Forgotten Old Games – Marvel Super Heroes in War of the Gems

Hello everyone. Welcome to another Forgotten Old Game!
I’m sorry for my absense. I’ve been pretty busy lately and couldn’t even find time to play anything! But I’m back now, and ready to hit you with another blast from the past.
Today I’m gonna tell you about a game from the Marvel universe. And no, it’s not a fighting game, but a 2d platformer with hints of beat-em-up for the SNES. I’m talking about Marvel Super Heroes – War of the gems!

Released in 1996 by Capcom, one year after it’s arcade fighting counterpart, this game is also based on the same comic books series as the Arcade one, “The Infinity Gauntlet”. By acquiring the six Infinity Gems which controls Time, Space, Mind, Soul, Reality and Power and becoming a God, Thanos proceeds to exterminate half of the sentient beings in the universe, which includes most of the heroes, just because of his love for Death (the being, not because he likes to kill err…maybe he does). The remaining heroes(Spiderman, Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk and Wolverine) guided by Adam Warlock unites to battle against him, retrieve the Infinity Gems and undo all this crazyness.

Graphics 

 This game has good graphics, huge and well drawn backgrounds with lots of stuff and enemies on screen at the same time. The characters are also very detailed and the animation is good.

The Stage Select screen

Sound
The game music is just okay, nothing that really stands out. The same can be said about the sound effects.

Gameplay
Plataform + Beat-em-up = Fun! The controls are simple, responsive and fast!
Also for the game basics controls:

D Pad: Moves Characters
Y: Attacks
B: Jumps

Well drawn and animated scenarios!

On the start screen you can choose if you want to start a new game, adjust options or enter a password. Yes, this game does not have a save option, instead it uses passwords to keep track of your progress.
In the Options menu there isn’t really much to set. You can adjust the control setup and if you want Stereo or Monoaural sound.

Choose wisely, some stages requires skills from specific heroes!

This games works basically as any other 2d platformer, but as I said it’s kinda of a beat-em-up as well, allowing you to use special attacks of your heroes, and even combos! Don’t think it’ll be easy though, once you die, you lose that hero you’ve chosen and have to choose another one.  There are specific attacks for each hero, using simple sequences like  pressing Down, Forward and Y.

This item lets you perform a special attack once if you already have one of the Infinity Gems.

While looking for the gems on every stage, you’ll find lots of differents enemies and bosses. There are also items that recharge your health, allows you to use a special attack if you already have one of the Infinity Gems and even ressurrect a fallen hero.
Equipping one of the Infinity Gems will give your character a special ability. They are:

Time Gem: Hero moves 2 times faster.
Space Gem: Gives the hero the double jump ability.
Reality Gem: Shows hidden places/items.
Soul Gem: Doubles HP.
Power Gem: Doubles attack power.

You’ll be visiting lots of places in your quest for the gems, at first you can choose one of the following stages: The Avengers Base, Boston Aquarium, Amazon, Alaska and Dr. Doom’s castle, but more places will show up as you progress trough the game.

Conclusion
Marvel Super Heroes – War of the Gems is a real GEM for that time. It could be better if it had better songs, but otherwise it’s still a good game, and I truly recommend you to play this one! ‘Till next time!

Forgotten Old Games – The Immortal

Hi! I’m bringing you another FORGOTTEN OLD GAME.
Today I’m gonna talk about a game called The Immortal.

Released in 1990 for the NES by Electronic Arts The Immortal is a puzzle/adventure game quite different from most I’ve seen. This game is hard, really! Think of it as an ancient ancestor to PS3 Demon’s Souls. I don’t even know why is it called Immortal, since you struggle to keep yourself alive as you progress through the rooms of this game.

There is a plot, but it seems that EA wanted to put emphasis on death. There’s lots of different ways to die, and since that will be happening a lot you’ll probably see all of them.
You’re an old wizard. As soon as you begin a candle flashes displaying the image of a face. You hear a voice saying:  ‘Dunric, you have come to save me. I am in the dungeons far below. I know I can count on you.’  Only problem is… YOU’RE NOT DUNRIC!

The game then tells you to move. Do it seriously otherwise you’ll face the very first death of this game: A giant worm comes from the ground and eats you.

You're gonna die again...and again...and again...

The graphics are good for the NES, but I think the details and characters could be a little better.

I’ve played the Sega Genesis version too. And I’m afraid to say that the Nes version looks kinda better hahaha. Also the Battle is way faster on the NES, but you’ll miss the kill animations from the Genesis version.

The sound is ok. I personally don’t like the goblins groaning. The soundtrack is not that good, but does the job.

Most of interaction just needs you to be near the object. The same for getting items, you get a confirmation screen asking if you want to take it or not. You can bring the inventory by pressing SELECT. To use an item, you must highlight it by holding the D-pad at the item’s direction and then pressing A or B.

Yeah! Now we can go fishing!

Fighting enemies seems tricky at first, but when you get used to it it becomes pretty easy. When fighting, you press B to stab using your knife, by holding D-pad LEFT, RIGHT or DOWN and pressing B you can swing your knife, causing more damage. If you hold A and press the D-Pad LEFT, RIGHT or DOWN you’ll dodge that direction. The green bar at your side represents your HP. The red bar that starts raising is your FATIGUE, the higher it is, the slower you become.

Most of the game you’ll be trying to avoid traps. There’s tons of them. Holes, Giant worms, Spiders, Fireballs, Arrows, Slimes… if you’re got by one, you die! But don’t worry, you can retry 2 times before a true “GAME OVER”. And you have passwords! But I can still hear the cries of young kids back in 1990 when there were no FAQS available. Indeed, even with a FAQ it’s impossible not to die at least once…or 11 times… If you feel like dying try it now! :D

Forgotten Old Games – Toki Going Ape Spit

Hell-o! It’s wednesday! Day for another FORGOTTEN OLD GAME!
Today I’ll show you another Sega Genesis game. An epic adventure game…ok maybe not so epic, but funny! The game name is:  Toki Going Ape Spit

Released in 1991 by TAD Corporation, this adventure game is a port from the arcade version released 2 years before. Yeah I know! The cover doesn’t really makes you want to play it huh?

There isn’t any text telling about the story from this game. But I managed to play the Arcade version and here’s what it tells you: You are Toki. You and your girlfriend Miho were having a great time until out of the blue a giant hand kidnaps her and an evil wizard turns you into a big headed monkey.  Now it’s up to you to rescue your girlfriend and defeat the evil wizard…and hopefully retrieve your humanity…
You may be asking what’s the good thing about this game? Besides being hard, I find it pretty…weird! Seriously. At least for me, every time I face up a boss I get paralyzed in awe, wondering WHAT THE FUCK is that thing I’m facing, which also adds to the fun factor.

Wizard stole mah girl!

The controls are pretty BASIC. I don’t need to get into details. Since this is just like any other side scrolling/shooter game. The button layout is as below:

D-Pad – Moves character/crouch/climbs ropes
A/C – Jumps
B – Shoots

The only problem with the controls are that…well they don’t respond THAT WELL. It’s pretty easy to miss a jump or a shot which most of the times will end up with you dying.

The graphics are not as good as the arcade version of course, they’re just average for that time. Not much colors neither details. The enemies are pretty generic as well,  but at least the Toki’s face is funny xD

Yes...I missed that jump...

 The soundtrack is good. Every song compels you to move forward and face that bastard who stole your girl. The sound effects are just ok.

First Boss... WTF?

While beign just a generic shooter/platform game, Toki also manages to be funny, hard and WEIRD. I recommend you to play it specially for the WTF factor. I don’t have any idea what were they thinking back then, but oh well we have plumbers who moves through mushroom worlds using pipes huh? Give this one it a chance and have fun!

Forgotten Old Games – Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi

Greetings everyone! It’s that day of the week again…brace yourself for another FORGOTTEN OLD GAME! YEAH!
I must admit. I’ve spent some time thinking about which game would I talk about, but the recent events involving exploding sewers happening at Rio de Janeiro made it clear to me. Ladies and gentlemen, I present you Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi

Released in 1990 by SEGA, Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi is a side scroller platform action game. Being part of the Shinobi series and a direct sequel to The Revenge of  Shinobi, this game leaves no room for hesitation, since it’s a one-hit-kills like most of the good ‘n old ninja games!
There’s a little problem with the main character’s identity though. The japanese version states that the ninja is Hayate son of Joe Musashi, the main char from the previous games. But the american version tells us that the ninja is Joe Musashi himself!!! What a mess! The dog is called Yamato in both versions anyway. Since I’ll be talking about the american version, let’s stick to the Joe Musashi name.
It’s 1997. The world seemed at peace, after the events that led to the defeating of the Neo Zeed organization by Musashi’s hands. Unfortunately that peace is once again disturbed by the rising of a new threat. The Union Lizard crime sindicate, led by Sauros, a reptilian monster, attacked the city of New York and kidnapped innocent people. Now it’s up to Musashi to use his skills and save the world again, with the help of his dog, Yamato.

The graphics are dark and crisp, giving the right atmosphere to the game. The levels are mostly urban scenery, since it takes place in New York. There’s even an “elevator” stage at the Liberty Statue!  But I feel that they lack a bit of detail. The characters animations are good. Also notice that this game doesn’t share the same interface as Streets of Rage like the previous one. Talking about the game interface, let’s take a look at it:

Cidade...maravilhosa...

1P: Your current score.
High: The High score for that level.
Time: Shows how much time you have to finish that level.
Save: How much hostages left to save.
Dog Icon: Flashses while charged, indicates when Yamato is ready to attack.
Ninjutsu Icon: Indicates current Ninjutsu(magic) that can be used.

A Ninjutsu in action.

The music is good. Modern tracks that fit the stages well. Sound effects are ok.
Yamato barks everytime an enemy is within his range, which can be annoying sometimes, but when you reach stage  4-2 you’ll love it, since it’s the only way to see where enemies are hiding!

Yamato's barking can be annoying but it's really useful here

The controls are sharp. You won’t have problems dishing out those shuriken.
Let’s see what each button does:

D-Pad: Moves Character
A Button: Ninjutsu
B Button: Attack/Yamato
C Button: Jumps

You can use Yamato to hold enemies.

Pressing A button and Musashi will unleash a powerful Ninjutsu (Ninja Magic) that kills all enemies on screen instantly, except for bosses. If you just press the B button, Musashi throws a shuriken (if away from an enemy) or uses his sword/fists (if an enemy is close).  If you hold the B button, the Dog Icon will charge and start flashing, release B and Yamato will charge into an enemy. As for jumping, just pressing C button  is the normal jump, but since the stages are ‘layered’ you may require to hold Up or Down while jumping to access upper and down layers. Unfortunately there is no double jump neither wall grinding.
As I stated before, you die if an enemy hits you, but you won’t die from touching some of them, so you could use it for your advantage. Some enemies are behind covers, and they can shoot you. At these times you must send Yamato against them, and finish them while they’re being held. Be fast though, since they can take Yamato down and it’ll become a puppy (?!?) and will be unable to attack until you rescue another hostage.

The first Boss!

There are 5 Levels with 2 stages and a boss each. After the boss you have a Bonus Stage where you can win prizes according to the number of ninjas you kill:
50: 3 Lifes
49: 2 Lifes
48: 1 Life
1~47: Bonus points
0: 1 Life (wtf?!)

Hint: Do nothing at the bonus stage and you'll receive a Life (1UP)

By the way. If you find the game too easy, you can set up difficulty in the options menu. And even turn off Shuriken. Yeah! You’ll have no range projectiles (besides Yamato, but you can use them at the bosses).

Well, that’s it for now. Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi is truly a great game and I recommend it to everyone. Thanks for reading!

Notes:
Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi was supposed to be a port of Shadow Dancer from the Arcade. But the stages, songs, and graphics are all new. The Arcade version had light graphics and instead of saving hostages, you disarm bombs. The rest is pretty much the same. Oh by the way! I find it hillarious when you use a Ninjutsu in the Arcade version of the game, since Musashi says a lot of things in japanese followed by something that sounds like “BUGAAAAAAAA” to me!
I really wanted to use the japanese version of the cover, since this one is so FUGLY. But I decided to use the American version anyway so you could comment on it for me! Your thoughts please!

Master System 25th Anniversary

photo by Koori A. Moonrise

What a week! Monday was the American NES 25th anniversary, and today it’s the Japanese Sega Master System 25th anniversary! For most Americans and Japaneses, there is not much to say about this game console, since it haven’t achieved such a success as NES did. But for Europe, Oceania and Brazil gamers, Master System was as important as [or even more!] than NES. Why that happen is not clear, though, according to Wikipedia,

Sega’s Master System was technically superior to the NES, capable of displaying twice as many colours on screen and featuring a CPU twice as fast as the one used in the NES; it arguably trumped the Nintendo Entertainment System in every possible technical respect and was released nationwide in the United States the same year, 1986. Yet technical superiority affects the market success of a console very little. Size and quality of a game console’s library might be given lip service in comments and editorials, but games tend to play second fiddle to popularity and brand over the history of the game industry.

So, because or whereat Master System didn’t sell well in the States and Japan, many games weren’t even released there. But in other markets, the console sold even more than NES, therefore there was a huge library of titles to choose from. There even was third party games made in USA that were only released in those more successful markets, one which was Brazil, the lovely country in which I happen to live.

Brazil is a interesting case in Master System history, not only because the console and most of its games were a huge success, but also some famous games were “adapted” [edited, if I may] to feature Brazilian celebrities or themes. The funny thing is that few or none of those Master System Brazilian games were made of scratch; it was always preferred to edit a already successful title instead of just creating something new!  That’s quite a interesting kind of cultural appropriation and hybridization that I’d like to talk more openly in a near future [keep tuned!]. Also, some of those “Brazilian” games will be subject of another today post, so let’s not spoil it.

Another interesting Brazil/Master System fact is that, here, the console  is still in retail. Yes, you read this correctly, a 25 years old console is still in production as you can see in the manufacturer site.

If you want to know a bit more about Master System golden age, you can check out the tribute site Sega 8 bit, but if you prefer some action and play those damn good games by yourself, there is Master System 8. I’d recommend Sonic, Alex Kidd and Golden Axe but, well, there are a lot of other classics over there.

Forgotten Old Games – Line of Fire

This week´s game is another vertical scrolling shooter. It´s name is “Line of Fire” and is one of my favorite Sega Master System game.

I´ve played a lot during my childhood, and at least for me, is one of the most fun shooting game for Master System.
To be honest I know that a lot of people don´t like Line of Fire for Sega Master System. Mostly because it´s a port from the arcade version that´s very different from the Master System version. So there are many complains about the fact that the arcade version was a more advanced game with pseudo 3d graphics and the use of a light gun to shoot the enemies.

So, again, this is only MY opinion about the game that, at least for me, it´s a great game I hope that you guys enjoy this game like I did.

The story is very simple, a soldier named Jack infiltrates in a terrorists base then he finds a new secret super weapon. When Jack put his hands at it an enemy soldier appears and now he must escape and delivery this super weapon for his allies!

Now let´s talk about the gameplay that is good, nothing too fancy but worked well with the game, one thing that I really like in this game is the fact that in some stages you´re driving a car, in other you´re piloting a boat and in the late stages you´re flying a chopper!

Another thing that really gets my attention is the fact that the game has two “layers”. As an example we take the first stage, using the regular shoot we can take the enemies that are on the ground and using the missiles we can take the enemies that are flying like choppers. Sometimes, you can use a ramp to jump at the level of the aerial enemies and shoot the with your regular weapons.

The only think that bothers me is the fact that you can move all the way up and down in the screen, you can only move at the half of the screen, this is a little annoying in a game like this that you have to be agile to dodge enemy fire.
Line of Fire´s graphics are pretty decent. They´re very colorful with a good variation of backgrounds, they´re not awesome but at least I think that they´re not bad at all.

In the sound department this game is awesome, I really enjoy the main theme of the game it´s very exciting. It makes you feel that you´re in one of those 80´s action movies that the protagonist is a one man army!

So that´s all I can say about Line of Fire for Sega Master System. It´s not a masterpiece, but at least for me it was a great action game.