Archive for August 2014
Review Update: Life of Pixel
Life of Pixel has come a long way since we last reviewed it almost a year and a half ago on the Playstation Mobile platform. At the time developer Super Icon was self-publishing on Sony’s open platform and what they created was a gem of a title at just around a dollar. You can read my previous review if you’re interested but suffice to say that despite the Playstation Mobile platform being dead, the game lives on in all its glory on the Vita (although you cannot search for it, you must browse the Playstation Mobile tab in the Vita store). After a few attempts to expand the license and platform, Life of Pixel has re-emerged, this time on PC, with a slew of changes (mostly for the best) and three more platforms for your retro gaming bliss. I must admit that the game is addicting and right at home on mobile, but that there’s definitely much to be gained by planting this tightly timed platfomer on bigger screens.
I Love My MAME Cab
Man do I love my MAME cab. In the culture of emulation, I’m not too keen on the concept. I understand that emulation is necessary and that it has been an essential tool in not only archiving these great works of the past but also in allowing me to play import and fan translated games I otherwise never would have experienced. Still, I think that more often than not emulation gives way to piracy. If I want to go get Super Mario Bros 3 on NES, I’ve got a slew of choices: I can buy the original hardware and game, I can emulate illegally, or I can purchase legal emulated versions (Virtual Console). In most of those scenarios I opt to purchase the tangible hardware/game – but this is not always the case as I have never purchased a Turbografx-16 CD console to play the handful of favorites like Rondo of Blood and instead “settled” for emulated, legal, Virtual Console and PSN versions. On the arcade front the story is a bit different. Not only do I have to pony up large sums of money for the hardware/software – in this case being a working cabinet and PCB board – but I also have to make space, transportation arrangements, power consumption, safety, and in many cases repairs. It’s one thing to buy a PS1 game from Kentucky, have it shipped to you, resurface it if necessary, and then enjoy it. For a good working Salamander cab I may have to pay $500-$1,000 upfront on eBay, drive to Kentucky with a large truck, move the whole thing over 1,000 miles without damaging it and paying for gas/transport, move it into my house, and then most likely degauss a monitor, replace some wires, re-solder some button connections, and if I’m lucky I can play that single game for about 30 minutes before it’s time for my A.D.D. brain to move onto the next new thing.
Podcast: What Did You Expect?
This week Fred and Jam are joined by guest Fortengard to talk about the world of video game movies. Now, if we just sat around and ragged on them all day we would be just like every other gaming podcast. Instead, we delve into concepts of production, adaptation, and what makes these movies good or what makes them completely worthless.
Note: I promised to post the chat for this show as well, you can find it here (.doc version).
Retro Game Night: Jaws Games
This week, for no particular reason, we decided to tackle Jaws games. There were three, but given time constraints we only tackled two: Jaws for the NES and Jaws Unleashed for the PS2. There may be a follow-up for Jaws: Ultimate Predator on the Wii.
Podcast: Genesis Does
This week Fred, Jam, and Derrick from Dead Pixel Live are celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Sega Genesis. The first heavy hitter of the 16-bit generation started as a console for sports games and high quality arcade ports and later became known as the console for edge and violence. They cover the creation, launch, and span of a console that in six short years gave us a coveted library of memories.
Retro Game Night: Fire’n Ice and Skyblazer
This week the “$130 episode” features the NES sequel to Solomon’s Key Fire’n Ice and the recently featured Retronauts favorite Skyblazer for the SNES.
Review: Dino Crisis 2
Console: Playstation, Windows
Released: 2000
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Digital Release? Yes, PSN version compatible with PS3, PSP, and Vita for $5.99
Price: $14.00 (disc only), $25.00 (complete), $50.00 (sealed) per Price Charting
Dino Crisis 2: The Lost World. Okay, it’s just Dino Crisis 2. Just a year after the first game, we get the second game from Capcom, and this time the developers decided to stray away from the survival horror gameplay and try take the series into a unique direction. This is where the series started to experiment and take a new direction in terms of gameplay and mechanics. So was the game a development success or should it be a forgotten fossil?
Dino Crisis 2 has a rather complex plot from its predecessor. A city has vanished in time which was working with “third energy” and the survivors are now having to put up with some rather hungry Dinosaur residents. Regina from the first game and a team called TRAT (another great Capcom name) are sent through a time portal to rescue survivors. Surprisingly you begin the game as Dylan a generic looking army guy from TRAT. Throughout the game you will swap between Dylan and Regina who both use their own unique weapons. The plot is explained at the end of the game in a very long cutscene but it’s unlikely you will particularly care, the story really comes across as an after thought in this game.
Podcast: Final Fantasy X, X-2, and…XII?
This week we are an ensemble cast with Andy from 42 Level One and Agents of Shieldcast as well as Eli from Knuckleballer Radio joining to discuss the main PS2 iterations of the Final Fantasy Series: X, X-2, and XII. As with all our FF eps, it’s a broad overview, but the discussion will help you understand what to expect from each iteration and what development changes were made. With the recent HD remakes of the X titles, you may just be tempted to give these titles a second glance.
Review: Dino Crisis
Console: Playstation, Dreamcast, PC
Released: 1999
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Digital Release? Yes, PSN version compatible with PS3, PSP, and Vita for $5.99
Price: $7.50 (disc only), $10.00 (complete), $35.00 (sealed) per Price Charting
Dino Crisis really sounds like a winning formula if, like me, you are are fan of survival horror and dinosaurs. What could possibly go wrong? Well its time to revisit this Sony Playstation 1999 release and see if it stood the test of time or should have remained extinct.
Dino Crisis released when survival horror was hitting a peak in the industry, at least in terms of the “tank-like” control system. The Sony Playstation had plenty of games like it to offer. In the same year Dino Crisis released we also saw Silent Hill from Konami and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis also from Capcom. Interesting to note: Shinji Mikami – creator of the original Resident Evil – was heavily involved in the production of this game so much so his name was put on the front of the box in hopes it would sell the game. Clearly something worked as Dino Crisis managed to sell over one million copies.
Quick Look: Bioshock
This month’s game club is none other than the 2K Boston (Irrational Games) 2007 release Bioshock. Unlike many of the games in our game club, it’s not the first time we’ve touched this game so instead of the usual banter we focus on gameplay elements, historical development context, and of course the slew of minutia that makes this nearly 7 year old game seem timeless. Due to a microphone balancing issue, my commentary is sometimes drowned out by the game’s audio
Gaming History 101 