PC Engine Platform Games #2

Liquid Kids a.k.a. Mizubaku Daibouken (1992)
By: Taito  Genre: Platform  Players: 1  Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: NEC PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16  First Day Score: 64,470
Also Available For: Arcade, Saturn, Amiga (unreleased)
Download For: Wii Virtual Console

During the late 80's and early 90's there were quite a few software companies churning out games of varying quality and one of my favourites was Taito. Many of their platform games released during this time went on to achieve legendary status but for some reason Liquid Kids is one of their lesser-known titles. Perhaps it's because it follows a similar routine to so many other games from that period. Platform games certainly were at the peak of their popularity around this time but anyone dismissing it as 'just another cutesy platformer' missed out on a great game! Taking a little inspiration from some of their earlier games, Taito still managed to create another interesting adventure, and it featured a new character too. The star of the show is Hipopo, a rather squat-looking hippopotamus who's on a quest to defeat the evil Fire Devil and recover... you guessed it - his missing friends, and ultimately his girlfriend too!

Eeek, three evil Kirbies attack!

This entails making his way through sixteen stages of side-scrolling platform action which are spread over seven themed 'rounds'. The first, the obligatory wooded/grassy theme, is Woody Lake which is where the Fire Devil first appeared and began wreaking havoc. Hipopo's quest to free his friends also takes in Water Land, Mechanical Industry, Pyramid, Giant Tree, Float Temple, and Demon's Castle which are all filled with lots of evil minions of the Dark Lord. They enter the stages through fiery portals which will continue to open periodically unleashing more heinous creatures. This isn't the only reason you should get a move on either - if you hang around too long, an undefeatable enemy will stalk and kill you, New Zealand Story-style! Each round also ends with a boss fight so poor old Hipopo has certainly got his work cut out for him!

Those bloody purple things are a pain in the arse!

Since the enemies in Liquid Kids originate from the realm of fire and many of them are fire-based or use fire to attack, the most effective means of fighting them should be obvious. Yes, that's right - wielding the power of Water Magic, Hipopo is able to see most of them off, and this is achieved by throwing water bombs at them! He has an unlimited supply of these and they can be temporarily upgraded by collecting tap icons, but there's not many other power-ups to collect - just the usual speed-ups, smart-bombs, shields, etc. Upgraded or not, the water bombs have a fairly short range when thrown but they burst when they hit something and a cascade of water will pour out which takes any enemies it touches with it. If any of the bizarre abominations is struck directly, they'll turn to ice. If you leave them alone for a few seconds, they'll thaw out and resume their nefarious deeds but if you kick them while frozen, they'll slide along the floor, taking out any enemies in their path as they go, until they hit something and smash.

Some helpful arrows point the way in Water Land...

This way of dealing with the enemies is rather reminiscent of Bubble Bobble and there are shades of some of Taito's other more famous platform games here too. For example, each stage is concluded by a Rainbow Islands-esque 'Goal In!' and if you're lucky you might find a certain flower with a hidden door which takes you to the next stage by way of a bonus stage with platforms shaped like a certain Tiki the Kiwi! There are other reminders of Tiki's adventure here too, notably the graphical style. Unlike that game though, Liquid Kids has much more varied backgrounds. As usual, the token grassy one that introduces you to the game is probably the most pleasant-looking, but all of the scenery is pretty nice, and the sprites are even better. Hipopo himself is a funny little fellow - I'm not sure he looks much like a hippo but he's appealing enough all the same.

Things start getting tough here at Mechanical Industry...

The enemies are also good. I'm not sure what the hell most of them are but they're nicely detailed and very distinctive looking. Some of the animation is missing from the coin-op version, of course, as is quite a bit of backdrop detail, and some of the enemies leave less fiery carnage behind them, but most of the sprites and foreground graphics are boldy-coloured and faithfully reproduced. The numbers and locations of some enemies are a bit different too, and some stages have bits missing, but overall it's a great conversion. The music and sound effects are one of my favourite things about this game too. Well, maybe not the latter so much but the music is jolly platform game 'choons' of the highest order! It's all very cute and happy-looking which belies the game's difficulty which is up there with some of Taito's tougher platformers like New Zealand Story.

Lifty-spiky things separate Hipopo from his friend...

The game isn't unfairly tough though and everything here is of Taito's typical high quality, but there's something I can't quite put my finger on that separates this game from the greatness that imbues their other classics. I think it's the stage designs that don't quite 'grab me'. Most of the time they're fine but I can't help occasionally feeling that the designer cobbled them together as he went. They're far from strict left-to-right affairs though and snake up and down as well as right to left and everything in between. Liquid Kids is a great platformer but it doesn't quite have the same amount of distinctiveness or character as some of Taito's earlier offerings. Indeed, the reason for its relative obscurity could be down to Taito themselves. The likes of Bubble Bobble, New Zealand Story, Rainbow Islands, etc, set the bar so high, Liquid Kids would have to have been a hell of a game to keep up. It's good, but it's not that good.

RKS Score: 7/10

Top Five Lakes

No one really knows how many lakes there are in the world. It depends on your definition of a lake really. Some put the number in the hundreds of millions, others say far fewer. However many there are, a majority of them are found in high northern latitudes. Indeed, around 60% of them are in Canada alone, and some smaller countries like Finland can boast many tens of thousands too. With such a huge number, I could easily make this a list of the Top Five Hundred most noteworthy lakes, nevermind a mere Top Five, so those examples listed below are instead just five that I personally find particularly interesting.

5 - Caspian Sea
(Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan)

As by far the largest lake in the world, the salt-water Caspian Sea has to be included! It's one of several seas and lakes in Europe and Western Asia which are remnants of the ancient Paratethys Sea and contains 40-44% of all lake water in the world. It's also home to many rare and interesting animals and plants but numbers are dropping thanks to heavy chemical and biological pollution by the numerous nations that lay claim to it. Would be higher on the list if it wasn't for the stupid humans messing it up.

4 - Lake Titicaca
(Bolivia and Peru)

This amusingly-named lake is the largest in South America and also holds the record for being the highest navigable lake in the world owing to its location in the Andes mountains. Its unique combination of size, age, and altitude means it's also the sole home of many rare species of birds, fish, and amphibians but the lake is slowly disappearing due to shorter rainy seasons and the melting of the glaciers that feed it.

3 - Five-Flower Lake
(China)

Wuhua Hai, as it's also known, is one of many small lakes in the Jiuzhaigon National Park. It's only around 16 feet deep and is notable for its beautifully clear, multi-coloured waters, which are caused by travertines and algae on the lake bed, and the many ancient tree trunks that can easily be seen lying criss-crossed on the bottom.

2 - Paranoá Lake
(Brazil)

Brazil's capital city, Brasilia, was purpose-built in the late 1950's. In order to increase the water supply to the new city, an artificial lake was created to the east of the city which came to be known as Paranoá. It was formed by the damming of the Paranoá river, but it's far from an elaborate reservoir. It features unique luxury homes on it shores and the second-largest marina in the country, and also hosts lots of other water-sports.

1 - Lake Baikal (Russia)

The second largest lake in the world by volume, Lake Baikal is also the deepest and, at 30 million years old, the oldest lake in the world by some margin. It's located in the southern part of Siberia and is frozen over for several months of the year. Due to its substantial depth it holds 20% of the freshwater in the world and is home to 1,700 species of plants and animals, two-thirds of which cannot be found anywhere else. Among them is the world's only freshwater seal, the aptly-named (not to mention rather fat) Baikal Seal. How it came to reside there is a mystery since the lake lies hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean, but the lake was and remains a vital freshwater habitat and was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

Overhead Racers #9

Toobin' (1988)
By: Atari  Genre: Overhead Racing  Players: 1-2  Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: Arcade  First Day Score: 25,752 (one credit)
Also Available For: NES, Game Boy Color, Amiga, Atari ST, PC, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, MSX

By the late 80's, overhead racing games had been around for a while. Various companies had tried their hand at their own versions and some might say Atari had lost their crown. So what did they do to rectify the situation? Make another Sprint-based game? No, not exactly. Their next game was one which scarcely even fitted the genre. Atari invented the genre though, they can do whatever the hell they want with it surely? Indeed they can, and accordingly their next game of this type was a water-based one. Not featuring speedboats though, as may be your first thought, but 'radical tube riding dudes' instead! The game takes place on various rivers and waterways of the world which you, and either a second player or computer controlled opponent, must successfully paddle to the end of.

The 'tubes' in question are of the circular, inflatable variety and they are ridden by Bif (player one), accompanied by Jet (player two) or Flotsam (computer). Regardless of occupant, they are controlled in the same way - one button paddles with your chosen dude's left hand, another button does the same with his right hand. These are used on their own to steer the character left or right, and are used alternately to increase his speed. The game is divided into three classes, each consisting of five rivers which flow one to another after a short transitional passage. Each fifth river ends with a finishing line before you start the next class. The rivers are varied and range from the fairly realistic likes of Colorado, Amazon, and Nile, up to the rather less authentic Jurassic, Styx, and Canals of Mars!

Realistic or not, the rivers are all home to the same kind of features and, as you would expect, they are a mixture of helpful and less helpful items. Perhaps the most common feature are the many 'gates' which can be passed through for bonus points. Bumping the edge of a gate before passing though it reduces its points value and going through one after your opponent also substantially reduces its worth. Just as common as the gates are empty drinks cans floating in the water. These can be picked up and thrown at your opponent for more points, and you can also collect treasure and bonus letters for even more. It's not quite that easy though. The rivers are also overrun by sharp sticks, rocks, spiky logs, ice, and various other things that will puncture your tube and bring your race to a swift end.

There are plenty of others hazards around as well. Most of them are unique to certain rivers but whatever form they take, they're generally something shooting at you from the riverbank, and there are a lot of scary animals looking to do you harm too. Sea snakes and crocs are bad enough but anyone can do without a grizzly bear swiping a head-sized paw at them! That's one of my favourite things about Toobin' too. Unlike road-based racing games, Atari were rather limited with what they could do with the actual courses here. It's not practical to include long sweeping curves or hairpin turns - every river runs from the top of the screen to the bottom - so they've instead put a lot of effort into making each river as unique as possible. This is basically done by changing the graphics each time but it works!

They're not the flashiest or most detailed graphics of the time but the amount of features and variety packed-in is impressive. Whether it's a waddle of penguins diving into the Yukon river, demons throwing tridents at you on Styx, or wizards casting spells on the Black Forest waterway, there's always plenty to see here. Each river is most of the width of the screen and filled with small islands and multiple hazards. How you weave your way through them is up to you - you can go for speed or you can try and collect the treasure and pass through every gate. Either way, you can't be too reckless as your tube can only be burst three times before it's game over! The music and sound effects aren't really anything special but there's a lot of them and they're pretty funny and suit the game well, especially the Jaws theme that accompanies a croc attack! This, the appealing graphics, and the busy atmosphere gives the game a great vibe. It's enjoyable for the solo player and Flotsam's AI is decent enough to provide a good challenge, but Toobin' was, more than any of Atari's previous overhead racers, made as a two-player game, and in this capacity it really hits its stride. Bumping your friends into spiky things is very satisfying and the multiple routes down through each river makes it enormous fun. I'm not sure if Atari could've made a game much more different from Super Sprint and still fit within the parameters of an overhead racing game, but hats off to them - Toobin' is an original take on the genre which retains the great gameplay of its predecessors.

RKS Score: 8/10

Exploring the Atari 2600 - Part 1

The most famous console ever? Certainly if you're my age or older, but it's one I have very little experience of. However, unlike my situations with the Commodore 64 and NES, this time it's not because I was an owner and fan of the competition. The Atari 2600, or VCS as it was originally known, was a bit before my time you see. I was a mere two years old when it was first unveiled, and by the time I had developed an interest in video games, it was on, what were at the time, the modern machines.

Whether I was there to witness it or not, however, there's no question of the enormous impact the VCS had on the industry, for both good and ill. I think it's also the console that most gets its former owners all misty-eyed until they finally play it again and wonder how they used to enjoy the games! For the most part though, I don't have the problem of any of its games having to live up to precious childhood memories. For all intents and purposes, these are new games to me, so however well they may or may not have aged, I can look upon them with a largely impartial eye. Which games to choose was another matter. Unlike my Exploring the NES series, I don't count many VCS fans as friends. Instead, I've decided to split this feature into two parts.

This first part will feature the few VCS games I remember having played as well as a couple of apparent classics that I've heard much about but never played. These are all likely to be good games though, so the next part of this feature will consist of five randomly-selected games to even things out a little. For now though, here's part one:

Frostbite (1983)
During my school days I had one friend who owned a VCS and it was already pretty old by then. He did occasionally dig it out though, and there were a few games we'd play, but for some reason there's only one I remember today and that's Frostbite. It's basically an Arctic version of Frogger with our hero making his way across an icy river instead of a busy road and the motorised traffic replaced here by birds, clams, and crabs. There are four rows of ice blocks blocks which come in different sizes and move at different speeds. Passing over the ice blocks gradually builds an igloo at the top of the screen which on later levels is also guarded by a polar bear. Simply enter the completed igloo to finish the stage! It's a simple but entertaining game and I'm pleased to see it's still as much fun as it was all those years ago.

H.E.R.O. (1984)
I actually had no knowledge of this game until fairly recently but since then I keep hearing about it all the time so I had to give it a go! I could already see from its attract mode why it's highly regarded and when I played it, it actually reminded of a game I've reviewed very recently. Unlike that game though, it seems the object here is to rescue workers trapped in labyrinth-like mine shafts, using your laser to shoot beasties and dynamite to get through blockages. Each stage starts on a different coloured version of the same screen, but the remainder of the flick-screen stages get bigger and more complicated as you go. The gameplay is rather trial and error-based but it's good fun and very addictive.

River Raid (1982)
Vertical shooters aren't really a genre I'd ever associated with the VCS but this famous game turned out to be a rather pleasant surprise! I was hardly expecting Raiden and indeed, River Raid is understandably basic. Your little plane can be moved in all four directions and is armed with a rapid-fire cannon which you must use to take out as many of the enemy planes, helicopters, and boats as possible. The plane also has a limited supply of fuel which can be topped up by flying over the fuel icons that are present in each of the long stages. These are destructible though, so careful shooting is required! Like all the best games of this era, River Raid is a simple but very addictive game. The earliest vertical-scroller I've played and it's a good one.

Adventure (1979)
This is another one I've played, albeit very briefly this time. It is of course one of the 2600's most famous games and widely regarded as the first ever adventure game (just as well with a name like that). The object of the game (which I've only just learnt) is to find an enchanted chalice which naturally involves conquering a vast, maze-like world. Your hero, represented by a square (chortle), must brave three castles in this land and make use of the various items also found there to fend off the dragons for long enough to achieve success. Adventure is one of the oldest VCS games and its graphics and sound (or lack thereof) illustrate this but it's a surprisingly enjoyable game which even has good replay value thanks to its randomised item placement.

Pitfall! (1982)
My first taste of this game actually came on a MegaDrive of all systems when playing its semi-sequel, Pitfall the Mayan Adventure. I'm particularly proud too as it was the first hidden 'Easter egg' I found all by myself! Anyway, Pitfall! is far too well known to need a detailed description from me but after playing some other VCS games recently its technical achievements are clear to see. Apparently it consists of 256 screens, which is impressive enough, but the graphics are surprisingly detailed too, given the console's well known difficulties in that area. It's a bit of a 'pixel-perfect jumps' kind of game but that's easy to forgive when it's so playable. Definitely the best VCS game I've yet found, but the search isn't over yet...

Indeed, while these five games have all been great fun as expected, the next five could hold some very good or very bad surprises! I will choose them randomly from a complete list of games for the console and see what happens. One thing's for sure - after playing these games I'm certainly looking forward to it. Wish me luck!

Exploring the Atari 2600 - Part 2

Computer Platform Games #1

Rick Dangerous (1989)
By: Core Design / Firebird  Genre: Platform  Players: 1  Difficulty: Hard
Featured Version: Atari ST  First Day Score: 8,760
Also Available For: Amiga, PC, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum

There's not too many games I've played on Atari's most popular home computer but one that I did play is Rick Dangerous, so what better way to kick off my coverage of the great ST! It's notable for being the first release from Core Design, who would later create the Tomb Raider series of course, but for their debut release they took inspiration from the Indiana Jones films. Their own hero is a British agent and is clearly based on Dr Jones, at least aesthetically. He comes complete with fedora and six-shooter (although no whip, oddly), but it remains to be seen how extensive his archaeology skills are. Indeed, it's a game that pretty much everyone has an opinion of, and not necessarily a good one either.

Rick ensuring the 'lost' Goolu tribe remains lost!

Rick's adventure begins when his plane develops problems en route to the Amazon rainforest to search for the lost Goolu tribe whose territory he soon finds he's crashed right in the middle of, and they're not happy! Rather than attempt to establish a dialogue with them, however, he quickly decides the best course of action is to steal their treasure and kill any of them who try to stop him, and it's this that comprises the first of the four large, side-viewed, scrolling stages. After Rick has escaped from the 'enraged Goolu' his next stop is Egypt where he treats the natives with equal disregard. The third stage requires him to rescue captured Allied soldiers from the Nazi stronghold of Schwarzendumpf castle before he's recalled to London to save us from a secret Nazi missile plot.

These fez-wearing nincompoops are a pain...

Each of the stages is a sprawling 'platforms & ladders' type affair and they are teeming with enemies and traps. Rick is armed with a stick to poke enemies (which doesn't work very well), a pistol containing six bullets, and he can also carry six sticks of dynamite. Each enemy is felled by a single shot but Rick is no stronger than them and loses a life after any contact from them. To begin with they're just in the way but later on they'll start firing back at you too! They can also be killed by dynamite but it's best to save this as it can also be used to disable some of the traps or to move obstacles, and speaking of the traps, it's these that have given the game its level of notoriety. Progress in Rick Dangerous, you see, is tough-going to begin with, but it's also very much of the trial-and-error variety, with the emphasis on the latter! As you'll learn very quickly when playing this game, death can come from any part of the screen.

Stupid Nazi scum!

The enemies generally follow fairly predictable patterns but the multitude of traps often appear from nowhere and with no warning. For example, if you have to fall down a gap, there's a good bet there will be spikes waiting at the bottom for you. Next time, perhaps you'll try to outwit the game and fall to one side or another but the game is usually one step ahead of you. Unseen spikes will thrust out at you from a wall, cages will drop down onto you. If there's a choice of two ladders, one of them will usually lead to a spear through the torso... Suffice to say, it's a rather unfair game! The presentation isn't especially impressive either. The graphics are neat, tidy, and well-defined, but this barely looks like a game on a 16-bit system. Likewise, there's no in-game music, although there are a few jingles now and then and the sound effects are good.

First screen of the last stage... I can't get much further!

All this considered, it's really difficult to know what score to give Rick Dangerous. It looks and sounds rather basic, it's hard, very unfair, has iffy collision-detection, and will have you ripping your hair out. But at the same time, it's got a lot of charm and is supremely addictive too - it's one of those games where you're certain you'll get just a little further if you have one more try. It's worth persisting too as it's an enjoyable game to play through once you learn the stages and it's very satisfying to do well. There's a good few humorous touches too. For example, the first stage begins with Rick having to evade a large boulder rolling towards him. Sound familiar? Rick's first adventure has aged very well - it's always been one of the few ST games games I've never forgotten and it plays just as well now as back then. It's hard to recommend such an unfair game but I can't help wanting to play it over and over so it's definitely got something!

RKS Score: 7/10

Top Five Movie Moments #4

#4 - The Shawshank Redemption

There's really not much point in me reviewing this film. There's no question that it's an all-time great. It currently occupies the coveted #1 spot on IMDb's Top 250 and moreover, I don't think I know a single human who doesn't already love it. Well, except, inconveniently, for my good friend Luke, who thinks it's too much of a downer (I'm not sure you 'get' the film, buddy!), and my wife, who thinks it's too long. This pretty much means I have to watch it on my own most of the time. I don't have a problem with this though, and I have indeed watched it alone at least 30 times by now, so there's no question that I know it well. You'd think that would make it easy to pick my Top Five Moments, but that was far from the case!

Spoiler Alert: the Top Five Movie Moments featured here obviously assume that you've seen the film in question or don't mind knowing about its most prominent moments so don't come whining to me if they ruin a film that you haven't seen yet!

5... The Sentencing

The film opens with a shot of a lusty couple entering a room and getting busy. Sitting outside in a car is a young man holding a gun. Then we cut to a court room where the same man is being questioned as the accused in a double murder. He pleads his innocence but the evidence, circumstantial though it may be, looks overwhelming. The jury finds him guilty. Soon after, the judge sentences Andy:

Judge: "You strike me as a particularly icy and remorseless man, Mr. Dufresne. It chills my blood just to look at you. By the power vested in me by the State of Maine, I hereby order you to serve two life sentences, back to back, one for each of your victims."

The look on Andy's face says it all...

4... Red's Final Parole Hearing

Though this hearing occurs after Andy's escape, we've seen two similar scenes before - one at the beginning of the film, the other in the middle. On both occasions Red tells the Parole Hearing Board what they want to hear - he's a changed man, he's no longer a danger to society, etc. Both times, a close-up of someone stamping his parole form reveals the word 'Rejected'. It's now twenty years since we first saw Red, and ten years since his second hearing. A lot's happened since then though, and Red's had enough...

Parole Hearings Man: "Ellis Boyd Redding, your files say you've served 40 years of a life sentence. Do you feel you've been rehabilitated?"
Red: "Rehabilitated? Well, now let me see. You know, I don't have any idea what that means."
Parole Hearings Man: "Well, it means that you're ready to rejoin society..."
Red: I know what you think it means, sonny. To me it's just a made up word. A politician's word, so young fellas like yourself can wear a suit and a tie, and have a job. What do you really want to know? Am I sorry for what I did?"
Parole Hearings Man: "Well... are you?"
Red: "There's not a day goes by I don't feel regret. Not because I'm in here, or because you think I should. I look back on the way I was then: a young, stupid kid who committed that terrible crime. I want to talk to him. I want to try and talk some sense to him, tell him the way things are. But I can't. That kid's long gone and this old man is all that's left. I got to live with that. Rehabilitated? It's just a bullshit word. So you go on and stamp your form, sonny, and stop wasting my time. Because to tell you the truth, I don't give a shit."

Once again we see a close-up of his parole form as it's stamped. This time the result is 'Approved'...

3... Tarring the Roof

Andy has become friends with Red and his crew and Red, using his influence as 'the guy who can get things', arranges for he and his friends to get a job tarring the roof of a local license plate factory. As they stand in a line tarring the roof, Andy overhears head guard, Captain Hadley, talking about how he's just inherited $35,000 but is pissed at how much of it he'll then have to pay in taxes. Sensing an opportunity, Andy stops working, turns around, and heads towards Hadley and the other guards. He's right there when they finally spot him. They panic and pull shotguns...

Andy: "Mr. Hadley. Do you trust your wife?"
Hadley: "That's funny. You're gonna look funnier suckin' my dick with no teeth."
Andy: "What I mean is, do you think she'd go behind your back? Try to hamstring you?"
Hadley: "That's it! Step aside, Mert. This fucker's havin' himself an accident."

(Hadley grabs Andy's collar and propels him violently toward the edge of the roof. The cons furiously keep spreading tar)

Heywood: "Oh God, he's gonna do it, he's gonna throw him off the roof..."
Andy (frantically as he's being pushed over the edge): "Because if you do trust her, there's no reason you can't keep the whole $35,000".

(Hadley abruptly jerks Andy to a stop right at the edge. In fact, Andy's past the edge, beyond his balance, shoetips scraping the roof. The only thing between him and an ugly drop to the concrete is Hadley's grip on the front of his shirt)

Hadley: "What did you say? $35,000? All of it?"
Andy: "All of it. Every penny."
Hadley: "You better start making sense."
Andy: "If you want to keep all that money, give it to your wife. The IRS allows you a one-time-only gift to your spouse for up to $60,000."
Hadley: "Bullshit! Tax free?"
Andy: "Tax free. IRS can't touch one cent."
Hadley: "You're the smart banker what killed his wife, aren't you? Why should I believe a smart banker like you? So's I can end up in here with you?"
Andy: "It's perfectly legal. Go ask the IRS, they'll say the same thing. Actually, I feel stupid telling you all this. I'm sure you would have investigated the matter yourself."

(The other prisoners have stopped working, stunned by the unfolding situation)

Hadley: "Fuckin'-A. I don't need no smart wife-killin' banker to show me where the bear shit in the buckwheat."
Andy: "Course not. But you do need somebody to set up the tax-free gift for you, and that'll cost you. A lawyer, for example..."
Hadley: "Bunch of ball-washing bastards!"
Andy: "I suppose I could set it up for you. It would save you some money. If you get the forms, I'll prepare them for you... nearly free of charge."

(Hadley looks suspicious but interested)

Andy: "I'd only ask three beers apiece for each of my co-workers."
Trout (laughing): "Co-workers! Get him! That's rich, ain't it?"
Andy: "I think a man working outdoors feels more like a man if he can have a bottle of suds. That's only my opinion. Sir."

(The convicts stand gaping, all pretense of work gone. Hadley shoots them a look)

Hadley: "What are you jimmies starin' at? Back to work!"

Red (voiceover): "And that's how it came to pass, that on the second-to-last day of the job, the convict crew that tarred the plate factory roof in the spring of '49 wound up sitting in a row at ten o'clock in the morning, drinking icy cold Bohemia-style beer, courtesy of the hardest screw that ever walked a turn at Shawshank State Prison."

Hadley: "Drink up while it's cold, ladies"
Red (voiceover): "The colossal prick even managed to sound magnanimous."

2... Marriage of Figaro

After becoming assistant librarian, Andy is soon attempting to bulk up the library's resources by writing to the State Senate once a week for months and months, requesting additional funds for new books. Finally they get fed up with him and send a few crates to Shawshank. While going through them under a lesser guard's supervision, he finds some records. When the guard goes to 'pinch a loaf', Andy locks him in the toilet and plays a beautiful Mozart record over the prison tannoy system...

Red (voiceover): "I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don't want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I'd like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it. I tell you, those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made those walls dissolve away, and for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free."

1... The Escape

What else? In fact, if I could, I'd make the whole last half an hour the greatest scene, but I suppose that's stretching the meaning of the word 'moment' somewhat. It was only recently that I realised... ever since I've been watching this film, from the first time right up until recently, I've always just assumed Andy was innocent but there's absolutely nothing to show that until Tommy shows up and tells the story of Elmo Blatch. Even then, Warden Norton could be right - maybe Tommy is making the story up to try and make Andy feel better, or perhaps Elmo heard about the case and took credit for it to try and intimidate or impress fellow inmates.

Hmmm, anyway, I'm sure Andy was innocent, and after spending 19 years behind bars for the crime, it looks like everything has finally gotten to him. Red is afraid he's offed himself in his cell, but when the Warden is summoned, one of the greatest reveals in Hollywood history occurs. Not only has Andy been secretly planning and working at his escape for most of his years in Shawshank Prison but he's also managed to earn himself a fortune whilst simultaneously turning in Warden Norton and Captain Hadley. Redemption indeed. For me, this is not only the greatest moment in The Shawshank Redemption but very possibly the greatest moment in cinematic history...

Cover Art: Master System - Part 2

It may have been my first and still most treasured console, but games for the poor old Master System hardly had the flashiest-looking covers around. Considering the head-start Nintendo had with the NES, you'd think Sega would want their products to leap off the shelf at prospective new customers, not remain largely invisible! Oh well, the vastly superior cover art didn't really do much for the console's performance in Japan I suppose, but I still had a lot of fun with the first part of this feature. It seems a lot of you liked it too, so here's another selection of fine and not-so-fine covers from the Master System's back catalogue:

Space Harrier (1986)
As one of the early flagship titles for their console, it's a wonder that Sega didn't make more of an effort for its cover outside of Japan. There's a lot of empty space with the green dragon merely peering around the edge of the cover and getting a blast in the face for his troubles! That said, it is at least recognisable to fans, but just look at that Japanese cover - it's fantastic! It features a nice representation of the landscape, a couple of great-looking dragons, and even that splendid mammoth fellow from the title screen!



Fantasy Zone 2 (1987)
Pretty much the same situation as Space Harrier here. Most of us got this very plain looking cover with an extremely basic indication of what the player can expect, and that's either a miniature base or Opa-Opa is way too big. The Japanese cover, on the other hand, is near-enough flawless. It features lovely artwork and has a lot of detail, plus it shows everything that awaits the player. And check out that green guy at the bottom!



Action Fighter (1986)
Whilst neither cover here hints at the overhead-viewed nature of the gameplay, they do both give an indication of the road-based action, but which would tempt you to buy it first? The terrible UK/US cover is lazy at best while the Japanese one gives a great sense of the exciting racing action within. No contest...



Power Strike / Aleste (1988)
Wow, what's this?! As well as being a superb shmup, the Master System's best in my view, Power Strike receives almost exactly the same cover art as Aleste! The Japanese version is still better, of course - it shows a little more (including an impending missile strike) - but this is one of the finest Master System covers to be found outside Japan!



Alex Kidd in Miracle World (1986)
Oh dear, didn't last long, did it? We in the UK and US had to put up with yet another plain cover, this time featuring a possessed-looking (and blond) Alex who can be seen punching... nothing... with his weird club-hand while the splendid Japanese original features Mr Kidd as he really looks in the game and backs it up with a nice selection of enemies all trying to get a piece of him! Another superb Japanese cover...



So, I guess I needn't ask this question really, but which covers do you prefer? I've never understood why the Western arms of big Japanese games companies don't just copy the original artwork. It would save them time and money, plus surely they'd appeal to shoppers more? Oh well... I'll try my luck with cover comparisons for a different system next! Keep yer peepers peeled ;)

Puzzle Games #5

Mr Driller (1999)
By: Namco  Genre: Puzzle  Players: 1  Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: Sega Dreamcast  
Also Available For: Arcade, PlayStation, Game Boy Color, WonderSwan Color, PC, iPhone

Love it or loathe it, Dig Dug is (correctly) regarded as an all-time classic arcade game and, despite being converted to a large number of home systems, it has not been one of the franchises that Namco has furnished with a large number of updates or sequels. It received a rather anonymous second instalment in 1985, but the series wouldn't be revisited for another fourteen long years. Originally intended to be Dig Dug 3, the transition during its development to Mr Driller also included a change in the protagonist. The hero of Dig Dug was Taizo Hori but taking his place here is his son, Susumu Hori! As the highest ranked Driller in the world, he was the first one the panicked people called when the cities became overun by mysterious coloured blocks rising from underground...

This flimsy, and largely unnecessary, premise does of course set the scene for another coloured/shaped blocks puzzle game. Once you've chosen between a 2500ft or 5000ft challenge, the arcade mode throws you straight into the action with Mr Driller falling on top of a huge pile of coloured blocks. He can drill in all four joypad directions and doing so causes drilled blocks to vanish. As he drills down, untouched blocks may fall downwards if the blocks supporting them are drilled. This can of course result in Mr Driller getting crushed and losing a life. It's not quite as hard as it sounds though as falling blocks shake for a split-second before falling, giving you a precious chance to get out of the way. Falling blocks also stick to non-falling blocks of the same colour if they touch them, forming larger blocks. There's only four different-coloured blocks as well, so some blocks can get pretty big!

Luckily, larger blocks are destroyed from a single drill-strike, much like single blocks, and any four or more falling blocks of the same colour will vanish once they land. This can of course cause big chain-reactions so it's best to make sure none of them land on your head! Speed is of the essence for more than one reason too. Mr Driller has an ever-decreasing air supply so he must drill strategically but quickly. Air capsules are readily available which top up his supply by 20% but sometimes they're tricky to reach. They are often near brown 'X' blocks. These take five drill strikes each to destroy and also take away 20% of Mr Driller's air, so it's not really worth breaking one except in an emergency. Mr Driller can clamber up blocks either side of him, but only if they are one block high. This is invaluable for reaching air capsules or escaping falling blocks, but sometimes it's not enough!

As well as the arcade mode, Mr Driller players also have access to a survival mode and a time attack mode, both of which are fairly self-explanatory. The basic gameplay doesn't change a great deal, but it doesn't need to either. I don't think I was alone in finding Mr Driller a rather unlikely release by Namco on the fancy new Dreamcast, but any initial disappointment soon faded. It may look like a game that could've been hosted by a console from the previous generation, perhaps even the one before that, and it's not even particularly original, but Namco ensured Mr Driller had it where it counted. It's bright, colourful, loud - the music and sounds effects are great. But more importantly, it's just immense fun. And addictive. Very addictive. If you haven't dabbled before, Mr Driller comes highly recommended.

RKS Score: 8/10

Film Review #27

Thor (2011)
Director: Kenneth Brannagh  Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgard, Colm Feore, Kat Dennings, Clark Gregg, Idris Elba, Jaime Alexander, Ray Stevenson, Joshua Dallas, Tadanobu Asano

Certificate: 12A  Running Time: 114 Minutes

Tagline: "Courage is immortal"

Marvel have got a hell of a lot of characters they can potentially promote to the silver screen but as they work their way through the roster, the characters will inevitably be more and more obscure. For example, how many non-comic fans knew anything about Thor before this film appeared? That's not to suggest that they will be any less entertaining, of course. It could even work in their favour. Fans and non-fans alike are bound to have certain amount of expectation of a Spider-Man or Hulk film, for instance. Thor is more of an unknown quantity, and on top of that - he's a God! The journey into his fantastical world is one that has near-infinite possibilities, and sure enough, we are first introduced to the character around 965 A.D. when he is a mere child, the first son of Odin.

Thor at his supposed coronation...

It transpires here that the mighty Nordic Gods of old are in fact immortal beings from the Kingdom of Asgard who were, at that time, engaged in a war with the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, and their leader, Laufey (Feore), who are eventually defeated and weakened by the seizure of their power source, the Casket of Ancient Winters. In the present day, Thor (Hemsworth) is preparing to succeed his father (Hopkins) as King of Asgard when the proceedings are interrupted by a Frost Giant attack. Enraged, Thor, acting against the wishes of his father, leads his brother, Loki (Hiddleston), and friends, Sif (Alexander), Volstagg (Stevenson), Fandral (Dallas), and Hogun (Asano), to Jutenheim with the intention of ending the Frost Giant threat once and for all.

The lovely Jane gets to know her pet God...

After Thor and his buddies return to Asgard, an angry Odin brands his son arrogant, immature, and irresponsible, and banishes him to Earth, stripped of his powers and separated from Mjolnir, his hammer and source of his power. Here, he's soon discovered by scientists, Dr. Selvig (Skargaard), Jane (Portman), and her assistant, Darcy (Dennings), who are fascinated by his strange arrival and behaviour, finding his every word and action rather strange. Of course, it isn't long before some more sinister types take an interest in them as well, and in particular, Mjolnir, which lies in the New Mexico desert, an area now swarming with SHIELD operatives including the slimy Agent Coulson (Gregg).

The Warriors Three - Hogun, Fandral, and Volstagg...

These films must be a wet dream for the comic-book fans! After two Iron Man films, The Incredible Hulk, and the forthcoming Captain America, Marvel are building up steam for the big one - The Avengers, coming in 2012. The other films all featured well-known actors in the leading roles so it's a little surprising to find Marvel have opted for a near unknown here. After impressing with very limited screentime in the most recent Star Trek film though, Chris Hemsworth could hardly have seemed the biggest risk. He certainly looks the part too, after piling on pounds of muscle for the role, and after proving more than adept at action, comedy, and romance-alike, emerges from the role a real star. The other standout performance is from Ms Portman. Amidala aside, it really does seem hard not to fall in love with her, no matter which character she's playing! It's also impossible not to mention the amazing special effects, from the glittering and majestic Asgard, to the dark and gloomy Jutenheim, it's all atmospheric and of fantastic quality.

The Thor 'Hero Shot'... Grrrr!

As appealing as this and the other Marvel films must be for the fans, for those not already familiar with these characters, the premise behind Thor must seem laughable on paper. Indeed, it could've easily been very camp and unintentionally amusing, but fortunately the unexpected choice of Kenneth Branagh as director has proved to be a good one. The superb action scenes, mostly taking place off-Earth, are spectacular and befitting the stature of the participants, while the Earth-bound scenes, where the majority of the romance and humour take place, the latter mostly involving the mortal Thor's fish-out-of-water experiences, are just as enjoyable in another way. I was left with a nagging feeling at the end that not a whole lot had actually been achieved beyond a sibling spat, but it's damn entertaining while it lasts! The best Marvel film yet? A very close second behind Iron Man for me, but I'm off to watch it again to make sure!

RKS Score: 8/10