The Retro Critic
Rambo III
Seeing as everyone’s favourite (read: most affordable) action heroes are back in the unsurprisingly not very good The Expendables 3, I thought we’d delve into one of the toughest retro games out there.
“Tough” as in big muscles tough, of course.
And no, I’m not talking about that wimpy NES Rambo game where you’re knifing chickens and punching owls in the ear or whatever.
Nope, not even Duke Caribbean: Life’s A Beach.
Make way for Rambo III.
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The Gamer Chronicles
The Gamer Chronicles Ep:26 Krustys Super Funhouse
Hello guys, this is my review of Krustys Super Fun House for the SNES! This is one of the more strange and off the wall games I have played, and I don’t think I would have ever played if it were not for reviewing it. Give it a watch!
1 More Countdown
Top 10 2D Cinematic Platformers
An often overlooked genre of video games is the cinematic platformer. There really aren’t that many of them out there, and even less people talking about them.
I’ll be talking about them in this list, but keep in mind one game per franchise and retro games only (PS2 era and prior). However, the featured image for this countdown is from Limbo a new-ish cinematic platformer, that everyone should check out.
1 More Podcastle
100 – Nintendo Legend Pro Tips
NINTENDO LEGEND PRO TIP:
If you get every star in Super Mario 64, visit the top of the castle for an old friend who will give you 100 episodes of the 1 More Podcastle!
For more pro tips, tweet @Nintendo_Legend #NintendoLegendProTips
Handheld History – The worst Game Boy title ever?
Handheld History is a series that takes a look at more obscure portable games and systems, and in the opening episode of the show on 1 More Castle one of the worst titles on the Game Boy comes under the microscope.
RetroHate
Ocarina of Crimes: Checkpoint
Welcome retro ladies and old school gents, today I begin a new sub-series that I think I’m going to call “Ocarina of Crimes.” Yes, I am here to bash The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Bear in mind that this is one of my favorite games and one I played growing up (despite only having finished it on the 3DS recently). However there are still many, many things wrong with the game, some of which drive me up a wall. One of those things is the game’s checkpoint system.
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The Retro Critic
Running Battle
What do you mean you’ve never heard of Running Battle?
For shame!
It’s like the Sega Master System’s answer to Super Mario Bros 3! If Super Mario Bros 3 was a generic beat ’em up with no real identity, of course.
Actually, to give the inaccurately titled “Running Battle” (it includes very little running) some credit, it’s more enjoyable to play than some of those arcade classics given the shoddy Master System treatment as it mixes in a more appropriate pace and graphics more suited to a console-based side-scrolling action game.
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Raising a Gamer
Barbie: Super Model (Genesis)
Sticking with the theme from my first piece, I wanted to revisit another definitive game from my childhood to share with my daughter, Mae. This time I figured we would try Disney’s Aladdin for the Genesis. This game had everything I thought a small child could want, magic, monkeys with swords, rugs. I was so excited to share this one with my daughter. I couldn’t wait to see her face light up when she got to the extremely satisfying yet terribly difficult Rug Ride level. But after playing Aladdin for a while I realized that while Mae definitely enjoyed parts of Aladdin, the game was just far too difficult for a 4 year old as a whole. With all of the jumping, climbing, apple throwing, and navigating through lava, I could tell she was getting frustrated. Read More
My Two Gils
I am a Screen-Looker…
There you have it. After two articles, I figured I should tell you a bit more about myself anyway. A confession as surprising as this one will surely do the trick. You see, behind my carefree spirit lies a dark childhood filled with discrimination. Like, I was discriminated against at least 3 or 4 times. It all happened when the Nintendo 64 was still in its early glorious years. I think the game was Mario Kart 64 and the accuser was Alex or perhaps Julien. Whoever it was, all three of them were thinking the same thing. I tried to tame my rebellious ways, but it came back in college… and recently… When I think about it, I’ve been looking at other screens since split screens were invented. I guess I was born this way. I just can’t help who I am… And now, I accept my difference.
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Play as Waluigi in Ocarina of Time
“! Who…? Who are you? How did you get past the guards?”
“My name is Waluigi!”
Remembering Robin Williams in Video Game form
On Monday, we lost a comedic legend. Robin Williams died and left behind an amazing legacy in film. I grew up admiring his comedic talents, getting my first taste of his manic style of comedy in Disney’s Aladdin, where he voiced the role of The Genie (explaining why my mother was so excited to see this film). I’d go on to enjoy more of his work, particularly Good Morning Vietnam and his stand-up comedy specials. And while it isn’t the greatest, Robin Williams left behind a video game legacy as well. His children, Zelda and Cody, are named after well-known video game characters (Zelda from The Legend of Zelda series, and Cody from the Final Fight series), and his likeness appears in a handful of games as well. Let’s take a look at some of those. Read More
1 More Podcastle
99.5 – The Adventures of the Mario Bros., Chapter 1: the Mysterious Black Pipe
We’ve got a special pre-episode-100 treat: A new radio drama by Eric Hunter!
Wing Commander 3 Is Free
Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger is free on Origin until September 2nd.
Chasing Ghosts: One Quarter at a Time
Teenage Mutant Quarter-Munching Turtles: The Arcade obsession.
A brief note of apology for the delay in this article. The PC inside of my MAME cabinet kept becoming unresponsive and impossible to play. None of the buttons worked, and it kept making a ridiculous clicking noise, to the point where I thought the hard drive was dying and had to keep the PC turned off. Turns out, one the pushbutton wires had gotten loose, and the shift button was being held down, which turned on filter keys and made it not work. In short, if you have PC troubles in a MAME cabinet, make sure all your wires are secure. And you’ll save yourself a month of nonsense.
The following is part of a series about my past experiences with arcade games and running them in MAME. I will only write about games I remember playing in an actual arcade, not games I only discovered through MAME.
The Retro Critic
Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes
It’s Review A Bad Game Day time again!
Which means that I get to play and review something that’s either well and truly dire or amusingly so. Which isn’t too far-fetched for me since I tend to play and review tons of those kinds of games so I say: bring it on!
Thinking about the NES, I soon turned to a silly game based on a silly cartoon series based on a silly movie franchise. And no, I’m not talking about that Toxic Crusaders game, though I did consider it. Besides, you know what’s scarier than a radioactive dude?
N64 Connoisseur
N64 Review #14- John Romero’s Daikatana
It is once again that time of year. Kids are getting ready to go back to school. In Florida, it is still sufficiently hot that not only could you fry an egg on the pavement, you could prepare an entire Thanksgiving meal. The NFL has begun preseason, thus bringing meaning to the humdrum lives of millions of Americans. All of those things signify just one thing. The time has once again come for Review a Bad Game Day, the celebration of the worst games the earth has to offer. I am proud to say that this is the 3rd year I have participated. This year, the date fell on an N64 Connoisseur posting date. Well, I’m one day early but close enough. I have chosen a true festering heap of garbage, the incredibly disappointing and offensive to all five senses, John Romero’s Daikatana.
The Gamer Chronicles
The Gamer Chronicles Ep: 24 Pac-Man World 2
Hey guys, Genesis Moss here with my newest review! Today it is Pac-Man World 2 for the Sony Playstation 2. This is one game that gave me a mixed bag of emotions, but you’ll have to watch the episode to find out why!