Arcade games were the gold standard of video games for over two decades. Dedicated arcade machines could have more sophisticated hardware than home consoles and computers were capable of having without being prohibitively expensive. This situation lasted until the mid-90s, when consoles like the PS1 and N64, as well as PCs, caught up and even surpassed arcade machines. Before then, the ultimate complement that could be paid to a video game was "arcade perfect." The arcades were often proving grounds for new home console technology. Sega used its arcade games in this manner, and Namco's games had hardware based on the PlayStation architecture.
I noticed something about my latest list of games I’ve reviewed lately at GamerDad.com. Two of them feature ninjas, so we’ll bookend them here. Like always, please click on the links and read as many reviews as you can, and maybe even post a ‘like’ or comment or two. I’d appreciate it. And speaking of ninjas, tell me your favorite video game ninjas. Mine would probably be the Ninjis from Mario games, I-Ninja from a forgotten Namco platformer from the GameCube era, Ebisumaru from Goemon, and Taki from Soul Calibur. Not sure why I like Taki, though. She’s just cool I guess. Anyway, here are the reviews!
For the longest time I was kind of sad I never got the NES Classic Edition. But when Nintendo restocked them last, I was finally able to get one! So here is a blog about all the games you can play on it.
It’s not often that a game does something that completely surprises me, but The Messenger managed to catch me totally off guard. What appears to be a modern 8-bit take on Ninja Gaiden suddenly morphs into something more at the halfway point of the game. Its once linear levels branch out and become a Metroid-like maze, with hidden secrets abound. Not only that, but the graphics and sound boost into 16-bit and the world takes on an extra level of detail. While this gimmick was incredibly cool, the tight gameplay and intricate level design is what makes The Messenger a truly special experience.
The library didn't have my God of War yet when I went there yesterday, so I picked out something else for the day. Since I'm seeing Deadpool 2 in a few weeks, I thought I finally play the game that came out with the first movie. This is the Xbox One version that got rereleased a few years later. I sat down to play it and stayed with it all the way, well almost all the way, to the end.
I was really excited to see the first batch of original Xbox games get added to backwards compatibility on Xbox One. I quickly gathered what I had and brought them over to Mark's place, where I have my XBO. I've got Crimson Skies, Ninja Gaiden Black, Psychonauts (can't wait to finish this one), Sid Meier's Pirates and Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic (can't wait to finish this one too). I desperately need to get a copy of Black again. I have it for PS2 still, but I traded all my original Xbox shooters a while back. I watched Mark play some Black and it looks better than ever. Also, that it is a Criterion game gives me hope that the Burnout series (1-3) will be next.
As much as I like Nintendo, they have made quite a few mistakes as a game company. Some are big, like the Virtual Boy and using cartridges on the N64. And some are not quite so big. One of those ‘not quite so big’ mistakes I feel is how they released the NES Classic Edition last year. For those who don’t know, the NES Classic Edition was a smaller console that looked like the 8-bit NES and had 30 games on it. But Nintendo didn’t make enough and it’s very hard to find. Even I don’t have one! I know Nintendo recently said they would make more and release them next summer, but we’ll just have to see about that. So when I saw where I could order the Famicom Classic Edition online for nearly retail price, I decided to import that instead. The Famicom was the Japanese version of the NES. Their Classic Edition has most of the same games as the NES one, but with a few changes here and there. So in this blog, I’m going go over the Famicom Classic console, the games on it, and at the end I’ll share some good news related to this topic!
Hello, everyone! I hope everyone enjoyed Labor Day weekend.
So much for my pledge to be more active with my posting here. I haven't posted since my last BaD post and even those weren't as frequent as I wanted them to be. Hopefully and currently, I will make more of an effort to be more active here.
So what's your favourite? If you're having trouble, allow me to give some examples:
Hey it's time for round 2! Let's get started with my next batch of games!
One of the things I like to do in preparation for another Octoberween season is try to find some decen tunes to get me in the mood. Normally they fall under the usual songs I listen to but on occasion I do cahnge things up depending what I found or if it sounds "just right" for my particular Octoberween mood. I normally don't talk about my musical choices given that my music tastes may not be that interesting to most people. I figure they are either too typical that at least one of these songs is on someone's playlist, or the song is so out there that no one could even consider it an Octoberween music tune. The most my music tastes see the written light of day on a blog is when I post my choice for a "Guilty (Listening) Pleasure". Aside from that I hardly ever share.
Guys, read the title. The Nioh demo is actually amazing. Firstly, I've been playing for 5 hours and haven't finished it, so right there it's longer than some triple A games. Granted, some of that is due to the fact that this game is harder than Gary Glitter in an orphanage, but still.
"With a pint of green chartreuse ain't nuthin' seems right, you buy the Sunday papers on Saturday night" - Tom Waits
I beat Mad Max the other day. Had a blast and consider it one of my favorite games of 2015.
Usually at the end of summer, I’ll write a blog about the movies I saw during the past few months, as I see a lot of movies during that time. It’s pretty rare for me to see a bunch of movies any other time of the year, but this Fall and Winter I did. So I decided to write a little blog about what I saw, just for fun. I’ll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but just in case something slips out, you’ve been warned!
When I hear the word "ninja", one thing immediately comes to mind- the 80's. It was an era that was very friendly to ninja culture and the kids that embraced it. Meanwhile, video game developers where busy cooking up games of the same nature in the arcades. Tecmo was one of those developers, and in 1988, they released a brawler of sorts called Ninja Gaiden. A year later, they ported the game over to the NES, but changed the style of gameplay to better fit the style of home console gaming. They replaced the "beat 'em up" theme with a simple action/platformer approach with a bigger emphasis on well-timed jumps and using awesome ninja skills. Tecmo also added a deeper story and a new way to tell it.
