• Tag Archives retrogaming

  • Digimon World (PlayStation)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Digimon World (PlayStation)

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/172331069463/rpgsitenet-digimon-world-was-out-today-in-1999

    Remember the Tamagotchi craze? There was even a song. Anyway, they were little digital pets on a keychain that you had to take care of. For a few years they were immensely popular and there were many imitators. Digimon was one such imitator. This PlayStation game is based loosely on the concept though for the purposes of the game you are sucked into the world of your digital pet.

    Apparently, a bunch of Digimon have gone feral and it is your job to save them. Digimon’s unique twist on the genre was that Digimon could fight other Digimon. This plays heavily into the game since you have to raise various Digimon along the way and battle other Digimon.

    Digimon World did a few things right. For instance, the graphics were very good for the time. Unfortunately, the game play left a little to be desired. The battle system in particular, which the game revolved around, was pretty poor with little effective control over the battles. Reviews were pretty poor for this game and if you have never even heard of Digimon then there is definitely no reason to pick this one up. However, if you were a hardcore Digimon fan and somehow missed it, it might be worth a shot…just don’t expect great things.

    This game was originally released in 2000 and there have been no re-releases or remakes. There was a Windows version of the game also but I believe it was never released in North America. There were three sequels (the first two on the PlayStation and the last one on the GameCube, PS2 and Xbox). The type of gameplay varied quite a bit between games but every one of them was pretty terrible. There have been a couple of more recent sequels including Re: Digitizer (PSP but in Japan only) and most recently, Digimon World: Next Order for the Vita and PS4. The PS4 version was released in North America last year. Reviews would indicate that it is only slightly better than the originals.


    📂This entry was posted in PlayStation Retro Games 📎and tagged

  • The Fifth Element (PSX, 1998)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    The Fifth Element (PSX, 1998)

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/172348600299/sprunk-the-fifth-element-psx-1998

    If you are looking for a game that bucks the trend of terrible licensed movie properties then this is definitely not the one. When reviewers start saying things like this is the worst game they have ever played then you know it can’t be good. The game generally follows the outline of the movie but the control is bad, the camera terrible, and the A.I. equally below par. In addition to those problems, poor level design and monotonous puzzles add to the misery.

    The Fifth Element was released in 1998 by Activision for the PlayStation and Windows. If you haven’t seen the movie with Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, and Chris Tucker among others then you definitely need to see it. It’s a great movie. Too bad the game doesn’t live up to it. I have not played the Windows version but it apparently got better reviews and may be worth a shot if you like the movie.

    This is obviously not a game that would have ever been re-released. Neither the PlayStation nor the Windows version should be terribly hard to find or cost very much. The Windows version is definitely the one to go for in this case if you want to give it a try but I don’t know what kind of hoops you will have to jump through to get it working on a modern system.

    Images above are from the PlayStation version of the game.





    📂This entry was posted in PlayStation Retro Games 📎and tagged

  • Power Instinct 2 (Arcade)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    egm2-issue-05-november-1994-page-156

    Source: EGM 2 – Issue Number 5 – November 1994 – Page 156 (Fact File)

    Power Instinct was the second in a fairly long line of fighting games by Atlus. The first two were both originally released as arcade games. Power Instinct 2 followed on the heels of its predecessor pretty rapidly, less than 6 months after it was introduced. While the home ports of the 1993 original appeared on the Super Nintendo and Genesis, Power Instinct 2 came home on the PlayStation in 1994 but only in Japan. The arcade “Fact File” from the November 1994 issue of EGM2 is shown above.

    Power Instinct is lesser known than some of the more popular fighting game series but it could hold its own for the most part. The problem was that it just didn’t have much that set it apart. Power Instinct 2 added additional characters and a small unique twist with a “stress meter” but it just wasn’t enough for it to stand out from other popular fighters of the day. After the first two games the series (and spinoffs) moved on to the Saturn and Neo Geo but I don’t believe any of them were home ports available in the U.S.

    While Power Instinct 2 doesn’t really stand out from the crowd, there isn’t really anything wrong with it. If you are a fighting game fan it’s probably worth picking up for something a little different. You’ll have to emulate the arcade version or perhaps pick up the Japanese import though as that is the only way to get it. You can also check out the ports of the original Power Instinct on the SNES or Genesis.

    Screen shots above are from the arcade version of Power Instinct 2.


    📂This entry was posted in Arcade Retro Games 📎and tagged