Category Archives: Video Games
The Atari 2600 – classic
Were the graphics good? No. Was the sound good? No. Were the controllers accurate? No. The Atari 2600 however, changed home video-gaming forever. I never did own one. A few of my friends did and I can recall some cool video game memories playing this system. The games were simple and didn’t offer much. Yet, many of them have stood the test of time. Without the Atari, we may have never had the Sega or the more famous, NES. The Atari came first and paved the wave for home video gaming.
Donkey Kong – What a classic game. In later years, Donkey Kong would go on to star in more famous NES and Super NES games such as “Donkey Kong Country”. The game was primitive but brought such endless fun.
Mario Brothers – Before the “Super Mario” games of the NES, Mario Brothers was a classic on the Atari 2600. No power-ups or super powers. Simple basic controls which brought gamers hours and hours of endless fun.
Space Invaders – Look at it. Colors suck. The sound effects suck. This was my favorite game at age five. Even today, this is one of the best video games ever made.
Cinemassacre – great website
Cinemassacre is a cool website ran by James Rolfe. I am a big fan and I look over this site weekly. Rolfe may be best known for being the Angry Video Game Nerd (AVGN). He has tons of popular videos on YouTube. Below is what you can find on Cinemassacre. I will be adding this site to our links list.
Angry Video Game Nerd – He currently has 108 videos under this section. Here Rolfe plays video games, mainly the worst ones of all-time. He cusses, yells and drinks heavily while playing them. Check out the full theme song here.
Board James – Here Rolfe and his friend Mike Matei reviews board games. Sounds stupid but you will find yourself laughing out loud when you see these.
Movie Reviews – Just like what it says. Rolfe and Matei review movies, sometimes shitty ones and normally movies they like. Watching this really makes me feel like a kid again at times. Love the “Back to the Future reviews.
There’s much more to the website than I named above. Just check it out for yourself.
Retro Video Gaming 101 – Super Mario Brothers
Before Super Mario was Super Mario, he was just Mario. Before that he was known as “Jumpman” from the Donkey Kong game. Jumpman was a guest character that was hardly known to mainstream society. Jumpman then became Mario who had his own game known as “Mario Brothers.” This made Mario a popular character among video gamers. He was still over shadowed by other video games such as Pac-Man, Space Invaders and Donkey Kong.
Then in 1985, something took place. The NES created “Super Mario Brothers,” a game that changed everything. Mario went from video game star to video game legend. Super Mario Brothers changed everything. The hero of the video game genre was no longer just a hero or mere mortal. They had the abilities to find power-ups that made them “super”. When Mario found a Mushroom, he was no longer Mario. He was Super Mario. When he found a flower, he was Super Mario the fireball thrower. When Mario found a star he was immortal for 10 or so seconds.
By today’s standards, Super Mario Brothers doesn’t look like much. When I was a kid however, this game was the best of the best. Later toward the end of the NES lifetime, this game still held its own as a great game. Today, Super Mario Brothers is viewed as ground breaking and influential. It was the beginning of what transformed Mario into a household name. This game made Mario the “Elvis” of the video game industry. To date, Mario has sold over 210 million copies worth of games, more than anyone else in history. It all started with Super Mario Brothers.
Graphics – 4.0
The game had great graphics for 1985. I just dislike the lack of color. When compared to Super Mario Brothers II and III, this game falls short. Both those games have way more color. The enemies also have more detail. On the positive side, the graphics are done well enough where you at least know what you are looking at. A turtle looks like a turtle, fire looks like fire and a water looks like water. Many early games can’t make this claim.
Sound/Music – 5.0
The sound effects were simple. Let’s be honest. We all know them. We know the sound of Mario jumping, we know the sound he makes when he dies and we know the sound he makes when he shoots fire. The same goes for the music. We know the over-world music, we know the underground music and we know the dungeon music. This game has some of the most classic sound effects and music in video game history.
Controls – 4.0
The game had the right idea. Super Mario Brothers just fell a little bit short. It did lead the way for the much better controls of Super Mario Brothers II and III. My main issue is making long jumps. They seem to only be accurate 75% of the time.
Fun Factor – 4.8
I can’t rate the game as perfect. It’s damn close though. The game had 8 levels, all with several stages to beat. You have above ground levels, underground levels and water levels besides the dungeon levels. The game had dozens of cool enemies that are still well known today. What video gamer doesn’t know what a “Koopa Troopa” is?
Replay Value – 4.8
The game never gets old. You get good at it, you beat it. Then what? You start beating the game to see what high score you can get or how few times you can die while beating the game. You can beat the game using warps or not using them. My favorite thing to do is to see how quickly I can beat the game.
Total score – 22.6 out of 25 (90.4%)
Man of the year Candidate #10
James Rolfe is simply a living legend. He takes us all to the past. Normally a shitty past, but hey, it’s still cool.
Retro Gaming 101 – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II The Arcade Game
Graphics – 4.5
The graphics were sharp for 8-bit. The Ninja Turtles look like they should as do the foot soldiers and most bosses. A few look shitty, such as Krang. Even the weapons look realistic. I mean, a knife looks like a knife. This sequel had way better graphics than the original NES game did. Very close to the arcade’s graphics also.
Sound/Music – 4.5
Each stage had a different soundtrack. You can even hear the Ninja Turtles’ theme during some stages. I only wish there were more voices in the game. Each boss makes the same grunt sound once he dies.
Controls – 5.0
The controls are simple but they work perfect for this game. Attacking is A while jumping is B. Hit and A and B together for a “special move”. It’s also easy to guide your turtle during jumping attacks. No attacks seem delayed at all which makes for a perfect fighting game.
Fun Factor – 4.5
The game has seven levels, all with bosses to fight. Some levels even have mini-bosses besides the final boss, adding an extra challenge to the level. I only wish there were more types of “normal” bad guys. It seems you keep fighting the same five or six types of foot soldiers over and over.
Replay Value – 4.8
The game has a high replay factor because you can beat it in either the one player or two player mode. One player is obviously harder. You can also play with all four turtles making each game a little different. As a kid, I could beat this game without the ten live cheat. If you want a real challenge, try beating this game on one player without the ten live code.
Total score – 23.3 out of 25 (93.2%)
I recently took up retro video game playing. The first game I picked up was “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II The Arcade Game”. This was probably one of my top ten favorite video games as a kid. I did use the “ten lives cheat” while playing. I beat the game on my first try. Man, what memories this game brought back.
For an NES game, nothing negative can be said about this game. The game combines great graphics along with a decent soundtrack of music. The play control is simple but easy to use. Each boss has different attacks and patterns. This makes each boss a different challenge. With seven levels, the game isn’t one you beat within 15 minutes, nor is it a game that takes weeks to master.
For any young retro gamer out there, I highly recommend this game. It was one of the best NES side scrolling fighting games out there.
Ugly girl of the week #40
My Favorite Video Game Systems of All-Time
Please feel free to share yours. I know no two people agree. These are my personal favorites.
5. Play Station 2 (PS2)
The PS2 took what the PS1 did and made it better. It also paved way for the PS3, which in my opinion, is the best system currently on the market. The PS2 also could play CD’s and DVD’s which made it even more kick ass!
4. Sega Master System
Most Americans do not recall this system. It was more advanced than the NES. The music, graphics and controls were normally better than the NES. Sadly, due to the lack of 3rd party game-makers, the Sega was a complete fluke in the USA. It was very popular in South America and Western Europe.
3. Sega Genesis
I never did own one. But I sure played the hell out of them. Sega always made better sports games than the NES in my opinion. I believe the Sega Genesis changed the way systems took pride in making sports games. The influence of the Genesis can still be seen today.
2. NES
I debated over and over if I should rank this number 1 or 2. I finally chose number 2. The NES changed gaming for ever. The NES created countless great games and countless video game legends such as Mario, Link and Little Mac (from Punch-Out) to name a few. What bad can you say about this system? The NES should be on everybodys top 5 list.
1. The Super NES
The Super NES took everything the NES did right and made it better. It took PC games and brought them to your video game system with better graphics, game play and music. The Super NES made great Role Playing Games, great Sports Games, great Action Games and great racing games. One hell of a system.
Forgotten Video Games of the Past
Choplifter
How many of you kids can recall this arcade classic?
Rygar
Rygar came out at a bad time. With Mario, Zelda and Metroid, this classic was overshadowed.
Crystalis
With the success of Zelda, Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy, this game which had superior graphics was almost unheard of in America.
Fester’s Quest
I have no clue on what the object of this game was. I thought the game was awesome until that giant spider looking creature would come out.
Blasts from the Past
Sega Master System
They sold poorly in the USA even though they were more advanced than the NES. I was one of the few that ever owned one.
Muscle Men
They were so popular in the 1980′s a video game and cartoon was made about them. The only place I know that has them these days is Ebay.
My Buddy Doll
I never owned one; something about being a doll I never liked. However, millions of other boys did.
