Splatterhouse is a diabolical, gruesomely violent game for the Turbografx-16/PC Engine based on the Namco beat ’em up arcade title of the same name. There were two direct sequels made for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, but the TG-16/PC Engine has the one and only original – unless you live in Japan and owned an FM Towns Marty in the mid 90s, but who did?

You play the game as Rick, a parapsychology student trapped behind a terror mask that makes him look an awful lot like Jason Voorhees. Your goal is to save girlfriend, Jennifer, who is lost inside the mansion of Dr. West. Dr. West was known to conduct ethically questionable experiments in his mansion before going missing. You’ll find out soon enough what the ramifications were for Dr. West’s experiments, and it is unlikely that anyone has ever entered the mansion and returned to tell the tale. Luckily for Rick, the terror mask gives him superhuman strength, which he will need in order to dispatch the disgusting onslaught of monsters.

The plot is straight out of a horror film, and there are numerous references to other movies of the time, such as the aforementioned Friday the 13th (Jason), Poltergeist (inanimate objects become projectiles), Re-animator and The Evil Dead (the dead coming back to life to wreak havoc on the living) as well as countless other homages not mentioned here. The gameplay is basic side scrolling beat ’em up where you can use either your fists, legs or weapons you pick up throughout the game in order to literally splat your enemies against the walls and floors around you.

The plot may seem like the basic “save your girl” variety, but what sets Splatterhouse apart is the game design and graphics. For starters, your attack is very satisfying, resulting in an audible crunch/squish/splat of your annihilated enemies. It doesn’t take long to get the hang of the timing of your melee attacks or the appropriate time to use weapons and jump/slide attacks. However, the controls are really just the beginning of what makes Splatterhouse memorable.
Nothing can prepare you for the grotesque variety of enemies & level bosses which are key to the game’s appeal. Throughout the game you will encounter decomposing bodies which vomit acid, a room full of intestines with parasitic worms crawling out of the piles, skinless bodies falling from the ceiling, alien like water monsters and gruesome infant-blob hybrids that slither along the floor. And that only scratches the surface of the horrors you will face.

Level bosses tend to up the gross & fear factor as well, and one of the most memorable level bosses is **SPOILER ALERT** your kidnapped girlfriend, who transforms into a terrifying monster right in front of your eyes after begging you to save her. Yikes! Splatterhouse is essentially a playable nightmare or horror film, and this particular nightmare/horror film is an immensely enjoyable one. If you can stomach it.

My favorite level in Splatterhouse is hard to choose. Splatterhouse contains so many great levels, but some in the second half of the game are very frustrating due to cheap hits and annoying enemies. Probably my favorite level, or stage as the game calls them, would be level 3. This particular level is the only one in the game that takes place outside of the mansion. You spend your time walking through a forest in order to reach another part of the mansion where Jennifer is being kept. You have to cross a bridge, where hands will grab you and pull you down to a sub-level if you’re not careful, as well as jumping over spikes, avoiding vomit throwing enemies, angry zombie dogs and red monsters. The first thing you’ll encounter during this level is something you have not seen up to this point. That would be the game’s best weapon: the shotgun.

The shotgun is the best weapon in the game, mainly because it allows for long-range attacks that other weapons such as wooden planks and axes don’t provide. The downside is that they contain limited ammo, so they must be used sparingly. Level 3 will offer you two shotguns, one at the very beginning and one closer to the end. You cannot pick up and hold both at the same time, so you can either use the first one trying to get to the end of the level unscathed, or you can attempt to save it by bringing it with you and using melee attacks instead of shotgun attacks. You can also drop it to pick up rocks that are useful against the vomit-spewing enemies. In my opinion, the best technique is to utilize them both at the level 3 boss by continuing to drop and pick the first shotgun up until you encounter the second shotgun. At this point you’ll have to keep dropping them and picking them up until you reach the screen where you meet up with the game’s best enemy.

As for the game’s best enemy, this one’s easy for me. The first time I encountered the level 3 boss, I was genuinely nervous. It is a huge, skinless monstrosity with a bag tied over it’s head and two chainsaws for arms, and that in itself is enough reason to quiver and reconsider you’re choice to pop this game into your Turbografx-16. On top of that, the music changes to a frantic pace in an attempt to increase the tension, while a high-pitched buzzing attempts to mimic the sounds of twin, flesh-chewing chainsaws. I have been programmed to think of chainsaws as one of the most horrible weapons for killing people thanks to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and it being an X-rated movie back when I was a kid. My assumption was that the gore level in the movie was so beyond what was acceptable for an R-rated film that it had to become this ultra-restricted movie-going event. This reason alone causes my skin to crawl each time I fight the level 3 boss.

Because of the enemy’s large size, its reach is also long, so unless you want to get chopped into bits by the chainsaw arms, your best chance of survival is to blast him with the two shotguns. If you don’t have two shotguns, you can still do a lot of damage by ducking when it jumps across the screen and using slide kicks to stay under it’s chainsaws. Once defeated, it simply dissolves as if it was never there.

I thoroughly enjoy Splatterhouse, and in my opinion it is a must own for your TurboGrafx-16. Saving Jennifer won’t be easy, but you’ll be granted numerous continues which assist your efforts. I’ve played through the game and there are a couple of surprises that await the brave souls who venture into Splatterhouse. The game’s final boss fight is definitely winnable once you recognize the patterns, but the ending may haunt you long after Halloween is over.

Grade: A-

The post Splatterhouse (Turbografx-16) appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

Games aren’t just games. Sure, they can bring about great pride in gaming achievements, but more importantly, we’ve all had times that games massively affected our lives, whether they connected us with new friends, helped mend old relationships, or provided a distraction from the traumas of life. Before the apocalyptic age of the internet, people connected in person. We experienced life and made stories worth telling. But even in the digital age, one platform continues to connect people: video games. Whether it be experiences from long ago or building in-person relationships that began with online gaming, our heart containers are full with stories, both old and new, that began with a press of the power button or a drop of a quarter. These are some of those stories….

It’s no secret that fathers and sons don’t typically deeply connect on an emotional level. It’s just not in our DNA for dudes and dads to sit down together and share our feelings. That doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy each other’s company or wish to live in solitude (at least not always), we just need an activity to facilitate some form of engagement. For me and my Pops, we were fortunate to have two things in our lives, reasons to get together, have fun, and compete: basketball and video games. Now I won’t lie, catching a dime from my Pops up near the rim, hammering it home, and high fiving my Dad on the way back down the court was a pretty awesome experience, but we had just as many good times and made just as many memories holding an NES or SEGA controller at home. Plus we’re at an age now that we won’t be sprinting down a basketball court any time soon, but we’ll always be able to fire up Contra and take a trip back in time.

My earliest memory of playing games with my Dad was around 1981 in Carter’s Supermarket. They had a brand new Centipede arcade sitting right at the end of the first grocery aisle. I didn’t know what that huge machine was or what it did, but it was perfect! Dad dropped a quarter into the slot, and it made the coolest sounds! I wasn’t tall enough to see the screen, but when Dad said, “Go!,” I would reach as high as I could and tap a button as fast as I could. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I had the time of my life! No matter what may have been happening up there on the screen, I felt a connection with my Dad, we were doing something awesome! As I would later find out, we were killing bugs, spiders, and some weird beetle thing that dropped down from the top, turning all the shootable mushrooms into stone! I couldn’t wait for the next shopping trip!

Then as kids typically do, I grew up. Dads and kids and everyone else get busy with life. Kids get attitudes, parents get irritated, we lash out, we get angry, we pout, but no matter how hard-headed fathers and sons may be, we could always come back, pull up a chair, grab a controller, and fire up a game.  

So many hours were spent competing head-to-head in nine hard fought innings of Hardball on the Sega Genesis! Boston vs. Chicago, every game ended in a difference of less than two runs, never a blowout. I’m sure the series is probably currently tied at around 500. Sewer Shark on the Sega CD was another go-to. Occasionally, you’ll still hear “Track it through the tubes!” ring throughout the house when the families get together. But the game that pushed our NES console to its limits was Contra! Every Christmas morning, Pops would ask, “I wonder if Santa brought the new Contra?” (He really didn’t know since Mom did the shopping). After tearing through the presents and finding the newest alien-killing adventure of Bill and Lance, we typically had it beaten before lunch time. (except Contra: Hard Corps, because Wow! That game is hard!…..corps)

I have so many other great memories of playing games with the most important people in my life. Mario Kart 64 with my Mom, NBA Jam and Retromania with my son, all-nighters of Duke Nukem 64 with my brother, and of course, every date night for over a year, playing Halo 3 online with my would-be wife! Yes, as they say, the frequency of Halo play after marriage is significantly less than during the dating years, but we still hop in the Warthog from time to time and light up overconfident 20-somethings, showing them the old folks can still whoop some tail!

But fathers and sons, with millions of years of evolution placing an emotional barrier between them and forcing them to talk only about sports and the weather, need something a little more, an extra push to engage and interact. Thanks to Centipede, Hardball, Sewer Shark, and Contra, I spent time with my Pops that non-gaming kids didn’t get to have with theirs. Today, when I walk into Carter’s Supermarket, I can still feel the excitement of smashing that button on Centipede and saving the world with my Dad! 

The post “More Than A Game” appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

For those who don’t know, Limited Run Games (LRG) is a game company that releases limited physical copies of games.  These games range from Indies to retro collections.  Sometimes they even make reproduction carts of certain games like Star Wars Episode 1 Racer or put the Turok games on a physical disc/cart for current consoles.  They are no stranger to nostalgia as some of the games they released come in boxes that resemble Game Boy boxes or N64 boxes (like Shantae and Doom 64).  Their attention to detail is quite commendable, I bought Racer for a friend and it came in a package resembling that of a Star Wars toy from the late 90s.  Just like the name suggests when they say ‘limited’ they mean it.  Games are only in production for a certain amount of time and once they’re gone, they’re gone.  Miss the preorder window or wake up too late for a limited preorder window and you’re plum out of luck.  If you were hoping they would possibly reprint popular titles then I have bad news.  According to LRG’s FAQ page, numbered games won’t get reprinted but they may order more than they need for cons and sell those off later.

So why is buying from LRG a conundrum?  Well for starters you have to ask yourself this question first.  How long are you willing to wait to get your games?  People who have preordered certain games have waited 8 months to nearly a year AFTER they preordered to get their games and Collector’s Editions.  If you were to look up reviews about LRG at TrustPilot they are not kind.  Most reviews talk about how long it took for customers to get their products, and I have first-hand experience with the wait time.  In May of 2021, I preordered DOOM: The Classics Collection Special Edition.  I bought it the first day the preorder window opened and started waiting.  LRG does plainly state that this is a preorder and explains that production will begin once the preorder window is closed.

After the window is closed the estimated time to get our order is 4-5 months.  All of this is clearly explained, but what bothered customers (myself included) was that no clear end date for the preorders was given.  The lack of communication from LRG was also a thorn in many customers’ sides.  Months went by when I finally got an email in November of 2021.  Now, this was amid the pandemic and global shipping was a mess so extra time was needed which was understandable.  The email said they hope to be getting the last piece of my order after Thanksgiving.  I wouldn’t receive another update until December making sure to finalize my address.  Come February 1st I would finally get an email with the tracking information.  I ordered in May and got my game in February, a 10-month wait.

Todd “The Top Loader”s update screen

Supply chain issues can be forgiven, especially in 2021, but it seems that said problems are still the go-to explanation from LRG for long wait times.  If the reviews are to be believed, people are still waiting months, if not a year or two to get their items, and that’s only in the United States.  A friend of mine in Australia (who goes by @The_Top_Loader on Twitter) ordered some games back in August of 2021 and just got them a few days ago.  Waited nearly 8 months for his games and is STILL waiting for his Castlevania game.  The snapshot was taken the day this article was written.  What I didn’t mention in my story earlier was that I also ordered 2 more games from LRG in a flash sale and both of those games came in the next week after I ordered them.  These games were already produced, hence the shorter wait time, but it still bothered me that a product I ordered months ago was still a ways off.

The conundrum continues when it comes to buying games from them.  Especially when it comes to limited preorders which seem to sell out almost instantly.  Just recently another sale was announced with special editions of Shantae and Scott Pilgrim up for grabs.  While these are great games, the true prize was a physical copy of River City Girls.  This game was available in past sales but sold out quickly, and now there was another chance to not only get the game but a special convention cover as well.  LRG sales go live on their website at 10 AM Eastern time, so I had to set an alarm before 7 AM to try and snag a copy.  Well, when 7 AM hit, I clicked the link to add the game to my cart and the website glitched.  The website thought I wanted 3 copies of the game.  It gave me a warning message to lower the quantity down to 1.  The button to reduce the number of copies I wanted wasn’t responsive and I was essentially stuck.  I had the game(s) in my cart but I couldn’t check out due to the quantity limit.  I finally clicked “Fix Amount” and when I got to the checkout page it informed me that the game was sold out.  I was fighting the website for 5 minutes to get the right amount of copies I wanted (which was 1 by the way) and ended up with nothing.  In my sleep-deprived state, I went to Twitter to vent and saw other would-be buyers furious.   According to the Twitter thread, River City Girls sold out in mere seconds once 7 AM hit.  While LRG did say “Limited Quantities” they didn’t say how limited they were.  To me, the fact that this game was sold out in seconds means that either bots were used by scalpers, or they had less than 50 copies of the game to sell.

One more glaring issue that has come up with LRG is their customer service or lack thereof.  Mostly this is dealing with customers who are trying to get updates on their orders and not getting a response.  A friend of mine from Europe has dealt with this first hand.  According to her, she has contacted LRG multiple times to no avail.  So the conundrum lies with this, do we deal with all of that, or just buy them digitally so we can play the games now?  To an outsider looking in the obvious answer is just to buy the game digitally.  That way you wouldn’t have to wait for nearly a year to get your game.  Yet there is one more caveat we have to talk about.  A lot of games are announced with no physical release date in mind.  Meaning some games are out for weeks, sometimes months, before LRG could announce a physical version.  It happened to me with Panzer Paladin and Castlevania Requiem.  While I eventually double dipped with Panzer Paladin, I skipped the Castlevania one out of impatience.  So for some who were dead set on getting a physical copy not only had to wait for their games to come in but wait for an official announcement from LRG as well.

While I’ve been very critical of LRG, I must point out that I do believe they are trying to do something good.  So how can LRG improve?  For starters, they can improve their line of communication with customers.  Make sure buyers know how long exactly they will have to wait once they put in their preorder.  Also, send out regular updates on said orders to customers so they know what’s going on.  It would’ve put my mind at ease if I knew when exactly production was going to start instead of constantly wondering where my order was.  Besides better communication, the website could also use some debugging.  I understand in this day and age we retro collectors have to constantly fight with scalpers and resellers.  So seeing a title that we want get sold out instantly is a tad heartbreaking, especially when we west coasters have to wake up at 7 AM.

At the end of the day, it all boils down to what you, the consumer, are OK with.  If you are OK with a long wait for your item then go for it.  When I finally got my copy of DOOM everything was in the box as promised when I preordered it.  It should also be said that LRG does have deals with other developers and distributes their games.  It was announced through Twitter that they will be the distributor for the upcoming Shredder’s Revenge game.  Even sometimes they’ll have special variant covers of older games for retailers like Best Buy or Amazon.  That’s how I got my copies of Shantae and Shantae: Risky’s Revenge (pictured right).  You will have to either jump through hoops or wait a very long time to get what you want, but I will say the result was mostly worth it.  I want to buy more games from LRG, but if they can improve the issues most people have then we can breathe easy, knowing some of our favorite games will be available physically.

The post The Limited Run Conundrum appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

In the year 1978, Japan’s citizens fell prey to the never-ending onslaught of Space Invaders. Of course, these were not actual alien invaders from space that struck the island country, but rather digital creatures from a video game that everyone in Japan lined up to play. Developed by Taito Corporation, The Space Invaders, “Invader Craze” phenomenon meant that Japanese players could find a Space Invaders machine to play almost anywhere they turned. The phenomenon was just as big overseas, and though the game concept was often copied, Taito quickly released several sequels throughout the years. With over 11 games in the series, it was tedious to find an easy way to play the official Space Invader games. Thanks to Space Invaders: Invincible Collection, though, it’s effortless to check out the entire series and brush up on some quick Space Invaders facts in one extraordinary collection.

Games included:

• Space Invaders (1978, Arcade) – black and white version

• Space Invaders (1978, Arcade) – color version

• Space Invaders Part II (1979, Arcade)

• Lunar Rescue (1979, Arcade)

• Space Cyclone (1980, Arcade)

• Majestic Twelve: The Space Invaders Part IV (1990, Arcade)

• Super Space Invaders ’91 (1990, Arcade)

• Space Invaders DX (1994, Arcade)

• Space Invaders Extreme (2008)

• Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE (2018)

As soon as you get past the title screen, you are presented with instant access to each game, displayed with its original logo and some fascinating factoids about each game as well. Anyone who was thoroughly addicted to an older Space Invaders game will find instant satisfaction playing it again. If you are one of those players that found the concept of Space Invaders too slow and primitive, you should still give this collection a chance, especially with Space Invaders Extreme.

Space Invaders Extreme kicks the original game into high gear and adds incredible visuals and sounds for an experience never seen in a Space Invaders game before. If you enjoyed the soundtrack from Rez or WipeOut, you’d be right at home here with the terrific techno beats the game offers. From shooting your laser to blowing up Invaders, each action you perform will add a beat or note to the music. The pulsing visuals are constantly changing on each stage and look glorious on the Nintendo Switch’s built-in screen or when the console is docked.

While I appreciated the tiny bits of history listed under the comments section of each game, I would have loved to see more complete details of these games by those involved in making them. Taito is a phenomenal company with such tremendous video game history, and it’s sad that the history of Space Invaders from the creator side isn’t celebrated more in this collection. Despite the lack of any informational extras, the game is a solid collection of Space Invaders history, and “Extreme” is well worth the investment by itself.

The post Space Invaders Invincible Collection Review (Nintendo Switch) appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO START COLLECTING

Loose carts like these normally go a lot cheaper than they would if they still were in their original boxes.

  When it comes to starting a retro video game collection there are a WIDE amount of options to choose from with so many different variables that I could probably fill a book about it.  Yet we’re going to start small.  It’s always best to know what aspect you want to start your collection with.  Do you just want to buy games or do you want the systems as well?  Do you want multiple systems and Special Editions of those systems?  Are you OK with loose carts or do they have to be CIB’s (Complete in Box)?  Which generation of consoles do you want to start out with?  It’s these types of questions you should ask yourself before you start going out and spending money on random games and consoles.  A good rule of thumb is to start with one game console you are familiar with and go from there.  For example I still have my original PlayStation and and I when I do go game hunting I look for games that I’ve always wanted to play but never had the chance to or I’ve lost/sold them when I was young.  One day I found a copy of Final Fantasy Chronicles for the PlayStation for $15 in pristine condition.  This copy of the game came with Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy IV.  I love the Final Fantasy franchise but Chrono Trigger was the reason I bought it.  It was a game I’ve never played but always wanted to and now it’s in my collection, waiting to be played.  It’s always best to start with what you are familiar with, and if you still have the system that’s a huge plus.

DECIDE WETHER YOU’RE COLLECTING TO PLAY, OR COLLECTING TO SHOW

It’s hard to see but the word ‘masterpiece’ is misspelled and misprinted.

Every collector marches to the beat of their own drum, and whatever you want to do when it comes to your collection go ahead and do it.  However this is one thing every game collector should know about themselves because some games, even if they are the same title, can and will be sold at different prices where the difference is hundreds of dollars.  My copy of Final Fantasy Chronicles I mentioned earlier?  It was a PlayStation Greatest Hits reprint of the game with the Square Enix logo on the cover.  I have seen that exact same game at other stores but it was priced over $40.  Why was it so expensive compared to the $15 one I got?  Well because it was a first print run of the game, had the Squaresoft logo on the box and the black PlayStation border on it as well.  I’m a collector who collects to play, I really don’t care if it’s a first run or not or if the game I’m looking for is a CIB.  If I can afford it, the game works, and I can play it when I want, I’m most likely getting it.  Other collectors however may not think the same way.  They may only want the first print of games or they only want certain packaging and that’s OK.  Just know that those games are going to be way more expensive than their loose cart/greatest hits counterparts.  I found a copy of Final Fantasy VII that was being sold for over $200 because there was a misprint on the box (like the one shown above).  I’ve also come across copies of Mario Kart 64 where the cart itself is only $35 but CIB can go for $100-$125.  Of course some of those CIB’s can be considered the crown jewel of one person’s collection, and if you have to have that specific title, then save up and wait.  It may take longer to get it and buying it online can be risky, but if you’re willing to be patient and save up the money you need for your favorite game then go for it.

HD REMAKES/RERELEASES AND MINI CONSOLES ARE NOT THE ENEMY

Once again, beat of their own drum, however this tip is aiming at the more limited budget readers of this article.  Now, obviously certain games will be more expensive than others and they are also very rare to come by, luckily we now live in an age where we can play certain games with ease than we could a few years ago.  Games like Crash Bandicoot and the Spyro trilogies are great examples.  The games are essentially the same as they were back in the 90’s but the visuals have been overhauled and they are cheaper to get and will definitely work on modern consoles.  One drawback to collecting older consoles is that as the years go by these things get worn out and may not be compatible with newer TVs.  There are console clones which DO work with HDTVs and most of them can play multiple games.  There are also HDMI cable adapters for those original consoles as well incase you are going the purist route.  However if all you really want is a solid library of games then the mini’s are a great way to start.  I’ve talked about how much I’ve enjoyed the mini consoles here before so I won’t go too much into detail, but most of them do come with super rare and hard to find games.  Personally the recent release of Collection of Mana for the Nintendo Switch made me jump for joy.  I’ve always wanted to play Secret of Mana for the SNES, but never owned one.  I bought a SNES Classic Edition just to play it and with The Collection of Mana I can play the first game but also the never released in North America Trials of Mana.  So if you’ve never played a classic game like Secret of Mana or Crash Bandicoot and you have a modern console, then getting the HD remake isn’t a bad play, especially since those games are $40 new.

I hope these tips are able to help you out, and if you need more tips then no worries!  As of this writing I am currently working on the second part of this piece so more tips are on the way.

The post The Cheap Person’s Guide to Starting A Retro Game Collection. Part 1. appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

Lets rewind the clock a bit to a few years ago.  Activision announced that they would be fully remaking the entire Crash Bandicoot trilogy in one complete package.  Full HD visuals, trophies, the works.  Fans couldn’t believe it. I personally thought the Crash franchise was dead and buried.  Turns out I was wrong, and not only did the original games get a HD remake, but the classic kart game, CTR: Crash Team Racing got one too and came out just this year.  All of a sudden, Naughty Dog’s famous ex-mascot, and the mascot for the original PlayStation, was back in our living rooms once again.  Before this release, the only way to play these classic games was if you got the original PlayStation games.  A quick search on eBay and you can find a full, manual included copy, for around $25. It’s not going to break the bank, but you would have to deal with some glitches and the pain of plugging in your PlayStation if you need to do that sort of thing.  The visual update is also a VERY welcome addition.  Personally I’m OK with seeing past the poorly rendered polygons of the N64 and PlayStation era, but for some gamers they have been spoiled on those HD, 4K graphics we’ve come to expect from modern games.  Yet the looks aren’t the important part, it’s the gameplay and if the game is still fun.  For Crash, it definitely was.  The game was still very challenging and I laughed every time I saw a click bait article complaining about the difficulty.  Even the Spyro Trilogy got high marks.  The reviewer for the IGN Link’s Awakening article said that “this is a masterclass in remaking a timeless classic.”  You can read that whole review here.  To me that means the game is essentially the same with some updated visuals and added modes that enhance the experience, not take away from it.

Of course not every remake has been met with praise upon release.  The most recent one that comes to mind is the Secret of Mana remake that came out for the PS4 just last year.  The game was plagued with random crashes and fans weren’t really happy with the finished product.  Yet when I heard about it I was ecstatic, it was a game I’ve always wanted to play but couldn’t because I didn’t have a SNES (until the classic came out of course).  Yet once the reviews came out and I saw the game first hand, I was a little bummed.  Yet with that Nintendo Direct we got earlier this month revealing some gameplay footage of a completely remade Trials of Mana, my hype started all over again.

Bottom line is that we gamers love a remake of a classic game from our childhoods.  I can’t tell you how many times my friends and I have wished for a complete remake of Pokemon Snap from the N64, and just look at the hype for the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Remake.  Of course we should all take the announcements of these remakes and remasters with a grain of salt, but when they do come out and turn out to be great games, it makes us love them even more than when we did when we were kids.

The post Retro Remakes appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

Now you must be thinking, “But Ben, why are we living in a golden age of retro gaming?  Just because Nintendo made some older games playable?”  Well to put it frankly… yes.  After watching the Direct I started thinking, and this day and age is perfect for retro gamers of all ages because these classic games are readily available to us to play right now.  It’s the active availability for these games that makes it great, and it’s not just Nintendo that’s doing it (although in my personal opinion they are doing the best job of making their old school titles more available).  The SEGA Genesis Mini is going to be out soon and if you walk into the game section at Target I’m willing to bet you can find the Atari flashback systems or the collection game for the PS4 and Xbox.  Now some game collectors and retro gamers may scoff at this and will only go with the physical copy, and that is a totally fine.  I would also go the route of having the original game and system but sadly I’m on a VERY tight budget and can’t be spending a ton of money on original game consoles and their games.  Especially when the games I really want are rare and those carts cost a very pretty penny.  For gamers on a budget this is perfect, I love my Switch and the fact I could play one of my favorite NES games Ice Hockey on it without having to plug my NES into a TV that may not be compatible is a nostalgia dream come true.

It’s not just the games being ready to play on newer systems that makes this a golden age.  More and more companies are making controllers and cables for classic systems that can work with HDTVs as well as all in one gaming systems so you can still play your classic games without the hassle of unplugging and replugging in consoles.  I’ve also noticed more and more retro game conventions and arcades have been popping up more and more and that couldn’t make me happier.  People are going out to have fun at arcades again, plus it may also help that some of these new retro arcades that have been opening are also bars but hey, it works.  Even when I go shopping with my girlfriend I’m noticing stores coming out with retro game inspired products be it clothing or other knick knacks.  Now this could just be a phase and the old Retro video game style may vanish quicker than we think, but when game companies keep making their older and beloved games readily available to the masses, it makes me smile.  Not only could I play a classic game I loved when I was a kid, but I could also introduce said game to my (future) kids and show them how it’s done.

The post A (Current) Golden Age of Retro Gaming appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

You can’t really blame anyone who had spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on a console, games and peripherals over the past 4-5 years to not be willing to just drop the NES like your high school girlfriend or boyfriend after graduation. Nintendo’s own 16-bit effort, the SNES, had been released in Japan the year prior and would soon be making its worldwide debut, so Nintendo fans knew the end was coming for their beloved NES. That being said, Nintendo made the smart business move to continue to develop and release quality games for the NES throughout 1991 while the fervor for the SNES built up in North America and Europe.

One of the biggest and most anticipated (some would say over-hyped) releases for the NES in 1991 was Battletoads. Battletoads was an action platformer starring muscle-bound, attitude-heavy, green space amphibians with obnoxious names such as Rash, Pimple and Zitz.
Battletoads was clearly Rare and Tradewest’s response to the popularity of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and as a result appeared to be a blatant knock-off on the surface. As a subscriber to Nintendo Power at the time, I was treated to images and “coming soon” articles hyping up Battletoads as the next big thing. To me, Battletoads looked derivative. It looked like it was going to be the Mac and Me to TMNT’s E.T. The Critters to TMNT’s Gremlins. That might have been the truth if Battletoads had sucked, but the reality is there are a lot of gamers out there today that prefer Battletoads to the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the NES, and even some of the sequels, such as The Arcade Game or The Manhattan Project.

Regardless of what side of the anthropomorphism you prefer, Battletoads is widely regarded as one of the most difficult video games of all time. Just try playing the Volkmire Inferno level (or better yet, Youtube it) and you’ll see what I mean. Battletoads is best played as a 2-player co-op game for the simple fact you can share in the misery of this brutally difficult game with a friend.
At the opposite end of those 8-bit Nintendo hold-outs, there was a new generation of Sega-led video gaming that was well under way. While the Genesis/Mega Drive had been a success with gamers ready to take that next technological leap, there was no indication that it would be much more than a second place console once the Super Nintendo was released later that year.
What most couldn’t foresee was the impact that a little blue hedgehog that had to “go fast” would soon have on the buying public. Sega released their flagship-in-training console war game changer, Sonic the Hedgehog, on June 23, 1991. The game was an instant success thanks to extreme and clever marketing tactics by Sega. Much has already been made about Sonic’s impact in closing the sales gap on the Nintendo juggernaut. For those of us alive and gaming in the summer of 1991, Sonic mania was in full force, and whether you owned the console or not, you couldn’t escape his smirk and waving finger.

PC Gaming
PC gamers seemed to always have a decent selection of adventure and role playing games to choose from and one of the more notable PC releases from May/June 1991 was Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Eye of the Beholder. Eye of the Beholder is a first person point-and-click RPG developed by Westwood Associates and published for PCs by Strategic Simulations Inc. Released for various DOS based computers as well as the Amiga computer prior to being ported to the Sega CD & SNES a few years later, Eye of the Beholder allows you to maneuver a team of four characters through dungeons in an attempt to thwart the evil beholder’s attempts at taking over the city from underneath.

The amount of strategy needed to master this game requires a large learning curve, which is what makes this kind of RPG/strategy game perfect for those who enjoy investing the time & patience. Once the 1990s kicked in, I typically (right or wrong) associated PC gaming with RPGs and strategy or text-based adventures as opposed to the arcade conversions PC gaming was previously known for in the 1980s. The first person shooter phenomenon would soon be upon us, but until then, games like Eye of the Beholder ruled the PC gaming roost.

Arcades
If a gamer felt like leaving the comfort of his or her home, grabbing some quarters and engaging in the social experience of an arcade, what might that person have played in late spring/early summer 1991? There’s a decent chance that The Simpsons arcade game would have been gobbling up the quarters of fans of co-op beat ’em ups and the popular television show on Fox. The Simpsons had reached maximum pop culture saturation by 1991 with the TV show having just finished it’s second season, The Simpsons: Bart vs the Space Mutants having been released for the NES earlier in the year, as well The Simpsons Sing the Blues, a popular CD tie-in with earworm songs such as Deep, Deep Trouble & Do the Bartman catapulting Bart Simpson to the top of the popularity heap.

Konami‘s The Simpsons seemed like a no-brainer success by allowing gamers a chance to play as one of the four main Simpsons family members in a 4-player beat ’em up style. The gameplay of The Simpsons bears more than a passing resemblance to the Teenage Ninja Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game also developed by Konami. It would have been easy for Konami to use the bones of the TMNT arcade engine in order to quickly release a Simpsons game that could capitalize on the hype of the television show.

The plot of the game revolves around Montgomery Burns and Waylon Smithers after they kidnap Maggie in order to retrieve a stolen diamond that she accidentally swallowed. Each of the Simpsons characters has a unique fighting style and/or weapon, such as a vacuum cleaner for Marge, skateboard for Bart, jump rope for Lisa and basic melee attacks for Homer.

In order to save Maggie, the Simpsons clan have to battle a variety of enemies, some familiar, some created specifically for the game, in locations such as the streets of Springfield, Moe’s Tavern, Krustyland Amusement Park and the Nuclear Power Plant.
The Simpsons Arcade Game is colorful, filled with recognizable characters, tons of humor and action and is way, way more fun to play with friends. One of the many aspects of The Simpsons that makes it unique is the option for players to use each other in a variety of combinations to perform deadly melee style attacks which can take out multiple enemies at once. The Simpsons is recognized today as one of the best co-op arcade experiences alongside Double Dragon, Gauntlet and of course, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Simpsons Arcade Game was the perfect game at the perfect time and remains a bona fide classic.

The post Retro Gaming Archives – May/June 1991 appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

So who among us delivered newspapers as a young boy or girl in an effort to earn a little extra spending cash? Possibly not many of you, depending on your age and where you grew up. I, however, can claim to be a part of the paperboy brotherhood.
At the tender age of 12, you’re too young to get a “real” job, but old enough that you need a regular source of income if you want to be able to buy a slice of pizza, a soda and grab a handful of quarters to use at the local arcade with your friends. For me, signing up to be a paperboy for the local daily newspaper seemed like the easiest way to achieve that.

Developers at Atari must have had similar childhood experiences in order to faithfully recreate a week in the life of a paperboy with the release of Paperboy in arcades. The goal of the game is to get through a week of paper delivery on a suburban street by carefully delivering papers to all the subscribers on your route, avoiding hazards such as cars, skateboarders and toys among many other things.
You can also damage non-subscribers’ homes for extra points and earn additional points by making it through an obstacle course at the end of each level, before starting all over again the next day.

The arcade cabinet for Paperboy was notable for having a bicycle handlebar as a means to control your bike. Pressing forwards on the handlebars would speed you up, and pulling back was your means to slow down. Moving the handlebars from side to side would allow you to move back and forth across the screen from sidewalk to road and back again.
As I think back on my time as a paperboy, I have to admit that delivering papers wasn’t quite as hazardous as it was in the arcades as I never encountered some of the more unique hazards that Paperboy throws at our hero. Obstacles such as swarms of bees, mini tornados and grim reapers make the game challenging and quite funny. I also have no recollection of being greeted by a waving, cheering throng of kids and adults upon each day’s completed delivery route.

On the flip side, Paperboy does not attempt to recreate the blinding wind & bitter cold of delivering newspapers in the dead of a brutal Wisconsin winter. So with that I earned my paperboy badge, and still wear it with honor more than 30 years later.

The post Relating on a Personal Level with Atari’s Paperboy appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.

Of course, we now know it was a made up term used by the Sega marketing department, but that didn’t matter to us in 1991. All we knew was that there was this blue hedgehog named Sonic spinning around loop-the-loops and blazing around the screen at speeds unseen before. Commercials don’t lie, right?

Well, it didn’t matter. I still wasn’t going to buy a Genesis with the money I was making at my after-school job just so I could play Sonic. I had a drivers license and a car and other reasons to spend money (mostly on music and the occasional new NES game). So I was relegated to just watching the commercials while wondering what the big deal was. When I finally purchased my used Genesis in the late 90’s, Sonic the Hedgehog was high on my priority – he was the Mario of that particular console after all. Iconic and intriguing, I needed to own Sonic the Hedgehog and play it through just like I did with the 8 and 16 bit Mario titles.

Sonic the Hedgehog tells the story of a brave young hedgehog that sets off to save the world against the evil Dr. Eggman aka Dr. Robotnik (don’t ask why he has two names), who has captured all living creatures and enslaved them to do his bidding. Sonic can use both spin attacks and jumping on top of enemies to kill them. Sonic must keep rings collected throughout the levels in order to prevent himself from one hit deaths but he also must collect enough rings before reaching the end of the levels in order to earn a chance at the bonus screens. It is during these bonus levels when Sonic can steal the magical Chaos Emeralds back from Dr. Robotnik. Sonic turns into a ball and bounces around rotating environments trying to maintain control during these bonus stages, but if you can get the 6 emeralds you don’t have to worry about these annoying stages any longer. Collecting these Chaos Emeralds is ultimately the difference between just completing the game and completing the game with the best ending.

Any level in Sonic the Hedgehog, with the exception of the water levels (forget those levels), have their individual strengths but for me, the iconic first level or Green Hill Zone is the one where you discover everything you need to know about Sonic the Hedgehog. In the Green Hill Zone, you are not forced into as many traditional platforming scenarios, such as waiting for moving platforms or having to stop while deadly spikes drop from ceilings, as you are in later levels. You are allowed the freedom to move as fast as your little blue heart desires, including through those iconic loop-the-loops and tunnels that Sonic must go through as a kinetic ball of energy. Green Hill Zone also introduced you to the game’s spring boards. If hit while running at top speed, you can fly high through the air to the point where it feels like you’re missing a quarter of the stage! I also like how you can backtrack in this level with ease. When I think of Sonic, this is the level and music I think of.

Sonic is clearly the best character in the original of the eponymous series. Later titles in the franchise would introduce characters such as Tails, Knuckles and Metal Sonic, but Sonic is rightfully the star of his own show in his first effort. Sure, he is fast, and that’s cool, but it was the little things that endeared him to gamers. In the opening title screen, he waves his finger at you as if to say “You aren’t ready for this. Turn the game off and go back to playing Mario.” Additionally, he would tap his toes on the ground if you stayed still for too long or if you stood too close to the edge of a platform, acting like he was about to fall off and having to regain his balance. It’s no wonder kids of that era were so enamored with him. Sonic helped usher in the radically extreme 1990’s, and this is the game where his attitude was still a novelty.

Power ups exist all over in Sonic the Hedgehog, and most of them mirror the type found in all platformers of the time. You can find 1-Ups, bonus rings, a shield that protects you from hits, etc. The best of the power-ups is the invincibility power-up because it allows Sonic to do what he does best: go fast! You don’t have to worry about running into enemies at the wrong angle and getting your rings taken away from you. Of course, you’re not invincible to pits and spikes, but the feeling of going as fast as you want with little fear is the best thing about the game.

Sonic the Hedgehog quickly became the face of the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive after the game launched due to its unique concept of speed-encouraged gameplay combined with typical platforming elements gamers (levels, boss fights, left/right scrolling). The sense of freedom you felt while wandering (or blasting) around the relatively straightforward levels allowed gamers to feel like they were experiencing something completely new, even if it was a little bit of a gimmick. Due to its common status as a pack-in title, Sonic the Hedgehog was and still is cheap to find. After several standout proper sequels, Sonic was whored out to other lesser titles such as Sonic Spinball and Sonic 3D Blast in an attempt to capitalize on name recognition. The fact of the matter is, Sonic the Hedgehog is a classic game, and it still holds up today like it did upon release in 1991.

Grade: A

The post Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Genesis/Mega Drive) appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.