Happy 20th Birthday, Sonic!

Today marks Sonic the Hedgehog's 20th birthday. Kind of crazy to think how long the little guy's endured. I know I spent most of my childhood playing 16-bit Sonic games on the Sega Genesis, blasting through levels, making my little sister play as Tails and standing out of the way while I made her beat bosses for me. Bwahaha! Unlike Sonic's last birthday celebration (his 15th - which gave us the release of 2006's Sonic the Hedgehog, a game that was universally panned by critics) SEGA is serving up some retro fun!

1.) Sonic Generations!

Sonic Generations is the new upcoming Sonic game for PS3 and Xbox 360. Sega has transformed classic Sonic stages (like the familiar Green Hill Zone) into modern, 3D stages that will feature both the old, pudgy Sonic we grew up with, alongside the slimmer, more modern Sonic we know today. Retro Sonic's levels will feature 2D platforming, while Modern Sonic will be adventuring in 3D. How the two play-styles seam together has yet to be seen, but now, for twenty days only, you can download and play a free demo of the first level on PSN and XBLA.

I gave the demo a whirl - it's short - and it really was just what Sega promised - chubby, 2D Sonic speeding through Green Hill Zone, with the same enemies and the same level design, only modernized to today's graphical standards. It was bright and vibrant and looked really great. There was no demo of the 3D platforming, but I can honestly say I'm looking forward to this one, especially if the 3D portions are anything like Sonic Colors. (Also, if you're a jaded Sonic fan who hasn't tried Sonic Colors - do it NOW! It will restore your faith in the Sonic franchise.) 

Also - they brought the spin dash back for Generations. Hallelujah!!

2.) Sonic Savings!
Sega has some great savings on classic Sonic games! For a limited time, XBLA will be offering Sonic titles for up to 50% off, while Sega has a PC bundle including six Sonic titles for $14.97 available for download at their site. But you better move like a hedgehog: these deals are only good until the end of June.

PSN users get a bundle deal as well: for the next twenty days, you can download the Sonic the Hedgehog bundle which includes the original Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, and Sonic Adventure. It's on sale for $19.99, a $20 value!

3.) Sonic Balloon! 
Did you know that Sonic was the first video game character to appear in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade? (Eat that, Mario!) He made his first appearance in 1993. Now, Sonic will be returning to the parade this year with an all-new balloon featuring his modern look!

Happy Birthday Sonic! Let's make it another 20!

Nintendo Retro Releases - 6/23/11 - New Dates Added!

Hey guys, I'm changing up the format for retro releases. Rather than having one post with all the week's upcoming retro games, I'm just going to do a post for each company. Currently, Sony releases on Tuesday, Microsoft on Wednesday, and Nintendo, previously Monday, have now started releasing on Thursday.

No Nintendo Virtual Console or e-Shop releases this week. Boo.

Metal Gear Solid (Playstation, 1998)

Wow, what a fantastic game.

I first played Metal Gear Solid back in 1998, when I rented it from my local Blockbuster. Up until that point, the games I played were either platformers starring cutesy animal characters, or sweeping fantasy RPGs. Metal Gear Solid was really the first game I played that I considered adult - not just in the skill required for gameplay, but in tone and theme.

Right... that's not what I meant by "adult"....

So what made Metal Gear Solid so great and so memorable? You see, action games up until Metal Gear Solid generally involved beating up every dude you came across. You were always equipped with a weapon and with ammo and defeating guys was the only way to get through the game. Metal Gear Solid is a completely different experience - the gameplay relies on stealth and cunning - ideally, the skill to avoid a conflict whenever possible.

I don't like confrontation.

This, by the way, is far more difficult. You play as Solid Snake, who is forced out of retirement when the terrorist splinter-cell group, FOXHOUND, seize a remote island and threaten to detonate a nuclear weapon, Metal Gear REX, within 24 hours if their demands are not met. This is really the simplified version of the story, which in itself can become a bit convoluted at times, if only due to the sheer number of characters, organizations, and references to events past. Snake infiltrates the island and begins a mission to take down FOXHOUND and secure the Metal Gear.

Metal Gear REX

Although Snake has a gun and various weapons, attempting to plow through the game with firepower will only succeed in getting yourself killed. You need to get creative in this game. For example, you can use cigarette smoke to detect security beams, use ketchup to fake your death and escape a prison cell, and disguise yourself as a cardboard box to get past a pack of ravenous wolves. But action fans, don't despair, because you'll face off against a colorful cast of FOXHOUND members, some of which battles will be explosive.

Using ketchup to fake your death.

Psycho Mantis is one of these characters, as he's a telepathic and telekinetic being that you encounter. This is all well and good, but when he announced to me he would read my mind, I wasn't really paying attention. Yeah, okay dude. Then he said, "I see you like Suikoden!" and my jaw dropped. How did he know that?? Turns out he was reading my memory card. (Also, thank you Psycho Mantis for teaching me the proper way to pronounce "Suikoden".) The battle itself can only be won by unplugging the controller from port one, and plugging it into port two - therefore disabling Mantis's ability to read your moves.

Why yes, I do!

Unlike most action games, Metal Gear Solid also does a great job balancing the serious story with a humorous narrative. Characters like Otakon and a guard with chronic irritable bowel syndrome provide some comic relief. Meryl Silverburgh's relationship with Snake adds a layer of softness to Snake's gruff personality and a bit of sweetness to the game. And unlike pretty much every game ever made up until this point, Metal Gear Solid delivers some seriously great voice acting which lends itself to a truly cinematic experience. But you don't need me to tell you that. If you haven't played this game yet, I'll assume you're a thirteen year old kid, or someone who never owned a Playstation. If you're neither of those things, then what the hell are you waiting for?

Metal Gear Solid is available new and used on Amazon for varying prices. It was also re-released as a part of the Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection. It's also available for download on PSN. Finally, there was an enhanced remake for Gamecube called Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes which updates the graphics to more modern standards and offers a first-person shooter view. 

Retro Releases - Week of 4/4/11

Awesome Retro Finds of the Week 11: Uhhhhh...

Once again, nothing this week. Things will pick up soon, promise!

Final Fantasy (NES, 1990)

Final Fantasy is the most famous console RPG franchise in the world, and possibly the most popular. With 14 installments in the main franchise, and numerous ports, remakes, and spin-offs, Square's best-selling series has moved over 97 million units to date. The title itself is misleading, as people have often asked me, "Why is it called Final Fantasy when they just keep making more??"

How's about you stop asking me that question?!

As the story goes, back in the late 80's, Square was failing as a company. On the verge of bankruptcy, they assigned a small team led by young developer Hironobu Sakaguchi to put out a new type of game, different from what Square had been doing up until that point. Sakaguchi knew that if the game failed, the company would most likely go under, and he swore he would quit the game industry and go back to school to learn something else. Thus, he called the game "Final Fantasy" to describe his delicate situation.

The mustachioed man himself. Sadly, he's no longer with
Square-Enix but has his own studio, Mistwalker.

The game was obviously a smashing success, and not only saved Square (and Sakaguchi's job) but also popularized the RPG genre. It laid the groundwork for future installments in the franchise, introducing things like crystals and airships. But does it stand the test of time?

1987-era NES programming glitch = 1987-era NES Invisible Lady.

Sort of. Final Fantasy plays like your traditional RPG. You start off the game by choosing four characters (The "Four Heroes of Light") and assign a job class to each one. What you choose will determine your characters' stats and abilities. A well-rounded party may consist of a Fighter, a Black Mage, a Black Belt, and a White Mage, for example. For someone who wants a tougher challenge, you could create a party of only White Mages. This small amount of customization was unusual back in the NES days, and certainly added to the game's appeal.

The adventure begins!

Each of your party members carries a darkened orb, representing a different element. Their quest is to revitalize the orbs by defeating the Four Fiends who are bring chaos and destruction to the world. When each Fiend falls, the orb is returned to light, and peace comes a little closer. Along the way, you'll experience several misadventures, such as rescuing a princess, fighting pirates, and hunting down a vampire.

Four fiends, but not the Four Fiends.

While wandering the overworld map and exploring dungeons, you'll experience lots of random encounters, which would become a staple of the Final Fantasy series. Battles themselves are turn-based, and when you win, you gain experience points which will level your characters' stats. Unfortunately, this is where two of the game's most glaring flaws come into play: First, there is no auto-targeting -- for example: you are fighting a group of enemies, and you instruct your entire party to focus on Enemy A. The Fighter manages to defeat Enemy A in one turn. Rather than the next party member going on to attack Enemy B, the team will continue to attack the empty space that Enemy A once occupied. This is highly annoying, as you're constantly having to estimate how many attacks it will take to kill one enemy before you can direct attacks to the next one. Second, this game does require quite a bit of mindless level grinding to proceed: the first installment of Final Fantasy is generally considered by fans to be the most difficult.

Be ill-prepared and die!!

Despite these flaws, Final Fantasy set a precedent for further installments and is definitely worth a playthrough. It's really great to see the groundwork of a million-dollar franchise, and despite being originally released in Japan back in 1987, Final Fantasy fans will feel a sense of familiarity upon playing. It may not live up to today's RPGs, with their endless customization, colorful casts, and epic stories, but it's impossible to call yourself a retro gamer without this game in your repertoire.

Final Fantasy has been remade, re-released, and ported multiple times. Luckily, the targeting issue was fixed for each port, so the battle experience has definitely improved. The first remake for the United States was found in Final Fantasy Origins (a still-in-print PSOne title), which has updated graphics and is paired with the previously Japan-only title, Final Fantasy II. There is also Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls for Game Boy Advance and the simply-named Final Fantasy for PSP. It's also available on Wii's Virtual Console service for 500 Wii Points. And if that's not enough, you can even download Final Fantasy for Apple devices and mobile phones. But if you're really not into the new-fangled technologies, well, then there's always Amazon, where you can find Final Fantasy new and used for NES at varying prices.

Retro Releases - Week of 3/28/11

Due to technical difficulties, there will be no update on retro releases this week. Check back next week!