Retrogaming Times Monthly 78




COVERING 3 DECADES OF CLASSIC GAMING

Table Of Contents

ATTRACT MODE

■ Press Fire To Begin

THE RETROWORKS

■ Classic Gaming Abuse

THE GAME REVIEW H.Q.

■ Apple II Incider - Leadlight and AMay

■ Dual Perspective - Double Dragon

■ A Pixelated 21st Century!

POWERING DOWN

■ The Gaming Post

■ Game Over

Press Fire To Begin

by Chris Osborne

This month marks somewhat of a big change at Retro Gaming Times Monthly. As Bryan said in the last issue, he is no longer the full time editor. Handling that duty now is Dr. Donald Lee, a longtime writer for Retro Gaming Times Monthly, and me. One thing Bryan did decide to add to each issue before stepping down as editor was the ability for people to leave comments under each column to make the magazine more interactive. Hopefully this new feature will become popular with the readers so they can let their voices be heard.

Just a bit of background before we get into why you're here in the first place. I've had a love of gaming for as long as I can remember, but always seem to get a system way after its release. I actually prefer that since it gives developers a chance to really know what they're working with. It also means I can get a game that I know is good because people have played it instead of getting on that's supposed to be good but nobody has really messed with yet.

But enough about me. You're hear to read about retro games, and we have a wonderful crop of articles to scratch that itch of yours. So without further interuptions let's go onto the show.

Classic Gaming Abuse

by Daryl Zeo Kiddey

You're sitting in a hotel lobby. Suddenly you hear an Atari game, something along the lines of Defender or maybe Pac-man. You look around only to find the lobby TV the only device in range. You quickly take a look and you see Dr. House playing Metroid: Zero Mission, with Atari sounds.

You're sitting at home and watching Two and a Half Men. Jake is constantly looking for his Game Boy. First off it is a DS. Secondly, and be honest with yourself, how often did you lose your Game Boy (especially as a 10+ year old)? I have had one since I was about 8. In that entire time, I can't remember actually losing the unit itself for more than 2 minutes. As for games, I lost one game as a kid, and it was during a move. So in 20 years, I've only ever seriously lost 4 Game Boy/DS games, 3 of them were my father's fault, and they were recovered.

Then there are these sites that let you play pirated NES and Sega games in flash. Where do I even start? How can anyone appreciate these games on a keyboard? Atari I can see, you mostly need the arrow keys. But Super Mario Bros. 3? Sonic and Knuckles? Or better yet, Ninja Gaiden and Blaster Master? Those games are hard enough with a proper control set up. Playing them with a keyboard is like trying to paint the Mona Lisa using an Easter Island Tiki Statue as your reference!

Despite video gaming's increased popularity and an increase in knowledge of the general public, its quite obvious Hollywood thinks we're stupid, irresponsible, and not going to notice being stereotyped. Then the whole play these games online craze, doesn't help. Its pretty sad to watch your child hood become a profit scheme for pirates.

Apple II Incider - Leadlight and AMay

by Donald Lee

Welcome to the November issue of Retrogaming Times Monthly and this month's edition of Apple II Incider. This particular month's column will be different due to a lack of time on my end of things.

I'm playing in several adult basketball leagues at the moment and I don't get home until fairly late several times a week. When I do have time, it has been occupied by taking a basketball officials exam which I need to complete by October 30th.

In addition, there is an announcement to be made. As Bryan Roppolo announced last month, he is stepping down as the editor of Retrogaming Times Monthly. Being the sole editor of a free online magazine is a tough job and we appreciate the time Bryan put into the magazine.

Being that I am one of sole remaining veteran writers (4+ years), I decided to step up to the editor's chair. However, knowing that time is a precious commodity, I am sharing editorial duties with a newcomer to RTM Chris Osborne. The plan is to split editorial duties among us (and hopefully others in the future) so people do not get burned out. I'm excited about helping with the magazine but realize it's a large responsibility. In fact, due to my busy schedule, I am not helping with the editing of the magazine this month.

Beyond my personal announcement, there were a couple of Apple II related items I wanted to pass along.

In an announcement from the A2Central website (http://www.a2central.com), Apple II enthusiast Wade Clarke created a new interactive fiction (aka text adventure) called "Leadlight". Even in 2010, decades after the original Apple II was introduced, there are still new games being released.

For more information on Leadlight, check out the website: http://www.leadlightgame.com/introduction/introduction.html

In addition, when I read the announcement about Leadlight, I was made aware that Wade Clarke is also a musician that creates some electronic music under the name of Aeriae. Aeriae released an album "Hold R1" in 2007 which is available on iTunes.

The most interesting part is that Clarke made a video for his song "AMay" using Fantavision, an old Apple II animation program released by Broderbund. Check out the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PAkjzZQvOY

Thanks for reading and see you next month.

Dual Perspective - Double Dragon

by James Sorge

Hello. This is James Sorge back with Dual Perspective, the column that reviews games from both the playing and the World Record Perspectives. This month the victim is Double Dragon, one of the first brawlers for the arcade. I'm opting to only review the arcade game for this review since the NES and other versions play totally different.

Graphics: 8.5/10
These graphics hold up even to the test of time. They are very good 16-bit graphics, and everybody looks decently real and not overly cartoonish. The game is displayed as a back-alley fighter and the things youd expect to see in a run-down city and other places.

Sound: 6/10
The games sound is not its strongest point, though the theme is pretty widely known. Its not a strong game in the sound department, but it doesnt totally suck or turn the player off.

Difficulty: 7.5/10
Not the hardest game, at the same time not the easiest game. I think this would be an awfully difficult speed run to accomplish if you were doing it as the game is not the fastest game to play in the world. Its also not the most finishable in one credit, though it has been done.

Replay Factor: 8/10
What can you say? You beat the crap out of a guy with a gun at the end, if you can avoid all the traps and stuff. And the Green Abobo, how crazy can a game get? You will come back to it.

The World Record Perspective:
Scores are good, but not totally unbeatable. If you can find this, its a good target. This is mostly a game for points, not necessarily for speed. You will be beating up people time in and time out to gain the max possible score. Anyway, for the numbers:

Single Player: Jason Wilson (151,210)
Two-Player Team: JoJo Simoncelli and Michael Vacca (157,970)

The Penguin Says:
"A solid game to play and the world records are not totally out of reach, providing you can find the arcade machine (well, theres always MAME if you cant). If youre looking for a home version stick with Double Dragon Advance for the Game Boy Advance. Its the most accurate port and improvement of the series. I will make special note of David Heidmans speed run on the NES version. Despite the general horribleness and inaccuracy of that version, it was really impressive. If you cant afford or find Double Dragon Advance or the MAME ROM, the Game Boy version is the next closest thing. Overall I give this game an 8.5/10, with a World Record Potential of 9/10."

A Pixelated 21st Century!

by Paul "Zimmzamm" Zimmerman

Hello Pixelated fans. Pixelated Paul is here to let you know about some of the retroware highlights for the month of October. It was a very exciting month with 2 Virtual Console games and the highlights for the month: the new Sonic the Hedgehog game and the new Bit.Trip game for WiiWare and the new Shantae game for DSiWare.

Datamine (Click here to see a video for the game)

G.G. Series Super Hero Ogre

Go Go Island Rescue (Video to the right)

Go Series Defense Wars (Click here to see a video for the game)

Shantae: Riskys Revenge (Click here to see a video for the game)

Bit.Trip Fate (Click here to see a video for the game)
Fate is now the 5th game in the retroware Bit.Trip series. This one is a side-scroller, on-rails shmup which I think is a brand new genre. This game is hard, especially since you cant just move anywhere. You are on a rail and can only move left and right while following the rail (trail); tough when bullets are coming from all directions. There are power-ups (including Meat Boy!) which can really help you out, but they are good for only a limited amount of time. There are 6 long levels with boss fights at the end of each. If you die you need to restart the level since there are no save points. If you get a perfect score, which is very, very hard since you need to defeat each enemy and collect each item without getting hit, for a level you can send it to Gaijin and they will post your name and score on their website. Very cool! The game has excellent graphics and music. Fans of the series and shmups should really buy this game.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 (Video to the right)
Sonic games are alright. I like 1-3 and Sonic Spinball. Sonic 3D is ok. This one looks and plays like Sonic 1-3, which is a good thing. Nice graphics, great music. The only thing I do not like is the graphic style of Sonic, which looks 3D while everything else looks 2D, and the slippery controls, which are not as tight as the originals. Wish it was a complete game for $15, but there are 24 levels including boss battles and special stages. The levels are large and tough. Motion controls for the special stages are optional. If you enjoy those early Sonic games, then you should enjoy this game. I was just hoping for more of Sonic 1-3 with new levels.

Virtual Console

Note: most of the videos for the games below are of the originals (meaning they not being played on the Wii). This is because the Virtual Console is emulating the original system and therefore they are identical.

Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory (NeoGeo) (Click here to see a video for the game)
Actually the 4th Fatal Fury, this version adds 5 new characters and new gameplay mechanics. Great graphics and music!

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest (Super NES) (Video to the right)
The “Final Fantasy for beginners,” but the enemies are tough starting early on in the game. Great music and graphics. A great Final Fantasy game, not just for beginners!

As always, send me an email and let me know if you purchased any of these games and what are your thoughts about the games.

I will see you next month for hopefully some more retroware goodies!

The Gaming Post

Places For Gaming Fans To Check Out

■ Retro Games Collector

■ Game Gavel

■ Retro Gaming RoundUp

Game Over

With that we come to the close of another, albeit too small, issue of Retro Gaming Times Monthly. Be sure to come back next month, the December issue is sure to bring some holiday fun!

- Chris Osborne , Retrogaming Times Monthly Editor