Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
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
Retro Game Night: Putty Squad and Gameboy Mortal Kombat
This week we finally got our hands on Mortal Kombat for the Gameboy to complete the circle and supplement the original Mortal Kombat Versions Video. Additionally the PS4 title Putty Squad is apparently pretty terrible, however the game was originally released on the SNES and we’ve got a copy to try out.
Review: Shadow Of Rome
Console: Playstation 2
Released: 2005
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Digital Release? No
Price: $6.99 (disc only), $20.00 (complete), $34.03 (sealed) – all prices according to Price Charting
I remember picking up Shadow of Rome in some pretty gloomy pawn shop a couple of years ago. It was a blind purchase, I knew nothing about the game, just read the blurb on the back thought it looked cool and saw Capcom made it which intrigued me. I started the game but soon after studies took priority and I just had to leave it to the side to return to later. Later become several years but I guess I got there in the end thanks to it being the latest entry in Gaming History 101’s Game Club series. So, lets see if Shadow of Rome is Capcom gold or an IP that should remain forgotten.
Shadow Of Rome, as the cover implies, is set in Rome. Julius Caesar has been murdered sending all of Rome into turmoil. You play as two characters – Agrippa the Roman Centurion and Octavianus, who looks very similar to another long blonde haired character in a infamous Metal Gear game. It’s up to these two characters to get to the bottom of this conspiracy. The setting is actually really well thought out, I genuinely wanted to go look up Roman history after playing this game. Despite the story of the game being a work of fiction, facts about the history of Rome are presented during loading screens. Names of characters in the game like Antonius and Pompey are also based on real characters in history. The game’s story loosely mirrors the actual fate of these characters in history as well. If nothing else Shadow of Rome will make you want to learn more about the Romans and maybe even go to a museum.
Podcast: Shadow of Rome Game Club
Between Mega Man games Inafune and a team from Capcom made a hybrid action/stealth title for the PS2 that re-created solving the murder of Julius Caesar. It released in February 2005, just one month before God of War, and provided one of the funniest, craziest, and most challenging game clubs we’ve tackled to date. Join Fred, Jam, and special guest Trees from EZMU as they conquer Shadow of Rome.
Podcast: Silent Evil 2: Resident Hill
This week we are tackling quite possibly the two most popular titles of survival horror: Resident Evil 2 and Silent Hill 2. Resident Evil 2 was scrapped only a few months before completion and completely redone, resulting in many of the staples that carried the franchise forward and stands as a fan favorite. Meanwhile Silent Hill 2 waited until the Playstation 2 hit the market and with one of the creepiest atmospheres of all times redefined what horror gaming could be. We openly discuss the notable aspects of both.
Retro Game Night: Sega Master System Brawl, Streets of Rage 2 hack, and Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic!
This week we’re covering a lot of ground in a little bit of time. Not to be outdone by the upcoming Wii U Smash Bros, Sega fans made a Genesis/Mega Drive homebrew of classic Master System characters and levels duking it out entitled Sega Master System Brawl and we check it out. Then we move on to a color enhancing hack on Streets of Rage 2 that is said to bring it closer to SNES quality (and we put the original’s gameplay in the corner for comparison). Finally we play the Famicom Disk System (FDS) title Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic! which you all probably know better as it released in the US as Super Mario Bros 2 on the NES. Like Streets of Rage, we put the original gameplay in the corner for comparison. This was played on original hardware with either original games or a flash cart for homebrew/hacks, no emulation.
Podcast: GBA Forever
This week the boys are talking all about the Gameboy Advance. Nintendo’s successor to the extremely popular Gameboy was touted by many as the SNES in your hands. Well it was a lot more than that and we’re talking all about the crazy library of games that reminded us how fond we were of the 16 bit era.
Retro Game Night: Shadow of Rome
This week’s Retro Game Night is all about the Romans. For July’s game club we are playing Shadow of Rome for the Playstation 2 and we give it the usual first glance and initial impressions. For load time optimization I have placed a graphic instead of an embedded video. Click on it to watch.
Podcast: Dino Crisis 1 & 2 Game Club
This week we are talking about Capcom’s survival horror titles in a dinosaur-infested facility, Dino Crisis and Dino Crisis 2. A testing ground for new survival horror mechanics, it’s interesting to see the decisions made in what is one of the more interesting two titles of the original Playstation’s late titles.
Gaming History 101 