Showing posts with label arcade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label arcade. Show all posts
Friday, April 8, 2022
Monday, April 6, 2020
What Makes a Good Arcade Game?
How?
To the point, what needs to be done first is having a difficulty that is challenging, but isn't making you lose your lives within the first few levels. One of my picks for best arcade game ever is Galaga. They ease you in with the aliens being adequate and then by the fifth round, you're in for the fight of your life and getting through a few more before getting a game over. Namco is a good example of giving you a chance but making you earn your right to beat a game or get far compared to others.
There's other things. One is not making graphics blend in with shots in shooters or shots being very small. That's not good design. Neither is overloading your game with enemies. Yes, the point is to get people to spend more quarters back then, but you don't want someone getting frustrated within a few minutes. A game like Robotron can be a bit overwhelming but compared to most, it's not trying to be purposefully pissing you off.
Last is some variety of shaking things up in a game to keep it fresh. No one wants to be bored. Maybe a level goes a different direction. Or that playing with a friend can even the odds. Whatever the case, the best kind of games give you a lot to offer within a ten minute span or more if you're that good in something like Ninja Turtles or driving games such as Daytona USA or Ridge Racer.
Those are some of my thoughts on what makes an arcade game good. What are some of your favorites?
To the point, what needs to be done first is having a difficulty that is challenging, but isn't making you lose your lives within the first few levels. One of my picks for best arcade game ever is Galaga. They ease you in with the aliens being adequate and then by the fifth round, you're in for the fight of your life and getting through a few more before getting a game over. Namco is a good example of giving you a chance but making you earn your right to beat a game or get far compared to others.
There's other things. One is not making graphics blend in with shots in shooters or shots being very small. That's not good design. Neither is overloading your game with enemies. Yes, the point is to get people to spend more quarters back then, but you don't want someone getting frustrated within a few minutes. A game like Robotron can be a bit overwhelming but compared to most, it's not trying to be purposefully pissing you off.
Last is some variety of shaking things up in a game to keep it fresh. No one wants to be bored. Maybe a level goes a different direction. Or that playing with a friend can even the odds. Whatever the case, the best kind of games give you a lot to offer within a ten minute span or more if you're that good in something like Ninja Turtles or driving games such as Daytona USA or Ridge Racer.
Those are some of my thoughts on what makes an arcade game good. What are some of your favorites?
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Mortal Kombat Overview/Review
September of 1993 brought in huge hype for the port of Mortal Kombat to the home market. It was an institution in the arcades the year before and was more for its graphics and violence compared to Street Fighter II. With its release on the 13th known as Mortal Monday, it showed up on the SNES, Sega Genesis, Game Boy, and Game Gear. Within the next year, it was on the Sega Master System in Europe, DOS computers, Amiga, and the Sega CD. I'll have my thoughts on the SNES and Genesis versions.
All versions followed the same story as the arcade. The seven fighters all have their reasons for being in Shang Tsung's tournament. As far as intros, at least the computer versions retain the stuff the arcade had. Windows 3.1 and the Amiga were very capable of doing a lot more compared to home consoles.
With that in mind, graphics outside of the computer versions had to be toned down. If we're digging into the 16-bit ones, the SNES version was mostly accurate. A little toned, but it was there. Animations were very strong. The Genesis suffered from the color palette, but was decent on its own. Its animations were minimal. Audio, the computers and Sega CD version were in touch with the arcade, especially on computers. The SNES version was more accurate, but was very quiet and didn't have that oomph that the arcade had at times. On the Genesis, it was more lively and felt more action like. Everything except the Genesis handled sound effects and voices with strong efforts.
The emphasis for Mortal Kombat was on the blood and fatalities. It has the basic moves that most fighters had. You had to fight everyone including yourself, a few endurance matches and then the final bosses. With the SNES port, the controls were a little sluggish, but it wasn't unplayable. It took some time and once you got the hang of it, you could do some damage. Regarding the Genesis, it was a bit smoother despite the limited animations. There wasn't any lag or anything.
If I'm going to put a knock into those two ports, it's the very high difficulty. Even on easy, you will have problems. At least the SNES version allows for infinite continues. Of course, we can't talk about that one without mentioning the censorship. That was dumb on Nintendo's part.
If you're looking for a port of the original, it can go either way. The arcade version itself may still be on PS3 and 360 if you're looking for that. Mortal Kombat has its place in both success and controversy. It wasn't a slouch back then, but may change depending on your tastes in fighting games and the series.
Genesis: 6.5 out of 10 SNES: 6.5 out of 10
All versions followed the same story as the arcade. The seven fighters all have their reasons for being in Shang Tsung's tournament. As far as intros, at least the computer versions retain the stuff the arcade had. Windows 3.1 and the Amiga were very capable of doing a lot more compared to home consoles.
With that in mind, graphics outside of the computer versions had to be toned down. If we're digging into the 16-bit ones, the SNES version was mostly accurate. A little toned, but it was there. Animations were very strong. The Genesis suffered from the color palette, but was decent on its own. Its animations were minimal. Audio, the computers and Sega CD version were in touch with the arcade, especially on computers. The SNES version was more accurate, but was very quiet and didn't have that oomph that the arcade had at times. On the Genesis, it was more lively and felt more action like. Everything except the Genesis handled sound effects and voices with strong efforts.
The emphasis for Mortal Kombat was on the blood and fatalities. It has the basic moves that most fighters had. You had to fight everyone including yourself, a few endurance matches and then the final bosses. With the SNES port, the controls were a little sluggish, but it wasn't unplayable. It took some time and once you got the hang of it, you could do some damage. Regarding the Genesis, it was a bit smoother despite the limited animations. There wasn't any lag or anything.
If I'm going to put a knock into those two ports, it's the very high difficulty. Even on easy, you will have problems. At least the SNES version allows for infinite continues. Of course, we can't talk about that one without mentioning the censorship. That was dumb on Nintendo's part.
If you're looking for a port of the original, it can go either way. The arcade version itself may still be on PS3 and 360 if you're looking for that. Mortal Kombat has its place in both success and controversy. It wasn't a slouch back then, but may change depending on your tastes in fighting games and the series.
Genesis: 6.5 out of 10 SNES: 6.5 out of 10
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Why Emulate?
This is a blog I've been wanting to write, but hearing about the Brazil museum fire that may have destroyed nearly all of its thousands of year old artifacts and relics, as well as a YouTube video about preserving game history, I have a reason to write this particular blog. Back in July, Nintendo sued a couple rom sites and it had a ripple effect on the emulation scene. For a number of people, including myself, emulation may be the only viable option when it comes to certain games. But why?
1. Availability: It's not a surprise that as the Internet has risen, gamers have immersed themselves in not just Nintendo stuff, but a lot of gaming history since at least the 70s. Unfortunately, when sites like EmuParadise close shop, thousands of games are lost. That's not to say they are entirely lost, but losing tons of Arcade games, DOS, and any system between the Atari 2600 and the PSP/DS, it really hurts. We can't always go to an arcade or use an old Windows 95 or XP computer. We can't always find a Sega Saturn or a 3DO out in the open in terms of both systems and games. It's sad that although Nintendo is within their rights, it hurts a lot more than they think just because they want to offer the same NES games for the fifth or sixth time.
2. Prices: Obviously, pirates will do whatever they can to emulate and not buy games. At times, however, we don't have all this money just to buy something like a Panzer Dragoon Saga or the Neo Geo library. At the same time, not everyone is willing to splurge 50 bucks on a used Nintendo game. Similar with availability, your choices may be limited depending on the systems you have and what games that are seen in at used game stores, yard sales. How much they are charging may make your decision easy or hard.
There's probably other reasons other people have, but that's what it boils down to. Unless you keep all your computers and have them well maintained, you have no choice but to use DOSBox. And Steam and GOG are not going to have every title due to copyright limbo, companies that have disappeared or have been bought, or losing a source code. There's a reason why Abandonware is loved. My Abandonware's top downloaded games are Doom II, Wolfenstein 3D, and WarCraft II. Thousands of DOS, Windows, and Mac games are available, but a very small amount can still be found on Steam and GOG.
Consoles suffer, too. Even with something like a Virtual Console, it only accounts for the big name titles or stuff that is owned by companies that have survived. We're talking anywhere from 5 to maybe 15 percent. Could be higher or lower, but overall, a lot of titles don't see the light of day again. Compilations have really helped since 1995-96 to help preserve a lot of arcade and console games, but there's still tons of them that have never gotten a port or anything. Licensed games suffer the worst along with any that have lost source codes. I'll go with the Crash Bandicoot trilogy. Vicarious Visions had to do the remaster from the ground up. People tremendously love Goldeneye on the N64, but it's license keeps it from being re-released.
Rambling aside, emulation is something that is dedicated by gamers. They put the effort in to make sure that a number of these titles can be looked at. From hits like Mario to the unfamiliar games like SkyRoads, it's a painstakingly approach and risk to ensure future generations can enjoy the over 40 plus years of what has been seen since Pong. Emulation will not disappear, and Nintendo's old fart executives in Japan will never understand that despite being within their rights to protect their copyright.
1. Availability: It's not a surprise that as the Internet has risen, gamers have immersed themselves in not just Nintendo stuff, but a lot of gaming history since at least the 70s. Unfortunately, when sites like EmuParadise close shop, thousands of games are lost. That's not to say they are entirely lost, but losing tons of Arcade games, DOS, and any system between the Atari 2600 and the PSP/DS, it really hurts. We can't always go to an arcade or use an old Windows 95 or XP computer. We can't always find a Sega Saturn or a 3DO out in the open in terms of both systems and games. It's sad that although Nintendo is within their rights, it hurts a lot more than they think just because they want to offer the same NES games for the fifth or sixth time.
2. Prices: Obviously, pirates will do whatever they can to emulate and not buy games. At times, however, we don't have all this money just to buy something like a Panzer Dragoon Saga or the Neo Geo library. At the same time, not everyone is willing to splurge 50 bucks on a used Nintendo game. Similar with availability, your choices may be limited depending on the systems you have and what games that are seen in at used game stores, yard sales. How much they are charging may make your decision easy or hard.
There's probably other reasons other people have, but that's what it boils down to. Unless you keep all your computers and have them well maintained, you have no choice but to use DOSBox. And Steam and GOG are not going to have every title due to copyright limbo, companies that have disappeared or have been bought, or losing a source code. There's a reason why Abandonware is loved. My Abandonware's top downloaded games are Doom II, Wolfenstein 3D, and WarCraft II. Thousands of DOS, Windows, and Mac games are available, but a very small amount can still be found on Steam and GOG.
Consoles suffer, too. Even with something like a Virtual Console, it only accounts for the big name titles or stuff that is owned by companies that have survived. We're talking anywhere from 5 to maybe 15 percent. Could be higher or lower, but overall, a lot of titles don't see the light of day again. Compilations have really helped since 1995-96 to help preserve a lot of arcade and console games, but there's still tons of them that have never gotten a port or anything. Licensed games suffer the worst along with any that have lost source codes. I'll go with the Crash Bandicoot trilogy. Vicarious Visions had to do the remaster from the ground up. People tremendously love Goldeneye on the N64, but it's license keeps it from being re-released.
Rambling aside, emulation is something that is dedicated by gamers. They put the effort in to make sure that a number of these titles can be looked at. From hits like Mario to the unfamiliar games like SkyRoads, it's a painstakingly approach and risk to ensure future generations can enjoy the over 40 plus years of what has been seen since Pong. Emulation will not disappear, and Nintendo's old fart executives in Japan will never understand that despite being within their rights to protect their copyright.
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Wii Virtual Console Overview Part II
Let's continue on.
One of the first new systems to come along was the Neo-Geo in 2007. Anybody that knows about it knows how expensive it is to get the hardware and the software. The total costs would be the equivalent of buying a house. Still, there was a steady stream of releases going on until 2013. Just over 50 made it to Virtual Console. It has the Metal Slugs, King of Fighters, and whatever else made it to the system back then. It's got a good majority of the library. I would try to look for compilations immediately before figuring out what games to go after. Either way, you want to save yourself from spending hundreds, if not, thousands, on the system.
A year later came the Sega Master System. Like the Turbo, it's not an easy system to find. Unfortunately, it only has 15 titles. It's arcade ports, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Alex Kidd as it's lineup. This system died on the service in less than two years. Still, I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to get some of these games considering the prices. Anybody looking for Sonic for this 8-bit console knows exactly what I am talking about.
The Arcade selection started in 2009. It only got just over 20 games from four companies altogether. I really don't have much to say on it Like the Neo Geo, I would look at compilations first immediately, and then figure out which ones to target. You don't want to miss out on the arcade versions of ones like Golden Axe, Super Hang On, and Ghosts n Goblins.
Virtual Console did have one other system. That was the Commodore 64, which lived and died in 2009 and got delisted in 2013. So what's my assessment on this? The systems to target are the SNES, Turbografx-16, and Neo-Geo. There are some select titles you should try to get from the Genesis, N64, Master System, and Arcade. Make sure you have enough space to download and maybe get an SD card to store your data and games. Each system is varied in price, so make your choice before buying. Happy hunting, and enjoy the last of the Virtual Console.
One of the first new systems to come along was the Neo-Geo in 2007. Anybody that knows about it knows how expensive it is to get the hardware and the software. The total costs would be the equivalent of buying a house. Still, there was a steady stream of releases going on until 2013. Just over 50 made it to Virtual Console. It has the Metal Slugs, King of Fighters, and whatever else made it to the system back then. It's got a good majority of the library. I would try to look for compilations immediately before figuring out what games to go after. Either way, you want to save yourself from spending hundreds, if not, thousands, on the system.
A year later came the Sega Master System. Like the Turbo, it's not an easy system to find. Unfortunately, it only has 15 titles. It's arcade ports, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Alex Kidd as it's lineup. This system died on the service in less than two years. Still, I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to get some of these games considering the prices. Anybody looking for Sonic for this 8-bit console knows exactly what I am talking about.
The Arcade selection started in 2009. It only got just over 20 games from four companies altogether. I really don't have much to say on it Like the Neo Geo, I would look at compilations first immediately, and then figure out which ones to target. You don't want to miss out on the arcade versions of ones like Golden Axe, Super Hang On, and Ghosts n Goblins.
Virtual Console did have one other system. That was the Commodore 64, which lived and died in 2009 and got delisted in 2013. So what's my assessment on this? The systems to target are the SNES, Turbografx-16, and Neo-Geo. There are some select titles you should try to get from the Genesis, N64, Master System, and Arcade. Make sure you have enough space to download and maybe get an SD card to store your data and games. Each system is varied in price, so make your choice before buying. Happy hunting, and enjoy the last of the Virtual Console.
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Arcades, Part II: Beyond Home
This blog now will be about arcades I went to, whether vacation or other reasons. In the early 2000s, arcades were still a place to go to. A place we stayed at had a handful of games. It had Crusi'n USA, The Simpsons, X-Men, Thunder Blade. There was a police training game. Even one of those NES PlayChoice 10 systems, where I played NES games for the first time since 1994. That was long before getting an actual NES in 2009. We went back there in 2006 and they were gone. A motel had a few arcade games. There was the 1989 Ninja Turtle game and that same police training game.
In the town where we stayed, there was an arcade area, and it was a combination of an arcade and a fair. There was a target shooting game. Skee ball was in this location. I don't really remember much for the actual games, but they did have The Simpsons and some Sega driving games, mostly Daytona USA. A couple towns away was an indoor arcade with an outdoor kart racing area. It had some driving games, a couple shooting games. One example was Silent Scope. We haven't been up in that area in a decade, but it wouldn't surprise me if most of that stuff is gone. Arcades are dead everywhere in the world except maybe in Japan. There are exceptions like that place in Illinois called the Galloping Ghost, but the odds of finding something like that is very slim and will require a lot of gas to go to these places if you're not close to them.
My family has a camp area and that's where they spend their vacation time in the summer there. There is a pool, playground type stuff around the vicinity, a place to fish. You can buy stuff, rent films. One thing they have is a little arcade area. It's changed a lot in the last few years and for the worst. Early on it was some racing, a couple other games and maybe a pinball machine. It had at times throughout the years Frogger, X-Men, Revolution X, Cruis'n USA, Outrunners, Die Hard Arcade, a RUSH racing game, a Tekken game and a couple other Sega racing games. I've seen 1942 and 1943 in recent years, but it's become kind of like the generic stuff you see at a mall or place that gives out tickets. I get they are trying to adapt to different things, but they have done a pretty poor job of taking care of the machines. Unfortunately, it's a sign of the times. People are more interested in playing Bingo and getting drunk.
When you're in school, you'll have a trip somewhere if you are in something like with your band for example. I went on a few of these trips and one of these was an indoor skating rink. It also had mini-golf, a water slide, and arcade games. There wasn't much, but it had The Simpsons and Crazy Taxi along with a maybe a few other racing games. One of the trips a couple years later was to a water park, and they had quite a bit of arcade games around the area. It had a RUSH: Alcatraz Edition game, The Simpsons, and X-Men. They also had Frogger, Thunder Blade, and Altered Beast. They had a decent combo of older and newer arcade games. That was one of the better experiences, especially trying to beat the Frogger high score that was seen on Seinfeld and failing miserably. Another park had some arcade stuff, but all I saw was Daytona USA.
A casino that is about 70-80 miles away from where I am has arcade games, but similar to the baseball park I worked at, it has mostly Raw Thrills games. Games like Terminator, Jurassic Park, and one or two others. At one point, it had Time Crisis 2 or 3, a Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga combo machine. It also had some pinball from time to time such as Indiana Jones. There was also a hotel that had I think a laundry area with one or two arcade games around 2000. It was Clutch Hitter, an arcade baseball game from Sega and I remember playing maybe half an inning or a full inning and not wanting to continue putting quarters in.
Going to Disney World when you're a teenager, you will remember a lot of things at around that age frame than you would at 5 years old around that age frame. They had rides, attractions, little stuff that goes on at certain points of the day and evenings. It really was a nice place when going there in 2009 on vacation. The arcade stuff was all around the place but it was a little different. There was a mix of stuff that related to the park and stuff that you would see at an actual arcade. One game I got a chance to try was the original Space Invaders. I knew about it a little bit from a game parody sequence in Futurama. It's tough as nails, I'll give it that. Other games there included Centipede, Millipede, Star Wars Trilogy from Sega, Crazy Taxi, Tekken 6, and F355 Challenge. Being able to play some of them is an experience that can never be replicated.
Then there's PAX East, which I'll end the blog with this. Going there for two years in 2011 and 2012, it was a nice place. Some of the food was expensive, but overall, a good place. It covered a lot of stuff was gaming, Lots of consoles from Atari up until at the time the original Xbox were in one room. Modern systems were in another. The same is said for PC gaming. Then there is the arcade room. If you grew up in the 80s during the big arcade boom (I didn't. By the time I was 8 years old arcades were on its deathbed and dying very quickly), this would be a major nostalgia overload. They had Dragon's Lair playing on a projector. A lot of Atari games like Food Fight. Some of the Nintendo games like Donkey Kong and Punch-Out!! were represented. A number of Pac-Man franchise machines saw a bit of love. Racing games like Turbo were a lot of fun. They tried to cover all of the big name games and the convention did an excellent job of bringing those titles that were enjoyed by many. It would have been nice if 90s games were represented. Stuff like Turtles in Time, Mortal Kombat, and some other arcade. Still though, they did well.
That's it for arcade experiences. Maybe sometime down the road, I'll talk about the experience of playing older games at PAX and what they have you do. In the mean time, check out the Part I blog of arcades. I hope it brings back memories for some people of their arcade experiences.
http://sullivanentertainment.blogspot.com/2017/03/arcades-part-i-local-places.html
In the town where we stayed, there was an arcade area, and it was a combination of an arcade and a fair. There was a target shooting game. Skee ball was in this location. I don't really remember much for the actual games, but they did have The Simpsons and some Sega driving games, mostly Daytona USA. A couple towns away was an indoor arcade with an outdoor kart racing area. It had some driving games, a couple shooting games. One example was Silent Scope. We haven't been up in that area in a decade, but it wouldn't surprise me if most of that stuff is gone. Arcades are dead everywhere in the world except maybe in Japan. There are exceptions like that place in Illinois called the Galloping Ghost, but the odds of finding something like that is very slim and will require a lot of gas to go to these places if you're not close to them.
My family has a camp area and that's where they spend their vacation time in the summer there. There is a pool, playground type stuff around the vicinity, a place to fish. You can buy stuff, rent films. One thing they have is a little arcade area. It's changed a lot in the last few years and for the worst. Early on it was some racing, a couple other games and maybe a pinball machine. It had at times throughout the years Frogger, X-Men, Revolution X, Cruis'n USA, Outrunners, Die Hard Arcade, a RUSH racing game, a Tekken game and a couple other Sega racing games. I've seen 1942 and 1943 in recent years, but it's become kind of like the generic stuff you see at a mall or place that gives out tickets. I get they are trying to adapt to different things, but they have done a pretty poor job of taking care of the machines. Unfortunately, it's a sign of the times. People are more interested in playing Bingo and getting drunk.
When you're in school, you'll have a trip somewhere if you are in something like with your band for example. I went on a few of these trips and one of these was an indoor skating rink. It also had mini-golf, a water slide, and arcade games. There wasn't much, but it had The Simpsons and Crazy Taxi along with a maybe a few other racing games. One of the trips a couple years later was to a water park, and they had quite a bit of arcade games around the area. It had a RUSH: Alcatraz Edition game, The Simpsons, and X-Men. They also had Frogger, Thunder Blade, and Altered Beast. They had a decent combo of older and newer arcade games. That was one of the better experiences, especially trying to beat the Frogger high score that was seen on Seinfeld and failing miserably. Another park had some arcade stuff, but all I saw was Daytona USA.
A casino that is about 70-80 miles away from where I am has arcade games, but similar to the baseball park I worked at, it has mostly Raw Thrills games. Games like Terminator, Jurassic Park, and one or two others. At one point, it had Time Crisis 2 or 3, a Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga combo machine. It also had some pinball from time to time such as Indiana Jones. There was also a hotel that had I think a laundry area with one or two arcade games around 2000. It was Clutch Hitter, an arcade baseball game from Sega and I remember playing maybe half an inning or a full inning and not wanting to continue putting quarters in.
Going to Disney World when you're a teenager, you will remember a lot of things at around that age frame than you would at 5 years old around that age frame. They had rides, attractions, little stuff that goes on at certain points of the day and evenings. It really was a nice place when going there in 2009 on vacation. The arcade stuff was all around the place but it was a little different. There was a mix of stuff that related to the park and stuff that you would see at an actual arcade. One game I got a chance to try was the original Space Invaders. I knew about it a little bit from a game parody sequence in Futurama. It's tough as nails, I'll give it that. Other games there included Centipede, Millipede, Star Wars Trilogy from Sega, Crazy Taxi, Tekken 6, and F355 Challenge. Being able to play some of them is an experience that can never be replicated.
Then there's PAX East, which I'll end the blog with this. Going there for two years in 2011 and 2012, it was a nice place. Some of the food was expensive, but overall, a good place. It covered a lot of stuff was gaming, Lots of consoles from Atari up until at the time the original Xbox were in one room. Modern systems were in another. The same is said for PC gaming. Then there is the arcade room. If you grew up in the 80s during the big arcade boom (I didn't. By the time I was 8 years old arcades were on its deathbed and dying very quickly), this would be a major nostalgia overload. They had Dragon's Lair playing on a projector. A lot of Atari games like Food Fight. Some of the Nintendo games like Donkey Kong and Punch-Out!! were represented. A number of Pac-Man franchise machines saw a bit of love. Racing games like Turbo were a lot of fun. They tried to cover all of the big name games and the convention did an excellent job of bringing those titles that were enjoyed by many. It would have been nice if 90s games were represented. Stuff like Turtles in Time, Mortal Kombat, and some other arcade. Still though, they did well.
That's it for arcade experiences. Maybe sometime down the road, I'll talk about the experience of playing older games at PAX and what they have you do. In the mean time, check out the Part I blog of arcades. I hope it brings back memories for some people of their arcade experiences.
http://sullivanentertainment.blogspot.com/2017/03/arcades-part-i-local-places.html
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