So, I figured I wanted to touch on a really "different" game in my collection that some of you probably have never heard of. So I started looking...and for a minute, nothing stuck out to me. Nothing, that is, until I remembered Stretch Panic nuzzled gently against Alien Hominid on my game shelf. You might say, "What about Katamari Damacy?", but Katamari isn't that original. It was basically a lot of item collection and took major inspiration taken from games like Super Monkey Ball and Marble Madness. Stretch Panic, however was a platformer where the player had to play with the level's elasticity in order to traverse the landscape. It could be frustrating to folks not into thinking out of the box with their video games, and Stretch Panic didn't sell particularly well, but I dig it.
Stretch Panic puts players in the role of a little girl who is essentially a punching bag for her sisters. Each sister has some bad habit that reminds me of the seven deadly sins. Anyway, a box is delivered to their house, and the older sisters tear into the box. The box releases a demonic presence into the house, and transforms the sisters into monstrous creatures. being knocked away from the box, the little girl is not affected, but her scarf is. The scarf becomes possessed (kinda like the guy's hand in Vampire Hunter D), and becomes her weapon against the demons that have invaded her house and stolen her sisters.
The first time I played this game, it stuck in my mind because of the first enemies you fight. When you land in the first level, you are confronted by a group of women with breasts bigger than their bodies. They moved slowly, and if they fell, they would use the boobs like helicopter blades to fly back to their position. To say the least this made Stretch Panic a cult hit among people I know who played it, and was forever dubbed, "The Titty Game". I'll let that giggle you just developed settle for a moment before I continue.
All in all, this a fun game, but it's not for those without imagination. If all you're into as a gamer is what somebody told you is required gaming, then this isn't your cup of tea. If, however, you can get with a little girl fighting off crazed demons with a possessed scarf, then Stretch Panic might be a good fit for you. I'm more than certain you can find this game cheap, since I got it it brand new around 2005 for under $20, so there's no real excuse to miss out on it.
Super Mario Bros. is 25 years old. That's a big deal considering how many games in that time span that Mario was in that ranged from good to required playing among gamers. Most current gamers will contend that Mario Bros. games are too childish, but many of those same gamers have probably had trouble beating any of the games in that series. The thing about the Super Mario Bros. games (even that weird one that wasn't really a Mario Bros. game) is that they tell a classic story in what isn't a conventional way. The little construction worker originally called Jumpman has evolved so much since he was trying to rescue "Lady" from the clutches of Donkey Kong. He changed careers, got his brother involved, got sucked into an alternate universe inhabited by talking mushrooms, evil turtles and flowers that allow those holding them to throw fire. Somebody explain why Super Mario Bros wasn't criticized for advocating drug use. Anyway, Super Mario Galaxy 2 came out earlier this year, and has again been praised for being a stellar game, and flash based mods of the original game are more popular than ever now with the rise of Super Mario Crossover. What many consider to be the greatest video game ever made is 25 years old, and I think I'll celebrate it with a binge game of the original Super Mario Bros. trilogy...while drinking a 40.
Shout out to Nintendo for producing this dope tribute video.
There are a few folks in the video game industry I'd actually like to sit down with. I'd like to pick their brains about projects they created as well as stuff they want to make. I'd also like to ask them some random stuff. These are those people:
Hideo Kojima - Kojima created some of the best video games ever created, and they weren't all called Metal Gear. The main thing I'd pick Kojima's brain about the bleak chance at a sequel to Snatcher, or for that instance, a third Zone of the Enders game.
Shigeru Miyamoto - The man who gave us Donkey Kong, Jump Man / Mario, Link, Zelda, and many more legendary characters. I'd be more interested in how Miyamoto felt to almost be fired if he couldn't do something with those old Radar Scope games Nintendo had laying around(google Radar Scope...it's a part of video game history).
Yuji Naka - Simply put, I'd ask Yuji Naka about his thoughts on all the REALLY bad Sonic the Hedgehog games that have come out since the end of the Genesis.
John Romero - I just want to know why Daikatana was so incredibly over-budget, and why it looked and played like digital vomit after it's release.
Ed Boon, John Tobias, and Mark Turmell - as a trio, these guys gave us gems like NBA Jam, Mortal Kombat, and Smash TV. I wonder how they feel today about the house they built being sold off, with EA, Warner Bros., and other picking the scraps of Midway.
David Jaffe - I understand you are a genius of game design, and you made one of the greatest action games ever with God of War, but did you have to be such an arrogant prick about it?
Yu Suzuki - What a brother got to do to get a new Space Harrier?
I'm just saying...
*This post contained references to two games that may be unfamiliar to many of you. I plan of writing fleshed out pieces on Snatcher and Radar Scope soon.
I've been sifting through the lists of games set to appear on the various download services, and I came to the conclusion that some classic games have been forgotten. Besides the resurrection of several high profile Dreamcast games, most of the stuff listed for the PSN and XBLA are expansion packs for games currently in development, while the lists for the two Nintendo services are pretty slim all around, which says either nothing is coming out, or Nintendo is being tight lipped and media outlets just don't have the info. Well, there are a few games that I think would be great additions to the arcade games on PSN, XBLA, or WiiWare / VC.
Run and Gun - Konami: This classic arcade basketball game has online multiplayer written all over it, and it could work on all three consoles, since it isn't extremely graphics intensive.
Power Stone - Capcom: I still don't know why there is no third game in this series. But this is another one that would be amazing if online multiplayer was done properly.
Warlords - Atari: This one was the first competitive video games that wasn't a sports game. it was also one of the first primarily multiplayer games.
BallBlazer Championship - Lucasarts: An update to this Atari 7800 classic could combine the intensity of an FPS with a sports game. If done properly, it could be a major hit.
WWF Wrestlefest - Technos Japan: THQ has the WWE license, but who says they couldn't make an arcade style wrestling game that doesn't handle like that turd Legends of Wrestlemania. It could even feature the full WWE roster.
The Grid - Midway: If anybody has the rights to this, they need to bring it to home consoles NOW. This was truly one of the last great competitive arcade games released in America.
Dolphin Blue - Sammy: Dolphin Blue was, at it's heart, a spiritual successor to Metal Slug, but it was so much more. It's a game that every fan of action games needs to play.
Baseball Stars 2 - SNK: The greatest sports video game ever made deserves to live on. either in a downloadable game format, or as a full fledged remake.
That's my list, but if have any more that I might have forgotten, feel free to post them in the comments section.
Technos Japan made a lot of great video games during their history, but nothing in their library was stronger than Double Dragon...unless you were a fan of their WWF games. In the late 80's and early 90's, Technos crafted 2 masterful arcade wrestling games featuring the WWF's top stars. While Acclaim and LJN was making a mockery of the WWF name with crap like Wrestlemania and Steel Cage Challenge, gamers with good sense were avoiding those games for WWF Superstars and WWF Wrestlefest. the only problem those games had was a lack of singles matches. The tag team action there though provides great action for anyone up to try it out.
The first game, WWF Superstars, only features six playable characters, but it retains all of the unique "attitude" of the wrestlers featured. if you are good enough to beat the opposing teams in the first few matches, you get a title shot against the team of "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase and Andre the Giant. The games cast almost reads like a Hall of Fame Class: Hulk Hogan, the Ultimate Warrior, The Big Boss Man, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, The Honky Tonk Man, and "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Everything Superstars lacked was present in Technos' second WWF game.
WWF Wrestlefest hit arcades a few years later, but it was leaps and bounds ahead of it's predecessor. Wrestlefest featured 10 playable characters, and unlike te first game, in addition to the Tag Team mode, players could also fight it out in a battle royal. This time around, players are attempting to usurp the Legion Of Doom from their seat at the top of the Tag Team mountain. the playable superstars this time around were: Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Earthquake, Sgt. Slaughter, Axe, Smash, Ted Dibiase, Big Boss Man, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, and Mr. Perfect. Each character did a lot of the moves he did during matches on TV, which added more to the experience of playing with a particular character. Each character also performed his trademark finisher, although Slaughter's Cobra Clutch and Dibiase's Million Dollar Dream are the same move, so Slaughter's move was altered, everything else was pretty spot on.
The best part of these two games was that a player never felt like they had to button mash to do moves. most of the WWF games in the past featured a button mashing mechanic that was actually quite annoying. Even current day WWE offerings from THQ have button mashing crappy little mini games as a part of their gameplay.
This year's E3 had an announcement of a more arcade WWE title coming out soon called WWE All Stars. Hopefully, this new title features some of the magic that was captured in those Technos Japan games. If not, it'll end up in the bargain bin just like Legends of WrestleMania.
Samus Aran has been around since 1986, but she's held up incredibly well over the years. The gaming industry's first major female protagonist starred in 10 games over the years, but none of those previous games was as controversial as her latest adventure. The 11th game, titled Metroid: Other M, is a joint developmental effort between Nintendo and Tecmo's Team Ninja. Team Ninja is best know for it's Dead Or Alive and Ninja Gaiden games, and their games are typically far more "mature" than those of Nintendo. Early previews of Other M showed off a game with a grittier feel than previous games in the series, as well as a bigger emphasis on story than ever before, and of course, message boards went crazy with speculation on how the game would turn out. As Other M neared release, though, many media outlet decided to fuel gamer fears by letting the world know that Team Ninja butchered the story in Other M, that Nintendo screwed up the controls because the game is controlled by using the Wii Remote only, and other concerns that effectively told gamers that Other M was a pile of garbage that should be avoided. The thing about so called video game journalists, though, a lot of these outlets have bashed any and everything released on the Wii, while lauding praise upon far worse games on the 360 and PS3 (Bayonetta anyone). Is Metroid: Other M perfect, no, but is it a very, very good game? Yes, and not just by Wii standards.
If you line up the games in the Metroid canon in chronological order, Other M takes place just after the events of 1994's Super Metroid, which makes it the last game in the time line. When things start up, Samus is recounting the final battle between her and Mother Brain, which resulted in the death of the last Metroid. Samus is debriefed on her mission and allowed to go on her way, but her peaceful ride through space is interrupted by a distress call that she refers to as "Baby's Cry" and she rushes off to investigate the call, which is originating from a research facility called the Bottle Ship.
Turns out, Samus' old unit in the Galactic Federation is also investigating the call, and Samus finds herself back under the command of General Adam Malkovich, which explains the way Samus acquires new weapons. Because of the instability of the Bottle Ship, some of Samus' weapons could harm the other humans on board, therefore, Malkovich authorizes the use of new weapons as needed. This was a story point that was maligned by other reviewers, but it makes perfect sense in the scope of this games story.
The rest of the story unfolds through a series of well put together, yet occasionally long winded cutscenes. The story does a good job of injecting some actual human vulnerability into a character that has been a stoic ass kicker for more than 20 years. To say that Samus is whiny is an extreme overstatement, and if anything, she seemed kinda dry in small bits. That had nothing to do with the character and more to do with the voice actor.
with Story basics out of the way, it's time to get to the meat and potatoes of why gamers spend money: gameplay. A lot of people were concerned with the Wii Remote only controls, but I'm glad to say, the controls are very responsive, and I was able to jump into the game with very little in the way of a learning curve. Switching from standard gameplay to first person "Search View" also felt quite natural, as long as your Wii Sensor Bar isn't obstructed by random crap. Fighting enemies is fast paced and even though the game has a built in auto aim, there are enough enemies on screen at once that there is still a lot of challenge.
All of the weapons and special maneuvers from Super Metroid return for this game. Even the Shinespark returns without the energy penalty for use of the move. One major note is the Power Bomb. you don't acquire the weapon until very late in the game, and since so many rooms early in the game require the weapon, multiple playthroughs will be a must.
One thing players will notice about this game that wasn't present in previous Metroid games is a definite upturn in terms of Samus' aggression when it comes to dispatching enemies. Samus now has an Overburst move that cripples enemies, preparing them for all new "Lethal Strikes" which often spell death for any enemy that receives one. Another major gameplay tweak is that players no longer have to hunt for health and missiles. By holding the Wii Remote vertical and holding A, Samus will regenerate missiles, and if she's about to die, she will regenerate a small portion of her health as well. This makes boss battles even more frantic affairs if a player is on the verge of death.
I admittedly went into this game with a bit of trepidation, especially after the vicious review that G4's XPlay gave the game, but I learned a long time ago that nobody should pay attention to one review only, even if I'm the author of said review. This game has proven to be one of G4's most controversial review, and it proved that opinions are truly like assholes. In this gamer's humble opinion, most fans of Metroid who played more than the Prime series, will be quite pleased with Metroid: Other M. If you're skeptical, this game is as good a reason as any to get a Gamefly subscription.
