Last time I spoke about the Neo-Geo in all its splendor, along with fighting games from the SNES/Genesis era. However, it seems I haven't touched another aspect of video games that has been popular for quite a while and that is sports games. Sure the Atari 2600 had a few games, the Commodore 64 had Hardball and Track and Field, Genesis had Joe Montana, SNES had Super Soccer (amazing soccer game by the way), while Neo-Geo had Super Sidekicks.
Super Sidekicks was the perfect example of an arcade style sports game done right and truly focused on fun more so than simulation. I mean seriously, video games are about granting us fun and entertainment. For some reason or another Neo-Geo was unable to get FIFA licensing for Super Sidekicks but they were still able to make due with what they had. Super Sidekicks was a series that improved with each sequel, with the third one being perhaps the best. I remember being at the arcades in Colombia watching people line up quarters to face a player ripping the competition with his Brazil team. Other players would enter into the Super Sidekicks frenzy with Argentina or Germany. Overall Super Sidekicks was a sports video game focused on good fun with a solid multiplayer aspect. In the end, Super Sidekicks didn't need FIFA's licensing in order to be a fun soccer arcade game. I salute you Super Sidekicks because you are in a similar category as one of my other arcade games known as NFL Blitz!
Nintendo 64 seemed to have promised continuing the dominance Nintendo had established with the NES and SNES, however sadly it didn't deliver quite as much to us gamers. However, the Nintendo 64 was not without its timeless gems. I would go as far as saying that if you were born in the 80's and never gathered with your friends to play Golden Eye 007 on 4 player split screen, YOU are NOT a true gamer. Or if you didn't at least have loads of fun bumping each other off the road in Mario Kart, chances are you just didn't leave your house. Or who hasn't at LEAST gathered with friends to blast each other in Perfect Dark? Well perhaps I went overboard when I stated you weren't a true gamer by not doing any of these things, which if you didn't, chances are you missed out on a very important time in video games history.
Golden Eye 007 has a fairly simplistic single player campaign based on the movie (which in my opinion was mediocre to begin with). However, it is the multiplayer where Golden Eye 007 truly did shine. I personally didn't own a Nintendo 64 but I did spend many nights at my cousin Sergio's house with friends playing Golden Eye 007. Originally we would play Golden Eye 007 on different variations of Deathmatch. It would always be funny to hear someone complain because we decided to do a 3 versus 1 on him/her. Golden Eye 007 did offer other unique modes which made the multiplayer aspect interesting. The man with the golden gun was a perfect example. I had so much fun obtaining the golden gun which killed everyone in 1 hit, however they were able to see me on the radar and would generally gang up on me, therefore in the end it would stop being fun for me (lol). Flag Tag mode in Golden Eye 007 was fun given the sense of urgency in all sides. Basically you had to pick up a token which would disarm you, and at that point you had to run around and hide to keep the token for the longest amount of time until someone found and killed you. In today's standards Golden Eye 007 may not be seen as a great first person shooter video game but it did help revolutionize that genre of video games. Golden Eye 007 is definitely a game worthy of being part of the video games hall of fame.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is touted as perhaps one of the greatest video games of all time by numerous publications (although my opinion greatly differs) and there are several reasons for this. Outside of Super Mario 64, Zelda really gave you the feeling that you were in a big and open world. It is important to note that Ocarina of Time was the first 3D Zelda video game yet excelled at taking advantage of every aspect of it. After going through the Great Deku Tree quest, in Zelda the player gets to truly begin exploring the world around him and even traveling through time. Zelda is a charming video game that did 3D environments and gameplay right, and although it had a typical Zelda story, it still remains charming to this day. Who doesn't remember the first time you got to ride Epona in Zelda? Despite this Zelda being such a great video game, I honestly don't care for it being released on the 3DS. I think this Zelda game should be re-released on the next Nintendo console so that it could be done justice with improved game mechanics and beautiful graphics. In any case, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is definitely worthy of the video games hall of fame. On one final note though, who didn't find the Water temple in Zelda annoying?
Who doesn't remember when Sony entered the video game console market with the Sony Playstation? This little system that was supposed to be an add-on to the SNES ended up becoming a powerhouse thanks to many great games that were released for it. Also many would argue that this was one of the golden ages for RPG's. The Playstation was a video game console that received huge support and definitely delivered. Playstation is where great video games were born and in some cases re-born, such as Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid (rebirth), Wild Arms, Grandia, Twisted Metal, Alundra, Valkyrie Profile, Vagrant Story, The Legend of Mana(rebirth), Xenogears, Syphon Filter, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, etc, etc. This was also the first time that Final Fantasy became a more mainstream game when Final Fantasy VII released. I know many SNES fanboys will argue FF VI was better because of Kefka, but no sorry Sephiroth is more beast and he could also destroy worlds with meteor, and he was born with these powers, Kefka had to obtain them. Back on topic, the Playstation brought us so many games in such a short span of time, and I feel fortunate enough to have bought one.
As mentioned previously, the Sony Playstation brought us Final Fantasy VII. This was definitely a game redefining a genre thanks to the visuals and even a deep story. Final Fantasy VII is a timeless video game and many fans have been begging for a remake with today's visuals, and honestly I do not blame them. In Final Fantasy VII the main character Cloud was mysterious yet funny at times. In this Final Fantasy the hero was not really as straight forward and he definitely had a dark side to him. Also if there is one scene that is always stuck in my head from any video game, it has to be when the main antagonist Sephiroth is standing there with his blade (Masamune) in the middle of the fires burning Nibelheim (I am sure many of you share this with me). Although it may not be the hardest Final Fantasy, it is important to note that the first time you face Emerald Weapon and Ruby Weapon, you have absolutely no chance of winning and that becomes intimidating. I would say Final Fantasy VII did a great job in showing the player what powerlessness really was just when you thought you had the levels and weapons to kill anything. If you don't believe me, try encountering a Marlboro without red ribbons. I am a little embarrassed to admit this but I did shed a tear when *Spoiler Alert* I saw Sephiroth descend from the skies and kill Aeris (really Aerith). Overall Final Fantasy VII had characters with personality that was well displayed for a video game. I know people who loved Barret, or Tifa, or Vincent over Cloud and vice versa. The gameplay in Final Fantasy VII was solid and the materia system was well handled and gave many possibilities to the player. Final Fantasy VII is worthy of being in the video games hall of fame. Also, if you haven't already, please watch Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete, because it definitely offers closer to the series.
Back in the NES days I remember a cousin of mind hating a video game his mother gave him because it was too hard. This little game was called Metal Gear, and boy was it hard. At the time I was probably about 10 when I played it. We fast forward to about 1996 when I had the privelage to play Metal Gear Solid. The stealth genre of games started with Metal Gear, and Metal Gear Solid gave the series more flair. From interesting characters like Revolver Ocelot, to sexy yet dangerous women like Sniper Wolf and Meryl, Metal Gear Solid had it all. Many times video games focus too much on being movies yet end up having no real substance nor gameplay to back it up, but Metal Gear Solid got it right. I mean honestly, who doesn't remember the first time they hit a wall when trying to beat Psycho Mantis only to find out you had to plug the controller in the second port so he couldn't "read" your mind. Metal Gear Solid did offer memorable battles as well as a memorable storyline. Also Metal Gear Solid boasted one of the coolest characters with the Cyborg Ninja (not to mention the plot twist if you played the previous game). As I am typing this, I have a Metal Gear Solid youtube video playing that shows the first time you walk in the hub where the actual Metal Gear is. Sure the graphics are a bit outdated but just remembering the first time I went "OH MY GOD...am I going to have to fight THAAAAT?!" is so worth it. For those that haven't played through Metal Gear Solid, just know that you are missing out on one of the best games in the series that started the stealth genre. Metal Gear Solid is another video games hall of famer to me and I have yet to encounter another quite like it. Thank you Hideo Kojima for bringing us Metal Gear Solid along with the rest of the series (it is one of my all time favorites).
Unfortunately it is past 6am and I need my beauty sleep, but next time I will continue on this long trip down memory lane. As always, feel free to comment and send me feedback. I would like to know what other games people have loved over the ages. Until next time fellow gamers.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Continuing my Ode to Video Games
So last time we went down memory lane in the video games industry. Games from systems such as Atari 2600, Nintendo, Sega Genesis, and Commodore 64, really hit a soft spot when mentioned them. Today I will continue where I left off when I mentioned the Sega Genesis.
Sonic the Hedgehog. That is all I have to say and millions of people immediately associate that name with a blue mascot that runs and jumps at lightning speeds. Sonic the Hedgehog was perhaps Sega's biggest video game mascot. While Nintendo had Mario, Sega fired back with the more edgy Sonic the Hedgehog. Despite being another platformer among many, Sonic the Hedgehog stood out as a more fast paced video game because of the speed. In fact, I even downloaded Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on my Playstation Network. Even when they added Tails to the Sonic the Hedgehog video games, it was still charming for many years to come. Sonic the Hedgehog series for the Sega Genesis is just one of those games that deserves to be in a video game hall of fame. I truly wish they released more platformers like Sonic the Hedgehog because that shows that sometimes a company doesn't need to play it safe with a game design and game mechanics. I salute you Sonic the Hedgehog and I hope Sega brings you back to your former glory in the video games world.
Now we move on to Super Nintendo Entertainment System, or as we all know it the SNES. Although the original Nintendo system, the NES had little rpg (role playing games) and adventure gems such as Zelda, Zelda 2: the Adventures of Link, The Magic of Scheherazade, among a few others; it was the SNES that had the amazing rpg video games that are still being remade or ported.
The Legend of Zelda: a Link to the Past was a fairly revolutionary entry into the Zelda series of video games. This was the first time we see the pegasus boots and the hook shot. Furthermore, Link now gets to travel between parallel worlds which was amazing. Although not really a new concept overall, in console video games I don't recall the parallel world concept being used much at all up to that point. It was a very rude awakening the first time I was in a nice little peaceful town, then entered a parallel world (not prepared) just to get killed by thieves and stuff. To me, this was probably the pinnacle of video games because of the depth offered. My biggest gripe which was the speed of the Zelda video games was alleviated thanks to the pegasus boots. I also had preferred the side scrolling offered in Adventures of Link, but A Link to the Past really grew on me, and is definitely one of my favorite Zelda video games to date.
Chrono Trigger....oh my lord, this is an rpg done absolutely right. I had heard of it previously and seen it played, but this is a video game that has to be experienced first hand. I'd be lying if I said I played Chrono Trigger when it came out. In reality I fairly recently (few months ago) played it and despite the somewhat dated graphics, it still felt fresh. The multiple paths with multiple endings within Chrono Trigger, is something common in WRPG's (western rpg's) but not so common in its own genre of JRPG's (japanese rpg's). In Chrono Trigger, ability to do double attacks and so on was amazing for a turn based rpg since it added another layer of strategy. All the characters in Chrono Trigger had a layer of personality to them and the story had a fluidity to it that it was fairly easy to follow considering the various convoluted plots many video games have pushed for. Chrono Trigger is the example of a timeless video game that gets called a classic by many and it is well deserved. To me, Chrono Trigger is a one of a kind video game that has yet to be successfully replicated.
A nice addition to the SNES was the Street Fighter II series of games, which include Champion edition, Turbo, and Super Street Fighter II (I might have missed one). Although in reality I enjoyed more the arcade version of Street Fighter II, the SNES version was still a good port of this video game. I remember me and my cousin Edward enjoyed countless hours beating each other up in all versions of Street Fighter II. It may sound crazy, but on many occasions we would wake up around 9am on weekends and kick eachothers' asses on Street Fighter II until about 7 or 8pm. I guess you can call that a case of video game addiction in a sense (lol). I recall us placing bets on "loser does the dishes" on a few video games, but Street Fighter II has made us both do dishes more than our own parents ever did. In retrospect, I guess if used wisely, parents can use video games to more effectively manipulate their children, but that's a discussion for another day. In any case, Street Fighter II was an amazing video game series that still gets played today despite its age. There are still Street Fighter II tournaments that go on worldwide. A few years back I remember passing by Super Amusements arcades and there were still people placing their quarters calling "next" to challenge the winner of the next Street Fighter II match. Such a shame that place no longer exists (last I heard) but at least Street Fighter II is also one of those timeless video games.
"Finish Him!" These words bring about some of the fondest memories in a video game that was controversial for its time. Mortal Kombat was such video game enjoyed by many of us. Mortal Kombat had great ports on the Sega Genesis and the SNES, however, the true thrill was challenging another random stranger at the arcades. Who doesn't remember the first time they saw Kano rip that annoying Raiden player's heart out? Yes, I am now talking about "Fatality" which was the huge draw in for such a bloody video game. Mortal Kombat was all about the Fatality, and I remember people masking whichever Fatality they knew by adding extra movements at the beginning. Knowing the Fatality of odd ones like Sonya were like the video game best kept secrets. The funny thing about Mortal Kombat was that if you were lucky enough, you could find that one person willing to sell you the moves to a Fatality for a few bucks.
In the video game industry it isn't every day where a very successful video game can be followed by a more successful sequel. Mortal Kombat II was such a sequel, and what a game that was. Mortal Kombat II had charming and annoying characters but many of our favorites returned such as Sub-Zero, Scorpion and Raiden. Who doesn't remember that annoying Baraka player who would always use his blades whenever you would jump? Same goes for Kitana with here fan elevation. Mortal Kombat II had perhaps my favorite Fatality: down, forward, back, back, high kick....you guessed it, Liu Kang's Dragon Fatality. In recent memory games have attempted to "wow" us with visuals and show us "badass" characters, while Mortal Kombat I and II gave us the opportunity to become that "badass."
I would like to think that one of the golden ages in arcades was around the time when Neo-Geo came into the picture. Neo-Geo popularized multiple games in the same arcade. I remember being able to play Metal Slug, Aero Combat, and The King of Fighters 94 on the same arcade cabinet. Furthermore, Neo-Geo was the first video game system that was able to have perfect ports of games from their arcade cabinets which was revolutionary at the time, although it was at a steep price point. I do believe you got what you payed for with the Neo-Geo however.
I honestly thought Contra was the last great 2D shooter I would play on the NES, but then came along a little gem called Metal Slug. The humor and fast paced action made Metal Slug a true gem in the 2D shooter genre. I do not recall much of a plot in Metal Slug but it did not really matter as this was a video game that provided pure fun. Being able to run around and use rockets on regular foot soldiers, or hopping on a specialized tank to take on giant mechanized bosses was immensely gratifying. Metal Slug was one of those video games that in many ways offered instant gratification with every few kills. Metal Slug series of video games consists of several games, but it was the first Metal Slug in the series which made me absolutely love this series. In the end though, Metal Slug was truly a video game worthy of the title "quarter killer," and God knows how many quarters I used up playing this video game alone.
While fighting games such as Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat established themselves worldwide, The King of Fighters 94 revolutionized the genre. This is the first time that a fighting game has a constant 3 versus 3 system. The strategy in picking the order of your fighters was just as important as using the fighters themselves. The King of Fighters 94 was the first time (that I recall) where a fighting game medley was created. Characters from other fighting games such as Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting were included in The King of Fighters 94, adding to a healthy roster. Story wise The King of Fighters 94 was fairly basic and revolved around the team you picked entering The King of Fighters tournament, just to find out there was a conspiracy by the main antagonist Rugal to gather these fighters for his own purposes. The big draw-in to The King of Fighters 94 was the multiplayer aspect in the arcades. It was not uncommon to see 3 people play a character per person in KoF 94, such as 1 person plays Terry, 1 plays Andy and 1 plays Joe (Italy team) and you alone would face them but knew that in your Brazil team, Heidern was your last character and the Ace in the hole (those that played understand this example). Later iterations of KoF did definite improvements (95 and 98 being my favorites) such as allowing the player to customize their teams, but KoF 94 was the first and deserves respect in the fighting video game genre.
Next time I will continue on our trip down memory lane. I would love to hear your feedback and tell me about any video game you would like to reminisce about. Until then avid gamers!
Sonic the Hedgehog. That is all I have to say and millions of people immediately associate that name with a blue mascot that runs and jumps at lightning speeds. Sonic the Hedgehog was perhaps Sega's biggest video game mascot. While Nintendo had Mario, Sega fired back with the more edgy Sonic the Hedgehog. Despite being another platformer among many, Sonic the Hedgehog stood out as a more fast paced video game because of the speed. In fact, I even downloaded Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on my Playstation Network. Even when they added Tails to the Sonic the Hedgehog video games, it was still charming for many years to come. Sonic the Hedgehog series for the Sega Genesis is just one of those games that deserves to be in a video game hall of fame. I truly wish they released more platformers like Sonic the Hedgehog because that shows that sometimes a company doesn't need to play it safe with a game design and game mechanics. I salute you Sonic the Hedgehog and I hope Sega brings you back to your former glory in the video games world.
Now we move on to Super Nintendo Entertainment System, or as we all know it the SNES. Although the original Nintendo system, the NES had little rpg (role playing games) and adventure gems such as Zelda, Zelda 2: the Adventures of Link, The Magic of Scheherazade, among a few others; it was the SNES that had the amazing rpg video games that are still being remade or ported.
The Legend of Zelda: a Link to the Past was a fairly revolutionary entry into the Zelda series of video games. This was the first time we see the pegasus boots and the hook shot. Furthermore, Link now gets to travel between parallel worlds which was amazing. Although not really a new concept overall, in console video games I don't recall the parallel world concept being used much at all up to that point. It was a very rude awakening the first time I was in a nice little peaceful town, then entered a parallel world (not prepared) just to get killed by thieves and stuff. To me, this was probably the pinnacle of video games because of the depth offered. My biggest gripe which was the speed of the Zelda video games was alleviated thanks to the pegasus boots. I also had preferred the side scrolling offered in Adventures of Link, but A Link to the Past really grew on me, and is definitely one of my favorite Zelda video games to date.
Chrono Trigger....oh my lord, this is an rpg done absolutely right. I had heard of it previously and seen it played, but this is a video game that has to be experienced first hand. I'd be lying if I said I played Chrono Trigger when it came out. In reality I fairly recently (few months ago) played it and despite the somewhat dated graphics, it still felt fresh. The multiple paths with multiple endings within Chrono Trigger, is something common in WRPG's (western rpg's) but not so common in its own genre of JRPG's (japanese rpg's). In Chrono Trigger, ability to do double attacks and so on was amazing for a turn based rpg since it added another layer of strategy. All the characters in Chrono Trigger had a layer of personality to them and the story had a fluidity to it that it was fairly easy to follow considering the various convoluted plots many video games have pushed for. Chrono Trigger is the example of a timeless video game that gets called a classic by many and it is well deserved. To me, Chrono Trigger is a one of a kind video game that has yet to be successfully replicated.
A nice addition to the SNES was the Street Fighter II series of games, which include Champion edition, Turbo, and Super Street Fighter II (I might have missed one). Although in reality I enjoyed more the arcade version of Street Fighter II, the SNES version was still a good port of this video game. I remember me and my cousin Edward enjoyed countless hours beating each other up in all versions of Street Fighter II. It may sound crazy, but on many occasions we would wake up around 9am on weekends and kick eachothers' asses on Street Fighter II until about 7 or 8pm. I guess you can call that a case of video game addiction in a sense (lol). I recall us placing bets on "loser does the dishes" on a few video games, but Street Fighter II has made us both do dishes more than our own parents ever did. In retrospect, I guess if used wisely, parents can use video games to more effectively manipulate their children, but that's a discussion for another day. In any case, Street Fighter II was an amazing video game series that still gets played today despite its age. There are still Street Fighter II tournaments that go on worldwide. A few years back I remember passing by Super Amusements arcades and there were still people placing their quarters calling "next" to challenge the winner of the next Street Fighter II match. Such a shame that place no longer exists (last I heard) but at least Street Fighter II is also one of those timeless video games.
"Finish Him!" These words bring about some of the fondest memories in a video game that was controversial for its time. Mortal Kombat was such video game enjoyed by many of us. Mortal Kombat had great ports on the Sega Genesis and the SNES, however, the true thrill was challenging another random stranger at the arcades. Who doesn't remember the first time they saw Kano rip that annoying Raiden player's heart out? Yes, I am now talking about "Fatality" which was the huge draw in for such a bloody video game. Mortal Kombat was all about the Fatality, and I remember people masking whichever Fatality they knew by adding extra movements at the beginning. Knowing the Fatality of odd ones like Sonya were like the video game best kept secrets. The funny thing about Mortal Kombat was that if you were lucky enough, you could find that one person willing to sell you the moves to a Fatality for a few bucks.
In the video game industry it isn't every day where a very successful video game can be followed by a more successful sequel. Mortal Kombat II was such a sequel, and what a game that was. Mortal Kombat II had charming and annoying characters but many of our favorites returned such as Sub-Zero, Scorpion and Raiden. Who doesn't remember that annoying Baraka player who would always use his blades whenever you would jump? Same goes for Kitana with here fan elevation. Mortal Kombat II had perhaps my favorite Fatality: down, forward, back, back, high kick....you guessed it, Liu Kang's Dragon Fatality. In recent memory games have attempted to "wow" us with visuals and show us "badass" characters, while Mortal Kombat I and II gave us the opportunity to become that "badass."
I would like to think that one of the golden ages in arcades was around the time when Neo-Geo came into the picture. Neo-Geo popularized multiple games in the same arcade. I remember being able to play Metal Slug, Aero Combat, and The King of Fighters 94 on the same arcade cabinet. Furthermore, Neo-Geo was the first video game system that was able to have perfect ports of games from their arcade cabinets which was revolutionary at the time, although it was at a steep price point. I do believe you got what you payed for with the Neo-Geo however.
I honestly thought Contra was the last great 2D shooter I would play on the NES, but then came along a little gem called Metal Slug. The humor and fast paced action made Metal Slug a true gem in the 2D shooter genre. I do not recall much of a plot in Metal Slug but it did not really matter as this was a video game that provided pure fun. Being able to run around and use rockets on regular foot soldiers, or hopping on a specialized tank to take on giant mechanized bosses was immensely gratifying. Metal Slug was one of those video games that in many ways offered instant gratification with every few kills. Metal Slug series of video games consists of several games, but it was the first Metal Slug in the series which made me absolutely love this series. In the end though, Metal Slug was truly a video game worthy of the title "quarter killer," and God knows how many quarters I used up playing this video game alone.
While fighting games such as Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat established themselves worldwide, The King of Fighters 94 revolutionized the genre. This is the first time that a fighting game has a constant 3 versus 3 system. The strategy in picking the order of your fighters was just as important as using the fighters themselves. The King of Fighters 94 was the first time (that I recall) where a fighting game medley was created. Characters from other fighting games such as Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting were included in The King of Fighters 94, adding to a healthy roster. Story wise The King of Fighters 94 was fairly basic and revolved around the team you picked entering The King of Fighters tournament, just to find out there was a conspiracy by the main antagonist Rugal to gather these fighters for his own purposes. The big draw-in to The King of Fighters 94 was the multiplayer aspect in the arcades. It was not uncommon to see 3 people play a character per person in KoF 94, such as 1 person plays Terry, 1 plays Andy and 1 plays Joe (Italy team) and you alone would face them but knew that in your Brazil team, Heidern was your last character and the Ace in the hole (those that played understand this example). Later iterations of KoF did definite improvements (95 and 98 being my favorites) such as allowing the player to customize their teams, but KoF 94 was the first and deserves respect in the fighting video game genre.
Next time I will continue on our trip down memory lane. I would love to hear your feedback and tell me about any video game you would like to reminisce about. Until then avid gamers!
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