Ice Climber: 1HN Cooperative Block Breaker

Back in the late 80s, one of THE first NES games I received from my mom and dad was Ice Climber. It's a simple platformer in which you play one of two parka-wearing climbers named Popo (who wears blue) and Nana (who wears red). You can guess the gender of each, though it doesn't matter.

Anyway, the great thing about Ice Climber (this is back in the late 80s, mind you) was that you could play cooperatively (or competitively) with another player. Unfortunately, as an only child, I rarely got the chance to play alongside someone else, but I was used to that.

The point of the game was easy to understand: break the ice blocks of the floor above your character using your hammer, and then jump through the hole to go up. Do this as many times as it takes to get to the top floor, from which you start the bonus stage. Along the way, you encounter ice-pushing white flightless birds and red bird-like flying creatures (pterodactyls?); the white birds do not try to harm you directly, but do if you touch them, but the red birds (pterodactyls) almost always seem to gun for your character. If that's not enough, there's a polar bear that will appear if you linger too long on a lower floor and stomp to make the screen rise one floor. If this happens while you are on the bottom floor of the screen (or if you fall through an ice hole in the bottom floor), your character dies.

To defend yourself against these baddies, you can use your hammer to bonk them at floor-level, or you can jump into the baddie (especially if it's the flying red bird), as you do when you break ice blocks. To lend to the cooperative intent of the game, you cannot mallet your partner, though you can push your partner through holes (if you are so malicious).

Ice Climber is the type of game that you can pick up and play with a friend for a half-hour of mindless fun, either helping each other or interfering with each other. Each subsequent level adds new difficulties: moving floors and cloud platforms, fewer blocks on which to stand, greater frequencies of creatures, and the like. When my sons play Ice Climber, they neither play cooperatively nor competitively -- they just try to do something with their controllers to make the characters move and survive. Their gaming sessions are hilarious and frustrating in equal measure. Nonetheless, once you and your friend begin to master Ice Climber, you may find the game stimulating, at least for that half-hour.

Mega Man X: 2HN Stiff Shooter

Back in the mid-90s during my college days, I was a loyal Genesis player, particularly of EA Sports games on that console. Occasionally, I bought and tried other games, like Sonic and Ecco the Dolphin. While I wasn't an ardent side-scrolling platform game player, I respected them enough to acknowledge them.

Today, as I plumb the depths of not only platforming side-scrollers, but also Super Nintendo games, I stumble upon games that even gamers now hold in high regard. One of those games is Mega Man X, which was one of Capcom's early SNES releases after a successful franchise run on the NES. In college, I wasn't directly aware of Mega Man X, but I did recognize the Mega Man character, who I believe is robot boy/man made out of metal. This recognition compelled me to buy the game from a co-worker, who happens to still own SNES cartridges.

Mega Man X starts up with a rocking soundtrack and the main character "X" leaping into the title screen. The game looks good and sounds great, but when I started playing I realized something: I can't duck! I can jump, I can shoot, but I can't duck! And, I can't shoot at a angle, which means that I have to jump to shoot. This is how it is in the first stage: X is capable of firing charged beams, jumping or sliding off walls, and jumping. There is no turbo run, no ducking, and no angle shooting from the start; the lack of such abilities sometimes led to character death. Super Metroid gets this right, but it appears that X has to gain certain abilities as he finishes missions, such as sliding on the ground. I haven't investigated what other abilities X can inherit, but you don't start off ducking and that bothers me.

After I passed the first stage and endured an "event battle" (i.e. a battle you are destined to lose, but must happen to advance a paper-thin plot), I found myself able to choose which stage I could try out. Which stage do I do first? I don't know, but apparently there is an optimal order because some stages are harder than others without certain upgrades. If any game needed a walkthrough, Mega Man X is such a game. How about an indication of which stage is "Stage Two?" No such indication, sadly.

Overall, the look and sounds of Mega Man X are awesome, but the gameplay is stiff and restrictive from the beginning. I've heard that this is how Mega Man games were on the NES, so I can see why my friends never recommended it (if the stiffness was the reason). I must compare it to Metroid; even on the NES, you could angle your shot up or diagonally up, and you could duck. With X, all you can do is jump to avoid missiles, rolling robots, and other baddies. Why Mega Man X is a classic is beyond me.

By the way, in Mega Man X, you blow up robots with your arm cannon. This technically qualifies as violence, but there is no blood though X writhes in agony whenever he's shot. If this game sits well with you, you could try it out, but be prepared to be a little frustrated.

Battletoads Double Dragon: 3HN Violence

A few months ago, I wrote a relatively lengthy post about violence and how Christians must assess the violent content of any game. Recently, I borrowed Battletoads Double Dragon for the SNES, and by the standards of 1990s videogames, this game is pretty dang violent.

Battletoads Double Dragon is basically a beat-um-up side-scroller that combines two NES games: Battletoads and Double Dragon. Battletoads involved three anthropomorphic toads and Double Dragon featured two muscular dudes. Combined, you can choose from any of the five characters; and, like both predecessor games, you can team up with another player.

What's the point of the game? To kick enemy butt -- that's it. You (and another player) run from left to right punching, kicking, and throwing any foe that crosses your path. From a gameplay standpoint, this game is a disappointment. Out of the six possible buttons, there are only two buttons used for unique functions: attack and jump. It's like Tradewest ported an NES game directly to SNES and upgraded the graphics, but retained NES gameplay. In this way, the game is lackluster.

Otherwise, Battletoads Double Dragon is mindless and oddly cathartic, though it is disturbing that dudes beat up on whip-wielding ladies, as skanky as them may be. I can say with certainty that this game does not exemplify Christ, but if it's any consolation most of the foes are robots and alien creatures... I will be returning this game to the coworker from whom I borrowed it. I am thankful I didn't buy it.

NBA Live 97: 1HN... You Gotta Be Kidding Me?!

Last weekend, my friend Andrew came to my house and hung out for a bit. When asked about what he wanted to do, he promptly said that he wanted to play some video games. Knowing that I had recently unearthed my old Genesis, he examined the Genesis games I had. Initially, he chose Madden 97, of which we played one game; it was fun -- a reminder of good times, to be sure -- but not overwhelmingly enjoyable. Andrew then opted to play NBA Live 97, which features NBA teams as their rosters were 14 years ago. After we chose our teams (he chose the Suns, I chose the Clippers), we played a game that reminded me of the high level of surreality I used to experience on a consistent basis 14 years ago!

In 1996, NBA Live 97 was the latest in a growing lineage of EA Sports basketball games dating back to the early days of the Sega Genesis with Lakers versus Celtics (circa 1989). I jumped onto the NBA Live bandwagon with NBA Live 95, followed by 96, and then 97. At that time, I was well-versed in the controls which are simplistic compared to today's standards: one button to jump/block/shoot, one button to switch players/run turbo/pass, and one button to attempt a steal/crossover (I think -- I'll have to check).

As Andrew and I played, we laughed at the various quirks of the game. One is player movement: computer-controlled players make beeline runs after the ball, which often results in one computer-controlled player pushing a bunch of other players until a tidal wave of virtual humanity converged on the ball. The game doesn't seem to discern that players are in the way: the Genesis will just push all intervening players. This often led to strange situations in which the player with the ball (e.g. my friend Andrew) would get pushed out of bounds by a mass of pushed players from my team. Or, if I happened to angle one's defender's run at Andrew's ball handling player, I could edge him out without get a foul called. Another quirk was blocking: if I ran into the key and pressed the Shoot button to initiate the dunk animation sequence, Andrew could not only jump his defender in my direction, but pass THROUGH me AND get the block. Moreover, goaltending was amusingly arbitrary: I could come down with the dunk and Andrew's player could ascend and grab the ball right out of my hands! Oh, and fouls: if you turbo run at an attacking player, you could send him FLYING across the screen and sometimes NOT get the foul called!

I should also mention one quirk that is important to note: the CPU's primary offensive strategy is to make the point guard penetrate and lay the ball up. If the point guard has a clear path, he will almost always turbo down the lane and lay it in. If you put your defender squarely between the point guard and the basket, the point guard will try a couple of crossover moves and then pass to the player with the clearest path to the basket. Also, if you maneuver a player into the path of the running point guard, you could get an offensive foul call in your favor. This is the most hilarious and often infuriating aspect of NBA Live 97.

I could go on and on about the quirks of NBA Live 97, but we came away from that game both amused and, well, infuriated. Having played the game in 2010, I can see how much sports games have thankfully advanced, though the next game we played that night (NHL 97) oddly holds up as a great game even today -- perhaps, I will review that one later. Suffice it to say, for a laugh, pop in NBA Live 97 and witness what gamers had to endure 14 years ago.

What Defines a (Iron) Man?

Yesterday, I pondered that which defines a man. I started off from the dangerous standpoint of what I cannot or do not do: I can't fix a car, plan a camping trip, program my own website, engage in martial-arts beatings, use a firearm, kill game with my bare hands, ride a mechanical bull, lasso a real-life bull, drink alcohol, or urinate for great distances. There were many guys at my old church that could do many of these things and they formed a nice group of men that could band together in the end times to form a viable commune and defend it with an acumen for survivalism and shotguns.

I then thought about what I could do: I can speak Japanese, teach linguistics or history or English, fix my computer, cook dinner, clean my house, iron my clothes, connect and configure electronic equipment, use an SLR camera, play most sports okay, run five miles, and write reviews, blog entries, and/or academic essays.

When I compared the lists, I became despondent because my skill set really does not correspond with what most men (even men in our churches) equate to masculinity. I began to ask myself: if the poop were to hit the proverbial oscillating fan, could I protect myself and my family? Could I stand up for myself? As the self-questioning questions flooded over me, I grew even more distraught.

But, this morning, I kept in mind the best answer I could muster -- that answer being to look at Jesus. He was indeed the Man -- self-sacrificial of his time and health, wise to always ask for His Father's help, courageous in the face of an inevitably painful crucifixion, and loving of humanity enough to reach out to both the masses (from the Mount, feeding the 5,000 with two fish and a loaf of bread) and the individual (Zacchaeus, Martha, Mary, and so on).

Thus, I was reminded that my yardstick of comparison should not be the guys at church, but the Man who is the head of the Church. Of course, I fall short of that yardstick as do us all, but I have to believe that I can do all these things in He who strengthens me. If I can strive to do those things, I could indeed protect my family and ensure my own safety with much more God-given strength than just being able to pummel any foe.

Then again, even David had a sling. :)

RC Pro-Am: 1HN Racing

Back in my adolescent days, I owned an NES console, along with 15 or so games. Most of the time, I was entertained by those 15 or so games, but there were times when I wanted to try other games, so I'd often borrow games from my friends Ed and Brian. One game I borrowed from Brian was RC Pro-Am.

The premise behind RC Pro-Am was simple: take control of a red radio-controlled car as you zip around a track riddled with various power-ups, oil slicks, speed-boost strips, and other road hazards. All the while, you can use bombs or missiles to hold your rivals at bay as you strive to cross the finish in third place or better (fourth place meant elimination). It was a relatively simple game except for one wrinkle: as it is with controlling RC (radio-controlled) cars, if the car comes toward you, you have to steer left to go right, and vice versa. Okay, this is a bad explanation... Imagine this: the RC car is coming at you and you want to make it go to your left, so you press right on your control stick, right? Wrong. You press left because you have to pretend that you are driving from the perspective of the RC car... Get it?

That's okay -- my sons don't...

My wife and I got RC Pro-Am, along with several other NES games, for our sons for Christmas, along with a Gen-X Dual Station clone console. I initially thought that my boys would enjoy this racing simulation, but I found that the concept of oncoming perspective was too much to overcome. Thus, after 10 minutes, both of my boys asked to switch games, obviously frustrated at the idea that you had to press left to go right.

In any case, once you overcome this mental hurdle, RC Pro-Am is a whole lot of fun, especially when the computer turns on the cheese and gives the yellow RC car sudden bursts of supersonic speed -- and, the only way to stop this yellow demon is to blast it to bits... repeatedly. Despite this, RC Pro-Am is addictive and is easy to pick up, play for a while, and then put down with the satisfaction of having gotten the "need for speed" (and destruction) out of your system.

Super Metroid: Tips and Tricks

Last weekend, I chipped away at my current Super Metroid adventure, managing to defeat Ridley after two tries. During my first encounter with Ridley, I attempted to bombard him (?) with Super Missiles, and then with Missiles, but neither did much damage and only annoyed him. However, after referring to my walkthrough, I found that charged Ice Beam shots at his head did the most damage and more quickly dispatched the purple beast. Now, what awaits me is the Mother Brain.

What I realized after my most recent foray into Zebes was that, despite the assistance of my trusted walkthrough, there were a few tips and tricks about Super Metroid that many hint-providers failed to mention. So, here are my tips and tricks using the default controller setup:

• To shinespark/rocket boost in a diagonal-up direction, (holding down the B button while possessing the Speed Booster), press down as soon as Samus begins to flash. Then, press the L button to go diagonal-up to the left, or the R button to go diagonal-up to the right. Initially, I tried to press the D-pad diagonal-up in the desired direction, but would end up going left or right.
• To Space Jump with or without Screw Attack and stay airborne, press or tap left or right on the D-pad right before each press of the A (Jump) button. Pressing diagonal-up negates the Space Jump and sends Samus down for a landing. I wondered why my space jumps would end so prematurely and found that pressing diagonal-up killed each jump. Note: it is the intensity of Samus' jump, and not the angle of the D-pad press, that governs how high and where she goes.
• To wall-jump, jump close to a wall. As soon as Samus brushes the wall, press the D-pad into a direction away from the wall and, in quick succession, press the Jump button. If both the D-pad and Jump button are pressed at the same time, the wall jump does not occur.

The wall jump, Space Jump, and Shinespark are the three most difficult, yet necessary, skills to learn in Super Metroid. If you have any more hints or experiences to share, please feel free to post.

Ciao!

Super Metroid without a Walkthrough?! Ugh!

Last weekend, I had some free time after everyone had gone to bed and I had poured a couple of hours into a presentation for Historical Linguistics class, so I decided to pop Super Metroid into my family's Retro Duo console. Up to the point where I had saved my game, I had been using a walkthrough that was posted on IGN. It has been a good walkthrough, but more written from the perspective of a speed player who is trying to beat Super Metroid under 90 minutes. However, I have found that following a walkthrough word-for-word can be tedious, sapping the fun and adventure out of Super Metroid. So, I decided to just wing it and play without the walkthrough...

For the most part, I did well enough. Because I had saved my game in Maridia after defeating Draygon, I still had to find a reserve tank and a missile tank. I found these items easily enough after navigating for 30 minutes using Samus' map screen. It was after that when things got tough as I worked my way to Norfair, where I spent five minutes trying to get a missile tank located on the other side of some crumble blocks, got into a nasty fight with an evil Torizo, and then acquired the Screw Attack. After that, I tried to screw attack/space jump my way up a massive room, only to have the Space Jump (I loathe Space Jump) work half of the time, while I would fall or crash into nigh-invincible Metal Pirates the other half of the time. After 25 more minutes, Samus drowned in rising acid as she failed to complete her space jumps. Sheesh.

Because I didn't (or couldn't) save after beating that Torizo, all of my progress after acquiring the reserve tank was lost. Thankfully, I at least saved when I did, but I realized how hard Super Metroid is without a walkthrough. I'd like to blame the Retro Duo's controller, though; I mean, why can't I string together successive Space Jumps?!

Goof Troop: 3HN Father and Son at Play

Last week, my four-year-old son and I decided to play Goof Troop, a Super Nintendo game based on the animated series of the same name that was broadcast in the early to mid-90s. The basic premise of the game involves Goofy and his son evading pirates, finding keys, using various items, and solving puzzles to rescue their friend, Pete, who has been kidnapped by the aforementioned pirates. The game is played from above with a perspective reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda, except that this game is much simpler and involves teamwork if played with another player.

Much to my surprise, the more I play Goof Troop, the more I am impressed by the gameplay and fun factor, particularly the fun of playing such as goofy character as... well, Goofy. I had initially purchased this game from a co-worker solely on the premise that this was a cooperative game which my two sons could play together, but I have found that the game is better played when one more-skilled player (me, in this case) plays with a younger, less-skilled player (my youngest son) because the more-skilled player can bail out the less-skilled one. How? Well, one of the prominent tactics of Goof Troop involves movement from one screen to the next: if one player leaves a particular screen, both players appear in the next screen. This not only allows one player to save another from imminent danger, but it also allows for additional tactics, like one player luring foes to one corner of the screen while the other player leaves; or, one player runs across the screen to retrieve an important item and the other player leaves shortly after retrieval. Besides this, players can throw projectiles to each other if one of the players needs it, and both players can carry different items that may be useful on different screens.

It took my youngest son and I about 20 minutes to pass the first stage of the game, which was a wonderful accomplishment for him, especially because he is only four years old and he has just started learning how to play video games (specifically, retrogames). I really enjoyed playing alongside him to beat the stage. As a dad, I suppose that is what I enjoy most about retrogaming: watching my sons enjoy and do well with games that were relevant when I was younger.

Gunstar Heroes: 1HN Overrated Mess

Back in my college days in the 90s, I bought a game about which I had read a few very favorable reviews: Gunstar Heroes. This rock 'em, sock 'em shoot-em-up side-scroller was hailed as one of the finest games of its genre for the Sega Genesis or any game system at the time. Initially, the game was fun and amusing with the main characters and their abilities to combine gun types, punch and kick villains, climb across platforms, and even throw foes or each other. At the time, it seemed to be like Contra, but wrapped up in a slightly cutesy, Japanese anime-like look. However (and this should say something about the game), a few months after I bought it, I remember selling Gunstar Heroes so that I could buy some EA Sports game.

Why? Because the game is a farce. Amidst all the explosions, throwing robot bad guys, blowing the tar out of foes, and comically animated bravado, you begin to realize that the game is all about blowing up stuff. Imagine playing a game in which, suddenly, you're mobbed by bad guys. Then, you throw these bad guys here and there, blowing away a bunch more with explosion after explosion happening. After a while, it ceases to be amusing and becomes tedious; no strategy, but just mashing buttons as quickly as you can to wreak aimless havoc. The only amount of strategy you need is when fighting the various end-stage bosses, but after learning the trick that beats each boss, anyone could beat this game and move on.

Unfortunately for me, I didn't have patience for this game so I got rid of it; but, if I had held onto that game, I could've sold the cartridge for close to its purchase price now. Years later (actually, a few months ago), I read about this game again and decided that I wanted to give it another chance. I played it again, and I felt the same way: explosions, bodies thrown, ugh. So, once and for all, I turned my back on Gunstar Heroes. My advice: avoid this cartoonishly violent game, even if it is just throwing robots, and play Super Mario 3 or something more worthwhile like that.

Quackshot: 1HN Underrated Classic

When I was in high school, I remember hanging out with my friend Ed, who owned a Sega Genesis (before I eventually got mine in college). One of his brothers had rented a game called Quackshot, which was a side-scrolling adventure game starring Donald Duck. I remember playing the game and being impressed by the cartoonish graphics, the quirky background music, and, most importantly, the amusing and unique gameplay. Nineteen years later, I decided to buy the game used and include it as a retrogaming Christmas gift for my two sons, along with a Gen-X Dual Station and some other NES and Genesis games. Upon opening the gift, both of my sons were taken by the game and wanted to play it. Needless to say, like I was 19 years ago, they were impressed by the game.

Quackshot is one of those underrated classics that many gamers do not recognize, except for those Genesis gamers that are now active retrogamers. However, in what other game does the protagonist shoot a plunger gun that becomes more versatile as one acquires power-ups? Or, in what other game does a Disney character, vaguely dressed like Indiana Jones, travel from Duckburg to Mexico to Egypt to Transylvania to a haunted Viking ship? Not many other games but Quackshot. The unique gameplay not only involves using your plunger gun to stun foes, climb walls, and hitch rides attached to flying bird, but also involves the ability to slide as well as jump and duck -- most games did not have such versatility of control 19 years ago.

If you can, look for Quackshot on eBay or (if it's available) on Wii's Virtual Console. Because Donald wields a plunger gun and the game has that Saturday Disney cartoon look, it's a relatively innocuous game for young children, and it's a hoot for older kids who aren't averse to a good ol'-fashioned side-scroller that doesn't feature blood, guts, and explosions.

Christian Retrogamer? You Must Be Joking!

Okay.

I was thinking about it today, and it struck me that a "Christian retrogaming" blog is, frankly, an inane concept. Don't followers of Jesus have better things to do than pontificate and/or reminisce about the vagaries of 20-year-old games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras? Definitely...

But, the reality is that retrogaming is a hobby and we all have hobbies. Christians watch movies, play sports, enjoy eating food, and enjoy other ancillary aspects of the world without idolizing those things; within reason, why not videogames? Sadly, the content of videogame-related blogs and fansites range from civilly amoral to downright profane and disgusting. Really, outside of professional review sites like IGN and GameSpot (which are worldly, as well -- I mean, some of the games they "have to review" are not edifying at all), it's hard to go to a website and read and comment about videogames and NOT have to contend with cursing, nasty talk, and ugly bickering.

My goal is to provide a platform upon which enthusiasts can feel safe to comment on old videogames in a thought-provoking way WITHOUT having to deal with knuckleheads. That's what Retrobeliever is all about. There are Christian movie sites, Christian book sites, and Christian music sites... why can't there be Christian gaming sites?

More than simply talking and sharing about old videogames, I want this blog to provide a platform for encouragement. After all, videogame playing is just a hobby -- Christ should, and must be, the center of our lives.

Super Metroid: 3HN Adventure

Today, I turn my sights on to Super Metroid. Now, there's not much that can be said about this game that hasn't been said on thousands of websites and in thousands of review articles -- it's one of the finest games ever devised for home video game consoles. Having poured a couple of hours into it, I can honestly agree with those reviews, though I imagine I'd be incredibly frustrated if I didn't have access to walkthroughs. With a walkthrough or player's guide, Super Metroid is difficult enough with having to master wall-jumping, mid-air ball morphing, and so on; but, without a guide, this game would take ten times as long to go anywhere. That's what I think...

Anyway, Super Metroid is a fine example of third-hand nostalgia, which is to say that I neither experienced nor knew about the game when it was truly relevant, but am just now playing it and feeling those nostalgic feelings associated with something from the past (i.e. the 90s). Since I swapped the sadly faulty Gen-X for a Retro Duo, I had been reading as much as I could about Super Metroid. But now, I get to play it, albeit only when my family, work, and school schedules allow it.

In almost every way, Super Metroid has lived up to the hype, but I have to ask the question I posed a few months back: how violent is this game? In a nutshell, Super Metroid is a game about exploration and discovery that involves the inevitable shootings and boss battles. On the planet Zebes, almost every creature is either apathetic to your presence or downright hospitable (seeing how some of the baddies are space pirates, after all), so blasting alien creatures is sometimes necessary. However, this is not the primary intent of the game; for the most part, you explore Zebes' extensive underworld to find things, get to other places, and find more things until you find the Metroid hatchling and eventually Mother Brain.

But, is the game violent? Yes, it is. You're shooting aliens, you're blowing up blocks with bombs and missiles, and you fight massive bosses that are ugly and evil. Is it appropriate for kids? Well, I would ask this: is Lord of the Rings appropriate for kids? Are many books of the Old Testament appropriate for kids? Does anyone remember that David actually beheads the felled Goliath with a big sword? Or that Samson kicked one thousand Philistines' butts with the jawbone of an ass? My point is that Super Metroid does not focus on violence, and I do not believe that it promotes violence, but you do have to defend yourself in that game... and you do get nifty upgrades to your arm cannon.

In any case, this is not a game for kids, and the violence must be considered in context: you are Samus Aran on a strange planet with creatures either trying to hurt you or doing nothing to keep themselves from hurting you. Oh, and creatures generally disappear with a PFFT, leaving behind missiles and life orbs to restore lost energy. How do alien creatures die and leave missile refills behind?

Ciao.

Coming Together

"For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." (Matthew 18:20)

Just a random thought: video games have the benefit of potentially drawing people together. However, just being together is not enough; there has to be the intent to interact and cultivate friendship. In this way, certain video game sessions may be a great way to draw together fellow Jesus believers...

Every so often, a few Christian friends of mine and I get together for what we lamely call "man-dates." Ugh, what a terrible phrase to have in the American English lexicon... Anyway, we get together, play some Wii Sports or whatever, and then have some prayer time. Okay, maybe it's also "lame" that we play Wii and THEN pray, but at least these man gatherings draw guys together. If it results in some prayer, then I say that the time spent hanging out takes on deeper significance.

Video games can draw people together, especially men who stereotypically engage in profound conversation and emotive reflection only when coerced or bribed. Video games, like sports, provide a platform for exploring deeper issues man-to-man.

Okay, I'm belaboring the point. Time to stop.

Ciao!

To a Friend from Long Ago

This post is a little different from my other posts. On March 3rd, Mark Welsh passed away. The cause was a severe asthma attack.

Mark was a friend of mine from back in my high school days. We were both on swim team together, but we became friends during the two summers after high school when he, two other friends, and I would go bowling until late at night. When I think back, I wouldn't have imagined that I would have connected with Mark through bowling. After those two summers, though, I drifted away and lost contact with Mark.

I found out this news today and was shocked, not just because we had just reconnected only a few months ago through Facebook, but also because death by asthma really hits home with me. You see, my youngest son has asthma, and his condition can degrade rapidly if untreated. In that sense, Mark's death affected me today in ways I would not have imagined.

Why do I mention Mark's passing on this blog? Because it was on the basis of Genesis games that he and I reconnected a few months ago. I had posted on Facebook that I was looking for old Genesis games, and he let me know that he had some old ones. Then, we chatted online and reminisced about those times bowling and hanging out. My greatest regret is that I didn't just meet up with him in person once -- to hang out, bowl, or even shake hands.

My condolences to Mark's fiancee, family, and loved ones. You are indeed missed.

First-hand vs. Second-hand Nostalgia

Howdy!

I was pondering the concept of nostalgia vis-a-vis retrogaming, and I realized that there are two kinds of nostalgia: first-hand nostalgia and second-hand nostalgia. "First-hand nostalgia" (1HN) refers to that positive feeling that emerges when remembering something one directly encountered; for example, my remembrances of Super Mario Bros. and any positive feelings associated with it would comprise first-hand nostalgia. Conversely, in my estimation, "second-hand nostalgia" (2HN) refers to remembering what one experienced about something that was indirectly related to a first-hand nostalgia item; for instance, I never played Kid Icarus, but reading about that NES game and thinking about my experiences with that gaming system would comprise second-hand nostalgia.

From this point on, I will consistently refer to FHN and SHN when talking about games. Why? Because as I explore old games that I never got to play when those games were released (i.e. 15 years ago), I am finding that any positive memories that surface are mostly second-hand, or 2HN. An applicable example of this would be thinking about a movie from the 80s that I had heard about during the 80s, but never got a chance to see; yet, when I think about that movie (at least, any spurious information I have about that movie), I am reminded of the rad aspects of that decade.

Actually, I should then address third-hand nostalgia (3HN): positive feelings experienced with something with which one neither had direct nor indirect contact. A good example of this is that joyous feeling I get when I think about games like Super Metroid, Goof Troop, Mega Man, and other SNES games because I didn't own that system, and I never knew those games existed in the 90s, but when I look at those games now I am reminded of the decade during which I was in college and then in Japan.

Okay, so we have 1HN, 2HN, and 3HN. Confused yet? Here's the breakdown:

• 1HN: Nostalgia related to something directly experienced in the time period during which that thing was relevant or contemporaneous.
• 2HN: Nostalgia related to something that was not directly experienced, but known about during the time period that thing was relevant or contemporaneous.
• 3HN: Nostalgia related to something that was neither directly experienced nor known about during its time of relevance, but has recently emerged because of current knowledge of that thing, which in turns stokes positive feelings about the time period or other items connected to that thing.

I hope that clears things up.

Ciao!

The Retro Duo: Good with SNES, Bad with NES

Howdy!

I just posted a new review of the Retro Duo video game console at Epinions:

Retro Duo

To summarize, the Retro Duo is a clone console that was manufactured with Nintendo technology from patents that expired a few years ago. You can play NES and SNES games on it. Basically, it does really well with SNES games, but poorly with NES games.

Ciao!

eBay Pain -- Why are Old Cartridges So Expensive?

Ugh.

A few days ago, after three weeks of bidding and losing many times over, I finally "won" a Super Metroid cartridge, along with another Super Nintendo (SNES) game called Maui Mallard: Cold Shadow. The lot of games was purchased at about $9 per game including shipping, though my primary aim was to get Super Metroid.

Now, a large part of me tells me that I overpaid for both games, though I have found that the secondary market for used games for the Genesis, SNES, NES, and other vintage game systems. I mean, $9 for a 16-year-old cartridge?! To put it into context, I was losing bids on Super Metroid, even when I reached bids of $18.50. I'm sure many out there could relate to this: I would wait, and wait, and wait until I had only a few minutes left, and then someone would swoop in and "snipe" the item with a superior bid. Because I restricted myself to $18, I always lost. But, finally (with some grace, I think), I won two games with a Best Offer bid of $15, plus $3 for shipping. In the end, it was the best deal I could get for one of the most highly-touted video games ever, and with another game included.

So, why are old pieces of plastic with 72-pin mini-circuit boards and dying back-up batteries worth so much? Well, there's the "collecting" explanation -- that is, there are collectors out there who are willing to, say, spend $1 million on the first appearance of Superman (for example). In this way, it stands to reason that vintage games would be subject to the same trend of collecting. Then, there's the "gameplay" explanation -- that is, some hard-core gamers claim that the old games were the best and the newer games are too easy. However, if you step back and compare SNES or Genesis games with Wii or PS3 games, you'd be hard-pressed to unequivocally say that Super Mario World is better in every way than Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii; it really ends up being a matter of opinion colored by nostalgia. Oh, and then there's the "I'm cheap" explanation -- basically, because someone has the old console, he or she believes that the old console is enough for having fun. I belong to that category, though I am also affected by nostalgia.

In my opinion, the "simple" answer is a combination of the three aforementioned explanations, though many would contend that one could simply buy a Wii and spend $5 to $8 on each old game. But, this leads me to a fourth explanation: there is something reassuring about holding and handling the actual cartridge versus possessing the game file on a hard drive. This is really why cartridges are preferable to having ROMs -- ROMs are usually, in varying degrees, faulty ports of old games to files that can be run on a computer. Anyway, old cartridges are just cool -- that's the simplest explanation I can devise.

Oh, and acquiring ROMs from a third-party is illegal. Regardless of what any of us think of that, it is the reality of ROMs. Personally, I think it's silly that copyrights haven't expired on old games, especially ones that require us to spend unreasonable amounts of money to acquire. However, opinions do not trump law. After all, aren't we charged with obeying the laws of our government except when laws violate God's word?

Okay, I'm getting pedantic here. Bottom line: cartridges are cool, but are they cool enough to justify a $40 price tag (that's how much Chrono Trigger costs on eBay)?

World of Illusion: 3HN Afternoon of Fun

Yesterday, my wife and I gave our oldest son a Sega Genesis game called World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. The game is a one- or two-player game that follows Mickey and/or Donald as they try to find their way out of the World of Illusion. Along the way, Mickey and Donald encounter all manner of bad guys and obstacles, some of which require teamwork to overcome -- obstacles such as see-saws and low-lying crawlspaces (which requires Mickey to pull Donald through them). Mickey and Donald dispose of baddies by waving magic capes, which transmogrify their foes into flowers or butterflies.

The magic of this game, however, is not in the World of Illusion itself, but in the small details that the developers programmed into the game. Watch as Mickey or Donald balance themselves on ledges; notice when one character lands on another, causing the bottom character to teeter and struggle as he holds up the top character. The animation in the game and the teamwork are the big selling points of this game.

As I watched my oldest and youngest sons play, I found that I enjoyed watching them play this slice of nostalgia more than playing the game myself. Watching as they "accidentally" stunned each other with their magic capes and their ensuing laughter proved to me, once again, that there was simple greatness in retrogaming.

Violence and Video Games: A RETROspective

Hello Everyone!

Anyway, I wanted to open up on my views regarding violence and video games by stating that I don't believe I can aptly discuss such a subject with one brief blog entry. So, I will start off with this primer and then continuously augment my views as I write more posts. In other words, you, the reader, will surmise my views on violence and video games as more and more posts come out.

All of that said, here's my very basic view on how violence can be defined in video games: violence is largely defined by the depicted act and the intent of the act. Much is made of the results of violence: the gore, the blood, death. Of course, the aftermath of violence is important and all too prevalent in many of the video games made today. Heads being blown off, body parts strewn about, and other graphic depictions of the aftermath of violence are more often used to define how "bad" violence is. However, I think that violence is more about how it is committed and, more important, why it is committed.

Take an NES game like Contra. You've got two guys with big guns (upgradeable, mind you), shooting up bad guys and alien creatures. I break it down like this: each act of violence is depicted by weapon fire hitting a foe and the foe falling into oblivion; and, ostensibly, the intent of each act of violence is "saving the world," or "getting the bad guy out of the way," or "to get out your aggression on a virtual foe," or whatever. At a glance, Contra is admittedly violent.

Now, take any recently released military or action-themed game. You've got a big guy (or gal) with many weapons. Each act of violence is depicted with relative anatomical accuracy. The intent: could be anything. At a glance, these games are also violent.

But, let me ask: which is more violent? Contra or, say, Halo? We have to ask certain questions:

• What is my intent for playing the game? (e.g. to vicariously save the world)
  
• What is my approach to the game? (e.g. to relieve stress)
  
• How are acts of violence depicted?
• Does the realism of the act and the aftermath of the act make a game "more" violent?

Beyond these questions, as a believer in Jesus, I have to ask:

• By playing a violent game, how is the violence influencing me?
• How does it affect my witness as a believer?
• Does the violence of this game glorify or defame Jesus? (the answer is not easy, trust me)

I hope to explore these questions as I go. In the meantime, feel free to offer input. Thanks!

PC Retrogaming: The Microsoft Sidewinder

Below is a link to an article I wrote a few years ago about the Microsoft Sidewinder, which is, in my opinion, the finest, most balanced gamepad ever made for use on a PC:

In Honor of a Great Gamepad

Sadly, two developments have rendered this gamepad largely obsolete: it uses the old gameport jack that has been replaced by USB; and, it does not have the analog sticks are so prevalent on current gamepads.

So, I'm giving you a retro review about a retro PC gamepad -- you can't ask for more than that!

Gen-X Dual Station Console

Recently, I wrote a review of a clone console called the Gen-X Dual Station. It plays both Sega Genesis and NES games using dedicated cartridge slots. To check out my review, click the following link:

Gen-X Dual Station

Welcome to RetroBeliever

Hello everyone, and welcome to RetroBeliever.

What is RetroBeliever?

Well, this blog basically reviews and reflects on video games from the past from a Christian perspective. Of course, as time goes on, this blog will branch out into other forms of media for the sake of maintaining interest, but the primary purpose of this blog is to provide insights and information about games from gaming consoles such as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), the Sega Genesis, and other consoles that now fall under the retrogaming umbrella. Thus, this blog is a Christian retrogaming blog.

Now, when it comes to writing for this blog, I will stick with one general rule: make it short. Lengthy blogs are difficult to read with all the scrolling, as well as downright unaesthetic -- I mean, who wants to scroll down pages and pages just to get to the previous post? I don't! So, please comment if you feel my posts are too length because, frankly, lengthy posts are annoying.

I hope that you enjoy this blog. Stick around for my thoughts and reviews of old video games (and maybe some relatively new ones, as well).