Ah, Nintendo. Remember Nintendo? Home of the hardcore. Lair of the strong. Hell, they made a whole movie about a kid who was just blowing everyone else away - it was a man’s company and a man’s system. Suck at games? Then back off, little man. Nintendo was gonna destroy your ass and then hand it back to you, with little remorse. Innovative, groundbreaking, and challenging - those are 3 words I’d use to describe Nintendo’s Golden Age. Sure, they had some screw ups in their past (remember the U-Force?), but all in all, I’d say they set the bar pretty high.
James Cameron outdid himself when he put together a small Indie film that some of you may have heard of called “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” He took what was basically a basic horror movie setup (unstoppable killer chasing young woman) and turned it into a sci-fi epic, spawning one of the, if not THE, greatest sequels of all time. Naturally, in the spirit of raking in some money, video game honchos decided to milk that cow and create games based on the franchise, with little quality control. The one I most remember was T2: The Arcade Game, which was an on-rails shooter and actually a lot of fun, but the one I remember being the most frustrated with was Terminator 2: Judgment Day for the SNES, released in 1993.
This is just kind of a rant that’s been brewing in my head for a while. With E3 coming around and being over, a whole slew of gun toting, explosion filled games are going to be hitting the market, which means a whole new group of frat boys that are pandered to. But remember when video games were socially looked down upon? I mean, sure, they’re not exactly the height of cool right now, but you see them everywhere, and everyone’s playing them. I remember, as a kid, being kind of a nerdy outcast because I’d rather sit at home with my horrible horrible copy of Dick Tracy on the NES than playing whiffle ball outside with the bigger kids. What did I need to do that for? I was Dick Freaking Tracy - a plastic ball and bat were no match.
Ok, I caught some flack the last time I posted one of these (seriously, I still feel they were overlooked…sue me), but given that this is one song from a game that was only on a system that performed poorly and was taken from us before its time, I think I can get a little leeway on this one. Jet Grind Radio, one of the more innovative games of its time, single-handedly ushering cel-shading into the industry, not only had a great premise, memorable characters, and awesome gameplay, but a hell of a soundtrack. Fusing hip-hop, J-Pop, and some rock, it was totally eclectic, but it all worked together. Check out this song, called “Everybody Jump Around,” possibly the funkiest thing in games since Toejam & Earl.
Also, as a game, I’ve missed Jet Grind Radio. I may have to dust off the ol’ Dreamcast and suffer through the loud disc spinning to play it a bit.
A lot of people think Super Punch-Out is the sequel to Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out. A lot of people also think that crocs are cool footwear. Lesson? A lot of people don’t know what they’re talking about. Which brings me to something I stumbled across online, which converted me from one who doesn’t know to one who does. Back in 1992, Nintendo had every intention of releasing an NES sequel to Punch-Out, starring not Little Mac, but Iron Mike himself, along with the original King of Boxing - Don King. 17 years later, we’ve got actual proof of this game’s existence, thanks to Jason Wilson: Rare Game Collector Extraordinaire. Don’t believe me? Check out this youtube vid as proof:
I want to point out a few things here. 1) I love the alien sporting the Don King hair. 2) I also love that Tyson’s suffered one loss - I don’t know what the game is referencing exactly, but it’s cool to think that it’s talking about Little Mac. 3) Check out :43, where Don King goes Super Saiyan. 4) Ever notice that when a series or franchise goes stale, they either send the characters into space or through time? Gilligan’s Island did it, Happy Days did it, and now Tyson.
The best part of this (if the video didn’t turn you off from playing the game) is that the game is available for download as a free ROM here. It’s worth it just to say you’ve played a flavor of garbage that not many other people have played before.
Tim Schafer is a gaming legend. With such classic hits under his belt as the Monkey Island series, Day of the Tentacle, and even recent hits as Psychonauts, there’s no denying the man is a comic genius, fusing simple gameplay with memorable characters and witty jokes. So, in light of the Game Developers’ Conference, he and his team at Double Fine Productions put together a little game in classic Schafer style, depicting his prep-work for hosting the event. It’s got a great classic sound, old school graphics, and the humor you’d expect. I highly recommend it, if only for a bit of nostalgia, but also for the wisest thing I’ve heard in a game in a long time: “The great thing about urinals is that, no matter how drunk you are, at least you stumbled into the right bathroom.”
Even if you’ve never heard of Tommy Tallarico, you’ve probably heard his music. In the mid to late 90s, his stuff was everywhere, particularly coming out of games by the phenomenal Shiny Entertainment, creators of some of the weirdest and most memorable games of all time. His music for Earthworm Jim and Earthworm Jim 2 is among some of the catchiest and diverse soundtracks of all time, with action music, soft tones, and even Caribbean tunes. My top Tallarico song comes from Earthworm Jim 2, and a stage titled Lorenzen’s Soil. It’s got a nice soothing sound to it, ironic considering you spend the entirety of the level fighting off giant larvae (or are you just tiny?). Check it out - maybe not overlooked, but certainly not making any top 10 lists either.
Occassionally, games, like the internet, allow people to make choices to customize their experience, and occassionally, in games, like on the internet, people abuse that privilege. Here’s an example of what happens when someone abuses the system, courtesy of the NES and Adventures in the Magic Kingdom.
You know, there are a lot of characters in the gaming world that struggle for top spot but hardly ever get the kind of recognition they deserve. Pit from Kid Icarus certainly has that dubious honor, but we don’t even have to go that far back to find an unsung hero amidst the overpopulated characters universe. Let’s take a look back at a close, personal friend of mine, a man who has worked tirelessly to ensure that his patrons are happy, safe, and secure, the kind of guy you can depend on. I’m talking about, ladies and gentlemen, none other than B.D. Joe.
Here’s another mashup, courtesy of my long wait at the Charlotte, North Carolina airport. I find that when you’re stuck doing nothing for long periods of time, you’re at your most creative, but I could be way off based on the following concoction we’ve mixed together:
Lucasarts really needs to consider turning Ghost into a point-and-click adventure. Use Sam Wheat on Whoopi. Pick Up Penny. Give Cigarettes to Crazy Train Guy. This thing practically puts itself together.
