Retrosys

A journey through the trials of video game collecting

[retrosys]

Side Post: My Top 11 GameBoy Games

I’ve been playing a lot of GameBoy lately, and it got me to thinking what would I consider to be my personal top 11 on the classic portable. Why 11? Well, because this one goes to 11! Keep in mind, this is my own personal opinion, one game per franchise rule applies except in one case which I will explain when I get to it.

11. Final Fantasy Adventure (AKA: Sword of Mana): This was one of my first experiences with the GameBoy and I was blown away by it. Fantastic music, a long epic adventure, extremely satisfying gameplay… It has it all.

10. Operation C: As far as Contra games go, this is a really good game. It’s not just a straight port of any NES Contra game, it has its own levels, exclusive weapons including a homing spread shot, and although it does borrow music from both of the NES games, it sounds great. The GameBoy actually has an impressive sound chip, and Operation C is a great example of how great it can sound.

9. Bionic Commando: While the story is similar to the NES game, the game itself has different levels, and a rocking soundtrack. The first level is one of the most memorable tunes I’ve ever heard. Gameplay with your bionic arm is just as fun as it was in the NES game. It’s challenging, but extremely rewarding. It also has a password system which is very helpful because it’s a long game. I highly recommend this game.

8. Kirby’s Dreamland 2: The first Kirby game was a fun pick up and play game when I was younger. It didn’t offer up much of a challenge, but Dreamland 2, while still simple, had secrets to find and introduced animal buddies, each of which had their own powers for each copy ability. I spent hours finding the rainbow shards to unlock the true final boss, and I loved every minute of it. Dreamland 2 is a must own for every GameBoy owner.

7. Castlevania II Belmont’s Revenge: Unlike the NES Castlevania II, this one sticks to the classic stage to stage formula. Yes, it’s Konami, so it sounds amazing just like Operation C. There are 7 stages in all, and you get to pick which order you do the first 4 in. This is the best Castlevania game on GameBoy, and it’s very challenging, especially the last couple boss fights.

6. Pokémon Red and Blue. It had to be on this list sooner or later, Pokémon changed portable gaming for me, I spent countless hours on the bus in middle school playing this game, I managed to even catch all 151 Pokémon and even caught Missing No. I tore this game apart looking for secrets, spending more hours of my life than I would like to admit searching for all of the Pokémon, learning which ones would only evolve by trading, and fighting other players in link battles.

5. Metroid II: This game kept me busy. I still to this day have not beaten it on my own without following a walkthrough, but I continuously come back to it for more. I enjoy the exploration, the various secrets and it’s hands down the most underrated Metroid title of all time. Many people write this game off, but I actually prefer it to the original. I wish there were more music in it, there are several sections where it’s just ambience noise, and that’s still cool, but the music that’s in the game is enjoyable.

4. Tetris: Well, it’s Tetris; it’s the most addicting puzzle game of all time, and it never gets old. Not a lot I can say here other than it’s a GameBoy staple, and everyone should have it.

3. Super Mario Land 2 and 3: I have a hard time picking between 6 Golden Coins and Wario Land, and this is where I’m breaking my franchise rule because I love both of these games a ton. Super Mario Land 2 gives us a great platformer with fun unique levels, secrets, the bunny ears which allow Mario to float down, and introduced Wario as Mario’s rival. Wario Land gave us a huge adventure with tons of levels, all new power ups that Mario has never had, fun boss fights, and treasure everywhere. Finding all the secret treasures is a difficult task and there’s a lot of game here for a small cartridge! You can’t go wrong with either game.

2. Link’s Awakening. I chose to put this here in #2, because while Link’s Awakening is a fantastic game, there’s one I just can never put down; we’ll get to that in a minute. Link’s Awakening is one of my favorite Zelda titles. I never knew how well Zelda would translate to the GameBoy, but it did it extremely well. There’s so much to see and do in this game, and I absolutely love all the new items, the dungeons, and most of the boss fights with the final boss gauntlet at the end being one of my all time favorites in the series. The DX version gets an extra nod for the 9th dungeon, and cool extras like GameBoy Printer functionality.

Before I go into #1, I have an honorable mention.

Mole Mania: An original Nintendo IP for the GameBoy that hasn’t been touched since, and it’s a shame. Mole Mania is a very satisfying game. It’s hard to describe the gameplay other than you progress through the levels in a top down view kind of like Zelda, you can go underground to get around enemies or get around obstacles, and you can throw giant bowling balls at enemies. You fight bosses, you rescue your family one little mole at a time, and you solve puzzles along the way.

Drum roll please……………

1. Donkey Kong: Now hear me out. While yes, it does start as what seems to be a port of the arcade game, it is in fact not what it seems. You get through the original 4 arcade levels, and instead of looping back to level 1 to start all over again, you are taken to the main game. Yes, the 4 arcade levels are just a prelude. You now have 97 more levels to get through. Donkey Kong ‘94 (as it is referred to), takes elements from Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., and Super Mario Bros. 2 and combines them to make a very memorable platform puzzler experience. In fact, DK '94 is the basis for Mario vs. Donkey Kong. I have so much fun with this every time I play it, and for an added bonus, it was built from the ground up for Super GameBoy capabilities. It most certainly doesn’t get the attention it deserves. It often goes under the radar because people assume it’s just a port of the arcade game, but I cannot express enough just how great this game is. There are 8 worlds here, yes, 8; most made up of 9 or more stages. The objective in most stages is to get the key over to the door. Mario has a ton of moves to help you accomplish this, from somersaults to the triple jump, all which would get adopted into Mario 64 later. There are just as many puzzle elements as there are platforming elements, and each location offers a new challenge for Mario. Every 4th stage or so, you’ll have a battle with DK, after which you’ll be invited to save your game. This makes the game great for short play sessions which is why I love it so much. If you can own only a couple GameBoy games, make sure you pick up Donkey Kong. I’m sure not everyone loves it as much as I do, but to me, it’s my favorite game on the GameBoy.

[retrosys]

Wii U 2012-2017

With Zelda: Breath of The Wild now released, and little to no third party releases coming, we can officially say that the Wii U is a dead platform outside of the Zelda DLC. I just wanted to share some memories and cool facts about the Wii U to honor it. In 2012, I bought the Wii U on launch day, and I was a bit disappointed at first. The day one update took forever, the launch games weren't great, but I remember having fun with New Super Mario Bros. U, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, and Nintendo Land regardless. As the years pushed forward, the Wii U got hammered. It wasn't selling, no one liked the game pad, it wasn't getting 3rd party support, and it just got neglected. Nintendo did their best to support the system, releasing quality titles like Pikmin 3, Super Mario 3D World, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Smash Bros. U, Mario Kart 8, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Yoshi's Woolly World, and Super Mario Maker; they played it safe by re-releasing two popular Zelda games in HD, and took risks on games like Wonderful 101 and Bayonetta 2, which are two of the console's greatest exclusives. When you look at the majority of the Wii U's library you see quality. Yes, there is the occasional shovelware title too, but for the most part there aren't too many duds. Nintendo gave me almost everything I could possibly want on the Wii U, and I appreciate the risks they took on a new IP like Splatoon or saving Bayonetta 2, or trying something really risky by doing Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE. Only something like 13 million consoles were sold, but if you look at something like Mario Kart 8, arguably the best Mario Kart to date, the software attachment is crazy. Nearly 8 million copies were sold, which means more than half the user base purchased that game. The Wii U also brought us Amiibo. An interesting way to bring us DLC, but also have some official Nintendo merchandise to display. I have quite a few of these, and I love having them out on display as well as seeing what they unlock in certain games. The Wii U will join the ranks of commercial failures like the Turbografx 16, but like the Turbografx 16, it has a great library full of first party support and is definitely a worthy console to have in your collection. Below are the games that are worth your time on the Wii U. Bayonetta 2 Captain Toad Treasure Tracker Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Hyrule Warriors Lego City Undercover Mario Kart 8 NES Remix I and II New Super Luigi U New Super Mario Bros. U Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge (the best version of NG3) Nintendo Land (Luigi's Mansion mini game is still a ton of fun) Paper Mario Color Splash (not the best in the series, but still fun) Pikmin 3 Shovel Knight (the amiibo does unlock some neat features) Super Mario 3D World Super Mario Maker Super Smash Bros U Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (great Mario themed modes) Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Wii Sports Club (good use of the game pad) Wonderful 101 Xenoblade Chronicles X Yoshi's Woolly World Zelda: Wind Waker HD Zelda: Twilight Princess HD Zelda: Breath of the Wild (honestly, the differences between the Switch version and this version are not noticeable to someone who isn't looking closely). Zombi U (probably the best use of the game pad outside of Nintendo Land) Games other people hate, but I enjoy: Kirby and The Rainbow Curse (Gameplay can get a little frustrating here when drawing Kirby's path, but the multiplayer aspect and the claymation art style is awesome. Mario Tennis Ultra Smash (many hate this game for the lack of features and modes, but the tennis that's at the core of this game is undeniably good) I'm not great at updating this blog and sticking to it, but when I get passionate about a system, I try to write what I feel. When I started writing about the Wii U when it first came out, I defended it. I will continue to defend it, but I unfortunately have to eat my words about Nintendo having their time again. Maybe it will happen with the Switch, but only if they learned from the mistakes of the Wii U. I remain happy with my Wii U purchase, as it will become a collector console due to the oddity that it is. It's the only Nintendo console to ever fail commercially outside of the Virtual Boy which is technically considered a handheld and not a home console. That alone is reason enough to preserve one in your own home. Next time, it will be time to "Switch" topics!

[retrosys]

The Virtual Boy’s 20th Anniversary Part 1

It’s 2015, It’s the NES’ 30th anniversary, but it’s also the 20th anniversary of another of their creations. One that’s often forgotten, or remembered negatively... The Virtual Boy.

Created by the legendary Gunpei Yokoi, the father of handheld gaming, the Virtual Boy was supposed to be a cutting edge 3D system with a 32 bit processor, oscillating mirrors, and full color. However due to cost constraints and pressure from Nintendo Executives, it was pushed out the door early, and with Red LEDs instead of full color. Red LEDs at the time were less costly, and less power hungry, so they were the obvious choice. It’s true that the 32 bit processor is in there, but since it has to pull double duty for both the right and left display screens, graphics in games like Red Alarm were not given textures, or there were just black backgrounds. It made the games look less impressive, especially in the red and black color scheme. Other issues included, no head strap for comfortable play on the go, a stand that didn’t have adjustable height, eye strain, poor battery life, and an AC adapter that didn’t lock into place which allowed for accidental game shut off.

Now that we’ve talked about the negatives of the system, let’s talk about the positives. The very first positive is the Virtual Boy controller. It’s comfortable, easy to use, and innovative with the second D-pad; unfortunately only two games use this. The technology in the Virtual Boy itself was pretty impressive at the time; even in red in black, the graphics look pretty nice, and the 3D effects are really interesting. There’s only so much a Youtube video can do to showcase the games, I mean if you watch a video, they all look terrible. The only way to experience a Virtual Boy and all of its 3D effects is to play a Virtual Boy, which brings me to why it failed.

VIRTUAL BOY COMMERCIAL

Failure of the Virtual Boy can be attributed to two major issues. The first issue is Marketing. Virtual Boy was marketed as a portable system and a successor to the Game Boy. It wasn’t. It was a stand-alone system that you could play at home, and that’s where it stayed most of the time. Since there was no way to show off the 3D effect on TV, commercials were pretty much a waste of time, and on top of that, they were rather strange. Most of them featured the Virtual Boy chasing kids around. Their next marketing ploy was to partner up with Blockbuster and allow people to rent the system for $10. Well, first of all, that’s extremely cheap for a system rental to begin with, but you’re allowing anyone who was on the fence about the system to have an extended play session with a system that had very few games. You’re essentially giving them the opportunity to experience everything the Virtual Boy has to offer without having to buy the system. That’s a bit of an issue from a sales stand point because you’ve lost potential sales from people who would rather spend $10 to rent the system for a few days, and maybe go back to it again for another $10 later on down the road to try out a new game. It’s just retail suicide at that point.

The second issue the Virtual Boy had that contributed to its downfall was games. There was only one must have title for the system, Wario Land. Wario Land came out 3 months after the system had launched, and was one of the last 5 games made for the system. At that point, no one was interested, and to make things worse, even at launch in August of 1995, it only had 4 games, one of which was packed in. The library pretty much stayed at 4 games for two months, until October 1995. There was one release in September 1995, which was Virtual League Baseball. It’s clear that Nintendo just didn’t care about the system at that point. Very little 3rd party support plus very few 1st party games in development equals a sales disaster, which is exactly what the Virutal Boy ended up being.

To be fair, the Virtual Boy is an interesting console to talk about. It’s not a true portable console, but it isn’t classified as a traditional console either. It’s its own entity, there’s nothing else like it. Of course today, there’s the Oculus and the 3DS, but just imagine how far ahead of its time it was back in 1995 to bring that kind of an experience into the home.

That covers the system, but what about the games?? Stay tuned for Part 2!  

[retrosys]

Neo-Geo X Handheld/Console Review

  Let’s be honest here, the Neo-Geo AES, MVS, and CD consoles aren’t really in anyone’s price range. The collector’s community for these systems and games is relatively small, and to begin with there weren’t many systems and games produced. An AES might set you back $300-$500 today, and that’s really too much to be spending on these systems when the games are available in so many other formats. Between the PS2 and PSP compilations and the fact that many of them are on the Playstation Network and Virtual Console, there’s no real reason to buy a dedicated system at this point.

  A couple of years back, Tommo partnered with SNK to release something called the Neo-Geo X. It’s a handheld with a docking station that doubles as a HDMI out and composite A/V out. Along with that function, you have the ability to hook up USB Neo-Geo arcade sticks. This gives a pretty close to authentic Neo-Geo experience.

  The handheld itself is very well built, it has a wide-screen which seems a little odd to me considering all games on Neo-Geo were 4:3 aspect ratio and not 16:9. The aspect ratio can be changed on the fly however, by pressing the L1 button. The control stick feels nice, but has micro-switches, which means you’ll hear a lot of clicking. The buttons feel nice, and the battery life isn’t quite up to par with something like the 3DS, but it lasts about 4 hours. Built in are 20 games that showcase some of the best of the Neo-Geo library. Metal Slug, Baseball Stars 2, King of Fighters ‘95, Real Bout: Fatal Fury, Samurai Showdown 2, Nam 1975, King of The Monsters, and Magician Lord are just some of the great games that are included. One thing that is really inexcusable is the fact that out of the box, the docking station is the only way to charge the handheld. In order to charge via power supply, you have to invest in one of the $25 game packs, or the $79 Mega Pack. All in all the handheld is great, and I think it’s a fun experience. The whole package with handheld, docking station, arcade stick, and exclusive game (Ninja Masters) will set you back about $150.

  The game packs have 3 games each, come in cardboard boxes, and come with a “rocket cable” which contains a firmware update as well as the ability to charge from the power supply. The Mega Pack comes with 15 games, the charger cable/firmware update, a full color manual, and the case which is modeled after a Neo-Geo game clamshell ,doubles as a carrying case for the handheld. It’s a pretty nice package for the price. The Mega Pack is usually on sale on Amazon for about $50. Included in the Mega Pack are games like Blazing Star, Shock Troopers, Metal Slug 2, Sengoku, and more games in the King of Fighters and Samurai Showdown series.

   Now the biggest question is, how do the games play? Well, the software on the system itself is essentially Linux based and running an emulator which is fine if the games play well. However, screen tearing is visible, the sound from the base unit without the firmware update is crackling, and the composite video with CRT TVs has issues where it appears very dark, but I’ve found that if you run it through an old VCR, it cleans the signal up for some reason. The HDMI looks great, and is the way the hardware designers wanted it to be played, as it does look like they put the most time into this output. Some people have reported input lag when using the arcade stick, but I have not experienced this. It’s really easy for me to pull off special moves in fighting games, and in twitch shooters, I can maneuver just fine. The firmware update addresses some of the issues, mainly the sound which is more clean now. It didn’t fix the screen tearing, which is a little obnoxious, and the composite video is still really dark. You can always adjust brightness settings on your CRT if you’re playing the Neo-Geo X on one. 

  Bottom line, is it worth it? I think it is now. At the original $200 it was selling for? No. An additional arcade stick is $50 and with the Mega Pack on sale for $50, you can get the complete package for $250. This is about the closest most of us are going to get to an authentic Neo-Geo experience. With how expensive original hardware is these days, and the fact that even common AES carts go for $50-$100 loose, the X is the best option to have an arcade experience in your home without shelling out thousands of dollars or downloading illegal ROMs.

  If you’re interested in the Neo-Geo X at all, the time to jump on it is now because SNK ordered Tommo to stop producing the system and games a while back. Tommo had stated that their contract was good until 2016, so this might be the last year you’ll see it for reasonable prices, and on Amazon there are only a few systems left. You could always spring for a used one, but you might not get Ninja Masters, which honestly is the game I’ve spent the most time with. All in all, if you can afford it, original hardware is always the way to go. For those of us who can’t afford it, there are options like this. Don’t expect perfection going in and you won’t be disappointed.

Overall Rating: 7.0

Pros: Great selection of games, good way to get an arcade experience in the home with the awesome arcade sticks, handheld is well built and fun to play on. Looks great using HDMI

Cons: Composite video issues, screen tearing, sound issues (fixed with firmware update), no way to charge without docking station out of the box, questionable release of 5 three game packs which cost $25 when the Mega Pack is MSRP $79.99 and contains the same 15 games.

[retrosys]

The Atari 2600 And 7800 Are Alive And Well (Atari Age)

  Games for the Atari 2600 and 7800 haven’t been commercially available for over two decades now. They officially died in 1990, with one exception in 1991 with a 7800 game released over in Europe only called Sentinal.

  Since 2002, the homebrew scene has given a resurgence to these consoles. Most of the notable games have been released through a site called Atari Age. On Atari Age, the store has some wonderful games, and the forums are just filled with knowledgeable individuals that know everything about Atari hardware and software. When my Atari 7800′s power button failed, that’s where I went to get some advice on fixing it. Anytime a prototype game is found, the rom is uploaded to Atari Age, and sometimes they make a physical cartridge that you can order. They’ll even do custom cartridge orders if you supply artwork and the binary file. Aside from that, they have an excellent device for the 2600/7800/vectrex called the Atarivox, which allows some games to use voice synthesis, and extra music channels. There are some really great games that have been released that just aren’t talked about, and that surprises me. Does anyone remember that Halo 2600 game? Well that was the one time any homebrew Atari game has gotten attention unless it infringed on IPs from Nintendo (see Atari Age’s Princess Rescue).

  Excellent ports of arcade games have been created for the 2600 and 7800. The ones that stand out on the 7800 are Frenzy (the sequel to Berzerk), Jr. Pac Man, Pac-Man Collection, and B*nQ (which is Q-bert). There is also the excellent port of Burger Time, which is called Beef Drop. For copyright reasons, some of the names have been changed, but make no mistake, they are great games.

   One 2600 homebrew that I just absolutely need to talk about is Juno First. Juno First was a Konami arcade game released in 1983 which featured vertical scrolling levels that looped around until all the enemies were destroyed. Imagine a vertical scrolling Defender and that is pretty much what you get. The only exception is that you don’t save anyone except to get a power up here and there. That power up gives you the Hyperspace bonus which allows you to rack up points without the fear of being shot at. 

  The Atari 2600 isn’t know for being able to bring us rockin’ chip tunes, but my goodness if Juno First’s title screen doesn’t deliver. Don’t believe me? Here you Go! . Aside from that, if you own the Atarivox, Juno First will talk to you, and it’s amazing.

   Please, if you love Atari, go show Atari Age some love and look at their many homebrews, hacks, and reproductions. There’s something for everyone there. There are excellent homebrews of 5200 games as well, including an excellent version of Tempest, and there’s even an original take on what Adventure II would have been like. Follow this link over to Atari Age and check out their store: Atari Age

[katkya]

That title screen music is something else.

[cute-witch-rurumo]

That’s the arcade version, the 2600 release sounds like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3jRgNqaZjQ

[retrosys]

No, the one I posted in the original article IS the 2600 version. I know because I own it. The arcade version doesn’t even have that song, the screen shot in the video is from the arcade game, but that music is 100% Atari 2600 sound chip.

[retrosys]

40 Great NES Games You Can Still Get For Under $10... Or (How To Build A Collection On A Budget)

Let’s face it, collecting retro games isn’t getting any cheaper. The market has done nothing but skyrocket in the last 7 years. The question is, how do you even build a collection of good games now? There are barely any deals to be had anymore, and certain games are just unobtainable now. Well, I’ve done my research, and here are 40 GOOD games for under $10 as of today (8/23/3015):

These are in order lowest price to most expensive, and all data is based off Pricecharting.com data.

1. Blades Of Steel: $2.99

2. Captain Skyhawk: $3

3. Pin-Bot: $3.68

4. Ice Hockey $4.34

5. Tetris $4.99

6. Dragon Spirit $5

7. Defender II $5.49

8. RC Pro-Am $5.62

9. Cabal $5.97

10. Super Mario/Duck Hunt/Word Track Meet $5.97

11. Star Tropics $5.99

12. Gyruss $5.99

13.  Pro Wrestling $6.31

14. Guerrilla War $6.37

15. High Speed $6.49

16. City Connection $6.90

17. Snake Rattle N Roll $6.97

18. RBI  Baseball $6.97

19. The Guardian Legend $6.98

20. Kung-Fu $6.99

21. Karnov $6.99

22. Little Nemo: The Dream Master $7

23. Faxanadu $7.35

24. Xexyz: $7.45

25. Blaster Master $7.73

26. Tecmo Bowl $7.90

27. Ninja Gaiden II $7.98

28. Zanac $7.99

29. Adventures of Lolo $7.99

30. Tiny Toon Adventures $8

31. Solomon’s Key $8.50

32. Rygar $8.50

33. Excitebike $8.75

34. Jackal  $8.99

35. Shadowgate $9.00

36. Bionic Commando $9.49

37. Double Dragon $9.50

38. Ghosts ‘N Goblins $9.51

39. Batman $9.53

40. Double Dragon II $9.99

I tried to keep this list varied; there are even more good games under $10 than this, but these right here, while not having many of the NES staples, would make a great and respectable collection, and give you a good variety of genres to play.

This topic comes up a lot when I talk to my collector friends, and it’s good to know that good games can still be had for good prices.

[retrosys]

The Atari 2600 And 7800 Are Alive And Well (Atari Age)

  Games for the Atari 2600 and 7800 haven’t been commercially available for over two decades now. They officially died in 1990, with one exception in 1991 with a 7800 game released over in Europe only called Sentinal.

  Since 2002, the homebrew scene has given a resurgence to these consoles. Most of the notable games have been released through a site called Atari Age. On Atari Age, the store has some wonderful games, and the forums are just filled with knowledgeable individuals that know everything about Atari hardware and software. When my Atari 7800′s power button failed, that’s where I went to get some advice on fixing it. Anytime a prototype game is found, the rom is uploaded to Atari Age, and sometimes they make a physical cartridge that you can order. They’ll even do custom cartridge orders if you supply artwork and the binary file. Aside from that, they have an excellent device for the 2600/7800/vectrex called the Atarivox, which allows some games to use voice synthesis, and extra music channels. There are some really great games that have been released that just aren't talked about, and that surprises me. Does anyone remember that Halo 2600 game? Well that was the one time any homebrew Atari game has gotten attention unless it infringed on IPs from Nintendo (see Atari Age’s Princess Rescue).

  Excellent ports of arcade games have been created for the 2600 and 7800. The ones that stand out on the 7800 are Frenzy (the sequel to Berzerk), Jr. Pac Man, Pac-Man Collection, and B*nQ (which is Q-bert). There is also the excellent port of Burger Time, which is called Beef Drop. For copyright reasons, some of the names have been changed, but make no mistake, they are great games.

   One 2600 homebrew that I just absolutely need to talk about is Juno First. Juno First was a Konami arcade game released in 1983 which featured vertical scrolling levels that looped around until all the enemies were destroyed. Imagine a vertical scrolling Defender and that is pretty much what you get. The only exception is that you don’t save anyone except to get a power up here and there. That power up gives you the Hyperspace bonus which allows you to rack up points without the fear of being shot at. 

  The Atari 2600 isn’t know for being able to bring us rockin’ chip tunes, but my goodness if Juno First’s title screen doesn't deliver. Don’t believe me? Here you Go! . Aside from that, if you own the Atarivox, Juno First will talk to you, and it’s amazing.

   Please, if you love Atari, go show Atari Age some love and look at their many homebrews, hacks, and reproductions. There’s something for everyone there. There are excellent homebrews of 5200 games as well, including an excellent version of Tempest, and there’s even an original take on what Adventure II would have been like. Follow this link over to Atari Age and check out their store: Atari Age

[retrosys]

Turbografx Chip (Hu Card) Collection Nearing Completion, and Video Game Memories.

Another big tax return has brought me a few dollars to throw at my Turbografx collection. I am now at 70 out of 94 possible US chip releases. Of course, Magical Chase will be unobtainable, but aside from Magical Chase, my collection is nearing completion. Chase HQ is the only remaining chip that will cost me over 50 dollars. As far as CDs go, I still have a very long way to go, and to be honest. I have no desire to complete them. Too many of them are over 500 dollars, and for the amount I would spend on them, I could afford Magical Chase. A year ago, I said I would never complete a turbografx collection, but as it turns out, I was wrong. All it took was a little patience, a nice tax return, and some excellent ebay sniping skills. I came across Klax and Ballistix today, both go for over $20 dollars usually, and I was able to get both for $25 altogether.

Aside from the NTSC releases, I also picked up quite a few imports which have been on my list. The PC engine version of Super Dodgeball, Gradius, Gradius II, Dragon Sabre (the sequel to Dragon Spirit), Final Soldier, Street Fighter II CE, and Twin Bee DE were added to my collection. I have to say the PC engine version of Street Fighter II C.E. is really good. You'd never know the PC engine was an 8-bit system playing 16 bit games if you didn't know the processor was just 8-bit from specs.

Once I complete the collection, I'll be retiring from collecting video games. It's been a wonderful ride, but my time with the hobby is nearing its end. I own almost 700 games now, and I can't justify having them. I'll never be able to play that many in my lifetime. I'll still write about them, maybe even try to get the Youtube show off the ground again, but as far as collecting? I'm done. The market has gotten too expensive, and I'd like to really buckle down and narrow down my collection to 500 permanent games that will stay in my collection. Perhaps I can use this blog to help myself do that, or maybe I'll enlist the help of a friend to help me play all of them. I can say this. My Atari 7800 and my Turbografx collections aren't going anywhere.

They're not just systems to me, they were what I grew up with, and a memory of a simpler time when my Uncle used to bring the Turbografx home with him, my Uncle who never comes to visit anymore, and whom I hardly see. The Turbografx wasn't just videogames for me, it was connecting with my favorite Uncle, and even my brother, who I would often play Cadash with or World Class Baseball. Eventually my Uncle gifted the Turbografx to both my brother and myself, and now it is in my sole possession.  

The Atari 7800 will always be a memory of my grandparents and my brother too. It was a Christmas gift from my grandparents, and while it wasn't an NES, I still enjoyed it because it was all my brother and I would get until we got Gameboys and eventually bought an SNES together. The Atari also reminds me of my Dad, who introduced me to video games with his Atari 2600. I used to play so much Pitfal II, Missle Command, Space Invaders, and Asteroids on that.

There's more to life than video games, sure, but they remind me of a simpler time. One where I didn't have bills to pay almost every week, I saw my brother more than once a year, I saw my Uncle every Christmas, and games were short and fun. No need to spend 100s of hours to get full enjoyment out of them, and they were a blast to replay over and over. I know I sound dated, but simple games really are the best. What video games are moving towards is a cinematic experience, and that's fine, but I'm of the belief that sometimes a quick, easy to understand game is just what I need, and I'm okay with that.

[retrosys]

What Happened To Sonic The Hedgehog?

Let's face it, Sonic The Hedgehog has had a rough history. 4 great games for the Genesis and a great game on SEGA CD, but mediocre spin off games, two okay Dreamcast games (They didn't hold up well), and then it starts to slide downhill with an absolute nose dive in 2006.

You may not know this, but Sonic was on an upswing since Sonic Colors; followed up by the amazing Sonic Generations, and then the underrated Sonic: Lost World (which really is a good game, it's just not as fast as most Sonic games normally are). It was refreshing to see Sonic come back from the poorly received Sonic '06 and Unleashed, and hey, two of those titles were Nintendo exclusives. 

Along comes this horrible idea to completely redesign Sonic and his friends, and create a cartoon centered around their adventures. This brought us Sonic Boom, and like most licensed games, it sucks, it sucks really really bad. What are SEGA and Sonic Team on? They had a great thing going, and then just completely destroyed everything they had been working towards. Yes, Lost World took a noticeable step back from the stellar Generations, but it was still a good game. Sonic Boom is just trash, an attempt to cash in on the (hopeful) popularity of a TV show that hadn't even aired yet at the time of conception.

I really hope this is just a one shot deal, but what an awful note to go out on with your exclusive Nintendo deal to make 3 games in the franchise for Wii U and 3DS. At least one of them is good, but we got another Mario and Sonic Olympic Games, Sonic Lost World, and this horrible excuse for a game. I was at least hoping for a Sonic Generations 2.

I like some of what Lost World did a lot, so I hope they can integrate some of the mechanics into the main series, and add that to what Sonic Colors and Generations did right, but please for the love of Sonic, don't bring over ANYTHING from Sonic Boom. 

[retrosys]

Say What You Will About The Wii U, BUT...

The Wii U gets a bum rap. Between Sony and Microsoft fan boys ripping it apart, and the general hate that is spewed at it from consumers because Nintendo won't conform and make their franchises multi-platform, it seems like it is destined to become one of the slowest selling consoles in gaming history. 

What makes the PS4 and XB One so great; what exclusives do they have that are just so much better than Nintendo's? Halo, Gears of War, InFamous, Uncharted, and Forza? The people who praise these games and criticize Nintendo for "rehashing" the same franchises and ideas every generation have no idea what hypocrites they are being. Uncharted has been the same game since the first, no new ideas or concepts, only story. Don't even get me started on Halo or Gears of War. If franchises weren't rehashed, we wouldn't have a gaming industry.

Let's talk 3rd party support for a moment. Nintendo has next to none, but yet still managed to sell over 7 million units in 2 years. That's an awful lot of people who will buy something JUST to play Nintendo franchises. Here we are at the end of the year, and coming out this week is Smash Bros. Wii U. A game that is setting records with pre-orders for the franchise which is saying something. Hardware sales are expected to spike over the Holiday, and the train doesn't end there. Before the year is out, there is the unique Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. Looking on to 2015, slated for release are Xenoblade Chronicles X, Zelda, Splatoon, Yoshi: Woolly World, Kirby: Rainbow Curse, and Star Fox. Those are some BIG upcoming releases, and all are already announced. That's not counting anything announced at E3 this coming year. At this point, I'd just like to say if you're a Nintendo fan, who needs 3rd Party software when your 1st and 2nd party teams are cranking the quality games out quarter after quarter?

Need your Call of Duty or Assassins Creed fix? Build a PC. It lasts longer and it's cheaper to do. PC has become a great place to discover new games and old games alike. With services like Steam and GOG, the sheer amount of games from past and present generations is staggering. A gaming PC is always a wise investment. Many console experiences are making the trek over to PC. Metal Gear is already on its way, there are rumors that Sunset Overdrive and Forza will be making their way to PC as well.

I can't wait until the Wii U starts picking up steam here, and I'd love to see everyone spewing the hate towards Nintendo eat their words. Never count Nintendo out. Sure, it was a shaky start, but I think the worst is behind them

Mark my words, Nintendo's time to shine again is right around the corner.

[retrosys]

Games No One Talks About (Gameboy Edition)

The Nintendo Gameboy is one of the greatest inventions, not only in video games, but of all time. My generation spent most car trips without entertainment until it came along. We might have had travel Battleship, Connect 4, or Scrabble, but really, how many times could you play those on an 8 hour car trip?

Gunpei Yokoi, on a train, saw the man next to him playing with a calculator, and formed the idea of the Game and Watch series. Game and Watch were LCD games; some were original conceptions, and others were ports of popular arcade games like Donkey Kong.

In 1989, Nintendo was at the height of their popularity, and along came Gunpei Yokoi's new invention, the NIntendo Gameboy, which flew off shelves, and launched portable gaming into the mainstream. No more car trips without entertainment ever again. Sure, today the launch games look primitive. Just take a look at Super Mario Land, and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Tetris was the system seller, and it was the pack in game for many years. Tetris was so popular, it sold 30 million copies. Granted that was a pack in game to start with, but consumers really went crazy for it.

The Gameboy would go on to see different variations in color, but it was really perfected with the Gameboy Pocket which saw the end of the green and black screen, and brought it to a plain black and white screen. Eventually, full color would be added, but that is for another time.

We all know the popular games like Super Mario Land 1 and 2, Link's Awakening, Pokemon Red and Blue, Mega Man, and Tetris, but there are so many Gameboy games that aren't talked about. Here are three that really should get more attention.

Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land (1994)

This game isn't unknown and wasn't unsuccessful, but the reason I included it is because Wario games are really overlooked today. I don't know if people just don't like the character, or find his games a little too slow, but either way, his games are rarely talked about.

Wario was introduced as the rival in Super Mario Land 2 as kind of the Bizarro-Mario. Unlike Mario, Wario is all about greed. He's not saving a princess here; all he cares about is money and a castle of his own after being kicked out of Mario's in SML2. It's not a hard game, but it is really fun finding the hidden courses and treasures. In all, there are 40 courses with 15 treasures to find. That's a pretty substantial amount of play in a Gameboy game, especially a platformer.

The thing I want to talk about the most here is the fact that this game is perfect on Gameboy. The sprites are big and detailed, the level design is great, and the music fits Wario as a character perfectly. The pirate themed enemies are great, and Captain Syrup is a perfect rival for Wario.

Everyone praises Super Mario Land 2 as the best in the series, but really, I believe Wario Land is the better game. There's more of a challenge here, and there's more to do. After finding the secret levels in Mario Land 2, there's no reason to return to the game, but Wario Land requires you to find all courses, all treasures, and max your coins out to 99,999 in order to get the best ending; that's right, there are multiple endings. Mario Land 2 just doesn't have the content that Wario Land has.

I hope there are people out there like me that enjoy the Wario Land series. They're very unique, and often times, overlooked. I highly suggest this game should be in any Gameboy collector's collection.

Gargoyle's Quest (1990)

Capcom ported many games over to the Gameboy, and while they may not be direct ports like how the Mega Man series served as in-between games for the main NES series, they all share the same gameplay and concept. Gargoyle's Quest is different from all of them. It's actually a part of the Ghosts 'N Goblins series, but it plays completely different than any of those. You'll control Firebrand, and while he can jump and shoot projectiles like Arthur in Ghosts 'N Goblins, Firebrand can also fly and cling to walls.

This is an RPG/Platformer hybrid which no one had seen at the time. Firebrand will go around towns talking to ghouls and demons, traverse an overworld map, get into random battles (which are really just short platforming segments), and face off against bosses while powering up his abilities.

Gargoyle's Quest was a marvel when it came out. Only 1 year after the release of the Gameboy, Capcom was already pushing the system to its limits. The sprites are big and detailed, the music is great, and the platforming is wonderful.

I'm glad to see this series get a little love in the form of Virtual Console releases, and I really hope people play all three games because they really are some of the best Capcom games out there.

Donkey Kong (1994)

Donkey Kong for the Gameboy is a rare case in which what looked like a port from a distance was actually way more. Donkey Kong is a stepping stone to many other Donkey Kong and Mario games. This is the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series before it was called that. It starts out simple enough, taking Mario through the original four arcade levels to rescue Pauline, but after that, well, you'll just have to see. Rest assured that your game does not end there. A big addition to this game is Mario's acrobatics. These moves were only seen again in Mario 64 and other 3D Mario titles.

Another great thing this game has going for it is its exclusive Super Gameboy features. It has unique music, sounds, and a background that looks like a Donkey Kong arcade cabinet (pictured above). It's wonderful, and if you have a Super Gameboy, this game is a must buy. 

Do not pass this up thinking it's just another port of Donkey Kong. It definitely is not. It's too bad it got overshadowed by the Donkey Kong Country/Land series because it's rarely talked about today.

That's Part 1 of my Gameboy series. Hope you enjoyed it, and I'll be back with more in a week or so!

[retrosys]

Gauntlet (2014) (PC) Released on 9/23/14 (Review In Progress)

Gauntlet (2014) is a complete re-imagining of the original arcade title from Atari, and has nothing to do with the Midway titles developed in the mid to late 90s - 2005. This particular remake comes from the developers of Magicka, which is a great and humorous homage to Diablo.

I have not had a chance to play yet, but I do know the classes are the same as the original. Elf (Archer), Wizard, Valkyrie, and Warrior. The gameplay seems to stay true to the original arcade game, and allows for 4-player co-op local and online. Gauntlet is downloaded and ready for me to play just as soon as I have the time, and I'll bring you a review as soon as I can.

If you want to see some gameplay footage check out the steam store page

[retrosys]

My Thoughts on Video Game Collecting in 2014

   I hit all my local game stores, at least three times a month. I shop on eBay and Amazon. I also have a less talked about site that I use, but I’d like that to stay my secret. No one really thinks to look there.

   My experience finding good games in the wild has brightened somewhat these past couple months, but overall, finding games in the wild in my area has been very difficult this past year. Most stores that used to have great deals have gotten wise to the upward trending prices of retro games, and have adjusted their prices accordingly. Metal Storm for $14.99? Never going to happen again. You can blame Pricecharting for that, and as I’ve stated in a previous blog, popular YouTube personalities are also to blame.

   If I were to give you advice on how to start a video game collection these days, I’d tell you to use eBay. Specifically, look for game lots. This is usually where you are going to find the most games for the best deals. I’ve bought quite a few lots where one game’s value more than made up for the price I paid for the entire lot.

The days of going into Goodwill or thrift shops and finding cheap games are at an end, so these are not good places to look anymore. They've caught on to the value, and are now looking everything up on Pricecharting. I've seen Sega Genesis consoles going for $40+ at local thrift shops, and that isn't a good deal. What’s worse is that Goodwill is starting up standalone electronics thrift shops which is bad news for everyone who used to go in there looking for deals on old TVs, cameras, video games, etc.

   Flea Markets can be a crapshoot. You might find something worthwhile, you might not. You might come across resellers who buy up everything at the Flea Market and then hike the prices up to their corresponding Pricecharting value, or you might run into the little old lady who is selling her son’s old video games for $2 a piece. It’s hard to say, but it does require a lot of time and dedication to go to these events. In my area, Flea Markets aren't commonplace. I have to drive many miles out of my way to get to them, so I tend to stick to my local game stores and eBay.

   Collecting in 2014 has not been very easy for niche systems like the Turbografx, which is why I have decided that my collection is on hold indefinitely. On the other hand, handheld systems like the original GameBoy are super cheap and super easy to collect for. I’d really recommend anyone with a Super GameBoy or a Gamecube GameBoy Player start up a GameBoy collection. There are a lot of hidden gems on the GameBoy, and I’m actually going to talk about a few later this week in my Games No One Talks About segment.

   Bottom line, Collecting in 2014 is not for people who don’t want to spend a lot of money. Systems are at an all time high, many games are at their all time high, and finding deals is starting to get difficult. It’s not an easy hobby to get into, especially if you want the good stuff. I still love the hobby, but I advise anyone who is new to it to start small. One system at a time, and no more than 25 games per year unless you just happen to find the deal of a lifetime. The time in-between purchases will give you the time you need to fully enjoy the games you've purchased.

   Enjoy the hobby, it’s a blast, and it’s like owning a piece of history, as well!

[retrosys]

Games No One Talks About (NES Edition) 3

Welcome back to another entry in the "Games No One Talks About" segment of my blog. This will be the final week for the NES for a while, but I have three more great games to share with you. You may have noticed that I did not have an entry to post last week. Truth is, I did have something, but at the last minute I made some purchases that made me rethink my entry choices. Without further delay, here they are!

Guerrilla War:

             Guerrilla War has ties to historical events, specifically that of the Cuban Revolution. In the Japanese version of this game, you play as Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. If you know anything about Cuban history, you know that they overthrew the Batista regime in the 1950s. Enough of the history lesson. In the US however, you play as two unnamed soldiers liberating an unnamed Caribbean island.

   The gameplay is similar to Ikari Warriors, but the control is much better, and the game itself runs at a faster pace. You will die a lot, but there are unlimited continues, so this is an easy one to see through to the end. On the way, you'll encounter many soldiers, tanks, bosses, and power-ups to deal with them. You'll also have to rescue some POWs on the way; be sure not to shoot them or you'll lose points.

   Graphically speaking, Guerrilla War is nothing special, but there are some good music tracks in there. The game's length is also pretty good for a game like this. Even with unlimited continues and running through the levels, it still took me a good 30 minutes. Guerrilla War is also very affordable, I was able to get a copy for four dollars.  

   This is also a great co-op game, so grab a friend and liberate Cuba... er... I mean the unnamed island!

The Lone Ranger:

             A couple weeks ago, I wrote an entry on Konami games. At the time, I did not know this existed. I bought The Lone Ranger on a whim, expecting it to be mediocre at best, but what I uncovered was yet another NES hidden gem.

   The Lone Ranger has so much variety. There are overworld stages where you must buy items, fight outlaws, and talk to townsfolk, but there are also platforming, shooting, and riding (on Silver) stages. It never gets boring because the game is always changing things up. You can even use the zapper for the shooting segments. I personally think since the zapper is so unreliable, that using the controller option is much better.

   The music here is great. I could listen to The Lone Ranger's theme (William Tell Overture) Konamified all day. There are a few tracks that don't quite hit the mark, but overall it's another good Konami soundtrack. Graphically speaking, The Lone Ranger was released towards the end of the NES lifespan, so the graphics here are pretty good.

   If you see this game out in the wild somewhere, give a Hi-Yo Silver and saddle up for a unique licensed game experience.

Donkey Kong 3:

                           This one isn't exactly unknown, but it is hated among Donkey Kong fans. No one talks about the good aspects of the game. Essentially, Donkey Kong 3 is like Galaga. Donkey Kong is on some vines in your greenhouse, and you (Stanley The Bug Man), have to stop him. Donkey Kong will hit bee hives to send waves of bees after your plants, and also throw coconuts at you. If Donkey Kong reaches the bottom, and if you lose all your plants or lives, the game is over. A stage ends when you either shoot Donkey Kong all the way up the vines, or kill all the bugs.

   Stanley can only shoot up, move left or right, jump, and drop down levels. Every once in a while, Donkey Kong will knock down a super shot power-up which is able to hit Donkey Kong from the bottom level of the stage. Donkey Kong 3 is quite addictive actually, and while it's not a platformer like it's predecessors, it's not a bad game. Most of the complaints I hear about it are that it's not a platformer, and Mario isn't in it. Mario was already in several games, including his own arcade game at the time, so Nintendo wanted to try something new. Poor Stanley would never be seen in a game again.

   There isn't much to talk about here in terms of music, and the graphics are early NES quality. There isn't a big variety of stages, in fact, there are only three and they are randomized, so it can get repetitive. However, Donkey Kong 3 likes to throw new enemies and challenges at you, so it stays challenging.

   Give Donkey Kong 3 a try, and go in knowing it's not a platformer. You'll be surprised at what you find. Is it the best? No, it's certainly not, but it's a solid game, and among the least talked about Black Box NES games, especially for a franchise as popular as Donkey Kong.

[retrosys]

Shadowgate (2014) Review (PC/Mac)

              'Tis a wonder thing that your adventures have brought you here.

 Jair Cuthegar, Soldier of Windermere, sent by the wizard Lakmir, of The Circle of Twelve, is on a fated quest to put an end to the warlock, Tallimar. His quest brings him to Shadowgate, the living castle. Inside, the warlock's traps, monsters, and even Death himself awaits Jair. Sounds pretty epic so far, right? Well this is no ordinary fantasy quest; this is a point and click adventure game!

               Shadowgate (2014) is a complete remake of the original MacVenture and NES classic. After a successful Kickstarter campaign, and nearly two years of development, it's finally here. You'll use commands like "Take", "Use", "Open", "Go", and others to navigate the puzzles inside Shadowgate to stop Tallimar from raising The Behemoth from the depths. In this version, the story stays pretty much the same, but is greatly expanded on from the original, even including quests that were omitted from the original game, like the Black Axe quest. I found myself anxious to learn all of the lore surrounding the world within the game, which made the experience even more engrossing than the original.

              Three difficulty levels can be chosen at the start of the game: Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master. Many things change between each of the difficulties. For instance, much of the game's exploration and puzzle solving is locked out in Apprentice, and the path has been streamlined to get you to the end quickly. Fans of the original would be best served by choosing either Journeyman or Master difficulty. 

        Shadowgate will punish you with death after death, so saving and experimenting are very important. Without going into spoiler territory, a new timed death mechanic was added, and if you are not able to stop it in a certain amount of turns, you are dead, and your whole game is ruined. That is why saving is a must. Aside from that new mechanic, the torches make a return as well. Torches need to be lit at all times in order to stay alive. If you run out of torches, or forget to light one of them before your lit one goes out, you're dead. 

You'll be spending a lot of time poking around Shadowgate, trying new things, getting lost, or getting stuck on a puzzle. A hint system is at your disposal, should you choose to use it, but be warned, the hints on harder difficulties are very vague. Notes and books will also give you hints on what to do to progress. Although, at the time of this review, on Journeyman difficulty there is misinformation in the book which gives you the solution to the library puzzle. It's a minor bug that I am sure will be fixed soon. However, there is one aspect that I didn't think was just a minor issue. The user interface can often be clunky. It is sometimes hard to know that you canceled the action that you didn't want to use. For example, if you accidentally click an item and forget to click off of it, and then hit "USE", the game will think you want to use that object you had clicked on, and it is very unclear how to cancel that action. The UI could definitely use a few tweaks, and I think the developer (Zojoi) has heard these complaints and are considering updating the issue.

The atmosphere in Shadowgate is just amazing. The orchestrated music is well done, the animations for the creatures, while basic, are still leaps and bounds better than still images from the original, and there is a sense of pending doom that always lingers over you as you take your next turn, never knowing if what you will do next will lead to your death.

           What more can I say about Shadowgate (2014)? If you are a fan of the adventure genre, you need to pick it up. It retails for $19.99, but the inevitable Steam Sale will drop it to 15 at some point soon if you don't feel like paying that much.

PROS:

    + Great update to a classic adventure game.

    + Amazing atmosphere.

    + Challenging puzzles.

    + Superb Soundtrack.

CONS:

    - Can be frustrating to the uninitiated

    - Sometimes clunky user interface

    - Not much replay value after beaten on Master unless you go for achievements.

Overall Score:

8.5 - Wonderful!

I'll leave you with a sample of the soundtrack!

Shadowgate Theme

[retrosys]

Your Collection Is Great Without Rare Games

Do you have an itch to buy LIttle Samson because it seems like your collection is bad without a very rare game? Well, don't buy it. Collectors today try to make you feel like your collection is dwarfed if you don't have something super rare in it. I say, buy the games you like, or the games you find interesting. A collection isn't a status symbol, but a collection can say a lot about you.

For example, maybe you're collecting for the NES and you have some great games that you enjoy; staples like Castlevania, Contra, Punch Out, Super Mario Bros, etc. That's a good collection, and shows that you have great taste in games. Is your collection in a preferred order, or is it just all over the place, are your games clean, and do you actually play them or sell them for money? These are all things that tell you what kind of a collector you are, and if you care about the games themselves, or just care about the profit. 

Back to the subject of rare games. How many of them are actually good? Little Samson, for sure, but aside from that? Cheetahmen 2? Action 52? They're mainly bad games, and if you're a collector who plays your games, why would you want to have these awful games in your collection? I'm aware they are valuable (although, I don't really understand why), but there's more to a collection than monetary value. Sure, I know what my collection is worth, I own a Little Samson, and I refer to it as the "crown jewel" of my collection, but I don't define my collection as great just because of my LIttle Samson. My collection is great for various reasons. I own some great Black Box games, I own some great Capcom and Konami games. I have complete Mega Man, Castlevania, and Ninja Gaiden sets. I have wonderful games in the collection, and I have a lot of them. Rare games don't make the collection. The variety, the quality, the nostolgic value, that's what makes the collection great. It's what it means to you.

So don't let any collector stick their nose up at you for not having a very rare game in your collection. You don't need them, and most of them are trash anyway. I'll never have a complete NES collection, or probably a complete collection of any console because I refuse to buy the trash..

[retrosys]

Games That No One Talks About (NES Edition) 2

Welcome back to another edition of Games That No One Talks About. This week, I'll be examining 3 more obscure NES games that get little to no attention.

I want to take a moment and say that these are going to be games that haven't been mentioned in popular videos such as Mike Mattei's Obscure NES games, or games that have gotten way too much attention lately, like Little Samson.

Today I'm going to take a look at three Konami games that don't get the attention they should.

Stinger: 

  Stinger is a game in the Twin Bee series. Most of the Twin Bee games are vertical shooters, but Stinger is unique. Much like Life Force, Stinger alternates between horizontal and vertical scrolling stages. The enemies in this game are food, yes that's right, food; anything from green peppers to popsicles, you shoot it. The power up system is unique as well. In order to get the power up you want, you'll shoot a cloud and a bell will appear. You'll have to juggle the bell until it turns the color that corresponds to your desired power up. The music is classic Konami, and it's catchy. I actually highly recommend this game, as it is very entertaining. It's also pretty inexpensive; you can probably find it anywhere from 5-10 dollars.

Monster In My Pocket:

  Not one of Konami's greatest, but still a lot of fun. You take on the role of Vampire or The Monster to fight against their arch nemesis, Warlock. Since this was based on miniature figures, the game represents that by putting the characters in everyday environments, which are much bigger than they are such as, a house, construction site, and a sewer. Monster In My Pocket is an action/beat-em up game, but it's an easy one. Enemies are take straight from the figure series, but do not pose much of a challenge, same with the bosses. The best part about the game is the simultaneous co-op. It's not cheap, and goes for 20-30 dollars on average, but if you're looking for a two player game for you and a friend to play, and you missed this one, go ahead and see if you can find a good price on it. It's worth a playthrough.

Zen: Intergalactic Ninja:

  This is one game that I really never see or hear anyone talking about. There is one review up on YouTube for it, and it's very short. Based on a comic series of the same name, Zen is an odd game. Take one part ninja game, and one part Captain Planet, and you have Zen. Every level is different in that the type of gameplay changes. You have 4 levels to pick from before the final level much like a Mega Man level select. In one level, the camera is at a three-quarters view while you are escaping time bombs, in another, you're reviving flowers that are being damaged by acid rain while fighting a boss. In between levels, you'll hit garbage into a furnace for bonus points. You'll fight enemies like oil slick monsters, and bosses like Smogger, who turns into smog and hurts you. It's weird to be sure, but it's quite fun. The music isn't the most memorable, but it's still Konami music, which is always better than most games. Zen isn't cheap. I happened to run into it the other day for a good price, so I bought it. If you can find it for less than 30 dollars, I'd say it's worth your time, but right now it's going to run you between 35-45 dollars.