r/retrogameofthemonth

Rocket Knight Adventures (Genesis) is a really fun game. I never played it when I was younger, I was an SNES kid, but I did play Sparkster (SNES) a lot. While I enjoy both games. Sparkster was a Konami mascot for a while in the 90's, and he definitely has a little bit of a Sonic vibe, imo. I am thinking of maybe spending some time on this game, and trying to beat it because I am liking it so far.

What do you think of Rocket Knight Adventures (Genesis)?

OutRunners (Arcade) is a game that escaped me for one reason or another. I loved the original Out-Run, but never had the opportunity to play any of its sequels. This game is awesome, with a nice selection of cars and drivers that the original just doesn't offer.

I was really surprised by the emphasis on drifting in this game compared to the original. It really reminds me a lot of Power Drift (Arcade), another arcade game that I love. It felt really satisfying to drift through the rock structure in this one. I found it easy avoiding the horses and wagons on the side, but once you get in the dirt, it's hard getting back. I've never tried the Port, and look forward to trying it soon.

Is this one of your favorite games in the Out-Run franchise? And have you tried the Genesis Port?

TL;WR -> A nice journey through boomboxes, crazy clowns and wild farting ladies. I did enjoy what little the game had to offer, but even for 1989 it wasn’t enough to gain some roller skate traction. An (8.5) game, very good in my Arcade Book. Wouldn’t replay it though, as I’m better off taking my roller skates and proceeding to knock on the sequel’s gates! 

I’d recommend listening to this music while reading. 

GAMEPLAY (6/10) 

• Storytelling was pretty basic with Bob and Tom (if you chose CO-OP) trying to recover his boombox, yet had an awesome presentation with hip hop aesthetics and a lot of roller skates! 
• The controls themselves were basic too, with a punch, kick, jump or special attack. If you combined some air kicks with ground ones, you could do recovery attacks as well. Besides, hitting enemies with roller skates must’ve been painful. 
• Apart from the normal controls, when you were skating you could slow down, increase your speed or even kick backwards for a change! 
• Problem was, many hits didn’t connect with the enemies, which required precise timings and perfect placements. 
• By collecting cats hidden in barrels or crates, you regained some health back. Unfortunately that wasn’t nearly as enough when the enemies slam dunked you in Greco Roman style or threw explosive briefcases at you! 
• Speaking of enemy variety, they were outstanding. Each level featured unique types with normal schmucks, robots, clowns, police with whips, near naked posers, fire breathing creatures, farting ladies or even slot machines throwing your own coins back at you! 
• Traversal was seamless without any interruptions. You could complete the game in less than 20m, but that required some hard bucks! 
• Speaking of hard, the game was pretty much a coin sucker. I don’t know how many coins I threw in, but from my own feeling, way too many!

 

AUDIO (9/10) 

• Sound design had an awesome stereo output with crunchy punches and cool Wolfman Jack digitised lines. “Yeah I’d say alright, shake it baby!” 
• The soundtrack itself was very good, giving you pleasant vibes while fighting crazy roller skater clowns!

 

VISUALS (10/10) 

• Fidelity was very impressive for 1989, even though the US version was released in 1990. It combined the punk art direction with its visual effects perfectly, as well as the marvellous backgrounds with unique sceneries! 
• Character models were spectacular. Your own character had a 360 sprite rotation with different animations, as well as the enemies themselves. Finishing a level with a wild dance was super fun! 
• Performance was solid for the whole play-through, not dropping a single frame!

 

WORLD DESIGN (9/10) 

• Level design had an amazing progression with skating or “walking” sections. But the best part was going through the city streets, unfriendly neighbourhoods, train stations, underground, casino, scrapyard or even a Wild West themed area while looking at beautiful animated backgrounds and spectacular landscapes! 
• The atmosphere was perfect. Having a punk on roller skates was more than enough, but the game expanded beyond that with a Casino owner kicking you back into inserting another coin! 
• World destruction while not extensive, did provide some destructible crates or barrels. Quite sad you couldn’t destroy those coin spitting slot machines, would’ve been spicier!

 

I love any Double Dragon game. They are always fun and a good challenge. When it comes to Double Dragon III (NES) I still laugh every time I see Bimmy and Jimmy. Billy must have had his name changed. Lol.

Is this one of your favorite bad video game translations?

Probably my earliest combat genre game that I remember playing, Combat (Atari 2600) brings back a lot of memories. With options to fight as tanks, biplanes, or jets over 27 level variations, this was an exciting game to play with a friend or family member. This game was also packaged along with the core consoles for many years, making it a common game that many played.

I remember the small black and white TV we had, no remote control of course, hooked up to our Atari 2600. Between Space Invaders, and Combat alone, I was entertained for hours. It didn't matter if I was playing alone against a stationary enemy, or lucky enough to play against someone, the game was fun. I especially enjoyed the biplanes, and the simple flying controls.

What vehicle was your favorite to play as in Combat (Atari 2600).

Anytime I hear anything about Neo Geo games I get excited. With some of the best graphics and coolest games around, seeing those beautiful red machines was a treat. Walking up and revealing the standard 1, 2, 4 or sometimes 6 game offerings was suspenseful. So often, the solid staple would be the iconic Metal Slug, and one of its amazing titles such as Metal Slug X (Neo Geo).

Essentially a better version of Metal Slug 2, this game plays fast and loud just like you would expect from this franchise. I always love the use of vehicles, and how crazy the weapons and their upgrades can be. I love Contra, so I've always been drawn to these types of games. Metal Slug X is just as special though, and I highly suggest any of its excellent titles.

Which Metal Slug game is your favorite in the franchise?

When I think of NES sports games, baseball and football titles often come to mind. However, one of the NES sports gems has to be Super Dodge Ball (NES). This fun and simple game always provides some laughs with the great animations and big knockouts.

The graphics are one of the biggest draws for me, having loved River City Ransom (NES), I feel like I'm playing dodge ball in that world. I never played the arcade version, but I've heard that this port is just as good as its arcade counterpart. My friend and I used to play this in High School, and there'd be a ton of yelling and excitement in those playthroughs. Super Dodge Ball is a great NES sports game detour to break the norm.

Was Super Dodge Ball a NES sports favorite of yours?

Road Rash II (Genesis) is the second installment in the Road Rash series, and there were some pretty cool things added in this game. Chains are now a weapon choice and you can get nitrous oxide charges on certain bikes. I was most excited about the 2-player split screen though. I spent so much time playing this with friends after school. Homework took a backseat to this game. Lol.

Did you like this Road Rash II (Genesis)?

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (GBC) is a game that I am just now playing for the first time. My first introduction to Zelda on the GBC was when we played Link's Awakening here in retrogameofthemonth. I absolutely loved that game, and had a blast playing it with everyone. Oracle of Ages seems like it is going to be really fun. I love the opening scene where the Sorceress of Shadows possesses Nayru. The Maku Tree scene, and warping through time in the video shown above was also super cool. That instantly got me hooked, and I am excited to play and find out what happens next.

Do you like The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (GBC)? What is your favorite Zelda game on the GBC?

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (NES) is IMO an average platformer that offers some fun, yet repetitive gameplay. The graphics are good, and the music is fun, but it doesn't leave me with that special game feeling.

What is special for me is the fun and unique box art. I kind of get Little Shop of Horrors vibes from this art, even though that wasn't a tomato, in the movie. The green and red background complemented the evil looking tomato featured in the middle of box art. I remember seeing that and having my interests peaked enough to rent this game, and having fun with it.

Do you remember this awesome box art for Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (NES)?

TL;WR -> An engaging journey through military bases, snowy mountains and river passages. While it didn’t have an extensive gameplay, diverse sound effects or great visual clarity, it did deliver a unique experience. A (7.5) game, very good in my Arcade Book. Wouldn’t replay it though, even if it had a 3 player simultaneous CO-OP. While the ally Jet sent down the bombs, he clearly forgot to use his comms! 

I’d recommend listening to this music while reading. 

GAMEPLAY (7/10) 

• Storytelling was pretty basic, with the whole game being just under 30m to complete. 
• The controls were basic too, with an attack, dash and special button. Besides, you could play in 3 player CO-OP if you so desired, filling the screen with absolute mayhem. Unfortunately the game had only one ending, and even the characters had the same speed and controls between them! 
• By filling up your power meter, you could do 4 different specials depending on how many shields you collected. Plus, I loved how the game stacked your power ups even after a continue. 
• At the start of each level, you could choose a desired bombing site to help in your mission, delivering a jet with the powerful screen clearing bomb. 
• By collecting health kits and drinks, you replenished a bit of health. Although clearly not enough seen as how many enemies were present on screen! 
• Speaking of enemy variety, pretty cool. There were some repetitions sure, but the overall diversity between them was nice. You fought troopers, kamikaze, tanks, mechs, turrets and many more enemies with different attack patterns! 
• Boss battles too, although quite repetitive in their layouts. I did love the bomber fight with the tilting ground, that mission was the most memorable from the whole game! 
• By collecting a variety of guns, like a plasma rifle, flamethrower, green shurikens of sorts and the best one, the melting acid gun, you gained different projectile patterns to aid in your quest. Each weapon had its own bullet expansions upon collecting power ups. 
• The game also had some cool vehicles in between. Like the Mech, power boat or snowmobile, all with cool projectile or melee weapons! 
• I didn’t like the locked characters though, made the journey feel a bit monotonous. Would’ve loved to change characters upon a continue, yet considering that they didn’t differ between each other, I guess that’ll do! 
• Traversal was seamless within each level, with the transitions between areas being unpredictable. Sometimes I sat in one place and fought hordes of enemies not realising that I had to move forward, good one coin suckers! 
• Speaking of succulent techniques. The game had insane difficulty spikes with so many enemies, projectiles and explosions on screen it was simply madness. Maybe in 3 player CO-OP you could survive, but even then you’d need a miracle!

 

AUDIO (6/10) 

• Sound design had a great stereo output, yet felt more like mono considering the limited top-down aesthetic. 
• The soundtrack was very good on normal stages, and very annoying on boss battles. Fortunately you dealt with them fast so it didn’t last. 
• Same with the sound effects, which were cool initially, only to annoy you the more you shot at schmucks!

 

VISUALS (7/10) 

• Fidelity was average for 1992, with character sprites feeling a bit dated. I did love going through high grass or chill water though, made some section feel unique! 
• Character models had cool animations between them, with the main characters moving in a 360 rotation with unique animations depending on whether you were in a boat, mech or on foot. Same for enemies, which launched those crazy kamikaze right at your ass! 
• The performance was rock solid, even in the most demanding scenes. 
• The art direction was phenomenal, with many colours, backgrounds and overall mayhem on screen!

 

WORLD DESIGN (10/10) 

• Level design had an awesome progression with many sections feeling like entire new levels. You started from the border with a Dictator’s flag, then moved to the desert, villages, rivers, military bases and finally freed the people from the Dictator’s regime in the snowy mountains! 
• The atmosphere was phenomenal with cool music, absolute mayhem and pleasant transitions! 
• World destruction was peak as well, with many structures, vehicles and pretty much everything being destroyed!

 

Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage (SNES) was a game that my brother owned, so I wasn't allowed to play it back in the day. I always said I didn't care because I didn't want to play stupid boy games anyway. Lol. But secretly I really did want to play it. When I finally got around to playing it as an adult, I had so much fun. It really is a great game. It is your basic side-scrolling beat 'em up, but it has a lot of charm, imo. It probably helps that my favorite superhero is Spider-Man. The objective of this game is what you would expect. You play as Spider-Man and Venom in an attempt to defeat Carnage and his team. This game had mixed reviews, but I for one love it.

Do you like this game?

I have always thought the start screen to Alien Syndrome (Game Gear) was really cool how the words are made to have a wiggly tail. It's pink too, which is awesome because it is one of my favorite colors. I really like the game as well. It starts out fairly easy, but there is a sharp increase in difficulty as you progress, with the boss fights being especially difficult, imo. The graphics are vibrant and the aliens are really pretty to look at too. Lol. You can choose to play as Ricky or Mary as they try to save Earth from an alien invasion. I think this game would have been even more awesome if it were 2-player, but sadly it is only single player. It's still awesome despite that.

What do you think of Alien Syndrome (Game Gear)?

I have had my Super Nintendo for about 35 years now, and I love that I was able to hold on to my original. It was really, really bad discolored until a couple of years ago. A very close friend of mine helped me to spruce it up again. He took all the insides out, and then used hydrogen peroxide and sunlight to brighten it up and it worked amazingly. It looks so much better now. While we were doing that, we noticed that my power and reset buttons were a different color than his SNES. The buttons on mine are a darker purple, that I think is very pretty. 😊

If you have a SNES, what shade of purple are your buttons?

I've always admired Metal Gear (NES) for its bold approach and emphasis on stealth throughout the game. Most definitely an iconic and influential NES title, this game started a franchise we still know and play today.

The box art screams 1987, with the awesome depiction of Solid Snake in his tactical gear and awesome headset. I kind of get a Michael Biehn in Terminator from the picture. WIth so many great action movies in this era, it's no wonder Metal Gear was a success. It's not flashy by any means, but stands out for me as an awesome piece of NES art.

Do you see the Michael Biehn resemblance?

Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose! (SNES) is the game that brings me the most nostalgia. I struggled with this game as a kid, and I think I only beat the 3rd level one time. Lol. I played those first 3 levels so, so, so many times though. I am just now going back to it as an adult to try and finally beat it. It does seem easier now, so I have high hopes that I will get it this time. The minigames after each level were so much fun. I loved it when it was time to spin the wheel. My favorite part was feeding Dizzy Devil with the foods on the conveyor belt to get him to go to sleep. I had so much fun doing that again.

Do you remember this game?

The intro to Jurassic Park (Genesis) is one of my favorite video game intros of all time. It is simple, but used to really freak me out. The music is menacing, and the rain and the lightning flashing as the T-Rex chomps down on your jeep still gives me chills. Like most Genesis games, the graphics are great. I thought it was really cool how you could play as either Dr. Alan Grant or the Velociraptor. The goal if you are playing as Alan Grant is to make it to the Visitor's Center in order to escape by helicopter. If you are playing as the Velociraptor, your goal is to stop Dr. Grant from making it to the helicopter. I really liked playing as the Velociraptor.

Do you like Jurassic Park (Genesis)? Do you prefer playing as Dr. Grant or the Velociraptor?

I miss my Dreamcast, It was so ahead of its time. Along with so many great games, a stand out title for me was Crazy Taxi (Dreamcast). This incredible port of the arcade smash hit, was such a faithful representation of its arcade form. The Dreamcast did this game so much justice.

I forgot how fun it is to collect fares and bang your way around town. The riders comments and animations are some of the funnest parts of the game. I really enjoy taking those hills downhill really fast for maximum air and distance. The soundtrack is amazing, and The Offspring rock so hard. I remember this game being all the rage when it came out, and for good reason.

Was Crazy Taxi (Dreamcast) a favorite game of yours?