Forgotten Worlds: Androids and Machineguns!

Dude, The Terminator totally got it right: robots will rise up to destroy the human race.  Fortunately, there is something we can do about it.  In the mid-to-late '90s, arcades everywhere armed kids and young adults with hefty, plastic light guns and enlisted them in the fight against robo-terrorism.  I'm talking about Sega's frenzied shooters Gunblade NY and LA Machineguns.

Gunblade NY came out in 1995 and, while it may have been a bit overshadowed by Time Crisis that same year, it was a unique light gun game that attracted many arcade goers.  Of course, there have been a plethora of arcade games that used cabinet mounted machine guns before this: Taito's Operation Wolf series and Space Gun (one of my favorites), Namco's Steel Gunner series (another of my favorites), and Midway's Revolution X and, yes, Terminator 2, to name a few.  However, Gunblade NY did a couple of things differently that set it apart from the others.

First, there's the cabinet design.  If you look at the picture above (which is a pic of LA Machineguns, I know, but Gunblade NY did the same thing), you'll notice those light guns are pretty hefty looking.  Previous machine gun games had you holding this small, one-handed, uzi-type gun or something similar to that.  You had to hunch over the arcade cabinet and hold your face close to the gun in order to play.  But the guns on Gunblade NY and LA Machineguns meant business.  They were designed to be held in both hands, comfortably, at the waist, which felt more natural.  The gun design was awesome, with a nice, weighty feel and a heavy recoil.  These games let you know that you weren't playing with some tiny pea shooter.  You were taking out the androids with a heavy duty cannon.

The other thing these games did differently to their predecessors is their use of polygonal 3D environments.  Previous light gun games relied on simple forward and side-scrolling levels with enemies just popping out into the line of fire.  Gunblade NY took the same technology that fueled 1994's Virtua Cop, along with other titles in the Virtua series, and created something that had much more dynamic action.  Enemies would actually dodge and weave through gunfire, requiring players to keep a bead on them in order to take them down.  Your vehicle, either Gunblade NY's attack helicopter or LA Machineguns' hoverbikes, took tight corners, made strafing runs, and stopped on a dime as they flew over, under, and through each city.



Of course, these games have their slight differences, being that Gunblade NY was released in '95 and LA Machineguns in '98, but they're mostly cosmetic.  The gap in graphics between these two is about the same as the gap between Virtua Fighter 2 and Virtua Fighter 3 (if you've ever seen those games).  LA Machineguns looks nicer than Gunblade NY, but both of them definitely look dated, by today's standards.  This isn't to say that they look horrible.  Both of them look significantly better than the original Virtua Fighter, which may be one of the ugliest arcade games of the '90s.  The only other difference is how the enemies act.  In Gunblade NY, androids do lots of crazy acrobatics, trying to dodge your gunfire.  In LA Machineguns, they don't flip out of the way as much, which makes it a little easier to hit them.  Both games are very short and have been known for being a bit too easy.  Still, dropping a couple quarters to wield a metal blasting cannon never gets old.

Last year, Sega released both of these games in a collection for the Wii.  Of course, the question is whether or not these games still hold up without the feel of a big honking gun in your hands.  Actually, the answer is yes.  While the Wiimote is no substitute for the arcade feel, the gameplay is still just as fun.  The collection doesn't add much extra stuff to the games, with the exception of alternate fire modes, like rapid fire, after you beat the game a couple times.  Other than that, it's a pretty straightforward port of these two arcade games.  You can pick up the collection for real cheap (usually around $20, but my wife found a copy for me at Costco for $10).  If you have a Wii and fondly remember shooting up android terrorists, you won't regret getting this collection.

Until next time, keep your scores high and your pockets full.

(The YouTube video above was created by lucisac).

Games You Should Know About... XBOX Live Indie Games

While I may be old school, it doesn't mean I don't enjoy some of the more modern video games.  However, I'm not like everyone else who lauds every first-person shooter that comes out on the market (though I do like certain FPS games) or these new generation JRPGs that are heavy on flashy graphics and light on gameplay, story, and interesting characters.  I like games that, somehow, slip under the radar - games that don't sell as well as the crap that gets shoved in your face.  These are games you should know about... but probably don't.

If there is ever a treacherous minefield of gaming, it would be in independent games.  A lot of fun games are released, every month, by independent game studios.  But these games float in the sea of gaming with the flotsam and jetsam of crappy indie games.  Probably, the best example of this can be found on XBOX Live.  Sure, there are some really lame-ass XBOX Live Indie Games (if you can even call some of them games), but there are some diamonds in the rough that deserve some recognition.

Today, I'm actually going to marry my two loves: Classic gaming with sleeper hits.  These four games take the graphics, sound, and/or gameplay of old school games and creates some enjoyable games.  The best part, these games only cost $3 each, so there's no excuse for you cheap bastards out there to pick these up.

First, let's take a look at a classic game style with a fresh coat of paint.  If you've ever played arcade games such as Robotron 2084 or Smash TV, then you're familiar with the two joystick run 'n' gun style of gameplay.  If you consider yourself a fan of these games, then I definitely recommend you check out Dragon Divide's Alpha Squad.  It takes place in a dystopian future where gangs of hockey masked hooligans and soldiers of a unified, totalitarian world government rule the streets.  You play as a member of Alpha Squad, an elite mercenary group who has been targeted by this government and are out for revenge.  You start out on a world map with one mission available, but can select other stages across the globe as you progress.  Gameplay is very reminiscent of Smash TV (which is good), with visuals that remind me a lot of the PS1 game Loaded, complete with buckets of blood splattering on the streets.  Power ups are gained via a weapons shop in the pause menu, using the gold and silver from fallen enemies to purchase new weapons and health packs.

One of the nice things about Alpha Squad is the talent involved in the game.  The music was done by Stemage, who did the awesome Metroid Metal.  The character artwork, including all the hot, busty women, was done by the talented and prolific GENZOMAN, who has worked with UDON Entertainment, and contributed artwork for the Facebook game Castle Age, and for collectible card games, such as Universal Fighting System, World of Warcraft, and Legend of the Five Rings.

This game is not without some issues.  The difficulty in some of the levels is unbalanced, requiring you to spend lots of your hard-earned gold on room clearing nuke bombs.  There's also bugs that have been known to crash the game, sending you back to the dashboard.  Dragon Divide has been made aware of these issues and are working on them (one of the crappy things Microsoft does to indie developers is that they only allow them to update a game once in a seven day period).  Still, even with those issues, you're getting more than your three dollars worth.



Our next game is from Ancient Corp, a Japanese company co-founded by Yuzo Koshiro, a video game composer famous for his awesome soundtracks to classic games like Ys I & II, the Streets of Rage series, the Actraiser series, The Revenge of Shinobi, Beyond Oasis, and the Etrian Odyssey series (another Games You Should Know About entry).  Protect Me Knight is a loving throwback to old Famicom/NES games.  Even the start of the title screen has you "blowing on a Famicom-esque cartridge" to get the game working.  The game merges old school video game action with a tower defense mechanic to help players protect a princess they've rescued from waves of attacking monsters as the heroes try to get her home.  Gameplay is what you'd expect from a classic NES title: simple, but fun and challenging.  As you defeat more monsters, the princess gives your heroes "heart points" which you can use to upgrade your character between levels.  For being a NES type game, the game actually looks and sounds really good.  The ending is pretty cute too (you'll just have to beat it yourselves to find out).  Trust me, you, and any three friends you may have, will have lots of fun with this title.  Pick it up, now.  Also, check out the website for the game, both the English and Japanese language sections, as they have content that look like NES and Famicom ads, respectively.



Speaking of merging classic gameplay with tower defense mechanics, MagicalTimeBean created a series of games that everyone should get.  In Soulcaster, you play a wizard who has to go through areas, fighting (you guessed it) waves of enemies.  The catch is that your wizard can't, normally, attack these beasts.  Fortunately, you can find the souls of three legendary heroes: an archer, a fighter, and an alchemist.  Your sorcery allows you to summon them, on command, to fight for you.  It definitely is a simple, but ingenious mechanic that makes for a great game.  The graphics and sound feel like a game from the Super Nintendo library and both are really good.  If, however, you're not simply satisfied with only one Soulcaster game, MagicalTimeBean made a sequel.  Simply called Soulcaster II, your wizard continues his adventures with his immortal warriors through dangerous dungeons.  The sequel doesn't try to reinvent the formula.  It just offers gamers more of the same great gameplay that you got from the first one.  Both of these games have "future classic" written all over them and should be in any classic gamer's collection.



Finally, let's end on something a bit more... quirky.  If you like a classic RPG with a sense of humor, then you should drop 240 Microsoft Points on Zeboyd Games' Cthulhu Saves the World.  If you're wondering if the game's premise is just as ridiculous as the title, then the answer's "yes."  You, of course, play as Cthulhu, high priest of the Great Old Ones who was about to resurrect the dead city of R'lyeh from its watery grave and bring destruction to the Earth when some douchebag took away all of Cthulhu's dark, cosmic powers.  According to the game's narrator, who is just as much a character in this game, the only way Cthulhu can regain his power is by doing something highly uncharacteristic of him: becoming a great hero.  It is this epic and unlikely quest that forces the dread demigod of the deep to fight euclidean monsters, delve into cyclopean dungeons, and ally with some bizarre individuals.  The entire look and feel reminds me of the old RPG Maker programs and the music is good, too.  If you do like classic JRPGs, get this one.  Hell, if you really like the game, then you should check out Zeboyd's other RPG, Breath of Death VII, which is only $1.



Remember, these games are only available for download on XBOX 360, so don't get your hopes up if you don't own one.  If you do, then any of these games are worthy of your time and the small amount of money they're asking for.  Don't just take my word for it, though.  Each of these games have demos you can download and see for yourself.  Definitely support these titles, so that we may see other projects from these companies.

Forgotten Worlds: X-Men

During the comic book boom of the early 1990s, Marvel Comics made changes that would give the company an extreme amount of exposure.  If there were any Marvel franchise that spearheaded this new direction the company took, it would be X-Men.  In the 1970s and 1980s, comic book legends such as John Byrne and Chris Claremont, brought deep, rich characterizations and dark, hard-hitting stories, such as “Days of Future Past” and “God Loves, Man Kills,” to titles such as Uncanny X-Men and The New Mutants.  In 1991, the franchise was revamped to become more marketable and attract more potential readers, and it worked.  According to Guinness, X-Men #1 is still the best selling comic book of all time.  The new comic spawned a toy line, video games, and an animated series (I’ll cover most of these at a later time).

Of course, this success wouldn’t last for long. Chris Claremont ended his 17 year tenure of writing classic stories for the franchise after extended clashes with the editor.  X-Men #3 was his last issue (he wouldn’t return to the franchise until 2000).  Follow that up with the 1992 departure of Jim Lee, whose artwork was the foundation of the X-Men’s new popularity, and you have a title with stories and art that was, well… let’s just say they were mostly forgettable.  In the mid-nineties, no amount of holofoil gatefold covers could save the X-Titles.

But that’s not what I want to talk about.  This is Forgotten Worlds, after all.  I’m here to talk about arcade games.  While just about every post-’91 X-Men product was based on the teams’ new design, including a handful of arcade fighting games, the original X-Men arcade game was based on something completely different: the pilot episode of an animated series.  This isn’t the same as the successful animated series that came out in 1992.  “Pryde of the X-Men” was created by Toei Animation in 1989 and featured a cast of characters that were prominent in the comic during the ‘70s and ‘80s.  It was intended to launch a series that never got made, as it was panned by X-Men fans as being too campy.  For some reason, Konami took what was considered a flop and turned it into something enjoyable.

Known for creating side-scrolling beat ‘em ups based on popular franchises, such as The Simpsons, and, of course, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Konami’s X-Men follows in the same vein.  You can usually recognize a Konami beat ‘em up by the vivid colors and cartoony graphics, which worked well with the franchises they used – and X-Men is no exception.  The graphics do a really good job of emulating the visuals of the animated pilot and the similarities with the show don’t end there.   

The game completely evokes the cheesiness of “Pryde of the X-Men.”  The rogues’ gallery in this game is kind of mixed up.  Probably, the strangest is the inclusion of human-sized Sentinels, which were originally designed to hunt and destroy all mutants, as Magneto’s shock troops.  While some bosses were part of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, such as Blob and Pyro, other characters were added, like the White Queen, who was featured in the pilot episode and Wendigo who wasn’t.  Just about every one of those bosses in the game spouts some goofy one-liners (my favorite: “Pyro will turn you to toast!”).  These aren’t, necessarily, bad things, as nothing ever gets gratingly annoying.  Sure, the game is not accurate to X-Men cannon, but the game doesn’t take itself too seriously, so why should you?

"...while I get to second base with Daphne in the Mystery Machine."

Yes, I know it's Kitty Pryde, not Daphne. 

If you’ve ever played any of Konami’s beat ‘em ups, you know what to expect, here.  The only new feature that the game introduces is special attacks (each character’s mutant powers) that can deplete your health each time you use them.  While this game doesn’t completely reinvent the genre, it does present it in an extremely fun way.  When this game came out, my younger brother and I would walk to the local bowling alley and drop countless quarters into this six-player beast of an arcade game for an entire summer.  We thought this game was awesome and we couldn’t get enough of it.  Though I felt the same way about TMNT, I enjoyed X-Men even more.

I always thought that Dazzler, the woman with short hair,

looked sexy in that costume. 

If you want to rekindle your love for mutant superheroes, or you’ve never played the game before, X-Men is now available on XBOX Live and the Playstation Network for $10, which is good.  The re-release includes the Japanese version of the game, which added power-ups, and also features online co-op, for those times when you want to play with five other people (which didn’t happen often in the arcades, if I remember correctly).  This game gets the Anacronus seal of approval; definitely, check it out.

Until next time, keep your scores high and your pockets full of quarters.

This video is a demo from the 4-player version and is from YouTube user Narox.

I'm joining Geek Streak

Geek Streak is a blog filled with news about entertainment, science stuff, sports (at least hockey and soccer, because that's what we like around here), plus editorials and reviews about geek culture.  It's also adding a new member to the team, Anacronus.  You can find my articles on nostalgia, such as Forgotten Worlds, on Geek Streak every Wednesday, but don't let that be the only reason you visit.  There's new content every weekday, so check out the rest of the Geek Streak crew and visit often.

...Space is A Curve.

From such blogs as Kaiser Crowbar's Ablogcalypse and Stranded in Dreamland, the Veteran Cosmic Blogger is back with a new pseudonym.   On this side of the blogosphere, they call me Anacronus, the "Titan of Old School."

For a while, I've been reminiscing about all the great things I had when I was younger.  Here's where that nostalgia comes to fruition.  I've been scouring the sands of time to unearth gems of years long gone, from movies to music, TV shows, toys, and video games.  I'll also keep doing some of the segments I used to do, such as The Kaiju Report, Games You Should Know About..., and my coverage of all things Savage Worlds.

So, if you remember, like I do, sit back, relax, and relive a simpler time.  If you're too young to recall, then open your eyes and pay attention - this stuff's important.

P.S.: The title of the blog and this post are references to the Rush song "Neurotica" from their Roll the Bones album.  Yes, I really like Rush.  It's pretty obvious.