Parteibuch Aggregator Feed - Items from date 2010-07-25

Spectrum Analyzer: Last Call

Spectrum Analyzer — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 22:49:31 +0000

From the Atari 2600 to the NES to the Sega Genesis, you thought you've experienced everything there is to know about retro. Don't get too cocky though, Americans! There's a whole other chapter of classic gaming you've likely missed. Pack your bags... 1UP is taking an extended trip to England to discover:

In this special installment of Spectrum Analyzer, we'll review all the games requested by readers, which include... uh, where are the requests? Oh crap, nobody left me any in last week's blog entry! Think, Jess, think! All right, let's try this. In this special installment of Spectrum Analyzer, we'll review games that were mentioned by readers over the last three months. There, now nobody will be the wiser. Unless they read this. D'oh!

DALEY THOMPSON’S DECATHLON

Who the heck is Daley Thompson? I don’t know either, but thankfully Wikipedia is there to fill in the gaps. According to the world’s preferred source for arcane facts and four page exposes on flash-in-the-pan Jersey Shore cast members, Thompson is a professional athlete, racking up two gold medals at the Olympics and a handful of local prizes in his native Great Britain. He’s part Scottish, part Nigerian, and all stud… even if his real first name is “Francis.”

That’s not important, though! You want to know about his video game, so here goes. Have you ever played Track ‘n Field? This is Track ‘n Field. Sure, the music is a little different, sounding as if it’s being played on an alien pipe organ Chariots of Fire has never been creepier… , but practically everything else is the same. You just waggle the joystick left and right until you cause enough friction to burn down the house, then tap the fire button if you need your onscreen athlete to leap over hurdles or knock the stick down in the high jump. How I hate the high jump! One advantage Decathlon has over Track ‘n Field is that the game is split into two parts, giving you some control over which events you’ll play. Also, losing an event won’t throw you back to the start of the game, so feel free to screw up on the pole vault as much as you like! I know I will.

DALEY THOMPSON’S SUPER TEST

If Daley Thompson’s Decathlon was the Spectrum’s answer to Track ‘n Field, its sequel Super Test is best described as Track & Field 2, with more realistic visuals and a diverse selection of events. No longer will you be endlessly running on Astroturf for the duration of the game… this time you’ll participate in everything from a Kayak race to a Tug of War contest. Ah yes, who could forget Tug of War, a staple in every Summer Games competition from 1900 to 1920!

This time out, Daley Thompson is a bit more articulated although still oddly cartoony… between events he looks like he’s running from the Keystone Cops! and the backgrounds are noticeably improved, benefitting from the Spectrum 128’s higher RAM. The gameplay still boils down to jiggling your joystick until it’s a pool of molten plastic bubbling in your lap, but the events don’t come as easily to newcomers as they did in Decathlon. When the event “Penalties” came up after a dismal performance in the Kayak race, I thought I was being punished for my crappy gameplay. In actuality, it was a soccer shoot-out that’s just as confusing as the title… you won’t even see your character until he’s inches away from the ball he’s supposed to kick! Yeah, maybe someone should have thought this through before sending the game out the door.

MIDNIGHT RESISTANCE

This really deserves more than just a capsule review, not only because it’s a strong conversion of the Data East arcade game but because it brings back such fond memories. Midnight Resistance was one of those early Genesis games that made it a little easier to suffer through 1992, when the Super NES had found its footing after a rough start and the Genesis software library had experienced a temporary drought. Back in those dark ages before the Gunstar Heroes renaissance, Midnight Resistance was the closest thing Genesis owners had to the run ‘n gun action of Contra 3: The Alien Wars, and I spent more money on renting it than any other game I can remember. The late fees were astronomical, but the game made it oh so worth it.

Midnight Resistance on the Spectrum isn’t up to the standards of its 16-bit cousin, but considering the hardware, it was as good as anyone could have expected. The graphics are packed with detail and rich with color, yet your muscle-bound hero and the masked foes leaping out at him from the screen’s edges remain sharply in focus from the first stage to the last. The music also makes an impact… it’s instantly recognizable from the arcade game but with just a touch of that British charm you’ve come to expect from the system. The only sticking point is the gameplay. The arcade version of Midnight Resistance used a knob on the top of the controller to direct the hero’s aim, with a button for firing and another for jumping. The Spectrum just has one button, forcing the player to press up to jump and use the button and the joystick together to rotate the gun. The new control scheme works… at least, until you need to jump and fire at once you can’t , or pick off enemies sneaking up behind you you won’t . The clumsy scrolling further tilts the odds in the computer’s favor, so don’t feel too guilty if you give yourself infinite lives and keys either in the game’s hidden menu or with strategic POKE commands to level the playing field.

WAY OF THE EXPLODING FIST

When I reviewed International Karate Plus in a previous installment of Spectrum Analyzer, a reader told me that Way of the Exploding Fist, a similar game, was much better. I suppose it’s all a matter of taste, but I’m just not seeing it. Compared to IK+, Fist doesn’t have much personality, with just one onscreen opponent, a shrill opening theme followed by almost total silence in each match, and graphics that hover somewhere between functional and competent. The gameplay is more rigid as well... blows tend to be difficult to perform and even tougher to land, and there are never any palate-cleansing bonus rounds like in IK+ or Karate Champ, the two games’ mutual inspiration.

While I’m griping about this game, I might as well bring up the scoring system, which doesn’t make a damned bit of sense. Instead of a best of three round format like in the Street Fighter series, Way of the Exploding Fist uses two points, split into yings and yangs. Some strikes will award you with just a ying, or a ying and a yang together, but it’s anyone’s guess as to how the computer determines how many points you’ll get for an attack. Sometimes you’ll get a half point for sinking a front kick into your opponent’s stomach, and sometimes you’ll get a full point for the same blow, with no explanation as to why the first strike was worth less than the other. Hey, maybe that guy in the background knows! "Ancient Chinese secret," you say? Oh, haw haw.

That’s it folks! Next week is the Spectacular Spectrum Retrospective, along with a brief wrap up here in the blog. We’ll see you then!

racketboy: Vote for the Next Featured Fan Art Gallery

racketboy — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:38:26 +0000

It’s been a while since we posted an entry in our featured video game fan art series. However, I would like to features some additional pieces, but thought I would ask the wonderful Racketboy community which series or characters they would like to see highlighted. Now, I realize some large franchises aren’t featured in this poll or been highlighted previously, but I’d like to focus on a few options at this time I asked to community earlier for nominations . Lemme know what you think!

BTW: If you would like to participate in other community feedback and other happenings, check out our Twitter profile, Facebook page, and Forum.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

IGN Retro: IGN Presents the History of Fallout

IGN Retro — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 19:31:54 +0000

Updated: Before you head to New Vegas, pack accordingly.

Destructoid: Virtual Boy demakes are red, black and awesome

Destructoid — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 17:30:00 +0000

In the world of gaming-consoles-that-I-don't-dream-games-were-released-on the Virtual Boy is pretty much at the top of the list. Or so I thought, until these clever Virtual Boy demakes popped up over at Pixel Joint in honor of the 15th anniversary of the console's Japanese launch.

I think the Virtual Boy version of Metroid Prime is by far my favorite of the entries, but the Monkey Island one is full-on cool, as well. I would have dug the Mega Man on VB as well; 3D robot masters could get seriously epic. It's too bad the failure of the Virtual Boy will mean we will never see a portable 3D system again.

What would you like to see remade into a red and black 3D wonder?

Pixel Joint [via Tiny Cartridge]

The Old Bits: Mario Strikers Charged

The Old Bits — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 08:19:00 +0000

When Super Mario Strikers came out on the Gamecube in 05/06 it was hardly a 'must own' title with many people either not buying or not even knowing it was out. It was a plan arcade style soccer game with the normal Mario world twists such as using powerups ,etc. Wifi is something that every Wii user has been waiting for since they unrapped there little white box. This year, PAL zones first game to make use of the system Wifi capability's, falls somewhat short in both single and online play. Read on to find out why.

Gameplay Score 6 of 10

Well I don't really know what to say about the game play, its a simple 4 a side soccer team with one of the Mario world stars as captain. There are power ups such as shells, hammers,etc. And every character has there own unique special attack and special defense move, but in reality thats where the games depth ends. Once you have played through your first match, you will feel like you are watching a video on repeat. With a wide range of levels I expected they would hold my interest for slightly longer however it was not the case, its pretty much a simple swap of the background and course and a change of the levels hazard and you have a new level. The game just lacks the depth of some form of leveling system, you end up playing the same levels multiple times over to win a new trophy for your cabinet, when it comes to rewards I find trophies to be somewhat lackluster. There are some new additions to the game which make it a big up from the GC original such as super shots and the new and improved control of the goalie where you control the goalies hand as balls fly towards you. As for the super shots once you have them mastered and figure out all you have to do is shoot a shell then a super shot form anywhere and your pretty much guaranteed a goal the game becomes somewhat boring. Well with such a average single player experience I was expecting the online to make up for it, it seems the Wii's first online title is a fairly big let down, even by Nintendo's standards of poor online interactivity. There are also single player challenges that place you in situations where you are a man down or two goals down and you must try to win the game, honestly I found this to be the most entertaining point in the entire game.

Up, Up and Average!

Sound Score 8 of 10

Good sounds that suit the game well, lots of Mario sounds of yesteryear, really not much to be said about it.

Graphics Score 6 of 10

Now some people might say I have been harsh only giving a 6 out of 10 for graphics. While they do what they are there for, its graphics we could have expected on the GC. Theres only so many times we can see Mario and his friends on new systems looking slightly 1 up'ed from there last gen counter parts. Graphically its nothing special, in fact if you put the game side by side with its Gamecube counter part I am sure you couldnt tell the difference, but does it job.

Replay Value Score 6 of 10

First the single player, with the amount of trophies and challenges you can do the game should keep you playing for awhile, that is of course if you can stomach playing it that long without being bored to tears. Now onto the online play, the thing many people bought the game for. Well in 1 word. Disappointment. Being on a Nintendo console no one expected voice chat or even talking via a on screen keyboard, but this game has no interaction at all. You can either play with your friends, or a random stranger Who you can't talk to or play again or add as a friend , the only community feeling it has is where you score points and go on a scoreboard. The online in reality feels like you are just playing a harder version of the CPU, I really hope future Wifi titles are not this much of a let down.

Overall Score 6.5 of 10

While it is a step up from the Gamecube outing Mario and his friends still deliver one of the least entertaining ways to play soccer, with the single player portion of the game feeling like a broken record repeating itself and the online play feeling barely online I would suggest you not to waste your hard earnt dollars on this unless you either are a soccer fan or just want to play your Wii online. Perhaps after some price drops and you find it in your local targets bargain bin would I suggest this.