Eric Congdon
Eric C. has been involved with retro gaming sites for over a decade now and is looking forward to another decade of retro fun. Check out Eric's site: WaxingNostalgic.net and make sure to follow him on Twitter: @WaxingNostalgic.
The feeling of emptiness – I assume most of us have felt this at some point in our lives, but the character of Samus Aran may be an individual that feels a level of emptiness that we will never experience; Samus must consistently endure a never-ending onslaught of enemies whilst being completely on her own traversing distant planets.
Samus is the focus this week in Character RETROspect as we take a look at her origins, as well as her earlier missions.
Here we are — the final week in a month long Halloween inspired Character RETROspect event. Last week we took a look at the flamboyant Alucard from the Castlevania series, and this week to cap off the month of October, we are going to take a look at Laura Harris, the protagonist from the stellar vidja game, D.
This week in Character RETROspect, we’re going to take a look at Alucard, the son of Dracula from the Castlevania series. Anyone remember the Captain N version of Alucard though? No? It’s probably better that way…
In continuation of this most festive Halloween season, I thought it would be a good time to bring up Firebrand, a character that some of you may not be completely familiar with by name, but I guarantee almost everyone will remember him because of the game, Ghost ‘N Goblins.
I thought that for this article, it would be more appropriate that I talk about the initial introduction to Firebrand, as well as the other games that were significant in the character’s history.
This may be an unusual Character RETROspect this week, but I’ll try to explain how the town of Silent Hill is a legitimate character in the Silent Hill franchise. While it may not be a traditional “character” in the sense that we are used to, I will defend my opinion of this with the fact that because of its mood and overall composition, it is as integral a character as any protagonist or major enemy. It changes and adapts to whomever enters, using techniques that are meant to breakdown a person’s psychological processes and bring forth imagery that is pertinent to that individual.
The tension of knowing that a psychopath is desperately trying to kill you around every possible corner in the mansion known as “Clock Tower” is something I will never forget for the rest of my life.
His name: Bobby, but he is more commonly referred to as Scissorman.
His profession: Scaring/stabbing the crap out of you.
Last week we took a look at the “second” part of Cecil’s story in Final Fantasy IV, and this — the FINAL week — we will be wrapping it all up. Maybe one day I will write about Cecil and the continuation of Final Fantasy IV’s story with the Interlude and The After Years campaigns, but I think three weeks in a row is probably overkill as it is…
Anyways, let’s wrap this sucker up!
Last time in Character RETROspect, we began our look back on Cecil Harvey, the dashing Dark Knight from Final Fantasy IV, and this week we’ll take a look at the second part of Cecil’s journey. When we last left off, Cecil was on his way to Mount Ordeals in an attempt to become a Paladin.
Let’s get back to it!
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Cecil Harvey, the main protagonist from Final Fantasy IV, is the focus of this week’s Character RETROspect. When thinking back on how enthralling the story of the “Dark Knight” is, I knew I had to do an article on him. Deception, love, loss, and personal redemption — it’s all here in one of the greatest entries in the Final Fantasy series.
Let’s go!
What would you endure for your significant other? Would you take matters into your own hands and do what you have to do to save your love? This week in Character RETROspect we will be looking at Rick Taylor, the main protagonist from the Splatterhouse series — a man who looked evil in the eye, laughed, and then kicked the crap out of it. Read More
Growing up in the 1990’s was pretty fantastic. Most clothing was neon colored, everyone wore Zubaz pants, and every single thing you could think of was XTREME. Even all of the animal mascots for video games had XTREME attitude.
This week in Character RETROspect, I’ll be talking about Sparkster, the main protagonist/possum from the Rocket Knight series. Who doesn’t love a badass marsupial who wields a sword and dons a jetpack?!
Hey guys, do you remember Vic Tokai, a video game developer from the late 1980’s through most of the 1990’s? Well, you might remember them for their more notable NES releases: the two Golgo 13 games and Amagon, but their best game (in my opinion) was Clash at Demonhead.
This week in Character RETROspect, we will be looking at the main protagonist from Clash at Demonhead, Billy “Big Bang” Blitz, the most manly of men to ever grace the NES. Grab your Aqua Lung because we’re going deep into some NES history!
This week in Character RETROspect, we will be looking at the always mysterious brother of Mega Man, Proto Man. What exactly are his true motives: Is it hope for a world where robots and mankind can live in harmony, or annihilation of the human race? Grab your whistle and let’s get to it!
This week in Character RETROspect, we will be looking at one of the most bizarre characters in all of gaming: the one, the only, Tingle. Is a thirty-five year old man who has a penchant for “forest fairies” really that much of a creeper, or is he just a sorely misunderstood man? Let’s take a look at this ambiguously erotic fellow.
This week in Character RETROspect we’ll be looking at Solid Snake’s last few missions, and we’ll be starting with the Shadow Moses Incident. It has been an absolute blast reminiscing about the Metal Gear franchise as a whole, and I cannot wait to do a multi-part RETROspect again in the near future. The time has come to finish off this three-week Metal Gear romp though, so let’s get to it!
Last week’s Character RETROspect dealt with the incredibly well-crafted character of Psycho Mantis, but this time we will focus on the legend of the Metal Gear franchise himself, Solid Snake. We’re going to take a look at Snake’s origins and his career up through the phenomenal conclusion of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.
For the next couple of weeks, we’re going to take a look at two of the most memorable characters from Metal Gear Solid: Psycho Mantis and Solid Snake.
In this week’s edition of Character RETROspect, the spotlight will be shining on Psycho Mantis, FOXHOUND’s gas mask wearing psychic expert and psychological warfare specialist.
So you wanna be the very best, like no one ever was? Well, to catch them is your real test; to train them is your cause.
This week in Character RETROspect, we’re going to reflect upon the cross-country travels of a young boy named Red, and ponder why in the world his mother is okay with him leaving home at his age to attempt to become the Indigo League Champion.
Why is Master Higgins in constant need of bananas and other food? Why is there a skateboard in an egg? Wait… Master Higgins rides a dinosaur – but I thought they were extinct?! Not on this island!
There are definitely some quirky, yet fun things about Hudson Soft’s Adventure Island games, and there is no denying that quirkiness led to a lot of the charm that is present in the series. Let’s take a look at the history behind the creation process of one of Hudson Soft’s most well-known characters, Master Higgins, as well as his first three outings on the NES.
What is it about video game characters that resonate with us and make us care about them? Is it their otherworldly abilities that make us feel like we’re living out our dreams of being a hero, or perhaps their stories of wonder and awe that captivate us?
In this weekly series, I will be taking a closer look at some of the most beloved and respected characters in the realm of video gaming, as well as taking a second glance at some characters that we perhaps wish we could permanently erase from our minds.
Please be advised that *spoilers* can and probably will happen.