Archive for August 2015
Podcast: Emergence Day
What started off as a spin-off for the Unreal series evolved into a technical showpiece for the Unreal 3 Engine and eventually became the powerhouse series Gears of War. A staple in the Microsoft family, Gears of War broke through the fears of HD console gaming and was responsible for some of the most influential multiplayer mechanics from co-op to horde mode.
Streets Of Rage 3D – The Joys of Buying on Launch Day Again
I was contemplating whether to write a review for the recent port of Streets of Rage 2 on the 3DS but I kinda thought there’s little point. Most people reading this article will have played the game and know its great. Instead I wanted to write about the fun I had re-visiting the game and why I actually had no problem re-buying this game despite owning it on multiple systems and compilations. If you are someone that needs a score the game is 5 out of 5. Fred and I also talked extensively about the game on our Top Ten Mega Drive/Genesis games of all time, which I highly recommend checking out, you might be surprised what makes the cut.
Metal Gear (MSX) Review
No, don’t be confused this is not Metal Gear Solid on the Playstation or the reboot (Twin Snakes) on the GameCube. It’s also not that Metal Gear game on the NES that everyone played in American and absolutely no one played over here in Europe (quick commentary at the end if interested). Nope, this review is for the very first Metal Gear game released for the MSX microcomputer way before the Solid days and back when Kojima and Konami were better friends. This is a game no one had played in America (until the re-release) and was slightly more popular in Europe. This game along with the MSX sequel titled Metal Gear: Solid Snake (not to be confused with the NES sequel Snake’s Revenge, which is not cannon nor Kojima developed) are both available on the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection on Xbox 360, PS3 and PS Vita. They are also available to play on Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence on PS2. For this review I will be covering the PS Vita version but after spending some time with the 360 and PS2 versions, they’re all pretty similar with very minor differences.
Metal Gear puts you in the shoes of a rookie soldier with the code name Solid Snake. Your job is to infiltrate a place called “Outer Heaven,” rescue the hostages, and destroy a new weapon that can launch nuclear missiles called Metal Gear. It’s very likely you’ll be going back to play this game after one of the other titles in the Solid series. So, you probably have some familiarity with the plot and most likely know about the twist at the end. Everything is presented in text and unlike any other game in the series the story sections of the game are short and sweet. Even though I knew exactly where the story was heading it was still interesting to see how it reached that moment.
Retro Game Night: Neo-Retro Marathon!
There was a lot of gameplay involved in my short visit to Neo-Retro town, but it was worth it. Check out the videos below:
This was supposedly a collection of forgotten Dreamcast mini-games, it turns out to be a weird collection of Sonic love fests. Its, um, well, you’ll see…
Extra Credit: From MSX to MGS – The Evolution of Metal Gear
As part of our Metal Gear Solid week, Jam and Fred are discussing the evolution of the Metal Gear series until finally resting upon the 3D remake of sorts, Metal Gear Solid. Discussions are had about the MSX outings, Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, before finally appreciating the PS1 classic Metal Gear Solid.
Download this episode (right click and save)
Lost Treasures of Gaming: Miner 2049er
This week on Lost Treasures of Gaming the boys had on none other than Bill Hogue, creator of Miner 2049er. As an avid fan in my youth (and I’ve heard quite a popular game in Europe) I was delighted to revisit this title I hadn’t touched in over 15 years. Originally programmed for the Atari 800, this is the Commodore 64 version, but it captures the soul of the game quite nicely. If you aren’t familiar with this game that is, according to Hogue, a Donkey Kong hybrid with Pac-Man, you should do yourselves a favor and give this addicting and challenging title a try.
The Lost Treasures of Gaming podcast and several other shows can be found at OMG Nexus.
Metal Gear Solid 2 – The Misunderstood Entry in the Series
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is the entry into the series that a lot of gamers shudder when they look back on. In this article I’m going to discuss the negative reaction gamers have to this entry in the series and then cover why this game really is surprisingly great today even when held up against other entries in the series.
Just to warn anyone that wants to play the game and hasn’t this article will contain mild spoilers to the plot and direction of the game.
Even for the time this game was critically praised by almost every major gaming magazine but there was a few things that just didn’t sit well with gamers. Lets get the infamous one out the way and that is the character of Raiden. Yes, we all bought that glorified mech demo, Zone of the Enders just to be able play a demo of Metal Gear Solid 2 and replay as our gaming hero Solid Snake. We sunk £40 into this game in Europe ($60 in the US) and yet people lose there minds when Konami releases Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes for £20 ($30 in US) despite you paying for a game that you want to play, but I digress. When you finally got your mitts on the full retail game of Metal Gear Solid 2 – after spending another £40 ($60 in US) mind you, it’s okay Konami you just take my money – your grinning from ear to ear as you play through the game as Solid Snake, but that lasts for what seems like five minutes and then the game forces you to play the remaining ninety percent of the game as this feminine Raiden (insert Mortal Kombat intro music here) character. Raiden wasn’t cool, he was dorky, and lacked that testosterone rugidness we were used to from our main man Snake. Also he didn’t have any special abilities that featured lightening. So people were not too impressed by this, sure Snake was lingering in the background but it just wasn’t as cool as playing as the guy. It was the moment in Metal Gear history where fans thought Kojima had truly lost his mind.
Stop What You’re Doing Right Now and Play Metal Gear Solid! (on Playstation because meh to the GameCube Remake)
In honour of Metal Gear Solid season I wanted to kick off what I hope will be a new season of articles telling you by force to play certain games. Boy, do we have a good one to start with. Metal Gear Solid on the Playstation is most peoples first entry into the Metal Gear Solid series. However, if by some bizarre fluke this game has completely passed you by then here are some reasons why you need to drop what you are doing right now and go play this game. If you have already played the game then maybe this article will give you incentive to go revisit it again.
Before we begin this list may contain mild spoilers so if you haven’t already played the game and want to you may want to come back to this later. Also the opinions in this article do not represent the opinions of other writers for Gaming History 101. With that out of the way, let’s get on with it!
Podcast: We’re Nothing Without You!
This week Fred and Jam are discussing the publisher Working Designs, best known for bringing many non-traditional Japanese titles over to the West complete with heavy localization. Thanks in part to president Victor Ireland, Working Designs is responsible for key titles in the libraries of the Turbografx-16 (and CD), Sega CD, Saturn, Playstation, and Playstation 2.
Metal Gear Solid Review
There were so many excellent games that came out on the original Playstation that certain paramount titles could pass you by. The reasoning is actually two-fold because you may not have missed them – I was acutely aware of the presence of Metal Gear Solid when it released and even played a little of it – but it was back in a time where if a game didn’t click with you, typically you would shrug it off and move on to the myriad of other titles out there. That was my experience when I first played Metal Gear Solid. I remember having a heck of a time sneaking to the elevator in the beginning, even harder time getting into the vents outside Shadow Moses, and by the time I find the D.A.R.P.A. Chief only to discover most people got there in 20 minutes I was so frustrated I just quit. It would appear I not only passed on one of the best games on one of the best consoles of all time, but that I was abandoning a series that stands quite high in my top game franchises of all time. That’s the thing, though, when you look back on Metal Gear Solid. It broke so much ground and basically invented the stealth mechanic (after two earlier attempts I might add) that it’s easy to appreciate it but there are a heck of a lot of caveats if you’re going to revisit it today or play it for the first time. It has much more historical value than replay value, although I did have a smile on my face most of the time.
Gaming History 101 