August 2008 Archives

Bomber King (aka Robo Warrior) was an extremely difficult action game released by Jaleco in 1988 and developed by Hudson Soft. Many oblivious consumers in Japan purchased this game thinking that it was a sequel to Bomberman (it was marketed as such). Though it's not without its similarities, Bomber King turned out to be a different game altogether.

The game basically involves using bombs to destroy your surroundings (necessary in order to progress), collecting items, and killing enemies (who drop bombs for you to collect). There are a few different types of levels, ones that cycle indefinitely until you find the 'crystal', levels that have finite space (find the key to exit), and underground levels where you can collect items (it's not necessary to visit the underground to complete any given level). There are also several bosses for you to defeat along the way.

However, it's notoriously easy to die in this game, and few have made it to the first boss (or even past the first stage). Much like in Bomberman if you are anywhere near your bomb when it detonates, you die. Add to that the fact that bombs detonate very quickly, and when you place them you slide backward, which takes some getting used to (if you're holding the wrong direction on the D-pad you're sure to get absorbed in the blast). Not to mention, sometimes you get shoved into your own bombs by an enemy. Finally, you only get one life, which means instant game over. Even though it's a fun game, this is the reason that many have given up on it.

Without a guide (if it wasn't for this Japanese site I wouldn't have beaten the game) it's near impossible to beat this game. It's easy to die, but add to that its cryptic nature. For example, there are certain walls that can be blown up in order to make passage, but sometimes there's no way of telling what apart walls that can be destroyed from those that can't. To top it off, sometimes it can take anywhere from two to four bombs to destroy a wall.

Gameplay
When you get used to it, it's actually a pretty addicting game. Still, it's pretty difficult, and it takes a lot of determination to finish it. If anything, they could have made the first stage a little easier, because there are far easier stages later in the game, but I guess they wanted to weed out the "casual" players. Nevertheless, I like the fact that there's a fair bit of content (roughly 10 hours of gameplay). I also like the variety of items. When used at the right time, they are all pretty useful, especially missiles, which are practically mandatory for boss battles.

Graphics
Basic Nintendo graphics. Backgrounds tend to be repetitive textures, but the enemies, bosses and main character are fairly well-developed. Some of the bosses leave something to be desired, but the battles are still fun. All of the items are fairly easy to tell apart, which is a plus.

Sound & Music
I enjoyed the music in this game, but you better get used to the idea that there are certain themes you will be hearing over and over. That's not to say that there aren't a decent number of themes, it's just that the game is pretty long and the main theme tends to repeat throughout most of the game (unless you're in a hidden room or underground). I would have liked some more variation, obviously, but it was still enjoyable.

Overall 7.5/10
You really have to wonder why nobody suggested any changes at the Beta stage (were there any Beta testers?). Obviously it's not an unbeatable game, and those who love it really love it but you would have to be borderline obsessive to finish it (I guess that makes me borderline obsessive). The gameplay is just plain fun, and that's one thing this game has going for it. Apparently there's a sequel on the Game Boy and I'm rather tempted to check it out.

This article was originally published on August 20, 2008.

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective refers to the 1994 Comedy starring Jim Carrey, who plays a goofy but expert pet detective who has an affinity for animals. Snowflake (a dolphin), the beloved mascot of the Miami Dolphins goes missing and Ace must bring it back to safety.

If you grew up in the 80s and 90s and you were a fan of Jim Carrey, then this movie probably holds a special place in your mind. Admittedly I do have a weak spot for Jim Carrey as well, but having watched this film again recently, I can honestly say it wasn't the masterpiece I remembered it to be.

Yes, it's a funny movie, but when you really think about the plot and setting there really isn't anything funny about it. The only thing that makes it funny is how goofy Ace is. There are a few visual gags that are 'cute', or maybe even a little 'silly', but there aren't too many laugh-out-loud moments. If it wasn't for Jim Carrey, I highly doubt that the movie would even be remembered.

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995) is basically the same movie as the first one, except that the setting is different. This time Ace is hired to go to Africa to find an albino bat in order to stop warfare between two opposing tribes (the tribes consider the bat to be sacred). Apparently, even though Ace Ventura loves animals, he hasn't taken a liking to bats. Nevertheless, he agrees to the job.

If you watch the movies back to back, you'll notice that half of Ace's lines are exactly the same as Pet Detective. In other words, the writers only re-wrote half to three-quarters of the script. They must have thought jungle = animals and therefore the perfect setting for an Ace Ventura movie, but somehow the focus seems too narrow and doesn't do much for the movie.

It was established in the first movie that Ace has an affinity for animals, but in this movie it seems a little extreme (he overreacts when he sees a lady wearing a fox around her shoulder, and when he sees Cadby's 'hunting trophies'). Not that you would expect any less, but this may as well be an Animal Rights film with Jim Carrey as its spokesperson.

If nothing else, at least the Ventura character was consistent from one movie to the next (although I don't really buy Ace becoming a monk).

This article was originally published on August 20, 2008.

Wagyan Land is essentially Namco's answer to Super Mario Bros. Or at least that's one way of looking at it. It's basically a side-scrolling action game involving jumping over obstacles and stunning enemies (or propelling them off-screen) using sound waves. The main difference is that all boss battles are made up of mini games of Memory or other indescribable games like 'Shiritori' (click on this link for the Wiki).

I didn't find the game to be overly difficult, but there are a few challenging levels along the way, and the final boss battle can be a bit of an annoyance. He will challenge you to two games, and will require you to meet a high quota in the final battle of Shiritori. Since it had been awhile since I last played a game of Shiritori this proved to be a bit of a challenge, but it didn't take me too long to get back into the groove of things.

There are some levels that involve going from left-to-right or from bottom-to-top, and that's another area where this game displayed a bit of originality. This wasn't completely unusual at the time, but it added some variety to the game.

Gameplay
The controls are simple enough, and relatively easy to figure out. A to jump, B to attack. There are a few items you can collect along the way that allow you to become invisible (and essentially invincible), release a charged shot, or stay in the air longer by mashing the A button.

Some of these items are vital to your success, especially in levels that involve staying in the air for prolonged periods in order to survive. You may also be offered special items along the way. It's not always to your advantage to take them, but the choice is up to you. One of the special items allows you to fly in the air indefinitely by holding the A button (Wagyan basically becomes a helicopter). All in all, the stages leading up to the bosses are relatively short and easy to beat. There are some alternate routes leading up to the final stage, which gives the game some replay value.

Graphics
The graphics are fairly primitive, but they are sufficient in conveying different elements like backgrounds, enemy characters, and items. The bare necessities are here.

Sound & Music
I found the music in this game to be fairly enjoyable. Most of the soundtrack is made up of island-feel themes. Wagyan Land is basically a kid's game, so there aren't really any haunting, ominous themes here.

Overall 7/10
It's a fun game, but there really isn't much to it. It's less of a challenge than Mario, that is, if you understand Japanese. Otherwise, you might be in trouble. It took me roughly 2 hours to finish it, and it's obviously possible to finish it in less (especially using warps).

This article was originally published on August 19, 2008.

My Famicom collection isn't exactly extensive, but I have a few lame games that aren't deserving of a full review. In this article, I'm going to give you a short overview of these games that frustrated me as a kid.

Dragon Ball - Shen Long no Nazo

OK, so this isn't that bad of a game, but it's still not deserving of a full review. You control Goku, and you're on a journey to find all 7 dragon balls. Since this game is fairly challenging, I've never been able to collect all 7, but I've gotten as far as 5 (which is basically just 2 stages since you start with 3). The action element of the game is pretty fun, but still leaves something to be desired, especially in terms of balance. Your health doesn't just go down when you get hit by enemies; it also goes down as you're walking around. Now a lot of the enemies aren't that hard to defeat, but boss battles, on the other hand, can be pretty challenging (like Yamcha, for example). It's cool that they used music from the original Dragon Ball anime, but it's annoying that it jumps to a dialogue screen every few minutes (or when you reach your destination).

Kamen Rider Club

So at first this game seems fairly promising. You choose from 3 different Riders at the beginning of the game, jump around, punch enemies in the head, punch through blocks and collect money. Depending on the Rider you pick you play a different level, which is kind of cool. But this isn't just a side scrolling action game. No, they've incorporated an RPG element to the game as well. Sometimes when you get near an enemy, you are forced into RPG style combat, which requires you to mash buttons incessantly. It takes awhile to get a hang of it, and you'd be lucky to survive your first few encounters. I guess that's why you have money and shops placed at random intervals (you're supposed to buy stuff). In fact, the whole game seems to require a lot of button mashing, including climbing walls.

I love it when you hit your head on the ceiling. Your character doesn't take any damage, but your head is flattened, the music changes to something really goofy, and the character's movements become impaired (i.e. climbing) for about 10 seconds. Speaking of which, the music isn't half bad. OK, so this isn't a horrible game, but it's glitchy, it's difficult, and the frame rate is pretty bad in some places. I hardly think it's worth playing through.

Magmax

OK, this really isn't a bad game either, though it could have benefited from more development time. Magmax is basically a quirky side-scrolling shooter.

There doesn't seem to be more than 2 music themes in the game; one above ground theme, and one underground theme (you can warp between the two using the grey holes located at random intervals). There's no boss music either. Both of the themes seem way too cheery, as if this game was a self-parody. Speaking of bosses, there only seems to be one; a robotic hydra looking thing. I've never made it all the way through the game, so I wouldn't know if there is anything beyond, but after about 15 minutes of gameplay I encountered the same hydra twice.

The upgrades in this game are kind of funny as well. You basically start as a little ship, and you can gain up to 3 upgrades; a torso attachment, a leg attachment, and some kind of stomach beam attachment. When you have all of the upgrades you can take more hits, but unfortunately you also become larger and thus a bigger target. What a strange game.

Saint Seiya - Ougon Densetsu

Oh man. I don't even want to play this one. Much like Kamen Rider, Saint Seiya was a popular Japanese series, though Kamen Rider was best known for its live action TV show, and Saint Seiya, for its manga/anime series. Much like Kamen Rider Club, this is another strange Action RPG hybrid, and you start by fighting your trainer who you can't do any damage to, and eventually you get beaten. I thought that's what was supposed to happen in order for the story to progress, but apparently you just keep encountering her over and over (presumably until you beat her). Well I can't figure out this game's combat system, and I don't even want to. Pass this game up. Just trust me on that.

This article was originally published on August 13, 2008.

The intro to this movie doesn't even feel like a TMNT film. It begins in 16th century Japan, where apparently horseback Japanese warriors make exchanges in English. This scene really should have been in Japanese. No subtitles needed. Why? Because it's not really important to the story. Wait, did I say story? Sorry, this movie's plot is barely hanging by a thread.

OK, that may be a bit harsh (albeit funny). This movie wasn't as bad as I remembered it to be. Maybe I'm just a little sleep deprived, but I actually enjoyed watching it again. The Secret of the Ooze bugged me in a big way, but most of what went wrong in that movie seemed to go right in this one.

Corey Feldman is back as the voice of Donatello. Nice. He was sorely missed in The Secret of the Ooze. The battle scenes are also a big improvement over the last movie. There may be fewer battles, but they make it count. The Turtles don't merely cower in fear, evade and escape. They actually confront their enemies head on, and they're using their weapons again. You don't ever get the sense that they are in any danger though. Casey Jones is back. Nice. Why didn't they write him into the last movie? Unfortunately, he only has a comedic role in this movie and doesn't do much scull-busting. I was surprised to find that Elias Koteas also plays Whit. Honestly I thought for sure it was a different actor. They were also able to keep Paige Turco for the role of April. Even if she's not most suited for the role, at least we have some consistency.

Speaking of Whit, why does he snap the spear in half when he's trying to save April? What was the point of that? You could have used that spear, dude! In the same scene, there's a poor stuntman being hurled into the water, yelling all kinds of gibberish. It's kind of funny, but that's not Japanese! Maybe if I was hurled from 6 feet in the air into a pool of water I would be yelling gibberish too. Probably not.

The humor in this movie is impeccably cheesy, but oddly enough, there are many memorable one-liners (even if they aren't overly funny). It's almost like a Leslie Nielsen movie with a constant barrage of visual gags and one-liner jokes, except with less visual gags.

What often gets ignored is that this movie actually has a really good soundtrack. From ZZ Top to Baltimora's "Tarzan Boy", there are some great choices that reflect the Turtles and the time period.

All in all, it's just goofy fun. It's less goofy than the second movie, and less serious than the first. It sits in the middle, in my opinion; even if it was a disappointment in terms of the story (the first two movies seemed to do a better job of reflecting the Turtle universe). It's not as anti-climactic as the first two, either. If you're going to watch the Turtles, though, you may as well watch the first movie.

This article was originally published on August 12, 2008.

Saiyuuki World is basically a game in the style of Mega Man. There are 6 main stages, each containing a boss from whom you gain abilities when you beat them. Of course, certain abilities are more effective against certain bosses, but some abilities aren't made for attacking at all. The main difference from Mega Man is that Goku (the character you control) doesn't have a projectile weapon. Instead, he has a Nyoibo (aka power pole).

The game is comprised of 8 levels in total and 7 bosses. The first stage is merely an introduction, and the final stage - as you would expect - leads to the last boss. It almost feels as though they went deliberately out of their way to make this game difficult because in-game content is sparse.

I remember playing this game as a kid, and even though I was able to reach the final stage, I was never able to finish it. One of the reasons for this is that it's a very difficult game. The stages are relatively short, but the bosses get more difficult as you go. It appears that the bosses gain more health as you gain more health, and they can steal your Kintans (basically the equivalent of an energy tank) as well. You can only hold up to 3 Kintans at any given time, so you have to keep an eye on your health.

You start with 4 health bars (hearts) in-game, and you can gain up to 12 by collecting gourds (now there's a word I never thought I would use). Collecting gourds (aka Hyoutan) can prove very time-consuming, but you'll want to get at least 10 hearts by the end of the game. It takes 99 gourds to get your final heart, but I never made it that far.

Even if you make it to the final stage, you're probably all out of Kintans (which doesn't bid well for you), and to add insult to injury, you can drop back to the base level from the second level. Fortunately, you can keep killing enemies in the stage and wait for them to drop Kintans. To beat this stage, you have to take advantage of all the abilities you've gained, including the Kintoun (flying cloud you can ride on).

After you beat the initial 6 bosses, you gain an additional ability which is basically a dragon shot. This is the only weapon that seems to be effective against the final boss (a disgruntled Buddha?). The only catch is that this ability eats away at your health, so you have to be careful. The disgruntled Buddha starts by summoning a few minions before he starts attacking you. As long as you have 3 Kintans, close to full health (at least 10 hearts), and take advantage of your dragon shot, you should be able to beat him.

Gameplay
The controls are simple and well thought out. Goku is able to pull off a surprising variety of moves, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out.

Graphics
Fairly average for a Famicom game. The backgrounds certainly aren't as well-developed as Mega Man games (3 and onwards).

Sound & Music
The music is quirky, creepy, and fairly repetitive. A lot of it has Oriental undertones to it, which seems to work for the game. The music has a way of sticking in your brain after you've spent a lot of time collecting gourds in a particular level, but that isn't necessarily a good thing.

Overall 6.5/10
All in all it was a pretty fun game. It's definitely not up there with Mega Man or Super Mario Bros. in my mind, but it still provided some entertainment. If you're up for a challenge, then you might want to try it out.

This article was originally published on August 12, 2008.

There isn't much I can say about the Ninja Turtles movie that hasn't already been said. Nevertheless, since I've already reviewed The Secret of the Ooze, I've decided to review the other two as well.

The original live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from 1990 is the best movie of the three, but that's not saying much. Looking back, it's hard to see why we ate this up as kids. It was so much better back then. If you don't want to spoil your memories, then I don't recommend seeing this movie again (OK, see this one, just avoid the other two at all costs).

I like the fact that this is the darkest of the series. The Turtles use "adult language" (like 'damn', for example), Raphael has to recover from critical injuries, and the Turtles go on a mission to rescue their master Splinter.

I love the Turtle costumes. Even though everything from the music and the special effects are truly dated, the costumes are still great (and honestly, I still have a weak spot for the music too).

The battle scenes are not bad, and even though a few defining characters are missing (like Krang or Bebop and Rocksteady), they didn't screw things up too badly. We have April O'Neil, Splinter, Shredder, Casey Jones, and of course the four Turtles. Unlike some movies I can mention (*ahem* Super Mario Brothers *cough* Street Fighter *wheeze*) this movie actually tries to stay true to the Turtle world, and is actually somewhat more realistic than the cartoon.

My favorite battle scene is where the Turtles are fighting Shredder. Sure, they get their butts handed to them but it's the best combat sequence in the movie. Unfortunately the battle between Shredder and Splinter is completely anti-climactic, and Shredder is shown to be a bumbling idiot. It would have been much cooler if Splinter had jumped around like Yoda, but no, he just swings a Nunchuck, wraps it around Shredder's... uh, Naginata I think it is... trips him up, and sends him into a dumpster truck. If Splinter really is that good, I don't think we needed the Turtles at all.

One thing that kind of gets overlooked is the voice acting for the Turtles, but I actually thought it was half decent. Their dialogue may be cheesy and corny, but it's far superior to the sequels. Some of the combat sequences are turned into comedy as well, but this movie also has some serious and dramatic moments which make it enjoyable.

All in all, I can still sit through this one without cringing too much, which is really saying something. It's hard to believe that it's been 18 years since it was released.

This article was originally published on August 6, 2008.

Click on the link below for the audio review.

Step Brothers Audio Review (2.92 MB)

Step Brothers: A 2008 Comedy starring Will Ferrell (Brennan Huff) and John C. Reilly (Dale Doback). A movie about two grown men pushing 40, still living with their parents. Their Parents (Brennan's mother Nancy and Dale's father Robert) marry, and the two are forced to live in close proximity. At first they are the worst of enemies, but end up becoming the best of friends. Troublemakers that they are, Robert insists that they find a job. The job search goes poorly, because the two don't really take it seriously. They decide to start their own enterprise, but this also ends in disaster. Their parents get a divorce, and Brennan and Dale go their separate ways. They realize it's time for them to grow up, so they find real jobs. On the surface everything seems to be going well, but Robert, seeing how unhappy they are, encourages them to try their hand at their enterprise again.

Recently I decided to start over and build a Megalopolis again. I managed to accomplish this feat using Map No. 61 again, but even with every space filled, I was not able to reach a population of 600,000 (even though I was able to do it previously). That's when I decided to take advantage of the Freedom map, which you gain access to after completing the 6 (original) scenarios. The map contains absolutely no water so you can make the most out of the land available to you, but there is one catch: you don't get any presents. Presents go a long way in increasing the land value of your city, and without them you have to do your best with parks.

I didn't have too much trouble building a Megalopolis, although it did take a significant amount of time. I left plenty of space for industrial zones, as they are the only zone type that grows later on in the game. Residential zones on the outskirts tend to turn into slums, and commercial zones only grow so much before quitting on you. Of course, industrial zones also tend to produce a lot of crime so you have to place a significant number of police stations around them.

I still had a fair bit of green space once I reached the Megalopolis status, but I had to fill in most of the space I left for the additional industrial zones. I also left a fair bit of green space in between residential zones as they tend to develop best this way, but to reach a population of 600,000 you have to start filling in that space as well. Unfortunately, this also tends to turn some of the residential zones into slums.

Once you build a Megalopolis, there tend be a lot more plane crashes. It's a minor annoyance, but even minor annoyances can turn into bigger irritations when it happens frequently enough. When your city reaches a certain size, you can't avoid planes hitting (usually) residential zones. It would be a frightening world indeed if planes came down on houses as frequently as they do in SimCity. Nevertheless, as far as disasters go, it's probably the easiest to deal with.Other than that, there weren't too many challenges in reaching 600,000 people, and I still have some space left to develop if I so desire. Technically population: 600,000 is the ultimate goal in the game, and I'm pretty sure there aren't any rewards left after that. I might develop the rest of the space anyway, just to see how far I can get.

In conclusion, I'm pretty much tired of SimCity now, and don't think I will be revisiting it for awhile. I forgot to mention this earlier, but I played through practiced mode and finished all the scenarios again, and had trouble with Detroit and Las Vegas again (:P). I hope you enjoyed this series.