|
If you've been following the Game Boy Player Land blog then surely you're aware of my recent fascination with Shmups after finding my Hori Gamecube Fighting Stick. There were two previous posts I did about Shmups released for Game Boy Advance, which undoubtedly left some of you wondering when I might get around to the Game Boy Shmups. Well friends, here we are. I also threw in a couple of Game Boy Color titles, as it seems to me there just aren't enough good Shmups on the GBC. Now let's dig in, y'all!
[img width=300 height=300]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/7/585827_96848_front.jpg[/img]
[img width=200 height=200]http://ui22.gamefaqs.com/1493/gfs_2336_2_2.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://www.gamespite.net/img/wiki/games/spot_nemesis1.gif[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://www.gamesetwatch.com/nemesis1.gif[/img]
In 1990, Ultra released a little Game Boy cart known as Nemesis. If those screens look at all familiar, they should. That's the Vic Viper flying around, shooting shit. And Nemesis is the Game Boy port of the Konami classic Gradius. Like most early Game Boy versions, Nemesis is certainly a lot more stripped down than its NES counterpart. The music is nothing to write home about, and the backgrounds are generally simple. But the game is no less fun.
The controls in Nemesis work well, and there are plenty of power-ups to keep the Vic Viper kicking ass. Not to mention the fact that the game is also generally easier than the NES version, compounded by the fact that you can choose which of the five levels to start on or select up to 99 lives. Most likely these helping-hands were put forth to make up for the extra challenge caused by cramping so much within the Game Boy's tiny screen. But if you're playing on the Game Boy Player, then things feel a lot less claustrophobic.
[img width=300 height=300]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/2/574772_13586_front.jpg[/img]
[img width=200 height=200]http://ui23.gamefaqs.com/1718/gfs_13586_2_1.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://ui15.gamefaqs.com/1934/gfs_13586_2_2.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://www.vizzed.com/vizzedboard/gb/screenshot/Parodius-1.png[/img]
In 1991 Konami brought it's cult-classic Parodius to the Game Boy. Sadly, they didn't release it in the US. What's upsetting about that decision is that Parodius is easily one of the absolute best Game Boy shooters released.
Parodius seems to have gotten everything perfect that Nemesis was close to getting right. The music is fantastic; The backgrounds are great and even include various scrolling effects; The boss battles include impressive animation; And best of all -- you can choose from multiple ships -- I always go for the Octopus myself. If you can find it, do yourself and add Parodius to your collection!
[img width=300 height=300]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/2/371312_43736_front.jpg[/img]
[img width=200 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/screenshots/gb/projects11/projects11_0307_screen001.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/screenshots/gb/projects11/projects11_0307_screen012.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/screenshots/gb/projects11/projects11_0307_screen014.jpg[/img]
Project S-11 is the only Game Boy Color-exclusive Shmup that I can think of to recommend. The game is bright and colorful as you can see from those screens above. It also features some really great music -- y'know upbeat techno kind of stuff that gels so well with space shooters.
The gameplay mechanics are quite good. Your ship is responsive, and unlike most Shmups Project S-11 differentiates itself by straying from the one-bullet-kills-you deal. However if I had to pick one element that causes S-11 to demand replays it would be the power-ups. There are many interesting power-ups that force you to figure out the best way to implement them. For instance some are best left to holding down the shoot button, while others are better off with rapid tapping. Likewise, there's even a weird plasma-laser that works best if you shoot one stream, hold it down for a bit and then let go as it then sucks itself back at you causing more damage to enemies on its way back. Very original.
[img width=300 height=300]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/0/198520_50458_front.jpg[/img]
[img width=200 height=200]http://ui10.gamefaqs.com/1033/gfs_50458_2_1.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://ui06.gamefaqs.com/1381/gfs_50458_2_2.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/screenshots/0/198520/rtypedx_screen003.jpg[/img]
The first two R-Type games were released for the original Game Boy, and I wasn't a huge fan of them. My main plight was that the ship just felt too damn big to maneuver comfortably through such tight quarters. Eventually both games were combined and colorized and released as R-Type DX for the Game Boy Color. Now certainly the same complaint can be made about the ship size, but in some way I feel that the enhanced graphics somehow made the ship-handling at least slightly easier.
The sound and graphics are wonderful, feeling like a long-lost NES port that we all wish we had played. Though obviously the GBA port of R-Type III would put this version to shame visually, I find R-Type DX a far more playable game. Recommended if you're a fan of the series.
[img width=300 height=300]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/3/563293_28972_front.jpg[/img]
[img width=200 height=200]http://ui19.gamefaqs.com/1874/gfs_28972_2_1.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://ui19.gamefaqs.com/370/gfs_28972_2_2.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://img.listal.com/image/828697/150full.jpg[/img]
Released very early in the Game Boy's lifespan, Solar Striker may in fact be the first Shmup released for the system. It's an unassuming little title. Those screens above really don't do it the slightest bit of justice. For all the simplicity in the games' presentation, just a few minutes of playing reveal that Solar Striker is one hell of a fun game. The controls are tight, the bosses are generically awesome and the power-ups useful yet rather cliched, and yet somehow that works in the games' favor. It's as if Solar Striker is the perfect example of what a simple Shmup should be. It's a game that's both somewhat banal and completely must-own at the same time.
[img width=300 height=300]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/4/585974_38770_front.jpg[/img]
[img width=200 height=200]http://ui28.gamefaqs.com/1851/gfs_38770_2_1.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://ui10.gamefaqs.com/1577/gfs_38770_2_2.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://ui14.gamefaqs.com/45/gfs_93659_2_1.jpg[/img]
Trax is actually pretty different than all the other games I outlined in my Shmups posts. For one thing, it doesn't take place in outer space. Instead you man a tank... that's shaped like an egg. Also, the screen doesn't automatically scroll like in so many genre-defining Shmups. This alone gives it an extremely different feel than the other games mentioned. What's even more different is that your gun can move independently of your tank's movement.
Okay, so Cute-Em-Up style graphics? Unconventional controls? That's right! You guessed it! This is a Hal Labs game. All the more reason for you to give it a try. It's definitely nothing like the other games I went over, but it's interesting enough to warrant a try. And you know Hal always delivers. This is definitely a game that seems a bit forgotten, which is too damn bad. The game also features a secondary mode that plays out in a melee style and seems to be an homage to the Atari 2600 classic Combat. Certainly a bonus.
Okay so obviously I've given my arcade stick a total workout on Shmups. But just in case I missed something awesome, please let me know. Or if there's a specific Shmup I should keep miles away from, also a warning is appreciated.
A huge milestone has been reached here at RF Generation! We now have over 3000 registered members! Which is more than all the people in the nations of Falkland Islands, Niue, Tokelau, Vatican City, and Pitcaim Islands. Lucky member #3000 is casey4549.
So if you're one of the 3000 members that make up RF Generation, pat yourself on the back and know that you are a part of THE Classic and Modern Video Games Database! And if you're not one of those people, then you better get with the picture and put in on channel 3, it only takes a minute as always is completely free.
And don't forget to PAIN YOURSELF WITH SUBMISSIONS to win the contest, which ends in one week! You can win your choice of gaming swag under $60 and a sweet RFGen ringer T or a chance to win a special prize pack from my personal collection including a custom painted Sega Genesis.
As always, keep it on channel 3!
Went to the flea market this sunday thinking they may not even have it due to a holiday weekend, but it was the largest one yet.
Picked up a few nice finds.
First Place I picked up 5 playstation games for $1 each, all CIB.
Wheel of Fortune 2nd Edition, Shrek Treasure Hunt, NHL 2 on 2 Open Ice Challenge, Power Rangers, and Namco Museum Vol. 2.
Next found the MGS Strategy Guide, and Luminous Art Book, $3. along with the 2 CIB game gear games which were $1 each.
Last find was a great one, the Atari with 2 joysticks, and 19 games sitting in a box marked $40. I was looking through it and talking to my friend saying I always wanted one but didnt want to spend that much... I guess the guy heard me and said he would take $20.
I agreed, but got home and realized its missing the power supply 
Does anyone know if there is a generic supply I can use or if I am going to have to buy an expensive one off of ebay?
[img width=578 height=640]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/focusricerocket/IMG_6792.jpg[/img]
OK, OK, I know, I've been slacking with these this year. For crying out loud, its practically June, and I'm only on number 3? The year started out rather slow with the sales, but my excuse this time s that my laptop died on me a couple weeks ago. It looks like the hard drive in it is shot, so all my info on it is gone since the last time I backed everything up was in October. I've been using my old laptop, but its ridiculously slow, so I've been avoiding most activities that involve using the internet and a couple other programs, so this has been one of the things I've been avoiding. But my stack of purchases is piling up and its really bothering me not having done a new entry, so here it is.
Continue reading Treasure Hunt Chronicles 2010 - #3
To celebrate the launch of the Game Boy Advance in 2001, Nintendo Power magazine decided to start a series of quarterly special editions known as Nintendo Power Advance. These quarterlies were significantly more expensive ($14.99) than the monthly magazine, and as you might have guessed -- focused solely on the Game Boy Advance. Sadly for we GBA enthusiasts only four volumes were ultimately released. And though certainly the reviews may have been a bit biased, each issue is actually a really awesome little time capsule of the year that was the GBA's first.
Generally speaking, each issue would feature in-depth walkthroughs and strategy guides for a handful of major releases. Then they would have a "buyer's guide" that would give half-page previews of upcoming titles. Sprinkled throughout would be various GBA-related news, advertisements, tricks & tips. So let us take a journey through the magazines' short lifespan.
[img width=385 height=500]http://themushroomkingdom.net/mania/images/mag/npa_v1.jpg[/img]
Volume 1 (aka: the Premier Issue) (130 pages) was intended to announce the arrival of the Game Boy Advance system. Accordingly, the issue opens with an article entitled Introducing Game Boy Advance which offers an "actual size" picture of the new handheld, along with a breakdown of its specs, features and various accessories that were already available.
The featured games in this issue were:
Super Mario Advance
F-Zero: Maximum Velocity
Rayman Advance
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
Castlevania: Circle Of The Moon
The Buyer's Guide features:
Earthworm Jim
Super Dodge Ball Advance
Pinobee: Wings Of Adventure
GT Advance Championship Racing
Bomberman Tournament
Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2
Tweety And The Magic Gems
Hot Potato!
Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure
Fire Pro Wrestling
Top Gear GT Championship
Army Men Advance
ChuChu Rocket
Konami Krazy Racers
Iridion 3D
[img width=399 height=510]http://themushroomkingdom.net/mania/images/mag/npa_v2.jpg[/img]
Volume 2's (130 pages) cover featured Mario Kart: Super Circuit. It also came with a subscription card that offered "Your Choice Free!" of either a Mario Kart: Super Circuit T-shirt, a pair of Nintendo Power Advance headphones or a Pokemon Crystal Version Player's Guide. (Note: If anyone has those headphones, I'd like them for myself.) This issue is of particular interest to me due to the inclusion of a full moves list for the entire roster of Super Street Fighter II, which is easily one my all-time favorite GBA releases.
The games featured in this issue were:
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Advance Wars
Super Street Fighter II: Turbo Revival
Jurassic Park III: Park Builder
Lego Bionicle: Quest For The Toa
This volume also includes a section entitled Sports Arena which features:
ESPN Final Round Golf 2002
High Heat MLB 2002
The Buyer's Guide includes:
Mega Man Battle Network
Namco Museum
Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor
Final Fight One
Fortress
Klonoa: Empire Of Dreams
Tang Tang
Lady Sia
Snood
Lego Island 2: The Brickster's Revenge
Pac-Man Collection
Back Track
F-14 Tomcat
Driven
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
[img width=394 height=524]http://themushroomkingdom.net/mania/images/mag/npa_v3.jpg[/img]
Volume 3's (138 pages) cover is dedicated to Golden Sun, Nintendo's very own 16-bit RPG retro throwback. And if that doesn't get your RPG mouth watering, the issue also features a section on the GBA re-release of the SNES cult-classic Breath Of Fire. The issue comes with that same subscription offer (still want those headphones).
The games highlighted in this volume were:
Golden Sun
Wario Land 4
Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone
Breath Of Fire
Though the issue contained less featured games upfront, it seems appropriate due to the vast coverage required of two RPG's. The issue also added considerably more bulk to the Buyer's Guide this time out which included:
Tekken Advance
Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits
Disney's Donald Duck Advance
Jackie Chan Adventures
Spyro: Season Of Ice
Columns Crown
Tom And Jerry: The Magic Ring
Road To Wrestlemania
Spongebob Squarepants: Supersponge
Rampage Puzzle Attack
Cruis'n Velocity
Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder
Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX
Madden NFL 2002
Monster Rancher Advance
Midnight Club Street Racing
Planet Of The Apes
Mech Platoon
Alienators: Evolution Continues
Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2
Tiny Toons Adventures: Buster's Bad Dream
Super Bust-A-Move
Hot Wheels: Burnin' Rubber
ESPN Great Outdoor Games: Bass 2002
Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles
[img width=413 height=550]http://themushroomkingdom.net/mania/images/mag/npa_v4.jpg[/img]
The fourth and final volume was unique in that it only featured one game. Volume 4 (130 pages) served as a complete strategy guide to Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2. In fact the first 100 pages of the issue were spent offering in-depth walkthroughs for each level and breaking down the enemies, power-ups and minutia of my personal favorite Mario Bros. sequel.
The final Buyer's Guide included:
Sonic Advance
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
The Powerpuff Girls: Mojo Jojo A-Go-Go
Razor Freestyle Scooter
E.T. The Extraterrestrial
Puyo Pop
Nancy Drew: Message In A Haunted Mansion
Moto GP
M&M's Blast
Batman Vengeance
The Flintstone's: Big Trouble In Bedrock
American Bass Challenge
An American Tail: Fievel's Gold Rush
Dokapon
Motocross Maniacs Advance
Broken Sword: The Shadow Of The Templars
Salt Lake 2002
Sheep
NBA Jam 2002
Inspector Gadget: Advance Mission
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear
Jonny Mosely Mad Trix
Disney's Peter Pan: Return To Never Land
Ecks Vs. Sever
Bomberman Max 2: Red Advance and Blue Advance
Mike Tyson's Boxing
Monsters, Inc.
Planet Monsters
Zone Of The Enders: The Fist Of Mars
Chessmaster
Guilty Gear X: Advance Edition
High Heat Baseball 2003
Breath Of Fire II
Sadly there was no Volume 5. Looking back it's unclear why. Perhaps it was the elevated price tag, considering that the same games were probably at least somewhat featured in the far cheaper monthly Nintendo Power magazine? Perhaps there weren't enough people like me who were interested in free Game Boy Advance headphones? Whatever it was, it wasn't a waning interest in the GBA system, as an overload of games would be released for the handheld over the following six years. And these four brief volumes of Nintendo Power Advance serve as a great overview of a year when one of the absolute greatest handhelds of all time was still in its infancy.
So after reading Paully3433's great review of The Guardian Legend, I started to remember all of the superb games that Compile created back in the day. So I stopped to ask myself, if I had the ability to restore one developer back to life from beyond the gaming grave, who would it be?
After a lot of thought, I have to stick with Compile. Not only did they have a major influence in the shooter space, but came up with several other classic series.
First off, the fantastic shooters. If you haven't played these and you like the genre I think you owe it to yourself to dig them up. I won't go into full fledged review mode on these (there is plenty of love out there if you Google them), but here are my suggestions:
- Zanac - NES (started it all for me, I still play this one regularly... go for the 7 power-ups)
- The Guardian Legend - NES
- Gun*Nac - NES (space bunnies must be a terrible threat)
- Power Strike (Aleste) - SMS
- Space Megaforce (Super Aleste) - SNES
- Blazing Lasers (Gunhed) - TG-16/ PC Engine
- M.U.S.H.A. (Musha Aleste) - Genesis/Mega Drive
- Zanac X Zanac - PS (JP only, I wish it would hurry and come to PSN already)
If all of that isn't enough, they gave birth to Alien Crush and Devil's Crush which are wonderful pinball games, as well as the Puyo Puyo series for you puzzle game fans out there.
With such an amazing history, it saddens me that Compile is no more. I miss the little blue Randar  , but if I had my wish, we'd see him again soon.
So if you could wave your wand to bring back one developer, which would you choose?
[img width=300 height=300]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/0/927210_65928_front.jpg[/img]
I've never been much of a PC gamer. And there's no real reason for that, except that maybe I just always preferred the plug-n-play ease of use offered by a console or a handheld. I never wanted to spend time screwing around with plug-ins or updating drivers. However in the early 90's there were a handful of PC games that I did have; ones that seemed too awesome to ignore. One such game was X-COM: Terror from the Deep. It was an extremely deep strategy game that focused on aliens in the ocean. The graphics were incredible and the battle system was complex. In fact it was too complex for the 14-year-old version of me. So I really never got very far with it. But it still always stuck in my mind as the sort of game I would really enjoy.
When it was announced that the Together Retro game club over at http://Racketboy.com would be playing the original X-COM for the month of May, I thought to myself now wouldn't it be awesome if there was an X-COM port or sequel for the Game Boy Advance? And as I started doing a little research it turned out that there sort of was.
[img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/248/927210_20050906_screen002.jpg[/img] [img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/199/927210_20050719_screen004.jpg[/img]
Rebelstar: Tactical Command was created by Julian Gallop, the creator of the X-COM series. Even more interestingly, it's actually a sequel to the original Rebelstar series, which was Gallop's line of games that predated and ultimately inspired the X-COM games. This may all sound a bit confusing, but what you really need to know is that regardless of what the title is Rebelstar: Tactical Command plays like a portable X-COM. Which is great news for fans of the series.
The game tells the story of a breed of aliens called Arelians that are controlling humans through some kind of brain-implant. It's definitely b-movie fodder, but at the same time the story is really only there to get the ball rolling. All that matters is your rebel force and the aliens arranged on a grid and ready to outsmart each other.
[img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/187/927210_20050707_screen005.jpg[/img] [img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/199/927210_20050719_screen006.jpg[/img]
Graphically the game looks similar to other grid-based strategy games like Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. The sprites and backgrounds are simple -- almost reminiscent of a 16-bit RPG, though with slightly more detailed animations. Generally it appears that the simple graphics are usually the biggest plight that people have with this game. As far as I'm concerned the graphics are perfect. The characters are simple, but manage to show emotion when need be.
As far as the audio goes, I almost can't judge fairly. As it turns out the Options Menu allows you to turn the music on and off. By the time I discovered this I had already logged quite a few hours with the music turned off without realizing this. I just assumed there was no music for whatever reason. The music that I did hear was subtle and mostly ambient and moody. It was nice, but nothing amazing. For the most part I've played with the music off which leaves you with just sound effects -- guns firing, explosions, screams when some one dies.
[img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/132/reviews/927210_20050513_screen006.jpg[/img] [img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/130/927210_20050511_screen005.jpg[/img]
The battle system is impressively deep. Not only is there the usual turn-point management necessary to a strategy game; there's also individual skill learning for members of your party, deployment based on characters' strengths and weaknesses, and even the possibility that a member of your party will panic if you don't keep the morale level high. In some ways the game is as intuitive as a game of chess, but in others it's amazingly complex. In a good way.
Luckily the first five missions are a rather in-depth training course that helps you learn all of the important battle and management techniques that will be needed in the following twenty missions. You'll find that as the game progresses the difficulty of each mission ramps rather steadily. Indeed I found that there were several missions that I had to replay several times. Because I really wanted to commit to this game without using a FAQ or guide, I even found that some missions I would have to save in the middle of and step back from for a while. I'd catch myself working on my strategy while driving the next day. That's certainly the sign of a compelling game.
When you really allow yourself the time to get sucked into this game, it definitely becomes amazing. I can honestly say that Rebelstar: Tactical Command has become a favorite Turn-Based Strategy game for me. Because I wanted to go through the month playing it without a guide, I didn't get to finish it. But I still plan to.
In keeping with my recent obsession with playing various arcade-centric genres with the Gamecube Fighting Stick, I can't help but return to the Shmup in all its glory. As it turns out, there's plenty more of them released for the GBA that I stumbled upon since my first GBA Shmup post. A few of which I even got my hands on, so let's take a look at few more, shall we?
[img width=300 height=300]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/9/454599_50771_front.jpg[/img]
[img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/screenshots/gba/iridion3d/iridion3d_screen008.jpg[/img] [img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/screenshots/gba/iridion3d_screen004.jpg[/img]
In my last GBA Shmup post I raved about Iridion II, although I had never played the first game. As it turns out Irion 3D is really quite different than the sequel. It should be noted off the bat that the graphics in Iridion 3D are excellent. The backgrounds are all extremely detailed and definitely show off what the GBA was capable of. In fact, visuals are even more impressive when you realize that Iridion 3D was a GBA launch title. Likewise, the music is fantastic. The game features a slightly generic, but nonetheless hyper and fun techno soundtrack. There's no denying that such music goes hand in hand with futuristic Shmups.
Having said all that, the truth is that Iridion 3D is far more awesome in theory than it is in reality. As incredible as the game looks and sounds, it really doesn't play all that well. First of all the controls utilize the inverted Y-Axis scheme -- meaning you have to push up to go down. Admittedly, that might be a bit nit-picky and more of a preference thing. The game also chugs along rather slowly, which seems to kind of go against the grain of the chaotic shooter formula. However the biggest problem with the game mechanic is the point-of-view. The camera is behind the spaceship, similar to the classic Star Fox on the SNES. Unfortunately it doesn't work as well here. Instead it makes aiming at anything far more work than it should be, and ultimately you find that your ship often gets in the way of your line of vision -- resulting in you crashing and burning because you never even saw the enemy fire. Iridion 3D is basically a solid effort that sadly just fell short (but was completely redeemed in its second installment).
[img width=300 height=300]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/6/534926_44582_front.jpg[/img]
[img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2001/vgnews/101101/phalanx/phalanx_screen002.jpg[/img] [img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2001/vgnews/101101/phalanx/phalanx_screen073.jpg[/img]
Phalanx was originally released for the SNES in 1992, although it's generally more remembered for its bizarre and misleading cover-art rather than its gameplay. That's really too bad, because as I have just recently discovered from the 2001 port, Phalanx is an unbelievably perfect 16-bit Shmup. The controls are responsive, the scrolling is hyper without being overwhelming, the weapon upgrades are awesome and the bosses are robotic versions of marine life. What else do you really need?
There's certainly no denying that Phalanx borrows heavily from other popular Shmups of the day. All the genre cliches are there right down to the aforementioned robotic seafood. But what makes Phalanx work so well is the feeling that the developers were not trying to duplicate something successful just to cash in on it. Instead Phalanx plays out like an excellent homage to the classic Shmups in the vein of Konami's "holy trinity" of Gradius, Darius and Parodius. If you are a fan of such games, I can't recommend this one enough. It's easily one of my favorite GBA Shmups ever.
[img width=300 height=300]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/9/545599_51083_front.jpg[/img]
[img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2001/vgnews/121701/arcadeadvanc/arcadeadvance_screen008.jpg[/img] [img width=300 height=200]http://ui08.gamefaqs.com/2343/gfs_6974_2_3.jpg[/img]
When Konami released their Arcade Advanced collection in 2002 it included a completely revamped version of the 1981 arcade classic Scramble. By simply inputting the trusty Konami code at the title screen you can play a brand new version of Scramble with all new graphics and sounds.
The gameplay is ultimately the same exact thing as the original. This means it's not incredibly fast paced, but it is still challenging. The big gimmick in Scramble is the fact that your ship is continually burning up fuel, so it's almost more important to be refueling rather than shooting stuff. Though this isn't exactly the ultimate Shmup, it's definitely a novel diversion for fans of the genre.
[img width=300 height=300]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/3/925863_61916_front.jpg[/img]
[img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/221/reviews/925863_20050810_screen005.jpg[/img] [img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2005/215/925863_20050804_screen005.jpg[/img]
In 1989 there was a rather awesome NES game called The Guardian Legend that managed to incorporate elements of an action game with Shmup segments. The game is generally well remembered by a certain cult audience, and for good reason. In 2005 Namco attempted to make a sort of spiritual successor to The Guardian Legend called Sigma Star Saga.
Oh Namco, how you tried.
With Sigma Star Saga Namco attempted to combine an RPG with a Shmup. Maybe this isn't a completely insane idea. Both genres have rabid cult followings. But at the same time, they are two radically different genres, that present themselves in polar opposite gameplay atmospheres. Let me put it this way: when I play a Shmup, I mainly want to just shoot a bunch of shit without thinking about a story. And when I play an RPG, I want to slowly explore things and think about each move carefully. See the dilemma?
In the end though the main fault with Sigma Star Saga is that no matter how good Namco's intentions were (and I give them props for trying), really even if the visuals are spot-on, the Shmup portions don't amount to a very good Shmup. And unfortunately the same can be said of the RPG elements.
Okay, so after playing through all these GBA Shmups and the ones before I can say that really the only one I'm still really after is Darius R. Unless you know of another that I absolutely must get my hands on? Or is there another that's so bad I should avoid at all costs? Any comments are welcome!
So, Heavy Rain. Pretty awesome PS3 exclusive. One of the big memes it spawned was from the very early scenes in the game, when Ethan takes his family to a mall and hisson, Jason, gets lost. During this segment you have to run through the mall yelling for him: pressing X to Jason. Ethan's recorded line of him screaming Jason kind of caught on because, well it was amusing. First there was the flash game. Now there's the song/music video:
As I said, there's no spoilers in here. This happens in the first 15 minutes of the game. Enjoy!
 OH GOD! SOUND THE FANBOY ALARMS! Insomniac Games, longtime developer of exclusive Sony properties like Spyro (before it got sold to Universal), Ratchet and Clank, and Resistance have sold their souls to the devil! They are teaming up with EA Partners and making a new IP that will appear on PS3 and 360! This is the first time Insomniac has made a game for anything other than a Sony platform, and Sony fanboys are going absolutely apeshit with negativity over the announcement. "RATCHET AND RESISTANCE ARE GOING TO EA! THEY SOLD THEMSELVES OUT TO THE DEVIL! THE WORLD'S ENDING! HAVING A GAME ON ANOTHER SYSTEM ONLY SPELLS DOOM!" hahaha no.
Insomniac has been never owned by anyone. They're independent and will remain so, but they still have strong ties to Sony. Sony still owns the big franchises, AND Insomniac is going to be doing further games in those series exclusively for Sony. As Insomniac's CEO Ted Price said, they will continue working on games with Sony. It's just this new IP that's going to be done with EA that will be on 360. However, some Sony fans can't really understand that and throwing huge fits about it. They just see the words "Insomniac making a 360 game" and go into instarage mode.
no see you just took a huge shit on sony so no-one who has a ps3 will like you no excuses sell outs You money grabbing tossers. Im telling you now, if Ratchet and Clank standards continue to slip, and us PS3 owners get a WORSE game to conform to XBOX mechanics, i will never buy another Insomniac Game again. i just wanted to say !!WHAT THE F***!! joining with EA that's one of the dumbest shit i ever heard in my gaming history. EA is going to f*** you over so bad i can't wait to see your faces and what you guys have to say. GOOD LUCK. the only thing that doesn't bother me is at least it's not with Activision and that it's going multiplatform. you guys just lost alot of fans and respect for going multi!!! you aren't getting any money from me anymore jackass and trust me LOYALTY and RESPECT goes along way so f*** you Insomniac games! Couldn't care less right now. I feel like your any other game studio out there and it's all about the $$$. I will never buy an insomniac game ever again and I own every single one you have ever made. Congrates, your fan base that you have built on for over a decade is now gone and all the respect with it, have fun with those 360 fanboys
This deal is kinda unique though. As Kotaku said, there's never been a situation like this before. It's not really like Rare because Rare was owned by Nintendo then got sold to MS. Not really like Bungie because they still appear to be loyal to Sony and are willing to work on the franchises that made them a big name in the first place. It's not like Square because they aren't leaving one company to go to another (like they did with Nintendo to Sony). Not like Factor 5 or Sega either. It's a pretty unique deal and I'm excited to see what comes of it.
I wish the best of luck to Insomniac with their new IP, and hope it's a huge hit. They really deserve it. In the meantime, let's just laugh at all the fanboy hilarity that this move has generated.
In conclusion:
Stupid decision Insomniac, Hope your new project fails!!!
[img width=300 height=300]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/7/920987_54857_front.jpg[/img]
The Summer of 1990 seemed like a pretty perfect time for a volleyball craze to sweep the nation. First there was the film Side Out -- a movie so awesome it only needs a one-sentence Wikipedia entry: "Side Out is a 1990 film about beach volleyball competition, featuring C. Thomas Howell, Peter Horton and Courtney Thorne-Smith." And then there was Malibu Beach Volleyball, a Game Boy game that can best be summed up by that neon monstrosity of a cover above. But alas, volleyball didn't quite gain the credibility it was after. Thankfully for those of us who feel the need to re-live the Summer of 1990 we can add Side Out to our Netflix queues (seriously -- I just checked!) and eBay surely must have a copy of Malibu Beach Volleyball floating around for next to nothing.
Now the truth is, I really have no idea I why I would have owned a volleyball game in 1990. I had very little interest in sports at that time. And let's be frank, volleyball is pretty low on the sports food chain. If memory serves correctly, I got it from a friend who didn't care for it, and most likely I just figured any Game Boy cart was better than no Game Boy cart. And that's mostly true. Mostly.
[img width=200 height=200]http://ui07.gamefaqs.com/838/gfs_54857_2_1.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://ui02.gamefaqs.com/33/gfs_54857_2_2.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://ui01.gamefaqs.com/1056/gfs_86311_2_1.jpg[/img]
Looking at Malibu Beach now, it's clear to see that it's not a very great game. It's an overly simple game (even if it is based on a sport that's really just Pong on a beach); the music is horrible; the hit-detection is shit; and if I tried I could probably come up with a longer list of negatives. But strangely I have some fond memories of playing this stupid game at the beach that Summer. And if that doesn't scream geeky kid, then I don't know what does. Though the game is boring almost before the end of the first round, I can't help but pop it in with the warm weather and remember Summer vacation felt like as a little kid.
Back again for week 6 of my flea market finds.
Not too many people there this week since they were forecasting rain, but still found a few things.
[img width=640 height=560]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/focusricerocket/IMG_6739.jpg[/img]
First place I picked up a Gamegear, charger plug, and an official battery pack, and an unofficial one also. Also came with 4 games: Sonic Triple Trouble, Ren & Stimpy Quest for the Shaven Yak, The Majors Pro Baseball, and Super Columns.
Got this for $10.
However when I got home, I tried to power it up and it turns on, and then shuts off about 1-5 seconds later. I have it taken apart but have no idea what I am looking for, any help greatly appreciated!!!
Second score of the day was a Sega 32x complete in box with everything still wrapped in its original packing, looks brand new, included all of the paperwork and flyers, and ads that come with it also.
Got this for $7. Now I just need to get some 32x games.
Thats about it for this week, nothing major, but very excited about the 32x.
After loosing about a hours worth of progress in Bioshock 2 today due to a system lock-up, I have to point out what is the true problem: manual saves (or poor autosaving).
The idea of the save file is nearly timeless in gaming, dating back to early computing. At that time initiating a save state manually was a requirement due to primitive storage technology. Take out the game disk, insert a disk to hold your save, now swap back to continue playing. At the time it met the needs of the gamer well, but games have evolved significantly. Unfortunately, the save mechanic has often remained archaic.
Let's take my situation. I'm playing a game that does have an autosave feature, but it only bothers to take a snapshot every stage. Any other save state requires me to initiate it myself. I'm not advocating removing the possibility to save when desired, but what prevents the developer to at least give the option of a continuous save state. Power goes out, game locks up... no problem just pick up and play. I certainly don't plan for my game to lock up, so why should I be forced to initiate a series of time consuming saves to make up for the shortcoming? Companies need to innovate, and this is long past due.
It reminds me of why I liked Space Giraffe on the 360 so much. The game itself was ok at times and a trippy mess at others, but it did one thing I have been waiting for in shooters for an eternity... auto fire. Unless I am playing a game that requires technique or limited shots, why would I ever not want to shoot? There is absolutely no reason that an auto fire button ever needs to exist on a controller. Developers are wise enough to figure out when it is needed, and to do anything else is just to test my patience and make my thumb sore.
So I think it is time for the save to evolve. Agree or disagree, what do you think?
I know many collectors (like me) are careful or picky with what they buy, but sometimes you end up getting the most unusual forms of damage or spoiling of a games condition. For example, I went to a car boot sale on a Sunday morning (as I do) and I bought a complete in box copy of Dynablasters, to replace my unboxed copy. This is what it looks like:
[img width=500 height=375]http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4631360371_95a41669a6.jpg[/img][img width=500 height=375]http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4027/4631360607_9508913bbb.jpg[/img]
Incase you can't see it well, someone created stab holes, damaging the box, manual and inner case. My question: WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED AND WHY?!
Did some kid see the game, get a pair of scissors and go *insert famous stabber's name here* on it? I can't even grasp the image of some idiot kid with a sharp object maniacally stabbing a game, going so far to pierce the inner casing and the other end of the box!
So what items have people bought in a strange/stranger condition?
The Guardian Legend
Platform: NES & Famicom
Publisher: Broderbund
Developer: Compile
Release Date: April 1989
Genre: Multi-Genre, Action-Adventure & Scrolling Shooter
Number of Players: Single Player
ERSB Rating: N/A
[img width=256 height=224]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-027/ss/ts/U-027-S-02740-A.jpg[/img]
Review
I remember when I was younger my friend and I always sat in his basement and wasted the afternoons away playing our NES games. Between us we had nearly 100 or so, entirely to many for two kids to play all day. We had our favorites of course and several we couldn't ever get passed the first few stages. One of those games was The Guardian Legend. This was the first multi-genre game that I had played and wow was it an adventure. From the action-adventure dungeon crawling to the top down shooter that sports some great weapon choices. One of the more interesting facts about the Guardian that I will talk about more later, is that the Guardian is actually a girl humanoid. A girl robot has to attract you to this game from the snap of the cartridge into the system. It is a blast to play and even in this Next-Gen world, we can fall back in time to of one of the best multi-genre games ever made.
Story
The story of Guardian Legend is pretty simple. You take control of a female humanoid who is the guardian of Earth. You, as the guardian of Earth, must take control of a spaceship planet type thing that is coming towards the earth. Your mission is to destroy this thing, called Naju, before it gets to Earth. Sounds exciting easy enough right? Think again. You get messages throughout the game giving some hints on what to do next but it is pretty self explanatory for the most part.
[img width=256 height=224]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-027/ss/U-027-S-02740-A.jpg[/img]
Game Play
As the guardian of earth you can be in one of two different forms, depending on what part of the game you are in. Either part, you have a life bar that decreases as you get hit by your enemy. Little blue balls pop-up in the map called Power-Chips that allow you to replenish your health, give you a different type of gun and also giving you tips of what to do. Speaking of guns you have a primary weapon that has unlimited ammo. You also have a secondary weapon that use the Power-Chips you can collect, which are also used to upgraded yourself at a few shops. They also can provide check points and give passwords to resume your game later.
Splitting the game up into its two genres can be a fun way to take a look at the game and what makes it a fun and interesting game. The first part of the game to talk about is the maze or labyrinth as it is sometimes called. This is the action-adventure part of your journey through Guardian Legend. The object of the maze is to find the power ups so you can in turn destroy Naju. This consists of small rooms that you can enter through doors or portals.
The second part of the game is the Scrolling shooter part of the dungeon. Getting through the stage simply means to survive by shooting the various enemies that fly at you, since you are now in spaceship form, unlike the maze part where you are in your robot form. Once you get to the end of the dungeon you will fight a boss that for the most part is a lot stronger than the enemies in the stage.
Sound
The music in Guardian Legend is for the most part fairly similar to most NES games. The beginning screen kind of gives you the space, sci-fi feel and that sticks with you through the first stage of shooting. The guns remind me of every other NES or Arcade game out during the late 80s early 90s. For the most part, it doesn't strike me as a game you will remember for the sound and music. According to several websites, the sound track has been covered by one video game music cover band, The Advantage.
Unknown Facts
Guardian Legend was actually a sequel to a MSX game called Guardic only released in Japan in 1986
Guardian Legend uses the Longest Password key of possible for a NES game, 32 characters.
Guardian Legends' graphics were so powerful a computer in 1992 would not run it without a expensive graphics card.
Guardian Legend hit Nintendo Powers charts at #9
Guardian Legend has a bug that lets you recharge your health to full nearly instantly.
Overall
In today's "Next-Gen" standards, the Guardian Legend would probably fail on an epic level. However, throwing two different genres into one game is rarely done with as much success as was done here. The game throws you for a loop if your not expecting it. The first time I played it was in my best friends basement and I really had a hard time figuring out what to do. Shoot Shoot Shoot, then walk around ? I was confused, until I was older and found that it was truly a fun game to play. I have it in my collection proudly, complete with box in mint shape. I highly encourage you all to give it a try. Thanks for your time in reading and hope you don't see this screen....
[img width=256 height=224]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-027/ss/ex/U-027-S-02740-A_05.jpg[/img]
|
|
|
|
Blog Navigation
Browse Bloggers | My Blog
|
We are a community of collectors, gamers and the likes, and some of us enjoy to let the world know what is on our mind. For those members, we have the community blogs, a place where they can publish their thoughts and feelings regarding life, universe, and everything. Some of those members might even choose to write about gaming and collecting! Whatever they write about, you can find it on their blog. You can either see the latest community blog entries in the feed you see to the left, or you can browse for your favorite blog using the menu above. Interested in having your own blog hosted on RF Generation? It's rather simple, first be a registered member, and then click the "My Blog" link that you see in the navigation above. Following those two steps will certainly get you on your way to blogging.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy our entries, rantings, and completely unrelated series of thoughts. We write for you to read, so we certainly hope that you enjoy our material.
|
|
Hot Community Entries
|
|
Hot RFG Blog Entries
| |
|
