All posts for the month May, 2011

GameSpite takes on SaGa Frontier 2

In his debut article for GameSpite.net, Alex Reo examines another of producer Akitoshi Kawazu’s enigmas, SaGa Frontier 2 for the original PlayStation.

He’s quick to declare the game “an unplayable mess,” a phrase not uncommon in describing Kawazu’s games, but the article is actually positive, praising many of its other elements, especially the artwork. Ultimately, Reo felt that the game was worthwhile, and delivered “an engrossing experience.”

Check out the full article at GameSpite.net: SaGa Frontier 2

by Nester on May 31, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Games, News
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Posted by Nester on May 31, 2011

http://lvls.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/gamespite-takes-on-saga-frontier-2/

Awesome Enemy Encounters – Hitl…I mean, Master-D and Big Boss Bass

BOSS BATTLE GREATS – Master-D (NES, Bionic Commando, Capcom)

Localization can be fun sometimes.  Especially when you’re supposed to censor objectionable content…but you don’t and somehow magically get away with it.  Case in point – Hitler popping up in Bionic Commando (as Master-D, mind, but it’s OBVIOUSLY Hitler).  Now, as a boss itself, Hitler is pretty tame.  He has his melodramatic (and profane) moment of reviving, kills Gen. Killt, and then attempts to ride off in the Albatross, only to meet a gruesome (quite) end by having a rocket explode his face.  This happens within like ten minutes.  However, to NES players this stunning revelation and gory demise was quite poignant.  Radd Spenser had swung, shot and hacked his way through tons of BADD headquarters to stop the resurrection of Hitler?  That’s badd (sorry) ass to the max.  And you stop him by RPG’ing his head into a bloody display of pixelation unrivaled on the console?  He may be a brief pitstop on the overall scheme of the game, but damn, if it wasn’t memorable or satisfying witnessing such brazen ignoring of the strict rules Nintendo laid in place in those days.

ENEMY LEGEND – Big Boss Bass (NES, Super Mario Bros. 3, Nintendo)

If you’ve gotten to Water Land in Mario 3, you ought to recognize and fear this large Cheep-Cheep of insta-death.  That’s right – Big Boss Bass will eat Mario or Luigi, no matter how powered up they are (save Starman’s mighty influence, of course), and it’s an instant life loss.  And the nasty fish shows up on stages where you don’t want to see its ugly mug – stages with rising water and perilous platforming.  Realizing that there’s such a ravenous enemy in this game made me more tense and terrified, and that’s more than enough to call Big Boss Bass a true icon in foe creation.

by WildcatJF on May 30, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Enemy Encounters, Features, Games
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Posted by WildcatJF on May 30, 2011

http://lvls.wordpress.com/2011/05/30/awesome-enemy-encounters-hitl-i-mean-master-d-and-big-boss-bass/

Gmod Monday volume 5: Toasty Memorial Day!

Heywood Banks may be no Weird Al Yankovic, but this guy sure as hell knows his toasts! Add Banks’ vocal stylings to RadioactiveCaffeines’ incredible Gmod skills and you get this brilliant piece of work, delivered right to your doorstep!

Have a toasty Memorial Day, everybody!

by TEi on May 30, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Features, Games
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Posted by TEi on May 30, 2011

http://lvls.wordpress.com/2011/05/30/gmod-monday-volume-5-toasty-memorial-day/

Gamer’s Playlist – “Esperance”

Gamer's Playlist - Indigo-gos

This track from Mischief Makers plays during the first level, and it really embodies the charm and style of the game. It certainly makes me all nostalgic, and feel like I want to play it again!

It was composed by Treasure’s Norio Hanzawa, who has also worked on many other games throughout the developer’s catalog, from the original Gunstar Heroes to the recent Sin & Punishment: Star Successor. His distinct synth style is part of what makes Treasure’s game so memorable and endearing.

Title: “Esperance”
Composer: Norio Hanzawa

by Nester on May 30, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Features, Gamer's Playlist, Games, Music
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Posted by Nester on May 30, 2011

http://lvls.wordpress.com/2011/05/30/gamers-playlist-esperance/

Fantastic Fictional Females: Princess Peach

I hate Princess Peach. She’s a moron, she’s an archetypal damsel in distress – hell, she’s almost as outright insulting as Zelda. It’s kind of disheartening to know that Nintendo is still reliant on such an archaic cliche in a game series that doesn’t really boast much plot to begin with.

But…is it possible that she’s not all that bad? Perhaps. The answers lie in this week’s edition of Fantastic Fictional Females!

by TEi on May 29, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Fantastic Fictional Females, Features, Games
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Posted by TEi on May 29, 2011

http://lvls.wordpress.com/2011/05/29/fantastic-fictional-females-princess-peach/

Weekly Whose Line? – Hats x 2

Enjoy two Hats games for the price of one this week.

by WildcatJF on May 29, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Film
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Posted by WildcatJF on May 29, 2011

http://lvls.wordpress.com/2011/05/29/weekly-whose-line-hats-x-2/

A Celebration of Dragon Quest over at 1UP

Jeremy Parish and some of his Gamespite cohorts have put up a rather nice 25th anniversary retrospective on Enix’s Dragon Quest at 1UP, a series I happen to love quite a bit myself.  I’d like to try to get my Favorite Franchise piece for the series done this week as my attempt at commemorating the event, but we’ll see how time pans out.  There’s always this, though!

by WildcatJF on May 28, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Games, News
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Posted by WildcatJF on May 28, 2011

http://lvls.wordpress.com/2011/05/28/a-celebration-of-dragon-quest-over-at-1up/

Nester’s Favorite Games – The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (2000)

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms: Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii

The Game: An action-adventure game in which you must repeat the same three days over and over in an attempt to prevent the moon from falling out of the sky.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

The various masks also add twists to the gamplay, particularly in the form of transformations.

Why it’s a Favorite: The twist of the “three-day cycle” in this installment of Nintendo’s Zelda franchise was not to everyone’s taste, but its semi-realistic depiction of time created one of the most realistic-feeling worlds in the series. Being able to see characters go about their daily lives, deal with their own personal problems, and how they face the impending apocalypse added a lot of weight to the narrative, and made the game feel a little more like Yu Suzuki’s Shenmue.

It’s also one of the most richly detailed Zelda games. A lot about the story, characters, and the mysterious world of Termina isn’t told directly, but must be deciphered by the player through hints mentioned in dialog and seen in the environments.

With the emphasis on side quests in which you must help various characters, having the puzzles reset with every iteration of the three days can make it difficult for the player to feel like he’s making progress. However, it also leads up to one of the most satisfying endings in any of the Zelda games.

Memorable Moments: Transforming into a guitar-playing Zora.

by Nester on May 27, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Games, Opinions
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Posted by Nester on May 27, 2011

http://lvls.wordpress.com/2011/05/27/nesters-favorite-games-the-legend-of-zelda-majoras-mask-2000/

Virtual Console No-Shows: U.N. Squadron (SNES), Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (N64)

Today’s No-Shows covers two excellent games held up in licensing limbo.

55. U.N. Squadron (SNES, Capcom)

U.N. Squadron

Brief Synopsis – A horizontal shoot-em-up based on a Japanese manga called Area 88, its North American release stripped out the license but left pretty much everything else intact.  Highly praised as one of the finest in the genre.

Why is it Missing? – Could we blame the license?  I would.  Originally connected to Area 88, Capcom would likely have to re-license the manga to be able to re-release this game, even though U.N. Squadron is disconnected from it in name.  Nester commented that the name alone was all that was changed – the characters and likenesses are identical to Area 88.  If there’s some sort of loophole, I would imagine Capcom would have exploited it by now.

Other (Legal) Options – The Super NES cartridge is the easiest choice, although Capcom did license it out for other companies to port it to PC systems like the Amiga, C64 and Atari ST.  I don’t know how good the PC ports are, though.  The original arcade cabinet did the same name switch as the SNES port (i.e. Area 88 in Japan, U.N. Squadron in the US), but I can’t vouch for how easily it can be found.  Nester played it!

56. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (N64, Activision)

Brief Synopsis – After his success in the X Games, Tony Hawk teamed up with Activision to recreate the excitement of skateboarding, and thus created one of the finest sports titles ever made.  While the franchise has been driven into the ground by now, it was rather revolutionary back in the day.

Why is it Missing? – Can you say licensing nightmare?  I can.  Between getting all of the skaters back on board, there’s the brands associated with them and their boards and clothes, plus all of the music and outside supporters like Mountain Dew (which you can make out in the screenshot).  Activision may be rich, but they’re not going to make the effort to reacquire all of those licenses to re-release this game over again.  *They’d rather make a new one that sucks. :p *

Other (Legal) Options – This hit the PS1, N64, Dreamcast and PC, so there’s plenty of options in this case.

by WildcatJF on May 27, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Features, Games, Virtual Console No-Shows
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Posted by WildcatJF on May 27, 2011

http://lvls.wordpress.com/2011/05/27/virtual-console-no-shows-u-n-squadron-snes-tony-hawks-pro-skater-n64/

Music Wednesdays – Bôa’s “Duvet” (acoustic)

A slight cheat, as I’ve covered the original version back in Anime Sunday’s heyday, but this acoustic take is beautifully done and is as great a performance as the original, and shines in its own unique way.  Enjoy!

by WildcatJF on May 25, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Features, Music
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Posted by WildcatJF on May 25, 2011

http://lvls.wordpress.com/2011/05/25/music-wednesdays-boas-duvet-acoustic/

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