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Saturday, December 25, 2010

Christmas - For most of us it was the biggest bite of the gaming cherry. Regardless of how many windows we broke or things we set fire to, Santa would be there to produce the goods.

Ask anyone about Christmas gaming memories and you’ll get a mixed bag. Either utter disappointment as the SNES you bought came with the AC missing, or a complete mental breakdowns as you found the game you anticipated for 6 months was nothing but a bag of old balls.

For me, I dropped lucky.

Earthworm Jim in 1994 for the Genesis cost about 30 quid new, and lets face it, who could buy it second hand?

To anyone who didn’t get that chance, let me just say this – The only game ever to receive a 100% review in Gamesmaster Magazine.

Created by Doug TenNaple and designed by Dave Perry (who worked on paperboy, Aladdin and Cool Spot, to name a few), Jim fell into a whole different category of platformer. The innovations in character designs plot developments and all round insanity was something we were all waitin for.

Spawning a TV show, comic books and countless merchandise Jim really highlighted a peak of gaming in my childhood, fusing the possibilities of a creative and innovative concept that was also incredibly fun and marketable. How many games before or since then built such a fan base that a TV spin off show was affordable? Even in 1994 undertaking a project like this could have crashed Shiny and Interplay.. Thank god for risk taking.

It’s a rare thing to be genuinely and truly content. But December 25th 1994 was one of those occasions.  Opening what could’ve been a crappy VHS, to find a copy of this… Spending the next few weeks launching cows into space, fighting half monkey, half human enemies, bungee jumping with Major Mucus and slapping around Bob the Killer Goldfish…

Good times

Have a great gaming Christmas guys!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

“NOTHING MOVES THE BLOB!”


Its time to get into the festive spirit, and how better than to kick back with some mates in a brutal, retro street beater. You know it, “X-Men Arcade” finally made it to the Xbox 360!

Back in the day
Originally released in 1993 by Konami, this was the one you’d look out for at the game centers. One of the first, if not the first opportunity for you and 5 mates to game together and take on some classic marvel villains (and Tutankhamen for some reason).

Prior X-Men arcade, Marvel had put its name to some total horse crap in gaming. I’m pointing with both hands at Spiderman on the Atari 2600, complete and utter garbage. X-Men Arcade was the first game ever to do Marvel proud.

93 itself was perfect timing for the game with the X-Men TV show set to go, combined with the Marvel Action Hour (Fantastic 4, Iron Man and Hulk) kids knew who the characters were, the story and ready for a piece of the ass wooping action. Everyone knew the mission – Slap Magneto, Juggernaut and the Blob around some..

One hour wonder?
Co-op play is defiantly the money shot, with the 6 player online campaigns being a absolute slaughter. Online the game lacks the kind of pressure you’d have experienced as a kid, unlimited continues and no need to ask for more coins will mean you’ll crack the game in 30 to 40 mins with ease. The sheer brutality of the waves upon waves of sentinels is what will keep the fans coming back for more and more.
Mutant Power spamming might lead you to throw the pad out the window at points (Watch out for lag spikes especially when some noob starts spamming colossuses’ mutant power), but overall this is the game to have over Christmas. A few beers, a few mates.. Perfect gaming time.

One more
Is it just me, or was this game rare as hell. You have a s much chance of finding X-Men now as you did back in 1993. Maybe game centers in the Uk were a lil skeptical about the popularity of a 6 player system, assuming most gamers were button bashin in their bedrooms.. So to speak..

Available on Xbox live for 800 points, its everything that us Marvel fanboys have been waitin for.

One question

Who in holy hell is Dazzler?


Check out DSP's playthrough - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GahfP8aEcg


Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Think back to 1994

In fact think back to February 2nd 1994.

What were you holding?

Now, I’m sure there are various answers, some of which can’t be printed, and I’d like to say there are no wrong answers… But I would be lying to you. The correct answer was a Sega genesis game pad in one hand and copy of Sonic 3 in the other.


Where to begin?

It’s been reviewed a million times or more by fanboys and haters alike, but 16 years on let me give you some of the passion and flavor that surrounded what many believe to be a masterpiece of the 16 bit age.
Sonic 3’s storyline was one of the complex of the 16 bit platformer age, being supported heavily by The Sonic Comic (STC) and introducing the last truly epic Sonic character – Knuckles (Not to mention the continuation into the Sonic and Knuckles game in October later that year – what a happy Christmas 1995 was.. I digress)

In short, after Robotniks defeat in the Death Egg at the end of Sonic 2, his evil fortress falls from space crashing into an island floating above ‘Mobius’ (Sonics home planet).. Shortly after, Porker Lewis, Sonic and Johnny Lightfoot capture Robotnik and decide how best to deal with the fallen dictator. Unbeknown to Sonics team, Robotnik had formed an alliance with the ‘Floating Islands’ sole inhabitant, Knuckles, and convinced him that the hedgehog’s gang is actually the bad guys.  The plot thickens. Knuckles helps Robotnik escape and tries to help Robotnik get rid of the hedgehog, the fox and all other woodland critters!


Each Zone has 2 Acts, making about 12 playable levels, with bunches of special zones, enabling you to collect all the chaos emeralds at an early stage in the game (Check out Super Sonic baby!). For a completionist like myself, being able to totally pwn bosses, as a 10 year old, was like a dream come true. Due to the multitude of new shields and bonus stages, collecting extra lives and continues was equally simple, however it didn't infringe on the difficulty of the game. Almost all Zones containing instant kills such as drowning (Marble garden being the only zone without water – I saw that on Wiki!), being pancaked, or generally just falling into bottomless pits. Fun fun fun.

Due to the huge landscape and areas to explore, the programmers at Sega were unable to complete the full story on one cartridge, which led us to the next installment – Sonic and Knuckles. How about that? The cartridge was at its absolute capacity for Sonic 3.


One crucial reason this game was a landmark in the sonic series was due to introduction of the ‘Non-volatile Ram’ – allowing players to save their progress in multiple slots (6 I believe). Although the game itself was not a weekend project, the ability to save alleviated the pressure to rush through levels and allowed for greater exploration of the huge landscape.

I was lucky enough to start collecting the Sonic Comic in 1993 and the build up to this game was phenomenal.  The funding Sega was putting into Panini stickers, Adventure game books and Sonic slippers were sending kids loopy. Even sonic Spaghetti!

Sonic 3 had an amazing soundtrack, as have all in the Sonic series (Strongly hinting that you should check the Ice Cap Zone for a quick recap on Youtube). Michael Jackson was involved in production at one point, however due to allegations made against him at the time, he was unaccredited in the games final role call. Can you believe that?  How much had Sega allocated for the soundtrack alone, only to pull the top act at the last minute?

What separates this game from others in the series, or any other games in the 16-bit era at the time was the ability to interact with friends. Sure you had tails in Sonic 2… but other than running around and collecting a few rings, tails was as useful as a one legged man in an arse-kicking contest. In sonic 3 Tails has the ability to carry Sonic over short distances, or lift him to inaccessible areas, even create advantages in Boss battles. Of course leading to breakdowns in friendships and many heated arguments.
Perhaps this is old news (Perhaps), but wherever gaming is in 16 years time, this particular game will always remain a testament to Sega at its height.




Yuji Naka and Hirokazu Yasuhara, 2 thumbs up!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Top Gaming Spots

Tokyo's Finest

No. 3
Shinjuku “Amusement


If you are like me you wanna  bit of leg room while your gaming. Nothin blows more than havin some dumb-ass walk into you while trying to pull off a combo on Tekken. Nicely named Geisen “Amusement has the standard array of Rhythm, Beat em up and Shoot em up games but on the up side you don’t have to sit on anyone while you’re playin! Only 4 minutes from Shinjuku Station.


No. 2
Ikebukuro “Game


Located on “Romansu Dori” about 4 minutes from Ikebukuro station, don’t be fooled by it’s size. This place is packed with gems. Many classics from the Genesis, SNES era, almost all games are 50 yen. Perfectly priced for a trip down memory lane (watch out for cramps though). Up for Street Fighter II, Alien Vs. Predator, Columbs? This is the place to go!

No. 1
Takadanobaba "Mikado"


A wide selection of the best games you never played. Games from way back when and pretty much anything you desire (Pinball machines and even an original "Outrun" arcade machine from 1988). Twice monthly, gamer tournaments are held on the upper floor making this a popular hang out for the Tetsujin. Again most games being 50 yen, and a Lawson situated right next to the center, you might find yourself havin lunch and gettin whooped by E Honda at the same time..


Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Epic Christmas

When animation meets gaming..


For years, gamers, fanboys and animation buffs alike have been waiting for the release of the latest in the Mickey series...

Was it worth the wait...?

In short... Yeah!

A hell of a lot of negativity has been splashed around the Disney and Junction Point camps in the run up to this release - Everyone wanted a bite of the apple.


The main heat was coming from the concept art alone (above), few belived the Wii could be capable of acheivein teh dark, complex environment promised by design team Junction point, headed by Warren Spector (best known for his first person shooter programming in Deus Ex and System Shock).

But enough of the that, lets get down to the game!!

Set in Wasteland (a time of forgotten characrtors and stories) Mickeys epic adventure leads him through about 15h of gameplay using a dynamic paint brush to create or thin out landscapes. Quirky and encompassing the best

Interestingly many have complained about the lack of voice acting within the game - To those I say Shhh.

No dialogue aside from some mummering, which is kinda refreshing. Voice acting in games are the benchmark nowadays, but by refraning from this, the game endures and reflects Mickey of old. Anyone remember Castle of Illusions?

Camera angles are a source of frustration. Overall the difficulty within the game is not due to the complexity of puzzles or the increased abilities of your opponants but from this awkward postioning. Some flexibility can be achieved however, many situation will lead you needlessly to youf doom, simply because the landscape is obscured.

The Full intro, beautiful intro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-MnhFSHTxU&feature=fvw

The Full DSP Mickey's Epic playthrough
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDOrUwarkEA


Here's the deal.

You love Disney? You love this game. The game has flaws, but the fun, the nostalgia and the quirky use of the paint and thinner..


The perfect Christmas game

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Arkham Asylum - 1 year on!


Yeps, this all happened last year, we know, we know!!

Arkham Asylum - Absolutely the greatest comic book game ever made with strategy and puzzle solvin that will last a crap load more than a weekend rental - Puzzles from the Riddler that will confuse and push your endurance to the limit. According to the producers of the game, the main focus being for the gamer to have to adapt and to think like Batman in order to progress. 


Visually stunnin, Batman AA encompasses every aspect of the classic 1990's cartoon series which really brought Batman to the masses. Including the voice casting which pulled away from the typical Saturday morning animation - Arleen Sorkin, Mark Hamil and Kevin Conroy. Stunning


Bitchin gameplay and attention to detail that any Bat boy would love. Including cameos from Mr. Freeze, Clayface and Two face were just cherries on the top..


Check out this Mark Hamil interview talkin about his castin as the Joker.


Dope, dope, dope, nothing can prepare you for this...








Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The new Bit Slap Tokyo Gamers Club



I don't know about you, but it aint easy meetin like-minded gamers in Japan.

We are notorious for bedroom button bashin and all night stake outs in first person shooters... 
When do we get time to get together with non pixelated compadres . . . ?

Now!

Twice a month our group will assemble in Shinjuju to blow the cobwebs off Street Fighter II, wax idiotic about Castlevania (amongst many) and try to figure out just why Batman doesn't kill the Joker?!

Aaaaanny games are great, any era, any console, let's get together, play and chat on em. Please email us for more details on meetings ")