Classic Console Magazine

Transcription

Classic Console Readers, Please check out these Awesome
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from the Editor...
Dear Subscribers,
For many of us who love retro gaming, our first vivid memories of playing video games
consisted of handheld systems in the backseat of the family car on a road trip. In issue 4
we covered the Game Boy and all of those classic titles such as Tetris (more on this gem in
this month’s issue!), Super Mario Land and Dr. Mario.
Classic Console Magazine
Montpelier, Vermont, USA
T: 802 552 8242
http://classicconsolemag.weebly.com/
MAGAZINE TEAM
Editor / Josh LaFrance
Deputy Editor / Amy Trinanes
Contributing Writer / Elena Garcia
Contributing Writer / Ross Sillifant
Contributing Writer / Ian N.P.U
Contributing Writer / John Meadows
Contributing Writer / Thomas Spychalski
There was another best selling series of Game Boy titles that launched a worldwide
phenomenon and was the beginning of a highly successful franchise still around to this
day: Pokemon.
ADVERTISING
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E: classicconsolemag@gmail.com
Free advertising space is available for non-profit organizations and PSAs. Inquire for more info.
From the adventures of Pokemon: Red, Blue and Yellow to the puzzle solving fun of
Pokemon Puzzle Challenge, we will look at the first two generations of Pokemon games,
now considered by most to be retro gaming gems.
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Josh LaFrance
Editor in Chief
Distributed byJosh LaFrance
Montpelier, Vermont, USA
T: 802 552 8242
Reader Mail
One question we pose to all of our
subscribers on the website is the following
question: “Is there anything you want to
see in a future issue of the magazine?”
Below is a collection of responses we have
received from YOU, our subscribers!
Any development info for retro games such
as the hardships and the successes would be
cool.
-Steven
Survival horror evolution. Maybe some gems
for certain consoles. Atari stuff other than
Activision.
First of all let me just say that I love your
magazine. In this new day of attack journalism
and fighting amongst various factions in the
gaming community, it is great to see that
those who love retro games continue to
discuss the hobby we all love with respect
and integrity. I look forward to each issue to
see what will be featured and to check out the
retro adverts.
Please, please, please do an article on classic
racing games. There are more racing games
than just Mario Kart.
A few titles come to mind: F-Zero, R.C. Pro
Am, Super Off-Road and Pole Position come
to mind immediately.
He was a huge figure in the modern world
of Nintendo and a heavy weight in the video
game industry.
However, many don’t realize the influence
he had on early retro gaming titles, such as
Balloon Fight and Earthbound. He also was
one of the driving reasons behind the success
of Kirby’s Dream Land.
Can you guys please write something on this
great man?
-Josh F.
-Frank S.
Can’t wait to see what you guys have in this
month’s issue. Cheers!
I am very interested in learning how to create
basic games such as a game for the Atari
2600? Can we get a feature interviewing a
current homebrew developer?
-Tony P.
-Jorge R.
-Yuri H.
Worst Arcade conversions!
5 | Classic Console
I was very saddened to read of the passing of
Nintendo great, Satoru Iwata.
What’s in this Issue...
REVIEWS
15
INTERVIEWS
33
Luigi’s Mansion
Gamecube
32
Pokemon Red and Blue
39
Croc
40
Protect Me Knight
42
Tempura
of the Dead
XBOX Indie
XBOX Indie
Nic
Cusworth
Designer of Argonaut Software
Fame
FEATURES
Game Boy
PS1
Classic Console | Issue 6 | 2015
7
Gamer
Memories
Mortal Kombat: the Movie
RETRO ADS
9 Mortal
Kombat
Arcade (1992)
10 Mortal
Kombat
the Movie (1995)
14 NES
(1986)
18 Luigi’s
Mansion
Gamecube (2001)
11
TOP 5
Failed Video Game Consoles
25 Game
Boy
(1989)
13
10
FUN FACTS ABOUT..
Nintendo
31 Capcom
VS SNK
Dreamcast (2000)
13
Loss
of a Legend
Classic Console Says Goodbye to
46 Turbo
Outrun
Arcade (1989)
Satoru Iwata
19
Pokemon
Gotta Catch ‘Em All!
23
Tetris Tips and Tricks
27
Collecting
Retro Games
A Beginners Guide
44
Shenmue
III Kickstarter
The Story Finally Continues..
The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the mail. All articles and content (unless otherwise stated) is the copyright of Classic Console
Magazine (Legal Entity- Josh LaFrance). Nothing in this magazine may be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher. All copyrights are recognized and
used specifically for the purpose of critic and review, protected under the “fair use” doctrine. Although the magazine has endeavored to ensure all information is correct at time of print,
information is subject to change. This magazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.
Copyright © 2014-2015 Classic Console Magazine (Josh LaFrance)
Classic Console | 6
Mortal Kombat: The Movie
By Josh LaFrance
Over the years there has been a plethora of truly great
Comic Book based movies as well as movie adaptations
of classic literature and best selling books. If so many
other properties have been developed into entertaining
and successful movies, what has caused there to be such
an absence of great movies based on video games?
There has been a few exceptions to the rule, but by
and large, video game movies have all been a bomb.
(Remember the DOOM movie anyone? Yikes...)
Today, we will be reminiscing about one such movie
that although receiving mixed reviews by critics, was
a box office success as well as a cult classic among
gamers. This movie went on to spawn sequels as well
as a TV series in 1998. That film is Mortal Kombat: the
Movie.
Released in 1995, Mortal Kombat: the Movie spent 3
7 | Classic Console
weeks at number one in the United States and grossed
$122 million dollars, having been made with a budget of
$18 million. The movie then went on to be a favorite at
movie rental stores everywhere, ensuring it’s success as
a gamer cult classic.
Mortal Kombat followed closely the journey of Liu
Kang, Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade, as they battled
through a tournament of evil against villain Shang Tsung
and his henchmen. This movie’s plot follows the first 2
Mortal Kombat games very closely. You can really tell
that those involved in making the film took their time
to study the source material, something which is sorely
lacking from many video game movie adaptations.
So where does this movie fall short? Why are opinions
so mixed when it comes to this film? Let me give you my
opinion as to why I think it’s great and hopefully this will
inspire debate among our readers. (Have an opinion?
Write to us at classicconsolemag@gmail.com and get
featured in next month’s issue!)
Campy Goodness
from previous decades and pop culture. Just take the
various possible endings after a fight. Does a game
where you can end the fight in friendship rather than
a fatality seem like something that takes itself very
seriously?
One of the reasons the movie got critiqued so harshly
by some was in it’s use of corny one liners and not
taking itself seriously. People expected a dark movie
with moody lighting, expansive sets and locations and
a gritty tone. On top of all that, they expected gore and
lots of it, after all isn’t that the draw of the games?
First of all, the lighting and sets were fantastic. It
really felt like you were watching an extension of the
game itself. They nailed the locations in which the
movie was filmed and that aesthetic really added to the
effectiveness of the film.
Fast Paced Action
The strong point of Mortal Kombat is where a film
based on the fighting genre matters the most: the action
sequences.
Second, it can be understandable why to not have all
the gore. Let’s face it, most of us were young when we
played Mortal Kombat for the first time. Although we
could sneak a gory video game into our homes and play
it in the comfort of our own living rooms and bedrooms
all over the world, it would have been much harder to get
into an rated R movie (as they are known in the US).
In other countries with tighter restrictions on violence
at the cinema, it would have been even more difficult
for Mortal Kombat to reach it’s intended audience,
which let’s face it, was video game playing young people
everywhere.
Now let’s get to the first point made, which was the
campiness and one-liners. I don’t think Mortal Kombat
the movie needed to take itself very serious to be good.
If we were really being honest with ourselves, when did
the games ever take themselves serious? Every game
in the Mortal Kombat series is filled full of fun (albeit
hidden) references to other video games, sci-fi movies
The action is fast and furious and the fights are done
in a way that seems to border fantasy. In other words,
during parts of the film you wonder to yourself, “Is that
really humanly possible?”. It is ok to suspend disbelief
for the quick 101 minutes that the film lasts, as it is
based on a video game that tends to stretch the limits
of what is actually possible. Again, the film stays close
to the source material.
A Good, Not Great Film
I personally love this movie. Sure, it has it’s flaws but
through the eyes of a 12 year old gamer (which I was
when I first saw it), this film is just awesome 90’s fun!
It gets major points for staying close to the original
source material (the first 2 games) and having fantastic
fight sequences. It loses some points for occasional poor
line delivery and bad acting. At the end of the day, you
need to take the time and watch this movie if you call
yourself a Mortal Kombat fan and haven’t seen it.
Mortal Kombat (1995)- 3 out of 5
Classic Console | 8
Classic Advertisement- 1992
OP 5 * TOP 5 * Top 5 * TOP 5 * TOP 5 * Top 5 * TOP
FAILED VIDEO GAME CONSOLES
3DO (1993 -1996)
Best GameSuper Street Fighter II Turbo
Developed by the 3DO corporation, but manufactured primarily
by Panasonic, the 3DO was not just a console but rather a set of
specifications for a video game system. (Sort of like VHS which
was being manufactured by many companies, 2 other companies
besides Panasonic also made 3DO consoles.)
3DO ultimately failed due to a few factors, but primarily it was
because of the high asking price of $699, far higher than any other
console on the market.
The system also suffered from a lack of titles and only had one
title available at the time of it’s initial offering.
Dreamcast (1998 -2001)
Best GameShenmue
Thought by some to be the greatest console of all time, SEGA’s
Dreamcast is the grandfather of modern gaming. Online gameplay,
amazing sports titles, motion controls, arcade perfect ports, the
list goes on and on; the Dreamcast delivered on every level.
What ultimately was the Dreamcast’s undoing was not any issue
with the console itself but rather Sega being unhealthy financially
as a company.
The Dreamcast was a last gasp of a dying hardware manufacturer,
now unfortunately confined to life as a producer of third party
titles for many different systems.
11 | Classic Console
Virtual Boy (1995 -1996)
Best GameVirtual Boy Wario Land
Nintendo was on top of the world as king of video games in the mid
90’s and looking to hit another home run as the virtual reality craze
hit. Unfortunately, interest in this technology far preceded what was
actually at the time possible. (We are barely getting functional VR kits
now in the year 2015 with Oculus.)
It was an unmitigated disaster. Low sales, complaints of users suffering
nausea and headaches, not to mention the horrible monochromatic
graphics. Nintendo would like to forget about this one.
Pippin (1995 -1997)
Best GameSuper Marathon
Much in the same way as the 3DO, computer giant Apple created the
Pippin as a platform based on the Apple Macintosh line of computers
with the sole purpose of establishing an open platform. Apple licensed
the rights to the Pippin to 3rd party manufacturers who would build
the systems and handle all marketing. Bandai, Katz Media and Daystar
all made versions of the console.
Lack of marketing sufficient to compete with the Sony Playstation and
Sega Saturn doomed it from the start.
Philips CD-i (1991-1998)
Best GameZelda’s Adventure
When a company is rumored to have lost nearly a billion dollars from
a project, it is safe to assume it was a failure. Philips tried to create a
system that would offer greater functionality than a regular CD player
or game console, and serve in the same capacity as a home computer,
but at a much lower price point.
The CD-i suffered from poor graphics and horrible game play in most
of it’s titles. Due to a licensing agreement, Philips produced several
system exclusive Nintendo titles featuring Zelda and Mario.
Classic Console | 12
10 FUN FACTS ABOUT
1. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as a manufacturer of playing
cards.
2. Nintendo owned a taxi cab company called Daiya in the 60s.
3. In 1964 after the failure of several ventures, Nintendo’s stock
plummeted, which caused them to enter the toy industry.
4. Nintendo found major success with a series of light gun
games in the early 70’s.
1965
5. The Laser Clay Shooting System was developed for arcades
using technology from Nintendo’s home light gun games.
6. In 1977, Nintendo released the Color TV-Game home console,
which was essentially a clone of Atari’s Pong.
7. Gunpei Yokoi got the idea for the Game and Watch by
observing a businessman playing with an LCD calculator on a
train.
1966
1970
8. Due to the video game crash of 1983, American stores were
reluctant to carry the NES. Nintendo at that point decided to
bundle in the R.O.B. robot add-on and market the NES as a toy
instead of a game console. This is also why the main console is
referred to as the “Control Deck”.
9. The Super Mario series of games has sold over 262 million
units worldwide.
1972
10. By 1995, Nintendo had sold over one billion cartridges
worldwide.
The Loss of a Legend
Satoru Iwata (1959 - 2015)
On July 11th, 2015, the gaming world lost one of it’s best and brightest when Satoru Iwata lost his battle to cancer.
All of us here at Classic Console Magazine send our best wishes and condolences to Mr. Iwata’s family and friends. We
know he will be deeply missed by all those who had the pleasure of knowing him.
Most recently known as the man
responsible for the rebirth of Nintendo and
the release of the Wii and Nintendo DS,
Iwata also had involvement in many games
that retro gamers know and love.
Mr. Iwata took an interest in programming
and creating games at a very early age. While
attending university he began working part
time for HAL Laboratory.
Iwata’s involvement helped many titles
become successful such as Balloon Fight,
NES Open Tournament Golf, Earthbound and
especially Kirby’s Dream Land, which at the
time was one of Hal Laboratory’s biggest
successes and a classic on the Game Boy.
When HAL Laboratory was on the verge
of bankruptcy, Iwata was promoted to
president. He subsequently turned the
company around and helped stabilize it’s
finances.
Taking over as head of Nintendo in 2002,
he continued his success by helping turn
around a poor launch of the GameCube,
fostering a relationship with Capcom,
and overseeing the devlopment of the
groundbreaking console the Nintendo Wii.
By Elena García Méndez
I don’t remember exactly how I acquired Luigi’s
Mansion. It was probably a birthday present from my
parents, but one which I picked out myself! The box
art portrayed a frightened-looking Luigi surrounded by
different ghosts. I thought that the concept of exploring
a mansion, all by yourself, and having to clear up rooms
and suction up ghosts with a vacuum cleaner was very
funny indeed! I have never regretted getting this game
and I continue to go back to it once in a while for a little
bit of fun. Up to today, I still regard Luigi’s Mansion as
one of the best gifts I ever received from my family.
The Luigi’s Mansion Developer
Luigi’s Mansion was developed by the imposingsounding Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and
Development, the largest department within the
Nintendo Company. The many EAD titles range from
Super Mario Bros. (1985), to Donkey Kong (1994) and
many Legend of Zelda games. Luigi’s Mansion was
released in 2001. Since 2004, the EAD has functioned as
five individual Kyoto-based teams and one allied group
in Tokyo.
Luigi’s Story
It all starts when Luigi wins a mansion in a contest
(though, suspiciously, without having entered the
competition). Despite this, he decides to celebrate and
tells his brother Mario to meet him at their new house.
After a spooky trip through the forest, Luigi finds out
that Mario is nowhere to be found.
He decides to investigate the mansion, when he’s
attacked by a ghost, leaving him terrified. A strange
man then enters, armed with a vacuum cleaner (the
Poltergust 3000), and saves Luigi. However, other
ghosts show up and they both have to flee to the man’s
workshop. Luigi’s rescuer is none other than Professor
E. Gadd. Gadd explains to Luigi how the vacuum works,
and reveals that he saw Mario entering the mansion
but never exiting it. Luigi resolves to fortify himself with
courage, and find his brother.
Apart from clearing rooms and searching for Mario,
you can gather hidden treasure scattered all over the
mansion. With the valuables you collect, you will be
able to build a new house at the end of the game. The
new house will be fitted with luxuries according to the
amount of riches you obtain.
The Poltergust 3000 and the Game Boy Horror
So how does Luigi manage to catch the ghosts he
encounters? The Poltergust is the solution to all of his—
and your—problems! First, you will need to stun the
ghosts with the flashlight you are carrying. The ghost
will then freeze for a few seconds, revealing it’s heart.
You must then act instantly and suction up the ghost!
It’s almost like going fishing, hooking and reeling in the
ghost! What a great invention Gadd created! (Though
each room of the mansion begins in darkness, once you
empty a room of ghosts, the lights come on. In this way,
the mansion is incrementally illuminated.)
that amounts to! Here are a few rooms and the ghosts
which you will encounter:
The Study Room: Here you will find Neville, the bookish
father, peacefully reading. Watch out for those flying
books! To catch Neville, wait until he yawns!
The Conservatory: Meet the beautiful Melody
Pianissima, who will test your soundtrack music
knowledge by playing tunes from the Super Mario games
for you on her piano!
The next tool you will be using is the Game Boy Horror
(based on the Game Boy Color console). Gadd kindly
gives this to Luigi to aid him in his quest for Mario. This
device has several impressive functions, as follows: It
indicates where a Boo, a certain type of ghost, is hiding.
If there is a Boo in the room, you will notice a yellow
light on your Horror device. If you are very near the Boo
the Game Boy will show a red light! That’s when you
will have to inspect the furniture and shake any Boos
out. Don’t let them escape, Luigi! When a room is Boofree, you will see a calming blue light on your Game Boy
Horror.
This stupendous tool also allows you to scan around
the mansion, enabling you to discover secret rooms.
Additionally, the Game Boy Horror will indicate how
much treasure you have collected, how many ghosts
you have captured, on what floor you are currently, and
what key belongs to what room. Gadd, you’re a genius!
The Rec Room: If you want to keep fit, just like Biff
Atlas, this is the room for you! While Biff is busy lifting
weights, knock him down by hitting him in the face with
the punch bag!
A Peek at Some of the Mansion Rooms and Their Ghosts
The Clockwork Room: Here you must activate all the
clocks that you find. This starts them playing music,
causing three clockwork toy soldiers to appear, who
begin moving around the room and attacking you!
Use your vacuum to capture their wind-up keys! This
will freeze them, allowing you to suction each entire
soldier.
The mansion consists of three floors, plus a basement
and a roof to explore, so you can imagine how much area
The Guest Room: What has happened here? The room
is all upside down! You will see a little ghost girl, Sue
Pea, trying to take her nap. If you scan her with your
Game Boy Horror, she will tell you that she promises she
won’t wet the bed. You will have to throw some water at
her to awaken her and vacuum her up!
The Lowdown
One of the most noticeable characteristics of this
game is the astonishing graphic detail. The rooms are
filled with many objects such as furniture, paintings,
candles, wallpapers, and so on. And if a window is open,
you can admire how the breeze moves the curtains.
There is hardly a detail missing in this game!
The lighting is really impressive. Having Luigi wander
the house in darkness with only a flashlight to guide
him is the perfect reason to admire what the developers
have managed to achieve. This sets the mood for a
haunted house for sure! You’ll even notice how the dust
rises when you move furniture while tracking the Boos.
The Artist’s Studio: Vincent Van Gore, the starving
artist, resides on the third floor of the mansion. He’s
deeply angered at Luigi’s sudden intrusion. He begins
to bring his ghost portraits to life, and they attack Luigi.
As Luigi madly suctions up these new threats, Van Gore
counterattacks by painting more portraits and actuates
them into assailing ghosts. Once you’ve beaten all of
Van Gore’s ghosts, you must then deal with him.
The originality of this game is also splendid. The
mansion is huge with plenty of rooms to visit and many
ghosts to vacuum. Every ghost has its own personality
and name. Thanks to the simple plot, the makers
of Luigi’s Mansion have successfully created a very
enjoyable game to play.
Regarding the soundtrack, perhaps this is where
Luigi’s Mansion doesn’t shine. It only has one main
theme which Luigi hums while he’s exploring the house.
Overall, you will mostly play the game in silence, with the
exception of some sound effects (such as Luigi calling
Mario’s name in a trembling voice).
Considering the gameplay, Luigi’s Mansion is
disappointingly short—it is very likely you’ll finish it in
six or less hours. The fun is over much too soon! It is
also a fairly easy game to finish, which contributes to
a quick completion. As for the replay value, you have
the option to try to beat the game in the more difficult
Hidden Mansion mode. You could also attempt to collect
all the hidden treasure and get a rank A.
Don’t Get Scared Stiff, Luigi! Chase those Boos!
Luigi accidentally frees fifty Boos, including King
Boo (the one behind Mario’s disappearance), from the
Storage Room. Since the damage is done, Luigi has no
option but to pursue them with the help of his Game
Boy Horror. Again Luigi must inspect the furniture for
concealed Boos. The Boos can also attack Luigi or go to
other rooms and hide. Each Boo has its own name; for
example you will face TamBoorine, Boomerang, Boo La
La, PeekaBoo, Bootique, Mr Boojangles, and more. If Luigi
manages to catch all 50 of these Boos, he will obtain an
enormous, golden-hued diamond as a prize.
Despite these minor flaws, Luigi’s Mansion surely
qualifies as a classic. It is a very fun and entertaining
game that you won’t tire of, and it deserves a rating of
five stars.
Luigi’s Mansion (2001)
Platform: Gamecube
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo EAD
1 Player
By Josh LaFrance
A franchise which is almost 20 years
old, responsible for an industry of over 30
billion dollars worth of merchandise such
as comics, movies and toys and the sale of
200 million copies of video games is sure
to leave a lasting cultural impact.
Pokemon swept the world by storm,
introduced a whole generation of kids to
video games and consumed many of us for
years as we attempted to “catch ‘em all”! Pokemon recently hit a milestone, becoming the second most successful
video game based media franchise in the world, behind that of our beloved Koopa fighting plumber, Mario.
The early Pokemon games are mentioned frequently in the same breath as other great retro gaming titles such
as Dragon Quest and The Legend of Zelda. Pokemon brought a new game mechanic to the table combining RolePlaying and Adventure with the fun of collecting.
Early Beginnings
Pokemon (translated to “Pocket Monsters” in Japan) began
in the mind of Pokemon founder and a man many consider the
savior of handheld gaming, Satoshi Tajari.
Tajari thought back to his days collecting insects as a child
and the friendships and comradery that grew out of that hobby
when invsioning the fictional Pokemon universe. The main goal
of the games is in the collecting and training of Pokemon, doing
battle against wild Pokemon while on your adventure and at
stops in towns along the way, battling other trainers at gyms.
There are 721 known species of fictional Pokemon monsters
and part of the allure of the games is in the strategy that can
take place when one is building their team of monsters.
Gotta Catch ‘Em All
In most versions of the Pokemon universe a trainer can
capture a wild Pokemon by wearing down it’s stamina in battle
and utilizing a device known as a Poke Ball (pictured right) to
capture the creature.
Once captured, the Pokemon is entered as part of your
collection. The real strategy lies in figuring out which Pokemon
out of your collection will comprise your team and there are
many schools of thought in this department. The most common
wisdom for beginners however is to strive for relative balance.
In the Pokemon universe (at least among the classic games
from the first 2 generations we will be talking about in this
issue) there are approximately 15 different types of Pokemon.
These types are for the most part based on natural elements
(i.e. fire, water, ground, electric etc.) and have a huge influence
in your success or failure as a trainer.
For instance, if fighting a water Pokemon, know that fire
Pokemon deal poor damage and are also very vulnerable to
attack from water. Another common sense example would be
electric Pokemon being unable to do any damage to a ground
Pokemon.
It is clear from looking at the interaction between varous
types of Pokemon that the universe was designed to perfection
and every strategic decision one makes has consequences.
Left: A chart of all
Pokemon
types
from the first 2
generations.
Later games added
additional
types
such as Steel and
Fairy.
2= Double Damage
1/2= Half Damage
0= No Damage
Training Tip
At the beginning of Pokemon Red and Blue you begin by choosing a Pokemon to start with you on your journey.
After that it is up to you to capture wild Pokemon to accompany you on your adventure. As you progress through
the game you will undoubtably catch some needed Pokemon for your collection that are very low in level. So what
does one do to train up weak Pokemon when all you keep running into is level 20 or higher?
Here is a little known tip: Set up your team so that the weakest Pokemon is first. That will cause them to come
out initially when you run into a wild Pokemon. On your first turn, use it to switch to one of your strong Pokemon.
Do not leave the weak one in there to face the attack. Once you defeat the wild Pokemon with the strong one, the
game will split experience points up and give them out to each Pokemon that was present during the battle. Even
though your little weakling was only present for one turn, it still gets some points and can level up over time.
Practice Makes Perfect
The thing most addictive about Pokemon is the strategy and the active community of people who play the game.
Back in the days of the original classics Red and Blue (and later Yellow) this consisted of playing with your friends
via link cable. But now that emulators exist with online play capability (also the newer titles contain online match
making) you can practice against live opponents to hone your skills and test out your different teams. It is the
constant strategy, planning and collecting of Pokemon that endears it to millions all over the globe.
Tips and
Tricks
#1 Learn the piecesInstead of just diving right in and
playing, take time to learn the
pieces and visualize different
combinations that will allow the
various pieces to fit together.
When playing, think of it as a giant
puzzle and always be planning
ahead to the next move. Don’t
worry about speed, that will come
later.
#2 play Horizontally not verticallyTry to place the pieces as low as possible. Don’t build up huge narrow gaps and wait for the I piece to
come and save the day.
The lower you can keep the wall of blocks the more time you will have to play, especially in later
rounds when the gameplay gets more frantic. Give yourself room to work.
Left: Avoid leaving large columns and waiting for an I piece to show up.
Above: Tetris on the Game Boy is one of the top
selling video games of all time.
#3 Watch the next
spaceSee the space marked next?
Make sure you keep an eye on that.
Advanced Tetris players are able
to keep an eye on the space and
figure out where the next piece is
going to go before they receive it.
Staying one step ahead is the key
to the game once the speed picks
up.
TETRIS HIGH SCORES
1. Jeff Craggy- 2,072,133 Points
2. Stephen Krogman- 1,648,905 Points
3. James P Clewett- 1,531,771 Points
4. Julian Brummitt- 658,620 Points
5. Zachary B Hample- 572,149 Points
6. Jeffrey D. Lowe, Jr.- 291,077 Points
7. Misty Kowell- 192,041 Points
8. Patrick Scott Patterson- 168,880 Points
9. Ron Corcoran- 110,836 Points
10. David Nelson- 100,545 Points
Guide
to
Collecting
Retro
Games
By Thomas Spychalski
One of the biggest questions you hear across retro
gaming communities is where to find games and
where to find them cheap. This is not as hard as it
sounds but you have to be lucky enough to live an area
where decent stuff can be found and also put a little
time into it.
know it is something someone else will want and buy
or perhaps trade.
I have been playing video games since the days of
ColecoVision and Atari and have owned (and sold/lost)
many consoles and games over the years, including
many I wish I still had. Recently real life has come and
bitten me on the backside so having a gaming ‘budget’
is out of the question. Even with a large amount of
financial strain though I think I have come out pretty
well with semi-limited effort and very limited funds.
Location, Location, Location:
Keep in mind though that primarily I will buy a game
or console for two reasons: I want to play it myself or I
I would always love to buy games complete in box
but if I see a game loose that I want at cheaper than
resale or retail value I will go for it.
The first part is where to find these retro and new
gems to add to your collection. The most obvious
would of course be a game store and if there is a retro
game store near you they might price fairly for items
or they may want the higher end of it’s value usually
determined by E-Bay auctions and price charting
websites.
Thrift stores, charity shops, yard/garage sales,
Goodwill and flea markets are the standard places
to go out looking for retro gaming items in the ‘wild’
as it is called.
Some collectors may have an abundance of choices
in this regard while others might find slim pickings
depending on their location across the world. Some
charity retail shops never have any gaming items
or at least anything worthwhile, while others have
items that are vastly overpriced.
Of course in modern times we have the wonders
of the internet and sites like E-Bay where you can
virtually shop for all kinds of goods from both stores
and individual resellers. There are also various
groups and forums all across the internet that have
an area where people can buy or trade games with
other gamers.
for specific consoles, but on past trips to a local
Salvation Army there was no way I am letting a copy
of Wii Sports Resort complete in box near mint for
four dollars and Tatsunoko VS. Capcom for the Wii
for two dollars with a flawless disc go any longer
without a home. At worst I could trade for a game
I want or resell them myself or (as my Gamecube
seems to inching towards death) I could search for
a cheap early generation Wii and have two decent
games ready to play when I get it.
A lot of you guys probably know much of this stuff
but the Wii Resort titles still have a decent value
and the Capcom “VS” games are still worth a decent
amount and are great games to play as well.
Where ever you look for games, first you should
probably read up on the subject matter at hand.
Kinda Like A Powerup:
It is of course a good idea to get yourself some
knowledge of what may be out there. If you go to
your local charity shop and what you mostly see is
PS1 and PS2 games, you might want to know what
the rarest titles are, that way a Misadventures of
Tron Bonne or Rule of Rose doesn’t slip through your
fingers.
A lot of info like this can be gathered by just putting
phrases into a search engine like Google: “Rarest
Nintendo NES games, top ten rarest video games of
all time etc etc etc...”
Again, I purchase stuff to play it but I’d feel stupid
if I passed up on a game that would let me buy a new
retro console and a few games.
No Strain, No Games:
In my searches as I said I am looking for games
If you search You Tube for videos where people
film their game hunting expeditions, you might be
shocked by what people find. I watched a guy who
has a show called LGR Thrifts find a copy of Intelligent
Cube for the PS1 for under a dollar, a game I have
always wanted since my friend had it in my youth
and we played the hell out of it.
The game is (for my nonexistent budget anyway)
a little too highly priced and I cetainly wished I could
find stuff like that.
If you watch a lot of videos like these you will
notice they are driving all over the place and some of
these guys have game hunting videos numbering in
the hundreds already. They are out there doing this
several times a week and across a vast geographical
area.
When going to yard/garage/boot sales, ask the
people selling if they have any video game items. I
usually just say electronics and then also say games
because some people might not have any idea what
they have and no clue what in the world a ‘Nintendo
64’ is.
Same thing with E-Bay, as even though using
my method (which I will explain briefly later) I have
not gotten anything mind blowing, I do get good
deals. Like a complete Soul Cabilur Two for the PS2
complete with the Namco demo disk for one dollar
and thirty one cents with free shipping.
Not exactly Stadium
Events for a dollar or
anything, but still a
great copy of a game I
wanted at a cheap price
and complete as well.
A lot of effort was
spent losing auctions
and seeing things go
above what I was willing
to pay before I got
some really good prices.
Patience and time were needed to get good results.
So to have a shot at getting some cool stuff you
are going to have go early, go often and be diligent...
like some kind of kooky game hunting ninja I
suppose.
Tips & Tricks:
I am not by any means an expert on this
subject nor will I ever claim to be. I just have
a passion for video games and wanted to
be able to still have them in my life without
having to have a lot of money.
That does not mean that through watching
others do this online and through research
and experience I have not gotten the hang of
how some of the basics work:
Search charity stores thoroughly and carefully,
even where you might not think there will be games.
Games can be stocked with the books, VHS tapes,
DVDs and CDs. Consoles are usually in electronics
but depending on the store something video game
related could be anywhere. Plus if you see a game
console, even if you are not interested in buying it,
look to see if there is a game in there and if a valuable
or rare accessory is attached to it.
If you have a smartphone, use it to check prices
with your method of choice.
If dealing with a seller at a flea market or garage
sale, don’t be afraid to talk to ask for a better deal or
to haggle a bit. Most people just want cash fast for
the item unless they are a dedicated reseller going
by E-Bay prices.
Having a set number in mind for what you will
pay for a game or console can keep you from
overspending. When going to a thrift store I will not
pay over five dollars for a game (not that I’m not going
to pay more than that for Earthbound or some game
I really want to play of course) and twenty dollars for
a console.
Good deals can be found on retail game sites like
JJ Games and Lukie Games. Search for the systems
that have cosmetic damage that function perfectly.
Case Study:
Let us take a brief look at what this kind of hard
work can do if you have patience and time. Earlier
this year I decided I wanted a slim PS2 and some
games.
baseball game. I messaged the seller and asked if he
could switch the baseball title for another one, and
he switched it to Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2.
That package was fifty nine dollars and free
shipping. However, when the PS2 arrived it had
problems playing due to an issue with the hinge on
the disk drive cover. So the wonderful reseller sent
me another working PS2 and told me to keep the
other one for my inconvenience.
The ‘broken’ PS2 works if it has a small weight on
the drive’s hinge so that is two PS2s and games and
a composite cable for under sixty dollars.
I now have about thirty plus games for about $150
total with seven months of work. Those items added
up to about $300 dollars on the website Video Game
Price Charting.
Anyone can get at least some of the games they
want for not a lot of money if they just take the time
to learn about gaming history and thoroughly scour
in each dark corner looking for what they want.
Hitting Ebay for about two weeks, looking at a ton
of posts and losing quite a few good auctions, I finally
won on a decent one: A slim PS2 with the composite
A/V cables, one controller, one power cord and a few
games. The games were GTA: San Andreas, Simpson’s
Hit N’ Run, Narnia, Flushed Away and a random
Hope you enjoyed this beginners guide to cheap
game collecting and happy hunting!
Stay tuned next month as Classic Console
Magazine explores the best options online for
buying and trading retro games.
REVIEW POKEMON RED / BLUE GAME BOY
Pokemon started a gaming revolution. With it’s mixture of Action, Strategy, Adventure and RPG
gameplay, Pokemon launched a billion dollar franchise and scores of copy-cats.
By Josh LaFrance
I can remember the first time I ever played Pokemon
Red and Pokemon Blue. My younger brother received
both for Christmas along with a Game Boy. I would
sneak into his room after he would go to bed (as he
went to sleep earlier than I did, being younger and all)
and steal one of the cartridges to play on my Game
Boy. (I think I played red first, memory is hazy)
The early Pokemon games are truly perfection and it
is easy to see why they sold so many copies. One can
spend hours playing the game without realizing how
much time has actually passed.
A quick synopsis: you are a kid named Ash (unless
you decided to change your name at the beginning)
who dreams of becoming a famous Pokemon trainer. In order to achieve this dream, you travel from Gym to Gym
and town to town, battling Pokemon collectors such as yourself and champions on your quest to become a true
Pokemon master.
Pokemon is a traditional JRPG mixed with adventure and the fun of collecting. In the early Pokemon games
such as these, there were 151 Pokemon. It is the personality of the game and the adventure of learning about and
collecting all the Pokemon that set this game apart from so many of the other RPGs that existed on handhelds and
specifically the Game Boy.
There are only slight differences between Pokemon Red and Blue, with the story being exactly the same between
both games, so it isn’t necessary to own both as you can still get the full experience with either one.
This game deserves a solid 5 out of 5, as it is one of the greatest games of all time and probably the second best
title on the Game Boy (behind Tetris of course). The newer Pokemon games are fun as well, but there is something
special about the first games, it has that little bit of extra charm that keeps drawing you back to it every time.
CLASSIC CONSOLE INTERVIEWS...
NIC CUSWORTH
Ross Sillifant brings us yet another great interview this month as he talks to
game designer Nic Cusworth.
Nic is currently Lead Designer at Exient Malta, but has previously worked at
Real Upte Ltd., Lucasfilm Animation Singapore, as well as Ideal Works 3D.
However, it’s his time as Lead designer/Producer at Argonaut Games that
Ross really wanted to chat to him about.
Ross Sillifant: Vortex was one of the
few SNES Games to use the then
‘much-hyped’ Super FX Chip, but by
god did it use it to great effect, not
only was it technically fantastic,
but a rock-solid game to boot. I’ve
always been a firm believer that
new technology should be paired
with solid gameplay. What are your
memories of the game and would it
be fair to say in some areas it was
ahead of it’s time? The Jaguar press
(rightfully) praised Cybermorph (ATD)
for the morphing craft, but you guys
were there 1st with Vortex (though
technically Cybermorph started out
on the ill-fated Panther console).
but there was very little gameplay
designed around it. When I came on
to work on it I created new maps for
the game to try and make use of the
different mechanics associated with
the mech.
The map design for that game was
really interesting. There was no
editor per se. Instead, the maps were
created as 2D bitmaps in Deluxe
Paint on the PC. There was a set
palette with each color representing
a different 3D prefab that could be
used in the scene. It was really tricky
to balance getting enough objects in
scene versus frame rate and I think
we really pushed the version 1 Super
FX chip.
If I remember correctly we did have
it running on the second revision
of the Super FX chip but it was too
costly for the publisher to make the
switch.
Nic Cusworth: Vortex was the first
commercial game I worked on and
was my first project at Argonaut.
Originally it was a game that Michael
Powell from Particle Systems was
working on out of house but it was
brought in-house about 6 or so
months before it needed to ship.
The team was really small, about
3-4 people and it was a great first
experience.
The Morphing craft was already there
As a game - it reviewed really well
when it came out but I wouldn’t say
it stands up today. I took a look at
it recently and I couldn’t get along
with the controls. My biggest regret
though is the ‘Star Fox’ style levels.
The engine wasn’t really designed
around that kind of gameplay but
the publisher really wanted to get
them in. To this day I still remember
the level skip code so I could skip
past the first level. It’s CTGFX :) It
was a very odd choice to have the
worst level in the game as the first
level you play.
There’s also some confusion
about Vortex’s origins. Argonaut
was working on a Super FX chip
Transformers game which never
came out. This lead to conclusions
that Vortex was the Transformers
game but they were completely
separate projects.
RS: Sticking with the aspect of
the Super FX chip, what was it like
working on what was then, cutting
edge 3D on a console? I know via
some clever coding routines the
Mega Drive had been doing 3D/
Polygon games before, but the Super
FX chip was when things started to
get more interesting.
I know Jez (San, founder of Argonaut
Games) had hoped a lot more games
on SNES would use it and i’m aware
that a few tried (Factor 5 with an
attempt to do Indy Jones And The
Infernal Machine on it, but it proved
too slow for what they wanted),
but was it kind of frustrating that
consoles needed the extra math
chips to do what you wanted?
NC: On one hand it was amazing
and on the other hand it was pretty
limiting. The Super FX was really
fantastic for the time, but as a
designer you were very limited in
what you could do with that amount
of processing power. I think the
best use of the chip was obviously
Star Fox, which is a stunning game,
but also Yoshi’s Island which used
the chip for all the sprite scaling
and rotation. We’d never really
considered using it for 2D internally
as Argonaut was always focused on
3D games.
It was also risky to use for projects
as the cost of the carts were
significantly more expensive than
a standard cart. We had a few
interesting ideas internally that
never made it beyond paper. And
then Star Fox 2 was pulled as well
as FX Fighter, which meant there
weren’t as many games released for
it as there should have been.
RS: Were Argonaut aware of the
competition, for instance: Sega’s
SVP chip, then later platforms like
Jaguar, 3DO etc.? I believe Argonaut
were supposed to be doing hardware
for the CD-i 2, in terms of it’s 3D
abilities? (But as I write that’s very
vague in my head.)
I just wonder if there was ever a
feeling of someone else over-taking
Argonaut in the realm of console 3D
at that time.
NC: We were always on top of the
new consoles and technology being
developed. I’m not sure about the
SVP chip and we weren’t developing
anything for Sega at the time. I
know they took a different approach
architecturally to the Super FX chip,
but I’m not a chip designer so I
couldn’t really tell you details.
3D for the SNES. Of course all that
changed in the next generation of
consoles.
We had early 3DO dev kits and
Creature Shock was being developed
for that. And yes - we were in talks
to do the chip set for the CD-i 2
and also a VR Console for Hasbro
that never saw the light of day. I
remember working on some pitches
for games for both devices.
RS: I’m going to have to ask you
about Jaguar CD’s Creature Shock, as
it’s a game that still often seems to
generate a lot of interest within the
Jaguar community, as it was heavily
promoted by Atari at the time.
Because Argonaut was more than
a technology company I don’t think
there was ever a feeling of being
left behind. The software rendering
tech being developed (BRender)
was something pretty special so
we weren’t betting the company on
new hardware for platform holders, I
don’t think. I wasn’t heavily involved
in those aspects of the company so I
might be wrong!
RS: Do you think Jez and team
came away rather disappointed,
regarding the whole Super FX chip
era? I remember him talking to C+VG
Magazine, saying once that the
Konami’s, Capcoms etc. would be
keen to try it out but wouldn’t use it,
due to the cost. However the likes of
Microprose, T+E software etc. would
for their polygon-based games
and once the market understood
what the chip could do, you’d see
a widespread uptake of it.. yet this
never happened.
NC: I don’t know if they were
disappointed with the uptake of the
SFX chip. It certainly opened a lot of
doors developing a chip for Nintendo.
You have to remember at the time
the likes of Konami and Capcom
were primarily 2D developers and
I would guess that they were not
really tooled up to invest heavily in
I’ve attempted to dig as deep as I can
into finding out how far along it got
and thus have been lucky enough to
speak to the likes of: Mike Fulton,
who converted Generic FMV from it
to video files the Jaguar could read,
along with Darryl Still (Ex-Atari UK
PR) who told me Atari wanted it,
yet couldn’t sign Jez up for a deal
and couldn’t afford to do the game
themselves.
I’ve also seen interviews with Jez,
where in 1998 he told Edge Magazine
that he never did ANY Jaguar games,
as the platform was far too risky
(commercially) to develop for.
I later had a good friend of mine put
question to him in a RetroGamer
Magazine interview in 2015, but
Jez admitted his memory was hazy
on the subject (understandable
given amount of time passed) and
thinks the game might have been
started, (possibly along with other
Jaguar projects) but further into the
interview he seemed to think the
Mega Drive was a ‘ 2D Only box’ , yet
lots of polygon games were ported
to it from the ST/Amiga.
NC: It was a game of it’s time - and
maybe it was a little too late to
market to really capitalize on the
FMV game market. I wasn’t totally
‘shocked’ by the reviews. It was eye
candy before gameplay.
good shooter :)
So.. ANY insights you could add to
the jigsaw would be most welcome.
RS: Returning to the Lost Games vibe,
I have to ask what ever happened
to the likes of: Starsky and Hutch 2
on Xbox/PC/PS2? any information
would be most welcome. If you’d
rather not talk about projects
that sadly never made it, I fully
understand.
NC: I know we had dev kits. I can
recall them coming in. I remember
the tech department were looking at
them but I’m not sure they went out
to the dev teams. Creature Shock
was being ported to anything with
a CD and I do think porting work
probably started for the Jag.
NC: I’m not sure I’m the best person
to talk to about Starsky and Hutch
2 as I only joined the team towards
the end of development. I know
development was running long
and there was a lot of interference.
However the city and driving were
pretty fun from what I remember!
I can’t speak for Jez but I would
assume it never surfaced for a few
reasons. We were probably asking
a bunch of money for the port and
also Jez was smart in always seeing
the next thing, and the Jag wasn’t it.
Creature Shock was an interesting
project and definitely of it’s time.
Wouldn’t say it was a great game
by any stretch of the imagination
but I remember seeing a very early
demo of it when I did my interview
at Argonaut and it was like nothing
I’d ever seen before. I was a big fan
of Galaxian 3 at the time and we did
some development on a game a bit
like that, with FMV backgrounds and
polys overlaid but it never saw the
light of day.
RS: What was your involvement with
all versions of Creature Shock and
going by it’s...ahem, ‘mixed’ reaction
from the press at the time, were
you surprised to see it appear on so
many platforms?.
Also, as a designer, did your heart
sink when the likes of the UK press
pulled the usual stunt: hyping game
up at preview, only to lay into it at
review?.
Pretty much everyone who worked
at Argonaut at the time worked
on Creature Shock. I did a couple
of weeks work on the PC version
scripting the Star Fox style shooter
sections. I also worked on the PS1/
Saturn version, again reworking the
shooter sections. I remember we
created a nice scripting language for
the console version. It was pretty
flexible and one of the coders created
a really great Asteroids clone using
it that we wanted to include as an
Easter Egg but I think we thought it
was too risky to include.
RS: Were you ever tempted to do
any Mega Drive or MCD coding? And
was there anything on either Sega
platform at the time that made you
‘up your game’ (no pun intended) on
your SNES projects?.
NC: I have a feeling we were planning
either Creature Shock or Alien
Odyssey for the MCD. We had some
nice FMV decoding working on it but
nothing really in development that I
remember. The Saturn was really the
first Sega console we worked on.
Personally I was a fan of the Mega
Drive. Gunstar Heroes is one of my
favorite games and Sonic was just
stunning looking. There were also
some good shooters. Being a PC
Engine fan boy I really appreciated a
RS: I couldn’t conduct any sort of
‘interview’ without covering the Croc
series, but again here, I’m going to
take a different approach, it’s my
understanding that Croc not only
started out on the Sega Saturn,
(gasp!), but was in the very early
stages quite a different game.
Is this correct?
Also, had things been different..
it, along with Mev Dinc’s (canned)
Hodja (on PS1) would have beaten
Mario 64 to the stage (something I’m
sure Nintendo would not have been
happy about). Given your working
relationship with Nintendo, was
there any feeling they might not
be overly keen on Argonaut doing a
similar game for ‘rival’ platforms?
NC: Croc did indeed start out as a
Saturn tech demo. Tony and Lewis
(lead coders on Croc) were tasked
with investigating the new hardware
that was coming up and they got
this demo of a Croc running down
some snowy tunnels (at least that’s
what I remember) doing some basic
movement and jumps.
There wasn’t much of a game there
at the time. It really was just an
investigation of what was possible.
Once Creature Shock DX wrapped
I got involved and we started work
on taking some of that tech to the
PS1 and formed a team to
make Croc.
I’m honestly not familiar
with Hodja. I know when
we started work on Croc
there wasn’t really any
reference for what a
‘mascot’ 3D platformer
could be. The closest
thing
was
probably
Jumping
Flash.
In
approaching the design
of Croc we took a 2D
platformer approach and
added a 3rd dimension.
The editor was similar
to a 2D editor like TUME
but set in a cube. The art
team created tiles that fit
on a grid and the levels
were made out of these
prefabs. It’s something
you see a lot more of now
with games like Pokemon taking
their 2D maps into 3D but it was
more of an example of not really
knowing even how to build a game
like that!
During development we started
to see a few 3D platformers come
to market. I remember seeing
Bubsy and also E3 footage of Crash
Bandicoot. Everyone was exploring
how to make a genre that was pretty
much perfected in 2D and bring it into
3D. Of course when Mario 64 came
out it set the benchmark that even
now few games achieve. I am pretty
sure Nintendo has a time machine.
I don’t know much about what
was going on on the business side
of Argonaut at the time but with
the PS1 and Saturn coming out we
seemed to be doing a lot less work for
Nintendo. The last game we started
work on for them was FX Fighter
Tomb Raider, which was concept
tested a year before BC Racers was
finished, was delayed due to the
technology that wasn’t avaiable
at the time. (Core couldn’t get it to
work). How did the Croc Team over
come the issue?.
NC: Oh man - don’t talk to me about
cameras. That was one of the biggest
challenges of the time and to see
Nintendo nail it in Mario 64 showed
just how great they are. It’s still the
archetype today.
Croc 1 was built
around
digital
controls. We got the
PS1 Analog Stick
really close to the end
of development and
it was too late (and
too risky) to build
the game around
an Analog input.
The controls ended
up being basically
remapped to the
Analog Stick. So the
camera in Croc 1 was
pretty simple. It stuck
to Croc’s back and had
a little bit of damping
so it didn’t seem too
ridged.
but like Star Fox 2 it was cancelled
to make way for the N64 and leave
some room for Killer Instinct on the
SNES.
RS: The one thing that always
seemed to come to the fore, when
dealing with 3D platformers in the
PS1/N64/Saturn era was the issue
of how best to implement a workable
camera (In fact it was the reason
Croc 2 on the other
hand was a complete
disaster with regards to the camera.
We built the game around the Analog
controls this time, which vastly
improved the feel of movement, but
the camera (on reflection) was just
awful. The problem was - we got used
to it while we developed the game.
The team for Croc 2 was still pretty
small, which was probably another
mistake, with people wearing lots
of different hats. If we’d had more
resources we could have dedicated
someone to the camera system.
It’s a real shame as I think there is
loads of great content in Croc 2. I’m
proud of the variety throughout the
game.
around the strengths of the PS1
to work. It was horrible to see and
they did an amazing job. So when
that infamous bug showed up it was
kinda heart breaking as that’s what
everyone remembers and it was
nothing to do with them. As to why
just his head disappears... I have
absolutely no idea.
RS: As for the game Croc 3, sadly
I believe it never got beyond the
proposal stages, yet someone seems
to have fabricated an entire story
claiming other wise online. (and I
thought some of the Jaguar/Lynx
Lost game claims out there were
bizarre) Would you like a crack at
Croc 3, via something like Kickstarter
I wonder?
There was a lot of ambition. With a
few more people on the team and
little more time it could have been
something really special. I personally
prefer it as a game. I really wish
the PC port had pushed the draw
distance out further. I’d love to have
seen some of those levels without
the fog. Any hackers out there want
to give it go?!
RS: I have to ask-how on earth did
THAT BUG on Saturn Croc slip out?
poor sod had no head :-).
NC: It was a bug in the Saturn OS
I believe and it would have been
impossible for the Saturn team to
have replicated it on a dev kit as (from
what I remember) it only happens if
you boot the console with the disk
in - right?
I have to give a shout out to the guys
who ported Croc to Saturn. It was
three guys in a tiny room, struggling
with the Saturn’s crazy hardware
quirks and trying to get a game built
NC: You know - as I get older... I’m
starting to work with people that
grew up playing Croc and loved the
game. It was really bitter sweet at
the time because the press really
ripped into the original game. I think
we got a bit disillusioned after Croc
2. And the market was changing
to cater for more ‘mature’ games,
something I’ve never really found
that appealing.
If you’d asked me a few years ago
I’d have said no one would want it.
But there seems to be a lot of people
with fond memories of the games.
Also - new tools and distribution
methods mean you don’t have to
make the next big blockbuster to be
successful.
Personally - I would love to make
another 3D platformer, and feel
like over the next few years you’re
going to see a lot more people start
to make them again. I saw some
guys from Rare have formed a team
to make the spiritual successor to
Banjo - right?
I still remember some of the
ideas I pitched for Croc 3 and they
were pretty revolutionary and not
something I’ve seen too much of
outside of MMOs (the pitch doc was
circa 2002). Don’t get me wrong - it
wasn’t the Croc MMO but it was
online... I’ve said too much :)
As for seeing Croc 3 on Kickstarter, a
lot of things would have to fall into
place. I’d only do it if members of
the original team were up for it. Croc
was that team, and we had a great
dynamic.
RS: A lot has been said over the
years of how poor Saturn was at 3D.
Others say, nonsense, you just had
to code for it properly. Yet sadly, the
tools Sega provided were rubbish,
Sega kept the best for themselves,
didn’t want external games to look
better than in-house stuff (tin foil
hats at the ready here)...etc etc.
We all know Sega knee-jerked with
saturn, thinking Jaguar, 3DO etc
were only real competition, then
Playstation’s tech specs hit,
Just how much of a nightmare was
it to work on and could, given time,
the hardware been pushed further
in your opinion?.
NC: I’m thinking if I ever directly
worked on a Saturn game. Creature
Shock came out for the Saturn but it
was hardly pushing either console.
Croc was ported separate as I’ve
already mentioned. All I can really say
is that the PS1 was a joy to develop
for. It still had a few quirks but you
could work around them. The Saturn
on the other hand just seemed like a
nightmare.
NC: This is a difficult question to
answer because for some reason
free-to-play is really polarizing the
industry. I personally don’t get it and
I don’t really see why people should
care if a game is free to download
and then has opportunities to put
money into the game if you like it
versus paying upfront for something
they might/might not like.
challenges. And free-to-play doesn’t
mean free-to-develop. These games
still cost a lot of money to make
and there’s a lot of risk involved in
producing high quality free-to-play
games.
I can only speak for myself, and my
attitude to free-to-play. I got a good
education into the how’s and why’s
of free-to-play when working out
in Singapore on an MMO. Working
with a Korean designer he explained
that piracy was so bad in the early
days of the Korean game industry
that companies were going under.
So a new pricing model was created
that satisfied the markets. Take the
game for free and if you like it and
want more out of it, pay a little.
there to make the kind of games you
want to make, so go do that instead.
Don’t waste energy on something
that you think is negative. Life’s too
short.
So my ‘words of wisdom’ would be
for people in the industry, if you don’t
like them - don’t make them. There’s
so many different opportunities out
There were some great games for
the System but it was completely
overshadowed by the PS1 hardware
and marketing campaign. But hey Radiant Silvergun!
RS: All utter long shots, but do you
know if any code still exists of the
CANNED, 3rd person version of
Alien Res. on PS1 or if they ever had
started on the planned DC version?
Also, how about development of
Croc for the Dreamcast?
NC: I wasn’t involved with Alien Res
so I don’t know if anything exists
from back then. I remember the day I
walked in to the studio and the game
had switched (seemingly overnight)
to a 1st person game and it suddenly
looked awesome! I don’t know what
the plans were for a DC port.
Personally - I loved the Dreamcast,
and still do. It’s a shame I never got
to work on it. I still have one hooked
up to the TV. I can say that beyond
some discussions, development
of Croc for the Dreamcast never
started.
RS: Moving onto your later works,
Angry Birds GO!, now if I said F2P
and Cart Racing, lot of my long term
gamer friends would inwardly groan,
but do you feel there’s a degree of
‘Snobbery’ or ‘Elitism’ within the
industry?.
Designing free-to-play games is
definitely a challenge and you have
to develop a whole new skill set. But
the reason I do this job is to learn
something new every day. I’ve been
making games since I was a kid, and
professionally for 22 years. I’d hate
to come into work every day and just
rinse and repeat my skills.
Free-to-play offers unique design
RS: I’ve wasted lordy knows how
much money over the years on overhyped, over-scored games that I am
told you ‘have’ to enjoy, yet there’s
been games that pulled in 4/10
that I just couldn’t stop playing. We
aren’t drones and the industry is big
enough to support all tastes, right?.
So....are we, as gamers, still too
wrapped up in review scores and
pushing our ideas as to what
is quality gaming onto others, I
wonder?.
NC: I couldn’t agree more. I have so
many not-so guilty pleasures. There
are a lot of games out there that
didn’t get a fair chance because they
were reviewed badly, or marketed
poorly. I’m going to throw out a leftfield example. ‘MySims Agents’. I
absolutely loved that game. It was
a great adventure game with humor
and charm. I hadn’t played a game
to completion for ages but I finished
that. People look at me weird when
I recommend it but I thought it was
great.
and most of the time you’re free to
make up your own mind if a game is
good because more then likely you
can download it for free. It’s a lot like
TV.
The games I’ve worked on have
often been polarizing. The Clone
Wars game for the Nintendo DS is
a good example. IGN were the only
reviewers to give it a good score. The
rest were wrapped up in the whole
‘George Lucas is evil’ and ‘Star Wars
is ruined’. I think we created a really
authentic Star Wars game that
pushed the DS. Sure - I wish we’d
had another 2 months on the thing
but I’m proud of that game.
RS: What does the future hold for
you Nic, Croc 3 via a VR headset
perhaps?*
Croc 1 is another good example. The
press crushed it but it want on
to sell really well and is fondly
remembered.
What I like about the mobile space is
users review games in the App Store
I don’t seek out reviews for a show
before I watch it. I watch an episode
and see if I like it and make up my
own mind.
NC: Ha! Not sure about that. For
me, I just look for variety. I like to
challenge myself by working in new
genres. I really I just want to make
games that people have fun playing.
VR is interesting and I was an early
backer of the Rift. I haven’t had a lot
of time to play with it but I did make
a version of the 2001 wormhole for it
that was a trip :)
I guess I’m excited by the tools we
have to make games. To think about
the amount of work we put into
making the Croc engine and then look
at something like Unity and Exient’s
internal tech. It’s mind blowing.
RS: Finally, any messages for your
fans out there Nic?.
NC: I’m not sure there are many fans
of me out there :) If I’ve working on
something you’ve loved, I’m flattered
and eternally grateful for your
support! From the time I first saw a
Space Invaders machine I’ve known
this is what I wanted to do with my
life and I’m thankful I’ve been able
to work with some great people on
some great titles.
On behalf of myself and everyone at
Classic Console Magazine, I would
like to thank Nic for taking part in
this interview and sharing with us
such wonderful insights. It’s been
a fantastic interview to do and has
delivered some fantastic stories. I
hope the readers enjoy reading it as
much as I did doing it.
Watch for next month, as Ross
interviews Harry Holmwood and we
learn stories behind the scenes of
the Sony Playstation launch, as well
as many other things from a game
industry veteran.
What happens when you take the best parts of Mario 64 and Crash
Bandicoot and combine them together in a creative new world? You get
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos.
Developer: Argonaut Software
Publisher: Fox Interactive
Year Released: 1997
Platforms: PlayStation, Sega
Saturn, Microsoft Windows
Croc builds upon the best parts of games from the 3d platforming genre.
This results in a game that is highly derivative of the titles that influenced
it, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing: “imitation is the sincerest form of
flattery.”
In a story that borrows from yet another perennial favorite, (think little
blue hedgehog), players wage the battle of good vs. evil. Croc’s home is
under attack by Baron Dante and his henchmen. Croc’s Gobbo friends are
taken hostage by the Baron and Croc is the only one who can save them.
As the player fights through each level, they must collect gems. When
Croc gets hurt by an enemy or an obstacle, he loses all his gems. Get hit by
an enemy without gems and Croc dies.
This is one game absolutely worth playing!
NEW DOG
OLD TRICKS
By Ian N.P.U.
When you think of retro gaming goodness, the XBOX
360 doesn’t instantly spring to mind.
The XBOX 360 despite recently loosing its grasp as
being a so called ‘Current’ generation system is still a
powerhouse of a console and boasts a gigantic armada
of games spanning every genre and with something for
every player.
But those who have dared to venture through the back
alleys of it’s Indie channel have been rewarded with a
retro scene bursting at the seams with enough goodness
to feed even the hungriest of pixelated hearts.
Indie games and the Indie community as a whole has
exploded over the last ten years and the attitude towards
the scene and it’s developers has changed drastically in
that time.
However many people still have held the perception
that the Indie game scene is merely a few guys thrashing
out poorly executed games in their bedrooms, but this
couldn’t be further from the truth.
The big players Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo had
seen the tidal wave coming for sometime with some of
them responding better than others.
Microsoft won this war hands down, creating a huge
Indie marketplace for the 360 and one that contains
literally thousands of new experiences that can be yours
for a very small fee, often for a Dollar/Pound or less.
In this new series I am going to be shining the
spotlight on all the games that you should be checking
out on the XBOX 360 Indie marketplace. Many of these
games follow a very close design to games from all of
your favourite retro consoles ranging from Nintendo’s
NES to Arcade titles, Turbo Grafx-16 and everything inbetween.
To kick off this new segment we are going to begin
with a double bill of outstanding titles. These two games
are focused on and created in the style of games you
would find on the Nintendo NES and it’s Japanese alter
ego the Famicom.
Let us begin.
PROTECT ME KNIGHT (MAMOTTE KISHI)
Protect Me Knight was created by the software design
company ‘Ancient’ and was released to the XBLA on
24th of May 2010. Ancient is a design company based
in Japan and managed by the legendary Sega composer
Yuzo Koshiro . Ancient are responsible for many famous
titles across many platforms from 1990 to present
day. Some of their most notable offerings being the
legendary Shenmue on the Sega Dreamcast, Streets of
Rage 2 on the Sega Mega Drive and Actraiser 2 on the
Super Famicom/Nintendo. This already gives you an
insight into the standard of programmers creating Indie
games today.
Ancient harnessed everything we love about retro
gaming of that era and slammed it into this beautiful
title. The intro music is both dazzling, familiar and yet
brand new, it makes you feel like a kid again experiencing
those glorious days of 8-bit gaming. The visuals are
equally excellent and just take you further back into the
heady and beautiful nostalgia trip that is ‘Protect me
Knight’.
Protect Me Knight at its core is a strategy game but it’s
a strategy game that is crossed with a traditional style
beat-em-up. When starting a game you must select one
of four characters these are the standard mix from Ninja
to Mage. The game features RPG style levelling up and
customisation of attributes but when starting out the
only option you can alter is your player’s colour.
The main game play revolves solely around you
protecting the princess from the marauding hordes
of monsters that continually attack. The princess is
situated in the centre of the screen and she is protected
by a thin wall of wooden barriers of which the enemy
will continually attack in an attempt to gain access to
her..
Protect Me Knight is a straight up Nintendo Famicom
game make no mistake about it; and once you load up
the game it would be impossible to ignore this obvious
style for one awesome reason.
The first thing you see is a fuzzy CRT television screen
closely followed by the sound of someone cycling a
power button. Each time they attempt to load the
game though the screen crashes, it is at this point that
a hand thrusts a Famicom cartridge toward the screen
and one simple instruction is given ’BLOW’ . That’s right
these guys literally tapped into our hearts and actually
incorporated the good old cartridge blowing mechanism
into the game. You carry out this task by simply pressing
the corresponding on screen button. The cart is then
placed back in the console and the game sometimes
then loads or you will be asked to continue to ’BLOW’ on
the virtual cartridge until it does.
Ahhh man this had me literally hooked from here on in.
Once the game successfully loads you are greeted with
aural and visual treats that make you feel as though you
just loaded one of your favourite games, but this is one
that you have never seen or played before.
You must continually bash all enemies on screen
strategically paying attention to those making more
damage to the walls of protection. You are also able
to re-build areas of damaged wall or even make them
stronger as the levels progress but whilst doing so you
are open to attack.
Each level features an end boss, some of which are
huge screen filling creatures. The action continually
ramps up and becomes more frantic as you progress. To
assist you in this combat you are able to increase your
strength, speed and attacks at the end of each level.
This is metered out by a points system which is related
to your performance in the previous level.
The game can be played by 1-4 players simaltaneously
and is tons of fun when played with three friends.
To surmise Protect me Knight is a beautiful game that
provides depth, multi-player and glorious 8-bit retro
fun. It costs a couple of pounds or dollars depending on
where you are and it was lovingly created by some of the
most talented designers, programmers and musicians
in the world today.
The game just oozes style from the moment you fire it
up. Whilst the graphics are firmly in the 8-bit aesthetic
they utilise some of the extra horsepower on tap to
factor in some extra layers of scrolling and effects much
like we have seen in the amazing Shovel Knight in more
recent times.
The end result is a super slick experience but at the
same time one that makes you feel like you just hit the
NES hidden gem jackpot!
The game begins with an awesome intro sequence
that plays like an 8-bit B Movie and quickly lays the
foundation of the quest you are about to embark on.
This is a perfect example of what Indie games are and
why you need to play them.
So without further ado let’s get onto the second game
in this feature.
TEMPURA OF THE DEAD
Tempura Of The Dead is a Nintendo NES inspired
game created by 8Bit fanatics and released to the XBLA
on the 9th of November 2010.
Basically the world has become overrrun by a zombie
plague and it’s up to you to save it. Many classic games
from the 80’s and 90’s featured Presidents that required
rescuing but Tempura of the Dead changes that
completely, for in this game the President is one half of
the ass kicking duo that you must control. Joining the
president on this mission is a sword wielding Samurai.
The president’s weapon of choice is a machine gun.
You can swap between either player on the fly and you
will need to do so to overcome certain areas of the game
as they each have strengths and weaknesses. Neither
character feels unbalanced and both are very capable
of completing most tasks alone. The switch between
the sword and the machine gun makes this game truly
feel like Ninja gaiden and Contra in one, and that alone
should be enough to make you rush off and try it.
Both characters can be powered up in abilities, health
and weaponry via the shop of which you can visit
between levels. When killing zombies you can shoot or
chop off their heads and then juggle them several times
in the air. Doing so will give you credits to spend and will
also if done enough times send you into the ‘TEMPURA’
mode.
here is very evident and it feels just right, giving you that
just one more try rather than just one more launch of
your gamepad.
The game has a pretty good length and overall
challenge and will keep both expert and casual gamers
entetained.
The soundtrack is catchy and sound fx perfectly toned
to complete the whole NES aesthetic perfectly. It’s
obvious that this game was crafted with great care and
attention to detail.
I cannot recommend this game enough; it is in my
opinion an essential Indie purchase.
This definitely goes toward helping you out with later
boss fights but the game never feels too easy or difficult
even when powered up. The attention to game balance
Have a retro inspired indie game that you want Ian to
cover in a future installment of “New Dog, Old Tricks”?
Write to us at: classicconsolemag@gmail.com
CLASSIC KICKSTARTER
After 14 Years, Shenmue III is Finally a Reality
By John Meadows
Any Sega Dreamcast fan knows about the game
Shenmue. Released in 1999 in Japan and in 2000 in
North America and Europe, it was a game like no other.
An open world action-adventure game from legendary
game designer Yu Suzuki that was originally planned
as a four game saga.
#SaveShenmue. On the 3rd of each month, fans would
use Twitter and other social media outlets to send out
messages along with the hashtag to let the industry
know that they wanted to see Shenmue III. The first
month, fans reached out to an audience of nearly 10
million people.
Jump to June 15, 2015.. Sony’s E3
2015 press conference where Yu Suzuki
takes the stage and announces that
the Shenmue III Kickstarter has just
went live. Within seconds, fans bring
down Kickstarter’s site; just nine hours
into the campaign they reach their $2
million dollar goal, the fastest to do so in
Kickstarter’s history. Within days after
the Kickstarter, many people questioned
Sony’s part in all this.
Sony stated they were fully behind
Suzuki-san in getting the game made;
but in what way? With Sony as a partner,
why have the Kickstarter in the first
place?
The first installment was a critical success that many
hail as a masterpiece. The game scored an average of
89% with critics and went on to sell 1.2 million copies.
But with a rumored budget of $70 million, it was an
uphill battle from the start to be a financial success.
Yu Suzuki has made himself available
to Q & A’s on both Reddit and Twitch to
answer these questions and share his
feelings on what he hopes to see in the
game. He has stated that Sony is in no
way receiving any of the money from Kickstarter, all
funds raised will go to fund game development. Sony
is helping with many things like marketing, promotion
and partly with funding. At the current funding level,
Shenmue II was released in 2001 for the Dreamcast
in Japan and Europe and on the Xbox in the US in
2003, again to critical success, averaging 89%. But with
Sega out of the console market and now a 3rd party
publisher, (plus Suzuki leaving the company in 2011) it
seemed that fans of the Shenmue saga would never
get their ending.
In 2014, a social media campaign was started,
CLASSIC
KICKSTARTER
With the spike in eBay prices
of Shenmue I & II, (Shenmue I
jumping from $20 to over $100)
now would be the time for Sega
to strike with HD versions while
demand is high. He has also
stated that Shenmue III is not
the end of the story. We do not
know if that means he plans
on making Shenmue IV, or if
the story will continue in some
other form. We do know that he
is hoping for a release by the
end of 2017.
Shenmue III will be more focused on the story.
At $5 million, it will include more new features
compared to the previous games of the series. At $10
million, there will be more choices available to the
player, turning it more open world. I tend to believe
that if that goal can’t be hit in the campaign, that Sony
will cover the difference to make his vision a reality.
(Editors Note: the Kickstarter is now over and was
funded with over 6 million dollars pledged)
Sega is not involved in any way, they simply gave
Suzuki-san permission to use the Shenmue property.
To me, this clearly shows that Sega has lost faith in
any property other than Sonic. As a huge fan of Sega
through the years, this both saddens and confuses
me. Somehow, Sega has become blind to fans, or
management just doesn’t care. With the outpouring
of fans every month for over a year, as well as close
to 47,000 backers of the Kickstarter, Sega has shown
they are truly done with console gaming.
Suzuki-san would personally like to have HD
remasters of Shenmue and Shenmue II, but the rights
belong to Sega. He will talk to Sega to see if it’s possible.
As of this writing there is no
information about Shenmue
III on other consoles like Xbox
One or Wii U. For now it is only
PS4 and PC. Who is to say that
sometime after release it could
appear on other platforms?
As a fan of the series, I was
floored to see a third installment
come. I have been one of those
that every month Tweet to support #SaveShenmue.
There are those out there in the media that believe the
campaign is underhanded, that it was set up to take
advantage of fans. If Sony is involved, then why don’t
they just fund it? What they fail to realize is that the
game is a huge risk.
Yes, fans have begged for this for years, but with a
Kickstarter fans have to put their money where their
mouth is. Now Sony can see there is a huge demand
for the game and Sega can see they missed out.
It is really an exciting time to be a fan and I hope that
the Suzuki-san is able to make his vision a reality. If
you want to check out the (now-completed) Kickstarter
you can find it here: https://www.kickstarter.com/
projects/ysnet/shenmue-3.
If you are interested in finding out more about
the original games, be sure to subscribe to The
Gamers Lounge Twitch page (http://www.twitch.
tv/thegamerslounge) where I will be livestreaming
my play through of Shenmue I & II throughout the
summer as part of The Gamers Lounge Summer
Backlog Challenge.

Classic Console Magazine

Transcription

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