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Retro Review: Super Punch-Out!

I was not lucky enough to have played Super Punch-Out back in the early 90s when it was released. The reason I had no interest with the Punch-Out series was because:
1. I played the original Mike Tyson's Punch Out for NES and it was way too difficult for me at such a young age
2. It was not 2-player
Therefore I cannot really accurately give a score for how I remember the game to be. However based on some internet research, the average gaming press review at the time of release was about 83.5%

Back Then: 84%

Super Punch-Out is the last game of the series (one can only hope for a Wii/VC release) and definitely the best. It takes everything from the original Mike Tyson's Punch-Out! but improves on it: Better graphics, sound, controls...and gets rid of Mike Tyson. I discovered this game about 5 years ago in college and definitely was not an immediate fan. Punch-Out! has a relatively steep learning curve and plays differently than any other fighting boxing game that you may have played. The Player's character is extremely weak compared to the opponents and the game emphasizes memorization and timing. This initial difficulty is what kept me away from the series at a young age, but now it keeps drawing me back in. In the past couple weeks, I have found myself booting up Super Punch-Out! nearly every day for at least 1-2 bouts. In these days of Halo 3, GTA IV, etc., I think that says a lot about this older game. The game is extremely unique and different than any of the other games out there and offers a challenge without the player ever getting frustrated and giving up. It's an incredibly addicting game and the graphics, sound, etc. are all top-notch 16-bit pixel art so it stands the test of time well. The negatives are that there is no multiplayer of any kind and that you cannot choose different fighters, but it came before the age of online multiplayer so one can only hope that some one takes the time to revive this franchise and do it right.

Verdict Now: 91%

NEC Turbo Grafx 16 - The 1st 16-bit console?

First Released: August 29, 1989 (USA)
Gaming Era: 16-bit
CPU: Hudson Soft HuC6280
Cost: $189.99 (w /Keith Courage)
Sales: 2.5 Million Units (USA) 10 Million (Worldwide)
Controller: Gamepad (1 port)
Death: 1993 (TurboDuo in '92 Japan-Only 32-bit PC-FX in '94)
Life: 4 years
Best Games: Bonk's Adventures, Bomberman, Ninja Spirit

The TurboGrafx 16 was a joint effort of HudsonSoft (Bomberman Fame) and NEC. It was extremely popular in Japan (games were released through 1999) but fared poorly in the United States. While Turbo Grafx-16 claimed to be the first 16-bit console, this statement was utterly false. The Turbo Grafx 16 had an 8-bit CPU, though it did have a separate 16-bit graphics card and separate sound card. It was in fact a very compact console due to this efficient 3 chip architecture. Secondly, in the US it was not the first 16-bit console to the market (the Genesis was released 2 weeks prior). The start of the 16-bit era saw an intense competition between the Genesis and TurboGrafx. Ultimately, TurboGrafx older technology, lack of a 2nd controller port, and a lack of 3rd party developers led it to a very distant 4th place in North America. The TurboGrafx 16's cartridges were actually really cool. The cartridges were about as large as a credit card, but slightly thicker. The (really 8-bit) TurboGrafx-16 soon began to offer all sorts of expansions including the TurboCD and leading to the TurboDuo in the early 90s in an attempt to claim some share of the US market. This was all too late since the Genesis already had claimed victory, however this failed peripheral expansion was a mistake Sega would make as well.

Remember the Noid? What about Yo! Noid for NES?

Remember the Noid? He was that weird looking claymation mascot of Dominos Pizza. If you don't remember the company's mascot than you surely don't remember his NES game: Yo! Noid! The game was marketed towards kids (obviously...who else would be a fan of the Noid) but was a game so hard that it was unsuited for any kid without a Game Genie. Why was it so hard? Well, the Noid had no life meter and died with any enemy contact. That probably wouldn't be that bad if the Noid was equipped with a decent weapon, but alas the Noid only has a Yo-Yo to protect himself. The game was developed by Capcom and shares nearly all it's gameplay concepts (but none of its grahics) with a Japanese game called Kamen no Ninja Hanamaru (Masked Ninja Hanamaru). For some reason, I had this game and attempted playing it for about a day before it started collecting dust on the floor of my room. I gave it a second go around with a Game Genie, and cheated my way through the levels. The game never really left me with any semblance of fun and definitely serves as an example of a failed commercialization/localization/cartoon-tie-in video game project. Luckily this is one of the only such wacky game projects I have ever heard of.

Yo Noid is on the left, crazy Japanese ninja game is on the right

Sega Master System

First Released: June 1986 (USA)

Gaming Era: 8-bit

CPU: 8-bit Zilog Z80A

Cost: $139.99 (w /Hang-on & Safari Hunt)

Sales: 13 Million Units

Controller: Gamepad

Death: 1989 (rights sold to Tonka in 88)

Life: 3 years

Best Games: Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Space Harrier, Strider, Shinobi, Penguin Land

The Sega Master System was pretty much a non-entity in the United States and Japan where Nintendo controlled 95% of the market. However, worldwide it was a moderate success which set the stage for the successful Genesis. In Europe, Sega smartly marketed the system in territories that Nintendos weren't available, and was a rival and competitor to the Nintendo (though it never surpassed it). In Brazil, they still make Sega Master Systems! It was an absolute smash hit and marketed and adapted to the territory expertly by Tec Toy. All in all, the Sega Master System was a mild success worldwide, but allowed Sega to learn and enter the video game market. Sega was able to learn enough to see widespread success with the Sega Mega-Drive / Genesis. Sega's Master System set the stage for the first official console war: SNES vs. Genesis in the 16-bit era of video games.

Retro Review: Grand Theft Auto III

With the Release of Grand Theft Auto IV this week, it's a good time to sit back and take another look at the game that made DMA design - Rockstar North. GTA 1 and GTA 2 were top down open world games that were fun, but never really had any sense of story. You were just causing some top down destruction. GTA III reinvented the series and made it was it is today. GTA III took the open-world, sandbox concept of its 2D predecessors and moved it into 3D. GTA III introduced a violent and mature world and story that captivated people. The freedom was unprecedented. GTA III created a new video game genre and copycats came out of the woodwork. For its time (Oct 2001), GTA III had good graphics (though not PS2's best), fantastic sound/audio, an amazing presentation, and brought something to the table no one had ever experienced before.

Verdict Back then: 95%

Is Grand Theft Auto III any good today? I say not really. The graphics look horrendous and boxy, the draw distance is terrible, the missions are repetitive, the controls are really bad outside of driving, and the storytelling has been surpassed by every subsequent sequel (c'mon the main character doesn't even talk). Grand Theft Auto III deserves a ton of credit for created the genre, but it was stale even back when Vice City came out. Maybe Vice City was just that good of a sequel that it immediately brought out all the flaws of GTA III. At the very least, Vice City and San Andreas showed us what could've been expanded upon and fixed with GTA III. Maybe that is exactly what Grand Theft Auto IV is for...it's a return to Liberty City to show us all what has blossomed from Grand Theft Auto III's legacy. GTA III will always be remembered as revolutionary, but what were once viewed as minor flaws at the time have become major ugly tumors on this game. It's a relic of the early PS2 era, but it will always be remembered.

Verdict Now: 78%

Best Games You've Never Played: Dragon Force Sega Saturn

Dragon Force was one of the best games for the Sega Saturn. It was released in Japan as a Sega Ages Collection for Playstation 2, but unfortunately we are not that lucky here in the U.S. Dragon Force was translated and released by the now defunct Working Designs (great studio) and released for the Saturn in 1996. Dragon Force's claim to fame were the epic battles with up to 200 troops onscreen with 7 different troop types (soldier, samurai, archer, mage, harpy, dragon, or zombie) but it was a tremendous strategy game with a ton of replay value (8 different Rulers to Choose from). The graphics were great for their time and there will full anime cutscenes that were very stylish. The orchestral music worked well with the theme and the epic battles with some (though little) real time interaction by the way of special moves and troop formations kept me interested through all the strategy elements. Nothing beat overwhelming an army with a swarm of 100 dragons. The game mixed RPG elements, Story, Battles, and Strategy elements perfectly for a very engaging 40-50 hour quest. The game won a ton of awards including best game of the year, but was not widely released in America. I was lucky enough to be a die-hard Sega fan at the time and pretty much got every new game that came out. Back then this was one of the best games in my collection.

Back then: 98%

Dragon Force holds up pretty darn well to this day. The biggest downer is the complete lack of voiceovers and a ton of text to read...but that was the name of the game back then... still it's a burden now and makes the story less compelling than I remember. The anime sequences are still awesome and sprites and look of the game definitely hold up, though the animation doesn't have as many frames as I would like. The most important thing is gameplay though...and the gameplay is still unique today and refreshing when compared to all of the Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics style of strategy RPG warfare. I wish you could take more direct control of the General...but perhaps this was present in the Japan only Dragon Force 2. I'm sure us here in the US will never know, especially since it is one of the best games that was never played over here.

Verdict Now: 93%

Retro Review: Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Darkside

"Nine of the greatest fighters throughout history have met untimely and unjust deaths. They now compete against each other for a chance to face the "Eternal Champion" and reclaim their souls. The victor will return to Earth with the chance to avenge his or her own death and restore balance to the universe."

That quote pretty much sums up the story for the original and the sequel to Sega's internally developed Fighting Game. Eternal Champions was created to capitalize on the success of Street Fighter, Fatal Fury, Mortal Kombat and all the other fighting games in the early 90s. Despite this, the first Eternal Champions did a good job taking the mythology and tone of Mortal Kombat and mixing it with pixel drawn characters a la Street Fighter. The first game was decent, but the sequel was a winner.

The first Eternal Champions offered easy to execute special moves, but these moves were restricted by a special move meter. The gameplay was also slow and there were limited characters to choose from. The sequel introduced combos, a less stringent special meter, a ton of new characters (resulting in 25 total), better sound, 3 types of finishing moves, secret characters, Easter eggs, and more. It's a shame the Sega CD was a dud and that this game came late in its life cycle. It was a gem that deserved to be played.

Back then: 90%

To this day, Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side is still an under appreciated title that many people did not play. While the mediocre original garnered some attention with a Wii Console release, Challenge from the Dark Side is definitely too violent to make it onto the Wii. That's a shame since the sequel is superior. Eternal Champions 2 is still fun today. The game is a little slow for fighting game standards, but the art style, gameplay, animation and special attacks are pretty unique to the slew of other fighters of the generation. Even to this day, Eternal Champions CD stands up as a good fighter worthy of playing. I can only hope that it gets a more widespread release so that more people can experience this Mortal Kombat themed game with Street Fighter-esque controls.

Verdict: 85%

The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

First Released: October 18 1985 (USA)

Gaming Era: 8-bit
CPU: Ricoh 8-bit Processor

Cost: $199.99 (SMB bundle)

Sales: 60+ Million Units
Controller: Gamepad
Death: 1995 (Japan continued manufacturing them until Oct 2003)

Life: 10 years
Best Games: Super Mario Bros. (1-3), Metroid, Legend of Zelda, BattleToads, Double Dragon, Ninja Gaiden

The Nintendo Entertainment System was a game changer. It was released despite the video game market crash of 1983 and was extremely successful. Atari blew its chance to distribute the system and the NES went on to become the best selling video game console of all time (at the time). The Nintendo is also the birth place of many of Nintendo's stellar franchises: Mario, Zelda, and Metroid. The NES has also had one of the longest lifespan's of any system. In fact, Nintendo of Japan still repaired Nintendo's up through 2003 when parts became too scarce. Atari may have started the home video game market, but Nintendo revived it and made it what it is today. Many gamers today started on the NES and know it as their first system. It is definitely the king of the 8-bit crown and the best system of the era.

The Atari 7800 Video Game Console

First Released: June 1986 (USA)
Gaming Era: 8-bit

CPU: 1.79Mhz
Cost: $139.99
Sales: 1 Million Units

Controller: Joystick

Death: Jan 1992

Life: 5.5 years

Best Games: Pole Position II, Mario Bros, Asteroids, Donkey Kong

The Atari 7800 was too little too late. By the time it was released, the NES already had a firm grasp on the US market and the Sega Master System had the rest. The Atari 7800 was compatible with all Atari 2600 games (making it a valuable collector's item) but it was plagued by a 2 year delay and a complete lack of titles due to many developers exclusive contracts with Nintendo. It should be noted that Atari made one of the Biggest Video Game Mistakes of all time by turning down Nintendo's offer to manufacture the NES in America in favor of the 7800. One can only imagine what the Atari name would mean today if they had the sense to accept Nintendo's offer.

Retro Review: Atari Asteroids

You can play asteroids above for yourself. The above is a pretty spot-on translation of the 80s Arcade classic. It seems even more appropriate to review Asteroids since it was just released to Xbox Live Arcade. Asteroids was surely one of the best games for the Atari 2600. The game gave you more control over your ship (compared to space invaders) and while it was only black and white, it featured smooth animations/rotations for the time. The most important thing was that the gameplay was simple yet extremely challenging. As an arcade game this puppy just ate your quarters up and it is still worthy of a couple minutes here and there. Does Asteroids stand the test of time? Not really. The gameplay is too simplistic compared to even NES or Master System games, and while it still controls/plays well, it is clearly an arcade game with limited appeal. Graphics & Sound are pathetic and poor for even 2d games, so while in its day it was king, Asteroids is a little too retro for its own good. It still offers a decent challenge though and of course has that nostalgic flair.

The Atari 2600

First Released: Oct 1977 (USA)
Gaming Era: Early 8-bit

CPU: 1.19 Mhz

Cost: $199.99

Sales: ~40 Million

Controller: Joystick

Death: Jan 1992

Life: 14 years 2 months
Best Games: Pitfall, Adventure, Breakout, & Pong

While there are technically earlier systems...they really were more like computers. Atari is the home console that started it all. Before Nintendo & Japan ruled Gaming, a US company started bringing video games into people's homes. While released in the late 70s, Atari didn't explode until 1980 when it brought in profits over $2 billion dollars. It reigned supreme until the video game crash of 1983. The Atari era gave birth to one of the biggest developers today: Activision. Activision's Pitfall! is considered the best selling game ever for the Atari 2600.

Video Game Systems Evolution and Pictorial History

Get ready for a serendipitous retrospective look into video game history over the course of the next few months. With 2008 approaching, it's time to take a look at gaming past. It's time to remember Neo Geo, 3DO, Atari Jaguar, TurboGrafx 16, and many others. The above picture/chart shows the start of home gaming and the evolution of game systems over the years (click the picture/chart to see it full screen). In the coming months, we'll have video game system profiles, console war sales figures, video game medium evolution and much more. Retro Gaming and Video Game History is coming this Holiday Season and will continue into 2008.

Whatever Happened to Battletoads?

Talk about a series dying quickly (probably due to the Double Dragon Crossover)! Battletoads was one of the most graphically impressive and extremely difficult games for the NES. It was made by Rare Ltd. which is interesting since they have gone on to make so many hit games. Is it just me, or did this series seem extremely short lived considering its popularity? Oh well...