• Tag Archives retrogaming

  • Jet Force Gemini (Nintendo 64)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Girls of Gaming – Volume 1



    While I had a PlayStation at the time, there can be no doubt that Rare and the Nintendo 64 made a great combination. Jet Force Gemini is one of Rare’s games for the N64 and it’s a good demonstration of what they could do. Jet Force Gemini, released in 1999, is a combination third-person shooter/action adventure game in which you play the role of a member of a galactic law enforcement team.

    While this isn’t a game in which the story is too terribly important, it involves saving a race (Tribals) that have been enslaved by a large insect named Mizar and his drones. At least that is the story in the 1-player game. In a 2-4 player match, you can compete in a typical deathmatch style game.

    Featuring tons of enemies and lots of shooting, influences include everything from 80’s arcade games to Aliens to Super Mario 64 and more. The control system is somewhat unique. While wandering around, this game plays like other action platformers of the time. However, when enemies appear you have the option for manual, precise aiming in which case your character becomes translucent and a crosshair appears for aiming. With 15 worlds to explore, each with various stages, there is plenty to do. Fortunately, you have unlimited ammo..you are going to need it.

    Jet Force Gemini received generally good reviews and also seems to be a fan favorite (as are many Rare games). The criticism that exists is mostly directed towards the complicated control scheme. It was re-released as part of the Rare Replay compilation for the Xbox One otherwise you’ll have to track down an original cartridge or play it via emulation. Fortunately, unlike some Rare games, this one is fairly common and a cartridge will only set you back $10 or so on eBay.


    📂This entry was posted in Nintendo 64 Retro Games 📎and tagged

  • ACE (June 1991)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: ACE – Issue Number 45 – June 1991

    ACE (which stands for Advanced Computer Entertainment) is a computer and video game magazine published in the late 1980s and early 1980s in the U.K. In 1991, systems like the Amiga, PC, Atari ST, Megadrive, Game Boy, Atari Lynx and Super Famicom were being covered. Issue 45 from June 1991 includes:

    Reviews

    • Aero Blaster
    • Alien Storm
    • Burai Fighter
    • Cohort
    • Dark Man
    • Das Boot
    • ELF
    • F-15 2
    • Gauntlet 3
    • Gods
    • Hill Street Blues
    • Jetfighter 2
    • Mercs
    • Mega Traveler 1
    • Midnight Resistance
    • Nam
    • Predator 2
    • Space Quest IV
    • R-Type
    • Shadow Dancer
    • Squash
    • Viz

    Features

    • Captain Planet – Midscape is currently putting together two versions of the exploits of the new mean green fighting machine. We talk to the programmers of both and ask the folks as Mindscape about their hopes for the product.
    • Sony On CD – ACE talks to Sony US regarding their not-entirely half-hearted entrance into the CD arena.
    • Super Mario World – Super Mario World on the Super Famicom is possibly the most playable game in the world. After literally months of play, we feel ready to offer our opinions as to the very essence of its greatness.
    • Falcon 3 – For those of you who like your flight sims realistic, Spectrum Holobyte are keen to cater for the most demanding of tastes, with Falcon 3 boating a topographic landscape as well as a host of other state-of-the-art features. How did they do it?
    • Return of the Conference! – If you’ve ever wondered exactly how a software company works, you’ll be keen to take us up on our offer to visit a Major Firm and talk to the bosses and the programmers.
    • ECTS Show Report – We report from this year’s computer trade show where the industry folk have been deciding what you’ll be playing this Christmas.
    • Air Duel – Glyn Williams’ multi-craft flight game promises to offer players all-out flying action, with the emphasis on the thrills and spills of heroic acrobatics and far less gametime wasted on toggling flaps and avoiding heat currents. Sounds like a good deal to us.

    Regulars

    • ACE Games News – The Blues Brothers, Cyber Fight, Sonic the Hedgehog, Battletoads and the Addams Family.
    • ACE Tech News – The latest news of widgits, gizmos and events on the hardware scene from the ECTS show.
    • Letters – Speak out!
    • Tricks ‘n’ Tactics – Solutions, codes, cheats and hints for the best games of the moment.

    …and more!


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

  • Mr. Driller

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    https://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/636940968032141312/thedoteaters-mr-driller-by-namco-for-the

    Mr. Driller was released in 2000 as a port of the arcade game from the previous year for the PlayStation, Sega Dreamcast and Game Boy Color. The player controls Mr. Driller, the son of the Dig Dug protagonist. In fact, when development first started, this game was to be titled Dig Dug 3 as the third game in that series.



    Mr. Driller is a puzzle game and is sort of a cross between Dig Dug and tetris. Mr. Driller is an emergency worker tasked with drilling down to the buried city below that has been inexplicably covered in blocks. When four colors are connected, the blocks disappear. This of course can cause a chain reaction so you have to be careful Mr. Driller isn’t crushed by falling blocks.

    The levels in Mr. Driller are randomly generated but there are two scenarios that govern the difficulty. There’s the 2500ft challenge and the 5000ft challenge. Obviously, the further you have to go, the harder it is. This distance is split across 5 or 10 levels. Another aspect that adds to the challenge is the fact that Mr. Driller needs Oxygen to survive. Therefore, he must collect oxygen capsules to recharge before running out. There are also some blocks that are more difficult to destroy (“X-blocks”). These take multiple attempts to drill through and use up more of Mr. Driller’s oxygen. However, there is a bonus for connecting four in a row.

    Mr. Driller was initially ported to the Sega Dreamcast, PlayStation and Game Boy Color. the PlayStation and Dreamcast versions are very similar so pick your favorite though the Dreamcast version is going to be slightly closer to the original arcade game as that ran on Sega hardware as well. Fans of puzzle game should enjoy this one and give it a try. This game started a whole franchise so there have been numerous sequels and spinoffs. As far as the original goes, while there were some slightly later ports, I’m not aware of any re-releases so you’ll have to track down an original or use emulation.

    Screenshots above are from the PlayStation version of the game.


    📂This entry was posted in Game Boy PlayStation Retro Games Sega Dreamcast 📎and tagged