6/29/06
I better get in one more post before the month ends, huh?
First things first... you may notice something missing from the main page. I've removed the daily reviews, because what had originally been "daily" quickly turned into "weekly," then "monthly," then "bleh, I don't feel like it." I've given thought to replacing it with a Wiki; a more dynamic page that could be updated by not only myself, but the readers of the site. However, judging from how the forum turned out (population: three crickets), I doubt that either my reader base or myself have what it takes to keep it updated on a regular basis.
All right, what else? I picked up an Intellivision game system with sixteen boxed games last weekend. It took a little fixin' to get it in full working condition, but after popping open one of the controllers and cleaning up the plastic membrane under the keyboard, it's working as well as it did the moment it was taken out of the box. Granted, since this is an Intellivision, that may not be saying much. Nevertheless, I'll finally have the chance to play my all-time favorite conversion of Burgertime, a game so incredible that it actually blows away its NES counterpart. And after a little more garage sailing, I'll be able to plug in the voice synthesizer and take to the skies, bombing German factories while a co-pilot plucked from Mayberry RFD applauds me for my efforts.
Ah, nostalgia. You truly are the wonder drug that does wonders!
6/26/06
The Lite, the Lite, the Liiiite! Oh, ohhh! We're gonna make it right, more light and bright tonight! Oh, ohhh!
Got some money in my pocket... spent it on DS, even though I
'ready got it! It'll be number twoooooo!
So please, don't make no more! I already feel, like a Nintendo
whore! What am I gonna doooooo?
As you can tell from the mangled Genesis lyrics above, I'm the owner of a Nintendo DS Lite. I actually bought the system a couple of days after the launch, but chose not to mention it until now. Really, what's there to discuss? It's a glossy redesign of Japan's favorite handheld game system, looking almost enough like an iPod to forgive those dumb rumors about Nintendo's impending acquisition by Apple. It doesn't play any games that the original DS couldn't... it just does the job better, with a brighter screen (we're talking supernova here) and a directional pad that's no longer flush with the system.
It's important to note that the system isn't entirely improved over the original. The contoured design and less slick plastic of the DS Phat made it easier to hold, and Game Boy Advance cartridges didn't jut out of the bottom of the system like they do in the new DS. Also, the DS Lite's buttons feel cheap. They're responsive enough while playing games, but they shift around like they could fall out if you turned the system upsidedown and shook it for a couple of seconds.
Despite its minor shortcomings, I've decided to stick with the DS Lite, and gave the old system and a copy of Brain Age to my parents. It was a real thrill to watch the two of them get hooked on this game. It's not all that surprising that my mother would enjoy it... she's never objected to playing one of Konami's more whimsical arcade oldies, like Frogger or Circus Charlie. However, I thought my seventy year old stepfather would be more resistant to Brain Age's charm. I've never seen him so much as pick up a joystick in the twenty plus years I've known him, but he really seems to dig the game's mental exercises. I guess Nintendo had the right idea about making their products more appealing to older customers... if my own experience with my parents is any indication, their plan is working!
All right, enough about that. You've probably come to the Blitz looking for new site content, and today, we actually have some. Systematix is the next feature on the site to be given an overhaul. Not only has the layout been made more colorful and dynamic, but the article has been split into three seperate pieces. The oldest system reviews (some dating back to 1996, when the site first debuted!) have been put in a special legacy section. The 2003 update, which introduced the system cross-referencing Jessboard, has been moved to its own page, while the latest installment of Systematix will be the one readers will be directed to when they click the Systems button on the top of the page.
I've added a chapter to Systematix, by the way. This time, the Blitz is stuck in the middle with those game systems that were neither good nor bad enough to really leave an impact on the industry. Everything from the Xbox 360 to the Atari Jaguar are covered in this update, ensuring that there's something for everybody who plays video games.
6/18/06
Advance Theory's the next page on the Blitz to get a makeover. Just like Saikyo Crusher, you'll find links to related pages and outside sites nestled in the sidebar. It's one-stop shopping convenience for all your web surfing needs!
Also, my latest article for 1UP.com went live late last week. I swear, I always seem to be the last to know... Anyway, if you want to check it out, just click this link! Both classic video game fans and newcomers to the scene should get a kick out of this one, as it covers the best play mechanics from the past thirty years of gaming.
So, about those brief game reviews I promised earlier...
THE ELDER SCROLLS IV: OBLIVION: There are, at last count, about fifty games available for the Xbox 360. However, there's only one you've got to have, and this is it. Oblivion is the first game that really makes me proud to own Microsoft's latest system, and one of the only role-playing adventures that hands full control over to the player. Once you've finished the tutorial, your next quest is entirely up to you. Heck, you don't even need to start a quest if you don't feel like it! You can just take a lengthy trip around the kingdom, admiring the lush scenery while hacking up any wolves and bandits foolish enough to cross your path. It's the first sandbox game with a purpose... even when you're just fooling around, you're strengthening your character's abilities and making him (or her, your choice!) better prepared for later challenges. Oblivion could use work in a couple of areas... the frame rate chokes and sputters in more intense moments, the fighting could offer more variety, and half the male cast sounds like Optimus Prime. That's pretty much it for the complaints, though. With over a hundred hours of gameplay packed onto the disc, even the dizzyingly high sixty dollar price tag is easy to justify.
GRADIUS COLLECTION: Gamers who've been in the hobby for a while have come to expect a trade-off from collections like this one. Either you get a whole bunch of badly antiquated 8-bit games (Namco Museum, Taito Legends), or a small handful of titles that aren't nearly as far behind the curve (Midway Arcade Treasures 3, Sonic Gems). With only five games, Gradius Collection falls into the latter category. However, some of these titles were released so recently that it almost seems like an insult to call them "classics." Gradius IV in particular was one of the Playstation 2's launch titles at the turn of the century, and Gradius Gaiden isn't too far behind, hitting Japanese store shelves in 1998. Gradius Gaiden is the very best of the bunch... with its dazzling 32-bit special effects and tight gameplay that upholds the Gradius standard of excellence, it's one of the best side-scrolling shoot 'em ups ever made. Whatever you choose, you're sure to get a lot more alien-blasting excitement than you would in a prehistoric Namco Museum shooter like Baraduke or Sky Kid. And oh, did I mention the save states? You can save your progress any time you like in any of these five viciously difficult games... a feature which is sure to save at least one player the two hundred dollars they would have otherwise lost by launching their PSP at the nearest wall.
SOUL CALIBUR III: Soul's in control! Soul's on a roll! Soul's gonna win the equivalent of the Super Bowl! Er, uh, sorry. Soul Calibur has returned, bringing its lethal elegance back to the Playstation 2 for another round of weapon-based fighting action. The first thing you'll ask yourself when you pop in the disc is this... "Hey, where the heck is the GameCube version?" Once you've accepted the loss of Link (perhaps cushioning the blow by reminding yourself that all of Todd MacFarlane's characters hit the nearest exit along with him), the next thing that'll spill out of your mouth is an expletive, followed by "Why is everything so fast now?" Finally, you'll be left at a loss for words when you discover that the arcade mode lets you choose your own path through the game (good), but throws in Dragon's Lair-style cinemas that punish you for not pressing the right button at the right time (bad). Little else in Soul Calibur III will be a surprise... the game looks even better than past incarnations on the GameCube and Dreamcast, and there's even more fun stuff to unlock (for both the established cast of characters as well as heroes you've created yourself).
6/15/06
Not only has the Dan Hibiki page been updated, it's been completely revamped! It now more closely resembles the index page, with the same white and blue color scheme. I've also added quick links in the side bar, so readers can visit related pages on this site. This design will likely find its way to other unfurnished sections of the Blitz, so if you haven't already gotten used to the look, you'd better start now!
And now, since I can't think of anything else to talk about, here are the games I've been playing lately!
NEW SUPER MARIO BROS.: There's not much new here, but boy, is it super! New Super Mario Bros. takes most of its inspiration from the very first game in the series, with linear level designs and a small handful of largely unexciting power-ups. However, there are bits and pieces taken from other Super Mario Bros. games, and there's even a little Metroid action in spots. If you hope to discover new areas, you'll need to hold onto special power-ups that let you slip through cracks and break through otherwise impenetrable barricades. The graphics aren't as warm and friendly as Super Princess Peach's candy-coated visuals, but with tons of stages (many hidden) and a higher challenge level, you get a lot more game for your money.
JAK X: COMBAT RACING: Forget that car combat game on the Xbox 360! Jak X offers twice the excitement for nearly half the price, and all on the humble Playstation 2 hardware. What makes this more fun than Full Auto, despite an obnoxious cast of characters? Well, there are more options available to the player... unlike Full Auto, each mode is distinct, ranging from circuit races in the vein of Super Mario Kart to all-out war on open battlefields. Even the normally annoying time trial races are fun, thanks to freezers strewn throughout the track that briefly stop time, taking the pressure off the player for a couple of seconds. The music's intense, and the graphics are dazzling, which lots of screen-filling explosions and a style that manages to be cartoony, futuristic, and threatening all at once.
STREET FIGHTER ALPHA ANTHOLOGY: You've gotta love the idea... five outstanding Street Fighter games, including Capcom's daring experiment in satire Pocket Fighter, rolled together in one collection. It's a recipe that's made even more tempting by the complete lack of post-match load times and the chance to mix and match characters from all the Alpha games. However, it doesn't come together as well as you'd expect. The graphics have been resized, resulting in an odd shimmering effect whenever the background scrolls, and the control lacks that exact precision that players enjoyed in the Saturn games. Yes, even with Sega's replica Saturn pad, you'll find that attacks just don't flow the way you remember. And oh, don't get too excited about the Hyper Street Fighter Alpha mode. Although there's an option to arm your characters with some enhanced moves from the Marvel vs. Capcom series, you won't get them all. It's worth the thirty dollars, but Street Fighter Alpha Anthology won't make your Sega Saturn obsolete.
Stay tuned for brief summaries of even more games, including Soul Calibur III and that role-playing masterpiece, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion!
6/12/06
The Gizmondo article! She is finished, and she is magnifique, no?
So what else have I been up to these past few
days? Catching up on my nostalgia, mostly. I ordered a couple of
books from Alibris.com and received the first one, Ken Uston's Guide To Home
Computers, on Saturday. I loved Ken Uston's video game books when I was
growing up, and it was a lot of fun reading Ken's predictions for the future of
technology, which would eventually become my present.
Some of the predictions that the late Mr. Uston made in the book are pretty safe calls, like this one:
...the home computer field is so uniquely dynamic that I'm willing to bet (and give steep odds) that three things will happen:
1. The hardware and software will get better-- BEYOND
BELIEF.
2. The hardware and software will get cheaper-- BEYOND
BELIEF.
3. We'll be able to do things electronically that we primitive
beings cannot even begin to fathom.
As I sit back in my chair, updating a fully illustrated web site, listening to music streamed from an internet radio station, and peering over at a game system capable of Jurassic Park-quality computer rendering, I'd have to say that Ken's forecast is right on target. Not only are computers capable of feats that few could have imagined in 1982, but they're far cheaper. A budget model Dell can be had for the same price as a Commodore 64 nearly twenty five years ago, and even with a Celeron processor, it's well over a thousand times more powerful.
One part of Ken's prediction was a bit off, though. If anything, software prices (especially game prices) have only risen since the embryonic days of home computing. The games that were set in stone at forty dollars by Atari president Nolan Bushnell have since jumped to sixty with the debut of the Xbox 360, plus a monthly fee for online services.
Ten years ago, cartridge games for the Super NES, Genesis, and Nintendo 64 actually rose above that amount, tipping the scales at a hundred dollars each for Phantasy Star IV and Virtua Racing! I won't even bring Neo-Geo games into the equation. It's only thanks to the compact disc and its descendants that those costs have been kept down to a reasonable amount.
There was one other, purely unintentional prophecy bured in the middle of the book. Ken made an analogy while explaining software piracy to his readers; a purely theoretical idea that almost borders on clairvoyance. It went a little something like this:
Just imagine if people could make copies of phonograph records [LPs] on some kind of copying device for a dollar. That's the kind of problem present here.
What sort of dark magic could extract the music from albums, then trap it inside a mystical artifact that you could fit in the palm of your hand? And where could you possibly find a service that lets you put songs on this unearthly creation for a dollar each? Where I ask you, where?
All kidding aside, I wish Ken Uston would have survived long enough to have seen his predictions come true. The man was truly ahead of the curve, and had he been around through the 1990's, he could have been a major contributor to the technological revolution, throwing his weight behind industry giants like Apple and Microsoft. Sadly, the professional blackjack player's last gamble was a fatal one... Ken died of a drug-induced heart attack in 1987, shortly after the video game industry got its second wind and the concept of the graphic user interface had begun to take root on computers.
Ken ends the book by saying, "It's going to be exciting just to sit back and watch what happens!!" It really has been, Mr. Uston. It really has been.
6/8/06
Several things I've learned during the brief time I've owned my Xbox 360...
6/5/06
And now, an important public service announcement from The Gameroom Blitz (if you're looking for video game news, you'll find it at the top and bottom of the page):
http://www.boiseweekly.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A162372
Gird your loins folks, because the fight over net neutrality (the right to visit any web site at the top speed of your internet connection) is going to get ugly this week. The telcoms and cable companies are pushing through a bill that's going to hobble your internet connection, slowing down or even blocking any site that doesn't give the ISPs a boatload of money.
If you care about what YOU can do with YOUR internet, fight with every ounce of energy against the COPE bill! Call your congressman and demand that net neutrality be preserved, no matter what! Your freedom and the principles upon which the Internet was founded are at stake!
You'll find more information on net neutrality and how to protect it here:
http://www.savetheinternet.com/
