FIFA 06: 1HN PC Soccer at Its Best

Over four years ago, I wrote a review about FIFA 06 for the PC:

FIFA 06 is Awesome Beyond Description

Okay, this game is not so "retro," but it is an "old" game that has been greatly surpassed graphically and gameplay-wise by its successors. It is also a sports game for PC, which is becoming an increasingly rare breed.

To summarize, it was (and still is) the best football (er, soccer) simulation I have ever played. It's a fine balance of arcade action and team management. Plus, there are so many user-created patches and downloads that you can configure the game as you wish. Some patches are pro-quality: for example, I am still using a Korean patch I downloaded four years ago with uniform and roster updates. The in-game action is intense and involved with ten buttons, two analog sticks, and a D-pad needed to squeeze the most potential out of each player and play. This kind of controller is the norm today, but in 2005 for a retrogamer like me it was a crazy concept to comprehend.

Unfortunately, time has not been kind to FIFA 06 for the PC, particularly if you have upgraded to Windows Vista or Windows 7, or if you have upgraded your circa-2004 video card for a snazzy new one because the newer operating systems and graphics cards do not fully support FIFA 06. But, if you are still rocking an AMD Athlon processor and Windows XP (i.e. a "retro" PC), then this game works extremely well. If you can get this game for cheap on eBay, I heavily suggest it.

Sonic the Hedgehog: 1HN Blast Processing Original

In light of my last post about Sonic the Hedgehog 2, I thought it would be appropos to talk about its predecessor: Sonic the Hedgehog. Back in my college days, I owned Sonic the Hedgehog (heretofore Sonic 1), which was the classic side-scrolling platformer that both started the Sonic franchise and convinced Sega Genesis owners (and wannabe owners) that "Blast Processing" was as real as Sonic's speed runs. At that time, the Genesis and Super Nintendo were duking it out for the top spot in the market; I jumped into the Console Wars in media res, buying my Genesis in Spring 1993. I had received Sonic 1 as a part of send-away offer for only the cost of shipping and handling. However, because I was a huge EA Sports game fan and wasn't interested in platformers at the time, Sonic 1 did more to frustrate me than amuse me, so I ended up selling Sonic 1 as a used game to Electronics Boutique, where I most likely purchased some EA Sports game with the proceeds.

Fast forward to 2011: after having played Sonic 2 somewhat extensively, I regret my impatience with Sonic 1. Sure, Sonic 1 didn't have Spin Dash or Tails or many of the speed parts of Sonic 2, but Sonic 1 has three advantages over its successor: Sonic 1 was THE original, which carries with it a unique sense of nostalgia; though the 3D-perspective bonus stages in Sonic 2 are fun and challenging, the bonus stages in Sonic 1 present a directional challenge that appears to be absent from every other Sonic game; and, it is the cheapest cartridge to buy among all the Sonic titles for the Genesis right now... If you perform a search for Sonic Genesis games on eBay, you'll see this bear out.

In any case, Sonic 1 is still an excellent platformer with much to offer to the wayward gamer, such as creative level design, bilateral movement (i.e. you can go left to right to left, which was new compared to Super Mario Bros. 1), and, honestly, superlative 8-bit music (Yes, I said "8-bit music" -- the Genesis had a 16-bit processor, but an 8-bit Zilog Z80 sound controller). More importantly, Sonic 1 raised the ante in the Console Wars between Sega and Nintendo by both giving Sega a marketable mascot and a viable rival in gameplay and presentation to the Mario series of games on the NES and SNES. For all of these reasons, if you have a chance, buy Sonic 1; I'm sure you won't regret it nearly as much as I regret having sold it for some forgotten EA Sports game.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2: ?HN Speed Ringer

It's the Christmas of 2009. Wanting to expose my young sons to games from a more innocuous gaming era, I bought Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and gave it as a Christmas present along with several other Genesis and NES games and a Gen-X Dual Station clone console. I am not sure if I had played Sonic 2 before that time, but the presence of Tails seemed to trigger a latent memory from long ago... In any case, my boys really enjoyed Sonic 2 because it was fast, you could make tons of mistakes and still survive, and the first levels are really easy. The level of difficulty gets ramped up, though, as soon as Sonic and his buddy enter the Chemical Plant Zone. From there, the platforms become harder to land on and speed, if used at the wrong time, can kill more than it can help.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2, like its predecessor, Sonic the Hedgehog, is a classic game. Some fanboys acknowledge it as the best of the Sega Genesis era, though some may tout Sonic 3 ahead of it. With everything from the standstill Spin Dash (which you perform by pressing down on the D-pad and tapping any one of the Genesis controller's buttons repeatedly) to more speed parts (e.g. a lot more loops, bumpers, and slopes to dash down) to Tails (who is especially helpful when a second player grabs the controller at the end portions of each zone where Sonic fights Dr. Robotnik), Sonic 2 introduced many of those Sonic gameplay aspects many have grown to love. Yet, Sonic 2 can also be frustrating with the underwater zone (and the need to catch air bubbles before drowning), annoying critters that shoot barely visible projectiles that cause Sonic to burp up all his rings, irritating jumps that can be difficult because of Sonic's inertia (think Chemical Plant Zone), and Tails (who dies endlessly at any obstacle). Nonetheless, for a seasoned platform gamer, this game is essential.

All of that said, it wasn't until recently that I began to appreciate platforming games. Back in college, I had no patience for the pinpoint accuracy some of the jumps in platformers like Sonic 2 and Super Mario Bros. required. I also couldn't stand the monotony of level after level of moving platforms and hazards -- at least, that is what I used to think. Now, with sports games ascending to a new height of gameplay difficulty, platformers have an inherent simplicity that is refreshing and escapist. For these reasons, I now enjoy Sonic 2, though I must say that with all of his speed and coolness, Sonic is a less accurate jumper than Mario of Super Mario World. Compare the two games: you'll find that there is a lower margin for error in Sonic 2 than Super Mario World. Just an observation...

Zanac: 1HN Fun Frantic Shmup

Ah, Zanac. Wuh, you've never heard of Zanac? Well, it wasn't one of those well-known classics in the NES library -- just a vertical bottom-to-top shoot-em-up flying game with power-ups, lots of bad guys, and stage upon stage of bases to destroy. Just imagine 1942 in the future... And, like most shoot-em-ups (shmups), the action gets frenetic and the projectiles keep coming... and coming... and coming.

Zanac would not stand out too much if it weren't for one bit of programming: apparently, Zanac was programmed with artificial intelligence that made Zanac more difficult the better you played. So, if you start out strong, the enemies come out in droves. The stronger you are, the more the enemies come out. If you die, your ship reappears, but the enemies come out fewer than before. For a long time, when I played Zanac, I believed that this programming existed, but that was when I was a teenager. Recently, I played Zanac again and realized something: the enemies that come out, and the amount that come out, is almost directly related to which power-ups you get and how many you get.

Here's how it works... There are eight possible power-ups numbered 0-7. You start out with 0, which is a special orb-shooting weapon. If you pick up another 0 power-up, you shoot two streams of orbs and more aliens emerge. I noticed that when I picked up 3, which is an orb that circles your ship like a defensive shield, special kinds of enemies that launch barrages of missiles and eject indestructible shells attack. Whichever power-up you get, you get certain enemies; if you get another power-up of the same type, more baddies attack.

So, Zanac is a fun shmup with some cool power-ups, fast-paced action, and lots of chaos, but the aliens are unspectacular and, like most shmups, the cheese is poured on thick. Nothing is worse than dodging a bunch of foes and projectiles only to explode because one stray projectile grazes your ship, as in passes one pixel from your ship. To become really good at Zanac, you have to enter a mental state in which you just focus on dodging while holding down both the standard fire button and the special weapon button. Just move and shoot... Oh, and never, ever get anything but 0, 3, or 7. The rest are a waste of time, especially 2. Trust me.