Category: Video Game Musings

Disney Games on GOG.com

For those who might not know, GOG.com has just posted three classic Disney games from the 16-bit days; The Lion King, The Jungle Book, and Aladdin. All three games are the original DOS versions running under DOSBox with slight tweaks that makes it easier to play this with a 360 controller (just use the Keyboard setting instead of the two Joystick settings) and yes, the Aladdin featured here is based on the Sega Genesis version from Virgin (the Super NES and Game Gear had entirely different games as far as Aladdin is concerned.)

Right now, I’ve only sampled a bit of Aladdin and for my part, it works just fine. Off the top, I like the MIDI soundtrack that feels like a step above what you got on the Mega Drive. However, I dislike the massive black border where all your stats are shown, as it covers a huge chunk of the screen and reduces overall visibility over the playfield.

So far, so good, though. Can’t complain all that much… yet.

Plug-And-Play NES From Nintendo Due In November

Maybe a mini NES will be a better buy than the Wii Mini.
Anyone remember the Wii Mini?
Anyone at all?

Source: http://www.theverge.com/2016/7/14/12187296/nintendo-nes-classic-edition-announced-price-games

A plug-and-play NES console with 30 built-in NES titles, HDMI output, and suspending play functionality? And you can (possibly) use the included controller on the Wii (U) Virtual Console? That’s actually pretty sweet. And the list of games included is nice, varied, and not strictly first-party. Mind you; there’s a couple games I would rather have in there over others. Would’ve been nice to have Castlevania III in there to complete the trilogy or one of the Natsume titles like Shatterhand, Shadow of the Ninja, or the Power Blade games… toss in the Lost Levels instead of flippin’ Ice Climber. But… baby steps.

NES plug-and-plays have existed before (in less official capacities and also, quite frankly, much shoddier build qualities), but an officially licensed one from Nintendo is a rarity. Who knows? It might do well for those who haven’t dumped money into a Wii or a Wii U and just want a nice, convenient piece of nostalgia to play their old favorites. Or maybe some folks will just want the controller for nostalgia sessions on their Wii.

And please don’t bother with the tired “emulators” route. The fact is some folks don’t like or don’t want to go that route and would prefer more official means. How many Sega Genesis plug-and-plays are floating out there and still making? The things obviously sell, so there’s an interest.

Here’s the full list for those who don’t want to click the link above.

Balloon Fight
Bubble Bobble
Castlevania
Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Jr.
Double Dragon II: The Revenge
Dr. Mario
Excitebike
Final Fantasy
Galaga
Ghosts’N Goblins
Gradius
Ice Climber
Kid Icarus
Kirby’s Adventure
Mario Bros.
Mega Man 2
Metroid
Ninja Gaiden
Pac-Man
Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream
StarTropics
Super C
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 3
Tecmo Bowl
The Legend of Zelda
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Any word on that Mighty No. 9 thing?

Last I heard about it, it was getting delayed – again – due to bugs in their networking features. And that was a couple months ago. Since then, not a peep.

It seems really sad that what was once touted as a successor to the dormant Mega Man franchise has become something of a joke. Somewhere along the way, the people behind Mighty No. 9 must have decided to forgo making an effort and skip to the part where the game laid dormant for years and nothing was being done with it. It’s almost as though they thought a promise of a game that was reminiscent of a beloved classic (from one of the minds behind said beloved classic) would be enough to get people to give money now and ask questions later, but instead, people are second guessing the project.

This is why I’m weary of Igarashi’s Bloodstained project or even the Shenmue III thing. They got the funding in a short amount of time, but one wonders if they will actually deliver their project on schedule (Bloodstained currently set for March of next year, not sure about the Shenmue one) or if it will meet the same fate as Mighty No. 9 and be delayed over and over until the end of time?

This was a random thought that popped up. I honestly don’t know what made me think this up, but there you go.

EGM #100’s Top 100 Games Of All Time – An Extended Lookback

November 1997 saw esteemed video game magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly release their one hundredth issue. And to celebrate the occasion, they concocted a Top 100 list comprising their favorite games and calling them “the best of all time.” But are they really that?

A bit of context is needed; this list was put back in 1997. That’s almost two decades ago and many other games have come along that deserve to lay claim to “the best of all time.” However, I was around in 1997. I know games back in 1997 and I still have some notes about whether I feel this list held water. This is more of a fun lookback than any “critical” observation. Who knows? I might pull out that 200th issue of EGM one of these days and do a similar feature with their 200 greatest games list, which deviates quite a bit from this particular list.

Originally, I had this broken apart into four parts. Those parts are assembled into one longform post. In addition, I’ve updated a couple thoughts here and there.

Continue reading “EGM #100’s Top 100 Games Of All Time – An Extended Lookback”

Is IG’s History Of Video Games Still A Thing?

Browsing through the Interwebs and I noticed that the Bores uploaded his latest chapter on the ever-sludging-about History Of Video Games for dummies who don’t know anything about the history of video games. This episode is about the old Intellivision console and features a thumbnail of Bores biting into a phone cable that is the cord for said console’s controllers. By this point, this sort of “angry” reaction on the thumbnails is somewhat played out with everyone else doing it and usually when I see this, I’ll just tune out and look for something else.

But since it’s Bores, I might as well give him a quick view.

There used to be a time when I could smile or even offer a mild chuckle at the stupidity of these sorts of videos. But I watch this latest Bores offering and find myself scratching my nose, rolling my eyes, and falling asleep. I never thought I’d see the day when Bores would fail to offer some mild entertainment through his sheer incompetent and pig-headedness, but lo and behold, it has finally happened.

Or maybe I’ve just outgrown this sort of humor and it’s just not funny anymore.

I’d like to think that, but watching old ragetown Armake21 or UrinatingTree videos from half a decade or so ago still give me the giggling fits. Hell, I’ve even laughed at a couple of old Kenny The NC17 Guy videos for all the wrong reasons.

Even the Nerd… wait, never mind. I wouldn’t go THAT far. Even he’s fallen off the rails for me.

Man, it’s a good thing Classic Game Room is still a thing on Youtube and…

Oh wait.

Bores Has Special Editions of Breakout and Night Driver

The title of this post says it all. That explains how he was able to play those games with the standard Atari joystick, rather than the paddle controllers that you’re supposed to be playing with.

Context: Chris Bores’ latest edition of his long-running, long-waiting History of Video Games was recently put up, covering Atari games from 1978 to 1980 in relatively quick fashion. How quick? The whole episode was roughly five minutes long and a good chunk of it was dedicated to some rather poor sketches and unfunny gags. In addition, there are some minor errors, such as playing paddle games with the standard joystick, as well as showing footage of the arcade Space Invaders and passing it off as the VCS version.

There’s also a notable lack of attention to the dates in which certain things took place; Nolan Bushnell’s exit from Atari was in 1978, but this fact isn’t mentioned until the end of the episode as though it took place in 1980. However, Bores does make an effort in bringing up the fact that Bushnell founded Chuck E. Cheese. Because breakfast is ruined or something.

Look, I’ll be honest, here. This latest episode did very little for me. Even though the run time is roughly five minutes, it was probably the longest five minutes I ever sat through. It felt as though the very essence was being sucked away as the seconds withered away. But hey, look on the bright side! It’s not another lazy AVGN Clip Collection.

Then again, that’s not saying a whole lot, is it?

Capcom Remaking Resident Evil 2

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2015/08/12/resident-evil-2-remake/

Because why make crappy new games when you remake and fuck up your old ones? I mean, seriously… how badly have things gotten when the few games most people are looking forward to remakes of the old ones? And how much will disappointment set in when, beneath the shiny graphics and “remastering” of stuff, the game turns out to play like absolute shit and why did they remake a classic, etc. etc. etc.?

Good for them that they’re doing it, I guess… but shit, what’s the point?

Some Helpful Codes For SNES Power Rangers

I don’t know why I thought of doing something like this now, but I figured why not. Here are some codes for the three SNES Mighty Morphin video games. The passcodes for the first game are earned when you clear levels (with the final three codes earned when you beat the game) while the cheat codes for the other two games are revealed when you beat said games on Hard difficulty.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (SNES) Passcodes
Area 2: 3847
Area 3: 5113
Area 4: 3904
Area 5: 1970
Area 6: 8624
Area 7: 2596
The following passcodes enable the hidden 2-player Zord battles, where Player 1 controls Megazord while Player 2 controls one of the three bosses:
Mutitis (Area 6 Boss): 0411
Cyclopsis (First Form): 1007
Cyclopsis (Final Form): 1212
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (SNES) Cheat Code
If you press Up, Down, Left, Right, X, B, Y, A while on the title screen, you’ll start each level morphed from the get-go.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Fighting Edition (SNES) Cheat Code
If you press X + Y + Start while on the Fighter Select screen, you’ll be able to play as Ivan Ooze. This only works in Fighting Mode.
Hope these codes help!