2/27/04

The ColecoVision collector's guide, she has been updated!  (arrogant French laughter follows)  I've added Opcode's recent conversion of the MSX computer game Sky Jaguar to the list.  If you're a fan of classic game systems, you really ought to pick this one up... there were never any good Xevious clones on the ColecoVision, and Sky Jaguar nicely fills that void.

2/25/04

Hey, do you remember that one site... you know, The Gameroom something or other?  Whatever happened to that, anyway?

2/18/04

Tony Bueno's back with another game review.  This time, he breaks out the pepper and jumps into the world of Super Burgertime.  Is it really as super as the title suggests?  Click here and find out.

Someone recently asked me if I was serious when I asked for donations earlier this month.  In case anyone else was wondering, yes, I'm quite serious about it.  I'm also quite broke, so if you guys want to see more coverage for modern game systems like the Playstation 2, you'll need to send in donations.

2/16/04

I'm still pluggin' away at the Saturn section of the site.  This time, I've reviewed Rabbit, a Japanese fighting game that was all but ignored by players preoccupied with X-Men vs. Street Fighter.  I've given Rabbit a slightly higher rating than I did when it was the site's featured game, because it does have some positive qualities, even if it's well below the standards of the best tournament fighters the Saturn has to offer.

Getting past that, is anyone else a little miffed at Tech TV for their biased reporting?  I find myself grinding my teeth whenever the smarmy numbskulls on X-Play review Game Boy Advance games.  They always seem to pick the worst games for the system, and their comments are always dripping with smug condescencion, as if they're too good to review games for a lowly handheld system.  I swear, if I hear Morgan Webb-b-b-b refer to another Game Boy Advance title as "cute", I'm going to shove her beloved Playstation 2 up her ass.  Sideways.  With the drive door open.  And everything still attached.  Including the widescreen television.

2/12/04

Just a friendly reminder... we're running on a tight budget here at JessCREATIONS* Studios, and we could really use some outside income to keep the site going.  If you enjoy the hundreds of reviews on The Gameroom Blitz (I've counted... there are nearly three hundred reviews on this site!), you ought to show your appreciation by pledging a donation to this E-mail address.  I assure you that it's money well spent.

Speaking of money, there's talk that The Disney Corporation will be purchased by cable television provider Comcast.  Frankly, I didn't think there was enough money in the world to buy a company as large as Disney, but it seems that Comcast is determined to prove me wrong.  Guess all those cable rate hikes really came in handy for them...

Moving on from Mickey to another famous mouse, Tony Bueno has supplied us with a review of Hopping Mappy.  It's comforting to know the little runt's still out there keeping the peace and protecting the public from, uh, tiny pink kittens.

2/9/04

I'm feeling just a little less crabby and moody than usual, so I'll take advantage of my unusually cheerful mood and let you know about a great series of games you might have missed.  Remember Bonanza Bros. for the Genesis?  It was a goofy action title similar to Keystone Kapers, and full of wacky cartoon antics.  That game went largely unnoticed in the United States, but it DID inspire a great Japanese series called Puzzle and Action.  As the title suggests, the games in the Puzzle and Action series are full of fast-paced challenges that test both your mind and reflexes.  If this reminds you of Wario Ware, you're not too far off the mark.

Anyway, there are a handful of games in the series, and they're all available for Sega game systems.  Tanto-R is the first, released for both the Japanese Genesis and Game Gear.  Ichidant-R is the sequel, with new challenges.  Finally, Sando-R is the Saturn extension of the series, with polygonal graphics and a fantastic selection of fun and intuitive mini-games.  They're so easy to pick up and play that you won't mind they're all in Japanese.

You can play all three of these games with MAME, and some of them even have variations in English.  If you liked Wario Ware or Namco's Point Blank series, you owe it to yourself to give Puzzle and Action a spin.

2/8/04

I've got a suggestion for everyone who's complained that The Gameroom Blitz is too negative... suck on this for a while!

I'm sorry... that was a little surly, wasn't it?  Well, I've got good news, and it has nothing to do with cheap car insurance.  Everyone who contributes articles to The Gameroom Blitz this month will be granted access to the site's Full Spectrum content.  What the heck, it's the least I can do for my writers.  Just E-mail me and I'll send the password your way.

Also, I've made some minor updates to the profiles page.  Russ Beleski now has his own portrait... you can check it out here if you don't feel like wading through the profiles to find it.  If anyone else on the staff doesn't have their own portrait, send me your picture and I'll take care of it.

2/6/04

It's going to be a simple kind of update today.  I spent so much time redesigning the navigation bar that I don't have much time for anything else! 

2/4/04

Now I've seen it all.  Someone's whipped up a side-scrolling fighting game in the vein of Final Fight and Guardian Heroes, using sprites from the King of Fighters series.  And if that's not enough, they've ported it to a variety of systems, including the Playstation 2, X-Box, and of course the Dreamcast.

It's called Beats of Rage, and I must admit that I'm really impressed with the Dreamcast version I downloaded.  A lot of people have complained that it's repetitive, and, well, it is, but it also happens to be 99 times better than the other homebrew Dreamcast games I've tried.  The sprites are huge and beautifully animated, and the gameplay goes down smoother than a light, refreshing wine cooler.  It could use more moves- try to vault over an opponent in your grasp and you'll only knock him away with a lame backhand- and roughing up dozens of clones of Ralf and Shermie to the tune of Streets of Rage themes is to say the least surreal.  Nevertheless, the designers have done a fantastic job with the game, and I look forward to the updates that are planned in the future.

You can get your own copy of Beats of Rage from this address.

2/3/04