Segaaaaaa

Amazingly enough, I kept myself to a bare minimum this week. I only picked up a few games, but two of them are pretty much kind of a big thing...kind of.

Soul Calibur for the DreamCast has been a long time coming. It's a game I've wanted for my DC for years, but things just never quite synced up right for it to happen until now. I held off on ordering a copy online, as that game is common enough that it WILL show up if you are looking. I had come across it a few times through the years, but it would usually be over-priced or pretty scuffed up. Aside from a crack in the jewel case, this one is in really good condition and for a fair price to boot. As usual, What's on 2nd comes through where other stores wanna gouge the price.

Now, the two GameGear games. I was kind of surprised to see Shining Force: Sword of Hajya at Wo2nd the other day. It didn't take long for me to decide this was going into the collection. I've never actually played a Shining Force game before, but the series' reputation speaks for itself.

Star Wars. Well, what can I say other than I'm a sucker for Star Wars. I'm not sure if it is a quality game or not, and we all know Star Wars game tend to be really good or really sucky. The price was right so I brought her home with me.

And to wrap things up, what have I been watching lately you ask? Why, Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 of course.

Finally, something of substance. Yesterday the gods of video gaming showed favor and I gots me some goodies. Oh, and we will have a guest star on tonight's very special episode of "Blossom" who teaches us that drugs are bad, racism is bad, and and it's not how you dress or look that counts, but what's on the inside. But first, the games....

 Zone of the Enders for PS2 at the low, low price of 5 bucks. This was one of those games I was interested in and wanted when it was first released, but never got around to actually getting it. Some 10+ years later, here we are. Welcome to the gamily ZotE!

Also, Ultima Exodus for the NES. I've never played an Ultima game in my life, yet always had a desire to try them out. Although I don't remember which one it was, there was an NES Ultima that I had planned to get and was actually anticipating it's release, but it got lost in the hoopla so many moons ago. Once I have access to my NES again I'll finally fulfill that youthful desire for some Ultima.

Also along for the ride, Dig Dug II. I'm a big fan of the original, so this was a no-brainer. It's not every day Dig Dug II pops up, so I couldn't let it just sit there. Come to papa...

And now for our guest star of the evening, who in addition to combating racism, drugs, and materialism, will also tackle the tough issues of bullying and show us the importance of sharing....

R.O.B.! I don't actually have Gyromite or Stack Up, and all the doo-dads, but he is functional. Nice! If nothing else, he will look crazysexycool on my shelf watching me play rad games. It wouldn't be a very special episode of Blossom with out ya R.O.B.

Step By Step, Day By Day

Sadly enough, I've been unable to do much in the way of adding to the pile the last week or so. It's really sad when you just don't have the money to take care of the necessities like buying 25 year old games that need a loving home. But I digress...

These were picked up from a local lady I met a few weeks ago at the garage(say it with a French accent) sale. Although the games were pretty darn dusty, the labels are in really good shape. I already own Super Mario/Duck Hunt and Super Mario 2, but Donkey Kong Classics and California Games are new additions to the family. Dig that high cut swim suit(say it like Balki) on the California Games label.

And I'm not really sure why, but I've always liked the Donkey Kong Classics label for it's choice of orange as the background color. Really, how many games use orange as the main color for their label/cover? I can think of The Orange Box/Half Life 2 game, but that's all that really comes to mind. I suppose if I actually had readers, I would be snowed under in "duh, so-and-so game had an orange cover"-comments, but having anyone actually read this stuff is very much not an issue.

Remember when they moved from their small Chicago apartment to that castle?

Vice: Project Doom (NES) text review

Given the fact that I haven't been able to grab any games this week, I decided to dole out one of my GameFaqs reviews I did about two months ago, the excellent Vice: Project Doom for the NES.

A perfect blend of Kurt Russell&Mel Gibson,
along with some Tia Carerre and caution tape

Vice: Project Doom is an action/platformer released by American Sammy in 1991 for the NES. Filled with tension and excitement, it's a game that went largely unnoticed in the twilight years of the NES lifespan. While the Project Doom didn't exactly break new ground, it did take the road less traveled on the NES.

Games of this era are not particularly known for having much of a plot, especially action games. Vice: Project Doom, obviously inspired by Ninja Gaiden, has a fairly deep, and adult oriented storyline. Centuries ago landed on the Earth and developed a neon green gel substance to survive. In order blend into human society the aliens developed clones. The BEDA corporation was established by the aliens to manufacture the gel and clones, but also has begun developing weapons systems for the militaries of the world.

The main protagonist is Vice officer Quinn Hart. Hart and his partner, Detective Reese, are assigned to investigate the gel manufacturer, which has deadly effects on humans. Reese goes missing and is assumed to be dead. Hart sets out to solve the mystery of his buddy's death and the mysterious BEDA corporation. Hart is assisted by his lovely fellow Vice officer, Christy, who is also his lover. Christy's associate, Sophia, also shows up and provides Hart with info along the way. Over the course of 11 stages, Hart uncovers the mysteries behind the BEDA corporation which leads up to a climactic showdown with Damian Hawke, the leader of BEDA.

Remember this awesome Nintendo Power cover?

From the beginning of the game you will find yourself with 3 weapons at your disposal. Hart has his trusty laser whip, which arcs just above his head and immediately in front of him, as his main weapon. He also carries a .44 magnum and grenades to use against enemies, though ammo is limited for these two. Defeated enemies consistently drop ammo to replenish your supply, so you should seldom find your supplies depleted. Selecting between your 3 weapons is as simple as pressing the SELECT button to scroll through them.

The majority of Vice: Project Doom's stages are sidescrolling platformers. Various enemies, of the humanoid, monstrous, and mechanical variety, are present throughout the stages. The controls are simple and straightforward: press B to attack, A to jump, and press down to squat. You can also run while squatting, which comes in handy against many of the boss characters in the game.
The controls feel very intuitive and sharp. There is virtually no learning curve to the gameplay. The button commands do what they are supposed to do and do it well. Jumping with Hart feels very natural. Many games of this era featured characters with stiff or "floaty" jumping mechanics, and thankfully Vice: Project Doom has no such hindrances.

There are also two top-down driving stages, and two first-person, lightgun-type stages(though these are also handled with the gamepad, not the Blaster). As with most of the stages in the game, these are short and feature simple controls that take no time to get used to. For the driving stages, simply steer the vehicle with the D-pad and fire your mounted weapon with the B button. You can also shift gear to change your speed if you wish, though it's not really necessary. For the first-person stages, aim the cursor with the D-pad, fire your magnum with the B button, and launch grenades with the A button. As with the side scrolling stages, the controls are tight and responsive here as well.

Aesthetically, Vice: Project Doom takes the mature and "realistic" approach. The character designs are more naturally proportioned and true to real life than many games of it's time. The cutscenes, which evolve the story between levels and boss battles, are well drawn and are similar to the style of Ninja Gaiden and Golgo 13. The look of some of the stages seemed to have been inspired by the aforementioned Ninja Gaiden and Golgo 13, as well as other more "realistic" NES games like Castlevania, Contra, and Batman. The stages usually take place in the wild, the underground, or in industrial environments have a dark feel to them. As you might imagine, Project Doom makes use of a lot of earth tones throughout the game. That's not to say that the graphics are dreary or bland, as the developers did a nice job of mixing in neon colors and shadow/light contrasts to keep things interesting.

The sound effects are your typical fare for an NES title and are not especially noteworthy. Project Doom features some fine music and has a few memorable tunes sprinkled into the game. Overall, the music meshes well with the story, artstyle, and overall atmosphere of the game.

You ain't the only one, brother

Vice: Project Doom is a rather short game, and not overly difficult. Most of the bosses do not pose much of a problem once you figure out their attack and movement patterns. There are a few challenging areas here and there, but all of the stages are short and you will have unlimited continues at your disposal. All in all, it should not take most players more than a few hours to finish the game. Appropriately enough, the final boss is definitely the most challenging part of the game, but not extremely difficult.

The only real complaint I had with Vice: Project Doom was concerning the ending. You would think that with the healthy dose of cutscenes and the somewhat deep(for an NES game) plot, that the developers would have went all out at the conclusion of the game. Instead, you get a short, though enjoyable cutscene, the credits roll by quickly, and then a final image that leads you to believe the developers fully intended for Project Doom to become a full-fledged franchise...and all of that takes place in about 60 seconds. Despite the somewhat abrupt ending, the adventure is worthwhile and the story an enjoyable one that is pretty unique among the NES library.

Given the high quality of Vice: Project Doom, it's a bit surprising that it was largely ignored by the public and continues to languish in relative obscurity. When friends sit around and talk about great NES games you might hear names like Castlevania, Ninja Gaiden, Contra, and Batman mentioned. It's highly unlikely Vice: Project Doom would be mentioned in such a conversation, which is really a shame as it was obviously inspired by those great titles and did such a great job by taking cues from them, all while carving out it's own unique and memorable experience. If you're ever looking for an NES action/platformer with smooth controls, an engaging storyline, and an atmosphere that you could cut with a knife, just give Vice officer Quinn Hart a call...you won't regret it.

Gong Li, just because...