Since I am on a Neo Geo trip lately, with my recent project being to build a Neo Geo console and all, I'll review another game for the Neo Geo. This one is called Samurai Shodown 2.
Published in 1994 by SNK, Samurai Shodown 2 was also known as Shin Samurai Spirits, or "New Samurai Spirits." I think it's a more appropriate name, as this game is more than a sequel usually is, and takes possibly the biggest step upwards of any of the games in the long Samurai Shodown series.
The game increases the roster of playable characters dramatically, and includes some of my personal favorites, which do not appear again in any of the later games. The most notable of these is Neinhaldt Seiger, who has a giant gauntlet/cannon combo arm and also happens to be Prussian. The notoriously cheap Tam-Tam from SS1 has been replaced with Cham-Cham, who is not only less garish in appearance, but also more fun and balanced to play with or against. Kyoshiro, the red haired kabuki master, shows up much improved, and Wan-Fu has been given a big overhaul and an appropriate attitude adjustment. All of which is very good.
The game is still graphically impressive to this day, with very smooth animations and scrolling, and an appropriate amount of slowdown and zoom during critical hit moments, which not only provides a bit of drama but also aids in performing time-critical combos. Unlike some Neo Geo games of the time, like *shiver* Art of Fighting games, the zooming is not sickening nor do the characters noticeably pixelate. Detailing is of course top notch, as is to be expected from a Neo Geo game.
But, all this aside, the biggest advantage of Samurai Shodown 2 is it's immense playability. 1 player mode is admittedly boring, like most fighting games, and there are some incredibly cheap fights towards the end which literally require you to pump in the quarters like there's no tomorrow. But 2 player mode is where this game really shines. The characters are all pretty evenly matched, but despite this they are all widely varied and each character is really unique. Each has his own set of combos, style of fighting, and even different combo systems. Choosing the right character in a 2 player match is more of a matter of personal taste, style, and ability than anything else, unlike some games where you simply play a fancy version of rock-paper-scissors to find the fighter that will win you the match.
There are only two weak points with this game- first, it's hard to find. It was released on the Neo Geo in both home and arcade versions, but was never released in the United States in any other medium until 2008 on XBox Live Arcade. However, given the prevalance of emulation and the high-selling nature of this game in arcades it shouldn't be too hard for a serious gamer to track down something he can play.
The other weak point is the really bad, truly abominable translation this game got. Going from Japanese to English has always been bad for SNK, but this game really got screwed up badly. if you like a nice bit of Engrish then all the better (I happen to enjoy it some of the time) but if you are looking for something deadly serious, which by all respects this game is supposed to be, you won't find it. I personally feel that the Japanses version is really the definitive version because of the lack of hilarious Engrish and some other cosmetic changes, but every now and then a little Engrish does some good for a game.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd rate this an 8, mainly it's lower because of age, scarcity, and really bad translation. I have played better games overall, but this is truly one of the finest 1 on 1 fighters out there.
Showing posts with label games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label games. Show all posts
Monday, November 17, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
mini-review: Metal Slug
This is the first article in (what I hope will be) a series of short reviews of video games I have played extensively. Unlike big magazines, I will not be going in depth or have any fanboy attitude, but unlike some online reviewers (like Angry Videogame Nerd) I am not simply going to shred every game I come into contact with.
Today's review: Metal Slug for the Neo Geo
First, before I begin I must say that Metal Slug was the first arcade game which really grabbed my attention, and subsequently a large amount of my quarters. It's really the game that changed the way I looked at games, and forged my subsequent interest in video games. So this review might be a little bit biased.
Alright, first to begin with the stuff I don't like about this game. First, it has a complete and utter lack of story line. Yeah, there are some fan websites that try to tack a story on, but the game itself has no story, except that an evil guy named General Morden is evil, and therefore you must kill him and all his minions. Typical video game plot, really. Oh, and General Morden really looks alot like Saddam Hussein. Really.
Secondly, some of the sound effects can get a bit repedetive. Many of the enemies have one and only one sound they make when they die, depending on how you kill them. So sometimes you can mow down a large crowd of enemy soldiers and hear the same death screams being played about 10 times a second. I don't mind this too much, but some people really dislike it, especially if they are only listening to the game and not playing it.
Alright, enough already. This game rocks. The lack of story isn't a problem at all, and the sound effects are negligible compared to all the rest this game has to offer. I will enumerate the best points of this game in no particular order:
1. You spend the entire game killing anything and everything that moves.
2. You accomplish #1 with an arsenal of the most destructive weapons you have ever seen.
3. You can drive a tank, which not only has huge guns but can also crush nearly anything.
4. You singlehandedly destroy hundreds of enemy soldiers, toast dozens of armored vehicles, demolish giant war engines, and rescue loads of hostages- on every single level.
5. There are six of said levels- not too long, not too short.
6. Even if you are a bad player it's still a ton of fun. If you are a good player it's even more fun.
7. Unlike your average RTS or RPG, you do not have to spend hours playing in order to have fun at this game. But you could play for hours if you wanted to...
8. The graphics rock, the music rocks, the level design rocks, and it even has sequels that rock!
And last but not least, this game has nearly infinite replay value. Yes, you can see it all in 30 minutes or less. Or can you?? I dare you to find every secret by yourself, even on the 5th play through. And once you know where everything is, can you beat the game without dieing even once? I eventually managed to accomplish this feat, and have yet to repeat it. Because the game is only designed to be played in 10-30 minute intervals you can just pick it up again and again, whenever the need for some non-stop wanton destruction strikes your fancy.
Finally, the #1 reason why I like this game: it's a heck of a lot of fun with friends. After all, if killing an evil dictator and his army of henchmen is so much fun, think how much fun it is to bring a friend along for the ride! So what are you waiting for? Find this game, and get your daily recommended dose of destruction and insanity today!
Today's review: Metal Slug for the Neo Geo
First, before I begin I must say that Metal Slug was the first arcade game which really grabbed my attention, and subsequently a large amount of my quarters. It's really the game that changed the way I looked at games, and forged my subsequent interest in video games. So this review might be a little bit biased.
Alright, first to begin with the stuff I don't like about this game. First, it has a complete and utter lack of story line. Yeah, there are some fan websites that try to tack a story on, but the game itself has no story, except that an evil guy named General Morden is evil, and therefore you must kill him and all his minions. Typical video game plot, really. Oh, and General Morden really looks alot like Saddam Hussein. Really.
Secondly, some of the sound effects can get a bit repedetive. Many of the enemies have one and only one sound they make when they die, depending on how you kill them. So sometimes you can mow down a large crowd of enemy soldiers and hear the same death screams being played about 10 times a second. I don't mind this too much, but some people really dislike it, especially if they are only listening to the game and not playing it.
Alright, enough already. This game rocks. The lack of story isn't a problem at all, and the sound effects are negligible compared to all the rest this game has to offer. I will enumerate the best points of this game in no particular order:
1. You spend the entire game killing anything and everything that moves.
2. You accomplish #1 with an arsenal of the most destructive weapons you have ever seen.
3. You can drive a tank, which not only has huge guns but can also crush nearly anything.
4. You singlehandedly destroy hundreds of enemy soldiers, toast dozens of armored vehicles, demolish giant war engines, and rescue loads of hostages- on every single level.
5. There are six of said levels- not too long, not too short.
6. Even if you are a bad player it's still a ton of fun. If you are a good player it's even more fun.
7. Unlike your average RTS or RPG, you do not have to spend hours playing in order to have fun at this game. But you could play for hours if you wanted to...
8. The graphics rock, the music rocks, the level design rocks, and it even has sequels that rock!
And last but not least, this game has nearly infinite replay value. Yes, you can see it all in 30 minutes or less. Or can you?? I dare you to find every secret by yourself, even on the 5th play through. And once you know where everything is, can you beat the game without dieing even once? I eventually managed to accomplish this feat, and have yet to repeat it. Because the game is only designed to be played in 10-30 minute intervals you can just pick it up again and again, whenever the need for some non-stop wanton destruction strikes your fancy.
Finally, the #1 reason why I like this game: it's a heck of a lot of fun with friends. After all, if killing an evil dictator and his army of henchmen is so much fun, think how much fun it is to bring a friend along for the ride! So what are you waiting for? Find this game, and get your daily recommended dose of destruction and insanity today!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Retro Challenge
Well, the time has come- I have entered the Retrochallenge '08 contest. The contest runs through the month of July. I have entered my Tandy 102 and pocket computer. I will need to get out my pocket computer and see what model it is or if it even works. I am going to be competing in the programming and hardware categories. I will be making some games and getting my computers online with some custom hardware. And of course, I am in the process of making up a website to host my code. (not that my code is going to need it's own website, it's not going to be big...) You know, so people can download it.
While I'm at it I might also mess with whatever other retro hardware I can get my hands on- time to head to the local thrift store and pick some up!
Stay tuned for more old computer hacking goodness!
While I'm at it I might also mess with whatever other retro hardware I can get my hands on- time to head to the local thrift store and pick some up!
Stay tuned for more old computer hacking goodness!
Friday, April 18, 2008
Cleaning card slots
Well, I promised an article on cleaning card slots, and here it is. To clean a card slot you will need the following things:
Rubbing Alcohol (not the mint stuff, the regular stuff)
Q-Tips
An old toothbrush
Some stuff, white, absorbent paper that won't tear easily (construction paper works pretty good)
(optional) a dental pick
All right, so to begin you should expose the card slot. This varies from machine to machines. In the case of my NES the whole slot can come out of the machine if you take it apart. For my Atari I take out the main motherboard to remove the protective cover to clean it. Also at this time it would be a good idea to protect anything which you do not want rubbing alcohol to get on, such as yourself, furniture, exposed electronics, etc.
1. dip the end of a q-tip into the alcohol and use it to clean off any grime from the outside of the connector. (the housing, not the metal pins inside)
2. use the toothbrush to remove and obvious particles in the card slot (I had one unit that had some grass or something inside, I swept it out with the brush)
3. Fold up the paper so that it's easy to hold and can fit inside the card slot. I make mine into a rectangle shape about an inch wide by 4 inches long. Put a little bit of alcohol on the paper and push the paper in between the pins as though it were a cartridge, and then rub around to remove grime. Repeat as necessary. Be careful not to get the paper too wet. If it's too wet it will tear when you put it into the slot and then you will be stuck pulling tiny pieces of wet paper out of the slot.
4. If any of the pins are bent or if there are still hard-to-get chunks of junk inside the connector, get out the dental pick and gently pry the pins back or use the pick to remove any leftover bits of paper, etc. If you are careful with the paper and you don't have bent pins you won't need the pick at all.
5. Before you use your newly cleaned slot, make sure to clean the things that will be going into the slot. If it's a game cartridge, for example, use a q-tip and alcohol to remove corrosion and dirt off the carts pins. If you don't do this you will just be putting more dirt into your nice clean slot the next time you use it.
Enjoy, your card slot is now nice and clean, ready to go!
Rubbing Alcohol (not the mint stuff, the regular stuff)
Q-Tips
An old toothbrush
Some stuff, white, absorbent paper that won't tear easily (construction paper works pretty good)
(optional) a dental pick
All right, so to begin you should expose the card slot. This varies from machine to machines. In the case of my NES the whole slot can come out of the machine if you take it apart. For my Atari I take out the main motherboard to remove the protective cover to clean it. Also at this time it would be a good idea to protect anything which you do not want rubbing alcohol to get on, such as yourself, furniture, exposed electronics, etc.
1. dip the end of a q-tip into the alcohol and use it to clean off any grime from the outside of the connector. (the housing, not the metal pins inside)
2. use the toothbrush to remove and obvious particles in the card slot (I had one unit that had some grass or something inside, I swept it out with the brush)
3. Fold up the paper so that it's easy to hold and can fit inside the card slot. I make mine into a rectangle shape about an inch wide by 4 inches long. Put a little bit of alcohol on the paper and push the paper in between the pins as though it were a cartridge, and then rub around to remove grime. Repeat as necessary. Be careful not to get the paper too wet. If it's too wet it will tear when you put it into the slot and then you will be stuck pulling tiny pieces of wet paper out of the slot.
4. If any of the pins are bent or if there are still hard-to-get chunks of junk inside the connector, get out the dental pick and gently pry the pins back or use the pick to remove any leftover bits of paper, etc. If you are careful with the paper and you don't have bent pins you won't need the pick at all.
5. Before you use your newly cleaned slot, make sure to clean the things that will be going into the slot. If it's a game cartridge, for example, use a q-tip and alcohol to remove corrosion and dirt off the carts pins. If you don't do this you will just be putting more dirt into your nice clean slot the next time you use it.
Enjoy, your card slot is now nice and clean, ready to go!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Personal Retro Challenge slowdown
Well, I figure since the Retro Challenge for Summer '08 is now announced to be in July I'll slow things down a little bit. Savor the awesomeness, and of course I can then have time to prepare for the challenge.
In other news, I am wanting to learn C programming, for the purpose of making a game in SDL, not to mention that I just like programming. As a bit of background I have been programming and using computers since 3rd grade, but for some reason I have never learned C. The reason is probably because it wasn't until many years later did I even have a computer I could program C on. I cut my teeth on Tandy Basic with my Dad's Tandy PC2 in third grade, and then got into Applesoft Basic and Apple Integer Basic when I got an Apple IIe, which was my first desktop computer. I went through several Apple IIe's, a IIc, and a IIgs. The IIe's got fried from constant use, and the power supplies just gave up. The Apples were already pretty old when I got them, and my school also happened to use Apple IIs still as well, and they only had about 50 extra units, plus spare parts, because they had phased the IIe's out for IIgs units, which again were considered ancient even at the time. (this was 1998, when I was in 6th or 7th grade)
My computer teacher was a big inspiration for me. She was a big Apple fanatic, and especially loved Macs. She wanted me to get into Macs too. I, on the other hand, really didn't care for Macs at all, I liked the old stuff. I don't know quite why it appealed to me, although looking back I think it was because I could work with the low level, and all my code banged directly on the hardware, so to speak. Later in 1998 we got a PC. I think it was the games that got me hooked on PC's from there. I played Quake for how many years then? Probably all the way through highschool. I have never looked back, and sorry to say for all you Mac lovers out there, I have never used or even liked Macs.
Well, now I'm in Linux, because it's free, like all my previous computer stuff, and appeals to my geek side that wants to have closer workings with the hardware. I used to write games for Apple II, sadly with the demise of my Apple hardware my games also went. Now I want to try some game code again, but Basic doesn't really have the power on Linux as it did on an Apple. See, on the Apple II, Basic was THE language to code in. Sure, you could do machine code, but the only reason for doing that was because it would mostly hide your source from people or do really complex things with the inner quirks of the machine. The Basic was pretty much just as efficient as the Assembler, because the Basic was integrated with the hardware.
Nowadays Basic is not really respected, and doing games is quite resource hungry with only Basic. I need SDL, so therefore I need C.
EDIT: Nix that last line: FreeBASIC is now my next exploration. MS QBasic compatibility (I already know QBasic) and C library integration, including SDL, with only %25 percent less performance than regular GCC. Since my game's won't be 3d I don't need to worry. And it's cross platform, perfect.
In other news, I am wanting to learn C programming, for the purpose of making a game in SDL, not to mention that I just like programming. As a bit of background I have been programming and using computers since 3rd grade, but for some reason I have never learned C. The reason is probably because it wasn't until many years later did I even have a computer I could program C on. I cut my teeth on Tandy Basic with my Dad's Tandy PC2 in third grade, and then got into Applesoft Basic and Apple Integer Basic when I got an Apple IIe, which was my first desktop computer. I went through several Apple IIe's, a IIc, and a IIgs. The IIe's got fried from constant use, and the power supplies just gave up. The Apples were already pretty old when I got them, and my school also happened to use Apple IIs still as well, and they only had about 50 extra units, plus spare parts, because they had phased the IIe's out for IIgs units, which again were considered ancient even at the time. (this was 1998, when I was in 6th or 7th grade)
My computer teacher was a big inspiration for me. She was a big Apple fanatic, and especially loved Macs. She wanted me to get into Macs too. I, on the other hand, really didn't care for Macs at all, I liked the old stuff. I don't know quite why it appealed to me, although looking back I think it was because I could work with the low level, and all my code banged directly on the hardware, so to speak. Later in 1998 we got a PC. I think it was the games that got me hooked on PC's from there. I played Quake for how many years then? Probably all the way through highschool. I have never looked back, and sorry to say for all you Mac lovers out there, I have never used or even liked Macs.
Well, now I'm in Linux, because it's free, like all my previous computer stuff, and appeals to my geek side that wants to have closer workings with the hardware. I used to write games for Apple II, sadly with the demise of my Apple hardware my games also went. Now I want to try some game code again, but Basic doesn't really have the power on Linux as it did on an Apple. See, on the Apple II, Basic was THE language to code in. Sure, you could do machine code, but the only reason for doing that was because it would mostly hide your source from people or do really complex things with the inner quirks of the machine. The Basic was pretty much just as efficient as the Assembler, because the Basic was integrated with the hardware.
Nowadays Basic is not really respected, and doing games is quite resource hungry with only
EDIT: Nix that last line: FreeBASIC is now my next exploration. MS QBasic compatibility (I already know QBasic) and C library integration, including SDL, with only %25 percent less performance than regular GCC. Since my game's won't be 3d I don't need to worry. And it's cross platform, perfect.
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