Doujin Platform Games #3

Cottonhead (2013)
By: Lonebot.net Genre: Platform Players: 1 Difficulty: Super Easy
Featured Version: PC First Day Score: Complete!
Also Available For: Nothing

Although I've been playing fan-made games for a couple of years or so now, the homebrew scene is still one I know relatively little about. The regular competitions that are held, for example, are the province of far smarter people than me. They do occasionally yield a game that I somehow find out about, though, and Cottonhead is one such example which was created for the latest Ludum Dare competition. It stars a small cloud-like creature who's fallen to earth from his home in Cottoncity. Your job is to get him back, but first he must regain his ability to fly.

Next-Gen Driving Games #3

Screamer (1995)
By: Graffiti / Virgin Interactive Genre: Driving Players: 1 Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: PC
Also Available For: Nothing

I've mentioned here several times that I've never really been much of a PC gamer but I don’t think I've ever mentioned why. There are two main reasons, the first of which is that I didn't even have my own PC until the mid-90’s. The time that I did finally acquire one, however, happened to coincide with the emergence of the super graphics accelerator cards like the 3DFX and PowerVR. These things cost a pretty penny themselves but PC’s powerful enough to take full advantage of them were also far beyond my reach, so about the only games I used my PC for were Solitaire and Freecell. None of this prevented me from hearing of the wonders of 3D-accelerated PC gaming though, and one game that seemed to get the most press in the day was Screamer. I've always assumed that, like many such games of the time, it was little more than a tech-demo which wowed gamers with its snazzy graphics whilst offering few gameplay-related treats, but I hadn't actually played it until the last few weeks thanks to the wonders of Good Old Games. Time now, then, to see if I was right!

Arcade Classics #5

Bosconian (1981)
By: Namco Genre: Shooting Players: 1 Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: Arcade First Day Score: 73,850 (one credit)
Also Available For: X68000, MSX, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum

The main reason for starting this series of features was to further my knowledge of arcade games from pretty much the only era that was before my time but, despite knowing at least something about most of the popular games from this period, Bosconian is one of the few I knew absolutely nothing about. I'd heard the name before, of course, but I had no idea even what genre it was. It was quickly deemed a prime candidate, then, for this feature! So, to educate probably only myself, I've spent the past few days playing this Namco release and quickly discovered that it's an over-head-viewed, free-roaming, multi-directional shmup - a fact that makes my shame weigh heavily on my weary shoulders, but it's also widely considered the first such example of this sub-genre which makes my indiscretion even more shocking.

Gaming Flashbacks #1

For most of us, gaming is a casual interest or pastime. Regardless of how 'hardcore' you may or may not consider yourself, and regardless of how many hours you spend in front of the screen, video games aren't actually that important when it comes right down to it. That's not to say, however, that time spent with them is wasted.

The virtues of our hobby are often argued about but one that seems to get taken for granted is that of nostalgia. Sometimes it might be the games themselves, other times it's incidents or periods in our lives that are associated with them, but being reminded of them, usually by way of a certain sight, sound, or even smell, and often suddenly and unexpectedly, can bring a flood of long-forgotten memories and warm feelings rushing back, and that's exactly what recently happened to me. There I was sitting at home writing a post for this very blog while listening to music on my MP3 player which features many thousands of songs, both game music and 'normal' music, when suddenly a tune started that I hadn't heard since many moons ago in my youth. This happens now and then of course - sometimes the tune is slightly familiar, other times I don't even remember it, but on this occasion I recognised it instantly.

Bomberman Series - Part 10

Bomberman a.k.a. Atomic Punk, a.k.a. Dynablaster (1991)
By: Irem Corp Genre: Maze Players: 1-2 Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: Arcade First Day Score: 29,000
Also Available For: Nothing

Many gamers mainly associate the Bomberman series with certain consoles, generally the PC Engine or SNES I suppose, but there have been a handful of arcade-based instalments in the long-running series. This simply-named example is the first of them and was handled by Irem. Its quality should therefore be assured and, being an arcade game, its content should be too. Sure enough, 'inserting' some coins presents the choice of a one/two player Battle Game, or one/two player Normal Game. The latter has always been my preference though, and was therefore the first mode I tried here. It starts with a short intro explaining how Bomberman and King Bomber became the 'best robot team in the world'; that is, of course, until King Bomber 'suddenly attacks mankind', leaving Bomberman (and his brother, Bomberman 2, who's red, incidentally) to 'defend the people'. Which apparently involves clearing a number of enemy-ridden mazes.

First Look PSN #1

Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse by Sega (2013) - PlayStation Network (PS3)

There can't be too many owners of the mighty MegaDrive, whether former or current, whose eyes don't mist up at the mere mention of the words 'Castle of Illusion', so I think it's safe to say this update (or reboot?) by Sega is one that's been excitedly awaited. The big question is: have they produced a fitting tribute to the original, an entirely new game, or have they conjured up a stinker to tarnish our cherished memories? Based on my first impressions of this PSN version, I'd say the first of those would be the most accurate classification (despite the fact that the stages are only based on those of the original rather than direct copies), and that does of course means it's a platform adventure spread across several themed worlds featuring many dangerous creatures, and indeed a good few spooky illusions here and there as well.

Top Five Michael Bay Films

A vast majority of movie-goers, certainly ones who aren't hardcore film snobs at least, don't generally give two pieces of monkey crap about who directed one film or another. However, even for the most casual of film fans there are usually a few names that stick in the memory. On the plus side there are Spielberg, Cameron, and Tarantino, but on the negative side are Paul WS Anderson, Uwe Boll, aaand… in the minds of many, the master of big-budget destruction, Michael Bay.

For the purposes of this post I'll be concentrating on the works of Mr. Bay (partly because I haven't actually seen five films by either of the other two!) who, despite fairly consistently earning studios huge amounts of cash, is almost universally looked down upon by square-eyed viewers (I think Pearl Harbor was the biggest culprit) who quickly tired of his style-over-substance approach to the art. I know, therefore, that for some movie fans, compiling a list like this is somewhat akin to making a 'Top Five Ways to Commit Suicide' or something, but there are a few bearable ones in there. Here are, in my view, the five best (or perhaps least worst):

5. Armageddon (1998)

Released at what was arguably the peak of the 'disaster movie' sub-genre, Armageddon even had a direct rival released mere months earlier in Deep Impact. Bay's film had the stronger cast though, and was also unsurprisingly the most hyped. The story, such as is it, centres on Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis in gruff mode) and his crew of drilling experts who get roped into helping NASA deal with an approaching asteroid 'the size of Texas' which, if left unattended, will end all life on earth. Our only chance lies with the bumbling drilling crew who have mere days to be trained and sent to the space rock in question, drill a big hole in it, slip in a giant nuke, and fly away quickly! As corny and predictable as it may be (Stamper finds out his second in command played by Ben Afleck is shagging his daughter played by Liv Tyler of whom he is very protective, etc), I still enjoyed the first two-thirds of this oft-maligned film but the final act is a bit too over-the-top for my tastes, even if it does include some fantastic special effects. Stupid and hyperactive but worth watching.

Overhead Racers #15

F1 Circus (1990)
By: Nichibutsu Genre: Overhead Racing Players: 1-5 Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: NEC PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Also Available For: NES

As well as having the distinction of being one of my favourite types of game, overhead racers, or 'top down' racers as some prefer, are also one of the oldest genres with Atari's Sprint series dating all the way back to the mid-70's. That series, which includes one of my favourite examples of the genre - Super Sprint - is of course inspired by F1, but there is another series based on the same sport which debuted much later that I've never even played! There are now over ten F1 Circus games (and no, it's not a mistranslation - the 'circus' apparently refers to the somewhat overblown pageantry of F1) on a variety of systems but, as usual, I'll start my coverage of the series with the very first one which is best known on the PC Engine (the NES version didn't appear for a couple more years). That means, owing to the absence of a TG-16 version, much of the text featured in the game is in Japanese (which I can't read) but I'm hoping it won't interfere too much with my 'research'.

MegaDrive Platform Games #7

Alisia Dragoon (1992)
By: Game Arts Genre: Platform/Fighting Players: 1 Difficulty: Medium-Hard
Featured Version: Sega MegaDrive / Genesis First Day Score: Worm Master (>.<)
Also Available For: Nothing

A good while ago now I borrowed the 'second chance' feature theme from that splendid fellow, Bryan, over at The Gay Gamer, whereby a supposedly great game that failed to 'grab' me the first time around is given another chance to do so. On that occasion the game in question (Gynoug) earned a small measure of redemption, and now I think it's time to return to another game from my MegaDrive days which I really wanted to like, and should have too, judging by the reviews it received, but... didn't. The game is of course Alisia Dragoon which features several stories of magic and intrigue and other fantastical stuff, depending on which version you play. I had the UK version and as a result I was charged with helping Alisia to take down Baldour, the 'very embodiment of evil', who's soon to awake from his hibernation and wreak havoc as he last did 13 years ago - a reign of terror which cost Alisia's father his life.

Cover Art: PC Engine - Part 2

Despite my promise in the last post of this nature that more instalments would soon be forthcoming, it's actually taken me over a year to get around to doing it. Oops! Nonetheless, retro game cover art remains a subject in which I have much interest and the PC Engine and TurboGrafx-16 feature some of the very best and very worst examples, usually respectively! Here's another selection of both types:

Legendary Axe (1988)

This classic hack 'n' slasher was among the PC Engine's very first releases back in the late 80's and its Rastan-inspired platform/combat action went down a treat with curious gamers of the time. The covers of both versions are actually fairly similar for a change, featuring a brave barbarian-like hero facing a giant spider (which does feature in the game), but ironically, in a reversal of the usual trend, it's the Japanese cover which is more serious while the US version is a little more cartoonish (though still slightly scary, even though the spider's head looks more like an ant's). They're pretty good though, and both must've piqued the interest of potential buyers.

Maze Games #11

The Pit (1982)
By: Zilec / Centuri Genre: Maze / Strategy Players: 1 Difficulty: Medium-Hard
Featured Version: Arcade First Day Score: 24,000
Also Available For: Commodore 64

I'd like to think I'm fairly knowledgeable on the subject of video games but the earliest days are not really my speciality. Just this past weekend I was preparing to start the review process for a classic game that I have little experience of (yes, another one!) when I discovered that it was actually based on a game I have even less experience with - The Pit. Therefore, in typically OCD-ish Red Parsley tradition, I figured I should first take a look at this game. It casts you as an unnamed 'astronaut/explorer' who, upon starting the game, lands on the upper-left corner of the single-screen stage in his flying saucer. From there he has to tunnel down to the bottom of the stage to retrieve precious gems, then make his way back up to his ship, by way of the titular pit, before it's destroyed by the catchily-named 'Zonker', a hostile tank located in the top-right of the screen which gradually shoots away at the mountain that separates the two vehicles. As well as this 'time limit', there are many dangers lurking in the subterranean world as well, including enemies, lots of rocks and stalactites, as well as the pit itself. As you may have already guessed, The Pit therefore bears a passing resemblance to Dig Dug, released by Namco around the same time, and was also the inspiration behind multi-platform hit, Boulder Dash.

Exploring the ColecoVision

Once video games were invented it didn't take too long for home gaming to get established too. A few 'electronic' games had started appearing in the 70's before the first actual home consoles arrived starting with the Magnavox Odyssey which, despite achieving limited success, spurred on others to try the same. Fairchild had their Channel F and later Mattel's Intellivision had been doing respectable business, but it was of course Atari's immense VCS that had destroyed all who stood in its way. By the early 80's even that was starting to look a little old and tired though, and this new breed of enthusiasts known as 'gamers' were eager for a more advanced successor.

This soon arrived in the middle of that decade's third year courtesy of another American company - Coleco. Despite their name, which was a contraction of Connecticut Leather Company, and their history of producing plastic and indeed leather products, they were no strangers to the exciting realm of electronic entertainment. They had already produced a range of standalone consoles in the late 70's called Telstar which each featured a few pre-programmed variations of existing games such as Pong and Tank. Their latest effort was called the ColecoVision and, unlike the Telstar range, offered games on inter-changeable cartridges. In fact, it was bundled with one such game, a conversion of the popular arcade hit Donkey Kong, no less, and its quality soon showed that perhaps this new contender was the system gamers had been waiting for.

Scrolling Fighting Games #10

China Gate (1988)
By: Taito Genre: Fighting Players: 1-2 Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: Arcade First Day Score: 511,380 (one credit)
Also Available For: Nothing

Sometimes I forget how prolific Taito have been over the many years, actually decades, since their inception. So many of their fantastic titles are now household names (in my household at least!) that it's easy to forget there are dozens of less well-known titles that bear their name as well. The example featured here is one I'd barely heard of and never played until recently - perhaps since it received no conversions - but it caught my eye immediately once I investigated it for this feature. Details of its story are scant but it seems that it's set in some sort of fantastical realm or another where the sacred Book of Sanzo has been stolen. Charged with returning it to its rightful place are three brave heroes - Gocoo (a monkey), Hakai (a pig), and Gojoe (a hawk, or some sort of bird of prey), who are armed with a staff, a trident, and an axe respectively. As these weapons (and the post title, I guess) may indicate, that means China Gate is a fighting game, and there are many enemies to fight before the mysterious book can be reclaimed and all that is good is restored.

Awesome Nature #14

Olinguito
Type: Mammal! Lives In: Ecuador, Colombia Conservation Status: Unknown

It's been a while since I did one of these but this curious-looking creature makes it more than worth it! The olinguito, you see, it a newly discovered animal, and the first such mammal in 35 years. It had previously been spotted, and even 'samples' had been taken, but scientists have only just realised that it's actually an unclassified creature. The credit for noticing this goes to zoologist, Kristofer Helgen, of the National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC, who is apparently more alert than many of his contemporaries! One reason for missing it may be its remote home in the lofty mountainous forests of the Andes mountains in Colombia and Ecuador where it spends most of its time in the trees. It's around 14 inches long, with a tail of more than that again, and is the smallest member of the raccoon family. They're nocturnal and technically carnivores but mostly eat various fruits and even nectar. Dr Helgen might not have too much longer to further study it though - sadly over 40% of the forests that make up the olinguito's home have already been levelled.

Why It Is Awesome: Because it's brand new (kind of)!
 

Bat 'n' Ball Games #7

TRAZ: Transformable Arcade Zone (1988)
By: Cascade Games Genre: Bat 'n' Ball Players: 1-2 Difficulty: Medium-Hard
Featured Version: Commodore 64 First Day Score: 10,625
Also Available For: ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC

My first encounter with bat 'n' ball games, or 'brick breakers' as some prefer, goes back to the original Arkanoid game which I had for my Speccy, but as much as I might have enjoyed it I didn't have the opportunity to play too many other examples, owing mainly to the various systems I owned in my younger days. Since starting this series of features at Red Parsley, however, I keep hearing the same word in the comments after each post - Traz. These comments exclusively talk about it with reference to the Commodore 64 so I've always assumed it was one of those games I missed out on as a Speccy owner. Looking into it for this review, however, reveals that it was released on all of the 'Big Three' 8-bit micros, so how did I miss it? Could it be because it sucks arse? Are these C64-owning oafs playing an ill-mannered prank on me? If they are, it's their version I'm going to slate so let's find out (hee hee!).