Excitebike
Excitebike is a game that I’m sure most retro gaming enthusiasts know about. It is one of the earliest Nintendo Entertainment System titles.
Very basic cover. Like many early NES games.
Background:
Excitebike is a motocross game that was released in Japan in 1984 and in the United States in 1985 (It was one of the NES launch titles). Designed by Shigeru Miyamoto (of Mario and Zelda fame), Excitebike was very successful. It spawned many remakes and sequels (many of which were released only in Japan), among which are Excitebike 64, Excite Truck, and Excitebots: Trick Racing. The very popular Mario Kart series was directly influenced by a game released in Japan called Excitebike: Bun Bun Mario Battle Stadium which replaced the normal motocross rider with characters from the Mario games.
The Nostalgic Perspective:
Excitebike was one of the games my family owned when I was a kid. I wasn’t really into motocross or racing, but I was definitely into video games and this game got major mileage. There were three different modes in Excitebike. In one mode, you would race through the track attempting to beat a certain time. In another, you would do the same thing, but other racers were added to trip you up and give you a sense of competition. The third mode, by far my favorite, was a “Create-a-Track” mode and it was pretty revolutionary for its time.
I spent many hours making impossible tracks and then attempting to race them. I don’t remember being very good at the game, but I LOVED creating those tracks.
The “Now” Perspective:
I was pretty excited to replay Excitebike (see what I did there?). I popped into the time trial mode and started driving like a maniac. I got some pretty decent times, but never got a first place. It was disappointing, but I did get a good sense of how well the tracks were put together. It really is a well designed game.
These racers will destroy your confidence.
My excitement began to plummet when I started racing CPU-controlled racers on the tracks. You could beat them off the line, you could knock them off their bikes, it didn’t matter, they would somehow end up in front of you. I can’t believe that this didn’t frustrate me as a kid. There was no way to “beat” these guys. It turns out I was still racing against the clock… but these added CPU abominations would just add to the challenge. It was pretty hard for me to feel motivated when I would blow past a guy and a few seconds later he would somehow have teleported in front of me. Apparently, the other riders were either technologically advanced or they were wizards. I’d like to think that I’m racing wizards because that’s a funnier image to me.
There is also no music to speak of other than the title screen and immediately before a race starts. You just kind of putter along listening to the whine of your engine and the horrible buzzer that sounds whenever you get overheated and Pretty boring.
The controls seem pretty tight, though. I had no problem going where I needed to go.
The Create-a-Track mode is pretty clunky, now. You can still make awesome tracks, but it’s not very intuitive and takes a lot of patience, especially in our age of drag-and-drop creativity. I’ve been playing a lot with Forge on Halo: Reach. Going from that to Excitebike’s creator mode was VERY taxing.
The Final Verdict:
Quite frankly, Excitebike doesn’t really hold up well. For its time, I’m sure it was an MX fan’s dream. But, now, it’s pretty dull. Not having music is a real deal breaker for me. Add that to racers you can never beat, and you have a game that is pretty frustrating. If you’re going to play this game, stick to the time trial mode where you race only the clock and you will save yourself some frustration. But, otherwise, steer clear of Excitebike.
My inner child is crying from disappointment.
BONUS POINTS!!
Here is a youtube video of the Japanese only Excitebike Bun Bun Mario Battle Stadium!!
If you’re looking for more racing check out my look at Super Off Road!!
Filed under: Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Tags: Excitebike, Motocross, Racing, Retro Games, Retro Gaming
Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!
Boom! Headshot!
The next game I’m going to take a look at is the legendary boxing game, Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! It’s a game that is considered by some to be one of the most fun games of all time. I happen to be one of those people.
Background:
What hasn’t been said about Mike Tyson? The man is legendary. From his ferocious boxing style to his stint in prison, his return to the ring and seeming insanity, he’s done it all –and he’s a media darling! He was the youngest boxer to hold the three major boxing organization titles at the same time. He’s been in movies, he’s been on TV and he’ll always hold a special place in our hearts as the near-impossible final boss of Punch-Out!! for the NES.
Nintendo originally made Punch-Out!! and Super Punch-Out!! for the arcade. They didn’t feature Iron Mike at all, but were well-received and very fun. When the time came for Nintendo to make an NES version of the popular game, they had to change a few things because of the lower processing capacity of the NES. They designed “Little Mac,” the hero of the game, making him much shorter so that players could see opponents over his head. They added a bit of a storyline to the game, too.
And for the American version, they added Mike Tyson! The story goes that Minoru Arakawa, the founder of Nintendo of America, was attending a boxing match late in the development of Punch-Out!! He was so impressed by Iron Mike’s strength and ferocity that he decided that Tyson needed to be in his game.
The Nostalgic Perspective:
My dad brought this game home when I was very young. Dad is a boxing fan who passed on his love of the sport to me, probably beginning with this game. I played this game like crazy, making my way through the boxers and winning titles. I was unstoppable! Until I came to Mike Tyson. He beat me. Then, he beat me again. After that, he beat me. Oh, and then, he beat me. They were one-hit knockdowns, with movements like no one else in the game. It took months of playing and poring over my Nintendo Power magazines to finally figure out a strategy to beat him.
Finally, the victory was mine! I beat him! I consider myself lucky…because I never beat him again.
That said, I truly loved everything about this game. My friends and I took turns taking down the different boxers.
The “Now” Perspective:
When I picked up this game again, I didn’t remember any of the strategies to beat the boxers. Sure, Glass Joe, Von Kaiser and Piston Honda are fairly easy to beat, but after that, I completely had to relearn the strategies. King Hippo proved a huge problem for me at first. King Hippo? Yeah, it was embarrassing.
Expect to see something like this a lot when you fight Iron Mike.
And it got worse from there. Great Tiger beat me. Bald Bull beat me. I kept getting beaten. I kept writing down passwords. I persevered. I kept training and training and training. Like a real boxer would. I was getting mentally tough. My thumbs were getting stronger. I refused to get frustrated.
(Do you see the “Rocky” montage?)
Finally, Soda Popinski fell to my fists. (This guy was called Vodka Drunkenski in Japan) It was a close call with Mr. Sandman, but I took him down, too. I made Super Macho Man look like a chump and I laughed as my pint-sized fists pounded him into the canvas.
Finally, the time came. One last fight: “Iron” Mike Tyson vs. Little Mac. My hands were sweating. Anxiety was building in my heart and soul. The “Doc Louis” (Little Mac’s portly trainer) inside of me told me to “Stick and Move” and to “Join the Nintendo Fun Club.”
I had worked hard to get to this point. It was go time.
Mike came out swinging. I dodged too late and was knocked to the canvas. I got up, hurting, but ready to fight again. I managed to dodge punches like a true champion. Then, Mike changed his tactics and pounded the stuffing out of me until the round was over.
Round Two: After dodging and dodging, it was time for me to go on the offense. I managed to knock Mike down but he popped up almost instantly. Then, boom! A few shots to the face and I was lying on my face.
I got up…
And was knocked down for a third time. I was done. Mike had beaten me.
Every subsequent match after that was a loss. Mike Tyson, you are my bane.
The Final Verdict:
While billed as a sports game, Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! is almost more of a puzzle game. You have a set time limit to beat opponents and every boxer has a certain strategy you have to exploit. It’s very strategic (not that real boxing isn’t strategic, it is extremely strategic) and I had a fun time figuring out strategies.
The music will get stuck in your head (in a good way) and the training sequences always bring a smile to my face. The controls are precise and graphics are fairly decent for the era.
Join the Nintedo Fun Club, Mac!
If you haven’t played Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! (or Punch-Out!! featuring Mr. Dream, the version released after Nintendo lost the license to Tyson’s likeness), you really owe it to yourself to play it. It is available on Wii Virtual console if you own a Wii and there are generally numerous copies for sale on ebay.
Buy it. Play it. Love it. I can’t wait to play it again.
(And for another sports game review check out Super Off Road.)
Filed under: Retro Games, Sports | 3 Comments
Sorry for the Delay
My computer broke down and I was waiting for parts to fix it. I have new review in the pipe that should be dropping soon! Stay tuned!
Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment
You know it is awesome when "Super" is in the name!
So far, I have reviewed some retro games that allow you to ride dinosaurs, submarines
and airships. But, those games are fantasy based fun and I felt it was time to review a sports game. A friend of mine mentioned Super Off Road.
Background:
Ivan Stewart is an off road racing hall-of-famer. He is one of the winningest off road racers and holds numerous off road records, including most series wins. He retired in 2000, but his name lives on in both the special edition Toyota Tundra trucks they made in his honor and, of course, Ivan “Ironman” Stewart’s Super Off Road.
The Nostalgic Perspective:
Super Off Road was available for virtually every console of the 8 and 16-bit eras. These console games
were all based on the hit arcade game. This review focuses on the NES adaptation.
I didn’t play this game very often, but I did have a friend that had this game and the NES satellite
adapter.This meant that you could play the game in four-player mode. This is where the game really shines. Racing artificial intelligence is sort of fun. But, racing your friends while trash talking them is much more entertaining.
Of course, I don’t remember being any good at this game, so I’m sure I got out-raced by my other friends most of the time. Probably why I didn’t play this game very much.
The “Now” Perspective:
Fandango. Isn't that where you buy movie tickets?
I don’t have an NES satellite adapter, so, I was forced to play single player. Single player is NOT as fun as playing with friends.
You race as the “red” truck (in the actual racing portion of the game, your truck is pink). Your only real opponent in single player is the white truck. He’s amazing. The other two cars race like morons but white is the undisputed master of off road racing. I’m guessing the white truck is supposed to be driven by Ivan Stewart.
When you win a race, you will receive points toward your overall standings and money to upgrade your truck. with. There are five upgrades:; boost, accelerator box, tires, top speed and shocks. Having a lot of boosts (you can have up to 99 of them) is essential to winning races. Money and boosts can also be picked up on the track while driving.
Super Off Road for the NES doesn’t include a whole lot of tracks to race on (you will end up racing them both forwards and backwards to add a bit of variety) and none of them are very difficult. Once you start winning races and buying nitro boosts, there is very little in the way of difficult. You’ll even end up royally beating Ivan a lot of the time.
The music is pretty generic and sounds like it wouldn’t be out of place in any number of other games in
other genres and the sound effects are a bit fuzzy. The graphics and game play are pretty solid and the controls are easy to learn.
The Final Verdict:
Ivan “Ironman” Stewart’s Super Off Road isn’t a terrible game, but as I was playing it, I was really itching to just shoot the other trucks with missiles like you can in RC Pro-Am.
If you are interested in the evolution of racing games, or are just a huge fan of Ivan Stewart, this is a must play. For everyone else, I would skip it in favor of other racing games like Excitebike, RC Pro-Am or Rad Racer.
Filed under: Racing, Retro Games, Sports | 2 Comments
What’s Next?
Do you have any 3rd-5th generation games you’d like me to take a look at? Let me know in the comments.
I’m currently working on these games.
Mendel Palace
Super Off-Road
Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!
Dragon Warrior III
So, what’s next?
Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment
This coverart kind of looks like a rainbow threw up all over it. It is a mess.
This is one of the weirdest games I have ever played.
Background:
Bubble Bobble was an extremely popular arcade game that spawned many ports to the various home console systems. So, it’s no surprise that a sequel was created. I’m will to bet this probably isn’t what people were expecting when they thought of Bubble Bobble 2.
For one thing, while you are technically playing the characters from the first game, you are not playing them in their “bubble dragon” forms. You are playing them in their human forms.
There are also no bubbles in this game. You don’t fire bubbles. You don’t ride bubbles. You don’t pop bubbles. Instead you create rainbows.
The equation:
Bubble Bobble – Bubbles + Rainbows = Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2.
I cannot really figure out the title. Is it Bubble Bobble 2? Or is it just the story of what happened in Bubble Bobble 2?
Wikipedia assures me that this is the true sequel to Bubble Bobble. Weird.
The arcade version was released in 1987. The NES version followed in 1991.
The “Nostalgic” Perspective:
I was (and still am) a huge fan of Bubble Bobble. It had 2-player co-op. It was long. It had a secret ending. It was great. So, when I heard that there was a sequel, I got pretty excited. And then I played Rainbow Islands. Let me tell you, I was disappointed. No dragons. No bubbles. No 2-player co-op.
To my young mind, there was no way this was Bubble Bobble 2. You killed enemies with RAINBOWS for goodness sake!
It seemed too girly to me. I grew up in a generation where the girls were enjoying Rainbow Brite and killing bad guys with rainbows just wasn’t cutting it.
The game play was a bit different too. The object was to just get to the end of the level. You didn’t have to kill all the enemies on the screen to advance, you just had to make it to the top. Every four levels there is a boss at the end to fight. These fights are generally pretty easy. Young me was pretty unimpressed by Rainbow Islands.
The “Now” Perspective:
I'm sure I'm not the only person who thought it looks like he is urinating a rainbow...
I wanted to be able to do more than one review this week so I decided to try this game again. I wasn’t looking forward to it.
My biggest gripe is the jumping controls. You can’t control your jump unless you are on the downward part of the jump – which has a really funny-looking animation that involves the character flapping his arms to slow his fall. It takes a little bit getting used to.
There are a lot of power-ups that will enhance your character. Winged shoes will increase your speed. There are power-ups that modify your rainbows by both increasing the rate at which they appear and how many appear.
The game isn’t real difficult but the infamous one-hit kill rule still applies. (Full disclosure: It would have been a lot harder had I been trying to unlock the secret 8th level. But, I wasn’t because I don’t really like this game very much.)
The rainbows you create are used as both weapons and platforms. Again, using the rainbows as platforms takes some practice, but the learning curve isn’t too steep.
I still don’t like that there is no 2-player co-op. That is the best part of Bubble Bobble.
The Final Verdict:
Rainbow Islands isn’t a terrible game. But, it’s definitely not my cup of tea. For a Bubble Bobble sequel it really has very little in common with the first game. However, if you can separate Rainbow Islands in your mind from Bubble Bobble and you like platforming games, it’s worth a play through. The game is available on a lot of Taito arcade collections and you’ll get the bonus of picking up other great games. I’m sure you’ll like them much better than Rainbow Islands.
Filed under: Platformer, Retro Games | 2 Comments
Tags: Bubble Bobble, Platforming, Rainbow Islands, Retro Game
StarTropics
Sorry it’s been so long. StarTropics was a journey that took longer than I thought. 
Background:
StarTropics is one of the few games that was never released in Japan. Although it was never released there, it was designed by Japanese game developers who were living in the United States. Nintendo Integrated Research & Development’s head Genyo Takeda (who was also one of the lead designers for the Nintendo Wii) produced, directed and wrote StarTropics.
StarTropics is an adventure game with an overhead view, much like The Legend of Zelda. It also has an overhead map like in Final Fantasy that you use for traveling from adventure area to adventure area. While in the overhead map view, the protagonist, Mike Jones, looks like a fat little boy. When in adventure mode, Mike looks like a tall, athletic individual. At least his shirt color is the same in both modes.
The Nostalgic Perspective:
I remember first learning about StarTropics from the pages of Nintendo Power. The cover of the magazine showed a parrot, a piano, a dolphin and a chicken-looking thing with a skull for a head. I read that in the game you killed things with a yo-yo. And that there were aliens, submarines and a killer Olmec head.
Needless to say, to my younger self was stoked to get his grubby 8-year-old hands on this. But, I could never find it. Not at the local movie rental store. Not at Toys ‘R Us. Not at Wal-Mart. Finally, my mind moved on to whatever game I wanted next. I never ended up playing it.
The “Now” Perspective:
You got the power. Nintendo Power. You got the clues that you can use. Nintendo Power. Higher and Higher, fighting your way through enemy fire. Nintendo Power.
I had all but forgotten about StarTropics until I started this blog. I was talking to a friend of mine about what games I should be playing. When she mentioned StarTropics, I was instantly excited about playing it.
You start the game on the aptly named “C-Island” (it’s shaped like a C). You play Mike Jones, a guy who has received a strange letter from his uncle, Dr. J. Mike travels to C-Island to look for his uncle, only to find that his uncle has disappeared. In the end, it turns out that aliens did it and you must find the three magic cubes that they have stolen from a bowling ball-shaped rock.
Yes, it’s weird. It has a weird story. It has a weird setting (you end up going to places called “Shecola” and “Miracola”) and weird characters.
And *Spoilers* (the game is 20 years old) at the end you rescue a group of magic elf children called Argonians.
The game is fun but not without it’s faults. Your main weapon is a yo-yo. It is apparently a fairly cheap yo-yo since it is not very effective at killing things. You can eventually upgrade your yo-yo twice but it only stays upgraded if you have the requisite number of hearts (your life meter, just like in The Legend of Zelda) filled up.
I also found the controls to be pretty unresponsive. Sometimes Mike seemed agile as a gazelle. Other times he seemed like he had the agility of a walrus. The jumping controls are also kind of wonky, especially when trying to avoid enemies.
The game also has a problem that many early Nintendo games had: the rules that apply to the player do not apply to enemies.
All these issues combined can lead to a frustrating experience. The last part of the game is an exercise in patience.
Boss fights are all over the place. Some make you want to pull your hair out and some are just so easy it’s a wonder why you’re fighting them at all.
On the positive side, the game’s music is great and never feels too repetitive. The graphics are good (for the Nintendo) and the puzzles are well-designed.
The Final Verdict:
Dr. J. His first name is Steve.
The game is fun, but uneven. The difficulty is all over the place and the controls really make you want to throw the game across the room. However, the story is fun, the music is great and you really feel a sense of accomplishment after playing it.
The game isn’t for everyone. If you enjoy games like The Legend of Zelda or Zelda II you’ll probably get a lot of enjoyment out of this game especially if you are patient and play it all the way to the end. If you’re not a fan of those games, I would probably skip it.
Filed under: Uncategorized | 4 Comments
The Legend of Zelda
It had a gold box. How could it not be awesome?
Today, we look at one of the most popular video games of all time.
Background:
When Shigeru Miyamoto was a boy, he would wander the fields outside of Kyoto, Japan. He wouldn’t use a map and was always impressed by the things he would find. When he got older and began designing video games, he wanted to bring that sense of exploration and wonder to people playing his game. This was the basis of The Legend of Zelda. He created a large world with mountains, lakes and forests for gamers to play in and included many puzzles and secrets for players to find.
He decided he liked the sound of the name Zelda, which was the name of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s wife, and used in his game. He also wanted the main character to be an adolescent who would discover courage, wisdom, and strength as the game progressed, giving it a coming-of-age tale that many people could connect with.
The Legend of Zelda was Nintendo’s first million-selling game and has gone on to be called the most influential game of all time by many gaming publications.
The Nostalgic Perspective:
I remember The Legend of Zelda vividly. More specifically, I remember my mom playing it until she finally beat the game. I tried it a few times myself, but I think I was too young to really understand what was going on.
I remember thinking that the main character wielding a sword was really cool and that you could shoot beams of power when your hearts were full. I would come back to it year after year, loving it, but never having the patience to beat it. I don’t really think it was until The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past that I really started appreciating what the Zelda series was all about. After beating A Link to the Past, I finally went back and finished the first Legend of Zelda. It had been many years since I first started playing it.
I still am not sure why the game is called The Legend of Zelda when Link is obviously the main character. Do you know how many times I’ve had to correct people who were calling the main character “Zelda?”
The “Now” Perspective:
I was pretty stoked to play this game again. It’s been years and it was like meeting an old friend. All the same emotions came back to me, both the joy of playing it again and the annoyance of playing a game designed in the ’80s.
It's a secret to everybody. Not even he knows where he is.
Moving seamlessly is a problem. You need to stop moving in one direction to begin moving in another. This results in a lot of hearts being depleted because you aren’t able to react as quickly as you’d like. You also can’t move diagonally. Let me tell you, after years of being able to move in eight directions, going back to only moving in four takes some getting used to.
That said, I was amazed at all the secrets I still remember. I think I got all the secret ruppee (Hyrulian currency) locations and found most of the potion shops without having to look up anything. It’s amazing how trivial stuff like that stays with you.
Some people today do speed runs through the game, but I took my time and found everything I could. I defeated all the dungeons (I remember the boss enemies being a lot harder than that as a kid) and found all the items, upgrades and heart containers.
I had some trouble with the final dungeon, but, after a few retries and cries of frustration, got to the evil Ganon and defeated him.
The win screen is simple. It just states something about being a true hero and that peace is restored. Then Link and Zelda hold up their triforces high and the credits roll. If it was a game made today, I would probably had been disappointed by that ending. But, with The Legend of Zelda, I realized it was about the experience of playing the game, not beating it, that was the true reward.
I think I’ll come back to the game in a couple of years and play it again and again to see how much stuff I remember. If you haven’t played it in awhile, or if you never have, go out, get it and play it. It truly is a great game and while it has some foibles (like the ridiculous English translations), it really is a work of art.
Filed under: Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Wizards & Warriors
Thou Hast Found a Game!!
Today we’re looking at Wizards & Warriors, a game released in 1987.
Background:
Wizards & Warriors is a game published by Acclaim and developed by the famous Rare Ltd (the creators of Donkey Kong Country and Goldeneye).
The game is classified as a platforming adventure game and was popular enough to spawn three sequels. The immediate sequel, Ironsword, even had Fabio on the cover! Speaking of the cover art, the protagonist, Kuros, is always presented as a loin-cloth wearing barbarian but, in the game, he is shown to be in full plate mail.
The Nostalgic Perspective:
I only played this game briefly at a friend’s house and I was not impressed. There was just too much flying around on screen for my young mind to comprehend and I remember dying. A lot. The game at least gives you unlimited continues but I had given up long before even reaching the third level.
The “Now” Perspective:
Full disclosure: I am not as good at Nintendo games as I once was. So, I was nervous about picking up this game. I remembered well the frustration and confusion. But, I steeled myself and started the game. The first thing I noticed was how good this game looked for a 1-megabit cartridge. The colors are well represented (for the most part… sometimes enemies disappear into the background due to being the same color) and the music sounds great.
The second thing I noticed was how high Kuros could jump in full plate mail. If Kuros is a 6 foot tall man, he’s jumping about 30 feet in the air. It’s pretty amazing.
The third thing I noticed was how crappy his attack is. For a guy who can jump 30 feet in the air, he’s certainly carrying a tiny sword. He attacks with it like it is a foil. A foil is a finesse weapon, so, I’m not sure why a guy in full plate mail is carrying one around.
The point of the game is to gather enough gems (sometimes you will open a chest that exclaims, “Thou hath found gems!!”) to buy off the invincible knight that guards the door to the boss creature. To get enough gems you will need to find pink, red and blue keys to open chests and doors. While you are collecting gems, you will be fending off the constant assault of birds, bats, insects, gargoyles, sentient fireballs, etc. There are things flying at you from every direction.
Luckily, there are some power-ups you can collect. You can get a shield (which doesn’t really mesh with your foil…), a dagger that you can throw and, finally, an axe. It wasn’t until I found the axe that I really felt like a super-knight.
After fighting, dying, continuing, grabbing enough keys and gems and bribing the guard, you are ready to fight the boss of the level. This is generally the easiest part of the game. The bosses have some kind of set pattern which is easy to exploit. Once the boss has fallen you get to rescue the “distressed damsel” who is tied up and wearing a bikini.
Once you cut her down, you just end up leaving her on the floor. Kuros is obviously a playa-pimp.
Repeat this pattern about 5 times and you will finally come to the evil wizard’s castle. There, you eventually defeat him and win the game.
The Final Verdict:
I can’t believe I missed out on this game by being too confused and frustrated to play it. It is amazing. There is still a bit of the frustration factor but, the unlimited continues pretty much mitigates that.
Play it. It’s a great game. I finished it and immediately wanted to start playing it again to find more of the secret rooms and treasures.
Filed under: Uncategorized | 2 Comments
-
tjsretrogames
tjsretrogames
