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I'm pretty sure I've made it clear in my writings and videos that I'm a big fan of science fiction. I grew up loving the Star Wars movies, watched the debut episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation with my parents, and watched that series through to completion, and followed that up with both Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and caught up on other series when I had the opportunity. My family saw Independence Day on opening weekend, and I managed to purchase the final VHS release of the original Star Wars trilogy, which I still have to this day. One franchise that happened to pass me by early on was Stargate, however. I don't remember going to see it in the theater, which is odd, because I was dating at that point, and would have wanted to go see it. But I somehow didn't see it upon release.
Continue reading Stargate for Game Boy - 1994
[img width=700 height=801]https://i.ibb.co/jzhSF9p/gb-new-large.jpg[/img]
*pic from Vintagegaming.com*
Nostalgia can be a tricky beast. We all have warm, fuzzy feelings about one thing, or another, from our childhood. A favorite toy, a cartoon we watched after school, or on Saturday mornings; perhaps even a place we used to play. Many of us have a lot of fond memories of video games we played, whether with family and friends, or even solo gaming sessions, totally engrossed in whatever electronic entertainment happened to be captivating us at that time in our lives. But what about a system, and its launch games? Most of us would say, with a few exceptions, that launch titles are quite often weaker than most of the library. I would argue, nostalgia aside, that at least a portion of the Game Boy library transcends that trend. Let's examine the launch lineup, 30 years after the fact, and see if that theory holds water.
Continue reading Reflecting On The Game Boy Launch - 30 Years Later
When I was a kid, I spent a fair bit of time with the classic One on One basketball game on the family's home computer. This was an early version, by EA, which featured basketball greats Larry Bird and Julius "Dr. J" Irving. In the 90's, however, the formula got an update by EA, and Dr. J was replaced by basketball whiz kid, Michael Jordan. His star was rising quickly, and although Larry Bird was getting older, he was still well regarded in the sport. How does this particular iteration of the game fare? Find out here in Episode 022 of Dramatic Readings!
As many of you may be aware, I came very late to the Zelda party. In fact, one might say I crashed the party. I tried to get in many times over the years, but it seemed as though the DJ never played my tune. Or in my case, the songs being spun just didn't grab me until I finally understood the lyrics. Whatever the case, The Legend of Zelda finally clicked with me when playing the original game for the August 2016 RF Generation Play Through, and I further cemented my newfound appreciation for the series when I played this game, in January 2017. I revisit it again here for this video review, and still find myself enchanted.
What was your first Legend of Zelda experience, and better yet, when did the magic capture you? Which game was it, and what about it captivated you?
Konami's Castlevania: The Adventure is an old favorite. It was a birthday gift from my parents at age 13, and the first 3rd party Game Boy game I owned. I have many fond memories of late nights and trips to my grandparents' house, bringing the Game Boy with me, and camping out in the living room to play it while the family talked. However, time hasn't been kind to the game, with many people decrying it as one of the worst entries in the series. What are my thoughts on the game now, as we approach 30 years since its release? Watch my review, and then let's discuss! What do you think of Castlevania: The Adventure? And what are your favorite games in the series?
Here's a Game Boy conversion of a true arcade classic - Asteroids! Atari hit it big with this game, and it became their biggest arcade title ever. When it came time to bring it to the small screen, how was this vector graphics game going to fare? And would it be fun? Watch and see my take on the game! What do you think? Is Asteroids on the Game Boy fun? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Over the years, MANY games based on the Star Wars franchise have been released. Some to great acclaim, like the Rogue Squadron series on the N64 and GameCube, or the original Star Wars Battlefront games during the 6th generation. Others haven't fared so well. Many SW universe games have been lost to time, like the Jedi archives. Where does Star Wars on the Game Boy rank among the list? You'll have to watch to find out!
Welcome to another episode of Dramatic Readings! In this edition, I take a look at Nintendo's own attempt at a pigskin game, with Play Action Football! Nintendo isn't known for sports games, outside of their more recent Mario sports line, and a few early NES attempts, like Ice Hockey. Does the Big N's attempt at a football title score a touchdown, or merely fumble the ball? Watch my review, and decide for yourself!
This is an interesting curio - Nail 'n Scale from Japanese developer I'Max, and published by Data East. Originally released in 1990 in Japan as Dragon Tail, this unique puzzle platformer didn't make its way to Western shores for nearly a year and a half. By the time the game was released in 1992, most developers had begun to really take advantage of the Game Boy's hardware capabilities. Nail 'n Scale, however, still looks and plays like an early Game Boy title. Does this ruin the game's chances of standing up against some of its then peers? Watch the review, and decide for yourself!
Here's Episode 006 of my Dramatic Readings! series. This episode is all about the Game Boy launch title, Alleyway! Nintendo's simple paddle & ball game, based on one of their earliest video game attempts, brings the basic formula to the small screen. Is this game a breakout success, or does it drop the ball into the void? Watch and find out!
Super Mario Land is a launch title for the Nintendo Game Boy, and the first portable entry into the flagship platforming game series. Series creator Shigeru Miyamoto wasn't directly involved with the design, so while the game was relatively faithful to many conventions of the original game, this particular entry took a few liberties with the formula, and created a fun, unique, and rewarding experience, to help sell Nintendo's then-new handheld game console to the Mario faithful. Did they succeed? Watch, and discover for yourself!
[img width=320 height=318]https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KRjQ_J6QrBI/WK-pCOqBpCI/AAAAAAAAArI/5iKt_QJ-HQk1sh4Pkf7QLcxd_AnYYr4-gCLcB/s320/Jordan%2Bvs%2BBird%2BOne%2BOn%2BOne%2Bbox.jpg[/img] Box art scan shamelessly stolen from GameFAQS.
Larry and Michael better watch out, lest they fall into the red abyss below!
I've mentioned before in other reviews, but I'm not really a sports fan. I don't hate sports, but I'm just not invested in them. I fancied myself more of a sports nut when I was a kid, and even had a few favorite athletes, including one basketball legend, Larry Bird. I suspect it was because he was a less than movie star looks average dude who just brought skill to the table, and I'm sure my dad had a bit of influence in terms of probably commenting to me here or there that he was a talented player. I never geeked out about stats or anything, just enjoyed the game as it was being played. My fascination with basketball was relatively short-lived, unlike my enjoyment of baseball, and my still-burning love of college football (Go Huskers!).
Continue reading Jordan vs Bird One On One, 1992
[img width=320 height=316]https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oErLX7bYBH8/WDOY4uHTQ_I/AAAAAAAAAoc/wyoo8vNHS78pWT2QOHJMCU7pwu1UJ_CYQCLcB/s320/Gargoyles%2BQuest%2Bbox.jpg[/img] Box art scan shamelessly stolen from GameFAQs.
Someone at Capcom USA should have been sacked for turning
Firebrand into a green gargoyle instead of his signature crimson.
From time to time, video game companies see fit to tinker with their intellectual properties. This may be due to creative surges within the development teams wanting to try something new. Sometimes a dev team knows the formula within a given series has become stale or rote, and they feel the need to mix things up. There are examples where changing the formula has had resounding success, such as Konami's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, as well as instances where this approach completely flopped, as was the case with Accolade's Bubsy 3D. Whatever the reason, creative minds generally need to branch out to do different things to keep things fresh and flex their creative muscle.
Such is the case with Gargoyle's Quest from Capcom. It's sort of an off-shoot of the Makai-Mura series, better known as Ghosts 'n Goblins, or Ghouls 'n Ghosts. In Japan, the game is known as Reddo Arima: Makai-Mura Gaiden, which can be roughly translated as Red Arremer: Demon World Village Side-Story. Rather than starring the main protagonist of the Ghosts/Ghouls series, Arthur, it actually stars the "red arremer" enemy from the original game known as Firebrand. Based on the game's plot, it could be seen as a prequel to the original game, which you find out at the end.
Continue reading Gargoyles Quest, 1990
[img width=320 height=318]https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kAyGzRAku1I/V8G4oy90YLI/AAAAAAAAAf8/KPkZDqxY6fQNSsgQuJgFKcjOY5GbZlkMgCLcB/s320/Castlevania%2BAdventure%2Bbox.jpg[/img] Image shamelessly stolen from the Castlevania Wikia page.
When I was a kid, this was the baddest looking box art in all the land
when it came to Game Boy games. And by bad, I mean AWESOME.
Nostalgia can be a very powerful force. It can make adults look back fondly on all sorts of things that, viewed objectively, probably aren't as great as we remember them. For a child of the 80's, that can be almost anything. From VCRs and teased hair, to classic cartoons and our favorite movies and video games, there are times when it's hard to take a step back and look at those old favorites with a more critical eye. Sure, that one Poison album might be one of your favorites of all time, but musically, does it still hold up? What about your favorite childhood cartoon...could you watch it today without cringing or thinking it's nothing but pure cheese?
Now think about your favorite video games as a child. Sure, some of them probably stand the test of time. But for every Super Mario Bros or Contra, there's always a handful of games that we may still hold in high regard and still have much affection for. If we could set aside our own memories and youthful experiences, would we still hold those works in the same esteem? For me, one of those games is Konami's Castlevania: The Adventure on the Game Boy.
Continue reading Castlevania The Adventure, 1989
[img width=320 height=319]http://img.gamefaqs.net/box/1/4/7/21147_front.jpg[/img]
Image shamelessly linked from GameFaqs.
It's Star Wars, and it's a "Million Seller" - how bad can it be?
I am a fan of Star Wars. I'm a big fan of the original trilogy of movies, I don't completely hate the prequel films, and even got some level of enjoyment (as a kid, anyway) out of the two "Ewok Adventure" films, and the short-lived Droids cartoon. Though I didn't get to go see it right away, I did go see Star Wars: The Force Awakens and enjoyed it very much. I plan to go see it again, if I have the opportunity before it's out of theaters, and will be purchasing the BluRay once it's available. I own at least 3 Star Wars-themed t-shirts and a zipper hoodie, and as of this writing, I own 2-dozen video games set within the Star Wars universe. I have the final VHS release of the original trilogy (before George Lucas began changing subsequent releases with his revisionist history), I own the "special" edition DVD set, and at some point, I hope to own the original trilogy on LaserDisc. I'm holding out for a BluRay release, hoping that, at some point, Disney will decide it's worth putting out something equivalent to the original theatrical release (or at least the final VHS/LaserDisc version), though that could be a sticky Wicket (see what I did there?), if Lucas made that a stipulation of his $4 billion sale of Lucasfilm to the Disney corporation. After all, those of us "in the know" won't settle for a cut of the original film where Han Solo didn't shoot Greedo first, right? Needless to say, I'm a big fan of the Star Wars universe, characters, and mythos.
Continue reading Star Wars, 1990
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