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Blogger Archive: noiseredux 
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Many of you probably know Alien Hominid as a cult-classic Run-n-Gun Shooter for the GameCube and PS2. It was built out of flash, uses very basic cell-shaded graphics, and includes ridiculous over-the-top action, blood, and bullets that result in constant deaths. Bottom line: it's awesome. What's interesting is that very few people seem to know that the game was also released on the Game Boy Advance.
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If you've never played Alien Hominid, you control an alien who has crash landed on Earth and is trying to escape a constant mob of Feds. It's an interesting concept as many Run-n-Guns are about humans killing aliens. Instead we've got a friendly looking ET loaded to the teeth with artillery and blades, and is definitely not afraid to use any of them. He burns up agents one second, and freezes and shatters them the next. It's really quite amazing to witness the comic-book-come-to-life art style.
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Of course it was a European exclusive, which is a shame since it's an incredibly great port. The Game Boy Advance actually loses very little in translation from its big brother console versions. Sure the 2Player Co-op had to go, but graphically, audibly and control-wise this edition is spot on. All the insane bloodshed is included, as well as the awesome sound effects (like the knife cutting FBI agents in half) are here as well. Although the GBA port is much harder to find than the console editions, if you're a Game Boy collector you might want to put in the effort to find this one.
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There have been a lot of Ghostbusters games released for various video game consoles over the years. But I can say with confidence that Ghostbusters II for the Game Boy is the absolute best one out there. And sadly, many of you have probably never played it. To put it simply, Ghostbusters II is basically an action-puzzler that looks a lot like the Ghostbusters are in the Mother universe. And there's good reason for that -- Ghostbusters II was developed by Hal Labs, a fact that may have already sent some of you off to eBay to purchase a copy of this cartridge.
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The game is amazingly well put together. You choose any two of the four Ghostbusters and then you're off to catch some ghosts. The controls are very unique, as you are responsible for controlling two characters at once -- one to zap the ghosts and the other to suck it up. This takes some getting used to, but if anything it's refreshingly original. The levels are basically maze-like with the goal being simply to suck up all the ghosts from every room within the time limit. Although it's rather simple in theory, it's an extremely well thought out game. Ghostbusters II is exceptional, and I'd urge every Game Boy collector out there to own a copy.
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I have fond memories of playing Ghosts 'N Goblins on the NES. Well, maybe fond is the wrong word, but not really. It's hard to say. I mean, how fond can you really feel about getting your ass handed to you when your age is still in the single-digits? But strangely enough, the memory of me enjoying this game is there. I had the NES game, and I played it quite often. Though I don't remember ever really making it out of that first graveyard.
So then, what is it about Ghosts 'N Goblins that makes it such a classic? We may never know. And although I can certainly make it much further today than when I was in elementary school, I still can't seem to beat it. And yet, it's still no less fun. Perhaps it just is what it is, and we all just accept that.
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The Game Boy Color port was released in 2000 and is a pretty accurate retelling of the NES classic. At least the way that I remember it. To be honest, I haven't gone back and compared it to the NES version, but that seems to make sense anyway. Ghosts 'N Goblins is a game that I may look back on far more fondly than I should, so thinking of it highly regardless of what it really may be is probably appropriate. Though I want to curse the game out for being so hard and destroying me every time, I honestly just can't help enjoying it thoroughly.
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A friend of mine actually threatened bodily harm if I didn't include The Pinball Of The Dead in this month's Spooktacular. Having never been a fan of bodily harm, I thought that this would give me a good excuse to finally track the game down. It had been on my want-list for well over a year, but I never seemed to happen upon a copy. Well, I'm glad I finally did. As it turns out, The Pinball Of The Dead basically takes levels, characters, and music from The House Of The Dead 2 and shoves it all into a pinball machine. If anyone thinks this sounds weird, they've obviously never played Typing Of The Dead, nor have they seen a Kiss pinball machine in the wild.
The Pinball Of The Dead is extremely awesome by my personal standards. A pinball aficionado friend of mine mentioned that he felt that the physics were pretty off on this one. But I guess I'm blinded by the zombies and blood (make sure you change the blood to "red" in the options menu before playing!). In fact I was so enamored with how well the music carried over the GBA, that I think I was in awe of this game almost immediately. Maybe it's not a perfect pinball game, but if you like zombies and think that shooting a big metal ball at them might be fun -- give this one a shot!
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Universal Interactive released Monster Force in 2002 as a fitting throwback to the classic Universal Monster movies of the 1930's-1960's. Immediately noticeable is the excellent cut-scenes and dramatic music. The presentation is fantastic for horror genre fans. You choose to play as Wolfie (the werewolf), Drac (the vampire), or Frank (Frankenstein's monster) and venture out into the graveyards to collect keys to new crypts and take care of any ghosts that get in your way.
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At its heart the game plays similarly to such shooters as Pocky & Rocky with its overhead view and cutesy graphics. But there's something so sincere and fun about the classic horror movie vibe throughout. Regardless of how bad the cover art is, this game is definitely one that needs to be discovered by the mass of horror film geeks who still don't know it exists. Trust me.
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The lone Scooby-Doo title for the Game Boy Color is most likely the best Scooby-Doo game ever released. What's interesting is that it plays absolutely like no other Scooby-Doo game for any other system. Instead, it's basically a spiritual successor to Maniac Mansion. And I don't know about you, dear readers -- but to me a spiritual successor to Maniac Mansion is a great idea.
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Much like in Maniac Mansion your party finds itself stranded in a strange mansion and splits up to investigate. You can switch characters on the fly, which is helpful as some might be able to handle some puzzles better than others. The game is also full of quirky writing and tongue-in-cheek monster movie references (the story of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde off the bat). Ultimately, this game is nowhere near as involved or long as Maniac Mansion, but I can promise fans that this will keep you giddily playing from beginning to end.
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Resident Evil is both awesome and a letdown. Let me try to explain. In 1999 Capcom had announced a Game Boy Color demake of the original Resident Evil. The even released ads and screenshots (below) which show what appears to be a pretty faithful and awesome port.
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Unfortunately the demake was canceled with no real explanation and in 2002 there was Resident Evil Gaiden to take its place. The game is a completely original game starring Leon Kennedy from the classic Resident Evil 4.
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Resident Evil Gaiden doesn't quite live up to those demake screens, but it does offer something completely original and fun in its own right. The gameplay is somewhat similar to the Game Boy Color Metal Gear Solid sequel, though the fights switch to a first person view that utilizes a Real Time Strategy execution. It's completely interesting and definitely worth checking out for fans of the series or fans of 8-bit demakes.
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Castlevania: The Adventure gets a lot of flack from fans of the series. It was released in December of 1989, very soon after the launch of the Game Boy handheld. In fact, I can very vividly remember it being part of my first batch of games for the old gray brick. That being said, there is of course a certain level of nostalgia that I (and anyone else who got The Adventure that Christmas) can't help but shake for the game.
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In fairness to the realists out there, there's certainly plenty to not like about Castlevania: The Adventure. For starts Christopher Belmont moves agonizingly slow. And his jumping skills are pretty terrible to boot. This wouldn't be such a problem if The Adventure didn't rely so heavily on platforming -- unfairly difficult platforming. Another thing that seems to bother fans of the series is the lack of stairs. Instead of stairs there are chains or ropes to clime to each new level. I personally aren't bothered by this devise, even if it is less than comfortable. Admittedly the one big omission that does baffle my mind is the lack of secondary weapons. Y'know all those daggers, crosses and holy water you're used to in other Castlevania games? Well, they're not here.
Having said all that, I can't help but enjoy The Adventure. Sure it's way too hard. I've still never beat it over twenty years later. But I can't help but get a certain satisfaction out of feebly trying. Like I said, for me this was one of the first Game Boy games I ever played. Which made it rather amazing in and of itself.
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If you love the Game Boy and you don't own Kid Dracula, then I feel like something might be wrong with you.
Kid Dracula is to Castlevania what Parodius is to Gradius (and Twinbee and Darius). It's an amazing platformer that's presented in fantastic Konami sound and vision, and incorporates not only Castlevania mythology, but also lots of fun horror-movie cliches. The game is an absolute blast and should certainly be far more recognized than it is.
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Much like in Castlevania. Kid Dracula will continually learn new secondary attacks to aid him no his quest. In fact, he even learns to turn into a bat! This is the sort of extra-mile Game Boy game that Konami is especially known for. And much like how half the fun of playing Parodius was spotting references to other shmups, I swear I shrieked in glee when I realized that one of the bosses that Kid Dracula all the sudden had to fight was a character that looked suspiciously like Jason Voorhees. This game is absolutely brilliant, and quite possibly the best Castlevnia game released on the Game Boy.
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To be forthcoming, I'm a huge Simpsons fan. I have been since the very first episode. I still watch it every week. But by far my absolute favorite episodes are the "Treehouse Of Horrors". As a horror movie fanatic, how could I not enjoy these EC-Comic-esque spins on both classics and cult-classics? So I have to tell you that I was big-time excited about the release of a Game Boy Color cartridge based entirely on the these annual Halloween specials. Which is probably why it bothers me so much that the game just really isn't that good.
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Obviously the one thing that I feel that THQ got right was coming up with a concept for a game based on the Treehouse Of Horror. It's also quite commendable that each level plays differently and is based on a different horror motif. But now let's look at everything they got wrong. First of all, on the platforming levels the B-button jumps and the A-button shoots. Do you all know how wrong that is? It's terrible. Likewise, the hit-detection and reaction time to button presses leave much to be desired. The worst offender in this game is its music though, which is just completely piercing.
I really can't recommend this game to anybody, no matter how hardcore a fan. Although I can never seem to get rid of it personally. It's almost as if I keep waiting for the cart to magically just get better than it actually is.
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Alone In The Dark: The New Nightmare is a rather ambitious port of the fourth title in the Alone In The Dark series. Usually when a 3D game is ported to a Game Boy system, really the only thing that stays the same is the title. This is surprisingly not the case with The New Nightmare. The game actually contains some rather impressive pseudo-3D graphics that really must be seen to be believed. The graphics utilize pre-rendered environments, and some pretty ingenious trickery that involves changing the size of the main character sprite to imitate parallax. It's somewhat hard to describe, but it's really a game that every Game Boy fan should play just to see exactly the kind of impressive feat that can be executed on such limited hardware. Pro's of the series may be a bit let down however when they realize exactly how short this port is in contrast to its console counterparts.
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I personally have never played another other installments of the series, so I really don't have much to compare this one to myself. I can only say that beyond the impressive graphics, the game is a pretty fun title that mixes a bit of adventure in with a little bit of action. What did the rest of you think?
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Because of the Game Boy Player Land blog I get a lot of emails asking me for suggestions of obscure games to try. A few times I've been asked to list what I would consider a true Hidden Gem of the console, and inevitably the first title that pops into my mind is Bubble Ghost. The game is so extremely original. You control a ghost who lives in a mansion. His goal is to guide his only friend (a bubble) from one end of the mansion of another by blowing, through each room with its own set of obstacles.
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The game is wonderfully paced. Each stage gets progressively harder as you're introduced to new obstacles and ways to get around them. For instance, early on you have to cross a candle. It seems no matter how you try to guide your bubble over it the flame is too hot and the bubble bursts. Once you figure out that you can simply blow out the flame of the candle, that particular obstacle becomes far easier to surpass. The game is full of fun challenges like this, which leads me to again mention that Bubble Ghost is an absolute must-have for all Game Boy enthusiasts. Seriously.
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I don't know what Capcom was thinking when they thought that gamers would want to suddenly have one of the biggest jerk in videogame history as their hero. But for some reason it totally works in Gargoyle's Quest. In this Ghosts 'N Goblins spin-off you control Firebrand. The game combines on over-world map RPG element with side-scrolling platforming levels. Luckily Firebrand can (kind of) fly and cling to walls. It's really quite awesome to see the amount of ability that his little 8-bit sprite is capable of.
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As is to be expected from most Capcom Game Boy releases, there's an impressive level of attention paid to the graphics (both sprites and backgrounds) as well as the music. It's easy to see that Capcom tended to favor original games on the Game Boy because they actually believed in the possibilities of the hardware. Gargoyle's Quest is definitely worth checking out for Game Boy enthusiasts that are fans of platformers or a bit of the macabre.
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I know many of you assume that I'm only interested in Game Boy games, but the truth is I grew up on many different games from many different consoles. And yet I'm pretty sure I may be the only person out there who would say that A Nightmare On Elm Street is in my Top 10 NES games of all time. In fact, it's probably one of my favorite games of all time -- period! I say that because truthfully, I play it a lot. I mean a lot. I always have. It's just one of those sort of "comfort games" to me. I almost can't see what most people seem to think is so bad about it.
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One thing we need to get out of the way is that the game was published by LJN. That (apparently) turns off most people. I've never been bothered by LJN. Certainly they've made some bad games, but at the same time they've made others that I've enjoyed immensely. Major League Baseball on the NES is still my favorite baseball game of all time. And although I don't love it as much as A Nightmare On Elm Street, I am also a big fan of the Friday The 13th game for NES as well.
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So what is it that I like about A Nightmare On Elm Street so much? For starters: the music. The music is my favorite soundtrack of any NES game -- challenged only by Mega Man III. The score is a wonderful, moody piece that takes full use of the NES' sound capabilities and goes through various sections. It's somber, scary and awesome all at once. I could listen to the music all day long.
The game is also extremely original. There are two plains of existence in this game: the regular world and the dream world. This means each levels has two different ways of being experienced. You can choose when and if to wake up by finding coffee or loud music. Although the nightmare world is harder, it does allow you to experience it as one of the Dream Masters (ninja, athlete, wizard). It's this sort of open-ended choice of how to complete the game and as who that is extremely interesting for a "crappy LJN licensed title."
But above all that, the number one reason to love A Nightmare On Elm Street is the amazing 4-player co-op. This game rules with three friends. Growing up this was my party game. And everyone had a blast. Trust me. You need to give this one another shot.
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This month the Game Boy Player Land blog will be heavily focusing on the macabre. As a huge horror movie fan, I've always had a soft spot for horror-themed games. And though I've wanted to write about them in spurts all month, I thought it would make for a really fun October if I just saved all the posts up for this 1st annual Spooktacular. All month long I'll be bombarding the blog with posts relating to ghosts, goblins, witches and the like. This month on the Game Boy Player Land blog, everyday is Halloween.
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