When I was a kid I really enjoyed arcade shooters – for some reason there was something appealing about controlling a jet/helicopter and gunning down a seemingly endless parade of military hardware. Indeed, I recall seeing these type of games in arcade parlors, watching the demo/attract mode and feel I could do better. Of particular note, I recall being more excited about Raiden 2 than Mortal Kombat 2 or Super Street Fighter.
I can’t stress this enough: I haven’t a clue as to why arcade shooters had such a sway over me. Was it the first kind of arcade game I saw and became familiar with? Was it seeing something that was capable of producing something beyond the limitations of my trusty Commodore 64? Or was it the offer of blowing shit up? I don’t know and somehow, such questioning doesn’t warrant further pondering.
However, when I entered my teens and adult years I grew off arcade shooters. Again why this is so is unclear to me: Most likely it was me becoming aware of other gaming genres. Or maybe I realized just what a coin thief arcade games truly are. Nevertheless, I’ve gone off shooters and the interest has never been rekindled – true I’ve the Raiden Project for the PlayStation but, as always, the power of nostalgia can have a sway that is difficult to resist.
Still, what is of particular interest is that through being away from the genre, many innovations have occurred to it. Innovations that to me, come as a complete surprise. Two particular titles have stood out in particular: Ikaruga and Radiant Silvergun. Both games from those wunderkinds known as Treasure and have such a reputation in amongst the arcade shooter crowd.
A reputation that warrants investigation – I already have Ikaruga and have had a go at it. So let’s see if Radiant Silvergun has something to offer….
Showing posts with label Raiden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Raiden. Show all posts
Friday, June 27, 2014
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
You're not the PS1 for me
When I was in High School (1994-1997) I wanted a PlayStation. Who didn’t? It was a big deal to have a genuine third contender to the Sega vs Nintendo conflict. And there were a lot of unique and impressive games on the console. Of course, I never got to own a PS1 – and it was only after I got a PS2 that I made an effort to seek out, and subsequently enjoy, some of the games that escaped my notice the first time around.
However with the passing of years, the fifth console generation grows further and further away. And in that time, my perception of the PS1 has grown from a tantalizing goal to a something more disdainful. Why the change? Well for one thing I find that a lot of games in the fifth generation have aged quite badly (especially considering I find many games of the fourth generation still appealing two decades later). But the main reason I have grown disdainful for the PS1 is this:
Ask anyone what the defining game on the PS1 and they’ll say one of the ‘Big Three’: Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy VII and Castlevania Symphony of the Night. Beyond that, anyone may find coming up with another game something of a struggle. And it’s always this ‘Big Three’. Whilst another console may have a number of great games spread across it’s lifespan, it always this ‘Big Three’ that everyone keeps coming back to. It’s as if this ‘Big Three’ were the only games made for the PS1 and the console’s lifespan pretty much started and ended with them.
So for today, a little experiment: I want to tally up my collection of PS1 games and match their years of release against each other. And as I live in a nation situated in a PAL region (read: a place that doesn't matter), the years listed will be based on PAL release dates.
So here we go, by order of year:
1995 Doom
Raiden Project
1996 Darkstalkers
Loaded
Return Fire
1997 Castlevania Symphony of the Night
Final Fantasy 7
1998 Ghost in the Shell
Metal Gear Solid
1999 Wip3out
2000 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2
2001 Final Fantasy 9
2002 Final Fantasy Anthology
Final Fantasy 6
Looking at this list, it seems that my hypothesis was correct: The PS1 era pretty much began and ended with the 'Big Three'. Based my collection, before the Big Three there was conversions of well-known games and attempts to get an IP going. And after the Big Three, not a lot else happened. Why, back in the day I recall seeing Final Fantasy 7 and 8 in stores but never 9. And the most recent games I have for the PS1 arrived when the PS2 had well and truly touched down and even those games are SNES conversions!
So maybe it is indeed true: The only games everyone remembers on the PS1 are the ‘Big Three’ and everything that came before and since was of little to no matter. All I can say is that I’m glad that the PS1’s successor, the PS2, boasted a wide and diverse gaming library that left PS2 users spoilt for choice.
However with the passing of years, the fifth console generation grows further and further away. And in that time, my perception of the PS1 has grown from a tantalizing goal to a something more disdainful. Why the change? Well for one thing I find that a lot of games in the fifth generation have aged quite badly (especially considering I find many games of the fourth generation still appealing two decades later). But the main reason I have grown disdainful for the PS1 is this:
Ask anyone what the defining game on the PS1 and they’ll say one of the ‘Big Three’: Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy VII and Castlevania Symphony of the Night. Beyond that, anyone may find coming up with another game something of a struggle. And it’s always this ‘Big Three’. Whilst another console may have a number of great games spread across it’s lifespan, it always this ‘Big Three’ that everyone keeps coming back to. It’s as if this ‘Big Three’ were the only games made for the PS1 and the console’s lifespan pretty much started and ended with them.
So for today, a little experiment: I want to tally up my collection of PS1 games and match their years of release against each other. And as I live in a nation situated in a PAL region (read: a place that doesn't matter), the years listed will be based on PAL release dates.
So here we go, by order of year:
1995 Doom
Raiden Project
1996 Darkstalkers
Loaded
Return Fire
1997 Castlevania Symphony of the Night
Final Fantasy 7
1998 Ghost in the Shell
Metal Gear Solid
1999 Wip3out
2000 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2
2001 Final Fantasy 9
2002 Final Fantasy Anthology
Final Fantasy 6
Looking at this list, it seems that my hypothesis was correct: The PS1 era pretty much began and ended with the 'Big Three'. Based my collection, before the Big Three there was conversions of well-known games and attempts to get an IP going. And after the Big Three, not a lot else happened. Why, back in the day I recall seeing Final Fantasy 7 and 8 in stores but never 9. And the most recent games I have for the PS1 arrived when the PS2 had well and truly touched down and even those games are SNES conversions!
So maybe it is indeed true: The only games everyone remembers on the PS1 are the ‘Big Three’ and everything that came before and since was of little to no matter. All I can say is that I’m glad that the PS1’s successor, the PS2, boasted a wide and diverse gaming library that left PS2 users spoilt for choice.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Arcade Fire
Inspired by this week's edition of Good Game, I thought I might take the time to talk about some of my favorite arcade games. I played a lot of arcades during my youth and have fond memories of them all - some of which I still play today. So without a further ado....
Mighty Bombjack
Growing up in the eighties I always viewed Arcade Machines with some degree of awestruck reverence. Whereas I was used to playing games on the Commodore 64, Arcade machines were something else: They were technologically superior, they attracted players of all ages and it was games being played in public! I recall seeing them in certain locations and seeing them always sent a rush of excitement through my young mind.
They say you always remember the very first arcade you play and in my case it was the Mighty Bombjack. Of course it wasn't anything special in it's day but, as the saying goes, ya gotta start somewhere...
Aero Fighters (Sonic Wings)
It was during the early nineties that my interest in arcade machines racked up - most likely to me growing aware of something called consoles. Seeing how gaming was expanding into something beyond what I thought I knew, I made it a point to check out an arcade game the instant I saw it. Now whilst there were several genres available, the one that interested me the most was the horizontally scrolling shooters. For some reason there was appeal of controlling a war machine and going around blowing the shit out of anything dumb enough to stand in the way with spectacular spread shot and homing missiles.
For this reason I do recall Aero Fighters quite fondly. Sure it was a tough game to play but I recall being nine years old and playing this game a lot - not to mention just how exciting it was, playing an arcade game with my own money.
And admittedly, at the time I thought the intro was kinda cool too:
Street Fighter 2
Whilst I gave the shooters more attention than any other arcade genre, there was however the fighters - they were there and they couldn't be ignored. And no roundup of arcade games would be complete with mentioning Street Fighter 2. History has decreed that arcade games were in something of slump before Street Fighter2 came along and breathed new life into them. From the outset I'd heard of Street Fighter 2 and people spoke of it in awe-struck tones, as if they'd just discovered the Holy Grail. I myself only got to see it through my brother playing it and I was quite impressed with what I saw. He used Blanka a lot and I recall seeing how the electric attack inspired a unique skeleton - and through watching him play I picked up a lot. Of course, it would be years before I got to play it myself and it was a damn fun game. Indeed, SF2 was a big deal I remember a lot of excitement when Super/the New Challengers showed up. And I still play SF2 to this day and even now I'm impressed by how many people also played it when they were kids.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Well I loved the cartoon back in the day and seeing an arcade game based on it was sweet as. Of course, part of the appeal was the whole 4 player and that was pretty cool too. Of course I never saw four people playing it at once (although it may have been a bit hard to see the screen when four people are crowded the machine) this is definitely a high point in my arcade game history.
Vendetta
I'll always have a soft spot for this game. Beat-em-ups were definitely popular back in the early nineties and this was one of the stand outs. Yes it was Konami trying to replicate the four-player style that made TMNT a hit but Vendetta was special to me largely through showing a sense of humor rarely seen in a beat-em-up. Aside from the player characters resembling Mike Tyson, Hulk Hogan, Jean Claude Van Damme and Mr.T, there is heaps of character interaction, weapons, and slapstick to make this one of the finest games of it's day. The fact that this hasn't appeared on XBLA is a travesty but you know what? I'll take this over XMen Arcade any day.
Raiden 2
I had a soft spot for shooters and I think this was the best of the lot. Somehow it did everything right with the power-ups, bomb varieties, inventive bosses and detail with graphics. I still enjoy this one my Playstation and I believe I'll still be enjoying it years later.
Darkstalkers
I never played Street Fighter 2 that much during my youth but I do recall playing Darkstalkers quite a bit. It was a fun beat-em-up and I really enjoyed the creativity gone into it with a fighting roster made up of b-grade movie monsters getting stuck into each other. But really I should go ahead and admit it: It was all because of Morrigan Aensland. But then again what guy wasn't sold over?
Alien vs Predator
Forget the lame movies: This game was the shit! Predators? In a beat-em-up? With the Aliens? And shooting sections? And Arnie's character from Predator 1 thrown in for good measure?! HELL YES! So there was a whole lot going for this game and I particularly enjoyed how the shooting sections were integrated into a beat-em-up (which was something unique at the time). The graphics were mind-blowing to behold and it was indeed intense to be continually swamped by hordes of the aliens. Not much else I can say except this was one of the finest arcades I've ever played & someone should get this on the XBLA and NOW.
Daytona USA
Well what can I say? Everyone played this in it's day and no doubt still play it now. It was, and still is, a great game to play against friends and goes to show that if an arcade game is designed well enough it can have incredible lasting power. And you haven't played a game of Daytona USA with seven other people you haven't lived.
Virtua Cop 2
I never thought much of the 'gun' games during my time in the arcades but this was an exception. Not sure why though: Maybe it was the graphics, maybe it was the presentation or maybe it simply damn fun to play.
But whatever the reason, this is another game I still play when I get the chance and shooting the crims never gets old. I've even tried playing it with both guns in each hand! So yeah Virtua Cop 2 is great fun and I liked it a lot.
Metal Slug
Yet another game I still enjoy playing to this day. Just when I thought that games were getting too serious and someone should make something humorous, along comes Metal Slug. Everything about this game is class: The stupidly big guns, the absurd voice announcements and the delightful graphics that are still fun to watch even now. A lot of care and attention to detail went into this game and it shows - it makes even a compelling game years later. And, in a rare case, the sequels took a winning formula and made it even better!
So there you go. Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane. Now whilst people may say the arcades may be something of an anachronism I however maintain that if an arcade game is fun, is well designed and can be enjoyed with more than one person then the game will have staying power - which is impressive seeing that video games tend to have a limited lifespan and are often outclassed by technological superior successors. And if I'm still willing to spare the change for the likes of Virtua Cop 2 and Daytona USA then something must've worked better than originally hoped for.
Until next time...
Mighty Bombjack
Growing up in the eighties I always viewed Arcade Machines with some degree of awestruck reverence. Whereas I was used to playing games on the Commodore 64, Arcade machines were something else: They were technologically superior, they attracted players of all ages and it was games being played in public! I recall seeing them in certain locations and seeing them always sent a rush of excitement through my young mind.
They say you always remember the very first arcade you play and in my case it was the Mighty Bombjack. Of course it wasn't anything special in it's day but, as the saying goes, ya gotta start somewhere...
Aero Fighters (Sonic Wings)
It was during the early nineties that my interest in arcade machines racked up - most likely to me growing aware of something called consoles. Seeing how gaming was expanding into something beyond what I thought I knew, I made it a point to check out an arcade game the instant I saw it. Now whilst there were several genres available, the one that interested me the most was the horizontally scrolling shooters. For some reason there was appeal of controlling a war machine and going around blowing the shit out of anything dumb enough to stand in the way with spectacular spread shot and homing missiles.
For this reason I do recall Aero Fighters quite fondly. Sure it was a tough game to play but I recall being nine years old and playing this game a lot - not to mention just how exciting it was, playing an arcade game with my own money.
And admittedly, at the time I thought the intro was kinda cool too:
Street Fighter 2
Whilst I gave the shooters more attention than any other arcade genre, there was however the fighters - they were there and they couldn't be ignored. And no roundup of arcade games would be complete with mentioning Street Fighter 2. History has decreed that arcade games were in something of slump before Street Fighter2 came along and breathed new life into them. From the outset I'd heard of Street Fighter 2 and people spoke of it in awe-struck tones, as if they'd just discovered the Holy Grail. I myself only got to see it through my brother playing it and I was quite impressed with what I saw. He used Blanka a lot and I recall seeing how the electric attack inspired a unique skeleton - and through watching him play I picked up a lot. Of course, it would be years before I got to play it myself and it was a damn fun game. Indeed, SF2 was a big deal I remember a lot of excitement when Super/the New Challengers showed up. And I still play SF2 to this day and even now I'm impressed by how many people also played it when they were kids.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Well I loved the cartoon back in the day and seeing an arcade game based on it was sweet as. Of course, part of the appeal was the whole 4 player and that was pretty cool too. Of course I never saw four people playing it at once (although it may have been a bit hard to see the screen when four people are crowded the machine) this is definitely a high point in my arcade game history.
Vendetta
I'll always have a soft spot for this game. Beat-em-ups were definitely popular back in the early nineties and this was one of the stand outs. Yes it was Konami trying to replicate the four-player style that made TMNT a hit but Vendetta was special to me largely through showing a sense of humor rarely seen in a beat-em-up. Aside from the player characters resembling Mike Tyson, Hulk Hogan, Jean Claude Van Damme and Mr.T, there is heaps of character interaction, weapons, and slapstick to make this one of the finest games of it's day. The fact that this hasn't appeared on XBLA is a travesty but you know what? I'll take this over XMen Arcade any day.
Raiden 2
I had a soft spot for shooters and I think this was the best of the lot. Somehow it did everything right with the power-ups, bomb varieties, inventive bosses and detail with graphics. I still enjoy this one my Playstation and I believe I'll still be enjoying it years later.
Darkstalkers
I never played Street Fighter 2 that much during my youth but I do recall playing Darkstalkers quite a bit. It was a fun beat-em-up and I really enjoyed the creativity gone into it with a fighting roster made up of b-grade movie monsters getting stuck into each other. But really I should go ahead and admit it: It was all because of Morrigan Aensland. But then again what guy wasn't sold over?
Alien vs Predator
Forget the lame movies: This game was the shit! Predators? In a beat-em-up? With the Aliens? And shooting sections? And Arnie's character from Predator 1 thrown in for good measure?! HELL YES! So there was a whole lot going for this game and I particularly enjoyed how the shooting sections were integrated into a beat-em-up (which was something unique at the time). The graphics were mind-blowing to behold and it was indeed intense to be continually swamped by hordes of the aliens. Not much else I can say except this was one of the finest arcades I've ever played & someone should get this on the XBLA and NOW.
Daytona USA
Well what can I say? Everyone played this in it's day and no doubt still play it now. It was, and still is, a great game to play against friends and goes to show that if an arcade game is designed well enough it can have incredible lasting power. And you haven't played a game of Daytona USA with seven other people you haven't lived.
Virtua Cop 2
I never thought much of the 'gun' games during my time in the arcades but this was an exception. Not sure why though: Maybe it was the graphics, maybe it was the presentation or maybe it simply damn fun to play.
But whatever the reason, this is another game I still play when I get the chance and shooting the crims never gets old. I've even tried playing it with both guns in each hand! So yeah Virtua Cop 2 is great fun and I liked it a lot.
Metal Slug
Yet another game I still enjoy playing to this day. Just when I thought that games were getting too serious and someone should make something humorous, along comes Metal Slug. Everything about this game is class: The stupidly big guns, the absurd voice announcements and the delightful graphics that are still fun to watch even now. A lot of care and attention to detail went into this game and it shows - it makes even a compelling game years later. And, in a rare case, the sequels took a winning formula and made it even better!
So there you go. Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane. Now whilst people may say the arcades may be something of an anachronism I however maintain that if an arcade game is fun, is well designed and can be enjoyed with more than one person then the game will have staying power - which is impressive seeing that video games tend to have a limited lifespan and are often outclassed by technological superior successors. And if I'm still willing to spare the change for the likes of Virtua Cop 2 and Daytona USA then something must've worked better than originally hoped for.
Until next time...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)