• Tag Archives retrogaming

  • Zzap! 64 (April 1992)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Zzap! 64 – Issue Number 83 – April 1992

    I have no doubt this would have been my favorite magazine for a time if it had been available in the U.S. Most of my early game playing experience (after the Atari 2600 of course) was on a Commodore 64. The April 1992 issue includes:

    Features

    • Budokan – Review of this fighting game from Electronic Arts. Reminds me a bit of Yie ar Kung Fu.
    • The Shoe People – An educational game featuring shoes from First Class/Gremlin that, as far as I know, never made it to the U.S.
    • Alien World – A pretty solid sci-fi themed shooter from Hi-Tec.
    • Indy Heat – A top down racing game that is a follow up to and of the same style as Super Off-Road (except featuring indy cars).
    • Reviews – In addition to the above games, there are also reviews for 3D Pool, Castle Adventure, Demon Blue, Desert Island, Famous Five, Flippit, Game Over II, Ghouls ‘N’ Ghosts, Jimmy’s Soccer, Messenger, Mansion Quest, Midnight Resistance, Mission X, Moontorc, Q10 Tankbuster, and Zoomerang.

    Regularz

    • Zzap! Zone – Tips for April Fools Day.
    • Tapeworm – This month’s cover tap includes the games Uridium and Yabba Dabba Doo!, plus a demo of Space Gun, and pattern making software called Kaleidoscope.
    • Light Up Your Life! – A competition to win a 5.25″ disk drive.
    • Stuff – Thalamus to release soccer game; a look at the upcoming movie Hook, and more.
    • Previews – Previews of Brides of Dracula, Space Crusade, Striker in the Crypts of Chaos, and World Cricket.
    • PD File Returns! – A look at a public domain game for the Commodore 64 called Galax-I-Birds II (shoot-em-up).
    • Whiplash Whispers – Letters from readers about a cartridge version of Battle Command, adventure game coverage, game ratings, and more.
    • Walter’s No Wally! – An interview with Walter Pooley, maker of adventure games such as Castle Adventure.
    • Whiplash Scores – Reader high scores for games such as Boulderdash IV, Creatures, NARC, Midnight Resistance, Super Off-Road, Hudson Hawk, Navy S.E.A.L.S., Paradroid, Smash T.V., Robocop II, Super Space Invaders, and lots of others.
    • It’s Corky! – Tips and cheats for Rainbow Islands, The Jetsons, Logical, Paradroid, Batalyx, and others
    • Flashback – A look at older games now available at bargain prices including 3D Pool, Ghouls ‘N’ Ghosts, Midnight Resistance, and Game Over II.
    • Megamix – A look at recent game compilations including 2 Hot 2 Handle (Shadow Warriors, Golden Axe, Total Recall, Super Off-Road) and Multimixx 4 (Gauntlet, The Deeper Dungeons, Guantlet II).
    • Get Some Brides On Your Back! – A competition featuring Dracula and a leather jacket.

    …and more!


    📂This entry was posted in Commodore 64 Computer Arcana Retro Games 📎and tagged

  • Electronic Gaming Monthly (July 2008)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Electronic Gaming Monthly – July 2008

    Electronic Gaming Monthly was one of the best and longest running video game magazines in the U.S. It’s closest competitor in terms of success was probably GamePro but I always liked EGM better. The July 2008 issue includes:

    Features

    • Cover Story: Gears of War 2 – An exclusive look at this third-person shooter for the Xbox 360.
    • Banjo-Kazooie 3 – A hands-on preview, including screen shots, of this 3D platform game sequel from Rare for the Xbox 360.
    • Game guns in real life – A military expert discusses the realism (or lack thereof) of videogame weaponry.

    Letters

    • Our feedback to your feedback – Letters from readers about games and politics, Guitar Hero and Rock Band vs. playing real instruments, and more.

    Press Start

    • Feeling Disconnected? – Playing games online with Nintendo’s Wii.
    • Foreign Object – A look at an odd Nintendo DS game from Japan targeting girls called Duel Love.
    • Grand Theft Auto IV Revisited – A look at five things you might not have done in your first playthrough of Grand Theft Auto IV.
    • Preview: Bioshock on PS3 – A first look at the PlayStation 3 version of this classic first person shooter.
    • The Big Ones – A brief look at the upcoming Halo Wars for the Xbox 360 and Killzone 2 for the PS3.

    • Survival of the Fittest – A look at the effect of Wii Fit on Nintendo and the video game industry in general.
    • Preview: Legendary – A first look, including screen shots, of this fantasy themed first person shooter for the PS3 and Xbox 360.
    • Preview: Project Origin – A first look at this sequel to the horror themed shooter F.E.A.R. for the PS3 and Xbox 360.
    • Take This Job – Part of a series of articles that looks at various jobs in the gaming industry. This part looks at the job of game company President.
    • Old-School Summer – A look at a variety of old-school RPG style games including Final Fantasy IV, Izuna 2, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeon, From the Abyss, and Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen.
    • Rumor Mill – Rumors of a new Killer Instinct games, a new Medal of Honor game, a transformable controller for the PS3, and more.

    Reviews

    • Boom Blox – An explosive 3D puzzle game for the Wii.
    • Wii Fit – An exercise game for the Wii that is sort of a spiritual sequel to the Power Pad on the original NES.
    • Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit – A mediocre Dragon Ball Z themed fighting game for the PS3 and Xbox 360.
    • Hail to the Chimp – A decent set of mini-games for the PS3 and Xbox 360.
    • Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures – An Indiana Jones entry into the plethora of Lego games. This one is for the PS3 and Xbox 360.
    • Hellboy: The Science of Evil – This third person action game based on the 2004 Hellboy movie turns out to not be nearly as good as the movie.
    • Gran Turismo 5: Prologue – A solid entry into the long running racing series on various PlayStation consoles. This one is for the PS3.
    • Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard – An excellent old school style RPG for the Nintendo DS.
    • Operation Darkness> – A World War II horror-strategy-role-playing game for the Xbox 360 that isn’t nearly as good as it sounds.
    • Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift – A solid tactical RPG for the DS that fans of other Final Fantasy Tactics games should love.
    • Secret Agent Clank – A 3D platform game for the PSP that isn’t nearly as good as the original Ratchet & Clank.
    • Space Invaders Extreme – A pretty good modern take on the classic Space Invaders for the Nintendo DS and PSP.
    • Arkanoid DS – Arkanoid was the pinnacle of Breakout style games and this is a solid version for the Nintendo DS.
    • Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots – Another solid entry into this long-running PlayStation series that started life on the NES.
    • Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles – My Life as a King – The third entry in this RPG series for the Nintendo DS is an excellent choice for Final Fantasy RPG fans.

    Game Over

    • Seanbaby’s Rest of the Crap – Reviews of Nintendo games from the junk pile including Jenga World Tour for the Wii, John Deere: Harvest in the Heartland for the DS, Homie Rollerz for the DS, Go Diego Go! Safari Rescue for the Wii, and more.
    • Retronauts Presents: The Mind of Miyamoto – A look back at the life of Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto.

    …and more!


    📂This entry was posted in Retro Games 📎and tagged

  • Disney’s Hercules (PlayStation)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Electronic Gaming Monthly – Issue Number 98 – September 1997

    From the ad:

    “Zeus has answered your prayers. And now, it’s time to take your place among the gods in this hot new PlayStation game console adventure. Explore three worlds of 3-D game play right out of Disney’s Hercules movie – with the original character voices, sound effects and music. Mangle monsters like Hydra and the Cylcops. Terminate the Titans. Save Thebes from a hostile takover. Hey, this game can make you immortal!”

    Hercules was published by Virgin Games in 1997 and is based on the Disney animated movie of the same name. This is sort of a hybrid 2D/3D platform game. Whereas the 16-bit generation included endless side-scrolling platform adventure games, 32-bit systems were transitioning to 3D. Games like Tomb Raider and Super Mario 64 popularized this genre but personally, I never really made the transition. Hercules fits in sort of a middle ground but for the most part feels more like a traditional 2-D side-scroller.

    If you like 2D and/or 3D adventure games and are a Disney fan, this game isn’t bad. While movie licenses often make terrible games, it isn’t always the case and Disney really did an above average job most of the time. While not the masterpiece that games like Aladdin and Lion King were on 16-bit consoles, it is still reasonably solid.

    Hercules does a good job of capturing the look and feel of the movie. Environments are colorful and varied (and of course match the movie), the animation is smooth, and the voice clips are even from the original cast. While the controls are nothing special, the mechanics are straightforward and there isn’t much that should frustrate the average player in that regard. The soundtrack also includes music from the film and this is another thing that Disney has typically always done a good job with. This game is no exception.

    While the game overall is pretty good, it isn’t perfect and I would say it was made with the younger player in mind. This makes sense of course being a Disney game based on a Disney movie. The game is very short so experienced players will likely be able to complete it in a matter of hours. Even though the game is pretty good, I don’t think there is a lot of replayability here. Also, while the controls might be easy and straightforward, this is a double-edged sword. There is nothing here to frustrate you but there is also a lot of repetition when it comes to combat.

    This game isn’t really my cup of tea but it isn’t a bad game. If you like Hercules, usually like Disney games, or just like this style of game in general, then you should definitely give it a try. In addition to being released on the PlayStation, it was also released on the PC. I was a little surprised to see that this game was available on gog.com. Often, licensed games don’t see these kinds of re-releases. While being more of a retrogamer I would probably prefer the original PlayStation version, but at only $5.99 it’s hard not to recommend this as a cheap and easy way to play the game.

    Screen shots above are from the PlayStation version of the game. The ad (top and bottom) is from the September 1997 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly.


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