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• Crono: My First Aeris Gainsborough

  You remember Aeris' death in Final Fantasy VII, right? Sephiroth dropped from the sky, brandishing his very big sword, and he spit Aeris like a piece of sacrificial lamb on a shishkabob. Cloud broke out the pitas, Cid stirred up the hummus and—no, wait, that didn't happen. Aeris died in Cloud's arms and it was very sad. There, that's what happened. Aeris's death, though curiously dry (not a drop of blood was spilled—what kind of impotent Jesus stand-in was she?), was a stunning event for the gaming world. Until the moment Sephiroth fell on her as neatly as a dart flying to a pub's board, it seemed unfathomable that a game character could die. Forever. No take-backs. Unfathomable for some. Not so much for others. Read More... Posted Jan 08 2009, 12:01 AM by Nadia Oxford with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: snes, chrono trigger, Playstation, retro, marle, super nintendo, crono, 16-bit, final fantasy vii, nadia oxford, chrono trigger ds, aerith, aeris

• The Untold Story of Sega Killing Their Own Hardware Business

  It’s been a straight up Sega love fest here lately. Not sure what it is about this first week of November, but for some strange reason I’ve simply had blast processing on the brain. I didn’t even realize it until reading Ars Technica’s retrospective, but the love in is appropriately timed; the Sega Mega Drive, our beloved Genesis, just turned twenty years old. While the Super Nintendo was my only true 16-bit love, the Genesis and I had our fair share of good times as well. Now, I’ve always understood it that Sega’s failure as a hardware manufacturer was a direct result of overextension, squandering the good will and widespread success they had with the Genesis in North America, Europe, and even South America by way of releasing too many expensive add-ons for the system that no one wanted or understood. The finicky Saturn hardware, stealthily released at an astronomical price point with too few games, and the Dreamcast’s inability to compete with Playstation 2 certainly didn’t help, but the real beginning of the end was the massive amounts of money poured into the Sega CD, 32-X, and the many different combinations of the two sold alongside good ol’ Genny. But, according to Technica, flooding the hardware market wasn’t the whole reason behind Sega’s fall from grace. According to the article, Sega of Japan shot themselves in the foot, promptly cutting off all support for the Genesis in 1995 after the Saturn launched because of sour grapes over the system’s failure in Japan and success in America. Read More... Posted Nov 07 2008, 03:00 PM by John Constantine with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: john constantine, sega, genesis, super nintendo, mega drive

• Looks Great, Tastes Bad: The '90s and its Crop of Unbalanced Games

  "Earthworm Jim is on the Virtual Console today!" exclaims a message board thread somewhere in Gamer Town. In seconds, nostalgia draws traffic to the post like a purring queen draws kittens to the teat. "Oh, this game was so awesome," a poster named Billy declares. "They don't make games like this anymore." That's right, little Billy. They don't. I'm sort of glad about that because I don't think my heart can endure mass doses of disappointment anymore. Though Japanese games ruled the sixteen bit era, American developers were finding their legs as well. And oh, what a pair of legs they found. Games like Aladdin on the Genesis, The Lion King and Earthworm Jim looked and sounded brilliant. They are, in my opinion, still some of the best-looking games out there in spite of running on 24 megs of memory as opposed to today's standard of a hojillion gigabytes. I still love watching people play Earthworm Jim because the title has so much love and personality in every frame of animation. There's the rub: I like to watch (tee hee). I don't actually like to play Earthworm Jim--or Aladdin--or The Lion King--because the games are consistently and unfairly difficult, sometimes for the most baffling reasons. When Earthworm Jim fires his standard weapon, you can't see the spray of bullets. Even the lowliest of crows will dodge your invisible fire half the time despite being directly above you, but there's no possible way to correct your aim because you can't see where you're aiming. Read More... Posted Oct 29 2008, 04:16 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: earthworm jim, super nintendo, 16-bit, nostalgia, sega genesis, nadia oxford, the 90s, aladdin, lion king

• The Reason Why Mother 3 Never Came to America

  None. There is no good reason why Mother 3 never came to America. Oh, there are a couple of valid reasons why we never officially received Earthbound's follow-up, but they're not necessarily good. The easiest blame can be laid on finances. We are elbow-deep in the era of the Nintendo DS right now and the heyday of the Game Boy Advance is long over. Nintendo might get away with releasing all three Mother games in a DS collection, but that's obviously not going to happen in a grand hurry. By now, the universe knows that the original Earthbound bombed on the Super Nintendo. Nintendo did a beautiful, loving job with the packaging and translation, but dropped the marketing ball hard enough to cannonball clear to China. Earthbound was marketed as a cheesy science fiction game brimming with toilet humour, which it wasn't. Alas, a mass-mailing of scratch-and-sniff stickers made to smell like rancid pizza will do a lot to kill an appetite for game. Besides, after experiencing the majesty of Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger, why would anyone want to fight against giant piles of barf? I sure didn't. Earthbound tanked, Nintendo made up their mind about American tastes and Mother 3 never had a chance at a ticket to America. Since the release of the translation patch, however, more than one person has claimed that maybe Nintendo's fear of another financial disaster wasn't the only thing keeping Mother 3 from the States. There was suddenly talk about in-game content being inappropriate for American audiences: the dark story, the characters (oh, the characters) and whatnot. God knows Japan has thousands of little quirks that only those born under its flag can truly appreciate, but I don't see how Mother 3 is one of them. Read More... Posted Oct 27 2008, 05:35 AM by Nadia Oxford with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: snes, earthbound, mother 3, super nintendo, retail, censorship, game boy advance, nadia oxford, profits

• Time For Terranigma! Right?

  Friends, join me in a round of "Let's Push Our Effin' Luck." The Virtual Console has done such a good job at not sucking for the past few weeks that it's only natural for me to raise my hopes and watch them get sheared. So, Nintendo. Square-Enix. Everyone. Time to stop starting and stopping like a nervous thoroughbred. It's time for commitment. It's time for Terranigma. When you were young, you probably played Soulblazer and/or Illusion of Gaia on the Super Nintendo. Both games provided Zelda-flavoured adventures that were nevertheless unique. Illusion of Gaia in particular still stands out in my mind for its mild hero, Will, a boy with telepathic powers who must jump-start Earth's stagnant evolution. Terranigma actually preceds Will's journey and Soulblazer story-wise, casting the player as Ark. Ark is cast out of his Eden-like villiage and tasked with beginning the very evolution that Will is later called upon to re-direct. Terranigma plays similarly to Illusion of Gaia, but it might seem unfamiliar because it never made it to North America. It did, however, see a release in Europe. So there's the beauty part: Terranigma already has an English translation waiting patiently for us. Read More... Posted Oct 14 2008, 06:54 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: square-enix, retro, super nintendo, 16-bit, nadia oxford, virtual console, terranigma, illusion of gaia, soulblazer

• Watcha Playing: Secret of Evermore

  You see, people? That's what video games are all about. Giant aliens with clearly visible weakspots that glow red. And you have to fight them off with a bone. A bone. I was too busy playing Earthbound when Secret of Evermore was released, and thanks to the magic of emulation, I'm able to catch up on what I missed back when I was eleven. Playing through this game makes me wonder why nearly all other JRPG's haven't copped to its simple formula of real time battles, blending Lengend of Zelda action and traditional JRPG battle mechanics. Fighting is much more interesting and intense than most JRPG's, and the genre is just now catching up to it with the Tales of...series. Thing is, Evermore does it much better. Today's RPG makers should really take note, especially those who think that Paper Mario-style timed attacks counts for engagement. The other thing that really stand out to me is the ambient music, which is far and away better than just about any Super Nintendo game I've ever played, outside of maybe Donkey Kong Country (Just talking ambience, folks). Canyons echo, deserts swirl with wind, and dank caves drip.  Of course its the little things as well.  The menu system is so compact and useful, the boss battles are so gripping, and the pacing is superb. Two thumbs, way up. Awesome vintage commercial after the jump: Read More... Posted Oct 06 2008, 04:00 PM by Cole Stryker with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: cole stryker, watcha playing, super nintendo, squaresoft, secret of evermore

• The E.V.O.lution of Spore

  Yahtzee recently mouthed off in his charming British way about Will Wright's Spore. Does he like it much? Short answer: "Nooooooooooooooo..." I haven't played Spore. My computer is from the Stone Age (2002) and completely useless for gaming. It's especially useless right now because it's been infected with the digital equivalent of late-stage syphilis and I do believe it's going quite mad. As for Spore, I might pick up the Wii version once it receives all the necessary castrations. But I have to admit that Yahtzee's weekly snark-a-thon woke up an otherwise oblivious bit of my brain that's telling me, "Hey...you played Spore. On the Super Nintendo. It was called EVO." Now kids, don't you all yell at Granma Nadia like that. I know Spore is far more complex than the 16-bit prehistoric gorgefest that captured my heart when I was fourteen-ish. But the idea of eating and growing appendages as a result of eating (wouldn't that make the obesity crisis a lot more interesting) took me back to a happy place. When we were kids, we wanted to genetically engineer nail-studded dragons with teeth like Ginsu knives and scales like tank armour. Oh, and they had to be able to fly, of course. Completely impossible by Nature's hoity-toity standards, but typical of the animals that rattle around in a kid's imagination. When Enix made EVO, it remembered the pencil crayon drawings that adorn every boy's school binder. Read More... Posted Sep 18 2008, 05:22 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: snes, PC, will wright, spore, super nintendo, 16-bit, nadia oxford, evolution, evo

• Chiptune Friday: A Link To The Past

  Last week's Zelda jam was a pleasant trip down memory lane, but it was missing one thing that I've come to enjoy here every friday: a booty-shakin' beat to celebrate the end of the work week dancing to! So today we're revisit Hyrule thanks to the stylish innovation that the kids these days are calling "the remix". Read More... Posted Sep 12 2008, 12:00 PM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with no comments Filed under: nintendo, derrick sanskrit, the legend of zelda, nes, chiptune friday, super nintendo, a link to the past, remix, rac

• Whatcha Listening To: The Earthbound Soundtrack

  I'm in an Earthbound frame of mind these days, which is a good place to be. With the release of the Mother 3 fan translation inching closer and some very pleasant message board conversations that remind me why I actually sacrificed precious naps to play through Itoi's masterpiece, I've taken to thinking about what makes Earthbound special. I could sit here for hours relaying all the reasons (okay, twenty minutes--I type fast), but one of the main reasons warrants its own entry: the music. Earthbound is probably the most underappreciated title in video gaming's short but passionate history. Everything was overlooked: the expressive graphics, the innovative battle system, the emotional story that perfectly balances bizarre fun with a deep, subtle story about growing up and leaving home...and, of course, the music. Earthbound is not a game that can be appreciated with a glance ("God, what baby graphics. Who made them, Crayola?") or a quick listen ("This music is too cutesy"). You're required to experience it from beginning to end. Admittedly, the music took a while to grow on me, but when it did, it hit me like a Mr Saturn to the face. Read More... Posted Aug 25 2008, 07:01 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: snes, earthbound, game music, super nintendo, 16-bit, nostalgia, nadia oxford, whatcha listening to, soundtrack

• Fun Fact: Dylan Cuthbert - The Genre Masher

  So you think PixelJunk Eden is a deliciously freeing, genre defying romp through psychadelia but that the whole experience is vaguely familiar somehow? Maybe that's because Eden was designed by the same dude who programmed Star Fox back on the Super Nintendo. In fact, a quick look at Dylan Cuthbert's history in game design shows a pattern of smashing game genre conventions, all the while producing addictive works of beauty. Way back in 1992, Dylan designed and programmed X, a first person shooter/puzzler that showed off wireframe 3D graphics on the Nintendo Game Boy, a feat that had never been achieved on the clunky grey box before OR after. Based on this exciting new style of gameplay, Nintendo hired Dylan's team at Argonaut Software to develop a 3D arcade shooter for the brand-new Super Nintendo. Read More... Posted Aug 11 2008, 02:00 PM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: playstation 3, game boy, derrick sanskrit, playstation 2, star fox, super nintendo, eden, pixeljunk, fun fact

• Super Mario World is Terrifying!

  Games are as varied as movie genres, meaning there are plenty of titles out there that exist for the purpose of making us poop our pants in fear. Silent Hill, Half-Life, Super Mario World... Wait, Super Mario World is frightening? It is if you're this guy. He's "never played Super Mario World before, and he's ready to bid farewell to his virginity while the world watches him (scream in horror). Obviously he's faking it, but it's still a pretty amusing watch. Especially if you know enough about the game to anticipate his reaction to Banzi Bills and half stepped-on Rex dinosaurs. But why act superior. We all freaked out a little at Super Mario World, right? My best friend's father jumped behind the couch when Bowser came soaring at the television screen during his last stand against Mario. Read More... Posted Aug 04 2008, 03:44 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with no comments Filed under: snes, super mario world, super nintendo, fan video, scary, humor

• Gamer Caskets Rob Your Grave (of Dignity!)

  You thought guys getting Master Chief tattoos were weird, how about a Halo or GTA IV coffin? Perhaps the ultimate expression of brand loyalty, a themed coffin is an excellent way to remind your surviving loved ones that what little identity you had on this earth was wrapped up in a piece of plastic and metal.  In an effort to reach out to gamers, Creative Coffins has mocked up a few designs that will appeal to tech enthusiasts, including Microsoft Vista and iPhone themes. Environmentally friendly! Quirky! Embarrassing!  Read More... Posted Jul 25 2008, 06:00 PM by Cole Stryker with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: castlevania 1, cole stryker, super nintendo, iphone, coffins, microsoft vista

• Chiptune Friday: Don't Just Stand There, Bust A Move!

  No, this is not a post about Young MC (oh, but if only...) John's comments on Bubble Bobble got me thinking about its puzzle spin-off, the wildly addictive and oft-copied Puzzle Bobble, or as it is more popularly known, Bust A Move (or, as it is more casually known, Snood). Read More... Posted Jul 11 2008, 01:00 PM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with no comments Filed under: derrick sanskrit, taito, chiptune friday, super nintendo, snood, bust a move, bubble bobble, puzzle bobble, puzzle

• The Chrono Trigger Port: Are You Excited or Disappointed?

  Though the 16-bit console wars were savage in the early '90s, the end was in sight by 1995 and the Super Nintendo was crowned the obvious winner. (Except by pouty Genesis fanboys who feebly compared Phantasy Star IV to Final Fantasy VI. I mean, it's a good try, but...nah.) The Genesis was panting and dry-heaving at the finish line, but the Super Nintendo barely broke a sweat. In fact, it looked healthier than ever thanks to an injection of A+ games at the end of its life. One such title was Chrono Trigger, a now-legendary RPG by Square(-Enix). We should all hope for the dignified hero's death that the Super Nintendo recieved thanks to Chrono Trigger's legacy. Read More... Posted Jul 02 2008, 07:30 PM by Nadia Oxford with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: remake, nintendo ds, rpg, chrono trigger, Playstation, square-enix, genesis, chrono cross, luca, port, marle, robo, super nintendo, phantasy star, crono, 16-bit, final fantasy iv, console wars