Showing posts with label Retro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Retro. Show all posts
Nintendo 64 Finest Moments
With the N64 hitting the big 15 year mark, we've decided to take a look back at what we feel were the systems finest moments.
Super Mario 64:
This is the game that changed the way games were played and even looked at. Super Mario 64 took the flat 2-D world of yesteryear, and turned it into a fully dimensional 3D masterpiece. Platform games existed before Super Mario 64, but there was no true 3D platformers, and the ones that were around were clumsy, poorly contolled. Mario 64 changed that.
The intuitive analogue movement of Mario, the fun moves and attacks, and more importantly; expert control over the camera.
No more accidental falling or mistimed jumps, Mario 64 brought clever use of controlling the camera to your advantage.
It helped that the game looked absolutely stunning, with gorgeous bright colours, and the pattering of Marios footsteps as he ran, the 'whoosh' as he skidded, and even his own voice as he jumped and attacked.
The game was a fantastic showcase as the systems launch game.
The way the level design would bring out your curiosity, peering into water, slowly walking towards it, only to find that Mario can swim; in beautifully rendered water, was a real moment in gaming history.
Goldeneye 007:The FPS to start a revolution, Goldeneye was a tremendous effort from developer Rare, who managed to capture the essence of being 007 and also manage to create one of the best shooters of all time.
Sure, compared to some games, it hasn't aged terribly well, but at the time (1997) it was a technical marvel. Intelligent enemy AI, interesting level design, and brilliant weapons -- all added to a solid gaming experience. But it wasn't until you plugged in up to 4 extra controllers that the fun really started.
In multi-player, no game came close to Goldeneye, it was ridiculous fun. With an impressive amount of characters and levels to choose from, and plenty of game play modes, all topped of with tweaks to get your favourite match type
Forget Call of Duty, Goldeneye is still the king.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time:
This is somewhat unsurprising. If you were around in the 90's, regardless of whether you were into gaming or not; you knew about The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.OoT was a startling move forward in video games, becoming the benchmark for interactive entertainment and a critical and overwhelming success for Nintendo.
The Kingdom of Hyrule was such a detailed place; the richness of scenery, the many things to do, and the amount of thought that went into designing it all. All added to the immersion that dragged you in. Even just spending hours just exploring a village, talking to the inhabitants, solving puzzles, and looking for hidden items.
The perfect controls (very reminiscent of Super Mario 64),the intuitive 'Z targeting system' and even the way Link reacted to situations, was mind blowing. The game was just a masterpiece. Riding horses, changing weather that effect the game, interesting puzzles, you could even just go fishng; it was just a massive game. If you've never played OoT, and don't fancy grabbing yourself an N64 (weirdo) then it's just been re-released in a souped up version on the Nintendo 3DS.
Super Smash Bros.Ever wanted to punch Mario in his big fat face? Sure, we've all felt that frustration at miss-timing a Kooper shell jump, so why not get your own back?
Super Smash Bros. is easily put into the 'Fighter' category, and whilst some may argue it was in essence a fighter, it shared very little with the likes of Mortal Kombat or Tekken. Smash Bros. was a game that required you to knock your opponent/s from the arena, using a range of attacks and weapons.
You had a choice of characters, all Nintendo mascots; Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Yoshi, Kirby, Fox McCloud, Pikachu, Luigi (hidden), Jigglypuff, Captain Falcon, and Ness, all with their own strengths and weaknesses.
With up to four players at a time on the screen, Smash Bros. was a manic game at it's slowest. Quick reflexes were required to prevent being thrown from the stage (Pikachu's 'agility' move came in very handy for returning from a throw).
Conker's Bad Fur Day:
At first sight, Conker's: BFD was your typical 3D platformer; a cute, cuddly affair that had you solving puzzles, collecting stuff and take in lush surroundings. What it offered besides that, was, surprisingly, a crude, hilarious mature rated game. BFD was quite possibly the most hilarious title ever created, with crude jokes, over-the-top violence, drugs and sexual content, but it was also a remarkably deep, well-paced, beautiful game with great graphics and amazing sound quality.
With seven worlds and over 60 sub chapters, Conker's: BFD was a pretty big game, so just as well it played as good as it looked. It controlled exceptionally well, with Conker delivering satisfying jumps and attacks around beautiful worlds. Some of which took design of differently themed worlds, which included spoofs of such films as The Matrix and Aliens, Saving Private Ryan, Eyes Wide Shut, The Terminator, Jaws, and more.
But it wasn't just Conker, his world was filled with foul mouthed critters, including a cog that repeatedly tells Conker to "F**k off!"; a giant block that looks at another, bigger block on his top and yells at Conker: "You'd better get this fat ass b*tch off my back", and they all added to the smutty humour, and it was sublime.
The N64 was one of my favourite consoles, with many, many great memories, and obviously that wasn't all of them! So, here's a few others that you should certainly check out:
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| Blast Corps Just utter 'smashy-smashy' fun, coupled with highly addictive gameplay |
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| Jet Force Gemini It has it's faults, but it was a terrific third-person action romp. |
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| Perfect Dark Rare's 'proper' follow up to Goldeneye took us down a sci-fi route, and introduced us to sexy lead character Joanna Dark. |
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| Pokemon Stadium 1 & 2 Pokemon? In 3D? Say no more! Even came with a Gameboy adapter so you could play your little game on a big screen. |
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| The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask Follow up to OoT is equally as impressive, and deserves as much time as you can give. |
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| WWF No Mercy A brilliant wrestling brawler, No Mercy had fantastic animation, superb graphics and handled well. |
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| 007: The World is Not Enough Not quite as defining as Goldeneye, but a solid FPS. |
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| F-Zero X At the time, F-Zero X's speed and smooth framerate was absolutely unparalleled. Still the best F-Zero in my eyes. |
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| Rocket: Robot on Wheels Rocket was easily one of Nintendo 64's most innovative, original, deep, and utterly brilliant "platformers" to date. It was also sadly underrated. |
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| Star Wars: Rogue Squadron A brilliant title, the Hi-Res version really showed off what the N64 could do. |
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| Banjo-Kazooie A worthy successor to Super Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie was a technical masterpiece. Rich, vibrant colours, brilliant characters, and a massive world. |
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| Space Station Silicon Valley Vastly underrated, Space Station Silicon Valley was one of the most original platform/puzzle games to hit Nintendo 64. Overlooked and even unheard of, Silicon Valley was a great example of what a little creativity could accomplish. |
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| Wave Race 64 Wave Race 64 is one of the best racers -- ever. The realistic wave motion and transparent water effects were sublime, and the amazing track design and fantastic stunt mode are still tough to beat. |
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| Paper Mario Paper Mario is a fantastically deep, intuitively designed RPG that although looked childlike compared to Final Fantasy, it rivalled any RPG on any system, and that's still true today. |
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| Rayman 2: The Great Escape Rayman 2: The great Escape was a remarkable 3D platformer, that brought flawless controls and extremely clever puzzles all to huge, stretching, gorgeous worlds. |
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| 1080° Snowboarding The ultra-realistic look with spectacular graphics and tons of tricks, jumps and various game modes made 1080° the best snowboarding game of it's time. |
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| Harvest Moon 64 What it lacked in action and adrenaline (there's literally none), Harvest Moon 64 made up for with totally engaging and challenging gameplay that sucked hours from you. Which in turn, turned to days, which in turn, turned to weeks... |
Happy 15th Birthday N64!
Tech Beever takes a look back at Nintendo's N64 as it celebrates its 15th birthday
Balloons fly high, that pesky donkey is still without a tail, and whoever is still playing pass the parcel is more interested in just sitting down. We're all waiting for the birthday boy to show up, but where the hell is he?Taking a nice, long, hard look at himself, that's where.
15 years ago, Nintendo brought the world the Nintendo 64; the worlds first 64bit home console, and with it, came a legacy of great memories (and some poor ones, but we'll forget them...).
I remember first playing on an N64, my Uncle brought one for my cousin (although it was really for him), and the three of us crowded round the CRT TV in the lounge. The moment it loaded up, and we were greeted with "Its a me, Mario", followed by the giant head of that fat Italian plumber we'd become acquainted with over these years; only now he was in 3D.
It was amazing, my Uncle Paul, cousin Martin and myself all in awe as we took turns pulling Mario's face with the gloved hand. Then we pressed the start button.
The Mario games we knew before -- these flat, colourful 2D games; were now just a distant memory, in their place was this magnificent, fully realized three dimensional world -- one that would change the way we play games forever.
My birthday was a whole 8 months away, but my Grandad being the incredible person he was, got me my very own N64 early, so the month of May became the 'real' era that the N64 changed my life.
An N64 Ad, goofy kid not included
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| Goldeneye; the game to change a generation |
That 'Z' trigger felt as if you'd pulled the trigger on a gun, making you feel more like James Bond with every kill you ranked up on Goldeneye. Just utter genius.
Then there was Super Smash Bros. a premise so simple; take much loved Nintendo characters, and let them duke it out; but with a twist -- the winner is the first to knock their opponent/s off the arena. Simple eh? Throw in some ridiculously fun weapons, power ups and even moving levels that will attack you, and it quickly turns into a frantic attempt to get your 99% damage down. Brilliant, brilliant fun.
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| Super Smash Bros, Yoshi sticking it to the Mario Bothers |
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was one of the consoles finest moments, and a feat that would go down in gamings history as one of the best games ever made.
A technical marvel, OoT took a world we loved, and turned it into a three dimensional world that was both beautiful, endearing and when needed; haunting. The first time you entered Hyrule Field, you knew you were embarking on something that was truly magnificent, and when you were able to ride Epona, you never wanted to leave Hyrule.
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| Legend of Zelda: OoT |
The N64 was, and still is one of Nintendo's finest moments. Sure, it may have lost the war to Sony's Ps1, but without it, we may never have been able to swim beautiful underwater levels with Mario, gallop through Hyrule Field in Zelda: OoT, shoot your best friend in the face during a split screen Goldeneye session, or throw Fox McCloud off his very own ship. And for all that, we thank you, Nintendo 64.
Now, blow out your candles and eat your cake.
Game Revival Guide (Part 1)
There have been some pretty awesome game titles over the last few years, some which have continued to grow (Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, Super Mario, Halo, to name but a few), but what of those that time has forgotten?
We've selected a bunch of titles that we'd love to see revived, and today is the first part, so read on, you never know, there might be something you've never played.
Psychonauts:This is easily one of our favourite games, EVER! The design and witty scripting of Tim Schafer (Brutal Legend, Grim Fandango, Secret of Monkey Island) made this psychic powered platformer one of the most emersive, funny and downright enjoyable games ever made.
The story follows a young boy named Raz, a youngster gifted with psychic powers, who runs away from the circus to sneak into a camp, where he hopes to become a Psychonaut, but soon discovers that an evil plot is afoot that only he can stop. The game was really well designed, with brilliant and vibrant colours, as well as a host of awesome psychic abilities.
Psychonauts was originally an Xbox exclusive, but was later ported to PC, PS2, Steam and then made the list as an XBLA download on Xbox 360. Although critically acclaimed, Psychonauts suffered poor sales, which is a real shame, as it genuinly deserves to be renown for the intuitive and brilliant game it was.
Jet Set Radio:Back when the Dreamcast was the big daddy of consoles (well, until the PS2 came along) alot of games became instant favourites, but many people missed out on some real gems. One of which, was Jet Set Radio. The premise was simple; you played a roller blading graffiti artist, who's job was to 'tag' the world with your handiwork, whilst evading the police and taking down rival gangs. At the time, Jet Set Radio was considered the pioneer of cel-shaded graphics, and that really showed, as the game was so unlike anything else at the time. The soundtrack was a big addition to the gameplay, as you're narrated through various parts of the game by Professor K, a DJ for the pirate radio station, Jet Set Radio, as well as brilliant music, varying from rap, jazz, dance and the like, right up to metal. Although a sequel, JSRF: Jet Set Radio Future was released on Xbox, Jet Set Radio went quiet, which is why it needs to come back! Imagine blading around on PSN or Xbox Live, forming you're own gangs, whilst battling for dominance with rival gangs. Awesome.
Luigi's Mansion:Whilst pretty much every Nintendo console landed with a launch title about Mario, the GameCube went the other way, and launched with one starring his brother Luigi.
The story behind Luigi's Mansion, is that Luigi wins a house (in a contest he didn't enter), and so asks his brother Mario to meet him there to celebrate, but finds that his brother has 'gone missing', leaving Luigi to investigate.
As you enter the house, you realise something isn't quite right, and, surprise surprise, the house is haunted. Armed with a vacuum cleaner and a torch, Luigi set's about capturing the ghosts, and finding his missing brother.
The graphics, animation and gameplay were very impressive, with the cold air vaporising as Luigi breathes, the lighting, his facial animations as he encounters the spirits, all adding to what was an original and entertaining title.
But what happened? After Luigi's Mansion, we only saw him in games such as Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros. etc, but imagine a Luigi's Mansion remake (or sequel) on Wii, where you'd control the vacuum and torch with the Wii-Mote. Something to think about...
Shenmue:You didn't think this wouldn't make it on our list, did you? As game revivals go, no fans come close to Shenmue fans, these guys have been petitioning for years.
But why? What made Shenmue so different? For starters, the game was gorgeous. Granted, it's no Heavy Rain beater, but at the time, it was unrivalled graphically, and it really brought QTA (Quick Time Events) into the foray.
You play Ryo Hazuki, a young man embarking on the mission of avenging his fathers murder. The game, which creator Yu Suzuki proclaimed as 'FREE' (Full Reactive Eyes Entertainment), implements a day/night/sleep system, real time weather effects (a first for games at the time) as well of tons of other interactive elements such as vending machines, arcade games, convenience stores etc.
It really did change the way people thought about games, the amazing visuals, gripping story and gameplay that was totally different to any game on any system, however, after the sequel, Shenmue II on Xbox, production was haulted and never resumed, leaving the series with a major cliffhanger, and fans with nothing but a pipe dream.
An intriguing adventure game, that follows MIT parapsychology researcher John Vattic as he wakes up in a medical research facility, with no knowledge as to how he got there, or indeed his past, other than a previous mission. The story resolves around John and his attempts to recover his memory as well as the secrets behind his new mental powers.
As you progress, you learn bits of your past, as well as discovering new and exciting telekinetic abilities. The story is highly emersive, added to the great (at the time) graphics, with very good voice acting, it's hard to see why this title never gained another entry, especially as it was well received on all formats (PS2, GameCube, Xbox and PC).
XIII (13):As far as underrated FPS go, this is up there at the top. XIII was a fine little gem, that although had many flaws, it was brave enough to step out of the generic FPS crowd.
The main difference it held over other games of the genre, was it was a living comic. Onomatopoeic words would pop up as you fired a weapon; for example, the explosion of an RPG would be followed by "BAAAOOOOM!". It really was a satisfying looking game. The story follows a man known as XIII (voiced by X-Files David Duchovny), who wakes up on a beach in New York City with a mysterious tattoo of the Roman numeral for thirteen on his shoulder. XIII learns that he is being targeted by a hitman called The Mongoose and his army of mercenaries. He is also wanted by the FBI for the murder of the President of the United States, William Sheridan. Throughout the game, XIII struggles to uncover his true identity and a conspiracy plot involving a group known as The XX.
The game met with poor sales, so a sequel (although wanted by many) is unlikely, which is a shame as the story of XIII was just beginning.
Well, that's it for part 1, do you agree/dissagree with our choices? Let us know via comments below, and stay tuned for part 2!
Retro Beever: Super Mario 64 Review
Mario. A figurehead of gaming for over 25 years. The fat Italian plumber who never ventured under a sink, ever. Makes you think how he's stayed in the buisness for over two decades.
That's pretty simple- his games are awesome. Back when 2D was the highest limitation in gaming, Mario owned the streets. His side scrolling platform games (not to mention racing and puzzle games) few could compare to the 2D sprite.
But what happens when the rules change, when a company called Sony entered the gaming ring, bringing to it the Playstation, complete with 3D games. A time when Nintendo's biggest rival, Sega, had too stepped up to 3D with the Saturn, even transforming it's own mascot, Sonic (although the blue hedgehog didn't transition too well to 3D).
Nintendo needed a prayer, and that was answered with the Nintendo 64. But what of the fat Italian plumber?
The day, is March 1st. The year, 1997.
That's pretty simple- his games are awesome. Back when 2D was the highest limitation in gaming, Mario owned the streets. His side scrolling platform games (not to mention racing and puzzle games) few could compare to the 2D sprite.
But what happens when the rules change, when a company called Sony entered the gaming ring, bringing to it the Playstation, complete with 3D games. A time when Nintendo's biggest rival, Sega, had too stepped up to 3D with the Saturn, even transforming it's own mascot, Sonic (although the blue hedgehog didn't transition too well to 3D).
Nintendo needed a prayer, and that was answered with the Nintendo 64. But what of the fat Italian plumber?
The day, is March 1st. The year, 1997.
Retro Beever: Goldeneye Review
Where were you in 1997? I know where I was, I remember it well, being sat in my kitchen, controller in hand... then it came; the Bond theme. Da, da, da, da, da, da, da da da da da!
Yes, Goldeneye was the main event, and after the awesome (and often overlooked Blast Corps) developer Rare had some work to do.
Goldeneye puts you in the shoes of 007 and, name aside, the game is only loosely based on the movie.
You play the game literately looking through James Bonds eyes, you only see your character in brief cut-scenes, all built around 18 varying levels, which all start on Agent (easy), but you can up the difficulty as you progress, choosing to replay the levels if you do so desire.
The levels are all filled with enemies, which were impressive AI; if they knew you were behind a door, they might not come rushing in to get filled full of bullets. But they still did sometimes.
Once they're down, you can gather ammo and weapons from enemies, and as you start to do so, you realise that select weapons are far more useful on levels than others. Be it a Sniper Rifle, Walther PPK, Automatic Shotgun, or if you're feeling reckless, how about two handed weapons? Throwing Knifes anyone?
The choice of weapons on hand is fantastic, and even though there's only one route you'll be taking, the game manages to allow you to find your own, just by the weapons you choose to use.
Now, what's a 00 Agent without his gadgets, eh? You're just in luck, remote mines, magnet attract watches, camera, data thieves, key analysers, laser watches, and many more! One stand-out gadget part, is on level 9, where you find yourself in a cell, with nothing but your magnet attract watch. Believe me, figuring out how to escape is just awesome.
But that's all in single player, how about some multi-player action?
Goldeneye was by far, the most fun I've ever had with a multi-player game. The fact my friends would come round before school (bare in mind we'd set off for the bus at 7:30am; they were round for 6:45!) so we could have a blast for half an hour, then many more hours after school was just insane.
But it really was a great multi-player game, deathmatch being a favourite, but there are a wide and varied amount of options to choose, tweak and play.
At the given time (1997) first-person shooters weren't all the rage as they are today, and Goldeneye honestly made all that change.
The game was sublime. Great character AI, brilliant controls, great stealth and shooter mix on top of a (still great) multi-player. No wonder the game went on to sell eight million copies. In fact, it was only a whole decade later, that the release of Halo: Combat Evolved on the original Xbox stole the title away from Goldeneye.
A decade. Now, if that isn't impressive, nothing is.
If you fancy some Retro gaming, you can probably pick yourself up a Nintendo 64 with Goldeneye for something ridiculously cheap, so go searching!
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| Platform: Nintendo 64 Players: 1-4 Rumble Pack: Yes Developer: Rare Release: 25 August 1997 |
Retro Beever
2011? A great year for games? Pah! The past is where it's at! Retro Beever will be bringing you all the gems of yesteryear, as well as some titles you may have overlooked, so, get in your Delorian, strap on that seatbelt, and let's go back to the future (of gaming)!
