display. The ball especially looks good, with a
sparkling twinkle that looks absolutely authentic. It's like if
Tempest were a block breaker rather than a tube shooter. If there
is one negative for Delta it is that the visuals can sometimes feel a
tad bit overdriven and hard to follow depending on your display,
especially if being played on a smaller screen.
A fictional developer
and copyright adorn Mystery Planet's title screen (left), with its
deeper gameplay it feels more like a home computer game (right)
Easily the most full-featured game of
the collection, Mystery Planet
is a space shooter with the element of planetary gravity. It
actually plays similar to Atari's Gravitar but the objective in Mystery
Planet is to collect numbered panels in order before collecting the
goal panel, labeled with a "G" on it, to complete a zone. Enemies
can be shot and destroyed but they will respawn constantly so pursuing
them makes little sense outside of clearing paths to the panels.
The zone layouts are well designed with various gimmicks such as
destructible walls that are added in as the game progresses. The
graphics are very plain with only a few colors used, which makes the
game feel more like an early Japanese computer game rather than an
arcade title. That said, it's very easy to understand what
direction your ship is facing, it features a little flame out the back
when thrusting, the enemies have some good animation, and everything
moves very smoothly. The gravitational physics feel predictable
and while you can get yourself into trouble with excess momentum, it
never feels like your ship is going to careen out of control as with
some other gravitational shooters. I also really like the minimal
sound design as it has some pretty cool sound effects that add to the
retro ambiance.
Sea Fighter has a
cool title screen of large letters beneath colored cellophane (left),
navigating through large squid to attack the battleship (right)
Moving back to the concept of colored
cellophane strips over a black and white display, Sea Fighter is a single screen
shooter that takes place underwater. If you were to think of
Space Invaders except the only objective would be to destroy the UFO at
the top of the screen, with the invaders acting as interference and
defense, you'd have Sea Fighter. The player controls a submarine
that can move anywhere along the bottom two-thirds of the screen.
Armed with a vertical cannon, the objective is to destroy a patrolling
battleship on the surface. The waters are filled with different
forms of sea life that not only stand between you and the battleship
but also seem to want you out of their domain.
Sea Fighter may seem very plain at
first as the sea life enemies take multiple shots to defeat, with some
of them effectively being bullet sponges. That's exactly
why they are there - to block shots directed at the battleship and
often fire at the submarine in return. Once realizing their role
is not that of an objective but rather as a hindrance, the deeper
strategy of the game is revealed. The action becomes very frantic
as the submarine blasts paths through the sea life, navigates toward
clearings in their ranks, and opens fire on the battleship. I
find it to be one of the most engaging games in the collection and
lining up a series of rapid shots on the battleship is extremely
satisfying. The sea creatures all have a very unique look and in
some instances completely swarm the screen with their numbers or
numbers of shots directed toward the submarine. The effect of
simulated cellophane strips over a black and white display is done
superbly, even better than in Computer Block. Sound design in Sea
Fighter is excellent, with authentic sound effects and music
appropriate for an arcade game of its simulated vintage. The
music on the screen where the crab enemies show up is super
funky. While Delta is my favorite game on the disc, Sea Fighter
is a very close second.
Carnival Hunt's title
screen is the most detailed part of the game (left), shooting out
targets with simulated screen burn from the title screen in the
background (right)
A vertical shooting gallery game, Carnival Hunt is the one title in
the collection that I can say is pretty much a straight up homage to an
existing arcade game. That game would be Sega's Carnival from
1980, a game which I really like and I'm sure many Colecovision owners
are very familiar with. In Carnival Hunt the player controls a
gun that can be moved to the left and right at the bottom of the
screen. Three rows of objects move back and forth in the area
above and are shot at for points. The skill of the game involves
timing each shot so that the vertically moving bullets impact the
horizontally moving targets. Some targets will break free and
drift down at the player, consuming reserve bullets similar to the
ducks in Sega's Carnival. Additionally reserve bullets can be
replenished by shooting specific targets. Presentation is a
little strange, with very large and oddly illustrated enemies.
Honestly of all the games in Cellophanes this one feels the least like
an old arcade game and more like a simple 1980's homemade computer
game. One thing that I do think is kind of cool is that the
playfield has a simulated screen burn in the background, shown as a
faded image of the title screen.
Dragon Walker
features an animated high score table (left), running around the grid
and avoiding the large numbers of enemies (right)
Dragon
Walker takes concepts from a
few different arcade games such as Amidar and Q*bert and reworks them
into something a little different but ultimately not as fun. The
player controls a little green dragon who walks along a grid with
switches at each junction. Upon stepping on a switch it will
become activated and stepping on an adjacent switch will illuminate the
pathway between them. Stepping on a switch more than once will
change its color however it can only be changed again once a different
switch is touched. Connecting switches of the same color builds
bonus points, with blocks of connected switches earning even
more. The dragon can also jump over switches to prevent them from
being changed. Enemy animals patrol the grid as well and will
knock the dragon off the board if touched. The enemies cannot be
jumped over but the dragon can knock them away with this fire
breath. The dragon's fire breath slowly replenishes as the he
walks around the grid but it drains very quickly when used, so a short
and well-time tap of the button when dispatching enemies is key.
The dragon's movement can also be sped up by double tapping in the
direction he is facing but fast movement often sends him into paths
congested with enemies. Dragon Walker looks very much like a game
from the very early 1980's and it plays fine but I don't find the
concept very entertaining. For the most part the game boils down
to managing the dragon's speed as he walks between groups of
enemies. Things do become challenging as the number of
enemies on the grid gets pretty crazy but the additional challenge
doesn't do much in the way of making the game more engaging.
A dusty shootout in
Gun Fighter (left), pop-up targets in Uiui Jungle (center), illuminated
bombers are a cool vintage effect in Tank (right)
The final three games in the
collection are all representations of the mechanical shooting gallery
games popular in the early 1970's. All three of them are simple
single-screen challenges where targets will pop up or move across the
screen. The objective of each is to shoot as many of the targets
as possible within the allotted time. Gun Fighter is set in the Old West
with gunslingers popping up in windows and doorways, riding by on
horseback, and rolling through in covered wagons. Uiui Jungle features jungle animals
that pop up from behind plants and trees. Tank is set in the middle of a
battlefield as tanks tear across the landscape and bombers drop their
payloads from overhead. Gun Fighter and Uiui Jungle both have
civilian characters that must be avoided as shooting them will incur a
penalty in the form of a point deduction. Each of the three
shooting games play pretty well for what they are and are decent
representations of the type of games they are recreating. Sound
is a little odd in all three, as each shot is accompanied by a hissing
sound, perhaps to simulate the sound of an air rifle. I find this
sound detracts from the experience just a bit as it's pretty much the
only thing you'll hear when playing these games.
Cellophanes keeps track of how much
time has been spent playing its games and accumulates this total into
credit for the Akiba Parts Shop. Here a list of modifications,
enhancements, and expansions for each of the twelve games can be
purchased in exchange for time played. I really like this system,
as it allows for all twelve games to be accessible at the start, with
the bonus stuff made available as you play and the order in which it is
unlocked completely up to the player. Additionally the available
options differ between each game. Some of these include the
ability to continue, additional levels, larger paddles, visual
enhancements, gameplay upgrades and more. These work to encourage
more play, which in turn accumulates more play time, which in turn
brings you back to the Akiba Parts Shop to buy more modifiers.
Most of the game modifiers are accessed by pressing L1 + L2 + Start on
the title screen, which will put the game into "Test Mode" and allow
modifications to be applied as well as game adjustments - similar to a
real arcade game. Additionally pressing Start + Select at the same time
while in a game will instantly exit back out to the main menu.
A Namco Guncon and
Volume Controller are must haves for Cellophanes, as well as a standard
PlayStation control pad
As Cellophanes attempts to simulate
the vintage era of arcade gaming before joystick control was
commonplace, to get the most out of it you're going to need some
additional peripherals. The most obscure of these is Namco's
"Volume Controller" which amounts to an analog paddle controller for
the PlayStation. Although in Japan it was both sold separately
and bundled in with the limited edition release of Namco Museum Volume
2, very few games supported the Volume Controller, making it an
uncommon sight. Surprisingly the most common version of the
controller is a Taito redesign that was included with the limited
edition of Puchi Carat in European markets. The Volume Controller
is small and kind of fragile feeling but in Cellophanes it makes all
the difference in the paddle games, in addition to providing precise
rotary control in Mystery Planet. The paddle games can also be
played with a regular controller, the analog sticks on a Dual Shock, or
with the PlayStation Mouse but a properly maintained Volume Controller
is definitely the way to go. It will also open up the ability to
properly play a few other really fun PlayStation paddle games.
The three shooting gallery games can all be played with a Namco Guncon
light gun, and as with the Volume Controller for the paddle games, a
Guncon is really the best way to play the shooting
galleries. A standard controller or PlayStation Mouse can
also be used but they are no substitute for using a light gun.
The "Test Mode" menu for each game will have a peripheral setting
option where the endpoints for analog input can easily be set, a nice
touch that I wish more games featured.
To further the vintage experience
the instruction booklet features faux arcade cabinet instruction cards
for each game. These not only go over the basic controls but also
feature
simulated cabinet art and fictional game developer names. While
you can tell Cellophanes was never intended to be a very big game, it
was obviously very close to the hearts of those who worked on it.
This is truly the perfect game to play on a CRT with the lights turned
down and the sound turned up. Although I've mentioned the sound
design in many of the included games, it really must be praised again
as being overall wonderful and very representative of the earliest era
of arcade games.
Although none of
these games existed outside of this PlayStation game, the instruction
booklet contains authentic retro style instruction cards for each
These days, new games in the style of
a previous generation have become commonplace, with many independent
game developers using such as a way to make modern games with smaller
budgets. Even major studios have created games in the nostalgic
retro styling, the three GameCenter CX games (the first released in
English as Retro Game Challenge) come to mind as an example. It
may be almost completely unknown and forgotten but Cellophanes embraced
and celebrated the spirit of an earlier generation of games long before
it was trendy. Not just nostalgia for what was but nostalgia for
the experience of the time. I find it elicits those feelings of
nostalgia in me, although admittedly it was an era of gaming that I was
born into the very tail end of. Similar to the scene of the young
boy sitting down at a cocktail cabinet in a small forgotten arcade in
its intro, Cellophanes isn't supposed to be substantial or profound -
just fun.
Some very nice retro
artwork as seen in Lord Block (left), taking the ball and block concept
and running with it in Delta (right)
As a side note, the website for
Ninelives is still active and contains a small information page on
Cellophanes. It also states that Ninelives is currently closed as
a corporation, with the site acting more like a fan page. I
suppose that's almost poetic for a publisher that only released a
single title, which feels like a fan game and love letter to the early
arcade era.
While
the Famicom was first released prior to Super Mario Bros., and
its redesign as the NES would see Gyromite and Duck Hunt packed in
initially, shortly after that it became assumed that a Nintendo console
would not only have a Super Mario game at launch but often include it
in the box. Yet it was the humble Game Boy that was the first
Nintendo system to have a Super Mario game on offer right from the
beginning, on April 21st, 1989 - actually being released two months
prior to the Game Boy version of Tetris in Japan! Of course once
the Game Boy hit American shores that July, Tetris was the pack in
title but Super Mario Land was right there as well. While games
like Tennis and Baseball were mostly reworks of their NES counterparts,
Super Mario Land was a totally new alternate adventure for the world's
most famous plumber. Instead of being designed by Shigeru
Miyamoto, Super Mario Land was created and produced by Gunpei Yokoi's
R&D1 team, which created the Game Boy itself. This gave the
game an intentionally different flavor than any game in the Mario
lineage and became a runaway success, going on to sell as as many
copies as Super Mario Bros. 3, possibly outselling it slightly.
Super Mario
Land doesn't take place in the Mushroom Kingdom but instead in an area
known as Sarasaland. Four worlds compose Sarasaland, each modeled
after a specific theme. World 1 is known as Birabuto and is
heavily influenced by Egypt with deserts and pyramids. World 2 is
Muda, an aquatic beach front world that includes a submarine stage
piloting the Marine Pop. World 3 is Easton, a compression of
"Easter Island" famous for its Moai statues (also common in the Gradius
games) which appear in this world. World 4 is known as Chai,
based on mythical China complete with hopping vampires. World 4
is also best known for its final stage which puts Mario in an airplane,
the Sky Pop. Rather than the goal being to rescue Princess
Toadstool, Super Mario Land introduced Princess Daisy who would go on
to appear in many spin-off Mario games. She would eventually
become Princess Toadstool's counterpart, often appearing with
Luigi. Super Mario Land sticks to the traditional platforming
action of the original Super Mario Bros., however adds the challenge of
world specific boss battles and totally new stages such as the Marine
Pop and Sky Pop levels. All of this is a welcome addition that
sets Super Mario Land apart from anything that came before it and keeps
the game feeling like a separate adventure from the console versions.
Super Mario
Land also introduced the concept of having multiple non-warp exits to a
level to the Mario games, even if both proceed to the next world.
In Super Mario Land there is an upper exit that leads to a bonus stage
and a lower exit that simply goes to the next stage. While the
upper exits are easy to get to in the earlier levels, they become
increasingly harder to reach as the game progresses but never get all
that challenging. The bonus
stage is comprised of four platforms, three of them with a number of
extra lives at the end and one with a Superball Flower powerup.
Mario flashes down each row along with a ladder that flashes in the
middle of each row. Pressing the A Button will stop the sequence
and Mario
will walk across the row he stopped on. If the ladder ends up
touching the same platform then Mario will either climb it to the above
platform or descend it to the platform below. Mario will then
continue to the other side and collect the prize at the end.
While the sequence can be stopped whenever the player wishes, it's
still pretty random since the ladder is always moving along with Mario
and the order of the prizes comes up randomly when the bonus stage
begins.
Things start off in a
conventional fashion (left), the first boss battle plays out a bit like
a Bowser fight (center), each world has different terrain (right)
I can remember
being amazed as a kid when this game came out, not only in how it
looked but with how much content was packed into it. Super Mario
Land was the perfect balance of quick fix portability and expanding
challenge. There were always new enemies appearing, different
looking stages, and new backgrounds. For a monochromatic portable
at the time it was pretty incredible compared to the LCD handhelds that
were common. All the sprites are nicely detailed and show up
well, even under fast movement. Each sprite has genuine animation
sequences from the lowly Goombos to Mario himself. Each stage has
true backgrounds, not just a simple endlessly repeating pattern, things
appear to have been placed where they are for a reason.
Everything moves very smoothly although blur and refresh rate caveats
of the original Game Boy screen do come into play. The only place
the visuals get a little dodgy due to the limited contrast is in World 3-2
and 3-3, where there are large waterfalls with platforms in front of
them. All the new enemies, and there are a lot of them, are well
designed and animated with nice details especially considering this was
a launch title. Yet that doesn't truly describe how well designed
the boss enemies are, especially at the end of World 2-3.
Honestly the graphics feel like a rework and enhancement of the
original Mario Bros. arcade game mixed with some of the Game &
Watch visuals, it's very unique and very well done.
Super Mario
Land still has some of my favorite game music to this day. The
early stages have a fitting light Super Mario Bros. like soundtrack
with interior levels having melodies that play upon the theme of
exploring far off lands. However without a doubt the
music in Worlds 2-1 and 2-2 is my favorite, it's hard to explain why,
other than it simply being a unique and happy sounding piece of digital
music. The Marine Pop and Sky Pop stages play a direct enhanced
remix of the theme from the original Super Mario Bros., which again is
excellent and fits the pace of the stages perfectly. Boss battles
have a specific tune as does the bonus stage. Sound effects are
equally impressive. There are the usual enemy squash sounds and
powerup alerts but they are clear and don't get garbled up with nor
overpower the music. This is also the first Super Mario game to
be in true stereo sound when using a pair of stereo headphones.
Some of the sound effects need to be listened to in true stereo to be
properly appreciated. For instance jumping on a Koopa leaves
behind his shell, which is actually a bomb and explodes a few seconds
later. Under the normal Game Boy speaker this has a nice effect
but it's totally different when using the headphones. Instead of
just an explosion sound there's a nice reverberation effect that I've
still heard nothing like. When some enemies are defeated they
peel off of the screen and fall down to the bottom like in the original
Mario Bros. and this too has a rather unique sound effect that sounds
great in stereo. When boss enemies are hit with Superballs,
torpedoes (Marine Pop) or missiles (Sky Pop) they give off one of the
strangest sounds in gaming history. They actually sound like
sheep, "baah, baah." Perhaps this was the best sound to
differentiate boss damage they could create at the time on the
hardware? Who knows but it does the job and lets you know when
your shots are making contact.
The biggest
difference in Super Mario Land is how Mario moves and reacts to player
input, which takes a moment to get used to. Initially things feel
a little stiff but most of that is due to the size of the screen and
how fast Mario responds to commands. In the later levels,
especially World 3, the controls can seem to get away from you
again. This isn't the case, the jumps are just really
intense. In fact I've always considered this one of the most
technically challenging Super Mario games in terms of platform
jumping. While it may not be the most difficult Super Mario game
overall, there are some parts here and there that require you to be
perfect with your jumps. Missing these can lead to frustration
which will rapidly deplete your extra lives. Another aspect of
the game that is different from any Super Mario game before or since is
the powerup the flower gives you. Instead of changing you into
Fiery Mario and adding fireballs to your arsenal, the Superball Flower
turns you into Superball Mario. Superballs are shot like
fireballs however that's where the similarities end. Only one
superball can be onscreen at a time. Instead of bouncing on the
ground and disappearing or rolling off screen, superballs ricochet off
anything and everything until they hit an enemy or deflect off
screen. This means missed shots can cost you, sometimes leaving
you open for an attack. On the other side of the coin superballs
allow you to make bank shots to take care of enemies. Superballs
can also be used to collect coins from hard to reach areas. The
Marine Pop and Sky Pop stages are very responsive and intuitive as
well.
A fun boss encounter
while piloting the Marine Pop (left), a cannon hidden in a pipe
(center), Mario takes to the skies in the Sky Pop (right)
This game is
an absolute classic and a must have for anyone with a Game Boy, a
perfect mix of old and new. Even though
there's a lot of game here, it still can be completed rather quickly if
you know what you're doing. To this end the game doesn't feature
a backup battery, password system, or warp zones. If you're
looking for a long in depth gaming session
you
won't find it here but it keeps the game from feeling stale. Some
replay is added in that upon completing
the
game it can be played through again in a "hard mode" with more enemies
and level hazards. There are also a couple different paths that
can be
taken through a few levels but they don't add enough to demand being
explored.
Super Mario
Land 2 would go on to surpass this title and become one of my favorite
Mario games but the original Super Mario Land is still a good way to
kill an hour or so. Of all the original Game Boy games I've ever
owned this one has probably gotten the most playtime and it was the
bane of my existence in my younger days. Plowing away at it for
days at a time, month after month, until finally reaching Tatanga in
his
spaceship at the end of the game with my last life, only to be rapidly
put to death. Of course this resulted in more months of playing
the game until I could get to the end with enough lives to figure out
Tatanga's attack patterns and finally complete the game. For a
game that was so popular and sold so well, it's strange that I've
encountered so few copies of it out in the wild over the years.
Perhaps it's just one people don't want to give up. If that's the
case then they have good reason not to, it's simply still a fun and
unique Mario game.
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:
08/27/2021 - WEEK 228 Question: The
Famicom game "Moeru! Onii-san" was reworked into what radically
different game for the NES?
09/03/2021
- WEEK 229 Question: Who is
the first character to encounter Link in The Legend of Zelda: Link's
Awakening?
09/10/2021
- WEEK 230 Question: Virtua
Cop 2 for Dreamcast was only released outside of Japan as part of what
compilation release?
09/17/2021
- WEEK 231 Question: Famous
radio host Wolfman Jack provided his voice to what arcade game?
09/24/2021
- WEEK 232 Question: In The
Legend of Zelda what item will a Like Like eat?
10/01/2021
- WEEK 233 Question: For its
North American release Kirby's Dream Land had Kirby changed to what
color on the box art?
10/08/2021
- WEEK 234 Question: What was
the first pinball machine to feature speech?
10/15/2021
- WEEK 235 Question: The space
alien Tatanga is the main antagonist of what game?
10/22/2021
- WEEK 236 Question: Dr. Don
and Dr. Dan are the mascot characters for what series of light gun
games?
Moeru! Onii-san was a
terrible game based on a licensed property (left), that for some reason
had its game engine used for another terrible game (right)
Answers: Week 228 Answer: Circus Caper. Week 229 Answer: Marin, who
finds him washed up on the beach at Toronbo Shores. Week 230 Answer: Sega Smash
Pack Volume 1. Week 231 Answer: DJ Boy. Week 232 Answer: A Magical
Shield. Week 233 Answer: White. Week 234 Answer: Gorgar (1979). Week 235 Answer: Super Mario
Land. Week 236 Answer: Point
Blank.
Wolfman Jack being
credited at the start of DJ Boy (left), Dr. Don and Dr. Dan on the
cover of the PlayStation version of Point Blank (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!
It seems crazy
to me that this November 18th will be the 20th anniversary of the
GameCube's launch in America, which completely slipped my mind until
Dan sent in his column about such. I know exactly where I was on
launch day or rather where I was for the ten hours leading up to
it. At the time I was twenty years old and working for Target
Corporation as an electronics department supervisor - back when said
department was referred to as Camera / Sound to give an idea of how
technology has changed. During the launch of the PlayStation 2
the year prior, there were
widespread instances of people camping out in front of stores for days
to get their hands on the fabled system. In the small town I
resided in at the time we didn't think there would be that type of
demand and didn't plan for anything of such magnitude, other than maybe
lining up a few hours before opening that morning. That all
changed when upon walking out the door after closing up the
night before launch we spotted a number of people parking their
vehicles and preparing to line up overnight. A co-worker of mine,
who also was originally going to come back in the morning, immediately
sat down in front of the entrance door and claimed position number
one. Knowing we had 93 consoles for the launch I went home to
change and get something to eat, returning to find myself twelfth in
line. That night was miserable - blisteringly cold, unseasonably
wet, and isolated in a line of over 500 people who wanted nothing more
than for those in front to bail and give up a spot. In the end my
co-worker and I both got our PlayStation 2's in addition to a pair of
nasty colds. Not wanting to repeat that night, when the GameCube
came around a year later I was going to be prepared.
Buzz about the
system was very high among our staff and regulars.
I had sat out the N64 era in favor of PlayStation but on the eve of
GameCube I had the financial means to support a second mainline
console, which is what the GameCube would be for a lot of people
initially.
Although the launch lineup was slim, Rogue Leader and Super Monkey Ball
were the driving factors for me, in addition to the hype of upcoming
games such
as Super Smash Bros. Melee. I had also dove head first into the
Game Boy Advance so it was a time of truly rekindled interest in
Nintendo's then current products. Our store was slated to receive
48 consoles at launch, 24 in Indigo (purple) and 24 in Jet
(black). While I was more interested in the Spice (orange) color
that had been released in Japan, I decided to pick up a Jet system at
launch with plans to sell it once Spice hit American shores, something
that would never happen although it was announced early on. After
confirming our console numbers, game and controller stock, and how the
opening was going to be structured that day, it was time to make our
plans for launch night.
My much younger self
kicking off the night (left), the Cube Count sign made from an Xbox box
(center), preparing to move into Hour 7 with a Metal Gear Solid spoof
(right)
Not wanting to
be dead tired as with the PlayStation 2 line, I worked the morning
before and took launch day off. Chris, a co-worker and friend
from high school who was also planning on being in the launch line,
volunteered to work the night before to ensure everything was set up
properly. That evening when he came in I tagged out and headed
home to get some sleep before planning on returning at 10pm. We
were all going to be ready this time: plenty of warm clothing, folding
chairs, food to eat, drinks in coolers, games to play, notebook
computers, you name it - and the whole thing would be documented on
video. Around 7pm I called the store to see how things were going
and I heard some distressing news: there were already people starting
to line up while the store was still open. Thinking quickly, I
asked if he could talk with assets protection about that being a
"safety hazard" with people sitting at the doors during business hours
and that they couldn't wait there. That's what he did and sure
enough the group was disbursed, with word spreading that you couldn't
wait overnight at that Target. Of course when the doors closed at
10pm that all changed and I arrived at the store to find our friends
and a couple of our regulars getting set up. They were holding
position one for me as the orchestrator of the event and just a little
before 10:30 Chris exited the store and joined the line in position
two. It was then I revealed something special I created for the
occasion, a sign with tear-away numbers denoting the amount of
remaining hours until the store opened and the launch was upon
us. The sign was actually made from an Xbox display box from the
promotional kit for its launch three days earlier, complete with the
Xbox
jewel logo cut out and a strikethrough placed over it. This sign
also had the title for what the night would come to be known as - Cube
Count.
From 10pm
until 8am the following morning we hosted a small overnight launch
party filled with conversation, laughs, and good times.
Throughout the night video was recorded of the events and antics that
took place on a very cold and foggy November night in California's
central valley. Every hour we would act out a small vignette of
sorts as a number was torn off of the sign, bringing us one step closer
to launch. In addition to simply being stupid fun, these
interludes also helped to move the night along. Most of us there
had met in high school years before in electrical engineering class,
and it wasn't long before that spirit lead to finding a place to tap
power to run a trunk load of electronics that had made the journey
out. This was found via a junction box at the bottom of the
parking lot light closest to the entrance. Coupled with a long
extension cord and a power strip, we had power for a legendary Samsung
GX TV, a Sega Dreamcast, modern laptop, and anything else
desired. Fueling us throughout the night were a couple cases of
Krating Daeng, better known as the concentrated Thai energy drink that
was reformulated to become Red Bull in the west. At one point a
few of us hopped in the back of a truck and navigated to the fogged in
and incomplete shopping center across the street on a snack
replenishment run. This yielded a resupply of the Japanese snack
food Yan Yan, as well as the surprising acquisition of Nintendo fruit
snacks - cosmic serendipity.
As the night
wore on the line really never grew much beyond our group, although
people would come and go throughout the night. Most knew that
Chris and myself worked there, and after being given information about
how many consoles would be available and how the launch morning was
going to work out, would head back home to return later. There
was one strange guy that was out there with us right at the start of
the night, even chugged a few rounds of Krating Daeng, before taking
off a few hours before the store opened. A couple days later it
became apparent that none of us knew who he was, all assuming he was
there with someone else or was another gamer in line, of which it
appears he was neither. In the middle of the night a bootleg copy
of Capcom vs. SNK was
fired up on the Dreamcast and an impromptu tournament began.
There were also multiplayer sessions of ChuChu Rocket! on Game Boy
Advance, still the only time I've played that version with a full
complement of four players.
Patching into power
at a parking lot light pole (left), leaving Hour 6 along with Mario and
Capcom vs.
SNK on a GX TV (center), leading the crowd back to electronics (right)
An hour or so
before the store was to open a real line had built up behind us, maybe
about twenty deep not including our group of a dozen or so. Many
of those people had popped in at one point or another throughout the
night. We packed up most of the circus act as that last hour
began but I can only imagine what some people thought looking at our
setup as they pulled in that morning. Then it was that magical
time and the doors were
opened. In a moment of selfless cinematic genius, Joey who was
primarily behind the camera all night, got in front and turned around
to record the crowd fanning out behind us as we walked through the
store toward the electronics department. Once we arrived and the
purchases had begun to be made, there was already a feeling of
reflection on the night's events. Everyone that was out there
that night was able to buy a console and any games and accessories they
wanted. In fact if you walked through the doors right when the
store opened that morning you would have been able to buy a
GameCube. The truth of the matter was, unlike with the
PlayStation 2 launch, there had been no reason to wait outside all
night. However when I think back twenty years ago the strongest
memories I have of that day aren't of buying a video game system or
going home and playing Rogue Leader - they're of hanging out all night,
getting to know people, having fun, and coming away with a broader
perspective of what it is to love video gaming. While the footage
that night was shot on Digital8 tape, a lone low resolution VCD copy of
the raw
footage is all that still exists.
To this day I
still think it crazy that I was
able to host an overnight launch party and have the fabled privilege of
leading a crowd to be the first to buy a game system on launch day,
like
some half-assed video game Moses. While the moment wasn't
entirely organic, as we did everything we could to ensure that we would
be there first and have full control throughout the night, it was still
incredible. Truthfully that opportunity only occurred due to rad
people who allowed me to lead the night, share in their company, and
not mind me being obnoxious, tired, and filled with the insane amount
of confidence I once exhibited in abundance. I still talk with a
few people who were there way back when and I think that's pretty
cool. Even twenty years on I thank them for that night, as it was
pretty damn fun.
Thank
you once
again for reading The Retrogaming
Times. We'll be back on January 7th, 2022 with our next
issue.
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sincerely
hope you enjoyed this issue and that you will return to read the next
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and possibly submit an article yourself. Remember, this
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