Games, Game, Games - Part Two

Radiant Silvergun - This game is a bit of a mystery to me, not that I don't know what the game is, but for the fact it has only been available in limited numbers and the prices have been exorbitant. Developed by famed developer Treasure, it was released initially in the arcade for the ST-V in 1998 and then soon after for the Saturn. I don't have the original but I do have a reproduction that is a near-exact copy. Looking forward to giving this a blast.

Three Dirty Dwarves - This is a beat 'em up developed by Appaloosa Interactive and released in 1996. I remember at the time that it got a decent review in GameFan (Volume 4, Issue 11), it takes advantage of the Saturn's advanced 2D capabilities.

Golden Axe: The Dual - Based on the characters from the Golden Axe series, it was originally released in 1995 for the ST-V and ported to the Saturn a few months later. I remember playing this quite a bit in the arcades, the graphics are quite impressive and it plays quite well.

Guardian Heroes - Here's another Treasure game that I've been looking forward to playing on the Saturn. Released in 1996, it's a 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up with RPG elements thrown in. It got rave reviews in the magazines at the time and was later released on the Xbox 360.

Gradius V - From the games I've listed so far, you might get a notion I love shooters, whether they're horizontal, vertical, 3D, whatever. What makes Gradius V so special is that Konami gave Treasure the coding responsibilities. Released in 2004 and the only Gradius not released in the arcade, this is a graphically stunning but rock hard horizontal shooter. My best effort is level six out of eight. Time to finish this!

Odin Sphere - Here's another Vanillaware title to finish. Released in 2007, it was conceived as a spiritual sequel to Princess Crown on the Saturn. It's a 2D side-scrolling action game with role-playing elements. It has lush graphics and intuitive controls.

Another World - I'll never forget the first time I played this on the Amiga, it blew my mind, it felt fresh and was a blast to play. Now it's time to play this enhanced version to see how it compares.

Super Mario Sunshine - Another Mario game that I haven't played! Purchased this when it was released in 2002 (18 years ago!), I had very good intentions to rip it open and pop it in the Gamecube. Watching various gameplay videos on YouTube, it still looks stunning.

Luigi's Mansion - When the Gamecube was released in Australia in 2002, this was one of the launch titles along with Wave Race: Blue Storm and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II. I hurriedly unpacked the Gamecube, played this for 30 mins then packed it up again intending to set it up properly later on. Fast forward to 2020, this will be the second time playing this and I intend to go all the way.

Yoshi's Story - Seriously, who doesn't love Yoshi?! Released in 1998 in PAL territories, this is the follow up to Yoshi's Island on the SNES. Using pre-rendered 3D graphics and lush colours, it's a great demonstration of the N64's 2D capabilities.

Ikaruga - This is the third Treasure game on this list that I'm looking forward to playing and finishing. Developed on the NAOMI system and then later ported to the Dreamcast in 2002, it's a spiritual sequel to Radiant Silvergun borrowing elements from that game.

Sturmwind - Developed by Duranik and released in 2013, it's a horizontal shooter that uses a mix of pre-rendered sprites and backgrounds. I purchased this when they did a second print run and it was named as the 2013 game of the year by Classic Game Room.

Galagon - Who said the 2600 can't do a near-perfect version of Galaga?! Developed by homebrew specialists Champ Games, the attention to detail, accuracy, and spot-on graphics & sound are fantastic. Even the artwork on the packaging and manual are super detailed and will take pride of place in any collection.

Pitfall II: Lost Caverns - I remember first seeing and playing this in 1984 at K-Mart and I wanted it so badly. Unfortunately it was quite expensive (close to AUD 100) due to it having a DSP for improved graphics and sound. No way were my parents going to spend that much on a single game. Anyway, now that I've got a Harmony flashcart, I'm going to give it a red hot go.

Banshee - This is a vertical shooter released in 1994 by Core Design, it was also released for the 1200 and is highly ranked in many Amiga game lists.

Flink - Developed by Psygnosis and released in 1994, it was released for the Mega CD and CD32 and is one of the few games not released on other Amiga systems. It's a 2D side-scrolling platformer with detailed graphics and high-quality music.

Games, Games, Games - Part One

With the pandemic outbreak that has spread around the world, we certainly live in interesting times. For the last six weeks I’ve been working from home, writing user manuals and product testing. I’ve set up a little makeshift desk with my Surface Pro and an iPad to keep me company. I’m lucky to work for a business that gives me a lot of flexibility in regards to what hours I work, as long as my projects are submitted on time. The upside to working from home is that I save two hours of travel time a day, which means there’s more time dedicated to playing games! I set myself a challenge by selecting a minimum of two games per system to finish. This is what I’ve selected:

Geometry War: Retro Evolved 2 - Released in 2008, this is the sequel to Geometry Wars by the now-defunct Bizarre Creations. I’ve only played this here and there throughout the years but now’s the time to knuckle down and see how much I can score.

Mutant Storm Reloaded - This is a multi-directional shooter by the sorely missed PomPom Games. One of the first games that I downloaded on release way back in 2005, the highest I’ve gone is room 52 out of a total of 89.

Project Sylpheed - Purchased this on release in 2007, it’s been one of those games on the ‘to be played’ list that’s been there forever. The graphics look awesome, let’s see how it plays.

Super Stardust HD - A brilliant twin-stick shooter by the fab developer Housemarque. I’ve got pretty far with this one but I’ve decided to start from scratch. The graphics still mesmerize me.

Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype - A graphically stunning horizontal shooter released in 2008 and developed by SideQuest Studios. I had a go of this today to see how it plays and really enjoyed it. Looking forward to exploring it a lot more.

Black - Having played first-person shooters mainly on the PC, I wasn’t a particular fan playing these on a console. That is until I played Black. Developed by Criterion Games and released in 2006, it felt right playing it with a controller instead of a keyboard & mouse. The graphics are great, it has destructible environments and atmospheric sound. Purchased this on release, played it heavily but then life got in the way and haven’t played it since. Time to fix that.

Outrun 2 - I hate to admit it but I’ve never played this game! My copy is still shrink-wrapped and sitting on the bookshelf begging to be opened. Developed by Sega and ported over to the XBOX by Sumo Digital, it was released in 2004 to rave reviews.

Strikers 1945 - I love shooters yet I’ve only dabbled in Psikyo’s range of games mainly in the arcades. I’ve never sat down and played their ports on the various consoles. Released on the PlayStation and the Saturn in 1996, this is a vertical shooter with a WW2 type theme. Really looking forward to giving this a go.

RayStorm - I played this heaps back in the day, probably one of my favorite games on the system. Originally released in the arcades in 1996 by Taito on the FX-1B (arcade version of the PlayStation) system and then ported over in ‘97, this is the middle game in the “Ray” series. It’s time to finish this.

New Super Mario Bros. - Unfortunately I’ve been quite lax with my Mario games in the last 10 or 15 years. Super Mario 64 was the last one that I put a decent amount of time into and only dabbling with the Wii, Wii U, and portable versions. I thought I would start with this before getting onto the Galaxy games.

Punch-Out!! - One of my fav Nintendo series is Punch-Out!! and having finished the NES and SNES editions, it's time to get onto the Wii version.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade - There's something alluring about Vanillaware's game catalog. Odin Sphere on the PS2 and Dragon's Crown on the PS3 are quite stunning and this looks equally as good. Released in 2009, the graphics look like a work of art and is frequently listed as a hidden gem on the system.

Strike Series (Desert Strike, Jungle Strike, Urban Strike) - When you think of the Strike Series, you typically think of the Mega Drive versions. However, I've clocked the SNES version of Desert Strike and finished the PC version of Jungle Strike. Urban Strike is the one I've played the least. Now it's time to finish all three on the Mega Drive.

Bari-Arm - Known as Android Assault in the west, the Japanese version was released in 1993 and developed by Human Entertainment. It was certainly a title that got overlooked upon release and received unfairly low scores in some magazine at the time.

Super Aleste - This is one of the few games listed here that I've played and finished several times. Released in 1992 and developed by Compile, this is part of the Aleste series that's available on many different consoles. What makes this version unique, is its use of vibrant colour and Mode 7 effects to create one of the best shooters on the system.

Super Mario World - The first game I played on the SNES way back in 1991 when I purchased the Japanese version on import. After all these years, it's time to revisit this unforgettable classic.

Defender of the Crown - One of my favourite games on the Amiga and Commodore 64, the ST version has been converted to the Jaguar. Purchased this limited edition version along with the ST mouse adapter from Atari Age. Looking forward to giving this a red hot go.

In the beginning...

My love of video games goes back 42 years, it’s 1978 and I’m five years old. The first time I saw Space Invaders at my local milk bar in St Albans, I was mesmerized and hooked forever. Those black and white graphics and strips of colour, the iconic artwork on the side of the cabinet, and that pulsating sound. It may not be the first arcade game released but in my five-year-old mind, it’s all that mattered!

Throughout the years from 1978 to 1980, there was an explosion of arcade games and they started appearing everywhere. In shopping centers, in cafes and takeaway shops, and places like 7-11 and even at the cinemas. There were Atari’s Asteroids with those crisp vector graphics, Namco’s seminal Galaxians, the first game to use tile-based graphics, Sega’s Monaco GP, probably the first driving game I ever played, and the cocktail version of Nintendo’s highly addictive Sheriff. Whenever I saw an arcade machine, I would relentlessly pester my parents for whatever spare change they had and patiently wait my turn to play while they went off to shop.

I look back at my childhood with such fond memories. My Mum worked in the city, so we frequented places like Myer and other department stores and to see the latest movies at Village, Hoyts and Greater Union (this is before the local malls had cinemas). And of course, this involved many a visit to the local arcade centers. In Melbourne we were certainly spoilt for choice. We had Orbit on Elizabeth St, Flashback, and Orbit2b on Bourke St, Coin Play on Russell St and 10/4 Amusements on Swanston St. Being so close to Japan, Australia, and particularly Melbourne, received the latest games as soon as they were released. We certainly had a thriving arcade industry. I will never forget when I first played Pac Man, Moon Patrol, Gyruss, Joust, Karate Champ, Kung Fu Master, Xevious, Galaga, Donkey Kong, Dragon’s Lair, Punch-Out!! and many, many more.

The year 1982 was particularly important in my gaming history. Seeing as though I could only play video games in the arcades, I wanted, heck I needed a system to play on at home. And of course, the only thing I wanted was an Atari VCS. I pleaded with my parents to buy one for my birthday or Christmas or whatever! Unfortunately, they weren't exactly cheap, in '82 they were priced at $299 which was equivalent to a week’s wage. I would love to say that the VCS was my first console, but it wasn’t. That prize goes to the Hanimex Tempest TV Game Console, essentially a Pong clone that had a cartridge slot. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy to get it, but all the games were two-player only and let’s face it, it was very basic.

  

Seeing the slight disappointment on my face, my parents finally caved in and purchased the last of the four switch wood veneer VCSs with Combat, two controllers, and the two paddles from Ted’s Cameras on Elizabeth St. I even got a copy of Pac Man with the bundle. Can I say that was one of the happiest days of my life?! I was beaming from ear to ear and I couldn’t wait to get home and start playing. After 30 mins of unpacking and setup, I was gaming till the wee hours of the morning. From memory, I‘m pretty sure it was school holidays as no way Mum was going to let me stay up late. Within two years, my collection grew from two games to round 65!

It was a glorious time to be alive. With frequent visits to the arcades and my ever-growing Atari collection, my gaming knowledge and skills were getting better and better. I was voraciously buying computer and video game magazines and soaking up all that information. This led to my next obsession, the Commodore 64...but that’s a story for another time.