Retro Reviews
BYTE-SIZE REVIEW
Shinobi + An Introduction
By Shaun Hatton - November 18th, 2008
It’s true that with the bounty of great games gracing the offices of Toronto Thumbs we find ourselves with slightly less time to write and play as much as we’d like. So to combat this, we’re introducing Byte-Size Reviews. No, we will not be reviewing new games in this format. This will be reserved for games that have already been out for some time, perhaps even past their shelf lives.
The idea actually stemmed from the fact that I have hundreds of games in my personal collection and would like to, eventually, review every single one of them. So here without further ado is the review for one of them: Shinobi for Sega Master System.
The Famiclone You Could Own
By Shaun Hatton - April 15th, 2008
Our April Fool’s joke about the 25th Anniversary Nintendo Entertainment System went over well and even generated a flood of email asking if it was the real deal or not. Sadly, it wasn’t. And yes, we’d all love to be able to buy a brand-new NES without resorting to the crazy world of online auctions and dealing with the extortion experts selling sealed vintage gaming gear.
As far as we know, Nintendo has no plans of releasing an official Nintendo Entertainment System for the console’s 25th anniversary. After all, the company has arguably been quite unable to meet the supply demand for Wii. I can’t believe it’s still sold out everywhere. Really, I thought everyone already had one.
But getting back on-topic here, there are a few affordable options for people wanting to play their old NES games but not wanting to deal with refurbishing old NES decks. One of these options is the Yobo system pictured above. The thing is obviously not licensed by Nintendo but it is able to play NES games quite nicely. It comes with two controllers that are equipped with auto-fire buttons. The Yobo also accepts regular NES controllers, including the Zapper.
The Yobo is very cheap and also cheaply-made. The thing weighs less than a game cartridge! Still, it’s not a bad device and if I didn’t already have a stack of Nintendos, I’d use it more often.
Fantasy Zone on Virtual Console
By Shaun Hatton - April 14th, 2008
Shooters do not get much stranger than Fantasy Zone. You pilot a craft that has flapping wings and that can use its feet to run along the ground of stages, all the while blasting brightly-coloured enemies that explode into showers of coins. You then use these coins to purchase upgrades to your… um… ship.
The game also allows you to control the speed of your ship and the direction in which you fly, making it someone unique among other titles in the genre (as if the off-putting neon greens and pinks didn’t already set it apart).
In any case, Fantasy Zone is a Sega Master System classic title, and one that is now available on the Wii Virtual Console for 500 Wii Points. It was a must-purchase for me despite my having the original cartridge somewhere in this maze of boxes that is now my living room. That’s right! I’m moving, which somewhat explains the recent posting lull here.
RETRO REVIEW: Parker Brothers Q*Bert
By Shaun Hatton - February 17th, 2008
This LED-screen Q*Bert game still works as well as it did on Christmas 1983.
I received this tabletop arcade game back in 1983, on Christmas. I had just turned five years old and Q*Bert became my third-ever video game, right behind Pac-Man and Donkey Kong Jr. It was a gift from my grandparents on my mother’s side of the family. I gleefully opened the box and played it right away. The memory, while fuzzy in a few places, is still quite clear about certain parts of the experience.
I sat on the living room sofa with my head buried into the game’s bright green, blue, and red screen. I didn’t care that there was cake to be had. I was too busy changing blocks to different colours while avoiding the snake and dangerous red balls that rolled down the pyramid. I was hooked.
But not as hooked as my parents would soon be. Yes, my parents actually played video games at one point. And they were actually very good at them. Though I’d play Q*Bert as much as I wanted during the day, it was late in the evenings, when I’d be asleep, that my parents would take turns trying to outdo each other to see who could get the highest score.
This tabletop arcade game of Q*Bert was that entertaining. You have to remember this was also at a time when we didn’t have a home console (my mom later became the master at Safari Hunt for Sega Master System). And together with Pac-Man and Donkey Kong Jr., I was in gaming heaven.
RETRO GAMING SPOTLIGHT: 1Up Games
By Shaun Hatton - February 1st, 2008
1Up Games in Hamilton, ON, offers a great selection of new and retro games and consoles.
Classic gaming (or retro gaming as it’s also called) is something that has been quite popular over the last few years. With services such as Xbox LIVE Arcade and the Wii Virtual Console bringing older games to newer audiences as well as the older crowd, it doesn’t look like it’s going to go away anytime soon.
But for purists and others who want to experience these games the old-fashioned way, there’s no replacement for vintage gaming hardware. And for this reason, there will always be independent video game stores. These non-chain stores often carry more than just the last console generation’s titles. In fact, with a little looking, it’s easy to find these great stores all around the GTA. Some, of course, are better than others.
I do have my favourites, and 1Up Games in Hamilton is definitely one of them. Its two locations are stocked full of retro gaming goodness: games, consoles, peripherals, adverts, and even some funky playable kiosks and arcade cabinets. In fact, on any given visit, you’re almost guaranteed to find something you never knew existed. The atmosphere is very laid-back and it’s amazing how they managed to organize so much inventory so neatly. Toronto Thumbs recently caught up with 1Up Games store owner and entrepreneur Marc Nascimento for a Q&A.
RETRO REVIEW: Dungeon Keeper 2
By Jorge Figueiredo - February 1st, 2008
Developed by Bullfrog Studios for PC.
The “God Sim” is an interesting genre. Allowing us everyday mortals the chance to shape a world full of “living” creatures holds interest for a good chunk of people. How many times have you thought, “If I was in charge, things would be different?”
This game type allows you to do just that.
Games like Stronghold and Populous put you in a seat of power and allow you to make changes to the world that you are responsible for, usually for the good of your people. Then, along came Dungeon Keeper.
This game, from Bullfrog Studios allowed you to be an evil, well, dungeon keeper, by creating a horrible experience for any heroes that decided to wander in. The game was a gem, combining hilarious sarcastic narrative with brutal action against ethical norms.
Ghostbusters VS Ghostbusters
By Shaun Hatton - January 29th, 2008
We blew our graphics budget on this illustration.
Ghostbusters. It’s a great movie with crappy games. Sure, there’s the upcoming Ghostbusters game for all platforms. But can it top its 8-bit counterparts on Sega Master System and Nintendo Entertainment System? Only time will tell. In the interim, let’s compare the two 8-bit versions. In all cases where screenshots are shown, we’ve depicted the NES screenshot on the left with the SMS screenshot on the right. Most of these screenshots are from Moby Games, which is an excellent video game resource for older material.
Ghostbusters was one of my favourite movies when I was a child. I always daydreamed about getting my own proton pack and I even had a jacket that I taped a Ghostbusters logo to the shoulder of. I’d wear it around the house bustin’ imaginary ghosts from time to time. When I saw that there was a Ghostbusters game for Sega Master System, I was thrilled. I finally got it and played it repeatedly but realized it was not at all like the movie. It was a few years later that I learned there was a Ghostbusters game for the NES, and that it, too, was nothing like the movie.
The main thing that makes the movie so enjoyable is the humour. And this is sorely lacking in both the SMS and NES versions of the game. In fact, there is really nothing funny about the game unless you count the fact that someone probably made a lot of money making it.
RETRO REVIEW: Phantasy Star
By Shaun Hatton - December 21st, 2007
Phantasy Star is perhaps the greatest 8-bit game of all time.
The year was 1988. The game, Phantasy Star. I had seen a commercial for it on TV. Usually video game commercials came in one flavour: Nintendo. On the rare occasion that there was a commercial for a Sega Master System game, my ears would perk up and it would have all my attention.
A little back story for you: it was a time when there were no in-store game kiosks – only the locked glass cabinet at Toys ‘R’ Us. Behind the glass were TVs with the latest video game systems hooked up to them. And the Sega display always had HANG-ON/Safari Hunt in it. Because this was a game I already had, it wasn’t nearly as captivating as seeing another game in action. The only other way I’d see a new game would be in the Sears catalogue, the Sega game brochures that would come with games, or on the even rarer occasion that one of my friends got a new game. Mostly everyone I knew had a Nintendo Entertainment System, however. And so getting to see a new Sega game was always an exciting event even though, in retrospect, not all of them were that great.
Phantasy Star, on the other hand, was absolutely amazing, and still is. One of the first images I’d seen of the game was of a mid-air fight with an enemy that seemingly filled the whole screen: GOLD DRAGON. Its colours were bright, its linework was bold, and was that a giant fireball it was spitting out, right at the screen? Yes, yes it was. On the strength of that screenshot alone, I knew I had to have the game.
RETRO REVIEW: Homeworld 2
By Jorge Figueiredo - November 28th, 2007
Developed by Relic Entertainment and published by Sierra Entertainment. Released in 2003.
Real-time strategy is a great genre with something for everyone.
Long-term strategists can look at the big picture, hoarding resources and planning massive crippling tactical strikes. Those with more of a “think on your feet” frame-of-mind can throw caution to the wind and churn out small strike forces to harry the enemy, moving closer toward their goal with each random attack. Then there are those who mix the two.
While it’s not a Herculean task to find an RTS that appeals to strategists of all stripes, it is rare to play a game with a story so engaging that you have to play just one more level. Homeworld 2, the successful sequel to Homeworld, is one of those games great.
