Record Of The 16-Bit War: Heart Of The Alien

Today's video takes a look at Heart Of The Alien for Sega CD

Record Of The 16-Bit War: Flashback

Today's video takes a look at the Sega Genesis port of Flashback: The Quest For Identity from Delphine Software

Record Of The 16-Bit War: Sega Fires The First Shot

Today's video takes a look at the Sega Genesis, and how it was the opening salvo in the rivalry between Sega and Nintendo.

Hideo Kojima Dangles A Carrot: Zone of the Enders HD Collection

A lot of gamers, myself included, have typically frowned upon the explosion of “HD” editions of previously released games. They usually come off as lazy and serve no real purpose other than cashing in on a game that may have been popular in the previous console generation. Every now and then, though, a publisher uses this method of recycling older games to introduce a series to another generation of gamers to a series in preparation of a new game in the series. The latter is indeed the case with the release of the Zone of the Enders HD Collection. Hideo Kojima’s other franchise from the last console generation is poised for a comeback with a new game in the series currently in development, and this HD collection does a good job of giving gamers just that.

Double Dragon Neon: A Love Letter To 80s Gamers Everywhere

The Beat Em Up is a genre that has seen better days. There hasn't been a really good entrant into the genre in a long time, and no gamer worth his salt is going to spend $60 for a Beat Em Up. This means download services like Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network have become the home for Beat Em Ups on consoles as well as other genres. With that in mind, what does a beloved franchise like Double Dragon do when it is poised to make a return to the gaming world? You make it extremely colorful, undeniably influenced by the 80s, and add a general truck load of nostalgia. The result is Double Dragon Neon, which isn't perfect, but it's fun and that's he most important thing.

Double Dragon Neon is essentially a remake of the original game, with a few tweaks here and there. The game even starts with the iconic exhibition of objectionable activity the led to the Lee brothers' mission to rescue Billy's girlfriend, Marian from The Shadow Warrior gang. Players guide their respective Lee brother through a number of levels, from gritty downtown streets, to a fortress in orbit around earth, to a graveyard, to the Shadow Warrior hideout. The traditional Double Dragon gameplay has been tweaked, adding special moves and powerups to accompany the punches and kicks gamers have been throwing at enemies since the original title hit arcades in 1987. The special attacks range from Double Dragon staples like the Whirlwind Kick and Knee Drop to new techniques like fireballs, lightning strikes, and a dragon summon. They can all be leveled up via collecting mixtapes (another beautiful nod to the 80s), as can a series of attribute boosts.

The atmosphere in Double Dragon Neon feels like an overly exaggerated version of the 80s, as does the soundtrack. Jake Kaufman's reimagining of the music that drove every jumpkick attached to the Double Dragon series is a blissful throwback to the cheesy martial arts movies that were a staple of late night and Saturday afternoon tv back then (you can get the soundtrack here: http://virt.bandcamp.com/album/double-dragon-neon ). all in all, Double Dragon Neon proves to be a joy both visually and aurally.

My negatives are few because I'm honestly used to the difficulty games of this genre provide, even in the case of insanely cheap boss fights. I must warn those who didn't cut their teeth on "quarter thief" arcade games that would get your money strictly because they were brutal or home ports that were just as hard or harder, this one may send you running. There's also a mild issue with floatiness that initially turned me off when I played the demo, but after a few minutes, things settled down, and I thoroughly enjoyed this title. In all though, I'm not sure if this game is for everybody, though, as it is decidedly and unapologetically a product of the 80s.

Double Dragon Neon is at it's core a love letter to the 80s. It's politically incorrect, loud, a little stupid, and full of eye-bleeding color. It definitely won't appeal to everybody, but the folks at Wayforward made a Double Dragon game that feels as fun as the one from Technos Japan back in 1987. If you remember the differences in the NES and Master System versions of Double Dragon, and you know what you can do when you get your third heart, Double Dragon Neon may be right up your alley.

Why There Hasn't Been New Content Up This Week

I'm writing this post in the spirit of annoyance and frustration. I was intending to have a post up discussing the recently released Zone of the Enders HD Collection, but because my latest frustration with AT&T, that post has been put on hold until my home internet service is restored. In my time dealing with AT&T, I have had to consistently deal with my service dropping out on it's own without any warning, therefore my time gaming online has been severely hampered. now, I am informed that I magically owe an amount that I can't currently afford to pay to restore my service, even though the payments were made from my checking account via their autopay service. you sent me a replacement modem to rectify my outages, but didn't send me a return slip or instructions regarding the old modem, then billed me for the new modem. I am about done with them and their horrible internet service and equally horrible customer service. I probably wouldn't recommend their service to my worst enemy, as it's been that bad. Hopefully, I can get my internet service back up and running so that I can continue to yell about gaming related topics with y'all.

UPDATE: I was called by multiple members of their Customer and Technical Support teams and my service has been restored.

Y'all...I'm Touched :)

This may honestly be the easiest post I've had to write in quite some time. Some time ago, readers of the  blog may have noticed a badge  on the right side of the page that recognized that this blog was nominated for a Black Weblog Award. The results were released this morning, and I am incredibly proud and ridiculously humbled to say that The Digitized Ramblings Of An 8-Bit Animal did indeed win an award for "Best Comics or Gaming Blog". I've never been one to toot my own horn or laud accomplishments at anyone, but knowing that people actually voted and care about what has been posted here since 2010 is an honor.

I want to thank folks, but the amount of people I feel the need to thank is enormous, so I'll offer up a blanket "Thank You" to everyone who has contributed, donated games or consoles, been an extra pair of eyes, offered support or constructive criticism, or urged me to not quit when I got discouraged. You all mean a great deal to me, and any growth this blog experiences in the future is a result of your immeasurable level of support.

So again, I say Thank You from the bottom of my pixelated heart. This has been a humbling experience and I have a feeling it is only the beginning.