HAPPY HALLOWEEN - Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol (SNES)

I know I just said that I was going to leave my next blog up to the readers, but it's Halloween, and I decided that I would like to write a blog about Halloween games. Well rather than just doing a list of games that can be associated with Halloween, I have decided to write about 2 SNES games that really make me think of Halloween. They are "Zombies Ate My Neighbors" and it's sequel "Ghoul Patrol."

Zombies Ate My Neighbors was published on both the SNES and the Genesis in the US back in 1993. It was Developed by Lucas Arts, and Published by Konami, two fantastic companies when it comes to video games. Sadly I did not know this game existed back when it was first released. I didn't find out about it until years later as a recommended game from a colleague at work. I am delighted that he mentioned this game, because it's one that I feel is a classic.

Ghoul Patrol was released a year later (1994), but was published by JVC instead of Konami. Lucas Arts still developed this game, but it was only released on the SNES. The Sega Genesis version, being published by Virgin Interactive, was canceled shortly before it was scheduled to be released.

While both games provide a top-down, run-n-gun style of game play, there are subtle differences between the two that make each one unique and enjoyable. I will start with Zombies Ate My Neighbors, since it was the first game in the series.

ZOMBIES ATE MY NEIGHBORS:

1993's Zombies Ate My Neighbors

As mentioned, Zombies Ate My Neighbors was the first game released. While it didn't see a lot of commercial success with its release, it has since developed a cult following. 

Rescue the neighbors.

The premise of the game is to rescue your neighbors from a variety of blood-thirsty zombies, ghouls, and classic horror-movie monsters. The goal being to rescue them before they are killed by the villains. The neighbors are scattered at random throughout each level, and they don't move, they just stand there and wait for either death or rescue. What a boring life they lead. The neighbor characters include cheerleaders, a fat guy in a pool, a dog, army men, the crabby teacher, the tourist couple, and a dancing baby, just to name a few. Scattered throughout each level is a variety of weapons and health items. The weapons include a bazooka, cans of soda, squirt guns, and even Popsicles, witch are basically useless as near as I can tell. This game also offers the options of having two players, so you can run around killing monsters with a friend.

Each level requires you to rescue at least 1 neighbor before to the next level. The door to that next stage will not materialize however, until you have rescued each victim (yes they are called victims) that is still alive. Once you have rescued all living victims, the portal opens, and you move on. Victims that die during a level will not re-spawn for rescue in the next, so you really want to try and get all 10 of them. If you fail to rescue all the victims before they are killed, then the game ends. Sounds easy right? Wrong. The levels themselves
are large, and often have victims hiding in places that require you to navigate small mazes of various sorts. Some victims are also located in buildings with locked doors, that require a key. There are ample keys hidden all over each level, but you can also just use the bazooka and blast a hole in the wall to gain entry. The only drawback to this approach is that the bazooka is the strongest weapon, with the fewest ammo pick-ups, so you may run out of ammo. You can also pick up a potion that allows you to turn in to a werewolf, that can punch through walls and hedges and demolish enemies, but it's a temporary potion, and the effects will wear off, and you return to normal before too long. Beware that there is also a potion that turns you in to a zombie. You cannot control your player during this time, and it's time that could be better spent rescuing victims.

The game does provide a map overlay, that allows you to see where your remaining victims are at, and how many are still alive. It's a radar based map, and always centers itself on you, but provides nothing more than a simple grid with flashing yellow dots to indicate the victims. It doesn't show obstacles or the enemies, so you usually have to just run around until you see a victim appear on the radar, then try to find that victim on the main game screen.

The weapons in this game are numerous, and I must admit that I don't use all of them. I find myself sticking to the water pistol, and the bazooka the most, as they are the only thing that will kill the chainsaw maniacs. Throwing tomatoes are also effective on most of the other villains, as are the exploding cans of soda. Some of the other weapons you can pick up along the way are dishes, forks and spoons, as well as a weed whacker. Some weapons are necessary to defeat certain enemies, but the basic zombies can be killed using anything. You can also collect and dispatch an inflatable clown, that will act as a beacon to enemies, like
moths to a flame. These clowns don't kill the enemies, but it will distract them long enough for you to make an escape. This is handy, as the enemies seem to actually chase you more aggressively as the game progresses.

There are 55 levels (plus 7 bonus levels) in this game, and I have made it to somewhere in the 20's, but have never been all the way to the end. Sadly here is another game that I have yet to complete in full. There is a lot of variety from level to level, even though some of the themes repeat themselves. This game takes you to the backyards of suburbia, a shopping center, the high school football field, and even the tombs in Egypt. Level 8 even has a giant baby.

Beware of the GIANT BABY!!!

All in all this is a great game. The controls are responsive, and you are given a decent life bar, and a plethora of weapons to choose from. The level codes that you are given along the way even allow you to jump ahead to later levels using a simple 4 digit password system.






GHOUL PATROL:

The 1994 sequel: Ghoul Patrol

Ghoul Patrol is the lesser known sequel to Zombies Ate My Neighbors. Released in 1994, this sequel once again pitted our hero(es) against an army of ghosts, ghouls, and monsters. Much like the first game, the objective is to rescue a handful of stationary victims before they are killed by enemies.

Follow the call outs to rescue the victims.

The first, and most notable difference, besides the fact that the blond hero kid is now wearing a ball cap, is the missing radar overlay map feature present in the first game. Instead of using a radar map with yellow blips, Ghoul Patrol utilizes a moving cartoon speech bubble with the words "This Way!" "Help!" or "Over Here!" in it, originating from the direction on the screen in witch the victim is positioned. You will see multiple calls for help flying across the screen from multiple victims in different directions. You then have to figure out how to get to these victims and rescue them before they become a column of goo. Once you have rescued all the victims you can, the exit door will appear in all it's glowing splendor somewhere in the level. The "Help!" bubbles, then become a single "EXIT!" bubble originating in the direction you need to travel in order to reach it.

Other notable differences are the ability to slide and jump. The sliding feature is a handy maneuver you can use to avoid enemies. In this game the L and R shoulder buttons are used to cycle through your usable items (potions, health kits, etc.).

Even though the basic premise is the same as Zombies Ate My Neighbors, this game manages to feel a lot different than the first. The levels are larger. The mazes are more prevalent, and more difficult to navigate through. There are more enemies, and their are ones that re-spawn, flooding your area with hoards of blood-thirsty zombies, flying skulls and eyeballs.

The victims are different in this one as well. Gone are the cheerleaders and the babies. You now have doctors, old geezers in a rocking chair, one with a busted up umbrella, and some lazy artist hippy guy. They still all sit in one spot, and just wait for death to happen, kinda like old people and hippies in real-life.

The enemies. Where do I start with this one? There are still zombies present yes, but they look different. There are also new enemies, ones that seem to be more in the realm of Poltergeist than they do in the classic horror movie monster genre. I am talking about the books that attack you from the very shelves the rest upon. Rogue coffee machines, and rampant fax/copy machines, shooting pieces of paper at you....AHHHH death by papercut!! There are also trees that come to life and attack you at random. Slimer from Ghostbusters even makes a cameo of sorts, chasing you around, or stalking you from inside a trash can hurling objects, I assume trash, at you. Then there is the giant snail from Neverending Story, you know, the

Slimer from Ghostbusters cameo in Ghoul Patrol

racing snail? Yeah he and his buddies apparently found a wormhole or a portal from Fantasia, and warp at will in to our world. Circling strings of dismembered eyeballs, floating skulls that seem to re-spawn as quickly as you can kill them. This is really just the tip of the iceberg. I recall reaching a level where you are in Japan, and you are getting attacked by little Japanese girls carrying pink umbrellas and a few samurai warrior ghosts. Since I have never beaten this game, I cannot comment on the enemies found in the later stages of the
game, but if they are on par with what I have played through, then I am in for some fun when I do finally get around to playing those levels.

I will now discuss the weapons and usable items, starting with the weaponry. Gone are the whimsical items such as the tomatoes, Popsicles, canned soda, and the water pistol. Ghoul Patrol provides a more standard, albeit more sci-fi and gun-based, arsenal. Your starting weapon is a crossbow with unlimited ammo. The water pistol from the original game if you remember, had limited ammunition available. The additional guns are more sci-fi based, firing what looks like lasers or photons as opposed to actual bullets. The one exception is the bazooka gun. While it looks like a futuristic mega tube, it hurls what I like to call exploding bowling balls at enemies. Regardless of what weapon you choose, you will have fun blasting enemies as you race around to try and rescue the victims.


Finally, the last piece of information. The usable items. You still have potions, keys, and health packs scattered randomly throughout each level. Some of them are hidden in desk drawers, or in random wooden crates. But be careful if you open the wrong drawer or crate, you may find a ghost that hurts you. This game has a lot more keys in it by comparison, mostly due to the fact that some levels have rooms with 6 doors in them. The potions are all the same as the original game, one is poison, a blue one that....well, I don't really know what it does, and the mutant potion. Only this time the mutant potion turns you in to the grim reaper instead of a werewolf. The only drawback is that death cannot jump over obstacles, so be careful where you use it. I like to use it to cross the traffic-filled street in level 2.

CONCLUSION:

Well there it is. A fairly detailed description of my experience with two very Halloween themed games from the era of Super Nintendo. Overall both games can deliver hours of challenging fun, and both will provide a high amount of replay value. The music and sound effects in both games are superb, as you would expect from a Lucas Arts game. I don't want to oversell the music and sound effects, since these games also have great graphics, and game play elements, but they are definitely two of the best SNES games out there as far as music is concerned. But, if you enjoy classic horror movies, and retro video games, I suggest dusting off one of these old classics and giving it a go. Have fun and don't forget to check under the bed before you go to sleep.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!

You tell me....

Ok, I would like to recognizne the fact that I have surpassed 10,000 page views for my blog. I know it's not a HUGE number compared to other bloggers, but I never thought I would see numbers like this....so thank you all for reading, and for all the various websites that have linked to my JXD A1000 review.

http://classicconsoleblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/console-3-jxd-a100.html

So as a thank you, I would love to hear your ideas on what game I should play and review next.

I would like to try an original Game Boy title this time.....so let's narrow it down to what Game Boy title
should I play and comment on in my next blog?

Post suggestions as a comment, and I will hopefully remember to check this, and pick one suggestion.

THANK YOU ALL!!!

So many games, so little time.

Sometimes it sucks being an adult. I remember thinking as a child, that I wanted to be grown up so I could drive a car, drink a beer, and buy any video game I wanted. Well the universe has a funny way about it. Now that I am an adult, I have found that most of the things I yearned for as a kid came with a price. Driving a car means having to pay for one, the gas to go in it, as well as insurance for it. Drinking a beer is easy enough, minus the occasional hang over. And video games.....well....let's talk about them.

As a child of the 80's I grew up with Nintendo. Oh sure there were other consoles out there (Sega, Atari, ColecoVision, etc.), but Nintendo was the one that was the most popular amongst my circle of friends. With so many friends having Nintendo, it was fairly common to for one of them to have a new game every so often. And it was fairly common for us to all pine after something new. I remember wanting Castlevania and Captain Skyhawk so bad, and was delighted when I finally got them. I remember thinking that as an adult, I would no longer have to wait until a birthday or Christmas to ask for a new game, I could simply buy it myself whenever I felt the urge to do so. Little did I know then, that there would be such an explosion in console technology, and that there would be such a vast number of games and consoles to choose from.

Right now I am playing no fewer than 12 video games. I don't play them all at once, since that would be impossible, but I currently have saved games for at least a dozen games on multiple consoles. This probably wouldn't be as big of a problem if I didn't have to do things like go to work, eat, or have any kind of a social life. Oh yeah, and it's also it has been summer until recently, and that means fishing season...sigh...

So why am I playing so many games right now? Because my tastes and likes change regularly enough to warrant a change in what I am playing. Luckily for me I have a PSP and OFW signed console emulators that allow me to play the older console games for no cost. I have a large library of saved games for NES, SNES, GBA, Game Boy and The Game Boy Color. I would estimate that I have at least a dozen games on those old systems alone, and find myself adding to the list from time to time.

I am not just a fan of old consoles either. Even though I primarily write about older games from the classic consoles, I do enjoy new games on the newer systems. I have at least a half a dozen game saves on my PS3 for titles such as Saints Row 4, and Infamous. I am also currently playing a few games on the Wii, including Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

Yeah I realize most of the games on the newer consoles are ones that have been out for a while. But as with most things in life, I sometimes have other obligations to meet, so I don't always wait around until after midnight to get a game on it's release date. I usually get them later based off of recommendations from friends.

Well that's all from me for now....I should get back to playing games....that is if I can decide what game to play.....

Game 12 - The Legend of Zelda

System: Nintendo(NES)
Release Date: 1987
Genre: RPG
Developer/Publisher: Nintendo

For Starters:

 
I can hardly believe that I have yet to post a blog about one of the biggest game franchises, and one of the most beloved games of all time. Anyone who is an avid gamer has certainly played the original Legend of Zelda on the 8-bit Nintendo, and anyone who has not, is not a true gamer, at least in my opinion. The Legend of Zelda is a true classic, and has spawned an entire franchise of games, cartoons, and merchandise. Even 25 years after it's debut, the Zelda franchise has managed to stay near the top of pop-culture. With that out of the way, let's move on to my own experience with the original game.

    To be honest, I don't recall how I came to know of this games' existence, but I am fairly certain it had to do with Ben. This game was right up his alley. Puzzles, mazes, and secret hidden items was what he was all about. I remember seeing him play it, and then borrowing the golden cartridge for myself. The only game I knew of that actually had a golden cartridge. Having never seen a cartridge this color before, it reminded me of C-3PO from Star Wars, so I thought it could be a good game, and gave it a go. Being a novice gamer at the time, I had a difficult time playing this game with any success, and was always calling Ben on the phone to ask him how to get past areas within the game, or where to find the items needed to advance. There was no internet at the time, and I don't recall seeing any published strategy guides back then, so I had nothing but my own wits, and Ben's advice to go on. Sadly, here is another classic game I can say I have never completed to 100%. But, despite that, I still find myself re-playing this game from time to time, just to get a Zelda fix.

The Good:

    Designer Shigeru Miyamoto really nailed this one. The overhead view, the weapons, the dungeons, the enemies and all the bosses were done perfectly. This game puts you in the shoes of Link, the legendary hero of Hyrule. I look back now, and realize that I made the mistake of thinking that the hero's name was Zelda. I know I am not the only person who made this mistake, but I digress. Your mission is to fight your way through the lands of Hyrule, and rescue Princess Zelda. But in order to accomplish this, you must make your way through several dungeons, each containing a mini-boss, and some kind of treasure that will help you later on in the game. It's these upgrades/treasures that make this game so great in my mind. Boomerangs, lanterns, rafts, bows/arrows, bombs, etc. Most of these upgrades, once obtained, will usually allow you to access a new area of the game that weren't previously available. Usually the path to the next dungeon. It's also worth noting that the special items found in each dungeon will usually help you in defeating the boss of the dungeon in witch they are found, along with assisting in killing the dungeon enemies quicker. Yes, there are many good things about this game. But there are also a lot of bad/frustrating aspects as well. Let's move on to those...

The Bad:

OK, I will admit, that there is nothing that truly qualifies as "bad" in the original Legend of Zelda. It's more accurate to say that there are frustrating aspects of the game. They include, the cryptic puzzles, and the unexplained features of game play. Yes I understand now, that this is designed to allow the player to try and solve problems on their own, and to figure things out through trial and error. There are some subtle clues found from the various people you encounter, but there are also plenty of blind or simply hidden items (knowing what bush to burn or what knight statue to push come to mind). There is also an area where you have to climb the mountain to reach a dungeon, but in order to do it, you have to exit the screen in the correct sequence, to achieve it. As I stated earlier, playing this game before the age of the internet, meant that this was truly a game of wits. Zelda, in my opinion, is the reason why walkthroughs exist today. This game is difficult....fun....but difficult.

Overall:

    Zelda. The name itself, should be enough to summarize this game. Most people have enough of their own experiences and fond memories to provide appropriate feedback. For me, this game defines everything it means to be a true classic. The perfect amount of puzzle-solving and hack-n-slash fighting. This game, along with Super Mario Brothers, truly defined the 8-bit Nintendo console, and went on to help define the next generation consoles as well. Zelda is a franchise that will always have a special place in my heart, one that will forever stand the test of time.

An A to Z look at the SNES Library

 The challenge. Play 26 games from the SNES library, one game title for each letter in the Alphabet. Play each one for 10 minutes, and provide some feedback. Sounds simple enough?  I strived to avoid sports games, and games that are considered mainstream, or popular. I limited myself to games that I had never heard of, or that I was not familiar   with, when possible. What follows is the results of this challenge.

Enjoy,

Arcana:

Game one is an RPG. The graphics and music are decent, but this game really fails to captivate me. There was a lot of reading, and the battles are boring. The first temple reminded me of Wolfenstein. Nothing special here. If you want a good RPG on the SNES go with Final Fantasy. Not a bad game, but not a good one either. 2/10.

Bio Metal:

This game opens up with a remake of "Y'all Ready For This?" as an intro song. Yes that song. God this could be a bad sign. Ok, so this is actually a decent side-scrolling shooter, very similar to Gradius. The worst things about this game is the rediculous scrolling speed, and the repetetive music. The music from the title screen repeats all the way through the first stage. Took me 10 minutes to figure out the weapons upgrades, and what not, but over all not to bad. I
will play this one again, but will probably play with the sound off. 7/10.

Carrier Aces:

That was the most painful 10 minutes ever, even compared to the agony of gym class in jr. high school. This is a very detailed World War II game, from the standpoint of the battle in the Pacific. I should have just played 1942. Easier, and far less complicated than this mess. I couldn't even get through the trining exercises. 1/10.

Demolition Man:

Kick ass rock anthem to open the title screen. Having only seen the movie this game was based off of once a long time ago, I don't really know if this game follows it too closely. Not a bad side-scrolling shoot 'em up, I may give this one another go. 5/10.

Eek! The Cat:

One I have heard of, but never played before. And after 10 minutes I can see why. This game blows furballs. The controls are ok, but there's a little too much touchey-feely with the old lady. I thought I might like a game where you kick granny in the ass, but no. Eek! This game was awful. 3/10.

Faceball 2000:

God what have I gotten myself in to? This one sounds like baseball, and I said I wouldn't play any sports games...This is NOT a sports game, unless you count lazer tag as a sport. This one is bizarre. It's all about shooting smiley faces in a maze-like environment. It's like Doom meets Pac-Man, only not as cool. 1/10.

Gemfire:

Ever wonder what it would be like to play the board game 'Risk' on a video game console? Well Gemfire allows this to happen. This game is very boring. I had to push myself to make it through 10 minutes. That's a lie...I shut this shit off after 6. And I didn't even have the satisfaction of being able to throw the boardgame against the wall in anger. This game fucking sucks. 0/10.

Harley's Humongous Adventure:

Green Lantern got shrunk while wearing pajamas! Actually this game reminds me a lot of Cool Spot on the SNES. The game really got better when I found out I could shoot the fly that was puking on me. Yes this game has puking flies. Not a bad game. I will try this one again sometime. 8/10.

Inindo - Way of the Ninja:

This game is basically the ninja version of Final Fantasy or Breath of Fire, only with crappier music, and slower controls. If I wanted a decent RPG I would play one of the ones mentioned. Not the worst game ever made however. 5/10.

Joe & Mac:

That was a quick 10 minutes. Caveman beat-em-up. Great graphics, good gameplay, decent music. I will be playing this one again. I liked it, plus I got kissed by a blonde cavelady. 9/10.

Kid Klown in Crazy Chase:

They kan't even spell 'clown' korrektly. This sounds like a sack of sweaty balls waiting to be unleashed upon me. In all reality this game isn't bad. The controls are annoying, as is the fact that everything you encounter stuns you, and the 'klown' himself is a big whiney whimp. 4/10.

Lester The Unlikely:

It's unlikely that anyone likes this game. It's like a wussier version of Prince of Persia on the SNES. This kid sucks. His posture is bad, and he whines like a little bitch. I am surprised he didn't piss his pants in this game. I have played worse games, but not many. 2/10.

Mr. Nutz:

With a name like this....anything is possible. The graphics are definitely good. I like. This takes some getting used to, but once you do, it's actually quite fun. Reminds me a little bit of Donkey Kong Country, only a little easier. This is one I will probably play again. 8/10.

Ninja Warriors:

Not bad. The controls are decent, but without an owners manual I am not sure what special moves I have. I seemed to do them at random. I like that the first boss I came to had his head explode when defeated. I am going to play this one again, but only after finding some instructions about the controls. 9/10.

Obitus:

Ugh this game is awful. I managed to make it out of the castle or whatever I was in to begin with, then came the forest. Everything looked the same no matter where I was. This sure as shit makes it difficult to know where you are going, and where you have already been. Too bad. This had some potential, but it reminds me of Friday The 13th on NES, but with no map screen. NEXT! 2/10.

Pac-In-Time:

Sounds like a Pac Man game....and oh look, it is. Pac Man goes back in time because of some witch. Nothing spectacular, but a decent game. Would help if I had an owners manual to learn more about what I can do, and what's supposed to happen. Found the 'exit' to the first level, but couldn't figure out how to open it. Maybe it has something to do with the spinning rings? Will try again after reading more about it online. 7/10.

Q-bert 3:

The only "Q" titled game in the SNES library? So I guess it wins by default. I have at least heard of Q-bert, and recall playing it as a kid, but I dont remember much, aside from the cameo he made in the movie 'Wreck It Ralph" Well....wish me luck.... This is about what I remember about Q-bert. This game is nothing more than nostalgia for the original game. Updated graphics, but the same old crap. 3/10.

Run Saber:

I knew nothing about this game. I though it might be like 3D World Runner from the NES. Boy was I ever wrong. This game is actually quite good. Reminds me of Hagane on the SNES. You can climb on walls and ceilings, like Spiderman. This game is very nice, and easy to play. I will definitely be playing this one again. 10/10.

Sonic Blast Man:

Another side-scrolling beat-em-up. Only not as good. Graphics are ok, and music is decent. The special moves are random, and the 'hero' seems to be a bit of a whimp, as is evidenced by him getting 'dizzy' when he performs a certain basic spin move. That's right, he spins, gets dizzy, and just sits there while stars circle his head. Captain America was a lot better. 4/10.

Thunder Spirits:

Well, this is another side-scrolling shooter like Gradius. This is not much different than any other game in this genre. The powerups are cool, and there are loads of enemies available to blast you away.....just like Gradius. Cool game over all, and one that I will probably play again a few more times. 8/10.

Ultraman - Towards The Future:

Who knew that 'The Rocketeer' had his own fighting game? I have never been a big fan of fighting games like Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat, but this one is definitely the worst fighting game I have ever played. The controls feel laggy, and its just a crappy game. 1/10.

Vortex:

Polygonal hell. Thats the only way to describe this game. Remember StarFox? This is basically StarFox, only slower, and instead of flying, you are clomping around in a shitty slow robot shooting space ships. No thanks! 1/10.

Wild Guns:

Well.....this game is like a fine wine...the more it ages the better it gets. At first I thought this game sucked. I couldn't figure out how to shoot, and I didnt know what buttons did what, and the controls were confusing (controlling both your aim and your chatachter at the same time). But the more I played the more I got accustomed to how this game plays, and I was finally able to get past the first level boss. This is quite a fun little game. I will be playing this again soon. 9/10.

Xardion:

This is a strange one. I kinda like though. It seems to be a side scrolling shoot-em-up, but some of the opening scenes make me think it may also have some flying elements, like Gradius. I will have to play this one again to find out. The controls seem to respond sluggishly, but it's playable. I like the upgrade system, its like an RPG, in that the the more experience you get the more you
level up. This one will be played again. 7/10.

Ys III - Wanderers from Ys:

What the fuck? This is definitely a strage title. But, since I am familiar with Yoshi, this is the game that will fill the "Y" requirement for this alphabet challenge. After 10 minutes....Well, this is an RPG game. I don't really think it's all that great. It reminds me of Zelda II a little, in that its all side-scrolling. I think an owner's manual would be helpful with this game, but probably not. I hated the fact that the first enemies I encountered, when I was finally able to encounter them killed me in 3 seconds. I was able to try and avoid them, but it seems like it's the fighting of the enemies that kills you, even though there doesn't seem to be any contact from them. 2/10.

Zool:

No, not to be confused with Zuul from Ghostbusters, Zool is a SNES game from 1994, and the last on in this SNES Alphabet challenge. I don't really know what to say about this game. This is someone's bad trip. You are essentially some guy running around in a world of candy and fruitcake, shooting bee's, and blobs, and collecting little sweet things like candy canes, and other assorted treats. This game is fast, and the controls seemed to be backwards, so I had a difficult time adusting to jumping and shooting. Even after somewhat getting used to the controls, this game still basically sucked. I don't think I will try this one again. It's too strange. 3/10.

Game 11 - Life Force (Salamander)

 

Platform: Nintendo
Publisher: Konami
Series: Gradius
Release Date: 1988 (North America)
Genre: multi-scrolling shooter

For Starters:

This was the first game, outside of Contra, that I remeber using the "Contra Code" on. The ever-famous "up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start" would yield 99 lives when used at the start up screen on Life Force. It wasn't actually until years later that I learned that it was also referred to as the "Konami Code" and was useable on other Konami games. What a wonderful little code, and one that comes in handy when playing a game like Life Force.

My friend Ben was the person who introduced me to Life Force back sometime in the 90's. I had never heard of it, but he said it was a cool game, and when it came to video games, Ben knew his shit. So if he said its a cool game, then that meant it was a cool game. Ben was right.

I admit I knew nothing about the whole Gradius series until years later. I still kick myself for not knowing about the other Gradius games that were available on the SNES. I LOVED Life Force! This game was amazing, and still has a very high replay value to this very day. I have yet to find a game in the entire series that I haven't enjoyed.

Konami found a successful formula, side/multi-scrolling shooter games, and ran with it. All of the games in the Gradius series were done using the same formula over and over again, and in my opionion, it worked. The old saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" seems to be the best way to summarize this franchise.

Gameplay:

Life Force is a futuristic space shooter game. You take control of the Vic Viper, and fly through a mix of horizontal and vertical scrolling stages, with a boss battle at the end of each one. The stages themselves are all very unique, and different from one another, some even crossing over in to the bizarre realm. The more interesting enemies included Red blood cells, flaming worlds of fire, laser-shooting ribs, Egyptian themes, brains with tentacles, boulders, eyeballs, and even a boss battle with King Tut himself. Crazy!

The other aspect of this game is the power-ups. By killing specific enemies along the path, you can collect power-ups tokens that allow you to upgrade your weapons, and flying speed. Some of the upgrades include missles, lasers, ripple lasers, and one they call "option". The Option is simply an added entity that surrounds and follows your ship and fires the same weapons you have, essentially giving you multiple lines of fire. It's probably my favorite upgrade, when combined with the ripple-laser.

If you play with a friend, and use the Contra Code to aquire 99 lives each, then boy were you in for some quick fun. The best part of playing co-op was that if one of you ran out of lives before the other, you could push start and begin taking the other players remaining lives. Yeah, Ben and I would run through this game from start to finish very quickly.


The Bad:

There really is nothing bad about this game. There isn't much about this game that I don't absolutely love. If I was to make one complaint about this game it would be the sheer number of enemies. There are stretches of this game where you are accosted on all sides by swarms of enemies, and their associated bullets. Without the 99 lives code this would be a very difficult game. I have tried to beat it using nothing but the origial 3 lives and continues. It's pretty improbable that it can be done. I have never beaten it using nothing more than what the game provides. The entire series is the same way. Every game flings hoardes of enemies at you, testing your relfexes and navigation skills. But, In my opinion, this it what makes the game so fun.

Overall:

I have heard of people doing speed runs of various games on various consoles, and I would say that this game is probably the first game I remember speed-running through. Ben and I would always try to see how quickly we could run through Life Force. I don't recall us actually timing it, and it was in a time before YouTube, so alas, I have no record of the various speed runs we made. It's amazing to me that after all these years, I still enjoy playing this one....over and over. Luckily for us all, Konami continued to build on the original Salamander game, and in so doing, created a wonderful world of Gradius games for us to enjoy. Aside from Castlevania, Gradius is probably my favorite video game series. Thanks Konami!

Wayback Machine - Pinball

I recently had a chance to go visit a local nickel arcade, something I do every so often with my girlfriend. Usually we play the games that spit out tickets, so we can collect them and get prizes, but that's another story. After we had gathered enough tickets to satify our needs, we decided to wander through and play the other games, you know, the regular old cabinet style arcade games. Well I rounded a corner and saw a blast from my past, Star Wars Pinball.

Pinball machines have been around forever, and are probably the oldest school when it comes to video games. Even though pinball is not really a video game, it is a form of entertainment that can still be found in modern-day aracdes everywhere. This is a testament to this wonderful little invention. They have been a staple in modern society, and even spawned a rock opera (The Who's 'Pinball Wizard'). Yes I could go on and on about the pinball machine, and it's history, and importance in modern life, but I think I will stop here and move on to my own experience at the flippers.

I don't remember where I played my first machine, nor do I even recall what my first pinball experience was. I do have a memory in the dark recesses of my mind that involves me as a young kid, in a dark arcade, in a pizza parlor playing some form of the game. I also remember sucking at it. I was awful at pinball as a kid, and in fact I still suck at it to this very day. But man what wonderful things they are. Flashing lights, music, garbled speech, trap doors, and small pinball rollercoasters, all things a kid like me enjoyed. I would always prefer to play the ones that had the most elaborate roller-coasters. In my opinion, the more elaborate, the better.This probably played a big role in my later love of the classic arcade game "Marble madness"

http://classicconsoleblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/game-7-marble-madness.html


As I got older, I continued to play whenever I found one, and like I said before, I never was any good at them. I think in the whole history of my life, I have only ever once gotten one replay for getting a high enough score, but then again, it may have been a replay based off the "match" feature found on some games when you lose. Either way, I am completely suck when it comes to pinballing. But my suckiness has never stopped me from continuiing to play them whenever I see one that looks like it could be fun. Unfortunately most of the ones I see these days are run down, and half the lights, and bumpers have stopped working. I usually pass on those. I have tried playing pinball games that were ported on to gameing consoles, and never found them quite the same. There is no substitute for an actual physical pinball machine.

For me the greatest amount of fun is unlocking the multi-ball. There is nothing more exciting than playing pinball with multiple balls on the playing field. You really must find a zone, and just focus all your attention on the flippers to keep as many balls in play for as long as possible.

Things that bother me about pinball machines:

- Insanely high replay scores: Usually in the neighborhood of like 200 million points.
- Outlanes: The annoying little lanes on either side of the main flipper drain. A.K.A. Insta death.
- Gravity: Some times a ball will get lodged somewhere in the workings of the hardware. Game over.
- Outlanes without a kickback.

The good parts:

- The bump and jolt associated with playing the game.
- All the pretty colors and flashing lights.
- The rollercoasters.
- Outlanes with a kickback (death thwarted).
- The mini-games.
- Multi-ball.
- The nostalgia of childhood.

So in conclusion, pinball machines are a timeless classic. A possibly dying industry, that still has something to offer today's younger generation of PS3 and XBox junkies. I challenge everyone to go out and find a pinball machine, and re-ignite that relationship with an old friend. You will not be dissapointed.