Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: Sega
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Genesis (standalone: June 23, 1991, Sonic Compilation: 1995, Genesis 6-Pak: 1996), Sega Saturn (Sonic Jam: 1997), Dreamcast (Sega Smash Pack: 2001), Nintendo Gamecube (Sonic Mega Collection: 2002), Playstation 2 (Sonic Mega Collection Plus: 2004, Sega Genesis Collection: 2006), Xbox (Sonic Mega Collection Plus: 2004), PC (Sonic Mega Collection Plus: 2004), Mobile (Q3 2005), Playstation Portable (Sega Genesis Collection: 2006) Game Boy Advance (November 14, 2006), XBLA (July 11, 2007), Wii Virtual Console (November 19, 2006), iOS (December 18, 2007), Xbox 360 (Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection: 2009), Playstation 3 (Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection: 2009), Nintendo DS (Sonic Classic Collection: 2010), Microsoft Windows (October 6, 2010), PSN (March 2011)
Genre: Platform
This is where it all started for the Blue Hedgehog, his Genesis, first game ever, released on the Sega Genesis in the Summer of 1991. Does Sonic's premier game still hold up 20 years later?
There is a bit of story to set the background, you have to have a motivation to do anything, right? Somewhere in the ocean lies a mysterious island not found on any map, known by its inhabitants as South Island. The reason for it being absent is a simple, yet mysterious one: it does not have a fixed position, instead traveling through the seas on its own course. While the reason for this behavior is unknown, it is rumored that it may have something to do with the legendary gemstones known as the Chaos Emeralds. Though legend says they exist on the island, no one knows exactly where they are or how to get a hold of them. All they do know is of the incredible power they are said to contain, and how they can give energy to all living beings. Learning of the existence of the Chaos Emeralds, the mad genius Dr. Robotnik sets himself on a quest to locate the emeralds for his own use, wanting to harness their power for his many mechanical creations. With the plan in motion, Robotnik creates his base in a corner of the island, which he dubs the Scrap Brain Zone. However, he is aware that his evil plans will more than likely be interfered by Sonic the Hedgehog. Though not a native of the island, Sonic the Hedgehog would often find himself on its mystical shores, and more than once had he run into the evil doctor, foiling an untold number of schemes. Just as Robotnik predicted, in no time at all does the blue hedgehog learn of the doctor's intentions, running at sonic speed to confront him. It doesn't take long for Sonic to realize that something is amiss, and is shocked to learn that Robotnik has gone a step further with his evil intentions. Kidnapping the many animals living on the island, he has methodically been placing them in robot shells and using them to scour the island in search of the emeralds. Realizing that Robotnik has turned Sonic's friends into his own personal mechanical army, Sonic wastes no time. Running across the island, he must not only stop Robotnik's latest scheme and gather the Chaos Emeralds, but free his friends in the process. "Hurry! Sonic the Hedgehog - everyone is waiting for your help!" (Story taken from Sonic Retro)
The gameplay is fairly simple on the surface, you go from the beginning of each level to the end without dying, but there are extra elements to distinguish itself. Sonic's main action is to jump, and he curls up into a ball when he does so, this attack is used to destroy the various robots, known as Badniks, and of course to jump up to higher places and over hazards. Sonic's other main action is rolling into a ball while running, he can destroy most Badniks in this manner and pick up speed on inclines while rolling. The levels are designed with momentum in mind, with Springs, Bumpers, and Inclines there to help or hinder. The levels can be played slow and methodically, but also as fast as possible. The levels also feel like part Pinball as well in a sense, as Sonic can jump and bounce around quickly and wildly. The levels in this sense give replay value, trying to find all the hidden secrets of the levels or trying to complete them as fast as possible. The levels are broken up into 7 Zones, each with 3 Acts (with the exception of the Final Zone, which is just a showdown with the Final Boss), and the difficulty is evenly paced throughout. Scattered throughout the levels are Rings, which serve both as a means of Survival and Points. As long as Sonic is holding at least 1 Ring, he cannot be killed by enemies or spikes, although drowning, being crushed, or falling in a pit will still result in a death. When When Sonic is hit with Rings on him, he spills all his rings, and is temporarily invulnerable, allowing for him to attempt to re-collect the rings. If Sonic has 0 Rings when he is hit, it is a Death and he loses 1 life. There are also various monitors on the levels, helping Sonic. A Ring monitor will give Sonic 10 Rings, a Shield monitor will protect Sonic from 1 hit, a Shoe monitor will increase Sonic's speed for a set amount of time, a Sonic monitor will give Sonic an extra life, and a Stars monitor will make Sonic invulnerable to Badniks and Spikes for a set amount of time. There are also Lamp posts on the levels that acts as Checkpoints when passed. They record the Score and Time at that point and Sonic will restart from there if he dies. There is also a 10 minute time limit on each act, and Sonic dies if the time limit is reached and the clock is reset back to 0. At the end of Acts 1 and 2 of each zone, there is a signpost with Robotnik's fade on it, and when you spin it, it flips to Sonic's face, signaling the end of the Act. At the end of Act 3 of each Zone (except Scrap Brain Zone), Sonic has a showdown with Robotnik in his machine, which is modified to give different attacks depending on the zone. Robotnik is defeated when struck 8 times, Sonic then can open the Animal Capsule and end the Zone. There is an optional second objective to complete during the game. If Sonic is holding 50 rings or more at the end of Act 1 or Act 2 of each Zone (except Scrap Brain Zone), there will be a Giant Ring hovering in the air. If Sonic jumps into the Giant Ring, he is taken to the Special Stage for the chance to earn one of the Chaos Emeralds. The Special Stages here involve a constantly rotating 3D maze, where the objective is to work through the maze to reach the Chaos Emerald at the end. There are different blocks on the maze that alter how it behaves, Down will slow the rotation down, Up will speed the rotation up, and R will reverse the Rotation. There are also the Goal blocks, which will kick Sonic out of the Special Stage without the Chaos Emerald they are touched, so it is best to avoid them. Sonic can also collect Rings in the Special stages, with 50 Rings awarding a Continue to use if all lives are lost. There are 6 Chaos Emeralds to collect, which makes for 6 Special Stages, unlike the later games which have 7 Emeralds. If Sonic fails to get the Chaos Emerald in a Special Stage, he can try again by going to the Special Stage again until all 6 Emeralds are collected. If all 6 Chaos Emeralds are collected, Sonic can get the Good Ending as a result, the Bad Ending happens if any amount under 6 Emeralds are collected. There is also a scoring system in play. Each Ring collected and held on to in the Acts or the Special Stage is worth 100 points each. There is a time Bonus giving up to 50,000 depending how fast Sonic completes the level. Points are also earned for defeating Badniks, and more points are awarded for defeating Badniks in a Chain without touching the ground. There are Point Posts at the end of Acts 1 and 2 of each Zone, the give 100, 1,000, or 10,000 points when uncovered, although the 100 point posts really only award 10 points. Defeating Robotnik at the end of Act 3 is worth 1,000 points. Sonic can earn lives by collecting 100 or 200 Rings and holding onto them in an Act or by breaking a Sonic monitor. When Sonic dies, he loses a life, when all lives are lost, it is Game Over. If Sonic has earned Continues via the Special Stages, Sonic is given the chance to Continue from the beginning of the Act with 3 Lives. The Gameplay is fun and satisfying, and has much complexity even though it is simple on the surface.
The Graphics are bright and colorful, and don't looked dated at all, even 20 years later. The Zones are all beautifully designed with each having a distinctive look and feel. The Music is also awesome, and fit each zone nicely.
Bottom Line: Sonic's first game is really good, and offered a real alternative to Mario back in the day among all the other clones. The gameplay, graphics, and sound are all still as solid as ever. This is worth a Play or Buy.
I also did an LP of Sonic the Hedgehog, watch it here:
Part 1: Green Hill Zone
Part 2: Marble Zone
Part 3: Spring Yard Zone
Part 4: Labyrinth Zone
Part 5: Star Light Zone
Part 6: Scrap Brain Zone and Final Zone
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Retro Lookback: Super Bowling
Developer: KID (SNES), Athena (N64)
Publisher: Athena (SNES), UFO Interactive (N64)
Platforms and Release Dates (US): SNES (September 1992), Nintendo 64 (January 15, 2001)
Genre: Sports
Super Bowling was the title of 2 bowling video games released for the SNES and N64, and while the core mechanics are they same, they are fairly different.
I will discuss the N64 version here (I may add the SNES version here after I acquire more information).
The N64 version has more than double the content of the SNES version of the same name. There are 8 character each with different stats that govern Power, Accuracy, and Curve. There are also 8 different lanes to bowl on, based around a different theme and Oil Pattern. The Oil Pattern affects how the ball behaves on the lane. In No Oil, the ball will start to curve a lot right away, Half Oil the ball will barely hook on the first half of the lane and will hook a lot on the second half of the lane, Normal Oil has Oil on about 3/4 of the lane, with the ball barely hooking on the front 3/4 of the lane and hooking a lot on the last 1/4 of the lane, and All Oil has the whole lane coated in oil causing the ball to barely hook at all on the lane. Two of the lanes also have bumpers, which prevents the ball from going in the Gutters on the side for a 0. The mechanics use a 3 step system. You got the Top Arrow, which is where you will throw the ball. Next, you go to the bottom arrow, which is where you will stand. The 3rd step involves 3 different meters. The Power Meter is how fast you through the ball and can be adjusted by pushing the stick up/down, the Curve Meter is how much the ball will curve and can be adjusted by pushing the stick left/right, the Accuracy Meter starts when you press the A button after you adjusted the other 2 meters, it fills up with Blue, Orange, and Yellow segments, and rebounds when it fills up, you press A in the middle of the Yellow section on the Rebound for the best accuracy. Missing the middle of the Yellow section left/right will cause the ball to go left/right respectively of your intended target when you release it. You can also adjust the Power and Curve meter while the Accuracy meter is filling up before for the rebound if you need a last second adjustment. Once you start up the Accuracy meter, there is no going back. You can also change the weight of your ball, from 6-16 pounds. Lighter balls can be thrown harder and hook more, but deflect off pins more easily instead of plowing through. Heavier balls can't be thrown as hard or hook as much, but will plow through pins with little deflection. Choosing the right ball for a given setup of pins can be crucial. You can also play on a Single Lane or Double Lane, the screen is always split in 2 vertically, in Single Lane mode, play takes place on the left half and a Live window on the right half. On Double Lane mode, play takes place on both lanes, which can make for faster play, when one side is done, that side can walk around on the lane and look at things until the other side gets done. The option of Single Lane or Double Lane depends on the number of Players and Game Mode. You can play most modes with 1-4 players, with at least 1 player being Human, the rest can be filled in with CPU players.
The gameplay is basic bowling, you try to get the highest score you can over 10 frames, which is called a Game, 10 frames in a Game of bowling. Each frame can allot you up to 2 balls to knock down all 10 pins. Getting all 10 pins on the first ball is a Strike and the next two balls you throw are added to that frame. 2 Strikes in a row is called a Double, 2 Strikes in a row is called a Turkey and every Strike thereafter is just XX in a row, with XX being the number of Strikes. Getting all 10 pins on the second ball is a Spare and the next ball you throw is added to that frame. If you fail to knock down all 10 pins on the 2nd ball, it is called an Open Frame. The pins reset after all 10 pins are knocked down or once both balls are thrown and play moves to the next frame. On the final frame, which is Frame 10, you can throw up to 3 balls on that frame if you get a Strike or a Spare. If there is a gap between the pins after the 1st ball, it is called a Split, Splits are usually hard to pick up on the 2nd ball. If the ball goes into the gutters on the sides, it is called a Gutter Ball and the ball counts as a 0. A perfect game in Bowling is a 300, which is 12 strikes in a row. The CPU on Pro difficulty will get very close to 300 games on a regular basis.
There are a selection of game modes as well. You can play Standard Bowling (Open Bowling) as described above in Singles, Doubles, or Teams. Singles is that each person bowls for him/herself, for 1-4 players on Single or Double Lane. Doubles is where you pair up with a 2nd player, you each bowl your own Game and your scores are added together for a total, for 2 or 4 players on Single or Double Lane. Teams is where you pair up with a 2nd player, this time you share a game, as in you alternate balls, Player 1 throws ball 1, Player 2 throws ball 2, Player 1 throws ball 3, and so on, and you do that for the whole Game for the highest score, for 2 or 4 players on Single or Double Lane. Golf mode is Bowling Golf, how exciting! In this mode, each frame is a hole, and each hole has a different pin setup that you have to knock down in as few balls as possible. Each hole has a Par, which is always 1 of 2, with the objective being to get at or under Par. You have a maximum of 8 balls to knock down all the pins on that hole before you are forced to move to the next one. There are 9 holes in each game of golf. Stroke mode is a contest to get the lowest score possible in a game, for 1-4 players on Single or Double Lane. Match mode is a direct competition between 2 players, where you compete on each hole for the lowest score, the player that scores the lowest on that hole wins the hole, with the objective being to win the most holes overall, for 2 players only and on Double Lane only. There is also the Challenge Mode. In this mode, you have to clear 10 different setups of pins within 5 misses, if you miss 5 times it is game over. The setups get progressively harder the further in the challenge mode you go, for 1-4 players on Single or Double Lane. In Acquisition Mode, you play in best of 3 matches against CPU opponents, this is also where you unlock characters and lanes to use for other modes. You bowl in the home lane of the opponent you choose, for 1 player only on Double Lane only. You also have the Practice mode, where you can choose any setup of pins and practice forever if you feel like, for 1 player only on Single Lane only.
The last mode available is the Vs Mode, which is probably the most unique mode. This is a 2 player only mode on Double Lane only. This mode is a direct Survival competition between the 2 players. You both start with a set amount of Life, measured in Time. When you run out of Life, you lose. Your life constantly drains while you are lining up your shot, when you go to step 3 of the throwing, the accuracy meter automatically starts to fill and your character begins to throw the ball, so you have to adjust the Power and Curve before the Accuracy meter rebounds. While you are throwing the ball and the ball is traveling down the lane, your Life stops decreasing, and begins decreasing again when you go back to lining up your shot. Unlike the other modes, you can take as many balls as you need to knock down the set of 10 pins that are there, and they reset when you knock down the last pin. There are ways to gain life, lose life, and attack your opponent. If you get a Strike, you attack your opponent's life, and the attack grows stronger with each successive Strikes in a row. If you get a Spare, you regain your life the amount equivalent to bring attacked with a single Strike. Every ball after a Spare increases your life by a lesser amount when you knock down the last pin in the set. If you pick up a Split, you regain life and attack your opponent's life at the same time. If you fail to hit at least 1 pin on each ball or get a gutter ball, it is a Miss and you take a hit on your Life. When you have 5 seconds of life life, you get a warning countdown. Play continues until 1 player runs out of Life. This is probably the most interesting mode out of the lot.
The graphics and music are kind of blah, but get the job done.
Bottom Line: N64 Super Bowling is a pretty blah game overall, but it can provide a bit of fun, especially the unique Vs mode. This is worth a Rent or a Play.
I also did an LP on this game, watch them here!
Part 1: Practice and Open-Single
Part 2: Open-Double and Open-Team
Part 3: Golf Mode and Challenge Mode
Part 4: Acquisition Mode
Part 5: Vs Mode
Publisher: Athena (SNES), UFO Interactive (N64)
Platforms and Release Dates (US): SNES (September 1992), Nintendo 64 (January 15, 2001)
Genre: Sports
Super Bowling was the title of 2 bowling video games released for the SNES and N64, and while the core mechanics are they same, they are fairly different.
I will discuss the N64 version here (I may add the SNES version here after I acquire more information).
The N64 version has more than double the content of the SNES version of the same name. There are 8 character each with different stats that govern Power, Accuracy, and Curve. There are also 8 different lanes to bowl on, based around a different theme and Oil Pattern. The Oil Pattern affects how the ball behaves on the lane. In No Oil, the ball will start to curve a lot right away, Half Oil the ball will barely hook on the first half of the lane and will hook a lot on the second half of the lane, Normal Oil has Oil on about 3/4 of the lane, with the ball barely hooking on the front 3/4 of the lane and hooking a lot on the last 1/4 of the lane, and All Oil has the whole lane coated in oil causing the ball to barely hook at all on the lane. Two of the lanes also have bumpers, which prevents the ball from going in the Gutters on the side for a 0. The mechanics use a 3 step system. You got the Top Arrow, which is where you will throw the ball. Next, you go to the bottom arrow, which is where you will stand. The 3rd step involves 3 different meters. The Power Meter is how fast you through the ball and can be adjusted by pushing the stick up/down, the Curve Meter is how much the ball will curve and can be adjusted by pushing the stick left/right, the Accuracy Meter starts when you press the A button after you adjusted the other 2 meters, it fills up with Blue, Orange, and Yellow segments, and rebounds when it fills up, you press A in the middle of the Yellow section on the Rebound for the best accuracy. Missing the middle of the Yellow section left/right will cause the ball to go left/right respectively of your intended target when you release it. You can also adjust the Power and Curve meter while the Accuracy meter is filling up before for the rebound if you need a last second adjustment. Once you start up the Accuracy meter, there is no going back. You can also change the weight of your ball, from 6-16 pounds. Lighter balls can be thrown harder and hook more, but deflect off pins more easily instead of plowing through. Heavier balls can't be thrown as hard or hook as much, but will plow through pins with little deflection. Choosing the right ball for a given setup of pins can be crucial. You can also play on a Single Lane or Double Lane, the screen is always split in 2 vertically, in Single Lane mode, play takes place on the left half and a Live window on the right half. On Double Lane mode, play takes place on both lanes, which can make for faster play, when one side is done, that side can walk around on the lane and look at things until the other side gets done. The option of Single Lane or Double Lane depends on the number of Players and Game Mode. You can play most modes with 1-4 players, with at least 1 player being Human, the rest can be filled in with CPU players.
The gameplay is basic bowling, you try to get the highest score you can over 10 frames, which is called a Game, 10 frames in a Game of bowling. Each frame can allot you up to 2 balls to knock down all 10 pins. Getting all 10 pins on the first ball is a Strike and the next two balls you throw are added to that frame. 2 Strikes in a row is called a Double, 2 Strikes in a row is called a Turkey and every Strike thereafter is just XX in a row, with XX being the number of Strikes. Getting all 10 pins on the second ball is a Spare and the next ball you throw is added to that frame. If you fail to knock down all 10 pins on the 2nd ball, it is called an Open Frame. The pins reset after all 10 pins are knocked down or once both balls are thrown and play moves to the next frame. On the final frame, which is Frame 10, you can throw up to 3 balls on that frame if you get a Strike or a Spare. If there is a gap between the pins after the 1st ball, it is called a Split, Splits are usually hard to pick up on the 2nd ball. If the ball goes into the gutters on the sides, it is called a Gutter Ball and the ball counts as a 0. A perfect game in Bowling is a 300, which is 12 strikes in a row. The CPU on Pro difficulty will get very close to 300 games on a regular basis.
There are a selection of game modes as well. You can play Standard Bowling (Open Bowling) as described above in Singles, Doubles, or Teams. Singles is that each person bowls for him/herself, for 1-4 players on Single or Double Lane. Doubles is where you pair up with a 2nd player, you each bowl your own Game and your scores are added together for a total, for 2 or 4 players on Single or Double Lane. Teams is where you pair up with a 2nd player, this time you share a game, as in you alternate balls, Player 1 throws ball 1, Player 2 throws ball 2, Player 1 throws ball 3, and so on, and you do that for the whole Game for the highest score, for 2 or 4 players on Single or Double Lane. Golf mode is Bowling Golf, how exciting! In this mode, each frame is a hole, and each hole has a different pin setup that you have to knock down in as few balls as possible. Each hole has a Par, which is always 1 of 2, with the objective being to get at or under Par. You have a maximum of 8 balls to knock down all the pins on that hole before you are forced to move to the next one. There are 9 holes in each game of golf. Stroke mode is a contest to get the lowest score possible in a game, for 1-4 players on Single or Double Lane. Match mode is a direct competition between 2 players, where you compete on each hole for the lowest score, the player that scores the lowest on that hole wins the hole, with the objective being to win the most holes overall, for 2 players only and on Double Lane only. There is also the Challenge Mode. In this mode, you have to clear 10 different setups of pins within 5 misses, if you miss 5 times it is game over. The setups get progressively harder the further in the challenge mode you go, for 1-4 players on Single or Double Lane. In Acquisition Mode, you play in best of 3 matches against CPU opponents, this is also where you unlock characters and lanes to use for other modes. You bowl in the home lane of the opponent you choose, for 1 player only on Double Lane only. You also have the Practice mode, where you can choose any setup of pins and practice forever if you feel like, for 1 player only on Single Lane only.
The last mode available is the Vs Mode, which is probably the most unique mode. This is a 2 player only mode on Double Lane only. This mode is a direct Survival competition between the 2 players. You both start with a set amount of Life, measured in Time. When you run out of Life, you lose. Your life constantly drains while you are lining up your shot, when you go to step 3 of the throwing, the accuracy meter automatically starts to fill and your character begins to throw the ball, so you have to adjust the Power and Curve before the Accuracy meter rebounds. While you are throwing the ball and the ball is traveling down the lane, your Life stops decreasing, and begins decreasing again when you go back to lining up your shot. Unlike the other modes, you can take as many balls as you need to knock down the set of 10 pins that are there, and they reset when you knock down the last pin. There are ways to gain life, lose life, and attack your opponent. If you get a Strike, you attack your opponent's life, and the attack grows stronger with each successive Strikes in a row. If you get a Spare, you regain your life the amount equivalent to bring attacked with a single Strike. Every ball after a Spare increases your life by a lesser amount when you knock down the last pin in the set. If you pick up a Split, you regain life and attack your opponent's life at the same time. If you fail to hit at least 1 pin on each ball or get a gutter ball, it is a Miss and you take a hit on your Life. When you have 5 seconds of life life, you get a warning countdown. Play continues until 1 player runs out of Life. This is probably the most interesting mode out of the lot.
The graphics and music are kind of blah, but get the job done.
Bottom Line: N64 Super Bowling is a pretty blah game overall, but it can provide a bit of fun, especially the unique Vs mode. This is worth a Rent or a Play.
I also did an LP on this game, watch them here!
Part 1: Practice and Open-Single
Part 2: Open-Double and Open-Team
Part 3: Golf Mode and Challenge Mode
Part 4: Acquisition Mode
Part 5: Vs Mode
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Retro Lookback: Crusi'n World
Developers: Midway Games (Arcade), Eurocom (Nintendo 64)
Publisher: Midway Games
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Arcade (1996), Nintendo 64 (September 26, 1998)
Genre: Racing
Crusi'n World is the 2nd Game in Midway's Cruis'n line of racing games, and it is personally my favorite of the series.
The gameplay is straight racing, get from the start to the goal before time runs and while overtaking all your opponents. That's it. You got the classic Arcade mode, where you can do a Single Race on any of the tracks, or you can Cruise the World, where you race on each course in order to get to the final track. You have to place 3rd or higher on each track to advance to the next one, which is easier than the game before, Crusi'n USA, where you had to place 1st. Along with the final Florida track, there is an Extra Moon track exclusive to the N64 version that is unlocked after Florida is cleared. You can play the Arcade Mode with 1-4 players, with Cruise the World being available for 1 or 2 player play (I don't know about 3 or 4, as I don't have the adequate controllers to verify, if you know, please let me know). The N64 game has the Championship mode, which takes the environments from the Arcade Mode and resale them to run in laps instead of a straight Point A to Point B race. There are 3 levels, each level taking the tracks of each difficulty level (Easy, Normal, Expert). On default, you have to race 3 laps on each track, and like the arcade mode, place 3rd or higher to advance. Championship Mode also has the Turbo option. Press the Turbo button during the race to give your car a 5 second burst of speed above your Top Speed. The number of Turbos you have is equal to the number of Laps, so a 3 Lap race gives you 3 Turbos to use. Championship Mode can be played with 1-4 Players as well. New to this game is Stunts. You can perform stunts off ramps and other cars by doing wheelies over them. Each successful stunt knocks time off your total time for a lower total. The selection of cars are nice and varied compared to Crusi'n USA, with unlockable Pain jobs and more Cars. The tracks for both Arcade Mode and Championship Mode are nicely laid out and provide for a good flow of speed. The Single Player experience can be fun for a bit, but this is best enjoyed with 4 players. Multiplayer more is good fun and can prove entertaining for hours.
Some things from the Arcade version have been altered or removed for the N64 version, but it is nothing that affects the overall experience of the game.
Bottom Line: Crusi'n World is a pretty fun arcade racer, but it is best played with a room full of friends. This is worth a Play or Rent.
Publisher: Midway Games
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Arcade (1996), Nintendo 64 (September 26, 1998)
Genre: Racing
Crusi'n World is the 2nd Game in Midway's Cruis'n line of racing games, and it is personally my favorite of the series.
The gameplay is straight racing, get from the start to the goal before time runs and while overtaking all your opponents. That's it. You got the classic Arcade mode, where you can do a Single Race on any of the tracks, or you can Cruise the World, where you race on each course in order to get to the final track. You have to place 3rd or higher on each track to advance to the next one, which is easier than the game before, Crusi'n USA, where you had to place 1st. Along with the final Florida track, there is an Extra Moon track exclusive to the N64 version that is unlocked after Florida is cleared. You can play the Arcade Mode with 1-4 players, with Cruise the World being available for 1 or 2 player play (I don't know about 3 or 4, as I don't have the adequate controllers to verify, if you know, please let me know). The N64 game has the Championship mode, which takes the environments from the Arcade Mode and resale them to run in laps instead of a straight Point A to Point B race. There are 3 levels, each level taking the tracks of each difficulty level (Easy, Normal, Expert). On default, you have to race 3 laps on each track, and like the arcade mode, place 3rd or higher to advance. Championship Mode also has the Turbo option. Press the Turbo button during the race to give your car a 5 second burst of speed above your Top Speed. The number of Turbos you have is equal to the number of Laps, so a 3 Lap race gives you 3 Turbos to use. Championship Mode can be played with 1-4 Players as well. New to this game is Stunts. You can perform stunts off ramps and other cars by doing wheelies over them. Each successful stunt knocks time off your total time for a lower total. The selection of cars are nice and varied compared to Crusi'n USA, with unlockable Pain jobs and more Cars. The tracks for both Arcade Mode and Championship Mode are nicely laid out and provide for a good flow of speed. The Single Player experience can be fun for a bit, but this is best enjoyed with 4 players. Multiplayer more is good fun and can prove entertaining for hours.
Some things from the Arcade version have been altered or removed for the N64 version, but it is nothing that affects the overall experience of the game.
Bottom Line: Crusi'n World is a pretty fun arcade racer, but it is best played with a room full of friends. This is worth a Play or Rent.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Game Rant: Worms Blast
Developer: Team 17
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Windows (October 23, 2002), Nintendo Gamecube (October 24, 2002), Playstation 2 (January 1, 2003), Mac (March 4, 2003)
Genre: Puzzle, Action
Worms Blast is a Puzzle game based around the Worms franchise, and it does alright.
The goal in most circumstances is to clear away the colored blocks on your field. You have a Bazooka which fires different colored missiles in random order. You clear away blocks by hitting the same colored blocks with a same colored Bazooka shell. If your Bazooka shell is of a different color than the blocks it hits, it will turn blocks in the blast radius to the color of the shell. If your Bazooka shell falls down in the water, it will raise the water level by a bit. If you shoot a shell out of the edge of the screen, a heavy item will fall on you and drain some of your health. Loose blocks free floating will fall down, and will hurt you if you are under them. Crates can be collected after they fall to the water, they contain helpful items to aid you, you can store as many crate items as you feel like, you can switch over to crate items and use them one at a time, you can switch back to the Bazooka too. Stars are also on the field, if you collect a Star, it will lower the water level a bit. Be careful, you can destroy crates and stars if you hit them with a Bazooka shell or crate item. Crates and Stars will also sink after they are on the surface of the water, so grab them quick! If the water gets high enough or the blocks get low enough, you can run into the blocks as well, hurting you. Along with the regular colored blocks, there are Anchor blocks, which act as anchors for all other blocks. Bouncy blocks will bounce Bazooka shells and items off them. Dead blocks have no color, which means the cannot be cleared on a fiesta shot. Rainbow blocks will be set off by any color Bazooka shell, and will chain reaction to the colored blocks of the same color as the shell.
The Single player mode involves working your way across various paths each having 2 puzzles to complete. You start your way at the bottom right corner and work your way to the volcano in the center. Not all paths need to be taken to reach the volcano, but all paths must be taken to unlock the extra characters. Most routes are White, and the more difficult paths are Red. Taking the Red paths are usually quicker routes to the volcano. When you make it to the volcano and clear the puzzles there, you clear the game. There are many different variety of puzzles in the Single Player mode, twisted the rules around to give you a handicap, even including a version of the Snake game. The multiplayer mode is a 2 Player Vs, either against the CPU or agianst a 2nd player. The standard Deathmatch mode pits 2 players against each other in a battle to the death. Each player gets half the screen as their field and a divider in the middle. Both players have 2 lives, when both lives are lost, that player loses. The mechanics are the same as Single Player, with some additions. Blocks are always steadily being pushed down. When you shoot out groups of colored blocks, candy falls. If you collect 10 pieces of that candy before they all fall, you fill in that color in the word BLAST. When you fill up BLAST, you enter Blast Mode. In Blast Mode, all the blocks from your field are cleared, and targets will fall. Shoot a target to make a crate fall. Targets will keep falling for about 20 seconds. When you exit out of Blast more, you return to normal play and blocks start dropping again. The divider in the middle will also open up periodically, when it is open, you can shoot over to your opponent's play area. If you hit blocks in your opponent's play area, they will turn into Dead Blocks. You can also attack your opponent directly if you can hit him/her. There are also more items in crates that can hinder your opponent or aid you found only in the Vs mode. There are also different modes, such as a race through a set of blocks or a Fight mode that is just Anchor and Bouncy blocks. The single player also has a few special modes such as Shooting Gallery where you go for a high score. The Single player puzzles are entertaining, although the later ones can get almost too hard. The 2 Player Vs is fun with a 2nd player, and the variety of modes can help spice it up, but you'll probably be playing Deathmatch or Fight the most.
Bottom Line: Worms Blast is an alright Puzzle game with some Action Combat elements thrown in. The single player Puzzles can keep you occupied for a while, and the 2 Player Vs mode can be fun for hours with a 2nd person. This is worth a Play or Rent.
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Windows (October 23, 2002), Nintendo Gamecube (October 24, 2002), Playstation 2 (January 1, 2003), Mac (March 4, 2003)
Genre: Puzzle, Action
Worms Blast is a Puzzle game based around the Worms franchise, and it does alright.
The goal in most circumstances is to clear away the colored blocks on your field. You have a Bazooka which fires different colored missiles in random order. You clear away blocks by hitting the same colored blocks with a same colored Bazooka shell. If your Bazooka shell is of a different color than the blocks it hits, it will turn blocks in the blast radius to the color of the shell. If your Bazooka shell falls down in the water, it will raise the water level by a bit. If you shoot a shell out of the edge of the screen, a heavy item will fall on you and drain some of your health. Loose blocks free floating will fall down, and will hurt you if you are under them. Crates can be collected after they fall to the water, they contain helpful items to aid you, you can store as many crate items as you feel like, you can switch over to crate items and use them one at a time, you can switch back to the Bazooka too. Stars are also on the field, if you collect a Star, it will lower the water level a bit. Be careful, you can destroy crates and stars if you hit them with a Bazooka shell or crate item. Crates and Stars will also sink after they are on the surface of the water, so grab them quick! If the water gets high enough or the blocks get low enough, you can run into the blocks as well, hurting you. Along with the regular colored blocks, there are Anchor blocks, which act as anchors for all other blocks. Bouncy blocks will bounce Bazooka shells and items off them. Dead blocks have no color, which means the cannot be cleared on a fiesta shot. Rainbow blocks will be set off by any color Bazooka shell, and will chain reaction to the colored blocks of the same color as the shell.
The Single player mode involves working your way across various paths each having 2 puzzles to complete. You start your way at the bottom right corner and work your way to the volcano in the center. Not all paths need to be taken to reach the volcano, but all paths must be taken to unlock the extra characters. Most routes are White, and the more difficult paths are Red. Taking the Red paths are usually quicker routes to the volcano. When you make it to the volcano and clear the puzzles there, you clear the game. There are many different variety of puzzles in the Single Player mode, twisted the rules around to give you a handicap, even including a version of the Snake game. The multiplayer mode is a 2 Player Vs, either against the CPU or agianst a 2nd player. The standard Deathmatch mode pits 2 players against each other in a battle to the death. Each player gets half the screen as their field and a divider in the middle. Both players have 2 lives, when both lives are lost, that player loses. The mechanics are the same as Single Player, with some additions. Blocks are always steadily being pushed down. When you shoot out groups of colored blocks, candy falls. If you collect 10 pieces of that candy before they all fall, you fill in that color in the word BLAST. When you fill up BLAST, you enter Blast Mode. In Blast Mode, all the blocks from your field are cleared, and targets will fall. Shoot a target to make a crate fall. Targets will keep falling for about 20 seconds. When you exit out of Blast more, you return to normal play and blocks start dropping again. The divider in the middle will also open up periodically, when it is open, you can shoot over to your opponent's play area. If you hit blocks in your opponent's play area, they will turn into Dead Blocks. You can also attack your opponent directly if you can hit him/her. There are also more items in crates that can hinder your opponent or aid you found only in the Vs mode. There are also different modes, such as a race through a set of blocks or a Fight mode that is just Anchor and Bouncy blocks. The single player also has a few special modes such as Shooting Gallery where you go for a high score. The Single player puzzles are entertaining, although the later ones can get almost too hard. The 2 Player Vs is fun with a 2nd player, and the variety of modes can help spice it up, but you'll probably be playing Deathmatch or Fight the most.
Bottom Line: Worms Blast is an alright Puzzle game with some Action Combat elements thrown in. The single player Puzzles can keep you occupied for a while, and the 2 Player Vs mode can be fun for hours with a 2nd person. This is worth a Play or Rent.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Game Rant: Egg Mania Eggstreme Madness
Developer: HotGen
Publisher: Kemco
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo Gamecube, Xbox (September 11, 2002), Playstation 2 (September 12, 2002), Gameboy Advance (September 16, 2002)
Genre: Puzzle
Egg Mania Eggstreme Madness is a peculiar puzzle game, and it does a decent job of it.
Most puzzle games have you destroying lines or groups/sets of pieces, Egg Mania however tasks you with building a high tower with various pieces. At the start, you free fall down to the bottom where you start building your tower. The goal is to use the pieces to build up your tower and reach the blimp you fell from the start. The standard pieces come in various shapes and sizes from 1 block big to 5 blocks big. You catch the pieces by walking into them, and you can rotate them in 90 degree increments to fit them in the play field. You can also drop the piece if you don't want to use it. Pieces are always falling, so you have to grab the ones you need before they fall. You are trying to outrun the water, water constantly fills the play area, and if it catches up to the top of your tower, you lose. You have to make sure to fill in all the rows of your tower. You have a meter at the bottom that fills with each row you leave open, when it fills up, all the rows that are incomplete will crumble and shorten your tower. Water will also destroy incomplete rows when the water line reaches the incomplete row. When you complete a row, you get extra blocks called Trick Bricks in your area that boost the height of your tower. If you comeplete multiple rows in succession, as in each piece you lay down completes at least one row, you start a combo, and all the Trick Bricks accumulate and raise your tower by that number of bricks. If you complete 2 or 3 rows at once, the amount of Trick Bricks you get are doubled or tripled respectively. Along with the pieces, items drop as well, that help you or hinder your opponent. Cement fills in 6 Bricks worth of space, High Tops makes you really high, Lightning Bolt will cause a lightning cloud to appear on your opponent's field, Hammers destroy incomplete rows on your opponent's field, and Bombs will blow up pieces when they count down. Bombs can be thrown back and forth between both players before they explode, so watch out! You can drop Hammers, Bombs, or Cement if you don't want to use them. Enemies will also appear on the play area, these enemies will either take away the piece/item you are currently holding or knock you into the water and take time to recover. The gameplay is interesting and fun for a bit, but it can get slightly tiring after a while.
There are a bit of game modes to play. Egg Mania is the standard mode, you can compete in a series of matches vs the CPU to reach the end or compete against a 2nd player to get to the top first. Against the CPU, you start with a set amount of continues, and you earn a continue for each match you win. If you lose all your continues, you lose and have to start over. Bomb mode is the reverse, you start with a high tower and have to use bombs to destroy your opponent's tower, first to have the water catch up loses. Solo mode is single player mode where you get as many points as you can, you keep going up different towers until you lose. Survival mode is an Endless Egg Mania mode vs the CPU, you keep going until you lose. Custom allows you to tweak various settings, you can easily handicap things to help even out the players. Tournament mode is an up to 8 player tournament play, it follows a standard tournament format to determine the victor.
Bottom Line: Egg Mania Eggstreme Madness is a different take on a puzzle game, and it does it fairly decent. The gameplay is solid, but it can get tiring after a while. A 2nd player can help extend the life. This is worth at least a Play or Rent.
Publisher: Kemco
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo Gamecube, Xbox (September 11, 2002), Playstation 2 (September 12, 2002), Gameboy Advance (September 16, 2002)
Genre: Puzzle
Egg Mania Eggstreme Madness is a peculiar puzzle game, and it does a decent job of it.
Most puzzle games have you destroying lines or groups/sets of pieces, Egg Mania however tasks you with building a high tower with various pieces. At the start, you free fall down to the bottom where you start building your tower. The goal is to use the pieces to build up your tower and reach the blimp you fell from the start. The standard pieces come in various shapes and sizes from 1 block big to 5 blocks big. You catch the pieces by walking into them, and you can rotate them in 90 degree increments to fit them in the play field. You can also drop the piece if you don't want to use it. Pieces are always falling, so you have to grab the ones you need before they fall. You are trying to outrun the water, water constantly fills the play area, and if it catches up to the top of your tower, you lose. You have to make sure to fill in all the rows of your tower. You have a meter at the bottom that fills with each row you leave open, when it fills up, all the rows that are incomplete will crumble and shorten your tower. Water will also destroy incomplete rows when the water line reaches the incomplete row. When you complete a row, you get extra blocks called Trick Bricks in your area that boost the height of your tower. If you comeplete multiple rows in succession, as in each piece you lay down completes at least one row, you start a combo, and all the Trick Bricks accumulate and raise your tower by that number of bricks. If you complete 2 or 3 rows at once, the amount of Trick Bricks you get are doubled or tripled respectively. Along with the pieces, items drop as well, that help you or hinder your opponent. Cement fills in 6 Bricks worth of space, High Tops makes you really high, Lightning Bolt will cause a lightning cloud to appear on your opponent's field, Hammers destroy incomplete rows on your opponent's field, and Bombs will blow up pieces when they count down. Bombs can be thrown back and forth between both players before they explode, so watch out! You can drop Hammers, Bombs, or Cement if you don't want to use them. Enemies will also appear on the play area, these enemies will either take away the piece/item you are currently holding or knock you into the water and take time to recover. The gameplay is interesting and fun for a bit, but it can get slightly tiring after a while.
There are a bit of game modes to play. Egg Mania is the standard mode, you can compete in a series of matches vs the CPU to reach the end or compete against a 2nd player to get to the top first. Against the CPU, you start with a set amount of continues, and you earn a continue for each match you win. If you lose all your continues, you lose and have to start over. Bomb mode is the reverse, you start with a high tower and have to use bombs to destroy your opponent's tower, first to have the water catch up loses. Solo mode is single player mode where you get as many points as you can, you keep going up different towers until you lose. Survival mode is an Endless Egg Mania mode vs the CPU, you keep going until you lose. Custom allows you to tweak various settings, you can easily handicap things to help even out the players. Tournament mode is an up to 8 player tournament play, it follows a standard tournament format to determine the victor.
Bottom Line: Egg Mania Eggstreme Madness is a different take on a puzzle game, and it does it fairly decent. The gameplay is solid, but it can get tiring after a while. A 2nd player can help extend the life. This is worth at least a Play or Rent.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Retro Lookback: Mario Party 2
Developer: Hudson Soft
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (January 24, 2000), Wii Virtual Console (December 20, 2010)
Genre: Party
Mario Party 2 is the follow up the successful Mario Party, and it continues the Partying and the Fighting that ensures when playing Mario Party.
The story is that Mario and Co lived peacefully in Mario Land until Wario decided that it should be called Wario Land, a fight breaks out and they bicker while Bowser plots to take over the kingdom. Mario and Co then decide that whoever stops Bowser shall have the land named after him/her, so they go off on the various boards to party and stop Bowser and be the Superstar.
The gameplay remains largely the same from the first game. 4 Players play a set number of turns on a board, while collecting Stars and Coins to win the board in the end, and playing Mini-Games between turns. There are different features from the first game. The boards are themed, like a Space Land or a Pirate Land, and the characters dress up in different costumes to suit the board. New spaces have been added. The Bank Space makes you pay a minimum of 5 coins when you pass it, and when a player lands on the space, he/she gets all the coins in the Bank and the Balance is reset to 0. The rules are Reversed in Bowser Land, however, where you get 5 Coins when you pass the bank and the player that lands on it has to pay off the whole balance. The Item space allows you to play a Board Specific Mini-Game for an Item, but only if you don't already have an item. Battle Spaces trigger a Battle Game, where each player has to pay up the cost and fight to win their money back, with 1st and 2nd receiving a 70/30 Split of the total pot. If there is an odd coin left, it gets randomly tossed to a player. The Mushroom Space and the 1 Player Game spaces have been removed. Different board features and mechanics are in this installment as well. As mentioned before, you can hold 1 item to use before you roll for the turn, these can benefit you or hinder another player. You can buy an item by passing an Item Shop or win an Item from an Item Space. Boo works slightly differently, instead of stealing coins for Free, you have to fork over 5 coins, but you can steal up to large amounts of coins instead if the 1-20 coins of the 1st game. You can still steal a star from another player for 50 coins. Baby Bowser also is on the board and takes the spot of where the Star (Toad) was previously when it is bought. Baby Bowser will take 5 coins from you when you pass him, although he occasionally gives you 5 coins. If a player has a Bowser Bomb at the end of the turn before the Mini-Game, Baby Bowser turn into Bowser and rolls 3 dice, whoever Bowser catches up to has to fork over all their coins. Koopa has been removed from this game, so you don't get a coin bonus for lapping the board. Hidden Blocks occur, and contain either 20 coins or a Star instead of the roulette of Koopa/Boo/Bowser from the first game. Each board has their own gimmicks and features that makes them stand kit form the others. Mystery Land, for example, uses a Day/Night cycle which would later be a main feature of Mario Party 6. At the end of the board, you can get 3 Bonus stars for Most Coins held at once, Most Coins won in Mini-Games, and Landing on the most Green Happening Spaces, like the first game. Instead of the winner being announced right there, a cut-scene in which the winner defeats Bowser plays out. Unlike the first game, every player's coins and stars go into the bank, even CPU players. Stars are converted into 50 Coins each. Coins in the bank are used to buy Mini-Games from Woody in Mini-Game Land.
The Mini-Games are the main attraction probably. There are about 70 Mini-Games, both new and remixes from the 1st game. You play a different Mini-Game Badass on what spaces the players have landed on. A 4 Player Game occurs when all 4 Players are either Red or Blue, these are usually Free-For-Alls with 1 winner. A 1 vs 3 game is when all but one player is the same color, it is a team game of the solo player vs the team of 3, with the solo player given a slighter advantage due to the ways the teams are layer out. A 2 vs 2 game is when the players are evenly split between Red and Blue, the teams of 2 battle each other with one team winning. A Battle Game is when a Battle Space is landed on, which was explained earlier. Players bet the amount of coins determined and fight for the pot, with a 70/30 split going to 1st and 2nd and an odd coin going to a random player if applicable. An Item Game is when a player lands on an Item Space, if you have no item, you get to play for an Item. Duel Games are introduced in this game. In the last 5 turns, whenever 2 players occupy the same space, they play a board specific battle game to determine the winner. The challenging player (the one who landed on the space) bets any amount of coins up to the maximum of the lower coin total, the winner gets all the coins. You can also initiate a Duel Game by using the Dueling Glove item. The Mini-Games where you has to spin the control stick around as fast as you can has been removed from this game due to lawsuits from the first game.
There is also the Mini-Game land, where you can play the Mini-Games without playing the board. You can free play any of the games you bought from Woody in the Park. You can go to the stadium to play a best of series of mini-games to win. You can also play a figure-8 board similar to the Pot-o-Skills in the first game, and you earn coins by lapping the board here unlike the standard game. Lastly, there is the Mini-Game Coaster. This works like the Mini-Game Island from the first game. You can select Easy, Normal, and Hard each having 3, 6, and 9 Worlds to complete respectively. You start with 3 Lives and earn coins by successfully beating Mini-Games. You get a 1up for every 100 coins. You can also get a Win Streak Bonus, where your coin winnings are multiplied by the current win streak. Like the first game, you can also select a partner to compete with you in the 2 vs 2 games and when you are on the 3 side in 1 vs 3 games. You can save at the start of each world and continue from there when you run out of lives. The objective is to get to the end of the Coaster before you run out of lives.
Since this is Mario Party, this game is best enjoyed with 4 People, but the CPU can still be fun to play against (especially when they cheat and rig every Chance Time to work against you). This game has tons of replay value in a group setting.
Bottom Line: Mario Party 2 improves from the first game and adds good new features. This is an experience best enjoyed with friends, but can still be fun solo. This is worth a Play or Buy.
Author's Note: That statement about the Cheating CPU comes from experience... Don't ask... Also, the Runaway Guys have done Let's Plays of Mario Party 2 on YouTube. Go watch them, they are very funny.
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (January 24, 2000), Wii Virtual Console (December 20, 2010)
Genre: Party
Mario Party 2 is the follow up the successful Mario Party, and it continues the Partying and the Fighting that ensures when playing Mario Party.
The story is that Mario and Co lived peacefully in Mario Land until Wario decided that it should be called Wario Land, a fight breaks out and they bicker while Bowser plots to take over the kingdom. Mario and Co then decide that whoever stops Bowser shall have the land named after him/her, so they go off on the various boards to party and stop Bowser and be the Superstar.
The gameplay remains largely the same from the first game. 4 Players play a set number of turns on a board, while collecting Stars and Coins to win the board in the end, and playing Mini-Games between turns. There are different features from the first game. The boards are themed, like a Space Land or a Pirate Land, and the characters dress up in different costumes to suit the board. New spaces have been added. The Bank Space makes you pay a minimum of 5 coins when you pass it, and when a player lands on the space, he/she gets all the coins in the Bank and the Balance is reset to 0. The rules are Reversed in Bowser Land, however, where you get 5 Coins when you pass the bank and the player that lands on it has to pay off the whole balance. The Item space allows you to play a Board Specific Mini-Game for an Item, but only if you don't already have an item. Battle Spaces trigger a Battle Game, where each player has to pay up the cost and fight to win their money back, with 1st and 2nd receiving a 70/30 Split of the total pot. If there is an odd coin left, it gets randomly tossed to a player. The Mushroom Space and the 1 Player Game spaces have been removed. Different board features and mechanics are in this installment as well. As mentioned before, you can hold 1 item to use before you roll for the turn, these can benefit you or hinder another player. You can buy an item by passing an Item Shop or win an Item from an Item Space. Boo works slightly differently, instead of stealing coins for Free, you have to fork over 5 coins, but you can steal up to large amounts of coins instead if the 1-20 coins of the 1st game. You can still steal a star from another player for 50 coins. Baby Bowser also is on the board and takes the spot of where the Star (Toad) was previously when it is bought. Baby Bowser will take 5 coins from you when you pass him, although he occasionally gives you 5 coins. If a player has a Bowser Bomb at the end of the turn before the Mini-Game, Baby Bowser turn into Bowser and rolls 3 dice, whoever Bowser catches up to has to fork over all their coins. Koopa has been removed from this game, so you don't get a coin bonus for lapping the board. Hidden Blocks occur, and contain either 20 coins or a Star instead of the roulette of Koopa/Boo/Bowser from the first game. Each board has their own gimmicks and features that makes them stand kit form the others. Mystery Land, for example, uses a Day/Night cycle which would later be a main feature of Mario Party 6. At the end of the board, you can get 3 Bonus stars for Most Coins held at once, Most Coins won in Mini-Games, and Landing on the most Green Happening Spaces, like the first game. Instead of the winner being announced right there, a cut-scene in which the winner defeats Bowser plays out. Unlike the first game, every player's coins and stars go into the bank, even CPU players. Stars are converted into 50 Coins each. Coins in the bank are used to buy Mini-Games from Woody in Mini-Game Land.
The Mini-Games are the main attraction probably. There are about 70 Mini-Games, both new and remixes from the 1st game. You play a different Mini-Game Badass on what spaces the players have landed on. A 4 Player Game occurs when all 4 Players are either Red or Blue, these are usually Free-For-Alls with 1 winner. A 1 vs 3 game is when all but one player is the same color, it is a team game of the solo player vs the team of 3, with the solo player given a slighter advantage due to the ways the teams are layer out. A 2 vs 2 game is when the players are evenly split between Red and Blue, the teams of 2 battle each other with one team winning. A Battle Game is when a Battle Space is landed on, which was explained earlier. Players bet the amount of coins determined and fight for the pot, with a 70/30 split going to 1st and 2nd and an odd coin going to a random player if applicable. An Item Game is when a player lands on an Item Space, if you have no item, you get to play for an Item. Duel Games are introduced in this game. In the last 5 turns, whenever 2 players occupy the same space, they play a board specific battle game to determine the winner. The challenging player (the one who landed on the space) bets any amount of coins up to the maximum of the lower coin total, the winner gets all the coins. You can also initiate a Duel Game by using the Dueling Glove item. The Mini-Games where you has to spin the control stick around as fast as you can has been removed from this game due to lawsuits from the first game.
There is also the Mini-Game land, where you can play the Mini-Games without playing the board. You can free play any of the games you bought from Woody in the Park. You can go to the stadium to play a best of series of mini-games to win. You can also play a figure-8 board similar to the Pot-o-Skills in the first game, and you earn coins by lapping the board here unlike the standard game. Lastly, there is the Mini-Game Coaster. This works like the Mini-Game Island from the first game. You can select Easy, Normal, and Hard each having 3, 6, and 9 Worlds to complete respectively. You start with 3 Lives and earn coins by successfully beating Mini-Games. You get a 1up for every 100 coins. You can also get a Win Streak Bonus, where your coin winnings are multiplied by the current win streak. Like the first game, you can also select a partner to compete with you in the 2 vs 2 games and when you are on the 3 side in 1 vs 3 games. You can save at the start of each world and continue from there when you run out of lives. The objective is to get to the end of the Coaster before you run out of lives.
Since this is Mario Party, this game is best enjoyed with 4 People, but the CPU can still be fun to play against (especially when they cheat and rig every Chance Time to work against you). This game has tons of replay value in a group setting.
Bottom Line: Mario Party 2 improves from the first game and adds good new features. This is an experience best enjoyed with friends, but can still be fun solo. This is worth a Play or Buy.
Author's Note: That statement about the Cheating CPU comes from experience... Don't ask... Also, the Runaway Guys have done Let's Plays of Mario Party 2 on YouTube. Go watch them, they are very funny.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Retro Lookback: Wave Race 64
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (November 5, 1996), Wii Virtual Console (August 6, 2007)
Genre: Extreme Sports, Racing
Wave Race 64 is the follow up to the overlooked Gameboy game Wave Race, and it improves on it in many ways.
The gameplay is a bit different from the Gameboy. The perspective moves from Top-Down to Behind-The-Rider 3Rd Person, and it works great. The objective is to race around water tracks as fast as you can, but you have to slalom through Buoys on the course. There are two types of Buoys, Yellow ones with an L on them have to be passed on the Left and Red ones with an R on them have to be passed on the Right. When you correctly pass a Buoy, you an arrow on the Power meter fills, when all 5 arrows fill, you have maximum Power and can go the fastest you can. When you miss a Buoy, your Power goes back down to 0, but you can build it up again. You also build up your Miss counter, if you miss 5 Buoys in a Race, you are disqualified. You can also be disqualified by going outside of the Pink Buoys marking the edge of the track or by remaining on anything but water for 10 seconds. The main modes are Championship, Time Trials, Stunt Mode, and 2P VS. Championship Mode tasks you with racing through the tracks in order against 3 CPU racers. On each track, you have to get a certain point total to move on to the next track, or it is Game Over and you must start from Race one. 1st Place awards you 7 Points, 2nd is 4 Points, 3rd is 2 Points, and 4th is 1 Point. If you are disqualified, you receive no points. There are 4 difficulty modes, with higher levels involving more difficult Buoy placement and more races. Normal has the easiest placement and 6 races, Hard is slightly hard placement and 7 races, Expert is the hardest placement and 8 races, and Reverse is the Expert difficulty only running the tracks in Reverse. If you start a Normal Championship, you have the option to Warm Up by free riding on the special training track Dolphin Park. You can free practice all you want and start the Championship if you choose. There is also scrolling text at the bottom that explains the basics if needed. Time Trials is a straight up contest to go as fast as you can on any of the unlocked tracks. Stunt More tasks you with trying to get the highest score you can in one lap around the track. You score points by passing through rings without missing them and performing stunts in the air and on the water. You are on a timer, and you get time bonuses too, and earn more Time at checkpoints. You can play on any of the unlocked tracks and the special Dolphin Park track in Stunt Mode. 2P VS is a race between 2 human players, first to the goal without being disqualified wins. You can play on any of the unlocked tracks, and set a handicap to speed up the losing player if you choose. 2P VS is a fun time on the 8 tracks, like 1080 Snowboarding, even with the lack of many tracks and options, it still proves to be fun for hours when playing against a 2nd player. You can also go to the options screen to adjust some of the settings, like the Wave Conditions. There are 4 riders to choose from, each with different stats, from the High Speed one to the Turning one to the Balanced one. You can also customize the Jet Ski to tweak the stats slightly, giving you just that little bit more speed or corning. Even though you can tweak the stats, you can't ever quite get the Max Speed guy to have the same corning as the Turning guy and such. The gameplay is fun, and the slalom between the buoys is interesting and keeps cheaters in check.
The music and sounds are tight, and the Water Physics are really good for the N64, the water behaves like...water, and crashing against the waves feels like the real thing (probably).
Bottom Line: Wave Race 64 is a fun racer, like it's buddy series 1080 Snowboarding. The 2P VS is fun and keeps it rolling for hours. The is worth a Buy or Play.
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (November 5, 1996), Wii Virtual Console (August 6, 2007)
Genre: Extreme Sports, Racing
Wave Race 64 is the follow up to the overlooked Gameboy game Wave Race, and it improves on it in many ways.
The gameplay is a bit different from the Gameboy. The perspective moves from Top-Down to Behind-The-Rider 3Rd Person, and it works great. The objective is to race around water tracks as fast as you can, but you have to slalom through Buoys on the course. There are two types of Buoys, Yellow ones with an L on them have to be passed on the Left and Red ones with an R on them have to be passed on the Right. When you correctly pass a Buoy, you an arrow on the Power meter fills, when all 5 arrows fill, you have maximum Power and can go the fastest you can. When you miss a Buoy, your Power goes back down to 0, but you can build it up again. You also build up your Miss counter, if you miss 5 Buoys in a Race, you are disqualified. You can also be disqualified by going outside of the Pink Buoys marking the edge of the track or by remaining on anything but water for 10 seconds. The main modes are Championship, Time Trials, Stunt Mode, and 2P VS. Championship Mode tasks you with racing through the tracks in order against 3 CPU racers. On each track, you have to get a certain point total to move on to the next track, or it is Game Over and you must start from Race one. 1st Place awards you 7 Points, 2nd is 4 Points, 3rd is 2 Points, and 4th is 1 Point. If you are disqualified, you receive no points. There are 4 difficulty modes, with higher levels involving more difficult Buoy placement and more races. Normal has the easiest placement and 6 races, Hard is slightly hard placement and 7 races, Expert is the hardest placement and 8 races, and Reverse is the Expert difficulty only running the tracks in Reverse. If you start a Normal Championship, you have the option to Warm Up by free riding on the special training track Dolphin Park. You can free practice all you want and start the Championship if you choose. There is also scrolling text at the bottom that explains the basics if needed. Time Trials is a straight up contest to go as fast as you can on any of the unlocked tracks. Stunt More tasks you with trying to get the highest score you can in one lap around the track. You score points by passing through rings without missing them and performing stunts in the air and on the water. You are on a timer, and you get time bonuses too, and earn more Time at checkpoints. You can play on any of the unlocked tracks and the special Dolphin Park track in Stunt Mode. 2P VS is a race between 2 human players, first to the goal without being disqualified wins. You can play on any of the unlocked tracks, and set a handicap to speed up the losing player if you choose. 2P VS is a fun time on the 8 tracks, like 1080 Snowboarding, even with the lack of many tracks and options, it still proves to be fun for hours when playing against a 2nd player. You can also go to the options screen to adjust some of the settings, like the Wave Conditions. There are 4 riders to choose from, each with different stats, from the High Speed one to the Turning one to the Balanced one. You can also customize the Jet Ski to tweak the stats slightly, giving you just that little bit more speed or corning. Even though you can tweak the stats, you can't ever quite get the Max Speed guy to have the same corning as the Turning guy and such. The gameplay is fun, and the slalom between the buoys is interesting and keeps cheaters in check.
The music and sounds are tight, and the Water Physics are really good for the N64, the water behaves like...water, and crashing against the waves feels like the real thing (probably).
Bottom Line: Wave Race 64 is a fun racer, like it's buddy series 1080 Snowboarding. The 2P VS is fun and keeps it rolling for hours. The is worth a Buy or Play.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Retro Lookback: 1080 Snowboarding
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (April 1, 1998), Wii Virtual Console (January 28, 2008)
Genre: Extreme Sports, Racing
1080 Snowboarding is Nintendo's stab at Snowboarding, and it is a good time.
The gameplay is simple, get down the mountain as fast as you can by using different routes and balancing after jumps. You also have a Damage meter, where you take damage everytime you fall. You are forced retire when you fill up the damage meter. The main modes are Match Race, Time Attack, Trick Attack, Contest, Training, and 2P Vs. Match Race puts you in a series of Head to Head races against CPU controlled riders across the various runs. There are 3 difficulties, with harder difficulties becoming harder and more races. You also get 3 lives for each attempt, if you are forced to Retire or fail to beat the CPU, you lose a life, lose all 3 lives and you have to restart from the first race. Time Attack is a straight up speed contest to get to the bottom as fast as you can. Trick Attack tasks you with getting the highest score you can down a run by performing various tricks and combos. You are also given a timer, which gives a time bonus, and checkpoints that boost time left. Along with the regular courses, you can also run on Air Make and Half Pipe for Trick Attack. Contest is a special Trick Attack mode that takes place on the first 3 regular tracks and the 2 special trick runs. The goal is to get the highest combined score on the 5 runs. On the regular courses, there are Red and Blue flags scattered throughout that give you points and a alight time bonus by slaloming through them. You can still perform regular tricks for more points. Training places you on a special training run and allows you to practice tricks and landing. 2P Vs is the 2 Player Head to Head mode, 2 Players compete against each other to get to the bottom first. You can also elect if each player gets a speed boost when they are in 2nd via the Handicap option. 2P Vs can provide a good bit of fun for a while, even given only 6 tracks total. The 6 regular tracks are nicely laid out, each having a few different routes to the bottom, making for multiple replays for the best run. There are 8 riders, with 5 being available from the start and 3 being unlockable. Each rider has different stats that gives them an edge in different modes. There are also 9 boards to choose from, with one being unlockable. Each board has different stats as well, making for careful board selection. Landing from jumps can be a bit tricky, but with careful stick and button work, you can land those jumps every time. The rush you feel going down the mountain is exciting, the gameplay is solid and fun. The marquee trick, the 1080, is a bit hard to pull off at a 9 button combination, but it js satisfying to land.
The graphics and sounds are pretty solid, the character models look smooth, the snow effects look like snow, and the music fire nicely.
Bottom Line: 1080 Snowboarding is a solid racing experience, with physics that are challenging, but not unfair. The 2P Vs mode can be a blast for hours. This is worth a Buy or Play.
Author's Note: Ricky Winterborn is the best rider, no contest.
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (April 1, 1998), Wii Virtual Console (January 28, 2008)
Genre: Extreme Sports, Racing
1080 Snowboarding is Nintendo's stab at Snowboarding, and it is a good time.
The gameplay is simple, get down the mountain as fast as you can by using different routes and balancing after jumps. You also have a Damage meter, where you take damage everytime you fall. You are forced retire when you fill up the damage meter. The main modes are Match Race, Time Attack, Trick Attack, Contest, Training, and 2P Vs. Match Race puts you in a series of Head to Head races against CPU controlled riders across the various runs. There are 3 difficulties, with harder difficulties becoming harder and more races. You also get 3 lives for each attempt, if you are forced to Retire or fail to beat the CPU, you lose a life, lose all 3 lives and you have to restart from the first race. Time Attack is a straight up speed contest to get to the bottom as fast as you can. Trick Attack tasks you with getting the highest score you can down a run by performing various tricks and combos. You are also given a timer, which gives a time bonus, and checkpoints that boost time left. Along with the regular courses, you can also run on Air Make and Half Pipe for Trick Attack. Contest is a special Trick Attack mode that takes place on the first 3 regular tracks and the 2 special trick runs. The goal is to get the highest combined score on the 5 runs. On the regular courses, there are Red and Blue flags scattered throughout that give you points and a alight time bonus by slaloming through them. You can still perform regular tricks for more points. Training places you on a special training run and allows you to practice tricks and landing. 2P Vs is the 2 Player Head to Head mode, 2 Players compete against each other to get to the bottom first. You can also elect if each player gets a speed boost when they are in 2nd via the Handicap option. 2P Vs can provide a good bit of fun for a while, even given only 6 tracks total. The 6 regular tracks are nicely laid out, each having a few different routes to the bottom, making for multiple replays for the best run. There are 8 riders, with 5 being available from the start and 3 being unlockable. Each rider has different stats that gives them an edge in different modes. There are also 9 boards to choose from, with one being unlockable. Each board has different stats as well, making for careful board selection. Landing from jumps can be a bit tricky, but with careful stick and button work, you can land those jumps every time. The rush you feel going down the mountain is exciting, the gameplay is solid and fun. The marquee trick, the 1080, is a bit hard to pull off at a 9 button combination, but it js satisfying to land.
The graphics and sounds are pretty solid, the character models look smooth, the snow effects look like snow, and the music fire nicely.
Bottom Line: 1080 Snowboarding is a solid racing experience, with physics that are challenging, but not unfair. The 2P Vs mode can be a blast for hours. This is worth a Buy or Play.
Author's Note: Ricky Winterborn is the best rider, no contest.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Retro Lookback: Bust-a-Move 99
Developer: Taito
Publishers: Taito, Acclaim
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Sega Saturn (December 31, 1997), Playstation (February 28, 1999), Nintendo 64 (April 30, 1999)
Genre: Puzzle
Bust-a-Move 99 (known as Puzzle Bobble 3 outside of North America) is the third main entry in the Bust-a-Move series, and it continues the Bubble Popping Puzzle Action.
Originally only an Arcade release in Japan, Bust-a-Move 99 was ported to a few systems years later. The gameplay remains largely the same, you shoot colored bubbles at the bubbles on the field, align 3 of a like color next to each other to clear them. You can also drop hanging bubbles to get extra points by clearing bubbles that causes them to drop. The single player Puzzle Mode tasks you with completing various puzzle up tiers of letters of the alphabet to reach the end, with 5 Rounds in each. There is a new type of field now, an Endurance filed. This field is 5x longer than a standard round, you have to clear all the way to the top to clear. This also constitutes 1 letter, so you can play 5 standard rounds or 1 endurance round to advance. The standard rounds are also slightly different. This game introduces nodes into the mix. Instead if the bubbles connecting to the Top, they connect to nodes. When all the bubbles attached to a node are destroyed, the node vanishes, destroy all nodes on the board to clear it. The top is no longer sticky, and bubbles will bounce off it like walls. Bubbles can also bounce back down out of the play field, which there is no penalty, but it still constitutes a move towards making the field drop 1 empty line. You can also play in Version 2.5, which takes the Puzzles from Bust-a-Move 2 and remolds them around the node idea. You can also play against the CPU, which is a series of Battle matches to reach the final boss. You can build attack by clearing more than 3 bubbles at once or by dropping bubbles, the more cleared at once or dropped at once, the stronger the attack. Unlike previous entries, you can choose a character, each with their own bubble attack pattern. Some attack by throwing bubbles up from the bottom, pushing the field down another level from the top, or both. If your character can throw bubbles up, as soon as you build an attack and your opponent shots, they will be launched. However, if you character can push the field down, you can build up the attack to a Red Bubble for that attack. If your character can do both, it will do the push down first (if there is enough attack power), then the rest get thrown up. There is also the 2 player version in which 2 humans play. Other modes from the arcade mode includes a Contest mode that tasks you with getting the highest win streak you can without losing against the CPU, a Challenge mode which gives you 6 sets of 5 rounds to complete with each set having a different goal and gives you a score at the end, a mode that has 1000+ Puzzles submitted by various people for free play, and the Level Editor which allows you to make your own Puzzles. The puzzles are nicely designed and are a challenge, but not too frustrating..the Endurance puzzles are a nice change of pace as well.
There is also 1 new bubble type, the Rainbow bubble. These bubbles are initially clear, but when bubbles next to them are cleared, they will take the color of the cleared bubbles. You can also make the Rainbow bubbles cascade clear for big points and a strong attack, as in they change color, pop, make more change color, make them pop, and so on. Rainbow Bubbles cannot be cleared out by Star Bubbles.
The N64 version also contains a 4 player mode. This works like the 2 player mode, except expanded for 4 people. There are 2 modes with 2 ways of scoring. This can be played with 2-4 players, with CPU players being able to fill in for non-humans if you choose. Arcade mode is the Battle mode, where the last one standing wins. You can select which player to attack using the C-Buttons or let the game decide which opponent it feels like attack. Time Trial is a contest to see who can clear their field the fastest, you cannot attack other players in Time Trial. The Wins system keeps track of Wins, reach the number of Wins first to win the match. The Points system gives out points for placement, 1st gets 5, 2nd gets 3, 3rd gets 1, and 4th gets nothing, the first player to get the requires points first wins. The Multiplayer is fun with 4 Players, either with the CPU or other Humans, just make sure your TV is a bit larger for the smaller play areas.
The graphics are bright and colorful, and the animations are nice. The music is good, it reminds me of Remixes from Bust-a-Move 2 myself.
Bottom Line: Bust-a-Move 99 is another good addition to the series, with small nuances that make it different enough from the others. The N64 version has a slight advantage with the 4 Player Mode, but all versions are a blast to play. This is worth a Play or Buy.
Publishers: Taito, Acclaim
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Sega Saturn (December 31, 1997), Playstation (February 28, 1999), Nintendo 64 (April 30, 1999)
Genre: Puzzle
Bust-a-Move 99 (known as Puzzle Bobble 3 outside of North America) is the third main entry in the Bust-a-Move series, and it continues the Bubble Popping Puzzle Action.
Originally only an Arcade release in Japan, Bust-a-Move 99 was ported to a few systems years later. The gameplay remains largely the same, you shoot colored bubbles at the bubbles on the field, align 3 of a like color next to each other to clear them. You can also drop hanging bubbles to get extra points by clearing bubbles that causes them to drop. The single player Puzzle Mode tasks you with completing various puzzle up tiers of letters of the alphabet to reach the end, with 5 Rounds in each. There is a new type of field now, an Endurance filed. This field is 5x longer than a standard round, you have to clear all the way to the top to clear. This also constitutes 1 letter, so you can play 5 standard rounds or 1 endurance round to advance. The standard rounds are also slightly different. This game introduces nodes into the mix. Instead if the bubbles connecting to the Top, they connect to nodes. When all the bubbles attached to a node are destroyed, the node vanishes, destroy all nodes on the board to clear it. The top is no longer sticky, and bubbles will bounce off it like walls. Bubbles can also bounce back down out of the play field, which there is no penalty, but it still constitutes a move towards making the field drop 1 empty line. You can also play in Version 2.5, which takes the Puzzles from Bust-a-Move 2 and remolds them around the node idea. You can also play against the CPU, which is a series of Battle matches to reach the final boss. You can build attack by clearing more than 3 bubbles at once or by dropping bubbles, the more cleared at once or dropped at once, the stronger the attack. Unlike previous entries, you can choose a character, each with their own bubble attack pattern. Some attack by throwing bubbles up from the bottom, pushing the field down another level from the top, or both. If your character can throw bubbles up, as soon as you build an attack and your opponent shots, they will be launched. However, if you character can push the field down, you can build up the attack to a Red Bubble for that attack. If your character can do both, it will do the push down first (if there is enough attack power), then the rest get thrown up. There is also the 2 player version in which 2 humans play. Other modes from the arcade mode includes a Contest mode that tasks you with getting the highest win streak you can without losing against the CPU, a Challenge mode which gives you 6 sets of 5 rounds to complete with each set having a different goal and gives you a score at the end, a mode that has 1000+ Puzzles submitted by various people for free play, and the Level Editor which allows you to make your own Puzzles. The puzzles are nicely designed and are a challenge, but not too frustrating..the Endurance puzzles are a nice change of pace as well.
There is also 1 new bubble type, the Rainbow bubble. These bubbles are initially clear, but when bubbles next to them are cleared, they will take the color of the cleared bubbles. You can also make the Rainbow bubbles cascade clear for big points and a strong attack, as in they change color, pop, make more change color, make them pop, and so on. Rainbow Bubbles cannot be cleared out by Star Bubbles.
The N64 version also contains a 4 player mode. This works like the 2 player mode, except expanded for 4 people. There are 2 modes with 2 ways of scoring. This can be played with 2-4 players, with CPU players being able to fill in for non-humans if you choose. Arcade mode is the Battle mode, where the last one standing wins. You can select which player to attack using the C-Buttons or let the game decide which opponent it feels like attack. Time Trial is a contest to see who can clear their field the fastest, you cannot attack other players in Time Trial. The Wins system keeps track of Wins, reach the number of Wins first to win the match. The Points system gives out points for placement, 1st gets 5, 2nd gets 3, 3rd gets 1, and 4th gets nothing, the first player to get the requires points first wins. The Multiplayer is fun with 4 Players, either with the CPU or other Humans, just make sure your TV is a bit larger for the smaller play areas.
The graphics are bright and colorful, and the animations are nice. The music is good, it reminds me of Remixes from Bust-a-Move 2 myself.
Bottom Line: Bust-a-Move 99 is another good addition to the series, with small nuances that make it different enough from the others. The N64 version has a slight advantage with the 4 Player Mode, but all versions are a blast to play. This is worth a Play or Buy.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Retro Lookback: Vigilante 8 2nd Offense
Developer: Luxoflux
Publisher: Activision
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Playstation (October 31, 1999), Dreamcast (November 30, 1999), Nintendo 64 (February 2, 2000)
Genre: Vehicular Combat
Vigilante 8 2nd Offense (also known as V8:2 or V8:2nd) is the follow up to the first game released a year earlier. How does this compare?
The story continues from the first game. The story of Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense centers on the international meddlings of an oil conglomerate from the future known as OMAR (Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime). After finding an electronic armband in a service station bathroom, former Vigilante Slick Clyde rose to be controlled by OMAR. Working up through the ranks of command he soon came to be the CEO of OMAR itself and made a complete monopoly on all oil trades with the sole exception of the United States. With the help of his student and hitman, Obake, he steals the technology to allow him to travel through time. Taking with him Obake and his cybernetic assassin, Dallas 13, he makes the jump back to 1970s to cripple the United States and bring OMAR to total domination. Appearing in 1970s, the three vehicles encounter Convoy, the former leader of the Vigilantes. Upon seeing him, the three cars open fire. (Plot synopsis from Wikipedia). Each character also has their own story to follow, which folds out in the Quest mode.
The gameplay is pretty much the same as the first game. You collect various weapons scattered on the maps and blow up all the other vehicles before you get blown up. Pretty simple. The Quest mode follows each character's story through various maps. Along with destroying all enemies, you have to complete 2 other objectives on each level for a pass. You can go on to the next level without completing all 3 objectives, but it won't be considered complete until all 3 objectives in each level are met. You also got the classic Arcade mode, where you can choose the enemies and the map to, with the goal being to destroy all the CPU. There is also Survival more, where enemies will keep endlessly respawning until you are eliminated, the goal is to destroy as many as possible. You can also play Quest, Arcade, and Survival in 2 Player Co-op as well, which is good fun with no decrease in frame rate or graphics. There is also a Multiplayer mode for 2-4 players, you can play a tram game or a Free-For-All. There is a small bit of suffering in terms of performance, but the gameplay is still solid, 4 players is great fun. Each vehicle also has their own Special weapon, which gives them an edge over the others. Along with some returning vehicles, there are all new vehicles as well. Each vehicle has different stats to suit different styles. You can also collect Salvage Points form defeated foes to improve the stats of that vehicle even more. You can also edit the color of the vehicle. You can unlock more vehicles by completing all the objectives with characters in Quest more. Along with the Vigilante and Coyote sides, there is also the neutral Drifter side, with the characters there having their own motives different from the other two sides. The gameplay is solid fun, especially with 4 people. There are comparisons to Twisted Metal, which is logical. I personally find V8 and V8:2nd more fun than the Twisted Metal series in my opinion, but both Twisted Metal and V8 are still really fin.
The music on the N64 versions suffer a bit, with the disc-based ones having better music. The graphics across all 3 are still solid though
Bottom Line: Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense is just as good as the first game, with more and bigger levels and more vehicles. Multiplayer is a blast to play. This is worth a Play or Buy.
Publisher: Activision
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Playstation (October 31, 1999), Dreamcast (November 30, 1999), Nintendo 64 (February 2, 2000)
Genre: Vehicular Combat
Vigilante 8 2nd Offense (also known as V8:2 or V8:2nd) is the follow up to the first game released a year earlier. How does this compare?
The story continues from the first game. The story of Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense centers on the international meddlings of an oil conglomerate from the future known as OMAR (Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime). After finding an electronic armband in a service station bathroom, former Vigilante Slick Clyde rose to be controlled by OMAR. Working up through the ranks of command he soon came to be the CEO of OMAR itself and made a complete monopoly on all oil trades with the sole exception of the United States. With the help of his student and hitman, Obake, he steals the technology to allow him to travel through time. Taking with him Obake and his cybernetic assassin, Dallas 13, he makes the jump back to 1970s to cripple the United States and bring OMAR to total domination. Appearing in 1970s, the three vehicles encounter Convoy, the former leader of the Vigilantes. Upon seeing him, the three cars open fire. (Plot synopsis from Wikipedia). Each character also has their own story to follow, which folds out in the Quest mode.
The gameplay is pretty much the same as the first game. You collect various weapons scattered on the maps and blow up all the other vehicles before you get blown up. Pretty simple. The Quest mode follows each character's story through various maps. Along with destroying all enemies, you have to complete 2 other objectives on each level for a pass. You can go on to the next level without completing all 3 objectives, but it won't be considered complete until all 3 objectives in each level are met. You also got the classic Arcade mode, where you can choose the enemies and the map to, with the goal being to destroy all the CPU. There is also Survival more, where enemies will keep endlessly respawning until you are eliminated, the goal is to destroy as many as possible. You can also play Quest, Arcade, and Survival in 2 Player Co-op as well, which is good fun with no decrease in frame rate or graphics. There is also a Multiplayer mode for 2-4 players, you can play a tram game or a Free-For-All. There is a small bit of suffering in terms of performance, but the gameplay is still solid, 4 players is great fun. Each vehicle also has their own Special weapon, which gives them an edge over the others. Along with some returning vehicles, there are all new vehicles as well. Each vehicle has different stats to suit different styles. You can also collect Salvage Points form defeated foes to improve the stats of that vehicle even more. You can also edit the color of the vehicle. You can unlock more vehicles by completing all the objectives with characters in Quest more. Along with the Vigilante and Coyote sides, there is also the neutral Drifter side, with the characters there having their own motives different from the other two sides. The gameplay is solid fun, especially with 4 people. There are comparisons to Twisted Metal, which is logical. I personally find V8 and V8:2nd more fun than the Twisted Metal series in my opinion, but both Twisted Metal and V8 are still really fin.
The music on the N64 versions suffer a bit, with the disc-based ones having better music. The graphics across all 3 are still solid though
Bottom Line: Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense is just as good as the first game, with more and bigger levels and more vehicles. Multiplayer is a blast to play. This is worth a Play or Buy.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Retro Lookback: Battletanx: Global Assault
Developer: 3DO
Publisher: 3DO
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64, Playstation (October 12, 1999)
Genre: Vehicular Combat, Action
Battletanx: Global Assault is the sequel to Battletanx, does it out-do the first game?
The story in the Campaign mode picks up from the end of the first game. On January 13, 2006, a Queenlord, Cassandra, is spying on Griffin Spade's family, telling her troops to kidnap Griffin's son Brandon and kill everyone else. Griffin and his army manage to push back the invaders, but Cassandra soon turns the tables by mind-controlling Griffin's own army. Griffin and Madison manage to escape San Francisco and begin chasing Cassandra across the United States, eventually cornering her in Washington, D.C.. Cassandra, however, escapes with Brandon to Great Britain; Griffin and Madison follow. They build a new army in Europe, and chase Cassandra through England, France and Germany. While in Paris, they discover Cassandra released the virus in 2001 to kill every female on Earth who didn't have the power of the Edge. It is in Berlin where Griffin finally rescues Brandon. They make it back to San Francisco and push back another invasion by the Storm Ravens, and finally corner and defeat Cassandra on Alcatraz Island. The story ends with a cliffhanger; an unidentified magician finds Cassandra's body and speaks of a "chosen one" as he resurrects her. (Plot Synopsis by Wikipedia. Yes, I felt lazy this time, hey, at least you know the plot now, right?)
The Gameplay is basically the same as Battletanx, except with improvements. It's basically just more Battletanx! There is an array of new tanks to use, and a few only on the Playstation version. Each tank has its own stats and advantages, finding the right one for a situation can involve some strategy. There are also many different gangs in this game compared to the first. Each gang has a different set of 5 tanks available to use and a starting Special Weapon. This allows you to pick a gang to suit your play style. There are also all new maps, both from the campaign and multiplayer only maps. The different items scattered on the maps can help provide you an advantage in a pinch. The control scheme is now Arcade by default, which I found to be the better control scheme. The tanks also handle a bit differently from the first game. It may feel a bit off at first, but it makes the game more fast-paced and exciting. The terrain also can factor in as well, with some vertical movement, especially with the faster tanks, can be achieved. Most everything can be destroyed as well, making for less hiding places and more open and dangerous. There are many different modes of play, from straight up Deathmatch to more objective based games. The campaign can now be played in 2 player co-op, where it was only a solo experience in the first game. All the other modes can be played with 1-4 players, with the CPU or against Human opponents. You can Free-For-All or be the color of the same team to team up. The CPU can provide enough replay value by yourself, but the fun really starts when you get some other people with you, can have fun for hours.
The graphics, music, and sounds all are fairly good, and get the feel of the battlefield decently.
Bottom Line: Battletanx: Global Assault can be entertaining for a bit by yourself, but it is best enjoyed with friends. This game shines the best with multiplayer. This is worth a Play or Buy, even solo, but especially with friends.
Publisher: 3DO
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64, Playstation (October 12, 1999)
Genre: Vehicular Combat, Action
Battletanx: Global Assault is the sequel to Battletanx, does it out-do the first game?
The story in the Campaign mode picks up from the end of the first game. On January 13, 2006, a Queenlord, Cassandra, is spying on Griffin Spade's family, telling her troops to kidnap Griffin's son Brandon and kill everyone else. Griffin and his army manage to push back the invaders, but Cassandra soon turns the tables by mind-controlling Griffin's own army. Griffin and Madison manage to escape San Francisco and begin chasing Cassandra across the United States, eventually cornering her in Washington, D.C.. Cassandra, however, escapes with Brandon to Great Britain; Griffin and Madison follow. They build a new army in Europe, and chase Cassandra through England, France and Germany. While in Paris, they discover Cassandra released the virus in 2001 to kill every female on Earth who didn't have the power of the Edge. It is in Berlin where Griffin finally rescues Brandon. They make it back to San Francisco and push back another invasion by the Storm Ravens, and finally corner and defeat Cassandra on Alcatraz Island. The story ends with a cliffhanger; an unidentified magician finds Cassandra's body and speaks of a "chosen one" as he resurrects her. (Plot Synopsis by Wikipedia. Yes, I felt lazy this time, hey, at least you know the plot now, right?)
The Gameplay is basically the same as Battletanx, except with improvements. It's basically just more Battletanx! There is an array of new tanks to use, and a few only on the Playstation version. Each tank has its own stats and advantages, finding the right one for a situation can involve some strategy. There are also many different gangs in this game compared to the first. Each gang has a different set of 5 tanks available to use and a starting Special Weapon. This allows you to pick a gang to suit your play style. There are also all new maps, both from the campaign and multiplayer only maps. The different items scattered on the maps can help provide you an advantage in a pinch. The control scheme is now Arcade by default, which I found to be the better control scheme. The tanks also handle a bit differently from the first game. It may feel a bit off at first, but it makes the game more fast-paced and exciting. The terrain also can factor in as well, with some vertical movement, especially with the faster tanks, can be achieved. Most everything can be destroyed as well, making for less hiding places and more open and dangerous. There are many different modes of play, from straight up Deathmatch to more objective based games. The campaign can now be played in 2 player co-op, where it was only a solo experience in the first game. All the other modes can be played with 1-4 players, with the CPU or against Human opponents. You can Free-For-All or be the color of the same team to team up. The CPU can provide enough replay value by yourself, but the fun really starts when you get some other people with you, can have fun for hours.
The graphics, music, and sounds all are fairly good, and get the feel of the battlefield decently.
Bottom Line: Battletanx: Global Assault can be entertaining for a bit by yourself, but it is best enjoyed with friends. This game shines the best with multiplayer. This is worth a Play or Buy, even solo, but especially with friends.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Game Rant: Pikmin 2
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo Gamecube (August 30, 2004)
Genre: Real-Time Strategy
Pikmin 2 is the sequel to the first game released 3 years earlier, does it improve over the first game?
The plot of the Adventure mode continues from the first game. After Olimar escapes, he returns to Hocotate, only to find that Hocotate Fright is in debt after a shipment of Pik-Pik Carrots were stolen. When the President finds out that the trinket Olimar brought back for his kids is worth Pokos, he sends Olimar back to the mysterious planet with Louie in tow, where they must collect treasures to pay off the debt. The second part of the game begins when the Debt is paid. The rocket launches from the planet, once on the way to Hocotate, Olimar realises that he left Louie behind. When Olimar arrives, he explains how Louie is still down there as well as more treasure. The President decides to accompany Olimar back to the strange planet to find Louie and to salvage all of the treasure.
The gameplay is basically the same as the first game, with improvements. Other than the 1st day (which is the tutorial), you have the whole day (roughly 13 minutes) to spend in an area to collect as much as the Treasure as you can and grow more Pikmin. At the end of the day, you have to make sure to have all your Pikmin under your control or at the landing site or they get left behind to get eaten. You use the Pikmin to fight enemies and carry treasures and defeated enemies and pellets back to the landing sites to register the Treasures and grow more Pikmin. There are 4 overworld areas to explore, each with its own hazards, treasures, goodies, and caves. Unlike the previous game, there is no Day limit, you can take as many days as needed to retrieve all the Treasures. You also have 2 Pilots to control, so you can split up the work force and get more done. There are also 2 Sprays you can make by collecting 10 of one type of Berry, one spray will Power-Up your Pikmin for a short time and the other will Freeze enemies for a time. If a frozen enemy is defeated, they leave behind no body and spit out nectar instead. Along with the topside world, there are also Caves to explore, each of varying depths. In caves, time does not advance, so you can spend as much time as you can. When you enter a cave, only the Pikmin you have with you can go, no back-ups. You exit a cave by finding a geyser on the bottom of the cave or on a sub-level higher up on larger caves.
You have the 3 colored Pikmin from the first game returning. Red Pikmin are Fire-proof. Blue Pikmin can swim in Water. Yellow Pikmin have been altered slightly, they still can be thrown high, but this time the are Electric-proof and no longer able to pick up Bomb Rocks. There are also 2 new Pikmin colors in this game, both can only be found in Cave areas by throwing other Pikmin into the respective Candypop Bud. Purple Pikmin are the strongest in combat, and when carrying things, are equal to 10 of any other color of Pikmin. White Pikmin are the lightest and fastest, Poison-proof, and can find hidden Treasures and Objects buried in the ground. Purple and White Pikmin don't have Onions, they are stored in your Rocket and can only be produced from Candypop Buds. There is also a 6th type found only in caves called a Bulbmin. If you have less than 100 Pikmin with you on certain caves, a Parent Bulbmin can be seen leading Bulbmin. Defeat the Parent to recruit the Bulbmin with you. Bulbmin are resistant to all elements (water, fire, electricity, poison), but they cannot leave caves. Figuring out the right team of Pikmin to take with you on a cave venture or for overworld exploring requires strategy.
Along with the Adventure mode, there is 2 Player Battle and a Challenge Mode. 2 Player Battle is available from the start, it puts 2 players against each other. Player 1 is Olimar with Red Pikmin, and Player 2 is Louie with Blue Pikmin. There are 2 normal win conditions. You can win by collecting 4 Yellow Marbles or by collecting your Opponent's Marble. You can also win if the opposing player runs out of Health or Pikmin. Each player can have up to 50 Pikmin on the field, making 100 total. You can select a handicap before each match to give each player a set amount of Pikmin to start with. You can also collect Cherries on the field to spin a roulette wheel to help you or hinder your opponent, you can store up to 4 spins in your stock box. The Freeze spray works slightly different, it buries your opponent's Pikmin when you hit them with it instead of Freezing them. Pikmin can attack each other and the opposing players, but they never do any damage. When a Pikmin falls by an opposing Pikmin, they respawn as a seed in your opponent's onion, so they can be used by your opponent. There are 10 different arenas to choose from with varying hazards and layouts. This mode can be fun, trying to outwit your opponent and picking the right tactic for the easiest win. Challenge Mode is unlocked when The Key treasure is collected in Adventure Mode. This mode gives you a selection of Caves to explore, each with varying hazards, depths, Pikmin, and Sprays available. The objective here is to collect as much treasure as you can and exit via the geyser on the lowest level before time expires. You start each Cave with a set time limit, and earn bonus time every floor you go down to. You earn points for Treasure collected (enemy bodies count as treasure), Time Left, and Pikmin left. If you clear the cave with no Pikmin loss, it counts as a Perfect, and gives you a Purple flower instead of a White Flower, and by getting all Perfects, can unlock a special movie sequence. Challenge Mode can be played with 1 Player or 2 Players. Challenge more is fun with a 2nd player, trying to coordinate strategies for maximum points, and is just as fun solo. I only wish the Adventure mode could be played in 2 Players.
Bottom Line: Pikmin 2 takes everything from Pikmin, makes it better, and fixes all of the problems. Pikmin 2 is especially fun when playing the 2 Player Challenge Mode. This is definitely worth a Play or Buy.
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo Gamecube (August 30, 2004)
Genre: Real-Time Strategy
Pikmin 2 is the sequel to the first game released 3 years earlier, does it improve over the first game?
The plot of the Adventure mode continues from the first game. After Olimar escapes, he returns to Hocotate, only to find that Hocotate Fright is in debt after a shipment of Pik-Pik Carrots were stolen. When the President finds out that the trinket Olimar brought back for his kids is worth Pokos, he sends Olimar back to the mysterious planet with Louie in tow, where they must collect treasures to pay off the debt. The second part of the game begins when the Debt is paid. The rocket launches from the planet, once on the way to Hocotate, Olimar realises that he left Louie behind. When Olimar arrives, he explains how Louie is still down there as well as more treasure. The President decides to accompany Olimar back to the strange planet to find Louie and to salvage all of the treasure.
The gameplay is basically the same as the first game, with improvements. Other than the 1st day (which is the tutorial), you have the whole day (roughly 13 minutes) to spend in an area to collect as much as the Treasure as you can and grow more Pikmin. At the end of the day, you have to make sure to have all your Pikmin under your control or at the landing site or they get left behind to get eaten. You use the Pikmin to fight enemies and carry treasures and defeated enemies and pellets back to the landing sites to register the Treasures and grow more Pikmin. There are 4 overworld areas to explore, each with its own hazards, treasures, goodies, and caves. Unlike the previous game, there is no Day limit, you can take as many days as needed to retrieve all the Treasures. You also have 2 Pilots to control, so you can split up the work force and get more done. There are also 2 Sprays you can make by collecting 10 of one type of Berry, one spray will Power-Up your Pikmin for a short time and the other will Freeze enemies for a time. If a frozen enemy is defeated, they leave behind no body and spit out nectar instead. Along with the topside world, there are also Caves to explore, each of varying depths. In caves, time does not advance, so you can spend as much time as you can. When you enter a cave, only the Pikmin you have with you can go, no back-ups. You exit a cave by finding a geyser on the bottom of the cave or on a sub-level higher up on larger caves.
You have the 3 colored Pikmin from the first game returning. Red Pikmin are Fire-proof. Blue Pikmin can swim in Water. Yellow Pikmin have been altered slightly, they still can be thrown high, but this time the are Electric-proof and no longer able to pick up Bomb Rocks. There are also 2 new Pikmin colors in this game, both can only be found in Cave areas by throwing other Pikmin into the respective Candypop Bud. Purple Pikmin are the strongest in combat, and when carrying things, are equal to 10 of any other color of Pikmin. White Pikmin are the lightest and fastest, Poison-proof, and can find hidden Treasures and Objects buried in the ground. Purple and White Pikmin don't have Onions, they are stored in your Rocket and can only be produced from Candypop Buds. There is also a 6th type found only in caves called a Bulbmin. If you have less than 100 Pikmin with you on certain caves, a Parent Bulbmin can be seen leading Bulbmin. Defeat the Parent to recruit the Bulbmin with you. Bulbmin are resistant to all elements (water, fire, electricity, poison), but they cannot leave caves. Figuring out the right team of Pikmin to take with you on a cave venture or for overworld exploring requires strategy.
Along with the Adventure mode, there is 2 Player Battle and a Challenge Mode. 2 Player Battle is available from the start, it puts 2 players against each other. Player 1 is Olimar with Red Pikmin, and Player 2 is Louie with Blue Pikmin. There are 2 normal win conditions. You can win by collecting 4 Yellow Marbles or by collecting your Opponent's Marble. You can also win if the opposing player runs out of Health or Pikmin. Each player can have up to 50 Pikmin on the field, making 100 total. You can select a handicap before each match to give each player a set amount of Pikmin to start with. You can also collect Cherries on the field to spin a roulette wheel to help you or hinder your opponent, you can store up to 4 spins in your stock box. The Freeze spray works slightly different, it buries your opponent's Pikmin when you hit them with it instead of Freezing them. Pikmin can attack each other and the opposing players, but they never do any damage. When a Pikmin falls by an opposing Pikmin, they respawn as a seed in your opponent's onion, so they can be used by your opponent. There are 10 different arenas to choose from with varying hazards and layouts. This mode can be fun, trying to outwit your opponent and picking the right tactic for the easiest win. Challenge Mode is unlocked when The Key treasure is collected in Adventure Mode. This mode gives you a selection of Caves to explore, each with varying hazards, depths, Pikmin, and Sprays available. The objective here is to collect as much treasure as you can and exit via the geyser on the lowest level before time expires. You start each Cave with a set time limit, and earn bonus time every floor you go down to. You earn points for Treasure collected (enemy bodies count as treasure), Time Left, and Pikmin left. If you clear the cave with no Pikmin loss, it counts as a Perfect, and gives you a Purple flower instead of a White Flower, and by getting all Perfects, can unlock a special movie sequence. Challenge Mode can be played with 1 Player or 2 Players. Challenge more is fun with a 2nd player, trying to coordinate strategies for maximum points, and is just as fun solo. I only wish the Adventure mode could be played in 2 Players.
Bottom Line: Pikmin 2 takes everything from Pikmin, makes it better, and fixes all of the problems. Pikmin 2 is especially fun when playing the 2 Player Challenge Mode. This is definitely worth a Play or Buy.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Retro Lookback: Dr. Mario 64
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (April 8, 2001)
Genre: Puzzle
Dr. Mario 64 is an enhanced update of the classic game for NES and Gameboy, does it hold up since then?
The gameplay is still classic Dr. Mario. You line up 4 of the same color horizontally or vertically to clear all the viruses before your opponent or before you fill up. There are various modes of play in 64 compared to the NES/Gameboy version. Classic more is the classic NES Dr. Mario more, you pick a level from 0-20, one of 3 speeds, and clear all the viruses to move on the the next level, and keep going until you fail. Story mode is a 1 Player Mode where you play as Dr. Mario or Wario in a quest to get back the Megavitamins via 8-9 matches against the CPU, with 4 difficulties available. Vs Computer puts you against the CPU in a standard Vs Match. Flash puts you against the CPU to clear 3 flashing viruses first. Marathon is an endless mode, where the viruses will keep regenerating from the bottom, you keep clearing viruses until you fill up. Score Attack is a mode where you get the highest score you can in 3 minutes, if you clear all the viruses, you get a Time Bonus for time left. There is also some 2 Player Modes. 2 Player Vs is a standard Vs Match between 2 human players. Flash is a 2 Player Match to clear the 3 flashing viruses first. Score Attack is a 2 Player variant of the 1 Player Mode, you cannot attack each other in this mode, it plays like the 1 Player variant, higher score wins. The best edition is 4 Player Mode. 4 Players can play simultaneously to clear viruses, for 1-4 Players, with CPU filling in for Non-Human players. 4 Player Vs is an expanded version of 2 Player Vs, the goal is still the same, clear your viruses first or knock out all 3 of your opponents. 4 Player Flash is the same as 2 Player Flash for 4 People, first of clear the 3 flashing viruses wins. There is also a Team Battle 2 vs 2 mode, Players 1 & 2 vs Players 3 & 4, it works like 4 Player Vs except only one person on the team needs to clear their viruses first or to knock out the 2 opposing players to win. If a human player gets knocked out in a 4 player mode, they can Practice by pressing start. Their board gets reset and they can play while waiting for the other players. You cannot attack or be attacked while in Practice mode. The 4 Player Mode is great fun with 4 humans, just make sure you have a sizeable screen.
I shall explain attacking and winning in this section. In 2 Player modes you attack the other player by doing combos, as in the capsules collapse and keep clearing without more capsules. A 2 combo will send 2 pieces, a 3 combo will send 3 pieces, and a 4+ combo will send 4 pieces to your opponent. 4 Player modes work slightly different. The strength of the attack still depends on the combo, but who you attack is dependent on which color you start the combo with (the first color cleared in the combo). If the first color is Blue you will attack the player 1 to the right of you, if the color is Yellow you will attack the player 2 to the right of you, and if the color is Red you will attack the player 3 to the right of you. If you are players 2-4, your attack will warp back around once you get to the far right, as in a Red attack from Player 2, a Yellow attack form Player 3, or a Blue attack from Player 4 will attack Player 1. You can also attack more than one player at once, if your first clear in a combo is 2 different colors at the same time, you will send attacks to both players, as in if Player 1 starts a combo with Blue & Red, Players 2 & 4 will be attacked. Team Mode works slightly different. If you attack your Teammate or a knocked out player on the other team, your attacks will instead go to a Stock pool, you can build up to 4 colors in the pool depending on the combos. Once a player on the other team is attacked that isn't knocked out, your Stock pool will be added in to your combo for up to 4 pieces. In all Vs modes except 2 Player Score Attack, you can win in 2 ways. You can win by clearing all your viruses/flashing viruses first or by knocking out all opponents by filling them up to the top. This can make for some strategy, as you can shift from one win condition to the other to get the easier win.
You also got the classic Fever and Chill music remixed, and also 2 new tracks called Cube and Que Que, they are fun to listen to while virus busting, and go into an Alegro or Frenzy mix when a player has almost cleared their screen of viruses. The graphics are bright and colorful, and the animations and voice clips are a nice touch.
Bottom Line: Dr. Mario 64 is a good update of the classic game, with extra modes to test you for higher scores. The 4 player mode is a lot of fun with 4 humans. This is worth a play.
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (April 8, 2001)
Genre: Puzzle
Dr. Mario 64 is an enhanced update of the classic game for NES and Gameboy, does it hold up since then?
The gameplay is still classic Dr. Mario. You line up 4 of the same color horizontally or vertically to clear all the viruses before your opponent or before you fill up. There are various modes of play in 64 compared to the NES/Gameboy version. Classic more is the classic NES Dr. Mario more, you pick a level from 0-20, one of 3 speeds, and clear all the viruses to move on the the next level, and keep going until you fail. Story mode is a 1 Player Mode where you play as Dr. Mario or Wario in a quest to get back the Megavitamins via 8-9 matches against the CPU, with 4 difficulties available. Vs Computer puts you against the CPU in a standard Vs Match. Flash puts you against the CPU to clear 3 flashing viruses first. Marathon is an endless mode, where the viruses will keep regenerating from the bottom, you keep clearing viruses until you fill up. Score Attack is a mode where you get the highest score you can in 3 minutes, if you clear all the viruses, you get a Time Bonus for time left. There is also some 2 Player Modes. 2 Player Vs is a standard Vs Match between 2 human players. Flash is a 2 Player Match to clear the 3 flashing viruses first. Score Attack is a 2 Player variant of the 1 Player Mode, you cannot attack each other in this mode, it plays like the 1 Player variant, higher score wins. The best edition is 4 Player Mode. 4 Players can play simultaneously to clear viruses, for 1-4 Players, with CPU filling in for Non-Human players. 4 Player Vs is an expanded version of 2 Player Vs, the goal is still the same, clear your viruses first or knock out all 3 of your opponents. 4 Player Flash is the same as 2 Player Flash for 4 People, first of clear the 3 flashing viruses wins. There is also a Team Battle 2 vs 2 mode, Players 1 & 2 vs Players 3 & 4, it works like 4 Player Vs except only one person on the team needs to clear their viruses first or to knock out the 2 opposing players to win. If a human player gets knocked out in a 4 player mode, they can Practice by pressing start. Their board gets reset and they can play while waiting for the other players. You cannot attack or be attacked while in Practice mode. The 4 Player Mode is great fun with 4 humans, just make sure you have a sizeable screen.
I shall explain attacking and winning in this section. In 2 Player modes you attack the other player by doing combos, as in the capsules collapse and keep clearing without more capsules. A 2 combo will send 2 pieces, a 3 combo will send 3 pieces, and a 4+ combo will send 4 pieces to your opponent. 4 Player modes work slightly different. The strength of the attack still depends on the combo, but who you attack is dependent on which color you start the combo with (the first color cleared in the combo). If the first color is Blue you will attack the player 1 to the right of you, if the color is Yellow you will attack the player 2 to the right of you, and if the color is Red you will attack the player 3 to the right of you. If you are players 2-4, your attack will warp back around once you get to the far right, as in a Red attack from Player 2, a Yellow attack form Player 3, or a Blue attack from Player 4 will attack Player 1. You can also attack more than one player at once, if your first clear in a combo is 2 different colors at the same time, you will send attacks to both players, as in if Player 1 starts a combo with Blue & Red, Players 2 & 4 will be attacked. Team Mode works slightly different. If you attack your Teammate or a knocked out player on the other team, your attacks will instead go to a Stock pool, you can build up to 4 colors in the pool depending on the combos. Once a player on the other team is attacked that isn't knocked out, your Stock pool will be added in to your combo for up to 4 pieces. In all Vs modes except 2 Player Score Attack, you can win in 2 ways. You can win by clearing all your viruses/flashing viruses first or by knocking out all opponents by filling them up to the top. This can make for some strategy, as you can shift from one win condition to the other to get the easier win.
You also got the classic Fever and Chill music remixed, and also 2 new tracks called Cube and Que Que, they are fun to listen to while virus busting, and go into an Alegro or Frenzy mix when a player has almost cleared their screen of viruses. The graphics are bright and colorful, and the animations and voice clips are a nice touch.
Bottom Line: Dr. Mario 64 is a good update of the classic game, with extra modes to test you for higher scores. The 4 player mode is a lot of fun with 4 humans. This is worth a play.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Retro Lookback: Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA
Developer: Atari Games
Publisher: Midway Games
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (November 10, 1998)
Genre: Racing
Rush 2 is the sequel to San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing, released exclusively for the N64, does it hold up to the previous game's extremeness?
The gameplay continues in the line of the first game, arcade like physics and fast, checkpoint to checkpoint racing. No realism here. The objective is to race from checkpoint to checkpoint without running out of time and completing the number of laps in 1st place. That's all, simple. Instead of taking place in San Francisco like in the games before and after, the racing takes place in cities and locations across the USA, like New York, Seattle, and Hawaii. This is also the first Rush game to have a proper stunt track, where you have 5 minutes to land as many flips, rolls, and other stunts for points. All the cars from the first game are included, as well as all new cars, both default and unlockable. You can also customize your cars to affect performance, like the tires. You can also collect Keys and Mountain Dew cans throughout the tracks to unlock more cars and tracks. One such bonus track includes racing through the offices of Midway Games. You can also play 2 players via splitscreen, both on the race tracks and the stunt track. You can also toggle a special mode as the countdown starts in 2 player mode, Tag mode. In this mode, one player is designated "IT", and he/she has to tag the other player. Each player has a timer, which counts while they are "IT", the player who is "IT" for the least amount of time wins. There is also a circuit mode, which takes all the tracks and the variants (Mirrored, Reverse, Mirrored-Reverse) and race them all one after another, gaining points for placement on each race. The one with the highest point total at the end wins. There is also a free Practice mode where you can drive around on any track, look for secrets or collectibles, and get familiar with the track. There is also the "Death Race" option, where if you blow up once, you are out of the race, which can make for more careful driving. The physics can be a bit wonky at times, as you may find yourself spinning and flipping just by not going off a jump flat out or hitting a small bump, but it is part of what makes the games fun, and you will get used to it. The Rush series is always better with a friend (or friends in 2049's case), and this is no exception, you can play this for hours with a friend.
The graphics are fairly good, as they fairly accurately depict the various cities and locales the races take place in.
Bottom Line: Rush 2 is just as good as the other San Francisco Rush games, and is a blast to play with a 2nd player. This is a definite Play.
Publisher: Midway Games
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (November 10, 1998)
Genre: Racing
Rush 2 is the sequel to San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing, released exclusively for the N64, does it hold up to the previous game's extremeness?
The gameplay continues in the line of the first game, arcade like physics and fast, checkpoint to checkpoint racing. No realism here. The objective is to race from checkpoint to checkpoint without running out of time and completing the number of laps in 1st place. That's all, simple. Instead of taking place in San Francisco like in the games before and after, the racing takes place in cities and locations across the USA, like New York, Seattle, and Hawaii. This is also the first Rush game to have a proper stunt track, where you have 5 minutes to land as many flips, rolls, and other stunts for points. All the cars from the first game are included, as well as all new cars, both default and unlockable. You can also customize your cars to affect performance, like the tires. You can also collect Keys and Mountain Dew cans throughout the tracks to unlock more cars and tracks. One such bonus track includes racing through the offices of Midway Games. You can also play 2 players via splitscreen, both on the race tracks and the stunt track. You can also toggle a special mode as the countdown starts in 2 player mode, Tag mode. In this mode, one player is designated "IT", and he/she has to tag the other player. Each player has a timer, which counts while they are "IT", the player who is "IT" for the least amount of time wins. There is also a circuit mode, which takes all the tracks and the variants (Mirrored, Reverse, Mirrored-Reverse) and race them all one after another, gaining points for placement on each race. The one with the highest point total at the end wins. There is also a free Practice mode where you can drive around on any track, look for secrets or collectibles, and get familiar with the track. There is also the "Death Race" option, where if you blow up once, you are out of the race, which can make for more careful driving. The physics can be a bit wonky at times, as you may find yourself spinning and flipping just by not going off a jump flat out or hitting a small bump, but it is part of what makes the games fun, and you will get used to it. The Rush series is always better with a friend (or friends in 2049's case), and this is no exception, you can play this for hours with a friend.
The graphics are fairly good, as they fairly accurately depict the various cities and locales the races take place in.
Bottom Line: Rush 2 is just as good as the other San Francisco Rush games, and is a blast to play with a 2nd player. This is a definite Play.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Game Rant: Dark Souls
Developer: From Software
Publisher (US): Namco Bandai Games
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Playstation 3 (October 4, 2011), Xbox 360 (October 4, 2011), Microsoft Windows (August 24, 2012)
Genre: Action RPG
Dark Souls is the spiritual successor to Demon's Souls, and retains the notable difficulty.
The story is kinda thin, but it is enough to guide you along through dialogue and occasional cut-scenes. You start as an Undead locked in a cell, destined to die. A fellow Undead aids you in escaping. You travel to the land of Lordran, where you are told to ring the Bells of Awakening. After you do so, you are told you are the chosen Undead, and you must find and place the Lordvessel at the Kiln of the First Flame, defeat the Four Lords and get their Souls, and defeat Gwyn. When you defeat Gwyn, you are given a vague choice of 2 options which determines the end.
The Gameplay takes place in a constantly hostile Open World environment. Throughout the areas, you find Bonfires which serve as checkpoints when you die, and constitute the only "safe areas" in the game. When you rest at a Bonfire, all non-boss enemies respawn and you have to kill them again, but your Health, Flask, Miracles, Spells, and Pyromancies are all replenished. You start the game in Undead form, but you can also spend a Humanity to become Human. Being Human allows you to kindle at Bonfires to hold more uses in your flask, and engage in interactions with other players, by being invaded or summoning them as allies. Being Undead prevents invasion, but you can't kindle or summon allies. Dying reverts you to Undead form if you are Human, and you also drop all you Souls and Humanity as a Bloodstain. You are given one chance to retrieve your stuff, if you die again, they are lost forever. Souls and Humanity are the main currency. You gain Souls from defeating enemies, with tougher enemies generally yielding more Souls. Souls can be used at shops to buy things, to Level Up, to fix and smith weapons and armor, and other things. Humanity is a bit more rare. They are used to revert you back to Human, kindle at Bonfires, and they also oversee your Item Discovery rate, and improve certain stats and improve damage of certain weapons. The online interactions I mentioned earlier can happen at any time without warning. When you are Human, you can be Invaded by another player(s) at any time. This results in a duel to the death with the invaders. In Human form, you can also find special signs on the ground to summon other player(s) as allies to fight along side you against invaders or to make it through an area or boss. You can also Invade or leave a sign to be summoned at any time as well, and will be transported to the host's world when a matchup is found. These online interactions add an element of unpredictablity, as you never know when another player will be there to help or hinder you. The difficulty can be brutal, but a steady hand, patience, and strategy can lead you to success. The gameplay and the online interactions are entertaining and interesting and satisfying to overcome great tasks.
Bottom Line: Dark Souls provides healthy challenge and is never unfair, and the online interactions can provide hours if engagement. I say this is a Buy.
Publisher (US): Namco Bandai Games
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Playstation 3 (October 4, 2011), Xbox 360 (October 4, 2011), Microsoft Windows (August 24, 2012)
Genre: Action RPG
Dark Souls is the spiritual successor to Demon's Souls, and retains the notable difficulty.
The story is kinda thin, but it is enough to guide you along through dialogue and occasional cut-scenes. You start as an Undead locked in a cell, destined to die. A fellow Undead aids you in escaping. You travel to the land of Lordran, where you are told to ring the Bells of Awakening. After you do so, you are told you are the chosen Undead, and you must find and place the Lordvessel at the Kiln of the First Flame, defeat the Four Lords and get their Souls, and defeat Gwyn. When you defeat Gwyn, you are given a vague choice of 2 options which determines the end.
The Gameplay takes place in a constantly hostile Open World environment. Throughout the areas, you find Bonfires which serve as checkpoints when you die, and constitute the only "safe areas" in the game. When you rest at a Bonfire, all non-boss enemies respawn and you have to kill them again, but your Health, Flask, Miracles, Spells, and Pyromancies are all replenished. You start the game in Undead form, but you can also spend a Humanity to become Human. Being Human allows you to kindle at Bonfires to hold more uses in your flask, and engage in interactions with other players, by being invaded or summoning them as allies. Being Undead prevents invasion, but you can't kindle or summon allies. Dying reverts you to Undead form if you are Human, and you also drop all you Souls and Humanity as a Bloodstain. You are given one chance to retrieve your stuff, if you die again, they are lost forever. Souls and Humanity are the main currency. You gain Souls from defeating enemies, with tougher enemies generally yielding more Souls. Souls can be used at shops to buy things, to Level Up, to fix and smith weapons and armor, and other things. Humanity is a bit more rare. They are used to revert you back to Human, kindle at Bonfires, and they also oversee your Item Discovery rate, and improve certain stats and improve damage of certain weapons. The online interactions I mentioned earlier can happen at any time without warning. When you are Human, you can be Invaded by another player(s) at any time. This results in a duel to the death with the invaders. In Human form, you can also find special signs on the ground to summon other player(s) as allies to fight along side you against invaders or to make it through an area or boss. You can also Invade or leave a sign to be summoned at any time as well, and will be transported to the host's world when a matchup is found. These online interactions add an element of unpredictablity, as you never know when another player will be there to help or hinder you. The difficulty can be brutal, but a steady hand, patience, and strategy can lead you to success. The gameplay and the online interactions are entertaining and interesting and satisfying to overcome great tasks.
Bottom Line: Dark Souls provides healthy challenge and is never unfair, and the online interactions can provide hours if engagement. I say this is a Buy.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Game Rant: Ribbit King
Developer: Bandai
Publisher: Bandai
Platforms and release dates (US): Nintendo Gamecube (June 8, 2004), Playstation 2 (June 15, 2004)
Genre: Sports
Ribbit King is a strange game with a strange story, does strange work here?
The Story Mode centers around a carpenter named Scooter. The king calls Scooter in to explain the crisis. The fuel source of the planet is about to run out, and if they don't get more, the planet not survive. The King enters Scooter in the Frolf tournament (Frolf = Frog + Golf), where the grand prize is the Super Ribbonite that powers the planet. The King also gives Scooter a sidekick named Pikwick, a walking and talking picnic basket, to assist Scooter. Scooter and Pikwick go off to the F.U.V. (Frolf Utility Vehicle) and enter the tournament.
The gameplay is like Golf, but with frogs (hence the term "Frolf"). The objective is to get the most points you can on each hole in 4 hole matches. You have 8 strokes to get as many points as you can and get your frog in the hole on each hole. To get more points, various gimmicks are spread throughout the courses, from Bubbles and Spider Webs to Mines and Giant Beasts. On some events, you will be prompted to waggle the Right Stick back and forth rapidly or press a button at the right time, with better performances earning more points. If you string events together on one stroke, you can get a multiplyer up to an x4. Each hole starts at a value of 1500 points for a Frog-In-One. One the 2nd stroke and after, it is 1000 Points for a hole out. If another player gets their frog in the hole, the bonus will start to deplete each stroke by 100 points, so on the next stroke, the hole-out bonus will only be 900 points, then 800 points, then so on. In Stroke Play, whoever has the highest score at the end of the 4 holes wins. In Match Play, whoever wins the most holes wins. In Stroke Play, there is also a surprise bonus worth 100-300 points awarded at the end, which can help decide 1st. Stroke Play can be played with up to 4 players, all on 1 controller or separate controllers, with CPU filling in for empty spaces if you choose. The Story mode is where you unlock everything for the Vs Mode. There are 5 different planets to play on, with different themes, and they have their own gimmicks. You can also use items that help you to get more points or to help your frog with upgraded abilities for that stroke. Also, some frogs have different stats, like some can swim in Lava while others can't. The CPU is simple, they will take the same shots every time, but that doesn't mean that they will go down without a fight! The gameplay is pretty fun, trying to milk out as many points as you can in each shot is strategic.
There is also a bonus disc called Ribbit King Plus included. As you earn bottle caps and achieve various milestones in Story Mode, you unlock short movies to watch.
Bottom Line: Ribbit King is an enjoyable game for a time, but it can get tired after a bit. I still recommend a Play or Rent.
Publisher: Bandai
Platforms and release dates (US): Nintendo Gamecube (June 8, 2004), Playstation 2 (June 15, 2004)
Genre: Sports
Ribbit King is a strange game with a strange story, does strange work here?
The Story Mode centers around a carpenter named Scooter. The king calls Scooter in to explain the crisis. The fuel source of the planet is about to run out, and if they don't get more, the planet not survive. The King enters Scooter in the Frolf tournament (Frolf = Frog + Golf), where the grand prize is the Super Ribbonite that powers the planet. The King also gives Scooter a sidekick named Pikwick, a walking and talking picnic basket, to assist Scooter. Scooter and Pikwick go off to the F.U.V. (Frolf Utility Vehicle) and enter the tournament.
The gameplay is like Golf, but with frogs (hence the term "Frolf"). The objective is to get the most points you can on each hole in 4 hole matches. You have 8 strokes to get as many points as you can and get your frog in the hole on each hole. To get more points, various gimmicks are spread throughout the courses, from Bubbles and Spider Webs to Mines and Giant Beasts. On some events, you will be prompted to waggle the Right Stick back and forth rapidly or press a button at the right time, with better performances earning more points. If you string events together on one stroke, you can get a multiplyer up to an x4. Each hole starts at a value of 1500 points for a Frog-In-One. One the 2nd stroke and after, it is 1000 Points for a hole out. If another player gets their frog in the hole, the bonus will start to deplete each stroke by 100 points, so on the next stroke, the hole-out bonus will only be 900 points, then 800 points, then so on. In Stroke Play, whoever has the highest score at the end of the 4 holes wins. In Match Play, whoever wins the most holes wins. In Stroke Play, there is also a surprise bonus worth 100-300 points awarded at the end, which can help decide 1st. Stroke Play can be played with up to 4 players, all on 1 controller or separate controllers, with CPU filling in for empty spaces if you choose. The Story mode is where you unlock everything for the Vs Mode. There are 5 different planets to play on, with different themes, and they have their own gimmicks. You can also use items that help you to get more points or to help your frog with upgraded abilities for that stroke. Also, some frogs have different stats, like some can swim in Lava while others can't. The CPU is simple, they will take the same shots every time, but that doesn't mean that they will go down without a fight! The gameplay is pretty fun, trying to milk out as many points as you can in each shot is strategic.
There is also a bonus disc called Ribbit King Plus included. As you earn bottle caps and achieve various milestones in Story Mode, you unlock short movies to watch.
Bottom Line: Ribbit King is an enjoyable game for a time, but it can get tired after a bit. I still recommend a Play or Rent.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Retro Lookback: Snowboard Kids
Developer: Racdym
Publisher: Atlus
Platforms and Release dates (US): Nintendo 64 (May 3, 1998)
Genre: Racing
Snowboard Kids is Atlus' take on Mario Kart, so to speak, and I find it to be entertaining.
The gameplay is straight racing, you start at the top and have to be the first to the bottom, but you have to take a lift back to the top again and complete the required number of laps first. First to complete all the laps first wins. To help, there are two different kinds of items to get on the track. Shot items are the Red Boxes, you get 3 shots of a random projectile to shoot at your opponents, from Bombs to Parachutes. Items come in Blue Boxes, you get a random item to use to aid you, hinder your opponents, or do both. You can carry both a Shot and an Item at the same time, firing shots with the Z button and Items with the B button. You have to pay 100G to get an Item or a Shot, you can earn G by collecting loose coins on the course worth 100G each or by successfully landing tricks. There are 9 tracks available, from the standard snowy mountain to more unorthodox locales such as an amusements park and a grass valley, 6 are from the start and 3 are unlockable. There is also a selection of 6 characters with different stats, with 1 being unlockable. You can also select different boards to use, Freestyle boards are low speed but high tricks and cornering, All-Around boards are even in every stat, and Alpine boards are high speed but low tricks and cornering. You can also get 3 special boards with unique stats. The standard race mode is a 4 person race, with CPU players filling in for Non-Entrants. Single Player has a few additional modes of play. Speed Cross is a 1 Lap Time Trial on the first 3 courses with Speed Fans scattered on the course, Shot Cross is a 1 Lap run on the first 3 courses where you have to shoot all the snowmen and finish as fast as you can. Trick Attack takes place on a special course where you have to earn the highest point total you can from tricks and finish within 3 minutes. You can also do a standard 1 Lap Time Trial on all 9 courses, you are given 1 Speed Fan item to use to help you achieve the fastest 1 Lap time. The gameplay is different from Mario Mart in ways, and I find it to be fun.
A little while later, an enhanced port was made for the Playstation, but only for Japan. It had enhanced graphics, more voice clips, more characters, and other things. A sequel was made also, which I may cover in a future post.
Bottom Line: Snowboard Kids is like Mario Kart on Snowboards, and a fun game at that. This game is worth a Play.
Publisher: Atlus
Platforms and Release dates (US): Nintendo 64 (May 3, 1998)
Genre: Racing
Snowboard Kids is Atlus' take on Mario Kart, so to speak, and I find it to be entertaining.
The gameplay is straight racing, you start at the top and have to be the first to the bottom, but you have to take a lift back to the top again and complete the required number of laps first. First to complete all the laps first wins. To help, there are two different kinds of items to get on the track. Shot items are the Red Boxes, you get 3 shots of a random projectile to shoot at your opponents, from Bombs to Parachutes. Items come in Blue Boxes, you get a random item to use to aid you, hinder your opponents, or do both. You can carry both a Shot and an Item at the same time, firing shots with the Z button and Items with the B button. You have to pay 100G to get an Item or a Shot, you can earn G by collecting loose coins on the course worth 100G each or by successfully landing tricks. There are 9 tracks available, from the standard snowy mountain to more unorthodox locales such as an amusements park and a grass valley, 6 are from the start and 3 are unlockable. There is also a selection of 6 characters with different stats, with 1 being unlockable. You can also select different boards to use, Freestyle boards are low speed but high tricks and cornering, All-Around boards are even in every stat, and Alpine boards are high speed but low tricks and cornering. You can also get 3 special boards with unique stats. The standard race mode is a 4 person race, with CPU players filling in for Non-Entrants. Single Player has a few additional modes of play. Speed Cross is a 1 Lap Time Trial on the first 3 courses with Speed Fans scattered on the course, Shot Cross is a 1 Lap run on the first 3 courses where you have to shoot all the snowmen and finish as fast as you can. Trick Attack takes place on a special course where you have to earn the highest point total you can from tricks and finish within 3 minutes. You can also do a standard 1 Lap Time Trial on all 9 courses, you are given 1 Speed Fan item to use to help you achieve the fastest 1 Lap time. The gameplay is different from Mario Mart in ways, and I find it to be fun.
A little while later, an enhanced port was made for the Playstation, but only for Japan. It had enhanced graphics, more voice clips, more characters, and other things. A sequel was made also, which I may cover in a future post.
Bottom Line: Snowboard Kids is like Mario Kart on Snowboards, and a fun game at that. This game is worth a Play.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Retro Lookback: F-Zero X
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (October 26, 1998), Wii Virtual Console (June 25, 2007)
Genre: Racing
F-Zero X is the sequel to the SNES game F-Zero, and it continues the high speed and intensity action.
The Gameplay remains basically the same, you race 3 laps (instead of 5) around each track in a cup of 6 tracks and attempt to get 1st place overall. You earn points depending on placement, with 1st place giving 100 points. You have an energy meter, which serves 2 purposes, it acts as how much damage you can take until you Retire and how much boost you can use. You can refill the energy bar by driving over pink pit areas. The boost will not be available on the 1st lap, but is available on the 2nd and 3rd laps. There are 4 difficulties, Beginner, Standard, Expert, and Master, with Master bring unlockable. You also start with a certain amount of Spare Ships (similar to Retries if you want to restart the race or if you Retire), with less available on higher difficulties. You can also use a Spin and Side attack to Retire the other 29 racers as well, and you can earn Spare Ships for doing so and earn a better placement. There are 5 cups, Jack, Queen, King, Joker, and X, with the first 3 being available from the start. The first 4 cups have 6 tracks each, and the X cup is a Random Track Generator, which makes a different track each race. Along with the Grand Prix mode, there is Time Trial, which tasks you with getting the fastest time with the option of racing the Staff Ghost or your best. The Death Race is a special straight course where you have to destroy all 29 opponents in the fastest time possible. The Practice mode lets you practice on any track on any difficulty against 29 opponents. The Vs Race allows 2-4 players to race on tracks, with CPU racers being able to fill vacant spots if you so choose. There is also a Vs Slots, where Players that Retire can spin slots, if they match 3 in a row, they affect the other racers in adverse ways.
The soundtrack is good, the graphics and textures are of lower quality so all the action can continue at 60 fps.
There was also an expansion called the F-Zero X Expansion Kit for the N64 DD, which added new tracks, a track editor, capacity to race up to 3 ghosts in Time Trials, and a Rock Remix of the Mario Kart 64 Rainbow Road theme for use on the Rainbow Road track.
Bottom Line: F-Zero X is fun and fast racing, it is exciting traveling at speeds over 1500 km/hr. This game is worth a Play.
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Nintendo 64 (October 26, 1998), Wii Virtual Console (June 25, 2007)
Genre: Racing
F-Zero X is the sequel to the SNES game F-Zero, and it continues the high speed and intensity action.
The Gameplay remains basically the same, you race 3 laps (instead of 5) around each track in a cup of 6 tracks and attempt to get 1st place overall. You earn points depending on placement, with 1st place giving 100 points. You have an energy meter, which serves 2 purposes, it acts as how much damage you can take until you Retire and how much boost you can use. You can refill the energy bar by driving over pink pit areas. The boost will not be available on the 1st lap, but is available on the 2nd and 3rd laps. There are 4 difficulties, Beginner, Standard, Expert, and Master, with Master bring unlockable. You also start with a certain amount of Spare Ships (similar to Retries if you want to restart the race or if you Retire), with less available on higher difficulties. You can also use a Spin and Side attack to Retire the other 29 racers as well, and you can earn Spare Ships for doing so and earn a better placement. There are 5 cups, Jack, Queen, King, Joker, and X, with the first 3 being available from the start. The first 4 cups have 6 tracks each, and the X cup is a Random Track Generator, which makes a different track each race. Along with the Grand Prix mode, there is Time Trial, which tasks you with getting the fastest time with the option of racing the Staff Ghost or your best. The Death Race is a special straight course where you have to destroy all 29 opponents in the fastest time possible. The Practice mode lets you practice on any track on any difficulty against 29 opponents. The Vs Race allows 2-4 players to race on tracks, with CPU racers being able to fill vacant spots if you so choose. There is also a Vs Slots, where Players that Retire can spin slots, if they match 3 in a row, they affect the other racers in adverse ways.
The soundtrack is good, the graphics and textures are of lower quality so all the action can continue at 60 fps.
There was also an expansion called the F-Zero X Expansion Kit for the N64 DD, which added new tracks, a track editor, capacity to race up to 3 ghosts in Time Trials, and a Rock Remix of the Mario Kart 64 Rainbow Road theme for use on the Rainbow Road track.
Bottom Line: F-Zero X is fun and fast racing, it is exciting traveling at speeds over 1500 km/hr. This game is worth a Play.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Retro Lookback: Excitebike 64
Developer: Left Field Productions
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Dates and Platforms (US): April 30, 2000 (Nintendo 64)
Genre: Racing
Excitebike 64 continues the Excite series from the NES days, and also marks the first 3D Excite game. Despite the 3rd dimension, it still plays like classic Excite.
Excitebike 64 plays like classic Excitebike, only with 3D tracks. You have your Turbo which you can use to go faster, but you have to try not to overheat. You can also control your jumps by pulling back and pushing forward on the stick and try to land flush on the land so you don't drop speed. Instead of you vs the clock, you have 5 rival racers to out do to get in first each race. TThe main mode is Season mode, where you compete in cups of 5 tracks each to get overall 1st. There are a selection of riders to choose from each with different stats that are better or worse in 4 different categories. There are 3 modes of difficulty, with higher difficulties unlocking more cups. There is also a tutorial mode to complete to help get you familiar with the game and controls (plus, you get something if you complete the whole tutorial). The indoor stadium tracks are 3 laps long and the outdoor tracks are 2 laps. By getting 1st in every race, you unlock more extras as well. The extras include a Stunt Track, a Hill Climb course, a Desert track where you have to go from waypoint to waypoint, a Soccer game, a 3D version of the classic Excite track, and even the full NES game. There is still a Time Trial so you can race the clock, and a Track Editor where you can make and save your own tracks. There is also multiplayer for up to 4 players, you can play on any of the standard tracks or specials tracks. The physics are solid, and the game is arcady enough to not feel like a simulation, it strikes a good balance.
The music and graphics are good, with the motorcycles sounding like real motorcycles instead of high pitched wines.
Bottom Line: Excitebike 64 feels like the NES game and is enjoyable with good physics and fun multiplayer action with the cool track editor like the NES game, but if you prefer the old game, you got it in the extras. This game deserves a Play.
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Dates and Platforms (US): April 30, 2000 (Nintendo 64)
Genre: Racing
Excitebike 64 continues the Excite series from the NES days, and also marks the first 3D Excite game. Despite the 3rd dimension, it still plays like classic Excite.
Excitebike 64 plays like classic Excitebike, only with 3D tracks. You have your Turbo which you can use to go faster, but you have to try not to overheat. You can also control your jumps by pulling back and pushing forward on the stick and try to land flush on the land so you don't drop speed. Instead of you vs the clock, you have 5 rival racers to out do to get in first each race. TThe main mode is Season mode, where you compete in cups of 5 tracks each to get overall 1st. There are a selection of riders to choose from each with different stats that are better or worse in 4 different categories. There are 3 modes of difficulty, with higher difficulties unlocking more cups. There is also a tutorial mode to complete to help get you familiar with the game and controls (plus, you get something if you complete the whole tutorial). The indoor stadium tracks are 3 laps long and the outdoor tracks are 2 laps. By getting 1st in every race, you unlock more extras as well. The extras include a Stunt Track, a Hill Climb course, a Desert track where you have to go from waypoint to waypoint, a Soccer game, a 3D version of the classic Excite track, and even the full NES game. There is still a Time Trial so you can race the clock, and a Track Editor where you can make and save your own tracks. There is also multiplayer for up to 4 players, you can play on any of the standard tracks or specials tracks. The physics are solid, and the game is arcady enough to not feel like a simulation, it strikes a good balance.
The music and graphics are good, with the motorcycles sounding like real motorcycles instead of high pitched wines.
Bottom Line: Excitebike 64 feels like the NES game and is enjoyable with good physics and fun multiplayer action with the cool track editor like the NES game, but if you prefer the old game, you got it in the extras. This game deserves a Play.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Retro Lookback: Road Rash 64
Developer: Pacific Coast Power and Light
Publisher: THQ
Platforms and Release dates (US): September 22, 1999 (Nintendo 64)
Genre: Combat Racing
Road Rash 64 continues the Road Rash series, but instead of EA designing or publishing it, THQ had their own studio develop it. It still retains all the elements of Road Rash.
Road Rash 64 retains similar gameplay to the Genesis games of earlier, you try to win the race while using various weapons to KO the rival racers. The Cops will also join the fray and try to bust you and the other racers. When the Cops bust you or when your bike breaks, you have to pay a fine or repair fee respectively. The goal in the main mode, Big Game, is to place 3rd or higher on each race and earn enough money to buy a better bike to advance to the next level. If you run out of money, it's game over. You still earn money for Combat Bonuses, and the game will give you a brief recap of your actions at the end of each race. If you place too low to qualify, the game will reward you with joke items instead of cash, like a stick of sugarless gum or a pet rock. Unlike the earlier games where each tracks are individual stretches of road, Road Rash 64 features an interconnected road system across an island, with each race taking different routes through the island. The Thrash mode is the quick pick up and play mode where you can play any track you unlock through Big Game. The Multiplayer mode is where the game gets fun. You can play the Multiplayer mode by yourself with the AI or splitscreen with 2 players and AI. You can play the Trash mode, and also a slew of other modes. There are 5 special multiplayer tracks in this mode to make the races more interesting and combat heavy. There is the standard race mode with 1, 3, 5, or 7 Laps on the tracks, a Tag mode where you have to KO the rider who is IT for points, a Deathmatch mode where you try to earn points by completing laps and KOing other riders, and a Ped Hunt mode that takes place on the Thrash courses where you have to hit as many pedestrians as you can. Playing with a 2 player makes Road Rash 64 more fun. You can also unlock 3 additional levels along with the regular bike levels. The Scooter level tones everything down to 70 mph, the Cop Mode has you playing as a Cop to KO all the AI riders, and the Insanity mode which kicks the bikes up to Maximum by going in excess of 300 mph.
The graphics suffer a bit by using lower polygon counts to fit more action on the screen, but they don't look horrible. The music loops the same 2 songs over and over again, and it can get kind of repetitive.
Bottom Line: Road Rash 64 doesn't quite live up to the Genesis games, bit still feels like Road Rash and deserves a Play, especially with a 2nd Player.
Publisher: THQ
Platforms and Release dates (US): September 22, 1999 (Nintendo 64)
Genre: Combat Racing
Road Rash 64 continues the Road Rash series, but instead of EA designing or publishing it, THQ had their own studio develop it. It still retains all the elements of Road Rash.
Road Rash 64 retains similar gameplay to the Genesis games of earlier, you try to win the race while using various weapons to KO the rival racers. The Cops will also join the fray and try to bust you and the other racers. When the Cops bust you or when your bike breaks, you have to pay a fine or repair fee respectively. The goal in the main mode, Big Game, is to place 3rd or higher on each race and earn enough money to buy a better bike to advance to the next level. If you run out of money, it's game over. You still earn money for Combat Bonuses, and the game will give you a brief recap of your actions at the end of each race. If you place too low to qualify, the game will reward you with joke items instead of cash, like a stick of sugarless gum or a pet rock. Unlike the earlier games where each tracks are individual stretches of road, Road Rash 64 features an interconnected road system across an island, with each race taking different routes through the island. The Thrash mode is the quick pick up and play mode where you can play any track you unlock through Big Game. The Multiplayer mode is where the game gets fun. You can play the Multiplayer mode by yourself with the AI or splitscreen with 2 players and AI. You can play the Trash mode, and also a slew of other modes. There are 5 special multiplayer tracks in this mode to make the races more interesting and combat heavy. There is the standard race mode with 1, 3, 5, or 7 Laps on the tracks, a Tag mode where you have to KO the rider who is IT for points, a Deathmatch mode where you try to earn points by completing laps and KOing other riders, and a Ped Hunt mode that takes place on the Thrash courses where you have to hit as many pedestrians as you can. Playing with a 2 player makes Road Rash 64 more fun. You can also unlock 3 additional levels along with the regular bike levels. The Scooter level tones everything down to 70 mph, the Cop Mode has you playing as a Cop to KO all the AI riders, and the Insanity mode which kicks the bikes up to Maximum by going in excess of 300 mph.
The graphics suffer a bit by using lower polygon counts to fit more action on the screen, but they don't look horrible. The music loops the same 2 songs over and over again, and it can get kind of repetitive.
Bottom Line: Road Rash 64 doesn't quite live up to the Genesis games, bit still feels like Road Rash and deserves a Play, especially with a 2nd Player.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Retro Lookback: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
Developers: Neversoft Edge of Reality (N64) Vicarious Visions (GBA) Treyarch (DC/XBX) Natsume (GBC) Gray Matter Interactive (PC)
Publisher: Activision
Platforms and Release Dates (US): PlayStation (September 20, 2000), PC (October 31, 2000), Game Boy Color (November, 2000), Dreamcast (November 6, 2000), MAC (2001), Game Boy Advance (May 30, 2001), Nintendo 64 (August 21, 2001), Xbox (November 14, 2001), iPhone (April 2010)
Genre: Extreme Sports
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (now will be referred to as THPS2) is the sequel to the first in Tony Hawk's line of Pro Skater games. The sequel takes what the first game did and makes it more refined.
The gameplay takes the structure of the first game. You are given 10 goals to achieve on the levels and 2 minutes per run to achieve said goals. The goals usually involve getting high scores, collecting the letters in SKATE, collecting other objects, finding the hidden tape, or grinding or hitting certain objects. When you complete the goals, you earn money to buy better boards and to upgrade the stats of your skater. THPS2 introduces the Manual, which allows you to ride on 2 wheels to maintain ground combos, and more grinds, like a bluntslide, to score more points. There is also Cash scattered throughout the levels and add to your cash total when you collect them. Along with the regular levels, there are now Competition levels as well. In these levels, 5 judges score your 2 minute runs based on factors such as Score and give you a score. The highest and lowest are tossed out and the 3 average scores are your score. You get 3 runs, with the best 2 counting towards your overall score. The objective here is to earn the Gold Medal by getting the highest score, but also Cash is still scattered on these levels. THPS2 brings back the pro skaters from the first game and adds 3 more to the roster as well. New to the series are the Create a Skater and Park Editor, which would become main stays of the series. The Create a Skater allows you to make a custom skater to use in all modes, even in career mode. The Park Editor allows you to make Custom levels to use in Single Session, Free Run, and Multiplayer modes. The Multiplayer is pretty much retained from the first game, with game modes like Horse and Grafiti to provide plenty of options. Overall, the gameplay is as fun as THPS1, but THPS2 takes it and makes it better.
The soundtrack is good to listen to as well, but on subsequent ports to platforms like the N64 and iOS, the music was altered or removed entirely.
The GBC version is fairly different from all the other versions. The action takes place all on a sideview instead of the 3D view or even the GBAs 2.5D view. Because of this, the GBC version feels inferior to all other versions of THPS2.
Bottom Line: THPS2 is a great extreme sports game and is probably the best of the series. It took THPS1 and made it better in every way. This game should be Played!
Publisher: Activision
Platforms and Release Dates (US): PlayStation (September 20, 2000), PC (October 31, 2000), Game Boy Color (November, 2000), Dreamcast (November 6, 2000), MAC (2001), Game Boy Advance (May 30, 2001), Nintendo 64 (August 21, 2001), Xbox (November 14, 2001), iPhone (April 2010)
Genre: Extreme Sports
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (now will be referred to as THPS2) is the sequel to the first in Tony Hawk's line of Pro Skater games. The sequel takes what the first game did and makes it more refined.
The gameplay takes the structure of the first game. You are given 10 goals to achieve on the levels and 2 minutes per run to achieve said goals. The goals usually involve getting high scores, collecting the letters in SKATE, collecting other objects, finding the hidden tape, or grinding or hitting certain objects. When you complete the goals, you earn money to buy better boards and to upgrade the stats of your skater. THPS2 introduces the Manual, which allows you to ride on 2 wheels to maintain ground combos, and more grinds, like a bluntslide, to score more points. There is also Cash scattered throughout the levels and add to your cash total when you collect them. Along with the regular levels, there are now Competition levels as well. In these levels, 5 judges score your 2 minute runs based on factors such as Score and give you a score. The highest and lowest are tossed out and the 3 average scores are your score. You get 3 runs, with the best 2 counting towards your overall score. The objective here is to earn the Gold Medal by getting the highest score, but also Cash is still scattered on these levels. THPS2 brings back the pro skaters from the first game and adds 3 more to the roster as well. New to the series are the Create a Skater and Park Editor, which would become main stays of the series. The Create a Skater allows you to make a custom skater to use in all modes, even in career mode. The Park Editor allows you to make Custom levels to use in Single Session, Free Run, and Multiplayer modes. The Multiplayer is pretty much retained from the first game, with game modes like Horse and Grafiti to provide plenty of options. Overall, the gameplay is as fun as THPS1, but THPS2 takes it and makes it better.
The soundtrack is good to listen to as well, but on subsequent ports to platforms like the N64 and iOS, the music was altered or removed entirely.
The GBC version is fairly different from all the other versions. The action takes place all on a sideview instead of the 3D view or even the GBAs 2.5D view. Because of this, the GBC version feels inferior to all other versions of THPS2.
Bottom Line: THPS2 is a great extreme sports game and is probably the best of the series. It took THPS1 and made it better in every way. This game should be Played!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Retro Lookback: Mortal Kombat II
Developers: Midway (Arcade) Probe Entertainment (MD/GEN, GG, GB, SMS, Amiga, 32X, PC, SS, PS1) Sculptured Software (SNES)
Publishers: Midway (Arcade) Acclaim (home versions)
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Arcade (1993), Mega Drive (1994), Sega Game Gear (1994), Super Nintendo Entertainment System (September, 1994), Game Boy (September, 1994), Sega 32X (1994), Amiga (1994), PC (1994), Sega Saturn (March 28, 1996), Playstation 2/Xbox/Gamecube (October 11, 2004, as part of Midway Arcade Treasures 2), PlayStation 3 (April 12, 2007)
Genre: Fighting
Mortal Kombat II is the gorey sequel to the ESRB inspiring, bane of parents of the 90s, Mortal Kombat. It takes what the first game did and steps it up in pretty much every way.
The story is a direct continuation from the first game, hence the II in the title. Shang Tsung has been defeated by the Earthrealm champion Liu Kang, so Shang Tsung begs for mercy from Shao Khan. Shang Tsung says that an invitation for Mortal Kombat may not be turned down, and if it is held in Outworld, the Earthrealm warriors must attend. Shao Khan agrees to this and even gives Shang Tsung his youth back. The invitation is then extended to Raiden, who gathers his warriors and takes them to Outworld. This tournament is much more dangerous, with Shao Khan having home field advantage, and an Outworld victory will allow him to subdue Earthrealm.
The gameplay has been expanded from the the first game. It is still a 1 on 1 fighting game, best of 3 rounds, with the point system from the first game being replaced with a consecutive win counter and the winner being able to "finish" the loser. More basic moves have been added, the roundhouse kick was made more powerful, and more finishing moves were added. The game also moves faster and smoother than the first game. More Fatalities have been added, plus other finishing moves. Stage Fatalities can be done on certain stages which makes the loser die as a result of a stage effect. Babalities turn the opponent into a crying baby. Friendships are non-malicious interactions that attempt to make friends with the loser. Because of the non-leathal finishing moves, the more serious tone of the first game has become less serious with the trivial and "joke" finishing moves. The returning characters (Sub-Zero, Johnny Cage, Liu Kang, Raiden, Scorpion) have new moves. Reptile has been made from a secret character to a playable character with his own moves instead of Scorpion's and Sub-Zero's. Shang Tsung is now playable and is able to morph into any character and use their moves. The new characters in this game are Baraka, Jax Briggs, Kitana, Kung Lao, and Mileena. Since Goro has been defeated in the first tournament, the new boss is Kintaro, who is from the same race from Goro. Shao Khan now becomes the final boss. The new hidden characters are Jade, Noob Saibot, and Smoke, who are basically pallet swaps in this game but then later become their own characters in later games. Sonya and Kano, who were playable in the first game, can be seen chained down on one of the stages since they have been captured.
The graphics and sound have also improved from the first game, and the blood is just as gorey as ever!
Bottom Line: Mortal Kombat II is a classic fighting game and is among the best, for the series and the genre as a whole. This game should definitely be Played.
Publishers: Midway (Arcade) Acclaim (home versions)
Platforms and Release Dates (US): Arcade (1993), Mega Drive (1994), Sega Game Gear (1994), Super Nintendo Entertainment System (September, 1994), Game Boy (September, 1994), Sega 32X (1994), Amiga (1994), PC (1994), Sega Saturn (March 28, 1996), Playstation 2/Xbox/Gamecube (October 11, 2004, as part of Midway Arcade Treasures 2), PlayStation 3 (April 12, 2007)
Genre: Fighting
Mortal Kombat II is the gorey sequel to the ESRB inspiring, bane of parents of the 90s, Mortal Kombat. It takes what the first game did and steps it up in pretty much every way.
The story is a direct continuation from the first game, hence the II in the title. Shang Tsung has been defeated by the Earthrealm champion Liu Kang, so Shang Tsung begs for mercy from Shao Khan. Shang Tsung says that an invitation for Mortal Kombat may not be turned down, and if it is held in Outworld, the Earthrealm warriors must attend. Shao Khan agrees to this and even gives Shang Tsung his youth back. The invitation is then extended to Raiden, who gathers his warriors and takes them to Outworld. This tournament is much more dangerous, with Shao Khan having home field advantage, and an Outworld victory will allow him to subdue Earthrealm.
The gameplay has been expanded from the the first game. It is still a 1 on 1 fighting game, best of 3 rounds, with the point system from the first game being replaced with a consecutive win counter and the winner being able to "finish" the loser. More basic moves have been added, the roundhouse kick was made more powerful, and more finishing moves were added. The game also moves faster and smoother than the first game. More Fatalities have been added, plus other finishing moves. Stage Fatalities can be done on certain stages which makes the loser die as a result of a stage effect. Babalities turn the opponent into a crying baby. Friendships are non-malicious interactions that attempt to make friends with the loser. Because of the non-leathal finishing moves, the more serious tone of the first game has become less serious with the trivial and "joke" finishing moves. The returning characters (Sub-Zero, Johnny Cage, Liu Kang, Raiden, Scorpion) have new moves. Reptile has been made from a secret character to a playable character with his own moves instead of Scorpion's and Sub-Zero's. Shang Tsung is now playable and is able to morph into any character and use their moves. The new characters in this game are Baraka, Jax Briggs, Kitana, Kung Lao, and Mileena. Since Goro has been defeated in the first tournament, the new boss is Kintaro, who is from the same race from Goro. Shao Khan now becomes the final boss. The new hidden characters are Jade, Noob Saibot, and Smoke, who are basically pallet swaps in this game but then later become their own characters in later games. Sonya and Kano, who were playable in the first game, can be seen chained down on one of the stages since they have been captured.
The graphics and sound have also improved from the first game, and the blood is just as gorey as ever!
Bottom Line: Mortal Kombat II is a classic fighting game and is among the best, for the series and the genre as a whole. This game should definitely be Played.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Retro Lookback: Daytona USA
Developers: Sega AM2 (Arcade, Saturn, 2001, HD), Sega AM3 (Championship Circuit Edition, Circuit Edition, and Deluxe Edition)
Publisher: Sega
Platforms: Arcade, Sega Saturn, PC, Dreamcast, PS3 (PSN), Xbox 360 (XBL)
Release Dates (US): 1994 (Arcade), May 1995 (Saturn, Arcade version), November 26, 1996 (Saturn, Championship Circuit Edition), October 31, 1997 (PC, Deluxe Edition), June 1998 (Daytona USA 2), March 12, 2001 (Dreamcast), October 25, 2011 (PSN), October 26, 2011 (XBL)
Genre: Racing
Daytona USA is another one of Sega's Arcade racing games that has been ported numerous times, and for good reason.
The Gameplay is solid. It is classic arcade racing at its finest. You start in last place and you have a finite number of Laps and Time to get to 1st place and finish the race. You pass Checkpoints that give you Time Extensions so you can keep play. That's all there is to it, just solid racing. The original Arcade version was the start, you had 3 courses to drive on and can choose Manual or Automatic transmission, with the Manual transmission having a 5 mph speed advantage. The arcade game supported up to 8 players at once so you can race your friends. Daytona USA also has a unique feature, you can turn around and race in Reverse and still finish. It is a challenge and makes you take a different approach to the courses. The Saturn port of the Arcade game is faithful to the Arcade game. The next one for the Saturn was the Championship Circuit Edition, which added 2 new tracks, new music and remixed music, and a selection of cars with different stats. The PC game was called the Deluxe Edition, it featured all the content from the Saturn's Championship Circuit Edition with the addition of an extra course. The Championship Circuit Edition also had a Net Link version, which is almost indistinguishable from the standard version. Contrary to popular belief, Panzer Dragoon Saga is not the rarest game for the Saturn, it is actually Daytona USA Championship Circuit Edition Netlink Version, which can fetch prices up to $1,100. The Dreamcast version came out in 2001, and is also called Daytona USA 2001. It features the 5 courses from the Championship Circuit Edition plus 3 new courses. It also features a new selection of cars along side the Hornet. The Dreamcast game also featured Online play for up to 8 players, and a local 2 player mode. The most recent version is the HD version on PSN and XBL, it is a port of the original Arcade game, but also adds a Mission Mode, a Survival Mode, a Karaoke mode, Leaderboard support, and 8 player online.
A sequel was made for the Arcade called Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge. It features 3 new tracks and a choice of 3 new cars with different stats. A few months later, an enhanced version called Daytona USA 2: Power Edition was released. It adds a 4th car, which is the Hornet from the original Daytona USA, replaces the environment on the Beginner track, and adds a Challenge mode, which allows you to race all 3 tracks as one super lap, you start on the Advanced course, go to the Expert course, and finish with one lap around the Beginner course. It still has up to 8 player races like the first game.
The Arcade music is classic. Dayton USA is where ROLLING START come from! The songs are catchy, and the 2001 remixes are good as well.
Bottom Line: Daytona USA is a classic arcade racing game that shouldn't be missed. It is a definite Play It.
Publisher: Sega
Platforms: Arcade, Sega Saturn, PC, Dreamcast, PS3 (PSN), Xbox 360 (XBL)
Release Dates (US): 1994 (Arcade), May 1995 (Saturn, Arcade version), November 26, 1996 (Saturn, Championship Circuit Edition), October 31, 1997 (PC, Deluxe Edition), June 1998 (Daytona USA 2), March 12, 2001 (Dreamcast), October 25, 2011 (PSN), October 26, 2011 (XBL)
Genre: Racing
Daytona USA is another one of Sega's Arcade racing games that has been ported numerous times, and for good reason.
The Gameplay is solid. It is classic arcade racing at its finest. You start in last place and you have a finite number of Laps and Time to get to 1st place and finish the race. You pass Checkpoints that give you Time Extensions so you can keep play. That's all there is to it, just solid racing. The original Arcade version was the start, you had 3 courses to drive on and can choose Manual or Automatic transmission, with the Manual transmission having a 5 mph speed advantage. The arcade game supported up to 8 players at once so you can race your friends. Daytona USA also has a unique feature, you can turn around and race in Reverse and still finish. It is a challenge and makes you take a different approach to the courses. The Saturn port of the Arcade game is faithful to the Arcade game. The next one for the Saturn was the Championship Circuit Edition, which added 2 new tracks, new music and remixed music, and a selection of cars with different stats. The PC game was called the Deluxe Edition, it featured all the content from the Saturn's Championship Circuit Edition with the addition of an extra course. The Championship Circuit Edition also had a Net Link version, which is almost indistinguishable from the standard version. Contrary to popular belief, Panzer Dragoon Saga is not the rarest game for the Saturn, it is actually Daytona USA Championship Circuit Edition Netlink Version, which can fetch prices up to $1,100. The Dreamcast version came out in 2001, and is also called Daytona USA 2001. It features the 5 courses from the Championship Circuit Edition plus 3 new courses. It also features a new selection of cars along side the Hornet. The Dreamcast game also featured Online play for up to 8 players, and a local 2 player mode. The most recent version is the HD version on PSN and XBL, it is a port of the original Arcade game, but also adds a Mission Mode, a Survival Mode, a Karaoke mode, Leaderboard support, and 8 player online.
A sequel was made for the Arcade called Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge. It features 3 new tracks and a choice of 3 new cars with different stats. A few months later, an enhanced version called Daytona USA 2: Power Edition was released. It adds a 4th car, which is the Hornet from the original Daytona USA, replaces the environment on the Beginner track, and adds a Challenge mode, which allows you to race all 3 tracks as one super lap, you start on the Advanced course, go to the Expert course, and finish with one lap around the Beginner course. It still has up to 8 player races like the first game.
The Arcade music is classic. Dayton USA is where ROLLING START come from! The songs are catchy, and the 2001 remixes are good as well.
Bottom Line: Daytona USA is a classic arcade racing game that shouldn't be missed. It is a definite Play It.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Game Rant: Metal Gear Solid HD Collection
Developers: Kojima Productions, Bluepoint Games
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PS Vita
Release Dates (US): November 8, 2011 (PS3 and 360), PS Vita TBA (at the time of writing)
Genre: Stealth-Action
The Metal Gear Solid HD Collection comprises of 3 of the Metal Gear Solid games on one disc, and allows more people to experience these games from the past and give veterans something to play again as well.
The Metal Gear Solid story line confuses me to no end, but I will give a brief synopsis of the beginning of the games on the disc.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (Substance edition): In 2007, Solid Snake is sent to a Tanker to retrieve evidence of the new Metal Gear Ray, but the tanker gets taken over without the Navy knowing. After Snake gets the evidence, the Tanker is attacked and Snake is presumed to have gone down with it. 2 years later, a new agent code named Raiden is sent to a Plant to rescue the president who is held hostage somewhere on the plant...
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (Subsistence edition): in 1963, Naked Snake is sent on a Virtuous Mission in the jungles of the Soviet Union to find Sokolov and get him out of there so the new weapon known as The Shagohod doesn't get finished, but The Boss stops Snake and has told Snake that she has defected to the Soviet Union, she takes back Sokolov and Snake is left for dead, but gets rescued. 2 weeks later, Snake is sent back to the Soviet Union to eliminate The Boss and destroy the Shagohod...
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker: In 1973, Naked Snake (known as Big Boss) has left the United States behind and have made the Mercenary for hire unit know as the Army Without Borders. One day a KGB agent and a girl named Paz come to Big Boss and his co-founder Kaz, they say that a man named Goldman is trying to make a new deterrance device known as Peace Walker to help him control the Nuclear Power of the world. Big Boss is sent to Central America to find and stop Peace Walker...
The Gameplay is generally the same throughout. You have to sneak around to your destination without alerting the guards. You are giving a Tranquilizer gun to take out guards non-lethaly, but you can take care of the guards for good by using various weapons you find on the field (or ones you develop in Peace Walker). You can use CQC in MGS 3 and Peace Walker to hold guards hostage, knock them out, or take them out. If you alert the guards to your presence, they will go into Alert mode and forces will increase and they will be actively looking for you. If you stay out of sight for long enough or take care of all the guards you will go back to normal mode. You have 2 menus, one for weapons and one for items. You can switch out at any time for what you have on hand or, in MGS 3, go to your backpack to switch in new items and weapons. MGS 3 and Peace Walker you can use different Camo patterns to help you hide from the guards, a Camo index on the HUD helps you to see how well you are hidden. In MGS 3 and Peace Walker, you have the Stamina and Psyche meter respectively. This meter determines how effective you can be, with having worse performance as the meters decrease. The meters will drain over time and when certain things attack you, you can regain them by using different items or food. Peace Walker also has the Mother Base. On Mother Base, you can assign crew you "find" with Fulton Recovery to different departments to help you develop new weapons, equipment, and to keep morale up. There is also Outer Ops where you can send units from your Combat Unit to do missions while you do missions. You can also play in Co-ops in most mission for up to 4 players, and there is a Versus Ops option as well for versus play. Peace Walker can now also use "Transfaring" to transfer your data between the PS3 and PSP so you can keep your data wherever you go.
The Graphics are definitely a step up from the original games, they look very beautiful. The music is still retained from the original games, so that is excellent as well.
Bottom line: The MGS HD Collection is good value, 3 games in 1, and all 3 games are enjoyable to play for veterans and newbies alike. This game would be a Buy It.
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PS Vita
Release Dates (US): November 8, 2011 (PS3 and 360), PS Vita TBA (at the time of writing)
Genre: Stealth-Action
The Metal Gear Solid HD Collection comprises of 3 of the Metal Gear Solid games on one disc, and allows more people to experience these games from the past and give veterans something to play again as well.
The Metal Gear Solid story line confuses me to no end, but I will give a brief synopsis of the beginning of the games on the disc.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (Substance edition): In 2007, Solid Snake is sent to a Tanker to retrieve evidence of the new Metal Gear Ray, but the tanker gets taken over without the Navy knowing. After Snake gets the evidence, the Tanker is attacked and Snake is presumed to have gone down with it. 2 years later, a new agent code named Raiden is sent to a Plant to rescue the president who is held hostage somewhere on the plant...
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (Subsistence edition): in 1963, Naked Snake is sent on a Virtuous Mission in the jungles of the Soviet Union to find Sokolov and get him out of there so the new weapon known as The Shagohod doesn't get finished, but The Boss stops Snake and has told Snake that she has defected to the Soviet Union, she takes back Sokolov and Snake is left for dead, but gets rescued. 2 weeks later, Snake is sent back to the Soviet Union to eliminate The Boss and destroy the Shagohod...
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker: In 1973, Naked Snake (known as Big Boss) has left the United States behind and have made the Mercenary for hire unit know as the Army Without Borders. One day a KGB agent and a girl named Paz come to Big Boss and his co-founder Kaz, they say that a man named Goldman is trying to make a new deterrance device known as Peace Walker to help him control the Nuclear Power of the world. Big Boss is sent to Central America to find and stop Peace Walker...
The Gameplay is generally the same throughout. You have to sneak around to your destination without alerting the guards. You are giving a Tranquilizer gun to take out guards non-lethaly, but you can take care of the guards for good by using various weapons you find on the field (or ones you develop in Peace Walker). You can use CQC in MGS 3 and Peace Walker to hold guards hostage, knock them out, or take them out. If you alert the guards to your presence, they will go into Alert mode and forces will increase and they will be actively looking for you. If you stay out of sight for long enough or take care of all the guards you will go back to normal mode. You have 2 menus, one for weapons and one for items. You can switch out at any time for what you have on hand or, in MGS 3, go to your backpack to switch in new items and weapons. MGS 3 and Peace Walker you can use different Camo patterns to help you hide from the guards, a Camo index on the HUD helps you to see how well you are hidden. In MGS 3 and Peace Walker, you have the Stamina and Psyche meter respectively. This meter determines how effective you can be, with having worse performance as the meters decrease. The meters will drain over time and when certain things attack you, you can regain them by using different items or food. Peace Walker also has the Mother Base. On Mother Base, you can assign crew you "find" with Fulton Recovery to different departments to help you develop new weapons, equipment, and to keep morale up. There is also Outer Ops where you can send units from your Combat Unit to do missions while you do missions. You can also play in Co-ops in most mission for up to 4 players, and there is a Versus Ops option as well for versus play. Peace Walker can now also use "Transfaring" to transfer your data between the PS3 and PSP so you can keep your data wherever you go.
The Graphics are definitely a step up from the original games, they look very beautiful. The music is still retained from the original games, so that is excellent as well.
Bottom line: The MGS HD Collection is good value, 3 games in 1, and all 3 games are enjoyable to play for veterans and newbies alike. This game would be a Buy It.
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