#100 Paradroid

Posted: 28th May 2011 by Jeroen in Games
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2

57th game played so far


Genre: Action
Platform: Commodore 64
Year of Release: 1985
Developer: Andrew Braybrook
Publisher: Hewson Consultants

The most roundly numbered game we’ve covered so far, Paradroid is an old action game that makes you hack robots and fight your way around. Blow up the ship by shooting other droids and taking over their bodies. It’s that simple.

Our Thoughts

Time for a game which sounds more like a crappy Hitchhikers tie-in than anything else. It’s certainly not a well-known title. It’s our first, and only, title for the Commodore 64. I think it is fair to say that we had to emulate it… considering how old it is.

Yeah. Now, this is an interesting game anyway. It took some time for us to figure out what we needed to do. Ah tutorials and instruction booklets how we missed you. Very true. The idea is actually not too bad – you’re a droid assigned to blow up a ship that looks a remarkable lot like the USS Enterprise of Star Trek fame. (Why blow it up? Why not?) To do so, you take over other droids with more powerful weapons by hacking their system in a minigame that makes you take more rows of a column than the opponent. Stronger droids are, of course, harder to take over. It was great since it gave me the only opportunity I am ever going to have to try and explode a starship with Shatner still in it. At least in theory. Like the theory about Shatner’s Shakespearean acting method? It’s either that or early dementia. But that’s not relevant at the moment.

One thing that is very interesting from this game is that although it it top-down they only show enemy robots if they are within your droid’s line of sight. Making for some surprise appearances as you round the corner, especially when you’re a simple droid suddenly being faced withsome super fighter. Who is kick-ass when you beat the mini-game and then do a little bit of mechanical body snatching. It is so useful in clearing a path from some measley inconsequential droids. Absolutely. Taking them over remains tough, but if you can manage it, it’s great. That minigame is a real bitch until you figure out the best way to beat it. Something that takes you about the first ten games you play. When playing this game, prepare to die and restart often. Oh god this game is frickin’ brutal in that respect. It’s a good thing this game predates long cutscenes… else it’d be horrible.

Still, when you get that far that you get it, the game actually gets quite addictive. I must admit that while I was playing to try to get a good screenshot, I instead did try to get a bit further in the game… what should have been a single game took… a few more than that. A few more than a few more. A bit like Tetris then where you keep playing it to get better and better scores. Yeah. But instead to get to the next deck of the ship.

What helps here are the graphics. Yeah, they’re simple compared to what we have now, but they’re effective. A futuristic ship with a fitting layout of the decks, starting out in the crew quarters and being able to go to other places. They’re nicely layed out, making some sense, and nice to explore – you want to see all decks. I realise there aren’t many, but it’s just nice and varied enough to work. They also go through pallette swaps between games, somehow effective in making them look just a little bit different each time. I have to admit that I really did love the looks of the different marauding robots. Some of them actually look slightly threatening as you roll around the corridors in a metallic foetal position. Some did give me the impression of some big humanoid thing stomping around the halls. This is also helped by the randomness – while the ship start out in a similar way each time, the robots follow their own path that changes between games… meaning I was very surprised to face the nastiest droid as I was walking down the first corridor.

And so I started yet another new game.

Final Thoughts

This is a game from a simpler time, with the appropriate graphics and difficulty curve. You need to take your time to get this game. After that, you get a game that’s addictive in the sense that so many games from this era are – a single game doesn’t take long, but you just want to keep trying. It’s fun, addictive, and you just want to try to win.  And there’s so much more strategy to it than running around a Pacman maze, as we might be used to now.

#232 Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting

Posted: 24th May 2011 by Mulholland in Games
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5

56th game played so far


Genre: Fighting
Platform: Various
Year of Release: 1992
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom

Some game franchises have so many entries in this list that to not include one of them in the first 100 games would end up with a mad dash to the finish line. Granted we have already covered plenty of games in the Mario, Zelda and Final Fantasy but we figured it was time to fast track the Street Fighter series.

Our Thoughts

So here’s the first game in this series of major 2D fighters, something that used to be huge in the arcades. Then again the arcades have not exactly been as popular in the last decade or so… with the exception of the Dance Dance Revolution machines which always seem to be packed. Absolutely, with what’s available on the PCs and online these days, arcades can’t really compete anymore. Consoles killed the arcade star.

This is definitely true with fighting games. Whilst there are some who have their own customised retro-joystick to play fighting games with there is a lot to be said for using a 360 controller or any other sort of console controller for that matter. Once Sony were able to perfect the Dual Analog sticks… then all bets were off. Add to that the technology of consoles constantly improving, meaning that the arcade machines could no longer really provide the better graphics, sounds and other experiences that it offered over older consoles.

With that said, this game has so many editions and arrived on so many consoles after its original arcade release that it doesn’t matter much here. Absolutely, Street Fighter II has received six remakes for the arcade. Using subtitles that feature combinations of the words ‘hyper’, ‘turbo’, ‘world’ and ‘fighting’. Today’s game, Street Fighter II Turbo – Hyper Fighting, was the third of these releases. We will be covering the downloadable Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix Purple Monkey Dishwasher at some point. I can only roll my eyes upwards at that title.

You have to admire Capcom for their ability to flog this horse until all is left is gristle and bone powder. I guess the main thing we need to mention is how this version of the game is set apart from those which came before it.

 

The main, and most noticeable, way they did this was by increasing the speed of game play. Also they added in some special moves (such as fireballs and hadoukens) which have become staples of the series. Absolutely true. This version was mostly created to move against pirates, who created modified versions of the original Street Fighter II that had similar goals. It plays like it. As said, it’s made a faster game, this certainly is a fast game. It was, in fact, quite disorienting sometimes, and didn’t give you much time. Not helped by the first enemy in story mode possibly being one of the most difficult ones. A tank with horrid attacks. Part of it is that you obviously need to learn the combos, while you don’t immediately get a lot of time for that.

I guess the best way to play this game is with a friend. It’s the same with all fighting games to be honest as you can play as every single character in different combinations and there is not the annoying ‘you lose… continue?’ voice which pokes fun at you when you get set on fire. It’s also a lot more fun beating each other up and putting in your own trash talk.

Of course, if you want to take over in story mode because you can do better, just challenge the other player to a duel and win to take over. Yes, that got annoying after a while. Then again it’s worse in an arcade when a stranger uses it to steal your go… yes that happened to me before at an ice rink with a game of Virtua Fighter. Better to play at home then.

Final Thoughts

Seeing how fighting games really have gome a long long way since then it it has really made me want to invest in a copy of Super Street Fighter IV. Also… I think I may be the only one really looking forward to BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger… TO EBAY!!! *cape swishes*

#956 Prototype

Posted: 20th May 2011 by Jeroen in Games
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4

55th game played so far

Genre: Action/Adventure
Platform: Xbox 360/PS3/PC
Year of Release: 2009
Developer: Radical Entertainment
Publisher: Activision

If you ask us officially, we’d say that the enemies of this game are sort of zombie-like, fitting our current games theme (and we promise this is the last, as we’re already pushing it quite far with this game). You’re Alex Mercer, a prototype human who has to fight the other mutants, the military, or both, in a semi-representation of Manhattan. He’s dressed to last – clearly it’s not summer in the game, considering the many layers he wears.

Anyway, this guy runs up buildings, creates claws, swords and whips from his own whatever he is, and eats people. Don’t you just love it?

Our Thoughts

Yes, I do love it. Nice attempt tying this to the recent undead theme… but I don’t think mutants derived from experimented-on girl really fits the bill. I recall you using it as the original argument for doing the game next… but then again, I guess we deserved a lot more about the story anyway. Or you did, considering how much time you have been spending on the game. I think it is safe to say that this is the most I have been addicted to a game since Bayonetta way back when. In a way I am now sorta glad my old Xbox 360 packed in as it gave us an excuse to buy a new game or two to go with it. It’s one I have been looking forward to for about a year and it really has lived up to my expectation.

In essence, Prototype is a mixture between the free-roaming nature of Spider-Man 2 with the killing sprees available in Grand Theft Auto. And the upgrades of, well, many an action/RPG. Ah the upgrades. There are a large number of different powers that can be unlocked during the game. All of which have been beautifully realised with their own pros, cons and uses. Some of these are quite straightforward, like faster runs and higher jumps. Some are transformations – changing your hands into claws, whips or the iconic big sword. And then there’s the big devastator attacks where you shoot spikes out of your body in all directions that kill mostly everything near you. The whip-fist is possibly the most impressive of the lot since you are able to take down helicopters in a single hit without even breaking a sweat. Then you can upgrade it even further so that you whip it around you in a circle and cut everyone around you in half. Then there is the musclemass upgrade where you reduce people to a bloody mess in a single charged punch… with the exception of a disembodied foot.

It seems incredibly violent, made a bit stranger by the fact your innocents are easily harmed. Of course, if you don’t, the infected are likely to get to them first, if they’re not killed by the army in the crossfire. So, to be blunt, everyone is pretty much screwed. The further you progress in the game the more the infection takes a hold over Manhattan. There are certain streets where you will just see burnt out cars and dead bodies strewn about the place. Really gives the city a certain macarbe ambience. This is further enforced by the game playing as a flashback. Your tutorial takes place on the 18th day of the infection, where you have all your powers. You then go back to the first day as you play through the game while the infection spreads further, leading up to what you know is the inevitable conclusion. It’s a fantastic way to introduce the controls since you are thrown right into a chaotic Times Square with maxed out mutations. I actually played this twice since I enjoyed chopping things in half with my arm-sword. The most awesome power, which of course is unlocked as one of the final possible powers.

It may take you a long while to get this far since it is just so much fun to wander around the city killing armymen. It is also rather satisfying using the absorption power so that you can later use their form to hide from the filth. This power is heavily used both in missions and outside of them since, for extra XP, you can infiltrate army bases and stealthily kill everyone inside then blow it up with a hijacked tank. OR you can decide to take down the hive locations belonging to the infected. Anything to increase your powers eh? Or do both and get a double return… they’re both bastards, really. Absolutely, all’s fair in war and mutation. One thing I had slight issue with is the sidequests… or the fact that the idea of taking part in a gliding race across Manhatten doesn’t exactly fit in with the apocalyptic feel of the game. They are common to these sort of games, but it is one of those disadvantages of putting so much time pressure on a main quest. As well as a rather annoyingly emo main character who always has the hood of his jacket up during the entire game. To be honest, not always a bad thing, his face somehow seems a bit off. In any case, he looks… and at times is rather emo. Then again if I was experimented on and the government wanted to kill my sister and love interest I would probably be rather emo. I’d be emo if my sister were my love interest. (Two different people) (Scratch that)

Lastly I think we need to mention the Web of Intrigue feature. As a side-effect of your absorption power you are also able to take on the memories of certain people that you meet during the game. This then forms a ‘web’ which acts as a rather unique story-telling device. Therefore the only way you can completely understand the game’s backstory is to absorb every one on your hitlist. Now, this obviously doesn’t happen with everyone, and in a way getting to part of the web is a side quest where you can get more sections as you absorb more characters, but it allows you to learn more about the side story without it being in your face through forced cutscenes. It also allows for more branches in the story, rather than the linear story you normally get. Cutscenes you can easily skip through if the only reason you are taking on this feature is to end up with 100% completion. And at some points you probably will, but the small fragments can be incredibly compelling to track. In the end this game excels with the amounts of freedom you get. It makes me really want to buy a Playstation 3 as soon as possible so I can compare it with Infamous.

Final Thoughts

So yeah, this is a very good game, as said. There’s a good story here, that you can follow up through great missions, with plenty of fun sidequests – either direct events, but also finding people for the web of intrigue, landmarks and hints that you can all find as long as you do plenty of exploration.

Graphically, this game looks lovely and good – as we’d expect by the year this game was introduced in. The AI is good, working different for individual monsters. And you yourself become an incredibly awesome character. Worth playing, absolutely worth it.

#693 Dead Rising

Posted: 16th May 2011 by Mulholland in Games
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1

54th game played so far

Genre: Survival Horror/Action
Platform: Xbox 360
Year of Release: 2006
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom

Back in late 2006 I had a choice to make. For Christmas I had the choice of getting either an Xbox 360 or a Wii… hard right?

Having to make a choice about what conosle to get as you cross into the next generation of gaming is not one to be taken lightly. So what I chose to do was to look at the games available at the time and make a choice based on that. Since I, somewhat stupidly, thought that the Xbox 360 would be completely backwards compatible I chose to get that. However, that was only an afterthought since the games that really tipped the balance in favour of getting the 360 were the already blogged Viva Pinata and today’s entry Dead Rising. The fact that it took me another five years before I finally got it is another story.

Our Playthrough

Seeing that this game starts out pretty much as a linear single-player game (before expanding into a more sandbox mode) we thought it would be best for us to both have our own game where the experience would add up to 5  hours. Seeing how I am the more experienced in terms of console gaming I played for longer than Jeroen did.

Our Thoughts

Here’s our next zombie game already, although the title could just as easily refer to skeletons or other such undead evils. I think a quick glance at the game’s cover would allay any worries about the presence of zombies.  Then again they are not necessarily the toughest enemy to defeat. I think a chainsaw juggling psycho-clown comes close to the top of that list.

As you can tell, we’ve started playing our first survival horror and yeah, that is a character in the game. Nightmare fodder, right? Surprisingly my zombie nightmares stopped when we started playing this game. Now I just dream of being murdered in a room decked in red and yellow. What game will get rid of that one? Possibly a discoloured chess game, I’ll start looking for one. I fail to see the link but let’s move on.

 

So, I guess the big selling point that Capcom used to ship as many copies of this game as possible was that this was a rather unique mix of zombie and sandbox  games. Sandbox up to a point only, due to some time limitations, but this is as close as you’ll get. There’s lots of zombies, and you can go where you want (as long as you kill the right people first for their keys and such).

Well, the limitations get dropped once you complete both the 72 hour and overtime game modes. Then it opens everything up and you are then able to dip in every now and then to take your rage out on a never-ending zombie population. In the end this population is so large that there is an achievement for killing more zombies than actually present in the town where the breakout occurred. Presumably due to the infestation spreading, it’s quite scary to think of.

Luckily they’re zombies, so you’re likely to outrun them. Unless it is night-time… then they become faster, stronger and their eyes glow red. Yeah, they are, signalled by a rather worrying cut scene. Yes… I might have spoken too soon about the lack of nightmares. Luckily we only saw it today, so can’t discuss it at length yet. Apparently this blog now doubles as a dream journal. Tomorrow’s entry may be 16+…

ANYWAY! Survival Horror, scary game!

When I first played this game I was pretty jumpy… even in the segments in the safe house area. However I have to admit that after I decapitated a few zombies with a sickle I was no longer scared of it. It may be one of the more violent games I have ever played though.

 

The sheer quantity of blood that you shed just to go to the bookstore is more than you see during a rampage in the recent GTAs. It is pretty unique when you think about how much blood is involved. This can be seen in Germany, where this game was refused a rating which made it illegal for stores to sell the game there.

Considering how casually you kill them… the only reason it doesn’t feel uncomfortable is because they’re really not human, they feel like zombies. The graphics may help give that feeling. They are good – quite realistic, with the normal humans looking good and the only weird thing being their mouths when they speak. They don’t sync, pulling you out of the illusion quite quickly. That is the thing that has dated this game immensely. The zombies and the mall surroundings are so well executed that it is a real pity that everything between the nose and the chin looks ridiculous.

 

Speaking of ridiculous… the AI of the survivors is absolutely pants.  Firstly you are not able to give them everything that can be used as a weapon due to certain items having unique battle animation. The major gripe is that when you say to them ‘follow me and I will lead you to safety’ they interpret it as ‘crowd surf on that patch of flesh-eating nightmares’. Sometimes you feel that they just do not wish to be saved and should therefore be left to their gooey fate. It is possible they are already zombies; the rotting has just been taking longer.

Final Thoughts

It’s a sad fact that this is a game that really has aged a great deal.

The fundemental sandbox game play still remains great fun and there is no way to properly cover this in the time we set aside for this so I am really looking forward to giving this a good old explore later (especially when it comes to the psycho clown who’s mere existance is somewhat disturbing). If you can get it cheap in a place like CEX it is still a worthwhile gaming investment.

Eine Kleine Musical Acquisition

Posted: 14th May 2011 by Mulholland in Acquisition
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1

For anyone who got the book and marvelled at the sheer number of Guitar Hero and Rock Band games that made it onto the list (seriously… way too many) they will know that if we were to have any chance of playing them we would need to invest in some instruments.

This is when Amazon’s constant e-mails came in useful since we spotted a rather good deal where we could get a Band Hero game with drum, microphone and guitar peripherals for about £35. When you consider this is how much the guitar alone can go for this was a pretty good deal. Around the same time we also found Beatles Rock Band and Donkey Konga (complete with konga peripherals) for cheap so we may have bought them…

A musical time all around… heaven help my ears.

#253 Zombies Ate My Neighbors

Posted: 12th May 2011 by Mulholland in Games
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1

53rd game played so far


Genre: Shoot ’em Up
Platform: SNES, Mega Drive
Year of Release: 1993
Developer: LucasArts
Publisher: Konami

And here’s the second of our zombie-themed game week of sorts. Zombies Ate My Neighbors, known as just ‘Zombie’ in certain more squeamish places. The premise is simple – there is a zombie invasion (well, zombies, mummies, haunted dolls, aliens, freakish plants, chainsaw murderers and more invasion), and you have to save the neighbours from being killed by them. This all made by the well-known Lucasarts, who were big in these days, although not always known for their action games.

This is one of those weird games you hear about every once in a while as being out there, but good. Is it?

Our Thoughts

So here it is, one of the games with the most insane names in the list. Zombies Ate My Neighbors just sounds weird, wacked and wild.

When you find out this game was developed by the guys at LucasArts it does make a bit of sense. You can tell from both the looks and the sense of humour. It really does fit well amongst the canon of their other games (like Maniac Mansion; which we will cover at some point). A few years ahead of the afterlife game Grim Fandango.

Where do we start? First of all; the theme of the game. You’re playing as a teen (two players supported) who has to kill zombies, mummies, chainsaw horrors, walking dolls and other such horror-themed enemies while trying to save their victims from the places they’re hiding out in. This can be gardens, houses, malls and other such familiar settings.

The interesting thing about this game is that the number of victims that you save is carried onto the next level. It means that the possible number of points in every subsequent level is dependent on our performance in the current level. After a while it can end up with you having only one victim to save since all the others have been taken out by some terrible creatures from the netherworld. Some of the victims turn up in unusual places… like why would you need to rescue a cheerleader from the courtyard of a haunted castle?

To be fair, this also adds to the strategy – do you save lots of victims, making it take longer to finish the level, or do you take less with you, running the risk they die because the enemies reach them earlier? Of course this means that the victims that are the hardest to reach are the ones which are carried over. Like in a maze level where you need to lure a chainsaw-wielding maniac to cut down the shrubbery completely surrounding a baby whilst making sure he decides not to split you down the middle or does the same to the baby.

Rather sick when you think about that. It’s worse when the baby is killed by a possessed doll holding a meat cleaver (which inexplicably sets itself alight after you shoot it). And yet the game is colourful and somewhat happy. It is somewhat helped by the retro 3D-glasses one of the main characters wear. He looks wild and somewhat out there. The sort of guy you’d imagine in a game like this, the wacky one.

An interesting thing to help you fight the hoards of nasties is a large array of weapons. Alongside the more traditional guns there are exploding six-packs, lawnmowers, bazookas and (the surprisingly effective) fire extinguishers which literally freeze your enemies. Then there is your main gun weapon – or possibly a super soaker when you look at the colour of the projectiles.

The retro nature of this game is further supported by the level names which all sound like 50s horror B-Movies (or even ones seen on this day). And in the end, it’s creepy, in a fun creepy way. Twisted, disturbing… and just fun. Kill the zombies and save the cheerleaders. What more is there to a horror B-movie anyway?

Final Thoughts

The references to existing movies are numerous and this game suits the movie genre. It’s oddly compelling, difficult but easy to learn and it feels quite possible to beat – if you didn’t have the problem that all your damage carried over and you only have ten victims to lose. Properly Nintendo-challenging in places, but doable.

Last, it’s worth noting a movie of the game has been announced for February 2011. Nothing more is known yet, but keep an eye out.

#955 Plants vs. Zombies

Posted: 8th May 2011 by Mulholland in Games
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0

52nd game played so far

Genre: Strategy
Platform: PC
Year of Release: 2009
Developer: PopCap Games
Publisher: PopCap Games

It is time yet again for us to step into the realm of strategy games. Seeing how over 11% of games on the list fall into this genre it is a path we need to tread often. Then again it is not often we are able to do this with cute cartoon visuals. To the review!!!!

Our Thoughts

So, here is the game that inspired zombie week… and by week we mean two games with zombies in the title. Well, since we don’t do more than two games per week, it makes sense that way. If we had some Resident Evil it would have made as much sense… but we’re leaving that until we have pills to help us cope with the jumpiness. Yeah, we’re sticking with a friendlier type of zombies.

Plants vs. Zombies is remarkably cute and fun for a game featuring brain-eating monsters and living and at times carnivorous plants. Don’t forget the cameos of the Michael Jackson zombie whose special power is the summoning of backing dancers. Okay, so sometimes it is scary. Depends on your definition really… but there are times in the game where things do get quite near the knuckle of whether you are going to complete the level. Once you figure out a decent system the game throws you a bit of a curveball,  like the inclusion of water-based levels or zombies who drive vehicles. Tombstones that suddenly double the amount of zombies you face. A lot of hours has already been put into this and we are yet to get to the robot-zombie. Or a Zombie Yeti.

In the same way we have not even begun to scratch the surface of the vast array of mini games to offer. People have a bit of a pop at Popcap games for marketing lowest common denominator games for bored housewives but a lot of care and attention has really gone into this game to flesh it out so much that it can take a very long time to get everything you can out of it. This doesn’t feel like such a simple ‘housewive’ game at all. Sure, it’s not the 3D engine graphical masterpiece with plenty of FMVs and lots of story, but it’s a game that’s fun and feels very large. There’s dozens of different plants you use to defeat dozens of zombies in several different game modes – minigames and different versions of normal levels. Also there are the funny little notes left by the zombies that politely request you to hand over your brains. It would be sweet if I had not had a zombie-related nightmare earlier in the week. Yeah, that was an unfortunate night, and I got to experience another downside of that.

To be fair, the zombies are quite creative in getting to your brains. They use inner tubes to swim through your pool, they go polevaulting to avoid your barriers and use patio doors to protect themselves from your guns. Luckily genetic engineering has progressed to such a stage where we have created various plants and fungi to counter-act these obstacles. These are zombies which know how to use catapults… which we use palm-tree shields and melon-paults against. Then there are those poor Wallnuts (I GET IT!!!) which get eaten as zombies try to get to your front door. I feel more sorry for their tall equivalents who actually start to tear up a bit when eaten. The most twisted version of all, however, is found in the Zombotany minigame, where you must defeat zombies with plant heads, the same plants you have to plant to keep the zombies out. Yes… it does look a little odd. It’s sick, that’s what it is! Unlike the bowling mini-game which is bad-ass. Yeah, your wallnuts sometimes become ballnuts. Oh the hilarity. Thank you!

Don’t let the Popcap name or the simple graphics mislead you, this is a good game. Easy to start with, hard to master, never impossible to defeat, but it has its moments where you wonder. If it gives you cartoon-style nightmares… remember to pack your peashooter.

Final Thoughts

Within a short period of time we appear to have covered a number of games developed by Popcap. When you look at games such as Peggle, Bookworm and ones we have not yet covered they are very different breed compared to Plants Vs. Zombies. If anything this game was the first time they were able to discard some of the stigma that had been previously forced onto them… then again in a world where Angry Birds is the big thing then maybe the landscape of games is changing slightly… but I digress. Where was I? Brains?

Another Kat-Based Acquisition!

Posted: 6th May 2011 by Mulholland in Acquisition
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2

I am so lucky to have a friend like Kat who is not just an avid Nintendo-based gamer but ALSO is happy to lend out sections of her gaming collection to help us along our way into completing the 1001 list.

Since she studies law there is a brief window where we are able to meet and exchange games, stories and frozen pizza fingers.

As with the previous batch of games we received from her we will be prioritising these above many other games in the list… but considering the wide variety of titles we got here there will not be much of a problem. Such games include The Orange Box, Sonic Adventure, No More Heroes, Shadow Of The Colossus, Final Fantasy XII and Luigi’s Mansion. See what I mean now? Personally I am most looking forward to replaying Portal… I just hope my laptop is up to it.

#214 Micro Machines

Posted: 4th May 2011 by Mulholland in Games
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1

51st game played so far

Genre: Racing/Driving
Platform: NES
Year of Release: 1991
Developer: Codemasters
Publisher: Camerica

After the marathon that was Baldur’s Gate II it’s time for a quick race to the finish (no pun intended).

Based on the very successful Micro Machine toys this game started a very lucrative series where the first few games received smatterings of critical acclaim. With most of the toys featuring their own races (jeeps, helicopters, speedboats what have you) it would be easy to dismiss this as purely an exercise in shifting merchandise…

Our Thoughts

Personally, I was rather surprised that a game inspired by a famous toy line would make it onto this list, let alone it’s sequel. I guess I was too young for this to make an impact on me since I was not exactly aware Micro Machines even existed as a gaming franchise. Yeah, that must have been. I remember playing this over at friends on the NES and SNES and loving it. While it may not look like much, this is back when our racing games were on tracks where you had limited movement, staying on the track, with boring surroundings. The colourful racing, where you can go where you want (as long as you don’t stray for too long) in the colourful, somewhat varied tracks, is amazing. Major games featuring top-down racing are not exactly made anymore. It really stopped being made around the same time Grand Theft Auto made a similar move.  So in that way this game is almost immediately dated. Of course, back in those days, first person racing looked far worse (locked camera and limited graphics) and this allowed for more possibilities for racers in those days.

However, the cute settings really does save it somewhat. Rather than normal settings of cityscapes or verdant green hills you find yourself racing around the breakfast table or the bathtub. Presumably trying to give kids ideas for playtime. It really feels like you’re a kid racing your toys around your home. As someone who did not play with toy cars that much this may have passed me by slightly. Make this Lego however and I’m yours. My father was a car mechanic and collected miniature Alfa Romeos. I often wasn’t allowed to play with them, so this was more of being able to actually race them. Like how I took solace in ESPN Extreme Games since my lack of natural balance prevented me from using roller blades? Very possible. Although playing Super Mario Bros. was not because I wanted to eat mushrooms. I’d like to make that absolutely clear. Fair enough, being Dutch I am sure there were other metaphorical fish to fry. Low blow I know… but I could not resist.

Anyway, it took us a bit of time to get into the game, but it was fun to play. A lot of freedom, and fun surroundings, making clever use of everyday elements. Stick with it, and it can be fun to play – and still be a good racer.

Final Thoughts

We know that this was a bit of a short write-up but in terms of games that changed history this would not be the top of our list. It is, however, a really good fun racing game to play to while away the time of day. Coming in a few years time: Micro Machines 2.

50 Game Round Up: 1-50 (Jeroen)

Posted: 3rd May 2011 by Jeroen in Round-Up
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Peter has already, earlier, given a summary of what this post is for, so I’ll put in a bit of a personal reflection.

When I first had the idea, this seemed like a way to spend some time and play some fun new games. I’m not sure whether we would actually play all of them, or whether we would any time soon, but it does feel like we’re getting somewhere – not far enough for any remarkable insight, but far enough to say I’ve added an interesting mix of games to the list of games I have played, some we wouldn’t have tried otherwise.

Best Game I Had Not Previously Played

I mean, we could include the games we played before, but that would likely be less interesting. More interesting is what cool new games have been added to our gaming library?

I think I’ll have to go for Viva Piñata, the fun game where colourful animal walk around your garden as you build it up and keep the evil enemies away. Its colourful, fun environments make for a lovely game with enough depth to make it more than easy to play but not too much to make it too difficult – in the end you can focus on raising your animals, although fighting evil guys, selling stuff and so on are all other goals in this game.

Worst Game

I’m tempted to repeat Peter here, but that’d be weak, so I’ll go for another – possibly more controversial.

Wii Fit is going to be my pick here. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good way to exercise, and it’s fun to doso. However, it’s not really a game, it doesn’t feel like one. The goal is exercise, not entertainment, and it shows. You wouldn’t turn on your Wii on a lazy Sunday afternoon for some Wii Fit, and that makes me call this the worst game. Because it doesn’t really feel like one.

Most Surprising Game

Having already seen Uplink covered, I’ll go for something else. Snowboarding is not a sport I know much about. A game where you use one to go down a mountain… meh, sure, could be a good sports game, I suppose. SSX Tricky, however, is more than that, and with its many options, good action and many options, it’s very fun. Certainly more worth playing than I expected.

Games We Want To Get Back To

There’s a couple of games we’ve played that I’ll certainly go back to – in part because I know I loved them from before. Obvious is number 50 – Baldur’s Gate II –  or my favourite game – and in a similar vein Planescape: Torment. There’s other games I’ve played before – Lego Star Wars, Mario Kart Wii and Super Mario RPG being examples of this.

Those are games I already knew, however. There’s more I’d like to try that sort of qualify, homourable mentions in a way, that I’d like to mention. These are DJ Hero (surprisingly good) and the three Final Fantasy games (VII, VIII and IX), where I have an honest interest in actually playing the series further.

The game I’ve not played before that I’m looking forward to again is from that other genre I like to play, simulations. It’s The Movies, the lovely interactive way to make movies and become the studio exec all of us want to make money as. It’s fun, complex, and ticks all those boxes for me. It’s a good game, that’s what it is.

With that said, there’s still 951 games waiting for us (with the next four already lined up for us), so a lot will still change. It’s certainly been a good start, I hope the future games all hold up.

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