PRGE Games I liked

Studying Videogame culture means you get to play a lot of games. PRGE is one of the largest retro gaming shows out there, so I have to admit I played a lot of games. Actually I am still trying to get to some of them, because of oddness with my console set up. More on that after the other reviews.

Tom Clancy’s The Division

I played this for a few hours at a friend’s house. The set up was great because the couch was also right where I was about to sleep. To be honest, I wanted to write some stories about clowns getting into gang wars, but this game was good as well. The basic premise is that the world has shut off a part of New York because of illness and the entire area is a no rules danger area. You are a valiant hero out to save the city by killing anyone you think is bad. There was an illness of some kind, but that was just an excuse to set up a reason to have a dark terrifying new york. Basically a New York from the 70’s or 80’s not the modern one.

Tom Clancy games were all about military strategy from the technical point of view. You had to sneak into areas, and figure out the tools on hand to take care of a job. If it was a team, there were plans on where to go, and how to do it. Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon are the best examples. Tom Clancy btw is a brand name, the author actually didn’t write half of his books, but the theme is generally the same.

Ubisoft has taken the idea and altered it into a giant open world game. It really doesn’t feel like a Tom Clancy game if I was honest. I am not planning ahead. The technical gadgetry really doesn’t exist. These are not elite soldiers maneuvering themselves through dangerous areas. It is a lone man in a rampaged world, with the Tom Clancy title on it for some reason.

This has been happening to the TC brand for the last few years so it isn’t a surprise. Rainbow Six became an action shooter, with team play goals. It’s more of a Counter Strike game than a thought out planned attack. Ghost Recon is an open world multiplayer game sort of like Far Cry only with a squad.

The game as itself is a bit of a weird mix. Imagine you are playing something like the old school Dragon Quest. Your character can barely handle a random insect let alone the lord of evil who is at the end. So, you slowly build up your character by looking for random encounters. Sometimes monsters drop loot like new weapons or money or items to be resold or used in other quests. Then there are dungeons with bigger enemies, and cool loot to grab.

Now imagine that with guns, in a beat up dystopian New York. The controls for the guns were a bit wonky. I could never get them to center perfectly, and ended up walking into a few too many walls because of it. Seriously, the first random encounter I put up a shield and worked to get a few shots down as my camera kept moving in weird ways. When I did get the controls to a setting I thought would work, it was just as wonky trying to figure out those controls. So I just adapted, and hoped it was good enough.

As an open world game, I just headed in directions, and tried to see what I could find. There were random safe houses, which are like villages in a regular RPG. I could buy weapons, trade, and save my game from those. If I died, I would reappear at the nearest safe house, and go back to destroy those who had killed me.

There was no straight line for long, and it all felt closed off. Instead of fiefdoms and lands, they had gangland territories. I have no idea which side I was on, but I do know who ended up shooting at me. So if I ever encountered the same again, I shot first. Honestly, little blue globs of unknown substance with giant cute faces as enemies made more sense than most of the characters I was dealing with. If we were both just walking around, why randomly attack me?

Graphically the game is average. That has been a complaint about this generation, and I have to say it is sort of weird. Things look shinier, but not nicer. There is more detail, but it all feels the same. Which means that all of the cool graphical tricks to make this game, have made it look dated brand new.

I enjoyed what I did play, and think others would enjoy it. Will I play it again? Sure, if those friends want to play. I won’t be buying it for myself though.

Arcade

Tank II

This game has new tricks for the over the top tanks game. They had multiple stages to work in, but it was still two player. The graphics are very basic, but that doesn’t mean they are bad. You know what everything is by just looking at it.

The biggest problem I have is that the tanks are spawned from the same point they were shot. So you can kill someone multiple times before they can turn around. The blow back makes it a slight adjustment for the shot, but a player should know how to respond quickly.

I played the tabletop edition of the first game at NWPAS, and this time had the stand up. It was easier, but still needed a chair or something to really enjoy. If you ever see this game, make sure to grab a buddy, or else it will be way too easy.

Galaga ‘88

It’s basically Galaga with better graphics and some new added ideas. If you have played Galaga, you know its an improvement on Space Invaders. Your ship can only move back and forth, while the enemies all move around and them form up in front of you. If you are fast, you can kill an entire line of enemies as they are arriving. Then you had better make sure to attack them as they are in the formation or deal with the suicidal attacks as they leave again. Like Tanks it is a simple game, but requires a lot of skill to play.

The graphical updates make the character look more like actual creatures and adds a bit more depth. They still move in formations and everything, but it feels smoother. The characters are also bigger in the view, which could mean the screen itself is bigger. There are also backgrounds and other things that make it a definite step up graphically from the original.

Added strategy is how you use your lives. Will you take all three lives at once, and charge in with three ships right at the start? It will mean a multishot, and easier ability to hit enemies. The problem is you are now easier to hit, and if you lose a ship it doesn’t come back. In fact, if you die, its game over right there.

I really enjoyed the game, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys games like Space Invaders or Galaga the original. The arcade game is superior, but there are also versions for consoles like the Turbo Grafx. It might actually be cheaper to get the arcade.

Lock On

This was actually a late arrival to the show, someone just showed up and asked if he could add the games on. He turned out to be a pretty friendly person, and was more than willing to fix his machines to be played.

Lock On is a flight and shooting game. You have to move your reticule around and aim for the enemies, while trying to dodge around enemy fire. I had a surprisingly fun time with it, and was really enjoying the style. The levels are a lot more open to play, and a bit slower to help you with aiming and dodging. It is still a hard game, and I never got past the first level. I saw others move on and find some really cool levels and enemies.

The entire thing has an 80’s style action feel to it. Nothing is actually 3D, just sprites in front of sprites, and attacks that slowly get bigger as they come closer to you. It’s all figured out through math, and insanity. As a shooter, it is a lot of fun. The chair in front adds to the feel.

Shows like this let you play some really rare games, and I honestly didn’t even know it existed until I saw it. Then I wondered why I didn’t because it was so much fun. If you see it, go check it out. Honestly, it was for sale, I was sort of sad i didn’t have any room in my car for it.

Strike Harbinger

I actually couldn’t decide on where to put this one. It has an arcade game of itself, but was being displayed for PC. The Arcade version looks like the superior with everything designed for the right controls, and set up so you are right there playing it. The PC, even if it is the same game feels doesn’t feel as fun.

Strike Harbinger is an action third person shooter. It’s a lot like Space Harrier, only with shinier graphics, and a lot smoother gameplay. It has a simplistic design, but multiple things are coming at you to quickly dodge or shoot. There are ways to get around some things using a sword attack or a super attack, while the gun is your go to weapon. They seemed to always have people playing it, and we all wanted to check out the arcade version. SEGA will be releasing a version of it soon enough, while I want to play the arcade game.

This is an Indie Arcade Release, which means it is unknown when a full version will be released. It also goes against a lot of the style the bigger arcade companies think the industry is doing, so it should be a lot of fun with very few others like it. If you liked Space Harrier, then you should look for this one.

Garo Mark of the Wolves

I had honestly forgotten how much I love a good fighter. Other’s were off playing Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter at the 7/11 near my house, and I played the Neo Geo. Fatal Fury and Samurai Showdown were my favorites. Metal Slug is still a great shooter even today.

This game was part of online thing during the same time as Steam’s first years. You paid a fee, and got to play a ton of classic games. I enjoyed it, but honestly the response time of my computer and the controller didn’t do it justice. The graphics were great, and I love how Neo Geo fighters have stories going on as you battle.

As a fan of the Neo Geo games, I was not prepared for how much better it was on an arcade. The way they designed the game is to let you figure out your character slowly. The first two matches are pretty easy so long as you know the usual attacks like quick punch, and hard punch. So the first character you fight is really just figuring out the attacks and what they do. Then the next battle will be about applying them to a better skill. It gets deeper and deeper from that.

Being right next to the screen, and looking at the backgrounds and attacks changes the feel completely. Most of these attacks were designed for a stick and big buttons as well. I think I had some of the attacks figured out, but was honestly flailing a lot trying to figure out if there was more to what I was doing. At one point, I beat a character with a really amazing attack and just laughed at the shere luck and awesomeness of it.

Then there was a cut scene, which is what is pictured. It makes no sense I bet, but it was my only chance to grab a pic. But the entire thing adds to the feeling of the game.

If you ask, no I did not beat the game. When I lost, I could have just hit a button and kept going, but I decided not to. The last one was a joking reference to rival Street Fighter. A white dressed black belted, fireball throwing man lost in the woods. He had all sorts of moves you would recognize from Street Fighter, and was a real hammed up version of those moves. I laughed a couple times at the references. When he hit me with a super attack near the end the entire effect was joy at having played against him.

The original Street Fighter is a great game, and I don’t want anyone to think it is bad. The games after it are all based on the move sets, and ideas it put forth. However, when you compare it to later games there is a lot of depth missing. I am not talking about the super strategies that some players use. One guy mentioned being able to kick someone at the right spot so they can’t block it. I mean the use even for casual fans of the genre. I got into the graphics, the simpleness of the design, and how I slowly got better while playing.

The same could be said of other later games. Go check out Marvel vs Street Fighter some time, and watch the backgrounds alter themselves as you play. It creates a really fun world, and it all works off of Stree ounds move. Oddly enough some of the later games have difficulties with mixing the ease of play with the strategy at times. More professional players want to kick without being blocked, while guys like me are trying to figure out of they really did figure out the fireball move.

Garo has a much smaller feel than other games. It is a city, not a world warrior battle. The only non local is Terry from the Fatal Fury series. So you are moving along the city map and battling out at a specific spot. The amount of cool ideas showing is wonderful.

I think having a Neo Geo arcade is on my list for a personal arcade. I just like the games that much. Garo will likely be a part of that collection, but now I know it will be on display a lot.

Pinball

Shaq Attack

Shaq lets you play basketball while playing pinball. You are trying to get your ball into the moving hoop near the end of the board. There are other ways to score, but the goal is that hoop. It adds a lot of strategy and fun as you try to figure out the right timing and place to make the basket.

Star Wars Episode 1

I didn’t think to grab a picture of this, but I did play this one and enjoyed it. There is only one other game like it out there. They display the graphics onto the board and have various targets appear onto the screen hovering over. You battle droids, attack spaceships, and duel sith all while playing pinball. Jar Jar Binks shows up and gives extra scores to you.

The game is sort of a retelling of the entire event, and once you are trained well enough into it, is very fun. The problem is getting used to all of the changes to how pinball usually works. If the constant changes of The Hobbit are a bit weird for you, then this will be bonkers. However, everything is done well, and it adds to the fun.

Console/Indie

Coleco Chameleon

This console has a long story, and I don’t feel like giving it. Basically, it will never come out. When I met with the creator at my first PRGE, he seemed really enthusiastic and ready to make the system. There was a lot on his plate, with the magazine and other stuff, but he seemed to really want it.

Two years later, and I think someone snuck this in. It was at a booth that hadn’t been set up yet, and we would see random consoles just set up on a table right there. If you asked some of the people, it should be blasted with dynamite. Others feel it should be remembered, even if it was never made.

There was no TV to play any games off of it. Honestly I suspect it was just a shell for a regular console. But it was there, and I got to touch it.

Handsome Mr. Frog

This is a simple one screen platformer, but it was a lot of fun to play. The simplicity lets you get into how to play. The game is all about eating and then spitting enemies out. So you will have multiple attackers, and then you have to figure out how to get as many with a single hit as you can.

If you are still on the fence on the issue. The game is $1 on Steam so it shouldn’t be too expensive for your wallet. It was displayed at the Portland Indie Game Squad booth, and was a lot of fun to play.

Atari Age

I toured the Atari Age booth, and got to check out two of their games.

Pac Man 8K

The original PacMan for the Atari was considered poorly made. The designer explained that he had a tight timeline and was only allowed to use a 4 Kilobit memory cartridge to make the game. He made a fairly good version, and says there are a lot of fans of it. However, it looks and feels very dated when compared to the arcade version.

Someone went in, and made a port of the game with an 8K cart, and used all the time they needed. It is a superior port in every way. The enemies move correctly, and there aren’t weird glitches to worry about. My biggest problem was that sometimes the controller didn’t notice when I pressed down at times. I think that was the controller and not the game though.

Zippy the Porcupine

They can’t use the Sonic name, but this is basically a port to the 2600. That means a lot of things have to be let go for the game to play well. No backgrounds, weird looking enemies, and a slower feel. It is however fun, and should be tried out if you get the chance.

Turbo Grafx 16

I went through 20 games in 20 (or so) minutes while testing out this system, so this is an overarching review and description. The first major thing is how much the SHMUPS simply rule over any others I have played. I don’t really enjoy the genre, and am very bad at them. When I played these ones, I got pulled in and was ready to play more. The movements were easy enough to figure out that I was figuring things out. It was also colorful and had a bit of happiness that others don’t.

The platformers were all fairly eccentric. Keith Courage has you transforming into a mech to take on a boss. Bonk has a way to sort of float above the ground using head attacks. I jumped through waterfalls as Jackie Chan, and attacked ninjas in another game. If the game didn’t act quirky, it really wouldn’t be a TG16 game.

I was surprised how many volleyball games there were. Seriously not my thing, but they were there. Other sports games were pretty normal, and good for what they were.

The Turbo Grafx 16 really is a fun system, and sadly it costs a ton. The console will set you back about $150, while a game might cost $400. That is actually average, not a skyrocket price. The really high price is $5,000. I would love to own this console, and enjoy some of the games, but don’t have that kind of money. This is literally the same prices for Arcade games.

Ultimate Nintendo: Guide to the NES Library

I didn’t get a picture of the book, but I did read a bunch of it. It goes through the entire list of games released for the NES in alphabetical order. There is a rating, and a blurb about the game, plus pictures of the cartridge and in game shots.

The blurbs are usually several paragraphs long, and for some games there is a full page or even multi page commentary on why the game is so important. It is a lot of reading, and feels like the authors went way beyond what they needed to do with each game to make it thurough and complete.

Not a joke at all, when I picked up from my buddy, he had a box of games. We looked each game up in the book to see how they were rated and if they seemed like fun. I saw how it all worked, and interesting info to help along the way. I didn’t need to plug it in and play it for a moment to see what it was like. Well ok, we played Axelay a bit.

Although the main author was Pat Contri, he had several others help him critique, rate, and talk about the games. In fact, some games have multiple commentaries and thoughts for you to read.

I don’t think any other book goes into this much detail, design, and thought as this one. It is the best at what it does, and what it does is talk about NES games. It is now on my christmas list.

Conclusion

Shows like this are huge, and have tons of games to play. In the case of arcade games, it isn’t hard to get a ton. There was so many games I couldn’t play them all. However, I did realize there are some I wanted to play more.

After playing Garo in its best form, I realized I was a total Neo Geo fan. I don’t have the money or space for a personal arcade collection. When I do have those things, the red machine will be mine. I will have cartridges of games I like, and then a Neo SD card slot for the others. Which carts will I own? Garo, Samurai Showdown, Metal Slug III, and then the SD adapter. It will sit next to my other games (Virtual On, Crazy Taxi, Strider, and that’s just the classics) in glory and continuous play.

Would I buy Lock On? Sure, for the right price, and after getting some others. I have a lot of games in my mind like that. Snow Bros for example would be great, but need other games around it.

I don’t think I would buy the Division for myself. And I don’t have an atari 2600 so the cool fan made games probably won’t happen any time soon.

On the other hand, I already have Handsome Mr. Frog ready to go right now. I think I will play it right before writing on some projects over the weekend.

The Ultimate Nintendo book is excellent, but I would put it onto my christmas list. Whenever I feel like I deserve a Christmas present, I will buy it. That’s the joy of being an adult, you can do that.

Then we get into the Turbo Grafx. I honestly want one, and love the games for it. I just don’t have the cash for them. I don’t even know what I would buy to properly play it. You kind of need a stack of Hu cards and some fun time ready to properly play it, and that might cost you the same as a used car.

It was a great show though. I really enjoyed playing all of those games, and hanging out with friends. Next year should be a lot of fun, and I look forward to seeing it.