Saturday, August 17, 2013

MMV



Say what you will about Megaman V, the fact that they KEPT the chargeable buster from IV tells you that these developers knew gold when they hatched it....saw it...prospected it? Anyway, I was playing MMV and realized that this game has probably the worst password system of any of the original MM games. Scrambling around to find a piece of paper so that I can mistakenly write Red A3 when I meant to write Blue A3, thereby forfeiting my 3 hours of gameplay dedicated to DESTROYING Chargeman and his stupid level that lasts forever, is something I want to get over in 2013. 


I got to searching and found a password generator so that if it has been a few years, you want to start where you left off in 96', or you just don't want to shit your pants trying to find a receipt to write passwords on, you are covered.

Super Mario 2, Doki Doki Panic, and how Nintendo probably made the right decision...



So I have been scouring the web for a playable Japanese SMB2, also known as "The Lost Levels" on the later SMB All Stars for SNES. It's been rough. For some ridiculous reason, all of my emulator/playable go-to's load the game and then get stuck in that magical black abyss RIGHT before the game actually begins. I don't want the graphics enhancement, I want the original. The 8-bit, too many gaps in the floor plan, turtles getting glitch stuck in the decor, misplaced "nicer" background looking ORIGINAL.
The good news is, I found a working version. The bad news is, this game still totally blows.


Whoever decided to scrap the Japanese sequel to Super Mario Bros. and completely rip off literally every single thing in "Doki Doki Panic!" deserves free blow jobs for life. I remember playing Lost Levels back in primary school and thinking, "Eh, this is cool because I didn't know about them n' stuff but......*reset*" My childlike innocence had a point. SMB2 (US) Changed the dynamics of Mario for American audiences FOREVER, enhanced what Mario could do to his enemies, and allowed players to experience the game through the eyes of Toad and Princess... Granted it was all 100% stolen intellectual property but it still changed the Mario Motif forever and after revisiting the Japanese version, I am really glad it did.
(Oh and use the Flash portal...)

Friday, August 16, 2013

FriDOOM

[Dark Castle-"Awake in Sleep"]

VICE: Project Doom, one of the best "grave-games" in NES history...




Let's face it: 1991 was a great year for games. Just one look at this Nintendo Power cover and you are taken over with nostalgia. One reason that 91' was such a power house is not only because of the culminating rivalry between SEGA and Nintendo, but because just that previous year Super Nintendo/Famicom was flying off the shelves. Games for NES that came out in this time are what I call "grave games" because 16-bit was taking over and NES was being phased out. A great thing about "grave-games" though, is that they are usually a developers last chance to show off a major success or completely bomb.


VICE: Project Doom is a multidimensional, action packed, NES success which rivals early SEGA in its complexity and graphic design. The developers wanted their players to know that NES could still stand against the coming wave of consoles and made games like VPD to be their flag bearers. Like a mixture of Contra, Castlevania, and Journey to Silius, VICE: Project Doom is an action packed adventure platformer featuring smoother controls for attacks plus attempted game-style crossovers that just rule. The game features driving levels and 1st person shooting levels in addition to it's constant run-n'-gun style play. Movement and strikes are unprecedentedly smooth and the game features 3 types of weapons for which players collect ammo throughout each level. Use your sword as a constant to hack through mutants and armed guards, then blast a few bosses with your pistol and/or sticks of dynamite. It's a multilayered kind of fun. 
Another super improvement to previous games like VPD is the health bar! That's right, no more dying from one fucking hit, Contra fans. It takes about 7-8 smacks, bullets, punches, or ninja daggers to kill P1 in VPD and the continues are endless. REJOICE! In between each level, quirky cinematics lock you in for the ride and it becomes clear that developers spent a lot of time making this gem of a game. I seriously could not stop playing, even after dying many times in the stupidest of ways. That's a good sign.

  

Really, the only gripe I had with VPD was that I couldn't save at any point. I left my ROM running for about 3 days just to beat the damn thing. A game this big and bold needed at LEAST a password system, but alas it does not. Below is a playable link and the entire spread from Nintendo Power circa 91'. Wicked Basement, right? Enjoy!











Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Monday, August 12, 2013

Miami had ONE good thing going for it... Slashpine.


Miami, Florida. Home to moronic fads like YOLO, the Corona sunken Margarita, and the tow truck reality show. Yes, it is the south's version of Vegas which they keep under the old rickety, bug infested, mold covered staircase called Florida. HOWEVER... From out of the dank, venom-soaked swamp, a band emerged that blew the roof off of any venue they played. Slashpine was an American BM diamond in the rough which kept music nights alive when I (unfortunately) lived in Florida. They were a band that left people with their jaws on the floor and put up a well needed "wall of sound" in a city with nothing but House. Enjoy their 7" and then graduate to some of the new stuff. Unfortunately, they are no longer a band.

Edward Snowden and mock retro gaming...


So I found this little gem while reading about Ed Snowden and although it is not true 8/16bit, I feel like I should post it. It's a cool game, with a funny premise and a chance to get involved at the end. The controls are really simple (WASD+space+mouse aiming) and the German team (Binji), who created the game, made it as an honor to Snowden who they think just rules. I think so too, so enjoy "Eddy's Run" for what it is: A quick, flash game in the stylings of what the Basement likes most...

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Mouth of the Architect

["Baobab"-Mouth of the Architect]
[From "The Ties That Bind"- Full album here]