On a console crawling with cutesy platformers, Little Samson
is... another cutesy platformer. But so what? It’s unique in that it’s done
almost as well as a first party Nintendo game. You don’t just control one
character, or two or three, you control a whopping four characters. From a tree
climbing human boy, to a fire breathing dragon, to a stone golem, to finally a
small but plucky mouse, Little Samson is packed with variety. Since it was
released in the twilight years of the NES’ lifespan, the graphics are also top
rate for an 8 bit game. It’s also quite the sight to see a mouse take on a
giant green Cyclops in a boss fight.
Oddworld has always been… well, odd. The previous three
games in the series had been platformers, while Stranger’s Wrath decided to dip
its toes in the waters of shooters. While it’s accurate to say that Stranger’s
is indeed an fps, it’s decidedly not a mindless Call of Duty carnival sideshow
where you just whack the baddies. Stranger’s Wrath is very artistic in its
mayhem, where the settings are as alien as a town filled with talking chickens
and your ammo is literally live animals. Stranger’s Wrath also features a
pretty cool main character (The Stranger), whose past is shrouded in mystery.
The defining game on the criminally underrated Sega CD.
Sonic CD is quite unlike its Genesis counterparts. In addition to a funky CD
soundtrack and some cool “Mode 7” style 3d graphics, Sonic CD features levels
that actually encourage you to explore. While you still play as Sonic, and
still run as fast as you can to the goalpost, the game no longer tries to force
you along. There are three time zones that will have you going to the past,
present, and future. In each of these time zones, the levels are different, and
you’ll want to explore each era to see how the levels change. Sonic CD does
lose a few points for introducing Sonic’s annoying love interest, Amy, to the
series.
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary is a trekkie’s dream come true.
You’ll find yourself shooting photon torpedoes at Klingons in hair-raising
space dogfights, to going on away missions to solve various mysteries. The game
is broken up into seven different “episodes” and is actually described as a lost
season of the tv show. The cherry on top of the sundae is that the entire
original cast does extensive voiceover work. 25th Anniversary was created to
honor Gene Roddenberry who had passed just a year before the game was made, and
it’s a fitting tribute. The adventuring spirit of Star Trek is captured here,
and at the end of the game, William Shatner gives a short but heartfelt speech
honoring his friend.
Here’s a forgotten gem. Imagine Bubble Bobble but only
better… and with snow. Well, that’s Snow Bros. in a nutshell. Your goal is to
roll up monsters in big snowballs, then launch them away so they crash. It’s
simply superior to Bubble Bobble because of the combo system. You see, you can
time your snowballs so that they hit multiple enemies; this makes the game more
interesting. Snow Bros. is also a blast with two players. I remember playing this game in elementary school with my best friend and how we could never get past the twin eagle boss.
SNK sure knew how to make arcade hits. Sadly, the Sengoku
series never hit the mainstream like Samurai Shodown, Metal Slug, and other Neo
Geo favorites. Honestly though, until this third installment, Sengoku was
merely average. With the third iteration, however, it became something special.
Unlike many beat-em-ups where you just mindlessly punch, kick, and repeat,
Sengoku 3 allows you to combo your moves. It’s not Marvel vs. Capcom or
anything, but it’s a nice touch and makes you feel like one badass ninja. The
spritework of the game deserves praise as well. It’s like they took Garou: Mark
of the Wolves, and just made the screen explode with action. It should also be
noted that one of the main characters looks like Strider Hiryu, which is
awesome.
4. MUSHA (Genesis)
I don’t much like spaceship shooters, but MUSHA is an
exception. Considering this game was released in 1990, a full year before the
Super Nintendo, I’d say it’s quite an accomplishment. The graphics are
gorgeous for their time, and there’s some great use of parallax scrolling and
illusory depth. I also love the game’s futuristic take on feudalistic Japanese
architecture. While many shooters share a similar concept with MUSHA, it’s the
smooth as butter controls that make it stand out. You can dodge enemy fire with
the agility of a tiger… with lasers. There’s also a lot of customization for a
game like this. You can choose one of three energy weapons to power up, as well
as collect “P-chips” to surround your ship with helper robots. MUSHA also has
some rockin music that goes above and beyond traditional Genesis fart sounds.
3. Body Harvest (N64)
Yes, the graphics in this game look like mud. Yet Body
Harvest is one of the most ambitious games ever produced, and it paved the way for
the Grand Theft Auto series. In Body Harvest your goal is to time travel to
different places on Earth, and stop an alien invasion from ever taking place.
So, you just kill aliens, right? Yes and no. You do, but you traverse the
landscape anyway you want in order to do it. Not many N64 games have you
blowing up stuff in a tank, to then hopping out and exploring the wreckage on
foot. Body Harvest also has some light adventure aspects, as it allows you to enter buildings and talk to folks.
2. Ristar (Genesis)
It’s hard to believe that a game made by Sega in their
heyday is not more well-known. Unlike most Sega games, Ristar doesn’t have a
lot of attitude. In fact, he’s more like Mario than Sonic. The game consists of
the titular Ristar using his stretchy arms to explore new areas and grabbing
bad guys to give em a quick headbutt. Ristar really is a delightful game. You’ll
explore new planets, each one completely different. These consist of a world
covered in ice (if you stay still, Ristar will make a snowman), to one built entirely
around musical instruments. As a quick mention to the graphics, Sega did the
impossible: Ristar seemingly breaks the console’s 64 color limit. Now where's Ristar 2?
1. Shin Megami Tensei II (SNES)
Now we’re really getting obscure. Only released in Japan,
but now available through English rom translations, Shin Megami Tensei II is
the most controversial game I’ve ever played. The majority of the gameplay is
similar to the old Wizardry DOS games in that it features a first person
perspective in dungeons. Suffice to say, there’s not much to see in this mode, and it’s
definitely not why I like this game. It’s the story. The plot of the game
basically depicts you, Aleph, trying to kill God. Picking a fight with God
might sound like a bad idea, but in this game, he’s evil as hell. I love the
game for having the courage to show that not all interpretations of God are
equal. Some are disgusting. SMT 2 could be shown as a critique of
fundamentalism and hard-line Calvinism in particular. Good thing I believe in
a loving God.
No comments:
Post a Comment