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Monday, January 26, 2015
Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000 - Sega 32X
Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000
Sega 32X
Publisher: Sega
Developer: CSK Research Institute Corp.
1995
A highly disappointing modernization of
Sega's superior arcade game from 1982 (which was simply titled Zaxxon),
Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000 is similar to the original in that players fly their
ship from an isometric perspective, and the object is to avoid obstacles and
gunfire while shooting enemy ships, gun turrets, and other obstacles. However,
the controls are sluggish, the 3-D polygonal graphics are blocky, there's tons
of slowdown, and the bosses fill up an inordinate, frustration-inducing portion
of the screen. Worst of all, your ship can't climb or descend, making the game
all but unplayable. A two-player shoot-out mode and the ability to dock on
special couriers in order to gain armor and additional weaponry can't save this
game from its mother lode of faults.
The original Zaxxon was a visually
arresting and highly challenging Arcade game, and it translated nicely to both
the ColecoVision and the Atari 5200 systems. As a huge fan of Zaxxon 3-D for the
Master System, my expectations were naturally high for this 32-bit rendering of
the Arcade semi-classic. Unfortunately, Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000 didn't come
close to meeting a single criterion for what can be considered to be a quality
gaming experience.
First of all, the controls for the game
are incredibly limited. You can only move in four directions! This is
astounding considering the fact that in all previous versions of the game you
could fly your ship in eight directions. In this game, you can only fly left,
right, forward and back.
Eliminating climbing and descending from
the standard Zaxxon control scheme was an inexcusable act on part of the
designers. It destroys a big part of what made the original game so very cool,
that of flying above and below obstacles and enemy fire.
In addition to limited directional
movement, the sluggish controls don't help much either. Most of the ships are
clumsy, and tremendous slowdown occurs throughout the game, especially in the
midst of a battle with a giant boss. Many times you'll feel as though the game
is taking place underwater instead of in outer space.
While not bad in theory, battles with
the giant, robot-like bosses present a boring and frustrating experience. The
bosses are so big that, when combined with various large obstacles, they often
take up an inordinate amount of screen space, giving the game a claustrophobic
and uncomfortable feel.
The ability to jump from your standard
ship into a courier ship adds little enjoyment to the game, and you won't find
any of the weapons systems as very interesting or memorable. Equally, the
two-player mode pathetically tries to add some pizzazz and originality to the
game. Poor controls, horrendous slowdown and dull gameplay plague this portion
of the cartridge as well.
OTHER ZAXXON GAMES:
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Buffy the Vampire Slayer -- Game Boy Color
Into
each generation, a Slayer is born. One girl, in all the world, a Chosen One. Or
so the legend goes on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the now-classic horror series created by Joss Whedon. The show follows the exploits of Buffy
Summers, gorgeous high school student by day and vampire hunter by night.
Using
her super strength, heightened agility, lethal weapons (primarily sharp stakes)
and wicked one-liners, she patrols the town of Sunnydale, which sits on the
threshold of the Hellmouth, a vulnerable spot where forces of darkness are
frequently unleashed upon the Earth.
Joining
Buffy in her fight against the undead are members of the so-called Scooby Gang.
The Scoobies include Willow, a computer hacking witch; Xander, a wisecracking
wiseacre; and Anya, an ex-demon with a propensity for social faux pas. Watching
over the group (and Buffy in particular) is ex-librarian Giles, an erudite
British gentleman with a fondness for arcane, mystical reference tomes.
Buffy
the Vampire Slayer for the Game Boy Color finds Buffy in a world of trouble.
Mesmerized by vampire Ethan Rayne's reading of the Book of Ancients, a coven of
vampires from different countries has descended upon Sunnydale by way of the
Hellmouth.
There
are six standard types of vampires in this coven: Tux Vampires, Punk Vampires,
Disfigured Vampires, Tribesman Vampires, Euro Vampires and Guardian Vampires.
Master vampires (bosses) include Ninja Vampires, Viking Vampires and Beast
Vampires.
These
creatures of the night are raising hell in various spots around town, including
the old mansion, the graveyard, the zoo, the cemetery, the sewer and the city
streets. They've even crashed The Bronze, which is the local hangout, and The
Initiative, which is a covert military facility that captures and/or kills
vampires and demons.
As
the Scooby Gang's key member, Buffy Summers, you'll run, jump and slay your way
through eight levels of vampire-infested action. To vanquish a vampire, you
must hit it and/or kick it until it falls beneath your slayer might. Once a
vampire is down, you must stake it and watch it turn to dust. You can also
throw the undead, block hits, roll on the ground and perform super leaps.
If
you get knocked down, a vampire will jump on you and drink your blood. No
matter which level you are playing, you will face only one vampire at a time.
Arrows point your way to each successive bloodsucker. Throughout the game you
can find soda cans that will enable you to do super punches and kicks. Paint
cans and other items are scattered about for use in throwing at enemies.
In
between each level you can watch a series of cut-scenes featuring dialogue
between the characters. One scene even refers to Angel, the Buffy spin-off
featuring her ex-boyfriend, a vampire with a soul. Angel's secretary Cordelia
phones to warn Buffy of a dream that Angel has had in which Buffy is in danger.
A
game of Buffy the Vampire Slayer ends when Buffy's life bar has fully depleted.
After each level, a password appears, giving you a save point for after you
shut down your game system.
As
expected, Buffy makes her way around various locations throughout Sunnydale and
kills vampires. What wasn't expected was just how mundane this could be. No
matter how far you progress in the game, Buffy only goes up against one vampire
at a time. Apparently, being undead makes the creatures of the night brain dead
and they never think to pair up or form a pack. Buffy is supposedly going up
against a coven of vampires, but they never act very coven-like.
Until
you reach the Hellmouth (the seventh level), the game is ridiculously easy. To
defeat most of the vampires, all you have to do is punch them a couple of
times, then do a lower kick to knock them down, then stab them with your trusty
stake. For the average gamer, it is entirely possible to beat the game in one
sitting. The bosses are about as easy to kill as the standard enemies.
The
levels in Buffy have no obstacles (such as electrified fences) and no traps
(such as fiery pits). On some of the levels, you do have to jump up to reach
platforms, but your life is never in danger while you are jumping. Even worse,
there are no non-vampire enemies to fight. Where are the werewolves or the
demons? There's not even a lousy rat to trip over. You can see the eyes of the
hyenas at the zoo, but they are merely background eye candy.
And
what of hidden items, alternative weapons and secret passages? None to be
found. Sure, occasionally you can pick up a can or something to throw at the vampires,
but this feature is all but useless. It's easier and more expedient to simply
engage the vampires in hand-to-hand combat. When a vampire isn't onscreen, you
can't even pick up the items.
MORE BUFFY GAMES:
WATCH BUFFY ON DVD:
Friday, January 23, 2015
Q*bert - PlayStation - Review
Q*bert - PlayStation
Description:
Publisher: Atari
Interactive, Inc.
Developer: Artech
Studios Ltd.
1999
Also for: Dreamcast, Macintosh,
Windows
Hasbro
Interactive continues their series of classic Arcade game remakes with Q*bert for the PlayStation. In this disc you'll find the original game, a new
Adventure mode and a special Head-To-Head contest. Those of you who misspent
your youths in the Arcades will recall that the original Q*bert stars a little
round orange guy with bulging eyes, a round snout for a nose, short legs and no
arms or torso. Your job is to hop Q*bert around a pyramid of cubes and change
the colors of the cubes to a target color. In later rounds, you will need to
change the colors of the cubes more than once in order to achieve your goal.
Once the entire pyramid has been changed to the target color, you advance to a
new pyramid.
While
you are hopping Q*bert up and down the cubes of each pyramid, enemies, most of
which are deadly to the touch, will try and stop your progress. Another way to
die is to hop off of the pyramid without landing on one of the three discs that
are placed above and beside the pyramid. These discs are useful when enemies,
such as Coily the snake (Q*bert's archenemy), are in hot pursuit. Green enemies
and objects can (and should be) be touched, and some of them cause trouble. For
example, Slick and Sam wreak havoc by hopping on cubes and changing their
color.
In
the Adventure Game, Q*bert's home world and friends, including Q*dina (a female
version of Q*bert), have been kidnapped by Coily the snake. You must brave four
unique dimensions with six levels each in order to find four pieces of the
Magic Disc. Once again, you must hop on cubes to change them to a target color
(or colors), but this time the playfield varies in shape from level to level
and there are lots of new enemies and features. You'll discover bonus rounds,
secret levels and special cubes that score you bonus points or transport you to
new locations. Also, power-ups, such as keys, smart bombs, speed boosters,
torches and other useful items, will help you defeat enemies and complete
levels.
In
the Head-To-Head competition, one player controls Q*bert and the other assumes
the role of Q*dirk. Yes, once again, cube-hopping is the name of the game.
Q*bert's cubes are orange, Q*dirk's are blue, and green cubes are shared.
Players must complete their own color cubes while trying to grab as many green
cubes as possible.
Many
of the Head-To-Head cubes can be used to foil the other player. For example: A
Coily Spawn Cube will produce a snake in your opponent's playing field; a
Camera cube reduces the visibility of the opposite player's cubes; and a
Trigger cube sets off an explosion for tagged cubes in your opponent's playing
field.
Review:
Q*bert for the PlayStation is exactly what an updated-for-the-'90s remake of a classic Arcade game should be. It includes a fantastic replica of the original game, a graphically enhanced version of the original game, an utterly mesmerizing Adventure mode and a highly competitive, endlessly enjoyable Head-to-Head mode. Q*bert has made a very smooth transition from all-time classic to PlayStation stalwart. Anyone doubting the validity of Hasbro Interactive's efforts in preserving and expanding upon videogame history should look no further than this disc.
Most
anyone who haunted the Arcades in the early 1980s remembers Q*bert. It was a
quirky game with unique controls, addictive gameplay, crisp graphics, bright
colors and a humorous mascot ("%&@!&!!?#!"). It was a game
boys and girls and men and women could enjoy. It was cute and easy to learn,
yet challenging once you got past the first few screens. Q*bert for the
PlayStation stays faithful to the original game, even in the Adventure and Head-to-Head
modes of play. The basic goal of hopping on cubes is left firmly intact while
new worlds, cool power-ups and strange camera angles add interesting elements
of challenge to the familiar formula.
The variety of worlds in the Adventure mode is excellent. You'll travel through atmospheric lands both near and far that evoke a variety of moods and locations. You'll hop on gothic castles, towering skyscrapers, foreign villas and other cool structures and environments. Whimsical, art deco-style levels will dazzle your eyes with blinding color. There are all kinds of crazy designs and wacky cube arrangements; 
fans tired of hopping on the same old pyramid will welcome the variety and constant change of pace.
The Head-to-Head mode adds a whole new dimension to the gameplay; sending Coily or another enemy to your opponent's side of the screen or thwarting your opponent by screwing with the camera angles is a lot of fun. Also, there are strategies involved. Should you try to be the first one to finish a level, or should you go strictly for points? How much should you concentrate on foiling your opponent's game plan? What about the bonus cubes?
There are only two complaints I have with Q*bert, but they are minor. The controls are solid, but they are not perfect. Occasionally, you will die and you will swear that it is the gamepad's fault and not your own. Also, in the Head-to-Head mode, the penalty for dying is not strong enough. You are given infinite lives and you get to return to the action immediately after you hop off of the playfield or get squashed by an enemy. I don't mind the infinite lives within the context of this particular game, but a few seconds should elapse before you are permitted to continue play.
OTHER VERSIONS OF Q*BERT:
Thursday, January 22, 2015
RetroFest Video Game Convention -- Fort Worth, Texas -- April 18
Mark your calendars for RetroFest, a small video game con in Fort Worth, Texas on April 18, from 12-6.
Come buy, sell, and trade your consoles, games, toys, and comics. Street fighter arcade tournament, Smash Bros. tournament for prizes. $4 general admission. 100% of the proceeds go to send kids to summer camp.
Check it out HERE.
Road Movies
My article on road movies appeared this past summer in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Here it is, reprinted for your perusal:
Road Movies
Summer
is a great time to gas up the family truckster and hit the road, whether you
want to travel cross country or simply dash up to WinStar for a little gambling
or down to Austin for some primo live music.
If
you want an adventure closer to home, you could take the short drive to your
local theater and watch the newly released Road to Paloma, which tells of a Native American named Wolf (Jason Momoa), who
travels the American West via motorcycle, looking to unleash some vigilante
justice on the man who raped and murdered his mother.
Or
you could take the alternate route and check out a road picture in the comfort
of your home. Here are 10 such films—all available on DVD and through various
streaming services—listed in chronological order:
Road to Singapore (1940)
Not
Rated
The
year 1940 is nowhere near as revered as 1939 in terms of famous film releases,
but it is certainly no slouch, giving cinephiles such classics as The Philadelphia Story, The Grapes of Wrath, The Great Dictator, and Pinocchio. One of the funniest films
from 1940 is Road to Singapore, the
first of seven “Road to…” pictures starring Hollywood legends Bob Hope and Bing
Crosby.
The
comedic duo, who exchange witticisms throughout and sometimes break into song
and dance (and fight) numbers, vow to give up women until they happen upon the
lovely Mima (Dorothy Lamour), whom they adopt as a caretaker. For good, old-fashioned
entertainment with a dash of exotic island irreverence, Road to Singapore is hard to beat.
Easy Rider (1969)
Rated
R
Most
great hippie movies from the 1960s are music documentaries—Woodstock and Monterrey Pop
immediately come to mind. However, there are a handful of interesting hippie
dramas from the flower power era, most notably the counterculture classic Easy Rider, in which Peter Fonda (as
Wyatt) and Dennis Hopper (as Billy) hit the open road on their motorcycles,
heading from Los Angeles to New Orleans.
Their
destination is Mardi Gras, but as with Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters (as
documented in 2011’s Magic Trip),
their true journey is to discover America. In addition to meeting likeminded
folks—they hang out at a commune and are joined by comic relief in the form of ACLU
lawyer George Hanson (Jack Nicholson)—they encounter nasty, hate-filled
rednecks.
Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
Rated
PG
Every
late 1970s-era teenage male wanted—make that craved—the black, gold eagle-decorated Pontiac Trans Am Burt
Reynolds (as Bo “Bandit” Darville) drove in Smokey
and the Bandit. A dated but still enjoyable comedy, the film also starred
Sally Field as the runaway bride, Carrie. Who can forget Carrie, riding
shotgun, changing out of her wedding dress while Bandit speeds down the highway?
Acting
as a “blocker” for a truck hauling an illegal beer shipment from Texarkana to
Georgia, Bandit is chased by a very funny Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason), a
profane, short-tempered sheriff who chews every word of his southern-fried dialogue
to pieces. And, of course, there’s the infectious theme song sung by Jerry Reed
(who drives the aforementioned truck): “Eastbound and Down.”
The
Muppet Movie (1979)
Rated G
If you grew up watching The Muppet Show during its original run, you were likely excited by
the release of The Muppet Movie,
which revealed Kermit the Frog’s origin and his feet—watching him ride a
bicycle is a hoot, not to mention a nifty special effects trick. One day, while
Kermit is perched on a log in a Louisiana swamp, singing “Rainbow Connection”
and playing the banjo, an agent (played by Dom DeLuise) tells him he ought to
be in pictures.
Thus, “Kermie” sets off on a cross-country trip to
Hollywood, meeting many of his Muppet buddies along the way, including Miss
Piggy, who immediately falls in love with the amiable amphibian. Seven
theatrical “Muppet” movies have followed, but the original remains a distinct
pleasure and a rollicking good time.
National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
Rated
R
If
you’ve ever looked at a famous tourist destination, briefly nodded your head and
walked away, you’ve probably seen Vacation
more times than you’ve been on vacation. If you’ve ever served a casserole and
said, “I don't know why they call this stuff Hamburger Helper; It does just
fine by itself,” you probably need a vacation from watching Vacation.
In
short, Vacation is one of the most
copied, most quotable comedies ever released, nailing the agony and the ecstasy
of the family road trip like no other movie before or since. As played by Chevy
Chase, Clark Griswold’s sincere desire to provide his wife (Beverly D'Angelo)
and kids with “family fun” is truly infectious.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
Rated
R
The
road movie subgenre is ideally suited to the comedy film. Nowhere is this more
evident than in John Hughes’ Plans,
Trains and Automobiles, a laugh-out-loud odd couple story in which uptight
marketing executive Neal Page (Steve Martin), trying to get home to Chicago for
Thanksgiving, pairs with Del Griffith (John Candy), a loud, obnoxious, overly
optimistic salesman. Griffith would make for a great crazy uncle, but he’s a
terrible (if sympathetic) travel companion, telling bad jokes and setting fire
to the quarrelsome couple’s rental car.
Filled
with heart and humor, Plans, Trains
and Automobiles
is most fondly remembered for the burned up (but drivable) car, Page’s F-bomb
tirade and the embarrassing snuggle buddy wakeup line, “Those aren’t pillows!”
Thelma & Louise (1991)
Rated
R
The
ultimate female empowerment film of the 1990s, Thelma
& Louise
proves that women can hit the road and get into trouble with as much gravitas
as any man. Housewife Thelma Dickinson (Geena Davis) and waitress Louise Sawyer
(Susan Sarandon), both frustrated with their lot in life, head out in a ’66
Thunderbird convertible for a mini-vacation in the mountains.
Unfortunately,
the world is a cruel place, and their two-day dash for temporary freedom is corrupted
by theft, murder and attempted rape. Look for Brad Pitt as J.D., a cowboy
hat-wearing hitchhiker and “gentlemanly” robber whom Thelma takes a liking to.
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Rated
R
There’s
a scene in Little Miss Sunshine—an
engaging, character-driven, satirical ode to non-conformity—in which the dysfunctional
family at the center of the film gets pulled over by a police officer while
they are driving to California. The dad advises, “Everybody just appear to be
normal.” This is impossible given the makeup of the family, which includes a failed
self-help guru (Greg Kinnear), a heroin-addicted grandfather (Alan Arkin), a
suicidal Proust scholar (Steve Carell), and a Nietzsche-reading teenager who
has taken a vow of silence (Paul Dano). The reason for the road trip is so the
bespectacled, somewhat awkward daughter (Abigail Breslin) can enter a beauty
pageant.
Fanboys (2009)
Rated
PG-13
Released
in 1999, Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom
Menace was a terrible movie, hampered by wooden acting, a bland plot and
easily the most annoying character in the series: Jar Jar Binks. Fanboys, set in 1998, is no masterpiece
(The Big Bang Theory does a better,
more intelligent job of poking fun at nerds), but it is an amusing (if
far-fetched) film in which a quartet of Star
Wars fanatics and their female companion (Kristen Bell) scheme to break
into Skywalker Ranch, steal a rough cut of The
Phantom Menace and see it before it hits theaters. Prior to screening Fanboys, you should set phasers on fun
(oops, wrong franchise).
The Road (2009)
Rated
R
One
of the bleakest stories ever put on film, The
Road is based on Cormac McCarthy’s dense, post-apocalyptic book of the same
name, which was released in 2006 and won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Unlike
most of the other movies on this list, The
Road is deeply depressing, offering only the slightest glimmer of hope as a
man (Viggo Mortensen) and his boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) travel south (toward the
ocean) through a ruined gray wasteland harboring few survivors, including some
who have resorted to cannibalism. At various points, the boy asks his dad (and
the viewer, perhaps?) if they're “still the good guys.” For the sake of humanity,
let’s hope so.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Classic Console Magazine -- FREE DIGITAL PUBLICATION
You can check it out HERE.
Here's the info from the publisher:
Do you long for the days when the newsstand was flooded with fantastic
video game publications?
Do you remember magazines such as GamePro and Nintendo Power? How about
the Official Dreamcast Magazine or Electronic Gaming Monthly?
Classic Console Magazine is a monthly publication, and will always be FREE
to our Subscribers.
How can we offer our content for free you ask? By providing the
magazine through an all-digital format.
The magazine will be available embedded on this site for view, as well
as downloadable as a PDF. Read it on your iPad, Kindle or Nook.
WHY SUBSCRIBE?
There are still costs associated with the creation of a publication
even when delivered digitally. In order to cover the costs the magazine must be
able to sell advertising from Retro Gaming Conventions, Game Publishers etc.
Many of these advertisers ask for data on the number of subscribers to our
publication. By subscribing you help us to sell advertising in the pages of
Classic Console Magazine.
As a benefit to our subscribers you will receive the magazine in your
inbox 15 days before it hits this website!
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