It's scary to think that it's now 23 years since Naxat dreamed up the genesis of the Crush series. There have since been several sequels, both official and otherwise, the last of which was the little-known Jaki Crush, itself now almost 20 years old, but that was it. Until now! Yes, in a move of special magnificence, Tamsoft have resurrected this great series and what better way of doing so than to remake the original? Alien Crush Returns is more of a sequel than a remake really though and they've even managed to tack on a backstory this time! Apparently "an elite squad of space marines sets off to investigate an alien spaceship trapped in Jupiter's gravity" or some such nonsense. Sound familiar? How they've managed to facilitate a pinball game with that story I don't know, but the game includes a story mode, arcade mode, ranking mode and versus mode (1-4 player), and as well as multiple tables, including bonus tables as always, and lots of other sweet features like multi ball, reverse ball, etc.
Monday, 31 January 2011
Crush Series - Part 6
Alien Crush Returns by Tamsoft / Hudson Soft (2008) - Nintendo Wii
It's scary to think that it's now 23 years since Naxat dreamed up the genesis of the Crush series. There have since been several sequels, both official and otherwise, the last of which was the little-known Jaki Crush, itself now almost 20 years old, but that was it. Until now! Yes, in a move of special magnificence, Tamsoft have resurrected this great series and what better way of doing so than to remake the original? Alien Crush Returns is more of a sequel than a remake really though and they've even managed to tack on a backstory this time! Apparently "an elite squad of space marines sets off to investigate an alien spaceship trapped in Jupiter's gravity" or some such nonsense. Sound familiar? How they've managed to facilitate a pinball game with that story I don't know, but the game includes a story mode, arcade mode, ranking mode and versus mode (1-4 player), and as well as multiple tables, including bonus tables as always, and lots of other sweet features like multi ball, reverse ball, etc.
It's scary to think that it's now 23 years since Naxat dreamed up the genesis of the Crush series. There have since been several sequels, both official and otherwise, the last of which was the little-known Jaki Crush, itself now almost 20 years old, but that was it. Until now! Yes, in a move of special magnificence, Tamsoft have resurrected this great series and what better way of doing so than to remake the original? Alien Crush Returns is more of a sequel than a remake really though and they've even managed to tack on a backstory this time! Apparently "an elite squad of space marines sets off to investigate an alien spaceship trapped in Jupiter's gravity" or some such nonsense. Sound familiar? How they've managed to facilitate a pinball game with that story I don't know, but the game includes a story mode, arcade mode, ranking mode and versus mode (1-4 player), and as well as multiple tables, including bonus tables as always, and lots of other sweet features like multi ball, reverse ball, etc.
Sunday, 30 January 2011
Saturn Shmups #1
Mass Destruction (1997)
By: NMS Software Genre: Shooting Players: 1 Difficulty: Easy-Medium
Featured Version: Sega Saturn First Day Score: 205,425
Also Available For: PlayStation, PC
The poor old Saturn had a bit of a torrid time in the UK and US but it met a little more success in Japan and it's the titles released only there that have made the system something of a collector's favourite. Among the most prestigious and desirable of the sexy system's Japanese exclusives are the large number of amazing 2D shmups it was blessed with, most of which could not be fittingly represented on any other machine of their time (and yes, that includes the PlayStation - hee hee!). So, for the first game of this new Red Parsley feature focusing on the shmups released for Sega's 2D powerhouse, I'll very sensibly start with... one that has 3D graphics and was released in all major territories around the world!
By: NMS Software Genre: Shooting Players: 1 Difficulty: Easy-Medium
Featured Version: Sega Saturn First Day Score: 205,425
Also Available For: PlayStation, PC
The poor old Saturn had a bit of a torrid time in the UK and US but it met a little more success in Japan and it's the titles released only there that have made the system something of a collector's favourite. Among the most prestigious and desirable of the sexy system's Japanese exclusives are the large number of amazing 2D shmups it was blessed with, most of which could not be fittingly represented on any other machine of their time (and yes, that includes the PlayStation - hee hee!). So, for the first game of this new Red Parsley feature focusing on the shmups released for Sega's 2D powerhouse, I'll very sensibly start with... one that has 3D graphics and was released in all major territories around the world!Saturday, 29 January 2011
First Look GameCube #1
Animal Crossing by Nintendo EAD (2001) - Nintendo GameCube
Actually, this time it's not strictly a first look as I've already played this game quite a bit, but I've never 'taken the plunge', so to speak, and bought it myself. As some will know, I grew up as a Sega fanboy and much of my console gaming has been done on their systems, but an old friend of mine is the same except with Nintendo. He's the sort that buys every incarnation of GameBoy and DS the day they come out and plays every release of every Nintendo IP to completion, etc, and out of all of them the one he is most obssessed with is... Animal Crossing! After he showed it to me a few times I started to see why too - it must be the most chilled out game ever! I guess I'd have to categorise it as an RPG but it's more of a 'life simulation' really, and is quite unlike anything I've played before!
Actually, this time it's not strictly a first look as I've already played this game quite a bit, but I've never 'taken the plunge', so to speak, and bought it myself. As some will know, I grew up as a Sega fanboy and much of my console gaming has been done on their systems, but an old friend of mine is the same except with Nintendo. He's the sort that buys every incarnation of GameBoy and DS the day they come out and plays every release of every Nintendo IP to completion, etc, and out of all of them the one he is most obssessed with is... Animal Crossing! After he showed it to me a few times I started to see why too - it must be the most chilled out game ever! I guess I'd have to categorise it as an RPG but it's more of a 'life simulation' really, and is quite unlike anything I've played before!Friday, 28 January 2011
Arcade Shmups #5
ASO - Armored Scrum Object a.k.a. Alpha Mission (1985)
By: SNK Genre: Shooting Players: 1-2 Difficulty: Medium-Hard
Featured Version: Arcade First Day Score: 20,480 (one credit)
Also Available For: Nintendo NES
You know, the history of videogames can be funny. As genres were born, some examples of their games were forgotten almost as soon as they appeared while others went on to be remembered as landmarks, even legends in the years to come. The ones most fondly recalled were generally the most playable, not necessarily the most innovative, and that brings me to ASO (or Alpha Mission as most will probably know it). I must confess that I'd never seen or played it before undertaking this feature. I had vague knowledge of its sequel on the Neo Geo, but this original? Not a clue. When I started playing it though, I was rather pleasantly surprised for, as it turns out, ASO is a very innovative game considering its age! Is its obscurity a blip in history or is it deservedly ignored?
By: SNK Genre: Shooting Players: 1-2 Difficulty: Medium-Hard
Featured Version: Arcade First Day Score: 20,480 (one credit)
Also Available For: Nintendo NES
You know, the history of videogames can be funny. As genres were born, some examples of their games were forgotten almost as soon as they appeared while others went on to be remembered as landmarks, even legends in the years to come. The ones most fondly recalled were generally the most playable, not necessarily the most innovative, and that brings me to ASO (or Alpha Mission as most will probably know it). I must confess that I'd never seen or played it before undertaking this feature. I had vague knowledge of its sequel on the Neo Geo, but this original? Not a clue. When I started playing it though, I was rather pleasantly surprised for, as it turns out, ASO is a very innovative game considering its age! Is its obscurity a blip in history or is it deservedly ignored?Thursday, 27 January 2011
Top Five Alex Kidd Games
Yes, yes, okay, I know - there are only five Alex Kidd games, so how can this be a Top Five? Well, actually, contrary to popular belief, there are in fact six Alex Kidd games - Sega sneaked out another one which never left Japan, but I'll look at that one in a later feature. This feature, instead of selecting the five best Alex Kidd games, will place his five best-known adventures in order of greatness!
5. Alex Kidd in High-Tech World (1989)
The well-informed among you could be forgiven for not considering this a true Alex Kidd game as it was actually nothing to do with him in its Japanese form, instead being based on some obscure anime show and being converted to an AK game for its overseas releases. It's also the game I was most intrigued by prior to this feature as my entire knowledge of it was pretty much restricted to a single screenshot and tiny review in some magazine of the day (C&VG's Complete Guide to Consoles, as I recall). As it turns out, that intrigue was somewhat misplaced, with the game focusing on Alex's attempts to find eight pieces of a map to a new arcade which has opened in town. Unlike the other games in the series, this takes the form of an arcade adventure which does involve lots of familiar platforming action but also sees Alex talking to other characters, searching furniture for items which he can use elsewhere, etc. It's not a bad game I suppose, but it's not a huge amount of fun and just seems like a bit of a chore at times.
5. Alex Kidd in High-Tech World (1989)
The well-informed among you could be forgiven for not considering this a true Alex Kidd game as it was actually nothing to do with him in its Japanese form, instead being based on some obscure anime show and being converted to an AK game for its overseas releases. It's also the game I was most intrigued by prior to this feature as my entire knowledge of it was pretty much restricted to a single screenshot and tiny review in some magazine of the day (C&VG's Complete Guide to Consoles, as I recall). As it turns out, that intrigue was somewhat misplaced, with the game focusing on Alex's attempts to find eight pieces of a map to a new arcade which has opened in town. Unlike the other games in the series, this takes the form of an arcade adventure which does involve lots of familiar platforming action but also sees Alex talking to other characters, searching furniture for items which he can use elsewhere, etc. It's not a bad game I suppose, but it's not a huge amount of fun and just seems like a bit of a chore at times.Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Film Review #20
Director: John Hillcoat Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Robert Duvall, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Michael K. Williams
Certificate: 15 Running Time: 107 Minutes
Tagline: "In a moment the world changed forever"
Let's face it - as a race, we Humans are pretty stupid. For all our marvellous inventions and innovations, we still have all the violent and aggressive instincts inherited from our less-evolved relatives down through the ages and it's only a matter of time before we end up destroying ourselves. A good few film-makers have had this notion before and the results have been mixed - for every Terminator or Mad Max there's been a Steel Dawn or The Postman, but this latest effort comes from a very highly-regarded source. Adapted from Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer-prize winning novel of the same name, The Road is another post-apocalyptic drama, but rather than featuring wars or heroic deeds, this film is simply about a man and a boy and their struggle to stay alive.
Tuesday, 25 January 2011
Ultimate: The Collected Works - Part 1
Jetpac (1983)
By: Ultimate Play the Game Genre: Shooting Players: 1 Difficulty: Medium-Hard
Featured Version: ZX Spectrum First Day Score: 6,220
Also Available For: BBC Micro, Commodore VIC-20
Most gamers who grew up in the UK around the same sort of time I did (you know, the 80's 'glory days'), probably had one of the 8-bit micros that were doing the rounds at that time and for me it was the ZX Spectrum. I got into gaming late though, and missed the Speccy's early years which also meant I ended up missing most of the games released by the now legendary Ultimate and, to my eternal shame, I've never got around to playing them since either. This is once again where good old Red Parsley comes in handy for me as it provides a great excuse (not that one should be needed, admittedly) to rectify this glaring oversight! To that end, this series of features will look at all of the games released by Ultimate and I guess it makes most sense to start with the first game!
By: Ultimate Play the Game Genre: Shooting Players: 1 Difficulty: Medium-Hard
Featured Version: ZX Spectrum First Day Score: 6,220
Also Available For: BBC Micro, Commodore VIC-20
Most gamers who grew up in the UK around the same sort of time I did (you know, the 80's 'glory days'), probably had one of the 8-bit micros that were doing the rounds at that time and for me it was the ZX Spectrum. I got into gaming late though, and missed the Speccy's early years which also meant I ended up missing most of the games released by the now legendary Ultimate and, to my eternal shame, I've never got around to playing them since either. This is once again where good old Red Parsley comes in handy for me as it provides a great excuse (not that one should be needed, admittedly) to rectify this glaring oversight! To that end, this series of features will look at all of the games released by Ultimate and I guess it makes most sense to start with the first game!Monday, 24 January 2011
Master System Shmups #4
Bomber Raid (1988)
By: Sanritsu Denki / Sega Genre: Shooting Players: 1 Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: Sega Master System First Day Score: 78,100
Also Available For: Nothing
As much affection as I have for the Master System, it didn't really fare too well anywhere except Europe (and Brazil), and its paltry but loyal core of proud and loyal owners were enveloped by the congealing mass of NES owners in Japan and the US. A testament to its failure in the two most important markets is the fact that this very game represented the final official release for the console in Japan, and at a time when the system was only just becoming established here in the UK! Bomber Raid was released exclusively on the Master System too so there's a good chance a lot of American and Japanese gamers missed out on it altogether, but did they miss much? And perhaps more importantly, was it a fitting farewell for the lovely little console in its native territory?
By: Sanritsu Denki / Sega Genre: Shooting Players: 1 Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: Sega Master System First Day Score: 78,100
Also Available For: Nothing
As much affection as I have for the Master System, it didn't really fare too well anywhere except Europe (and Brazil), and its paltry but loyal core of proud and loyal owners were enveloped by the congealing mass of NES owners in Japan and the US. A testament to its failure in the two most important markets is the fact that this very game represented the final official release for the console in Japan, and at a time when the system was only just becoming established here in the UK! Bomber Raid was released exclusively on the Master System too so there's a good chance a lot of American and Japanese gamers missed out on it altogether, but did they miss much? And perhaps more importantly, was it a fitting farewell for the lovely little console in its native territory?Sunday, 23 January 2011
First Look Xbox 360 #1
Split/Second by Black Rock Studio (2010) - Xbox 360
Playing this game was actually something of a landmark for me. It was at the R3Play gaming expo when my good friend, Luke, beckoned me toward the unknown - an Xbox 360. That's right, playing this game represents the first time I'd ever played any game on a 360! I remembered seeing adverts for Split/Second in magazines but I didn't really know anything about and neither did Luke as far as I know, but we courageously took up the challenge nonetheless and picked up the 360 controllers (wow, wireless!). The next few minutes (well, I think it ended up being about an hour!) was a gaming session sufficiently awesome enough to even convince me to finally buy a current-gen console, for it turned out Split/Second is a super-fast, super-exciting arcade-style racer of just the type I like. It kind of reminded me of a cross between Motorhead (the PS1 game, not the band) and Burnout (before EA screwed it up), particularly the latter as far as the awesome handling and drifting is concerned, but it's definitely no pretender. This is a fantastic racing game with a lot more to it than you might at first think, and I'm eager to discover all of it for myself!
RKS Score: 5/5
Playing this game was actually something of a landmark for me. It was at the R3Play gaming expo when my good friend, Luke, beckoned me toward the unknown - an Xbox 360. That's right, playing this game represents the first time I'd ever played any game on a 360! I remembered seeing adverts for Split/Second in magazines but I didn't really know anything about and neither did Luke as far as I know, but we courageously took up the challenge nonetheless and picked up the 360 controllers (wow, wireless!). The next few minutes (well, I think it ended up being about an hour!) was a gaming session sufficiently awesome enough to even convince me to finally buy a current-gen console, for it turned out Split/Second is a super-fast, super-exciting arcade-style racer of just the type I like. It kind of reminded me of a cross between Motorhead (the PS1 game, not the band) and Burnout (before EA screwed it up), particularly the latter as far as the awesome handling and drifting is concerned, but it's definitely no pretender. This is a fantastic racing game with a lot more to it than you might at first think, and I'm eager to discover all of it for myself!RKS Score: 5/5
Saturday, 22 January 2011
Top Five Supercars
Yes, Ferrari's, Lamborghini's, Porsche's, and God-forbid, Bugatti's are all well and good, but just how practical are they for everyday use? Actually, before even getting that far, who can afford them? Fear not, however. If my experiences in the south of England are anything to go by, there are some cheaper and more realistic alternatives to be found which can rival the power and excitement of the more exotic supercars, but at a fraction of the price. Judging from what I've seen on city streets, these are the best five:
5 - Citroen AX
Available with up to a 1.4L engine, this classic old Citroen has been replaced by the Saxo for quite a while now of course, but it still has enough charm and quality to warrant a purchase, and with some models producing as much as 95bhp, who could argue?
Available with up to a 1.4L engine, this classic old Citroen has been replaced by the Saxo for quite a while now of course, but it still has enough charm and quality to warrant a purchase, and with some models producing as much as 95bhp, who could argue?
Friday, 21 January 2011
Single Screen Platform Games #5
Bomb Jack Twin (1993)
By: NMK Co., Ltd Genre: Platform Players: 1-2 Difficulty: Hard
Featured Version: Arcade First Day Score: 169,260
Also Available For: Nothing
Poor old Bomb Jack. After an exceptional mid-80's debut his future looked bright and he could've been one of the very first platform heroes but despite a couple of sequels, he instead faded into obscurity. One of the sequels, Mighty Bomb Jack, appeared only a couple of years after the original and took the addictive bomb-collecting, enemy-avoiding gameplay and introduced scrolling stages as well as numerous bonus collectibles. A year after that, Elite offered their own unofficial sequel, creatively titled Bomb Jack 2, which strangely took away Jack's power of flight, instead requiring him to leap from platforms to adjacent platforms. The next game in the series was also sadly the last to date and it was... Bomb Jack Twin.
By: NMK Co., Ltd Genre: Platform Players: 1-2 Difficulty: Hard
Featured Version: Arcade First Day Score: 169,260
Also Available For: Nothing
Poor old Bomb Jack. After an exceptional mid-80's debut his future looked bright and he could've been one of the very first platform heroes but despite a couple of sequels, he instead faded into obscurity. One of the sequels, Mighty Bomb Jack, appeared only a couple of years after the original and took the addictive bomb-collecting, enemy-avoiding gameplay and introduced scrolling stages as well as numerous bonus collectibles. A year after that, Elite offered their own unofficial sequel, creatively titled Bomb Jack 2, which strangely took away Jack's power of flight, instead requiring him to leap from platforms to adjacent platforms. The next game in the series was also sadly the last to date and it was... Bomb Jack Twin.
Thursday, 20 January 2011
Film Review #19
Director: Tom McCarthy Starring: Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Jekesai Gurira, Hiam Abbass
Certificate: 15 Running Time: 104 Minutes
Tagline: "Connection is everything"
Thomas McCarthy is a talented fellow. He's primarily an actor, featuring in films like Meet the Parents, Good Night and Good Luck, and 2012, as well as a few TV shows too such as Boston Public and The Wire, but he is also a talented writer and director, and it's these ventures of his in which I am most interested. As many will probably not be aware, Tom's screenwriting abilities have brought us the superb Pixar adventure, Up, but he also wrote and directed one of my very favourite films, The Station Agent, a low-budget but superbly crafted exploration of loneliness featuring some fantastic performances from its four main actors. The critically-acclaimed film, his directorial debut, went on to win numerous awards and plaudits and showed great potential for any future projects, but his sophomore effort was a long time coming.
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
Crush Series - Part 5
Jaki Crush (1992)
By: NAXAT Soft / Compile Genre: Pinball Players: 1 Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: Nintendo SNES First Day Score: 1,748,500
Also Available For: Nothing
To be honest it was probably a bit of a niche franchise, but most gamers who actually played any installments in the great Crush series ended up loving them. However, even many fans believed the last game in the series was Dragon's Revenge on the MegaDrive which isn't even really a true Crush game anyway. Until fairly recently I also believed this to be the case but it seems Naxat pulled a sneaky move and released another final offering. This time they jumped ship to the SNES and the game never appeared outside of Japan either, which I guess would be why not many Western gamers have heard of it. It was a strange decision though, considering the success of particularly the first two games - another installment of crazy, supernatural pinball action would've gone down a treat! Then again, if the game continued the downward spiral started by Revenge, perhaps it was best left in Japan...
By: NAXAT Soft / Compile Genre: Pinball Players: 1 Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: Nintendo SNES First Day Score: 1,748,500
Also Available For: Nothing
To be honest it was probably a bit of a niche franchise, but most gamers who actually played any installments in the great Crush series ended up loving them. However, even many fans believed the last game in the series was Dragon's Revenge on the MegaDrive which isn't even really a true Crush game anyway. Until fairly recently I also believed this to be the case but it seems Naxat pulled a sneaky move and released another final offering. This time they jumped ship to the SNES and the game never appeared outside of Japan either, which I guess would be why not many Western gamers have heard of it. It was a strange decision though, considering the success of particularly the first two games - another installment of crazy, supernatural pinball action would've gone down a treat! Then again, if the game continued the downward spiral started by Revenge, perhaps it was best left in Japan...Tuesday, 18 January 2011
Exploring the PC Engine SuperGrafx
For anyone who grew up with an intense interest in gaming there were of course always some systems they liked and some they didn't like, but I'm willing to bet there was also one which they were always intrigued by, one they wanted but probably never even got to see nevermind own. A system that seemed to take on an almost mythical aura of wonder and excitement. For me that system was the PC Engine SuperGrafx.
The original PC Engine was an amazing machine itself, like the Holy Grail to a videogame-obsessed teenager like myself. All the hype and excitement surrounding it in the pages of magazines like C&VG built it up and up - even my dad was impressed with it! But then reports started surfacing of a new, more powerful PC Engine. What could possibly be better than the amazing Engine? Well, as many of you may well know by now, it was not well received and few games were ever released for it, but even in spite of that it retained its mysterious and enticing aura in my mind and it has remained ever since. Until, that is, I attended the Replay gaming expo in Blackpool where I was excited to see this very console nestled menacingly between a standard Engine and and a NEC PC-FX. Finally I had been granted the opportunity to use a real SuperGrafx in the flesh (so to speak) and I seized it!
The original PC Engine was an amazing machine itself, like the Holy Grail to a videogame-obsessed teenager like myself. All the hype and excitement surrounding it in the pages of magazines like C&VG built it up and up - even my dad was impressed with it! But then reports started surfacing of a new, more powerful PC Engine. What could possibly be better than the amazing Engine? Well, as many of you may well know by now, it was not well received and few games were ever released for it, but even in spite of that it retained its mysterious and enticing aura in my mind and it has remained ever since. Until, that is, I attended the Replay gaming expo in Blackpool where I was excited to see this very console nestled menacingly between a standard Engine and and a NEC PC-FX. Finally I had been granted the opportunity to use a real SuperGrafx in the flesh (so to speak) and I seized it!Monday, 17 January 2011
Run 'n' Gun Games #2
Rolling Thunder (1986)
By: Namco Genre: Run 'n' Gun Players: 1 Difficulty: Medium-Hard
Featured Version: Arcade First Day Score: 86,120
Also Available For: Nintendo NES, Atari Lynx, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum
Download For: Wii Virtual Console
Good old women, you can always rely on them getting themselves into some sort of trouble, can't you! In the case of this mid-80's Namco classic it's Leila Blitz, an agent of Interpol's espionage unit, Rolling Thunder, who's gone and got herself abducted by a highly mysterious society called Geldra. Now it's down to you as Albatross, a fellow Rolling Thunder agent, to defeat Maboo, leader of Geldra, and rescue her before she's ravaged or something else equally dastardly. This involves making your way through ten stages filled with apparently infinite hooded 'Maskers' as well as several other kinds of enemies. The stages are all based in various parts of New York and are split into two groups of five - after you've completed the first five stages, they'll repeat but with more numerous and more aggressive enemies.
By: Namco Genre: Run 'n' Gun Players: 1 Difficulty: Medium-Hard
Featured Version: Arcade First Day Score: 86,120
Also Available For: Nintendo NES, Atari Lynx, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum
Download For: Wii Virtual Console
Good old women, you can always rely on them getting themselves into some sort of trouble, can't you! In the case of this mid-80's Namco classic it's Leila Blitz, an agent of Interpol's espionage unit, Rolling Thunder, who's gone and got herself abducted by a highly mysterious society called Geldra. Now it's down to you as Albatross, a fellow Rolling Thunder agent, to defeat Maboo, leader of Geldra, and rescue her before she's ravaged or something else equally dastardly. This involves making your way through ten stages filled with apparently infinite hooded 'Maskers' as well as several other kinds of enemies. The stages are all based in various parts of New York and are split into two groups of five - after you've completed the first five stages, they'll repeat but with more numerous and more aggressive enemies.
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