Category: Video Game Musings

(2023 Update: In retrospect, calling this post a “First Impressions” is kind of a white lie, since my first time playing Circle Of The Moon would’ve been years prior, albeit through the “evil art” of emulation. My guess is that I had acquired an actual cart of Circle Of The Moon and wrote this shortly afterwards. So, in a sense, it’s my first impressions of the game played on its native hardware rather than though some spotty emulation… that’s my logic behind it, at least.)

Some time after Konami released Symphony of the Night on the Playstation, they released Castlevania 64… and it sucked. So they released a sequel… and it sucked too. A couple non-significant games later, Konami released their first GBA title, Circle of the Moon.

The story revolves around a trio of Vampire hunters attempting to kill Dracula yet again, only to be separated. As Nathan, you have to save the other hunter before he becomes a sacrifice or something. In any case, you’re equipped with a traditional leather whip and can spin it around like a lasso (but can’t brandish it like in CV4). You can also equip yourself with DSS cards that alters your whip to become flame whips, ice whips, poison whips, and even a gun! Neat-o.

The graphics are fairly decent for a first title and are varied from each other. Sure, most of the halls look alike, but it’s a common flaw even with Symphony in a couple levels, so no complaints there. The controls are responsive and the challenge is fair, with only a couple bosses being complete pricks. While it isn’t as expansive as the later GBA titles, at least this one has a decent soundtrack worthy of the GBA, unlike the later “sequels” and its NES-esque soundtracks.

If you have a GBA hanging around and you want a decent Castlevania game, don’t bother with the other two and get this one. Aria may have that Soul trading thing and Lament has Simon’s grandson, but this is actually the better game of the three.

Since not having the Webstation up has some sticklers up in atoms, here’s a little something to tide you over: a months-old review of Yobo’s dual NES/SNES clone video game console, the FC Twin. Keep in mind that this was written before the release of the Retro Duo, a similar system which reportedly has better game compatibility. Even so, I stand by this review for the most part and find that the Twin is somewhat easier to get your hands on if you don’t trust the Internet for hardware. Chances are you’ll luck out at a flea market, but I found that the local Superclub Videotron on Beaubien street (in Montreal… of course) also sells these. With that said, here’s the review:

A long time ago in a galaxy two feet away, in the days before there was Blu-Ray this and HD that, the purpose of a video game console was to play video games. Nothing more, nothing less. It didn’t play movies or music; it played video games. It didn’t need a fancy set-up like a hi-def television or Internet connection; all you need was a TV, a wall outlet to plug the power in, a working controller, and a game cartridge. This was the gaming life. But then they introduced CDs to the mix and the multimedia revolution began its course; turning what were simple games with deep gameplay and fun into beautiful eye-candy with little to no substance… and no, fifteen-minute long unskippable cutscenes are not my idea of substance. Soon, video game hardware developers attempted to turn simple video game machines into second-rate computer systems that can play CD music, DVD movies, browse the Internet, and even watch porn… wow, it’s just like using a computer, except on a computer, these are standard features that serve somewhat of a purpose while on game consoles, they are tacked on extras so developers could bump up the prices.

Maybe I should just review the damn console before this turns into a rant on the current gaming scene… although that’s not a bad idea.

To relive the old days of gaming, we have game compilations on CD/DVD, X-Box Live Arcade, Wii’s Virtual Console service, and even entire websites offering game downloads for a reasonable fee. However, for those of us who still have those old cartridges, we have to find vintage working consoles to play the classic we already own. Those that work cost an arm and leg and the dirt cheap ones are likely not to work. There is the option of repairing your faulty console, but if you’re like me, chances are you’re not much of an expert in taking things apart and putting them back together in the same shape it was before. Fortunately, we have third-party alternatives as a group of Asian developers have made a bunch of clone consoles. One of them is a 2-in-1 clone console called the FC Twin, developed by Yobo. This console is a follow-up to their NeoFami/FC Game console which was basically a NES clone system.

THE GOOD: Probably the FC Twin’s best feature over other Fami-clones is its ability to play classic NES (8-bit) or Super NES (16-bit) games on the same console. NES emulation is somewhat spotty (more on this later), but SNES gameplay is absolutely flawless, with every pixel, soundbyte, and control movement almost perfectly replicated. The console itself looks to be fairly well-built and the controllers aren’t too bad either. They function a little stiff for my tastes, but nonetheless, they are a pretty good reproduction of the SNES controller, which is quite possibly one of the best controllers I’ve ever laid my hands on. For $70 Canadian, I found it to be a steep but fair price, considering what I was getting; a dual NES/Super NES console that requires one plug and one set of A/V wiring.

THE BAD: It’s been stated that certain games won’t work with the console due to special chips and designs in these games and this is somewhat true. Castlevania III on the NES side of things is a perfect example, as the game would just halt before any gameplay would take place. Also, sound emulation on the NES side of things tends to be off, but this is to expected since this isn’t original NES hardware and thus the little details can’t be perfectly recreated. Later FC Twin models would have improved sound emulation (read: SMB plays sound just as you remember them), but some minor flaws in the emulation do exist. Another discerning criticism (and one that is used often against the FC Twin) is the exclusive use of SNES controller ports. While you can use your SNES gear without fault, this means no slots to use classic NES gear such as the Zapper or Power Glove. Whether this is a big loss is dependent on whether you actually need a dose of Duck Hunt or Gyromite in your life. Finally, as a personal peeve, the included controllers have really short wires, so you’ll probably want to dump those for actual SNES controllers with longer wires (or even no wires) fairly quickly.

OVERALL: The FC Twin is a very nice, affordable, and space-saving alternative to the NES and Super NES in a time when both consoles can be hard to come by in a functional state. While the lack of compatibility for select titles will scare a few folks away, I wouldn’t mind sacrificing a few games for something as sweet as this. It’s certainly easier than to take your old NES apart and replacing the connectors unless you’re a soldering saavy person, in which case you wouldn’t be reading this review and started ordering the required pieces. In any case, if you’re looking to replay some classic games of an era long gone and are hard-pressed to find original hardware that still works – not to mention save a bit of space in the process – the FC Twin is your best bet.

So many people can say that they’ve got the hottest new video game console on the market, whether it’d be the Wii, XBox 360, or even the Playstation Grill. Since I’m not one of those folks, I’ll just say I got a Gamecube for thirty bucks, thus granting me possession of three of the four consoles of the previous generation (the last missing system being the Dreamcast, but I’m not going out of my way to find one because I have no bloody room to stock pile these consoles).

Along with the Cube, I also managed to proquire a Game Boy Player, which allows you to play Game Boy games on TV. This came about roughly a week after I had picked up the Super Game Boy peripheral for SNES, which works fine on the spiffy FC Twin console. Oh well. More retro stuff for me, I suppose.

Pulled this one out of mothballs recently and popped it in my NES, which has a tendency of working when it feels like it. Man, this brings back so many memories. The Middle-English dialogue, the simplistic quest to save the damsel and slay the dragon, the one-on-one random encounters, and the dreaded STAIRS command.

The original Dragon Warrior (now Dragon Quest) was one of the first RPGs on the NES and it managed to be a fairly satisfying game even to a 12-year-old kid at the time who couldn’t be bothered with them long, complicated game. The menu system was fairly simple to navigate and the battle system is even simpler. There’s no worries about getting poisoned or determining which elemental power does more damage; you either attack, cast a spell, use an item, or run away. That’s all you do and that’s all you really need.

Yeah, leveling-up is a bitch because each battle nets so little experience points and the need to go back to the castle to save your game is a nuissance, but on the other hand, it’s not a bad game. It’s a test of patience, but in a good way. If you can find a copy of this game, go ahead and give it a try.

I just read a report somewhere that attonery Jack Thompson, a longtime critic of video games, might face jail time for contempt in court due to his ramblings over the video game called Bully.

First thing that comes to mind is who’s Jack Thompson.  No, seriously. I don’t know who this guy is. Usually when I hear someone complain about a video game’s content, it’s usually incompetent parent organizations who would rather push censorship rather than regulate what their own kids play. If a guy’s name comes up and I don’t know him, goes to show how much of an impact he truly has.

Second thing that comes to mind is… this game Bully has controversial content? I better buy it then. I mean seriously. I absolutely love it when these people push a game into the limelight, telling consumers not to spend their money due to some hot coffee incident, and suddenly sales would spike because of it.

In a sense it’s similar to the MPAA giving free promotion to the pirate sites so that people, rather than avoiding them, will go ahead and download stuff off that site.

Of course, I don’t get why you’d want to download movies off the Internet. Sure, ticket prices are high these days, but would you rather pay twelve bucks for a clear picture and sound quality or download a video of some shoddy picture and camera work that a 3-year-old could probably outperform. It’s absolutely nuts.

But I digress.

It’d be interesting to see what comes out of this. But what really wacks me is that this Jack Thompson guy is apparently going after Midway because he is apparently creatable in the new Mortal Kombat game. Okay, so we can make a lawyer. Please, get over yourself. This is just an attempt to get more money off of people who’ve earned it. This guy, ironically enough, seems like a bully to me.

Then again, most religious groups tend to be.

I won’t go farther than that.

Later.

Originally posted on November 24th 2005:

Someone had managed to get a copy of the teaser trailer for the Dead or Alive movie, based on the series of fighting games featuring big-boobed women. All I can say is… WTF Indeed!

Just a few minutes ago, I caught a glimpse of the teaser for the movie again. Of course, now that I’ve shed my DOA virginity, I can comment on it a little more clearly… it’s still gonna suck and I don’t need any experience other than the game’s bouncing boobs to see that. Not that it doesn’t follow the game story or anything, but it just looks like a poor man’s Charlie’s Angels… with worse actors.

Another bit of info I recently realized as I researched this thing: Kevin Nash plays Bass Armstrong here, the pro-wrestler daddy to Tina, one of the bouncing-boobs in the game. If the two ever collide in the movie, Tina doesn’t have to worry because Nash will probably tear a quad trying to act.

If you don’t get the reference, it’s a wrestling thing.

So I’ve said it before: WTF indeed.

On a sidenote, apparently people are disappointed that Silent Hill is a subpar movie despite the kick-ass trailer. Welcome to the wonderful world of media hype.

Later, kids.

I got the Castlevania Double-Pack for GBA and man are those games fun. I had played Harmony before but never Sorrow, so that was a good experience. Sadly, Konami didn’t see fit to re-release Circle of the Moon, which I thought was one of the better GBA releases (though I may be in the minority on that one). So for the sake of things: my take on the games…

HARMONY: I found the game to be fairly easy for the most part (except for that Maxim bastard at the end), but it was still a fun experience. Never before had a game kept me up until two in the morning. Never happened before, I swear to God. That big a geek, I know. On top of that, the 8-Bit Simon in the Boss Rush mode kicked ass too.

ARIA: Better graphical quality than Harmony, which had a fairly muddy look to it. The various implementation of soul powers make me wonder why they hadn’t taken this path with Alucard in Symphony.

Overall, I’m happy with both games. Definitely a worthwhile purchase if you don’t already own them.