The post Genji: Dawn of the Samurai appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

So today I am excited to announce a brand new series exclusive to Fullscreen Arcade: Replay the Past!

This show focuses not on the history of video games, but video games based on history. These are, without a doubt, my favorite types of games. The feeling of immersing yourself not only in the game but also in the history is so satisfying. Replay the Past will provide you not only an overview of the game, but also the history within it. So if I go over a game like God of War, you will be getting a history lesson on Greek mythology as well!

Replay the Past premieres Monday, May 13th on the Fullscreen Arcade channel. The 1st season is 6 episodes and will be released weekly.

A huge thanks to you all for making this possible. I’m so excited to share my newest show with everyone!

The post Introducing Replay the Past appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

My lack of consistent content  bothers me. I know it definitely bothers you too (just read some of my YouTube comments!). My full time job requires a lot of hours and brain power, which takes away time I’d rather spend on the show. My solution? Just make Gaming Historian what I do. I can’t think of a better way to not only keep doing what I love, but also churn out awesome video game history to the masses. For the past several months, I have been putting money aside to pursue Gaming Historian full time.

This is where I hope to get the fans involved! I had suggestions from friends to do a Kickstarter or donation drive, but I refused. I don’t need financial assistance to start up The Gaming Historian, I just need to make sure I am financially stable as I switch to working on my show full time. While I have received donations from this website (a huge thank you to anyone who has donated!), I wanted to give something back to the fans. My solution? Swag!

I have opened up pre-orders for the first official piece of Gaming Historian merchandise: a t-shirt! I’m really excited to sell these because people have been asking about a t-shirt for years. Your purchase not only gets you a sweet shirt, but it also helps support The Gaming Historian. You’ll also get your name in the “sponsor” section of the website!

If you want one of these shirts for yourself, head over to “The Gift Shop” and pre-order one for yourself! Pre-orders end April 15th, so hurry up! After that, the t-shirts should be available full-time sometime in May.

This what I love to do. Thank you for letting me share my passion with you.

[UPDATE]: I’ve gotten a lot of requests for signed shirts! I would love to, just make sure you leave a note when you purchase that you want it signed. Thanks!

The post A New Beginning: T-Shirt Time appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

The post Hyrule Historia Review appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Growing up, I was actively involved in sports. After the NFL and English Premier League decided not to draft me, I pretty much gave up most physical activity (minus the occasional recreational league) and started my college education. The ironic thing is, I’ve always hated cardio exercises and lifting weights was really boring.

Enter Fitocracy.

Fitocracy officially launched in Feburary of 2011 as an online game / social network. The purpose was simple: Make working out fun. Fitocracy allows you to create a profile, track and share workouts, complete quests, and so much more. Simply put, it is an amazing motivational tool that makes you want to work out! Every exercise you do gives you a certain amount of points, and these points are used to level up and earn achievements.

When I go to the gym, I simply bring my phone with me and keep track of everything I do. After my workout, I submit what I did and Fitocracy calculates how many points I earned. The next time you go to the gym, the app will keep track of your workout history and your personal best records, so you will never forget what weight to use or how far to run.

The newest addition to the site are quests. Some examples include “run one mile in under 10 minutes” and “perform 100 pushups in one set.” Completing the quests gets you more points and bragging rights.

The other great thing about Fitocracy is the social aspect. You can choose to publicly share your workouts with the Fitocracy community, and people are always giving props and providing encouraging words.

The bottom line: Fitocracy turns working out into a real life RPG. If you are looking for a way to get into shape, Fitocracy is the perfect jumping off point. Be sure to add me as a friend!

The post Fitocracy Turns Exercise Into a Video Game appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 32: Nintendo’s Big Ass News Conference appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

GameLine is the brainchild of William von Meister (what a name!), an entrepeneur who began in the cable industry. It initially began as a way to provide music to cable companies (via satellite). When the record industry stepped in and threatened legal trouble, the cable companies said “no thanks” to Meister. Looking for a way to use his new technology, he founded Control Video Corporation (CVC) and created GameLine.

GameLine was basically an Atari cartridge with a modem inside. It had a phone jack on the side that would connect to central servers using pulse or tone dialing. For $59.95 and a $15 one-time membership fee, you got the cartridge, GameLine service, and a subscription to GameLiner magazine. The magazine offered tips & tricks, information on new games coming out for the service, and a list of games offered. I’m sure it was much better than Game Informer magazine.

Electronic Games magazine called GameLine “The greatest thing to happen to video games since the joystick.” So what happened to this thing? Why didn’t it become a huge success?

Well, it did have a few problems. Each game cost $1 to download and only lasted 1 week. If you wanted to play it after that, you had to pay another dollar! Another issue was support from game developers. Many of the big game companies (Atari, Coleco, Mattel, Activision) refused to give licensing agreements to CVC.  The final nail in the coffin for GameLine? What else, but the video game crash of ’83. The company soon went out of business.

Meister wanted to use the technology not only for video games, but for news, stocks, sports, mail, and even a message board. It is hard to imagine something like this being possible in 1983! What happened next was even more interesting. Some former members of CVC formed a new company, Quantum Computer Services. They created Quantum Link, an online gaming service for the Commodore 64 and 128. After a failed partnership with Apple, Quantum Computer Services decided to position themselves as a company that would provide services to people who weren’t so good with computers. Their new company name?

America Online, also known as AOL.

In the insruction manual for the GameLine, William von Meister stated “Congratulations on taking a major step into the future of video gaming and home information services.” It is amazing what his vision has become: Instant downloading of full games, movies, tv shows, sports, and more: All to your video game console. We have come a long way, huh?

Further Reading

1.) http://www.atariage.com/2600/archives/gameline.html?SystemID=2600

2.) http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-2600-vcs-gameline-master-module_20315.html

The post GameLine Let You Download Atari Games appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

The post Monster Party (NES) appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

I’ll be a guest / attending the following panels / concerts as well.

Retrogame Roadshow Panel (Bring your rare games!)
Friday, January 4th – 11:30 AM

Retroware TV Autograph Session
Friday, January 4th – 12:30 PM

On Being Human Concert
Saturday, January 5th – 11:00 AM

Retroware TV Panel
Saturday, January 5th – 2:30 PM

Along with attending this awesome festival, I will be live-tweeting the event, as well as providing daily updates on this here blog. So if you can’t attend, stay tuned here so you can catch up on all the happenings. Remember to follow me @GamingHistorian on Twitter for live updates.

Are you attending MAGFest 11? Let me know in the comments below. Happy Holidays!

The post Gaming Historian @ MAGFest 11 appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

What’s that? You have never heard of this game? Well if you are from North America, then it is very unlikely: It never got released in cartridge form (it was released in cartridge form for the Mega Drive). However, it was released through SEGA Channel. I won’t get into too much detail, but SEGA Channel was a service that provided games through your cable service. It was launched in 1994 and lasted about 4 years. It cost $15 a month for unlimited gaming, as well as a $25 one-time activation fee.

To be honest, I’m confused as to why they didn’t release a cartridge because this is an incredible game. The Wily Wars is essentially a remake of Mega Man, Mega Man 2, and Mega Man 3. It also included all new content after you beat the three games.

This was the first Mega Man game on SEGA consoles and it was a big deal in the video game world. SEGA even drew some special artwork to commemorate the collaboration.

Keiji Inafune, one of Mega Man’s creators, remembers development being very slow. “The bug check phase for this title was an absolute nightmare. I felt so bad for the person who was in charge of the checking procedure that I even jumped in myself to help out in any way that I could.” Inafune did little with this title, as development of the game was outsourced. His main contribution was designing the new bosses in Wily Tower (the bonus content) and the cover art.

As for the game itself, The Wily Wars is a blast. I mean, it is a Mega Man game after all! Most of the glitches from the first games have been fixed (no more pause tricks), the graphics have been overhauled, and all the classic music has been remade in 16-bit form. You can also save your game now (neato!). Again, if you consider yourself a fan of Mega Man, you should definitely check this game out. Like it’s Game Gear cousin, Wily Wars is also fairly challenging. You have been warned!

Mega Man: The Wily Wars has largely been forgotten. It was supposed to have a North American release, and many magazines at the time teased screenshots and estimated release dates. Unfortunately, it only lived through SEGA channel (which didn’t really catch on). If you want to play it today, you can try to get your hands on a reproduction cart or a *cough* ROM *cough*. You didn’t hear that from me. Or you could just buy the Mega Drive version of the game.

For more information, I highly recommend this episode of 16-Bit Gems, which covers pretty much everything you would ever want to know. I would also recommend the book Mega Man: Official Complete Works, which has tons of artwork and insight on all the Mega Man games.

The post Mega Man Was On The Genesis Too (Sorta) appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 31: Street Fighter X Mega Man?! appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

To promote the game, Disney even released a few arcade cabinet versions of the game as well. I was able to check it out at the Classic Gaming Expo, and it was really cool how Disney made it look and feel like a classic arcade game. They even created a fake developer, Tobikomi and slapped the logo onto the side of the cabinet. Translated, it means to “jump, plunge, or dive.”

Not only that, but they put out a commercial for the game, and it looks like it came straight from the 80’s.

In the game, you play as Fix-It Felix Jr, who must repair all the apartment windows while avoiding Wreck It Ralph smashing bricks on top of you and ducks flying by. The citizens who live in the building give you pies as a power up. It’s a really simple game and gets repetitive, but it is a great throwback to the classic arcade games. And hey, it is free to play, so no complaints here.

Disney really went all out with Wreck-It Ralph and Fix-It Felix Jr. It’s a great throwback to the classic arcades and I highly recommend fans of classic gaming to check out both the movie and the tie-in game. Enjoy!

The post Fix-It Felix Jr. Is A Great Throwback appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

The story focuses on Wreck-It Ralph, the main villian of the hit arcade game, Fix-It Felix Jr. After 30 years, he has grown tired of being the villian and wants to be the hero for once. So Ralph decides to leave his game in hopes of becoming more than just a villain. Now a lot of people compare this movie to Who Framed Rogger Rabbit? which starred a plethora of cartoon characters, and was also made by Disney. I’d say it is a fair comparison. Wreck-It Ralph features quite a few characters from your favorite games, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Bowser, and Q-Bert (easily my favorite cameo). While their roles aren’t huge, it was cool to see them in the movie.

The first 30 minutes of the film are fast paced and I was really enjoying the characters and visuals. Disney got really creative with this film, especially with how the video game world works and how these characters interact with each other. Most will notice all the subtle gaming things, like how the citizens in the Fix-It Felix game interact and walk around. This was probably my favorite thing about the movie. It just screamed VIDEO GAMES. They even found a way to reference the arcade game Root Beer Tapper!

Then….Sugar Rush.

I’ll try not to spoil anything, but most of the movie is spent in a video game called Sugar Rush, a mario-kart clone that takes place in a world of candy and treats. It is here where the movie slows down…and it starts to lose that video game feel. There were more references to candy and sweets than video games, and that was kind of a drag. Another thing you need to remember: This is a Disney movie intended for children. Adults will enjoy it and get all nostalgic for the old arcade, but there are lessons learned and friendships made and happy endings. Overall, Wreck-It Ralph is fun and I would recommend giving it a watch, if only for the fun video game references. It’s pretty apparent the creators were fans of classic gaming, and after viewing you will probably feel like hitting up the arcade, if you can find one. Is it the best movie about video games ever made? I’d say no, but I would put it in the Top 3.

Next time, we’ll take a look at the game inside the movie, Fix-It Felix Jr!

The post Wreck-It Ralph Review appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

I think it is fair to say that without Donkey Kong, it is highly possible Nintendo of America would not exist. After the disappointment of Radar Scope in North America, Donkey Kong was shipped stateside and became a huge success. But what if I were to tell you that Nintendo didn’t program Radar Scope or Donkey Kong?

Enter Ikegami Tsushinki, a Japanese manufacturer of broadcast equipment. The company was founded in 1946 and is still in business today. However, according to several sources, Ikegami Tsushinki helped design and program arcade games in the early 80?s as a subcontractor. Some notable games include Zaxxon and Congo Bongo.

When Nintendo needed a new game to revitalize their North American branch, they had Shigeru Miyamoto design Donkey Kong, while Ikegami Tsushinki programmed the game and developed the boards. Here is where it gets interesting: Some sources say a contract was signed in April of 1981. However, others say it was strictly a verbal agreement since the two companies could not agree on a manufacturing price for the cabinet. Donkey Kong was released in July of 1981.

All was well until the next year. In December of 1982, a court judgement claimed that programming code was considered copyrightable written work (due to a case involving Space Invaders Part II). After learning of this, Ikegami Tsushinki sued Nintendo, claiming they owned the rights to Donkey Kong. Nintendo’s argument was that Ikegami Tsushinki was subcontracted, they paid their agreed amount, and that was the end. Ikegami Tsushinki also argued that Donkey Kong Junior (the first game developed completely by Nintendo) was based on their code, which violated their copyright. No longer needing Ikegami Tsuhinki’s services, Nintendo had another company reverse-engineer Donkey Kong so they could develop Donkey Kong Junior in-house.

In 1983, Ikegami Tsushinki officially sued Nintendo for ¥580,000,000 million (about $7,304,810 million today). The case went on until 1990, when the case was settled out of court for an unknown amount. It was officially ruled that Nintendo did not own the copyright to the code.

This case is a very mysterious one, but it actually answers a lot of questions. Ever wonder why the arcade version of Donkey Kong has never been re-released? It always seems to be the NES version of the game. This court case explains why.

Want more proof? If you dig deep into the Japanese ROM of Donkey Kong, you will find this text.

CONGRATULATION !IF YOU ANALYSE DIFFICULT THIS PROGRAM,WE WOULD TEACH YOU.*****TEL.TOKYO-JAPAN 044(244)2151 EXTENTION 304 SYSTEM DESIGN IKEGAMI CO. LIM.

Also, if you look at the tilesets in the game, you will find Ikegami Tsushinki’s logo. 

Hopefully you learned something today about the dark, greedy, and corrupted world of game development. Take care!

Further Reading

1) http://jotaroraido.wordpress.com/2011/01/11/the-battle-of-donkey-kong/

2) http://gdri.smspower.org/wiki/index.php/Company:Ikegami_Tsushinki

3) http://web.archive.org/web/20050212192733/http://www.video-fenky.com/archives/000036.html

4) https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!topic/rec.games.video.arcade.collecting/TKhnM8Pwjqg

Update: I’ve been informed by several people that the Donkey Kong arcade game is playable in Donkey Kong 64. It wasn’t an official re-release of the game, so Nintendo might have been able to get away with it. Thanks!

The post Who Programmed Donkey Kong? appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 30: Happy 30th! appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 29: Ninjas With Guns appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

The post Nintendo 64DD appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 28: Legend of Dragoon – Yay or Nay? appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Mario Party 3 (Nintendo 64 N64) NEW SEALED MINT VGA 95!
MINT CASE FRESH, HIGHEST GRADED COPY, COLLECTOR GEM!

The item you are bidding on is Mario Party 3 (Nintendo 64). This game is BRAND NEW, FACTORY SEALED and VGA GRADED 95! This is factory sealed with the vertical overlap seam and is in pristine condition! This is the highest known graded copy of this game, an absolute grail – collectors take note! The serial # of this item is 78253039 and can be looked up on the vggrader.com website as each VGA item has a unique number. For those who don’t know, VGA (Video Game Authority) is a well-respected authenticator and grader of factory sealed video games. A grade of 95 is an unbelievable grade and represents a case fresh, mint specimen – a GOLD LEVEL grade.

Source: E-Bay (url is way too long!)

Anyone who has wondered why VGA Grading is so criticized, this is a great example of the problem. Mario Party 3 brand new, according to VG Price Charting, is worth about $150. Actually, you can buy a new copy right here. However, because this one was VGA graded, the price skyrockets to an astonishing $39,999. Ridiculous.

I know, I know, they did accept best offers. It just blows my mind that they would try to even sell it at that price.

What else could you buy for $40,000? Maybe 4 Nintendo World Championship carts, or 2 copies of Stadium Events. Or 1,333 used copies of Mario Party 3.

Do you have a crazy posting you need to tell the world about? Share it with us! Submit your posting on the Contact Us page, or via Twitter & Facebook.

The post Fail 4 Sale – Mario Throws Expensive Parties appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 27: Wii U appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 26: How About A Sequel? appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 25: Overrated Games appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

TENGEN AC Adaptor for the Nintendo NES. Grade 85 VGA, Super RARE!

This auction is for a very rare Tengen AC Adaptor for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). This NES power adaptor is one of a kind accesory, one of the rarest if not the rarest sealed accesories for the NES. Impossible to find used, let alone to find it graded and sealed!!! Graded 85 NM+ which is near mint!! For the true NES collectors out there!!! AWESOME!!!!!

Source: http://www.ebay.com/itm/TENGEN-AC-Adaptor-for-the-Nintendo-NES-Grade-85-VGA-Super-RARE-/221100163512?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item337a98c1b8#ht_2854wt_1111

This could be the most ridiculous eBay auction I have ever seen. Never mind that a sealed copy was sold 3 years ago for $125. This person wants $50,000 FOR A POWER ADAPTOR.

For those who are unfamiliar, Tengen was a video game publishing company owned by Atari Games. They ported a lot of arcade titles onto the NES, including Tetris and Ms. Pac-Man. In 1992, they decided to get into the accessory business, as seen in this newspaper article. This power adaptor originally sold for $16.98.

I don’t have an issue with rare items…but it’s a power adaptor. IT POWERS ON THE NES. That is literally all it does. You can find plenty of official Nintendo power adaptors for much cheaper…and it does exactly the same thing.

Do you have a crazy posting you need to tell the world about? Share it with us! Submit your posting on the Contact Us page, or via Twitter & Facebook.

The post Fail 4 Sale – The $50,000 Power Cord appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 24: Goodbye Nintendo Power appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

A big thank you to Mike Alkire for suggesting the name “Fail 4 Sale.” It sums up these articles perfectly!

NINTENDO WRECKING CREW – $65

RARE NINTENDO WRECKING CREW GAME $65

Source: http://kansascity.craigslist.org/vgm/3192555805.html

Here we have the wonderful black box game known as Wrecking Crew. No box or manual, just the cart. Only $65! Wow, that is absurdly priced. Also note that he / she claims it is “rare.” Looking on Price Charting, the average cost of a used copy of Wrecking Crew is $6.00.

Now to be fair, there is a “5-screw” version of Wrecking Crew. For those who are unfamiliar with these, let me explain: Most NES games have 3 screws on the back, but several early titles had 5 screws. These are little harder to find, but this person is making it seem like Wrecking Crew is extremely hard to come by. We don’t even know how many screws it has!

But things get worse: This is actually a re-post. The original posting had it listed at $20. They increased the price to $65 when it didn’t sell!? That makes sense.

Do you have a crazy posting you need to tell the world about? Share it with us! Submit your posting on the Contact Us page, or via Twitter & Facebook.

The post Fail 4 Sale – Wrecking Crew Is Rare? appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 23: RIP Mega Man appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

However, today I didn’t want to get into Wolfenstein 3D, but rather it’s predecessor: Castle Wolfenstein.

Back in the late 70?s and early 80?s, there was a small software company known as Muse Software. They were working on some pretty cool technology for the Apple II computer, including hi-res graphics and voice playback. One day, co-founder Silas Warner (who stood 6’9!) walked into a convenience store and noticed Robotron 2084. Inspired, he decided to create a game in a similar style, but set during World War II. Rather than going around and shooting things like a madman, Warner’s game would use espionage, item collecting, exploration, and interrogation.

In Castle Wolfenstein, you play an allied soldier who has been captured behind enemy lines and taken to Castle Wolfenstein, a castle recently converted to a Nazi stronghold. A fellow prisoner who is dying gives you a pistol and 10 rounds. It is up to you to find the Nazi war plans and escape the castle.

The game uses a top down view and has you navigating the large Castle Wolfenstein. Along the way you will run into a lot of Nazis. Usually you can kill them and steal items they might have, or you can take them hostage! They will throw their hands in the air while you search for goods. You can even escape a room while they are being held hostage. The castle is also littered with chests that contain helpful items like a Nazi uniform, bulletproof vest, grenades, and more. You can even find alcohol and get drunk (which throws off your aim). Castle Wolfenstein was a fantastic action game when it was first released in 1981 and it still holds up today. It was also one of the first stealth-based games.

In 1984, Muse Software released a sequel Beyond Castle Wolfenstein. In the sequel you must infiltrate a Nazi bunker and kill Adolf Hitler. Fun! But in 1987, the company went out of business. In 1991, iD software was looking for a new game to develop after the success of Commander Keen. They fondly remembered Castle Wolfenstein and how much they loved it and decided to create a “spiritual sequel” to the game. iD Software received permission from Silas Warner of Muse Software and created Wolfenstein 3D. The game even pays homage to the original, starting you out in a jail cell with a pistol. Sadly, Silas Warner died in 2004 from kidney disease.

I remember this game quite well and it brings back a lot of memories. This was one of the first games I ever played. I wasn’t very good at it, but I would watch my brother play all the time. Hearing the guards yell “Halt!” still sets me into a panic.

I highly recommend playing the original Castle Wolfenstein game. It is considered abandonware now, so load it up on your DOS emulator and have fun. Schnell!

The post The Original Castle Wolfenstein appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 22: Ouya? appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Nintendo.com has an article about the development of Punch-Out!! on their “Iwata Asks” series. In the article, Shigeru Miyamoto claims “We didn’t have an approval system when using Mario images back then.” Thus, any development team could sneak a cameo of their favorite character into NES games, no matter how poorly drawn they were! So let’s take a look back at some of Mario’s lesser known appearances on the NES.

Pinball

 Good ol’ Pinball. This game was deceiving, as Mario is on the front cover. But upon initial gameplay, he is nowhere to be found. What gives? Mario is actually part of a mini game if you manage to knock your ball into a certain hole. It’s basically a breakout game where Mario has to break the blocks away to get to Pauline (haven’t seen her in awhile, huh?). It’s somewhat difficult to get to this mini-game so you might want to look elsewhere for a Mario cameo.

Tennis

Mario makes his first appearance in a sports game with Tennis. He’s the referee sitting up there in the chair. It’s amusing to see him watch the ball bounce back and forth. He’ll even make the calls in little speech bubbles. Tennis has been re-released many times, and it’s actually quite fun. Definitely a worthy cameo for our plumber.

Golf

 Good lord, what happened to you, Mario!? It seems Mario fused with Barney Gumble for his appearance in Golf. He is the character you control while you play the game. This might be the weirdest incarnation of Mario on the NES.

Update: A fine reader plsburydoughboy has pointed out this is actually the character Ossan (according to the game Captain Rainbow). I’ll still include it just ’cause!

Mike Tyson’s Punch Out / Punch-Out!!

 This is probably the most well-known Mario cameo. Punch-Out!! is a classic NES game that has you playing as Little Mac, an underdog boxer going up against the best of the world. In this game, Mario is the referee. Just like in Tennis, he will make rulings and counts through speech bubbles. Notice the sweet outfit too! Makoto Wada, an illustrator for Nintendo, was in charge of drawing the character portraits. Punch-Out!! was the first title he worked on. In the article mentioned above, he recalls drawing “a slightly strange looking Mario.”

Wrecking Crew

 This actually isn’t much of a cameo, as Wrecking Crew is considered a Mario game (similar to the original Mario Bros.). But what the heck, I will mention it anyway since not many people seem to remember this game. The object of the game is to destroy certain objects around a construction site while avoiding enemies. Wrecking Crew also introduced a new enemy named Spike, who is the foreman of the construction site. It is said that Foreman Spike is the precursor to Wario. Not as fun as Mario Bros., but still a fun arcade-style game.

Yoshi

 Developed by Game Freak (the creators of Pokemon), Yoshi wasn’t the best puzzle game on the NES. In fact, it didn’t receive very good reviews when it was first released. Essentially, you had to trap an assortment of different enemies between Yoshi egg shells. Mario is the guy flipping tiles on the bottom for you.

Yoshi’s Cookie

Another Yoshi puzzle game, but this one is a lot more fun. The object of this game is to line up the same kind of cookie in each row. The guy working the cranks on the right? None other than Mario (in full chef gear, of course).

There were a few more NES games featuring our plumber (such as NES Open Tournament Golf), but I think this is a good sample for you!

What is your favorite secret Mario game on the NES? Discuss below!

The post Mario’s Secret NES Games appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 21: Battle Royale Sucks appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

For the rest of the list (which is about 155 games), check out their website and scroll to the bottom.

I think this is a fairly solid list, although I wouldn’t put GoldenEye in the top 10. Obviously there is no definitive list: Everyone’s top 10 is going to be different.

What are your top 10 video games of all time?

The post The Top 10 Video Games Of All Time? appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 20: Video Game Movies appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 19: Nintendo 3DS XL appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Knowing all of this, I need an escape plan for the summer. I need a plan of what to do with my excessive free time come the hotter months. Here are some of my ideas that will hopefully keep me doing my best impression of a hermit for the entirety of the summer.

Diablo 3

I understand that this releases in May. I understand that May is not under the common definition of summer. However, where I am currently located, you can start cooking food on the pavement in May, so it starts to fall under the classification of summer for me. Also, if Diablo 3 lasts me even a fraction of what it’s predecessor lasted me, I could include this game in a “Surving the Fall/Winter/Spring” article.

The amount of time I invested in Diablo 2 was probably more than any other game. I got the game in high school when I finally got a computer that could run more than just DOS games. I played that game, off and on, for the entirety of my high school and college careers. The cycle would start with one character that would be raised to a high level (Usually 70 or 80). That would be followed by creating another character to be used as a second, something to break certain monotanies. That character would be followed by a cookie-cutter, generally accepted “broken” character. And the last character would be a complete goofy character with skills that only carried them through the first two difficulties, but would struggle in the last.

Then, I would take my characteristic break from the game. By the time I got back, the time had expired on the characters and the cycle started all over again. I didn’t begrudge Blizzard for the clearing of my characters, but enjoyed the oppurtunity to start from scratch.

I have every expectation for Diablo 3 to act in the same way as the second one did. However, I don’t think it will feel stale. There are new game mechanics that are suppossed to feel different from the second. And with the freshness of the game and my early entry to it, there will be much more experimenting going on, meaning new discoveries constantly. By the time I got into Diablo 2, cookie-cutter molds had already been created. Here, we will all be trying and failing at new things.

Beating Older Games, Again

Every now and again, I like to go through my collection and dust off some games that I have already beaten and go through them again. There are two different reasons for this.

The first is to reevaluate the game. Having gamed for so long, I like to see if my perspective of certain games has changed. It certainly worked for Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, a game that I loathed when I was younger, but loved when I got older. And also having gamed at such a young age, I like to see if there are things that I missed because I had not developed the cognitive tools to comprehend everything. Key games that stick out to this point are Final Fantasy 8 and Wild Arms 2.

I mentioned on the Level 7 Podcast, episode 16, that I was trying to go through Final Fantasy 8 again, and the playthrough I was talking about got me to about half way through disc 2. By that point in the game, I had manipulated the system so that I had a Squall that could one-shot bosses. However, after the discussion, I have resolved to try and go through the game without strong manipulation of the game. Instead of any “leveling-up,” I want to just go from point A to point B and see if my opinion of the gameplay balances changes.

Also, I hope not to space out during the story. A story consisting of amnesia suffereing child marines fighting wars across the world that is puppeteered by some sorceresses that eventually collapse the time line is kind of daunting for a child to comprehend. Hopefully I’ve matured from an intellectual stand point enough to wrap my head around the story.

Wild Arms 2 is a game I’d like to playthrough more-so for the story than anything else. The gameplay is pretty cemented for me, being a standard RPG with puzzle elements in the dungeons. The stoy, though, lost me as a child. At the beggining, when everything was basically just glorified fetch-quests, I could follow it. “Hey, Bossman wants me to find this part! I get that!” However, after around the second disc, some more mystical and confounding elements started to surface. That’s when I focused on the gameplay and finishing it. I believe that there’s some story there to be enjoyed. I remember liking what I could understand of the characters, so that’s a good starting point.

Then there’s the games that I always tend to gravitate to. Final Fantasy 6 still pulls emotions out of me, so I always try giving it a go. And then there’s my annual playthrough of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Finally Finishing Games

There are certain games that get lost within my shopping habbits. If there are multiple games that I want that are available to my budget, I usually get them in bundles. The logic is that I need to get it while I know that it’s available. There were times in my childhood where I would think “Well, it’ll be there tomorrow,” and whatever it was, wasn’t there the next day. However, when I purchase these games in bundles, one or more tend to fall into the background, overshadowed by the games that caught more of my attention first. And by the time I finish the first game, more games have been released that I insist on getting.

One game that fell into this category was Breath of Fire 4. For a game that caught my eye as much as it did, I can’t even remember the game that overshadowed it when I originally purchased it. I have since tried another play through, but it was once again overshadowed by a recent purchase. However, this coming summer, I should have no excuses. Nothing’s coming out, I’m interested in this game, and I have an audience that insists that I finish it (The Girlfriend). The story kept me glued to my TV, and even at the time of writing this, I wonder what’s going to happen next. That is definetly a way to keep my attention even after it’s wandered to more recent titles.

One game I am ashamed to lump into this category is Rayman Origins. I’ve written that this game felt like it was tailored specifically for me. And I’m ashamed that something that made me so happy still sits in my “You need to finish this” pile. Whether it be newer releases or just a hectic and all consuming work life, this game fell behind. I still stare at it as the case sits on my coffee table. Of all the things that get burried on the table, it is the one thing that seems to always be visible, as if to taunt me, or try to lure me in. However, if for nothing but personal pride, this game needs to be finished this summer. It may take priority to all of the things mentioned in this article (okay, except for Diablo 3). Something so well crafted needs to be completed by all gamers, let alone one who has complained openly about the lack of stellar platforming titles.

I just hope no one holds me accountable for this article. I have this sneaking suspicion that some stars will align and I will develope something resembling a life outside of the home.

The post Surviving The Summer appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 18: Special E3 Recap! appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

James Vega

Bioware did a great job of fleshing out their characters through this series. And the characters brought back really show this off. Liara has, through her experiences, grown into a very capable and powerful ally. But, still being relatively young, gets surprised by things that wouldn’t affect some elders of her race, and is still naive. Garrus has become a confident leader, but when he gets around his friend Shepard, he comes down to earth and takes away the commanding barrier he puts up with his people. Ashley, in my game, was once a lover who now has to deal with being “just friends.” And it is written very well, coming off as a relationship similar to Elaine and Jerry from “Seinfeld.” Yes, they slept together, but they are mature enough to understand that their lives moved on, so now they can shoot the breeze with one another.

Then there’s the best character ever, Drunk Tali. She’s not around much, but it’s gold when she is. There’s no need to do a character dissection for her. She’s Tali. She’s drunk. It’s pretty awesome. Go watch it if you like that character.

That brings me to James Vega, the new guy to the squad. He’s a soldier. He likes to fight. He randomly says Spanish lingo to remind you that he is of Hispanic decent. That’s pretty much it. There’s some times where he hints he may be a little afraid, but other than that, there’s no nuance to his character. He just seems forced. I could understand that the writers wanted to try to interject new blood into the cast. However, this deep into a series, it’s not about giving us new characters, it’s about showing us how the old characters grow and refining them. They could have easily replaced the character with one of the much more interesting characters from the previous two games. They could have scrapped him entirely, too. More attention could have been given to the other characters who did manage to stick around.

I was much more disappointed in James that I was in the ending. The ending lasted maybe 20 minutes. James is in the game from start to finish. And it wasn’t like in the second game where you could have let him die and felt some sort of redemption for having to put up with him. You just have to ignore him and find ways to get away from him, like he was that one co-worker that you can’t stand who always wants to talk to you and tell you bad jokes that they think are funny.

Gears of Mass Effect

The second game started to take heat because the game play started to divulge into “Gears of War” territory. You found a chest high wall, ran to it, and camped. Chest high walls were all that really mattered. If you couldn’t find one, the entire enemy squad picked you out and turned you to swiss cheese. But behind the wall, you were undetectable and invincible. You were god like.

The third game tried to fix this issue. But only by a little. You still can’t survive without your precious walls of pre-determined height. However, the enemy can find you now, and will hunt you down. And not all walls are made of 6 inch indestructium. Some walls are porous, so they can be shot through. And some can be destroyed. These little fixes helped keep my mind off of the comparison between the two games. That is until I got to the final series of battles. The final battles pit you against wave after wave of monsters and really take away any hope you have for a strategic vantage point. So, the focus of the game play goes from methodically picking your spots and readjusting when the enemies maneuver, to running around and shooting while you are hoping that you don’t die. The Gears game play doesn’t lend itself well to this style. While you are running, a function activated by the A button, Shepard will attach himself to a chest high wall like his back was made of super-space-science-velcro, a function that is also controlled by the A button. Because of these mechanics that were “inspired” by the Gears series, I found myself cursing the name of Gears of War. They indirectly mucked up my final battle as Commander Shepard.

Also, another problem of comparison that I noticed during the final approach was the scenery. The final battle grounds are all dark and mono-tone. I understand that the final series is supposed to be dark and slightly depressing, but dammit, let me see what I’m shooting! This also reminded me of Gears of War, with it’s two tone color pallet that inadvertently gave everything instant camouflage. And with all of the toppled buildings and the post-apocalyptic look, I couldn’t help but think of the similar designs of Gears.

Lack of Steady Krogan

This may be one of my smaller complaints, but still one that stuck with me through the game. There’s no Krogan in your group. You had Wrex in the first, Grunt in the second, and nothing here. Which is a shame. The Krogan, though very tough and skilled warriors, seem to be the most comical of all the races. There’s something comforting and humorous about a giant lizard that just says what he wants, when he wants.

I will give Bioware credit, though, for making the best story section in the game revolving around the Krogans and their home world of Tuchanka. I don’t want to say too much, because I don’t want to spoil anything, but those who have played the section know what I’m talking about. When you escorted that cast of characters through that gauntlet to the tower? Then that character went up? And did that? And that visual scene? With that music? Yeah, you know what I’m talking about. And you know it was awesome.

To be fair, one of a rational mind could make the argument that James Vega is the replacement for the Krogan in your group. Just some big, dumb character that occasionally spurts from his mouth quick quips that are meant to be humorous. But then if I, a hopefully somewhat rational mind, were to accept this hypothesis, would have a stroke due to anger.

The post Mass Effect 3: What You Should Have Complained About appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 17: Mario Kart appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 16: Final Fantasy VIII appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 15: SEGA Memories appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

The post SEGA Game Gear appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 14: End Debate appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 13: Ketchup Time appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 12: Wish We Could Download… appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 11: Top 5 Game Boy Games appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Final Fantasy X-2

This game got blasted for being Final Fantasy Dress-up. I get it, the game was a really light hearted romp through a world that was incredibly depressing the first go around. There’s kind of a disconnect there. Add that with the less than stellar story, the poppy tunes, and girls everywhere dancing like they’re in the back of some music video, and you get a giant target for a lot of criticism.

But to hell with all of that! I played this game top to bottom, and I had fun. The aspect of the game that’s usually called playing with dolls? It’s a pretty engrossing class system. That’s what kept me playing to the end. Even though the world, story, and characters weren’t my favorite, the gameplay of the game kept me hooked. The system led to customization and adapting to multiple situations. Things like this keep a game fresh. You’re not stuck with one party, one set of classes, or one set of challenges. You get to change based on what you want.

I, however, didn’t go for the super-secret ending. I didn’t care that much about Tidus and Yuna to see them reunited. And I really didn’t care enough to go through the whole game again to get 100%.

Final Fantasy 4: The After Years

Words across a screen cannot truly express my disdain for this game. The idea of my childhood memory being put through a meat grinder and sold to me in itty-bitty pieces pulled at my emotions. The story of my favorite characters rehashed into what was supposed to be a new product told in text that was only fit for the intellectually inept was disgusting.

The characters, already flawed due to the nature of the story, were also flawed within the game. There is just too many characters. There’s a lot of bleed over from one character’s abilities to the next. Towards the end of the game, you’re supposed to be able to pick and choose from the cast to puzzle piece a team together that fits your play style. But why not just pick the characters that are great at what they do, instead of the characters that are marginal at what everyone else does?

Luckily, if you want to actually hear the disgust in my voice over this topic, you can just listen to me moan about it in Episode 9 of the Level 7 Podcast.

Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core

Every now and again, I just want to play a stupid hit-X-and-win game because I’m bored. I also have moments where I’m playing a game wondering “Why am I playing this again?” And, on the rarest of occasions, I will listen to a recommendation of another human being. Crisis Core was the perfect storm of all of these situations. A friend promised me that the ending of the game would bring about “manly tears.” I played this game when I was pretty busy with real-life things, so I just needed a stupid game to keep me from going insane in between events.

And yes, I know this is a prequel. But it came after the original, so it goes under the sequel category for me.

The gameplay basically boils down to hitting X. You can dodge and shoot magic, but hitting X to smash things with your sword is the go-to option. There’s some roulette thing that happens, but I never truly grasped the concept. And the story was something to forget. It tried adding a full story to a series of events that are briefly mentioned in VII. In the end, nothing that they told affected how anybody thought about anything in the first game.

As for the real sequels to VII, I avoided Dirge of Cerberus. And the two films (Advent Children and Last Order) boiled down to “Hey, look at the pretty, if not slightly dark, colors!”

Final Fantasy XIII-2

I was going to hold off on this game until it came down in price. But, I had a $25 gift card that I didn’t know what else to spend on, so I took the discounted opportunity.

This is going to be an incomplete view of this game. At the time of this writing, I think I just passed the half-way mark. The story so far deals with time traveling. The quirk for that premise in this game, though, is that everything through time affects everything. Past affects future, future affects past, alternate timelines appear that can affect each other. It’s all over the place. I’m really waiting for a giant deus ex machina to happen. Stories like that generally happen to have a few.

The characters aren’t the best. Serah is pretty bland, and Noel looks too much like Sora from Kingdom Hearts. He also has ridiculous pants. The main antagonist seems like he’ll be interesting in that he’s fighting for a cause, not just some nut job. And his accomplice is doomed to an interesting fate. If the main characters were a bit more interesting, I wouldn’t want to see all the other characters from the first game so much.

The combat in this game is very entertaining. The Paradigm System is back, but it feels more fluid. That could be because I haven’t played XIII in a while, but I think I’m enjoying this go-round a bit more. Switching back and forth quickly on the fly to adjust to enemy attacks is a fun way to spice up the ATB system of old. You also collect monsters to be your third party member. They will be constantly switching out as you find more and better monsters and as the need arises to have different classes. The monsters here really work as a padding for certain short comings that the main characters have in certain classes.

The gameplay outside of combat is a bit sketchy in some areas. Monsters randomly appear and you can either attack them with a sword strike to get an advantage in battle, or you can run away. The problem is that they often appear behind your camera, making it tedious to go after them. If they don’t appear behind you, they appear on top of you, and you don’t get a choice of what to do. If you want to attack them, the sword swing is very slow, in both start up and duration. It feels more like a suggestion than a command.

The game offers a lot of things to do. There are side missions everywhere, and in clear abundance. It’s nice to have something else to do while you’re mad at the game for wiping the floor with you with a really hard boss, or giving you a fetch quest that they know you don’t want to do. You can also customize your characters by leveling up any of the 6 classes how you want. It’s refreshing to do that after XIII gave you a level cap that could only be expanded by continuing with the story.

All things considered, XIII-2 is a fun, yet flawed game. And with that, I walk away from this writing still not coming away with an excuse for why I’m a sucker.

The post Final Fantasy Sequels: A Personal History appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 10: Desert Island Gaming appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

“The things you own end up owning you”

- Tyler Durden (Fight Club)

I was browsing the Racket Boy Forums the other day and came across an interesting post. The title of the thread was “Do I have a problem?” Curious, I clicked on it. Here is what the original post said.

“Do any of you often feel that you are more into collecting games than actually playing them? Do you ever feel like no matter how many games you acquire, you aren’t satisfied with the ones you have? I feel this way a lot, for example; I often go online to look for new games that I would like get, instead of spending time playing the games that I already have.

Of course, I collect games to play them, but sometimes I am more motivated to collect instead of play.”

This post reminded me of myself. When you were little, how many video games did you own? Probably not a lot I’m assuming. You didn’t have the money! But you were happy with what you had (at least I was.) Fast forward to adulthood, and suddenly you have some money to spend. Thus begins many gamer’s quest to collect all of the old games that they missed. If you watch any gaming videos, you’ll notice some people have massive gaming collections in their background.

When I reached adulthood, the collection bug hit me. I suddenly had the urge to collect video games. I would go out every weekend and look for games at thrift stores, yard sales, stores, auctions, and craigslist postings. It was an addiction. Now some of you might be thinking “well, it’s better than doing drugs!” This is true. But is it healthy?

I slowly began feeling like the user from Racket Boy Forums. I wasn’t getting games to play them. I was getting these games to own them. I was more motivated to collect than play. Looking around my room, there were games everywhere. They were slowly taking over my office. Just looking at the amount of stuff I owned stressed me out.

That was when I made up my mind. When I moved in June, I decided to sell my video game collection. Not the entire thing, of course. There are some games that are truly important to me and that I love to play over and over again. Everything else I put on E-Bay. I left North Carolina with the following games.

- Earthbound
- Little Samson
- Medal of Honor
- Super Mario All-Stars (Wii)
- Donkey Kong (Game Boy)
- Final Fantasy XII

Selling my video game collection was one of the most liberating feelings I have ever experienced. I made several thousand dollars, I payed off all of my debt, and I suddenly had more room to breathe. Since then, I have made a conscious effort to only get the games I want to play, and I usually play them one at a time. My girlfriend recently got me on Gamefly, a way for me to play the new games without actually owning them.

This post was not written to attack people who have video game collections. If you have a collection and you love it, great! I’m simply presenting the other side of collecting video games. Being a retro gamer does not mean you have to own a ton of games. It’s all about playing the games, enjoying them, and talking about them.

So what do you think? Do we collect too many video games? Or have you found a happy medium?

The post Do We Collect Too Many Video Games? appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

But what is really so fascinating about this game…is why it went unknown.

Our story begins with Capcom. Well to be more specific, employees leaving Capcom. Shinichi Yoshimoto (who worked on Ghouls n Ghosts) and Akira Kitamura (who helped created Mega Man) felt they were being held back at Capcom. They sought more creative freedom, and wanted to develop games on multiple platforms. The two left Capcom to form Takeru. Soon after, their friend Kouichi Yotsui, the director of the arcade game Strider, joined them.

So far so good, right? It was like having the Capcom all star team. Takeru was a small company, but they were determined to make great games and realize their dreams. Their first success came with Cocoron, a really interesting platformer released for the Famicom in 1991. The game was directed by Akira Kitamura, and it definitely shows. This game is very similar to Mega Man in gameplay style. It’s a strange game…but then again it does take place in a dream world.

Takeru’s next game would be ambitious. Kouichi Yotsui directed a text based adventure game known as Nostalgia 1907. The game tells the story of a cruise ship known as the Nostalgia being held hostage by a man looking for a treasure on board. The game was notable for it’s bomb diffusion scenes, and was an inspiration to Hideo Kojima when he made Policenauts. Nostalgia 1907 was only released in Japan for the Sharp X68000 and the SEGA CD. Unfortunately the game did not sell well and put Takeru in a financial crisis. Feeling paritally responsible, Yotsui left the company.

Meanwhile, another game company was having their own issues. Taito was made famous due to Space Invaders back in the late 70’s, but they wanted a strong brand / mascot for the home console. Mario was of course on top of the world at this time, so Taito wanted to cash in on the mascot craze. This is when Takeru and Taito joined up to create one of the best games on the NES, Little Samson.

Now, before we get into the game, I want to clear up a few things. This game is known as Lickle: Legend of the Holy Bell in Japan. When Taito brought it over to the US, they changed the name to Little Samson. Many people seem to think this game is based off the story of Samson from the bible, but they really have NOTHING in common….well maybe his hair. It’s interesting that Taito chose to change the name, because I feel it hurt the game overall. More on that later.

The game was designed by Shinichi Yoshimoto, and artwork was done by Utata Kiyoshi, who is a well respected artist in the gaming community. He worked on both Cocoron and Nostalgia 1907 as well. Most notable was his artwork for Metal Storm, another hidden gem on the NES.

Little Samson is unique in that there is no text or dialogue in the game. Instead, the game uses a series of cut scenes to set up the story. To sum it up, a dark prince has escaped captivity and threatens the land. After his own soldiers are wiped out easily, the king requests help from 4 heroes to stop the evil prince and save the kingdom. It’s a nice back drop to your adventure, but it’s not crucial.

In Little Samson, you control these 4 heroes throughout the game, and can switch between them at any time.

First, there is Little Samson. I’d say he is the most well rounded character. He jumps high, he can climb on walls and ceilings, and has average health.

Next is Kikira, the Dragon. Kikira can hover for several seconds, won’t slip on ice, and she can charge up her shot.

Gamm, the Golem is slow, but has a very powerful attack, large health, and can walk on spikes.

And finally theres KO the Mouse, who has small health, but can climb just like Little Samson, as well as drop powerful bombs.

Each hero owns a legendary bell that will help save the kingdom. Samson even throws bells as his weapon. This helps explain the Japanese title of the game. In fact, when your character dies, their bell explodes. Ouch.

Each character is important throughout the game, and you will find yourself using all of them at certain times. It’s interesting what kinds of strategies a player can use in different situations. Sometimes you will find yourself grabbing an item above spikes with Little Samson, then in mid-air switch over to Golem.

Gameplay is one of the games strong points. It’s a platformer, and a really good one at that. There is plenty of jumping, climbing, shooting, punching, and flying. Level’s aren’t memorable, but are fun to navigate through. The controls are also extremely tight and responsive, and makes the challenge more about skill than bad design or control. Learning enemy and boss patterns and the best way to navigate through a level is important.

The graphics are some of the best on the system. Just take a look at some of this footage. The detail is incredible, especially on the boss fights. This game was released late in the NES life, so during this time hardware limits were being pushed. Even small things, like the way Samson jumps is animated very well.

Probably the weakest part of the game is the sound. There is no stage music, just the themes for each of your characters. As you switch characters, their theme music will play. It can get pretty repetitive. One bright spot in the sound department are the sound effects, particularly when you hit an enemy. It makes this “clunk” sound, which is just so satisfying. Fighting a boss and hearing that sound is just great, and lets you know you are actually damaging him.

The game uses a password system to keep track of a players progress. However, the game won’t save your power ups with these passwords. Throughout the game, each character can upgrade his health or stock a potion to replenish health. When you start the game up and enter a password however, your upgrades are gone. The game makes up for this by letting the player go through an easy level full of power ups before getting to the actual stage. It’s not the best way to keep track of the game state…but at least the passwords are short. Only 4 characters.

To sum it up, Little Samson is a fun, innovative, exciting game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It’s on my personal Top 10 NES Games List, and has stood the test of time. So…why did this game completely flop? Sales were extremely low, and many people are not even aware this game exists.

Well, Problem #1 was Taito released Little Samson at the end of the systems life. Super Nintendo was new and exciting, the Genesis was hitting it’s stride, and many gamers had moved on.

Second, there was little to not advertising or press. In fact, the only memorable write up this game had was in issue #40 of Nintendo Power, which had a small walkthrough. But even that didn’t cover the whole game.

Problem # 3, and this is a theory, is that naming the game Little Samson probably turned a few gamers off from purchasing it. The majority of gamers stay away from religious based games. It’s possible many thought Little Samson was a religious game based on the title.

Little Samson was Takeru’s last hope at a successful game…and it came up short. It would officially be the companies last title. Most of Takeru’s staff joined another video game company known as Mitchell. Today, it is one of the rarest games on the NES. According to Video Game Price Charts, the cart alone is worth about $205 dollars. Oddly enough, Taito has published a few other hard to find games, including Panic Restaurant and The Flintstones: Surprise at Dinosaur Peak.

If you are able to find a copy of Little Samson, congratulations. You have one of the rarest…and best….games on the Nintendo Entertainment System.

The post Little Samson (NES) appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Does this look familiar? I have several of these pictures hanging on the walls in some of my videos. Over the years, I have gotten tons of requests on where I purchased these video game pictures. I was originally going to do a video about them, but decided a written article is just fine. So here is the answer:

I made them!

Not only that but it is extremely easy and cheap. In no time, you will be putting these pictures up all over the place. Let’s get started shall we?

Step 1 – Find A Picture

The first step is to obviously find a picture. I like to grab ones that I have done episodes on. It’s sort of like a museum to remember my past work. I’m actually working on a Legend of Zelda episode, so why don’t we find a picture? The best place to look is Google Image Search. Not only is it easy to use, but you can filter by size. It’s best to find a large, high quality picture to use.

This one is perfect. It’s a nice in-game screenshot and looks great too. On to the next!

Step 2 – Prepare For Printing

Next we need to make sure the image is the appropriate size. The size of the frame I use is 8 x 10. In pixel form, that is 576×720. You can also flip these dimensions around, if you want the picture to be horizontal (720×576). Just open up your picture in any image editing program and resize it. I use Fireworks for all of my image work. If you are looking for a free program, try Paint.NET for Windows or GIMP for Mac.

If you have a color inkjet printer at home, congratulations! Put in some photo paper, print out your picture, and put it in an 8×10 frame. All done!

If you don’t, no problem. Find some removable storage (SD memory card, USB Drive) and put your picture on it.

Step 3 – Printing Your Pictures

If you are like me and don’t have an inkjet printer, it’s time to head down to your local print kiosk. You can find these pretty much anywhere. I usually go to Wal-Mart, but I have seen them in pharmacies (CVS, Walgreens) and places like Target. If you go to Wal-Mart, this is a great time to pick up your frames. I use these frames. They are only $2 and look great. They also come with stands so you can put your pictures on a table or desk.

All you have to do is go to a kiosk, put in your removable storage, and print your picture out. Costs may vary. The longer you wait, the cheaper it is. If you want instant prints, it can get pricey.

A warning: Whenever I print out my pictures, I usually get handed a pamphlet discussing why it is wrong to print copyrighted material. You can safely ignore these. We aren’t going to re-sell these for money, and I feel it is fair use.

Step 4 – Finishing Up

You’ve got your prints, you’ve got your frame. Just put the picture in the frame, and hang it on the wall. I use basic nails and a hammer.

Ta da! A brand new video game picture. I hope this will help you when decorating your game room. It’s super cheap (probably about $5 per picture/frame) and looks beautiful. Enjoy!

The post How To Make Your Own Video Game Pictures appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 9: Best & Worst Direct Sequels appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

I actually never knew this game existed until a few years ago. I bought a cheap lot of Game Gear games off of E-Bay, and this game was thrown in there. I had to double take when I saw the cartridge. Whaaa!? MEGA MAN? Yes, it’s true. This game was developed by a company known as Freestyle, and published by US Gold. What’s odd is that the publisher is based out of Britain, but this game was only released in North America. Basically, Mega Man was a hot commodity in the early 90′s, so US Gold sublicensed the series from Capcom.

The game features 6 robot masters from Mega Man IV and Mega Man V. There are only four at the stage select, but you fight the next two during the final stages. The graphics are actually very nice, and so is the sound. What isn’t nice however, is the screen size. I guess that’s not the games fault, but try playing Mega Man in confined quarters. There’s actually vertical scrolling in this game due to the size. You want to talk about a hard game? If you truly call yourself a Mega Man fan, play and beat this game. The difficulty is ramped up due to the hardware limitations. Not only that, there is actually a HARD mode option.

This game gets a bad rap, but the problem is people compare it to all the other Mega Man games. Obviously these people never played much Game Gear. My brother would have probably killed to have this game. It’s a hard title to find, going for about $30 on E-Bay. If you are a Game Gear enthusiast or a Mega Man fan, check it out.

The post Mega Man Was On The Game Gear appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

First are the “rub-off” games. There are only 4 of these total. It’s Just a simple game where you scratch off the circles to rack up your score and try to save Pauline (or according to the rules “Beautiful Girl”). Gather ’round your friends for a sweet multiplayer match!

Now for the coolest part of the pack, the stickers. There are 32 in all to collect and have some really nostalgic artwork. Notice Mario looks….different. Obviously he has changed a lot since 1982. If you collected all the stickers, you could form 2 big pictures featuring Donkey Kong. Click here to view the 2 pics (courtesy of Famicom Blog). Not sure how I feel about the “I’m Hot For Donkey Kong” one. Maybe a little curious?

And finally, the bubble gum. My piece broke over the many years and it doesn’t look very….juicy anymore. I would recommend throwing it away at this point.

Topps would do a few more sets with Nintendo, including a Legend of Zelda series. The Donkey Kong cards was their first collaboration. These packs aren’t too hard to find ($3.00 with free shipping on E-Bay). If you are looking for a cheap nostalgia fix, look no further. The stickers alone are worth it, with the stale gum being the cherry on top.

The post Topps 1982 Donkey Kong Cards appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 8: Who’s The Boss? appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Recently, a Gold level copy of EarthBound was put on E-Bay.  Currently the bid is at $2,325, but estimates show it could go over $4,000. WOW.

Now, thank god I already own EarthBound. Seeing this auction did remind me however, of the day I got my beloved cart. Let’s begin, shall we?

The year is 1996, and me and my friend have just completed Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. The game was incredible, and we wanted to see what other RPGs we could find for the Super Nintendo. Naturally, we heard about EarthBound and how amazing it was. Unfortunately, we lived in a small town and our only store for game purchases was Wal-Mart. EarthBound was nowhere to be found, so we moved on.

A few years later, I was reading a Tips & Tricks magazine and there it was in front of me, a preview for EarthBound 64! I quickly showed it to my friend and we vowed to purchase it on release, so we wouldn’t miss out this time. Well, we all know what happened to THAT game. It was cancelled in 2000 and revived on the Game Boy Advance as Mother 3 (which never saw a release here in the states).

Eventually, I resorted to emulating EarthBound on my computer to play the game, and what a beautiful game it was. It’s probably the greatest RPG I have ever played. Derek from Happy Video Game Nerd probably said it best when he claimed “no game has more heart than EarthBound.” Finding a physical copy of the game was officially a goal for me. I had to experience it on the original hardware.

Fast forward a few years later, when I seriously got into my game collection. Every Saturday, a local auction house held an auction on various items. I would usually check it out and see if I could snag any games for cheap. Unfortunately, I had competition: a local thrift store owner. This lady would always outbid me on the video game auctions, then sell her winnings in her store. Obviously this woman knew the value of some of these games, as she priced them accordingly in the store.

One Saturday, I decided to check out her store to see if she was attending the auction that night. When I approached the counter, I took a peek inside the glass case just to see what new games she snatched up, and there it was. An EarthBound cartridge. I couldn’t believe my eyes, and asked her the price.

“$2.00″

My jaw dropped….inside my head. In reality, I was cool as a cucumber. How did she misprice this game? Who cares, I calmly said I would take it, paid my 2 dollars, and never returned (her store closed about 2  weeks later).

Obviously, this is a very rare deal to find. EarthBound regularly goes for about $100 for just the cartridge alone. To find it in the wild for $2.00? Incredible.

Don’t give up hope, readers. There’s a copy of EarthBound somewhere out there for you too.

The post How I Got My EarthBound Cartridge appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 7: Christmas Memories appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

In case you didn’t get that last paragraph, this is an article that’s reflecting on 2011. And, true to our fashion, it’s coming out late by the standards of release set by other “Year in Review” articles. I want to take a look at a few games that have stuck with me and helped define my gaming year. However, I won’t be talking about the games that I’ve already talked at great length about in the Level 7 Podcast, those being Batman: Arkham City, and Skyrim.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

I can’t remember a game that drew such polarizing feelings out of me more so than Deus Ex. During the parts that I enjoyed, I freaking loved it and couldn’t find enough hours in the day to explore it further. But the parts that annoyed me brought such a deep and fiery passion to throw the game into a shredder, throw the shredder into a furnace, and spread the ashes over the nearest landfill.

The good thing is that around 90% of the game is filled with parts that I love. The main quest is fantastic. I had some reservation when I saw that you transition from first to third person, but it was done really well. There wasn’t any expected motion sickness. The fact that every objective has multiple paths to it is really refreshing. Getting past each obstacle didn’t just feel like running in and trying my luck. It felt like a fluid puzzle that had to be figured out. And if you failed, you could try again with new knowledge, or look for an alternative solution. There was a sense of accomplishment at the end. Having that much satisfaction over the most of the solutions is rare these days.

Don’t, however, believe that this is a game that has equal focus on different playing styles. The focus is on stealth and hacking. Going the combat route is for masochists and knuckle-draggers. When you see the upgrades that you can get, it’s obvious that the developers wanted to steer people down the alternate routes and exploration that comes with stealth. The combat upgrades just don’t give the feeling of progressing far enough to make a large enough difference to explore those options. The more I went down the stealth and hacking parts paths, I felt I was getting more and more tools to aid me, opening my options and affecting my gameplay decisions.

That leads to the other parts, about 5%, that raised my blood pressure to life threatening levels: the boss fights. The boss fights in this game go against every principle that is set before them. The rest of the game lets you choose how you want to go about completing a task. The boss fights only have 2 options: shoot them in the face, or shoot something around them. There’s no stealth option. There’s no hacking option. There’s combat, that’s it. So, if you followed the natural flow of the game and went with stealth, you’re screwed. You’re punished because you chose the path the game was intended to take. It’s as if most of the game was developed by one company, the boss fights by another, and nobody decided to share notes or test how the two parts would mingle. There is one upgrade that makes boss fights easy (the only good combat upgrade), but it makes them too easy. You run in, press a button a few times, then collect the loot. That’s not exactly the first thing that comes out of my mouth when someone asks “What do you look for in a good boss fight?”

The last spoilerific 5% is the story, which falls into the “Meh” category. I had hopes for the story, but once they mentioned the Illuminati, I lost interest. Having the Illuminati as the overarching bad guy seems like a large cop out. There’s also some moral ambiguity throughout the story, but it didn’t challenge my beliefs so much that I really remember it. The story choices didn’t seem like they made enough of an impact to care about. The ending even incorporated a “Choose Your Own Ending Machine,” like one of those books we used to read as children. And I really wish someone could tell me why that lady was in a blindingly white room at the end of the game for what seems to be no reason.

Disgaea 4

I have publicly lamented, several times, about the death of the JRPG. Nippon Ichi has really tried to save the genre, but was failing at it. They kept pumping so many bland titles into the vein of the genre, it almost seemed like they were doing more harm than good. Even their flagship title, Disgaea, had fallen into this category. Disgaea 3 was easily the worst in the series and pulled it many steps back.

Knowing all of that, I was still, for some reason, excited for Disgaea 4. Maybe it’s because somewhere deep inside, I still have an irrational fan boy residing in my mind. It may also be because I have a terrible memory and had cash to blow at the time. Either way, I flung my money at the clerk that stood between the game and myself, and ran home with it.

I’m not going to say that Disgaea 4 is the sign that things will be changing for the JRPG or Nippon Ichi, but it is a great step in the right direction. After the disappointment of Disgaea 3, I think anything would have tickled my fancy. But soon after starting up Disgaea 4, I forgot about the sin of the third installment.

The immediate improvement came from the graphics. Moving to the HD sprites really helped the game, and not just in a visual way. It actually led to gameplay changes. Because the sprites were in HD, they could be blown up and not be super pixilated. So, the concept of bigger monsters was introduced. Not a genre defining improvement, but it was something new in a series that was prime to get stale.

The gameplay itself saw little overhaul, but that’s not a terrible thing. Every Disgaea game offers so much depth in each aspect of the gameplay that every play through can be totally different. Everything can be leveled up, customized, and started from scratch. The main maps provide a challenge that’s healthy and can come down the wire in many cases. The post-game, however, needs too much grinding to accomplish, and that’s about where I usually grow tired of it.

The greatest improvement was in the story and characters. This genre feeds off of those two elements. Without a good story and a well thought out cast, these games are hard to finish, let alone care about. The third installment was a great testament to that. The story was filled with “Friendship conquers all!” clichés. The characters were awful. In fact, if you went and took a dump right now, fished out a nugget from the toilet bowl, and put googly eyes on it, you would have a better character than the ones in Disgaea 3. Now imagine that there’s way too many of those fecal samples, and imagine that they all have too much to say about every topic that goes on in every scene in the game. That roughly sums up the cast of Disgaea 3.

Disgaea 4, however, cut down on the amount of characters, which was a quick fix. It gave more way to create better details for each character. And they all didn’t spout whatever they could at whatever was going on in the game at any given point. The story is never run over by clichés or the forced bonds of the characters. Is it the best story told in games? Hell no. But it’s not an atrocity, and it gives some good laughs along the way. Disgaea’s stories usually stem from humor, anyways, so it’s best to focus on the jokes.

Rayman Origins

I’m kind of cheating by writing this section. I didn’t pick up Rayman until after Christmas, but before the New Year. And, as of the time of this writing, I haven’t put anywhere near the time I want to put into it. But when a game feels tailored to your needs, you have to tell people about it, right?

I told a friend of mine that I had picked up the game and he asked me how it played. My response was “It plays like happy.” I just enjoy myself when I play this game. It’s a simple platformer where you run and punch. That’s what the game boils down to. There are no complicated mechanisms that you have to remember. Because you are just running and punching things in the mouth, you can focus on what you need to do to complete the level. There is a challenge to the game, but it’s never frustrating to a point of rage quitting. I have said “What the hell?” to this game at certain points, but it’s always with a smile on my face. And even though there are things to collect, they’re not mandatory, so you can come back and complete collection challenges later.

A truly terrific thing about this game is the audio and visual representation. The design for all the characters is colorful and whimsical. It really sets the tone for the game. And the sound design is amazing! The little sounds that critters make around the world is varied enough to distinguish everything. The voice acting all being in mostly gibberish helps keep the giggles going. And the music is just so groovy. You can’t help but nod your head a little during the easier parts of the game. Even when you’re not being challenged, you are being entertained by the other aspects of the game. It really does complete the package.

Oh, and the conflict of the story starts with a bunch of people snoring a song. Approved! There were other big games that will stick in my memory for this year, but I didn’t want to write 3 pages on games that already have 21,784,195 pages written about them each. I will offer my quick opinions on them, though!

Dragon Age 2: I enjoyed it, but I see where the problems were. Only the most seasoned gamer would come away from that game without a sore right thumb.

L.A. Noire: A good game with a unique concept marred by clunky action sequences. I’ve never seen the right trigger button have so many functions!

Pokemon Black/White: A very well thought out game that made me feel like I was playing a new Pokemon game, not a rehash. The online Dream World was completely unnecessary, though.

Hopefully 2012 will bring us another year filled with great games! I’m going to need something to do before the Magnetic Mayan Zombies from Planet X Apocalypse!

The post Defining My Gaming Year appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

The post Pacman Frog appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

The post Game Genie appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 6: 50 Worst Game Names appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 5: Holiday Gift Guide appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

That’s what this article is for. I noticed during Episode 4, I left out two large points in our discussion on “Dead Franchises.” I wholly expect this to happen again, multiple times. With these articles, I intend to fill in the large holes of my discussion. But, just the large points. Not small notes here and there. I don’t have enough time in the day to remember everything I forgot and then put them to paper.

Breath of Fire

All the titles I mentioned in our discussion were all titles I wished would have been brought back and eventually were. I didn’t have the time, though, to fully discuss one title that has no foreseeable future: Breath of Fire.

Breath of Fire II was one of those games that opened up my imagination as a child. A world full of different people and cultures unified by a religion that was secretly working towards domination was kind of a new concept for me. The idea of the church being the ultimate enemy was a radical story for audiences of the time, as well. And other games in the series dealt with fundamental issues that pulled a great deal of thought from people. IV dealt with smaller pieces in the grand scheme of things willing themselves to accomplish something greater than they had thought they could. V dealt with the sanctity of life and started to revolve around the question of being able to sacrifice someone you cared for for the betterment of others around you.

The gameplay wasn’t something to ignore, either. A series that started with a very basic turn based RPG model tried polishing and expanding on their game with each sequel. III started adding the Masters to help customize your characters. IV gave us more minigames to help pace the game out better. And V blew up the whole system, possibly for the better. Mixing real time controls with a turn based sensibility was one that had been rarely explored, if at all.

The only real hope anyone could possibly point out for this franchise is the recent rerelease of Breath of Fire IV on the PSN as a PS Classic. One could argue that this is Capcom trying to gauge the public reception to the property and decide on future plans from there. I would then point out that the last new material to come from the Breath of Fire name came in 2003 (I’m not counting the Japanese exclusive phone games). The last public addressing of this game was in 2009 on their message boards when it was called a “resting IP.” That’s a polite way of saying “it died, it’s dead, stop asking.”

Bringing back Chrono

Whenever the topic of bringing back franchises is discussed, someone will inevitably bring up Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross. Everyone insists that this series should be brought back to its former glory.

I think I’m in the minority with this topic. Chrono should stay dead. That remake we just got on the DS? It was sweet to think that Square Enix was still thinking about us, but let’s just leave it at that.

When people bring up the notion of another Chrono game, they make the argument with Trigger in their hearts and minds. A revival of the series has already come and gone over a decade ago. Chrono Cross tried to revive the magic that was Chrono Trigger. Was Cross a good game? Absolutely! The music was fantastic. The graphics, for the time, kept our eyes wide. The characters and locales gave us fresh material for our imaginations. The story, though completely convoluted, had us interested in the plight of the characters and had us wondering what was happening next. But, did it rival Trigger for a majority stake in our hearts? No. Chrono Trigger was revolutionary in many aspects. The ever changing landscape of the game world, the multiple endings, and the story were all things that were brand new to most gamers. Each character had a plot unique to their troubles that helped shape their personality. And each plot resonated with gamers. I was interested in the plight of Cross’s characters, but I actually CARED about Trigger’s. When Robo met Atropos? When Lucca witnessed her family’s tragedy? Frog’s entire existence of rejection and self-doubt? All of those scenes, and many, many others actually pulled at your emotional strings. And these were all told on a system with limited graphics and during a time before translations weren’t as polished as they are now. And what about the plot twist when you first came face-to-face with Lavos? Something so simple resonated so strongly with gamers due to not only shock value, but because you cared when you saw it happen.

That’s what people want when they say they want another Chrono game. They want to relive the magic they experienced when they played Chrono Trigger. It will not happen. Trying to recreate that sense of wonderment doesn’t happen. It comes out forced and derivative, almost in self parody. Don’t look for that magic again, just remember how you felt and be happy that you had that memory. After you’ve come to that conclusion, look forward and get ready to experience the next unforgettable moment. I love that game, and that’s why I want it left alone.

Just a short aside, I didn’t want to get too deep into the story elements because there are people who still haven’t played this game. You read that right. And I don’t mean casual gamers, I mean people who do nothing but come home and play games. I met one of these people in college. He saw me playing the DS version and wanted to talk about it. He revealed to me the deep dark secret that, even though he considered himself an RPG fan, he had never played it. It was the most hindered conversation I have ever had with another human being.

Even though I have written this article to cover me being forgetful, I have a sneaking suspicion that I may have forgotten something. If you want to point out something I may have forgotten and help me exit what will soon be a viscous cycle, feel free to email me at level7cast@gmail.com. Thanks for reading!

The post JRPGs That Shouldn’t Come Back appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 4: Back From the Dead appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

1 – It was inspired by Shigeru Miyamoto’s childhood

Miyamoto grew up in Kyoto, Japan. As a child, he treated his house like a maze. He didn’t have many toys, so he would go exploring in the woods. One time, he was hiking and found a lake. The thrill and excitement of discovering was the basis for The Legend of Zelda. From the book Game Over – “Miyamoto once discovered the opening of a cave. He returned to it several times before he worked up the courage to go in. Lugging a homemade lantern, he went deep inside until he came to a small hole that led to another cave. Breathing deeply, his heart pounding, he climbed through. He never forgot the exhilaration he felt at this discovery.”

2 – The first home console game to use an internal battery

When Nintendo was getting ready to release The Legend of Zelda in the US, they ran into a little problem: How are players going to save the games progress? The Legend of Zelda was originally released on the Famicom Disk System, so there was no problem saving there. But on a Nintendo cartridge? Luckily, the brilliant engineers at Nintendo added a small cell battery inside each cartridge for game saving. Can you imagine if you couldn’t save your progress in this game? YIKES!

3 – First stand alone game to sell 1 million copies for Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda was Nintendo’s first stand-alone million seller (I’m not counting the Super Mario Bros. game packaged with every console). Nintendo had a hit on their hands, and the series hasn’t stopped since.

4 – Created the Nintendo Hotline

Minoru Arakawa, president of Nintendo of America at the time, thought The Legend of Zelda would be too hard for American gamers. Along with including a map with the game, Arakawa added a toll-free number in the manual so players could call if they got stuck (although it was really for warranty services). He hired 4 people to man the telephones. Soon, they were swamped with calls about not only Zelda, but several other Nintendo games. This eventually turned into the Nintendo Hotline, a paid phone service to get help on your favorite games. The hotline is now closed and Nintendo is directing players to use the internet for help.

5 –  Princess Zelda is named after Zelda Fitzgerald

To quote Miyamoto: “Zelda was the name of the wife of the famous novelist Francis Scott Fitzgerald. She was a famous and beautiful woman from all accounts, and I liked the sound of her name. So I took the liberty of using her name for the very first Zelda title.”

The post 5 Interesting Facts About The Legend of Zelda appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:

The post Level 7 Podcast – 3: Batman: Arkham City & Dark Souls appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Donkey Kong 3 introduced some radical changes to the original series and even brought on a new hero, Stanley The Bugman. But gamers turned away, and the arcade game has long been forgotten. So what was Donkey Kong 3 all about, and why did it fade into obscurity? Let’s start with the game that started it all, Donkey Kong.

Everyone remembers the arcade hit, Donkey Kong, in some form or another. It was released in 1981 by Nintendo as a last ditch effort to get a foothold in the North American video game market. The game was a hit, and made Nintendo a lot of money. With the success of Donkey Kong, Nintendo made a sequel, Donkey Kong Jr. This game followed a similar gameplay style as the original, but this time you played as Donkey Kong Jr. . It didn’t make as much as the first Donkey Kong, but is still considered a hit by Nintendo.

Even though Nintendo was successful with their platform style arcade games, they decided to make a change. Space shooters were still popular during this time, especially Galaga. Nintendo made an attempt to combine the charm of their Donkey Kong series with the fast-paced action of the space shooters. What resulted, was Donkey Kong 3.

First off, an interesting fact. Nintendo never actually released a dedicated Donkey Kong 3 cabinet. Instead, they release a Donkey Kong 3 Conversion Kit. This would allow you to transform an older Nintendo arcade cabinet into a Donkey Kong 3 cabinet. In Donkey Kong 3, you play as Stanley The Bugman, a gardner who decides to protect his precious plants from Donkey Kong, who has crashed into his greenhouse. Donkey Kong releases waves of bugs at you while also throwing coconuts. Armed with his bug spray can, Stanley must shoot his insect repellent up at Donkey Kong until he runs away or crashes to the ground.

So you might be wondering, who the heck is Stanley The Bugman? Believe it or not, Stanley’s origins can be traced back to a Game & Watch game released in 1982 known as Greenhouse, where you had to protect your flowers from insects. Here he was known as The Fumigator. With his appearance in Donkey Kong 3, his name was changed to Stanley The Bugman. It’s unclear why they used Stanley instead of Mario, but here is my theory.

The storyline from the first 2 games was…pretty much done. Mario captures Donkey Kong and saves Pauline, DK Jr rescues him, they part their ways. Maybe the developers felt it was time for a new storyline with a new hero. It’s not like Mario to be equipped with a spray gun. He’s more about jumping. Plus, he doesn’t have these dance moves. *show Stanley dancing*

So let’s talk a little about the game. As I said before, you play as Stanley, a guy trying to protect his plants from Donkey Kong and his minions of bugs. The gameplay is a mix of shooter and platforming, as you have to maneuver your way up these platforms while also shooting bugs and Donkey Kong with your bug spray gun. In some levels, if you get Donkey Kong high enough, you get access to a Super spray gun, which is a really nice upgrade. It tears through enemies and also has a longer range, allowing you to shoot at Donkey Kong safely from the bottom. You can complete the stage by hitting Donkey Kong enough times with your spray gun, or by killing all the bugs. At the end of each level, you get bonus points for each plant you are able to save. If you get them all taken away or you get hit, you lose a life. But, you get to pick up right where you left off, sort of like in Galaga.

The music for Donkey Kong 3 was composed by Hirokazu Tanaka. This was his first composition for a video game. If he sounds familiar, here is why. He would later compose music for some very big games, including Kid Icarus, Metroid, Mother, and EarthBound.

So that’s the game in a nutshell. Personally, it’s my favorite Donkey Kong arcade game. I love the mix of genres, and it’s a lot more addicting to play than the other two. But, unfortunately for Nintendo, it didn’t sell well at all. The first Donkey Kong sold 60,000 units. Donkey Kong Jr. sold 30,000 units. Donkey Kong 3 sold a measly 5,000 units. Along with bad sales came bad reviews. Critics called it a space invaders clone, and said it wasn’t innovative. It also didn’t help that the video game crash of 1983 occured during it’s release.

It was pretty clear Nintendo wanted to forget about Donkey Kong 3. We wouldn’t see another Donkey Kong game until 1994, when the game boy game was released. This game was based on the original arcade game and its awesome, I highly recommend it.

Stanley The Bugman was never given another chance. Donkey Kong 3 would be his only video game appearance. He was featured in the Saturday Supercade cartoon, along with DK. But now, only traces of him exist. In the Super Smash Bros series, Mr. Game & Watch uses his bug spray can as a weapon, and he is also a collectible trophy. The game was released on the Wii Virtual console, but was given average reviews. This is however, the NES port of the game. The arcade version is the better of the two.

Sure, Donkey Kong 3 is way different than the other games in the series, but who cares? It’s still a blast to play and it’s got that signature Nintendo charm. The game is mostly forgotten, but I know that I’ll always remember Donkey Kong 3, and hopefully after watching this, you will remember it too. Thanks for watching.

The post Donkey Kong 3 appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:
    

The post Level 7 Podcast – 2: Technology of The Future appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Music Credits:
Last Chance by OA
Booster Tarantino by djpretzel
Another Winter (cover) by pdude1
Project X 2 by ProjectX

Follow the Show:
    

The post Level 7 Podcast – 1: Saving Final Fantasy appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Now, you might be asking why I might get excited over a terrible game. Not so fast! Dark Castle is a great game. But the ports on Genesis and CD-I are really bad. The main culprit? The controls are terrible! This game was meant to be played with a keyboard and mouse, and it just doesn’t work on these systems. The Nerd did a good job explaining how the controls work, so I would recommend checking out his video when you get a chance. It is also a good laugh. But for now, lets take a look at Dark Castle on the console it was made for: Macintosh!

During the 80′s, video games were not only popular on consoles like Atari, but also computers. Growing up, my family had a Macintosh.

Sexy!

This thing was a workhorse. I did school work, drew pictures, and played a ton of games. There were a few I played regularly, including Leisure Suit Larry and Winter Games. But my favorite was the platformer, Dark Castle.

Dark Castle had an interesting development period. Mark Pierce (animator) and Jonathan Gay (programming) collaborated on the project, but lived in different cities. To work on the game, Pierce would mail his illustrations on floppy disks to Gay, who would then implement them into the code. The game was developed and published by Silicon Beach Software (who Gay worked for) in 1986 for the Mac.

On a “small world” note: Silicon Beach Software was purchased by Aldus in 1990, which was then purchased by Adobe (sound familiar?). Coincidently, Mark Pierce did his illustrations for Dark Castle on a program known as VideoWorks… which would later turn into Adobe Director. Everyone is connected! Now, let’s get back to Dark Castle.

In the game you play Duncan, a prince who is trying to defeat the Black Knight in Dark Castle. You must make your way through the rooms of Dark Castle while also defeating several enemies. There were 14 levels in all, and each room was a challenge. In the AVGN episode, he notes that Duncan might be the clumsiest video game character of all time, and he might be right. But that is where the charm comes in. Duncan is no hero and doesn’t claim to be. He is a prince trying to save his village. His weapon of choice is rocks for goodness sake!

In each room you will have to maneuver your way to the exit as well as defeating a variety of enemies. Bats, mice, frankenstein monsters, and even a large man with a whip. The little monsters that wave their hands and yell “Nyaaa!!” are the highlight. The man whipping the guys chained up to the wall freaked me out as a kid and I always got nervous when I had to fight him. It was a necessity though, as he guarded some keys you had to collect.

Along with the challenging platforming, another highlight of the game is the sound effects. You can hear the bats shrieking, the whips, the footsteps, doors opening, etc. It makes the whole game experience that much more enjoyable.

This game is pretty challenging, but it is a blast to play. I was never able to get to the Black Knight as a kid. My siblings and I would always try to get the highest score (you could put your name in the high score section of the menu screen), thus bragging rights. Two sequels were released, Beyond Dark Castle (1987) and Return to Dark Castle (2008). For a better idea of how this game plays, check out the video below.

The post Dark Castle: A Look Back appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

This was a Game Boy hit by artillery fire during the Gulf War, and it still works! You can read more about it by clicking the image (these are big pictures!)

A museum of all the Nintendo handhelds. Lots of different versions of Game & Watch and Game Boy.

A cute doodle signed by Miyamoto. He is quite the artist. Not sure of the meaning of this picture though. Did Mario get in a fight with Peach?

The Advanced Video System! I did a Footnotes episode on this, so check it out for more information. It was the first version of the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Hanafuda playing cards. Before Nintendo got into toys and video games, they produced these playing cards (and still do!). They were even able to license Disney characters on the backs of the cards.

The post My Trip to Nintendo World appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

The post Vectrex appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

The post Ristar (Happy Video Game Nerd) appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

The post Mega Man: Official Complete Works appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Scrolling. Pretty standard in most games these days. In fact, it’s actually been around for quite awhile now. Whether it is vertical or horizontal, scrolling is an important part of many games. But back in the early days of gaming…scrolling wasn’t so common. In fact, scrolling wouldn’t appear in video games until 1977 when Super Bug was released. However, it was originally developed for a game called Atari Football.

Atari Football was a pretty revolutionary title. It was the first non-racing game to feature scrolling. The game was created in 1973, but developers didn’t like the fact that players couldn’t move past what was on the screen. Scrolling was finally introduced to the game, and it was released 5 years later in 1978.

Atari Football also helped popularize the trackball controller.

It’s amazing how much gaming has changed over the years. And we can thank this game for a revolutionary one.

The post The Birth of Scrolling appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

The post Coleco Mini-Arcades appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

That’s right, according to the original manual, Birdo is actually a male. This is also true in Japan, where Birdo is known as Catherine. This would make Birdo, as far as I know, the very first transsexual video game character.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Birdo trophy describes her as “indeterminate gender.” Today, Nintendo pokes fun at the gender confusion of Birdo. She is actually a character in the game Captain Rainbow (which is only available in Japan as of now). She speaks with a deep male voice and gets thrown in jail for walking into the women’s bathroom.

I think it is pretty safe to say that today, Nintendo feels Birdo is a female, even if they poke fun at her every once in a while.

The post Birdo’s Gender appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

The post Nintendo’s Advanced Video System appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

The post Medal of Honor (PSX) appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

The post Sonic The Hedgehog appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

The post Game Boy appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Of all the Mario Games on the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Mario Bros. 2 is the black sheep. When it came out, it was a completely different game than the first Super Mario Bros. While some core ideas such as mushrooms and coins were included, the levels were radically different, as well as the characters, enemies, and the gameplay. Luckily there is a perfect explanation for this change. Super Mario Bros. 2 wasn’t originally a Mario game! It’s interesting how many people are unfamiliar with this neat piece of history. However, some people who know about this get pretty upset and some even don’t consider Super Mario Bros. 2 as a Mario game. Today we are going to take a look at the history behind Super Mario Bros. 2 and the impact it had on gamers and the Mario franchise.

I guess the best place to start would be with the original Super Mario Bros. This game did a lot for not only Nintendo, but for the video game industry. It helped end the North American Video Game Crash and is responsible for the success of the Nintendo Entertainment System. To this day it has sold 40 million copies, which makes it the 2nd best selling video game of all time (right behind Wii Sports). Obviously with such a successful game, Nintendo would release a sequel. Super Mario Bros. 2 was released in 1986 in Japan. It was very similar to the first game, but the difficulty had been increased. Howard Lincoln, the president of Nintendo of America at the time, felt that Super Mario Bros. 2 was simply too hard, and not very innovative. While the game did bring some new ideas, it was essentially the same style of gameplay.

Meanwhile, Shigeru Miyamoto was working on another game known as Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic. Translated, this means Dream Factory: Heart-Pounding Panic. This game was created for the Dream Factory Festival of 1987, which was being hosted by Fuji Television. Everything in the game was created by Nintendo except the four main characters, which were the official mascots of the festival. Doki Doki Panic was released in 1987 on the Famicom Disk System. Nintendo of America decided to take Doki Doki Panic, make some slight changes, and release it in the United States as Super Mario Bros. 2

The four main characters in Doki Doki Panic are Mama, Papa, Imajin, and Lina. Mario replaced Imajin, Princess replaced Lina, Luigi replaced Mama, and Toad replaced Papa. There were also some other minor changes, such as adding a new boss, Clawgrip, at the end of World 5-3, and the flow of the waterfalls in certain levels. To explain all of these radical changes in the Mario Universe, Nintendo changed the ending as well, claiming the entire game was a dream Mario was having. Now, all of these changes are minor, but the impact of what Nintendo did was actually surprising. Word that Nintendo had simply taken another game and made it a Mario game upset a lot of people.

However, in 1993 Nintendo would release Super Mario All-Stars for the Super Nintendo. Super Mario All-Stars included remakes of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, and Super Mario Bros 3, as well as a game titled “Super Mario: The Lost Levels”. This game is actually the Japanese Super Mario Bros 2. You can also play the Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. 2 on the Game Boy Color game, Super Mario Bros Deluxe. It is an unlockable in the game known as Super Mario Bros: For Super Players, noting the difficulty of the game. It was also remade on the Game Boy Advance known as Super Mario Advance. And Finally, it is available on the Wii Virtual Console as Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels for 600 wii points. Japan would also get a release of the US version of Super Mario Bros 2. known as Super Mario USA in 1992.

It surprises me how many people don’t enjoy the North American version of Super Mario Bros. 2 simply because of the history behind it. However, there are actually quite a few staples of the Mario series that were first introduced in Super Mario Bros 2. Shy Guy has appeared in numerous Mario games, including Yoshi’s Island, Super Mario RPG, and Mario Power Tennis. Bob-omb’s have shown up in just about every Mario game after Super Mario Bros 2. Pokey has evolved since Super Mario Bros. 2, but has appeared in other games, including Super Mario 64. Birdo has become a staple character and has appeared in several Mario games, including Super Mario RPG, Mario Tennis, and Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Even the final boss, Wart, has made appearances. The character Wart Jr. is in Animal Crossing, and a character named “Mamu”, who looks very similar to Wart, appears in Links Awakening on the Game Boy.

In my opinion, Super Mario Bros 2. should be considered a Mario game and the impact it had on the series is evident…even if the original game was just one big dream.

The post Super Mario Bros. 2 / Doki Doki Panic appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

In 1981, arcades are a big business, and Nintendo has just released Donkey Kong, the brainchild of Shigeru Miyamoto.

During this time, Tiger Electronics (the creators of those handheld games you usually find at Wal-Mart) took notice of Donkey Kong and how great of a game it was. Inspired, they developed a game based on King Kong as a handheld. As is standard in creating a product, Tiger Electronics contacted Universal about making licensed King Kong games as handhelds. The only other active license at the time was with a company that made King Kong costumes. Universal did a trademark report on King Kong and found little. This was all standard procedure and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Universal granted Tiger Electronics the license in September of 1981, completely unaware of Donkey Kong.

The following year, Universal performed another routine trademark report. This time Donkey Kong came up because Nintendo and Coleco were trying to reach an agreement for a cartridge license of the game. The trademark report still saw nothing suspicious, and dismissed Donkey Kong. However, Sid Sheinberg, president of Universal Studios, had other plans. Sheinberg and his lawyer, Robert Hadl, tested a Donkey Kong machine and thought it infringed on King Kong.

Universal wanted in on the video game industry. Warner had recently purchased Atari and Sega with success, so why not Universal? They already had much success in the movie and music industry. To get in, Sheinberg would use his copyright case against Coleco. Sheinberg invited Arnold Greenberg, president of Coleco to California to meet. Greenberg assumed the meeting was about a potential venture with the two companies but instead, Sheinberg confronted Greenberg about Donkey Kong. Sheinberg stated “we are going to sue you if you don’t give us some kind of royalty on Donkey Kong” This was bad news for Coleco as their console was going to be shipped with Donkey Kong pre-packaged. Universal agreed not to sue Coleco if they paid royalties on every cartridge sold and promised future ventures with Universal. Coleco agreed.

After the behind the scenes deal was finished, Sheinberg’s next move was to go after the remaining companies. Universal contacted Nintendo and several companies that licensed Donkey Kong, including Mattel (for their Donkey Kong board game) and Ralston Purina for their Donkey Kong cereal.

Nintendo met with Universal and Coleco on May 6th to discuss the trademark issue. Representing Nintendo was Minoru Arakawa, head of operations for Nintendo of America, and Howard Lincoln, Nintendo’s legal counsel. Robert Hadl, the lawyer for Universal, demanded Nintendo pay royalties on Donkey Kong. Lincoln responded firmly with “we are not going to buy the Brooklyn Bridge” Lincoln claimed that Nintendo ran its own trademark search and had found many unlicensed uses of King Kong. Hadl replied that he had a chain of title and would send it immediately to Nintendo. This chain of title would prove Universals claim to King Kong. Hadl never sent it.

Nintendo had no idea about the agreement made between Coleco and Universal, but Lincoln knew something wasn’t right when Coleco urged Nintendo to give in to the demands of Universal at the meeting. Arakawa was shocked by Lincoln’s decision to fight Universal. Remember, Nintendo was still a relatively small company and Arakawa was not used to dealing with legal issues, especially with a company such as Universal. On May 21st, Nintendo met with Universal one last time. Sheinberg and Hadl assumed they were going to negotiate, but they were sorely mistaken. After a small lunch and some small talk about Universal investing in Nintendo, Lincoln broke the bad news to Universal.

After further investigation, Nintendo had decided to not accept Universals claim to King Kong and that Nintendo would not pay royalties. Sheinberg was furious and famously shouted “You’d better start saving money to pay your attorney’s fees, I view litigation as a profit center” On June 29, 1982 Universal filed suit against Nintendo claiming ownership of King Kong and claiming Nintendo had infringed upon its trademark.

The remaining companies that had licensing deals with Nintendo all gave in to Universal except for Milton Bradley and Ralston Purina, which stayed with Nintendo. Ralston Purina tried a 5,000 dollar settlement, but Sid Sheinberg found it “the most stupid thing I have ever heard of” and threw them out of his office. The epic battle between David and Goliath was about to begin.

To represent Nintendo, Lincoln hired John Kirby, a lawyer with Latham and Watkins. At first glance, John Kirby didn’t seem like a good lawyer to Howard Lincoln. “When I initially met him, I wasn’t all that impressed. He was kind of disheveled looking and out of sorts.” But Kirby was one hell of a lawyer. He had a reputation for defending his clients adamantly and had won big antitrust cases for Pepsi. Howard Lincoln and John Kirby flew to Japan to speak with Hiroshi Yamauchi about the case. Yamauchi did not like lawyers, and here he had two standing in front of him. He made himself clear when he stated “we MUST win”

After interviewing Gunpei Yokoi (creator of the Game Boy) and Shigeru Miyamoto (creator of Donkey Kong) and other staff members about the game, the two headed back to the United States to prepare for the case. Then came the discovery that would change everything. Howard Lincoln’s instincts were indeed correct. Universal did not own the rights to King Kong. In fact, Universal had recently won a court case PROVING that King Kong was in public domain. They had the case so they could create a remake of the original film (which got less than stellar reviews).

Howard Lincoln also discovered the agreement between Universal and Coleco, and Sheinberg’s motive to enter the video game business and push away competitors. These new motives made the case very clear. Because of his help and his firm decision to fight Universal, Arakawa offered Howard Lincoln the job of Senior Vice President of Nintendo. Lincoln, who had been working almost exclusively with Nintendo anyways, agreed and put in his thirty days notice at his law firm on December 7th.

The case took place in the New York courtroom of US District Court Judge Robert W. Sweet (date here). Nintendo had Jerry Momoda, who was their Market Research Analyst, play Donkey Kong for the entire courtroom to show there was no infringement on King Kong. Furthermore, John Kirby presented a testimony from Shigeru Miyamoto, who explained that he used the word “kong” simply because it was a generic word for “large, menacing ape” in Japan. John Kirby also brought up the older court cases that Universal filed to prove that King Kong was public domain, and that Universal had filed the suit KNOWING they did not own the rights to King Kong. He also mentioned Sheinberg’s statement of viewing litigation of a profit center.

Robert W. Sweet had heard enough. He concluded that Nintendo did not infringe on Universals rights because they did not even own the rights. And even if they did own the rights, the game Donkey Kong had nothing to do with King Kong. Sweet criticized Universal for even bringing this case to court knowing full well they did not own the rights to King Kong, and thus Nintendo would be awarded damages. Universal would appeal the case several times all the way to the US Supreme Court, but failed.

Nintendo was awarded 1.8 million dollars. Soon after, the companies that had licensed Donkey Kong began suing Universal to get back any royalties they had paid to them, including Coleco and Atari. Universal settled with most of them.

This case not only gave Nintendo a hefty amount of money, but it also established them as a legitimate company, and one that could handle themselves against the bigger companies. It was an inspiration to not only the video game industry, but any small company trying to make it.

So what happened next for everyone involved?

Howard Lincoln was appointed senior vice president of Nintendo and continued to work with Nintendo for several more years, becoming Chairman in 1994. After leaving Nintendo, he took over as chairman of the Seattle Mariners baseball team, which is owned by Nintendo.

John Kirby was rewarded with his own sailboat, christened “Donkey Kong” Many say he is also the inspiration for the Nintendo character “Kirby”. He continued his job for many more years before retiring in 2007.

Coleco would soon leave the video game industry and begin selling dolls. The company closed its doors in 1989.

And as for Universal? Still hoping to enter the video game business, they bought a small company known as LJN to create video games. In 1994 they created their own game studio, Universal Interactive, which published games such as Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot. In December of 2000, they were acquired by Vivendi.

And as for Nintendo….well you know!

The post Universal vs. Nintendo Case appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Halloween is always a scary time of the year with thoughts of ghosts, demons, zombies, witches, and vampires. There are also a lot of scary games out there! One game in particular, 3D Monster Maze, is just downright creepy. Trapped in a maze run by a clown, you must escape from a ferocious T-Rex. Why is this game significant? It’s considered the very first survival horror game. Check out this game and more in the Halloween Special!

The post Halloween Special appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Kirby is one of Nintendo’s most popular franchises. Isn’t he adorable? Kirby was created for beginner gamers, but he eventually ended up becoming a staple character for Nintendo and appealing to a wide audience of gamers. But where did this pink puff ball come from? The answer may surprise you. Kirby has always been such a simple character. He’s basically a smiley face with two little arms and legs. Nevertheless, he remains one of Nintendo’s most popular characters, appearing in many different video games, a television show, even manga.

It began…as a blob. It was 1991, and at the young age of 19, Masahiro Sakurai was given the task by his company, HAL Labs, of creating a game boy game for beginners that would be easy to complete.

Sakurai had his idea in place. But before they could begin graphics and coding for the game, he needed a placeholder graphic for his main character, who he dubbed Popopo. So, he drew a blob with two eyes and a smile. Over time, Sakurai and the rest of his staff began to grow quite fond of their little blob. It was cute….simple….it seemed perfect in a game for beginners. Sakurai decided to expand on this character. He added two arms and two legs, and presto, Kirby was born. After the game finished, development, HAL Labs took their creation to Nintendo. His name was soon changed from Popopo, to Kirby.

So how exactly do you come up with the name Kirby? The most common belief is that Kirby is named after the vacuum cleaner company, Kirby. It would make sense since a vacuum cleaner sucks, and sucking is kirbys main ability. However, Another belief is that he is named after John Kirby, Nintendo of America’s former lawyer who represented Nintendo in the case vs Universal Studios over Donkey Kong. Theres also a rumor that John Kirby received a copy of the game Kirby’s Adventure and apparently he got a good laugh out of it. However, Sakurai has been quoted as saying he does not remember how he got his name.

When Kirby was presented to Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Mario, wanted Kirby to be yellow. Sakurai however, intended Kirby to be pink. Sakurai had his wish granted, and the first game, Kirby’s Dream Land (known in Japan as Kirby of the Stars) was released. In the first game however, Kirby lacked the ability to copy enemies. All he could do was suck them in and shoot them out at enemies. The game was relatively easy, but was popular nonetheless. Kirby’s Dream Land was in black and white due to being on the Game Boy. Thus, when it was brought to North America, Kirby is depicted as being completely white on the cover.

Less than a year later, Kirby’s Adventure was released on the NES. This time, he was correctly shown as pink on the North American cover. Kirby’s Adventure introduced Kirby’s copy ability. Sakurai added this ability to give the more hardcore gamers some gameplay mechanics to mess with and make the game more challenging. Beginner gamers could still suck up enemies and spit them out as usual as well. Kirby’s Adventure was released on May 1st, 1993 in North America. The game really pushed the NES to the limit with its impressive colors, catchy music, and scrolling levels.

After the spinoff games, Kirby’s Pinball land, Kirby’s Avalanche, and Kirby’s Dream Course, Nintendo released the finest evolution of the Kirby series with Kirbys Dream Land 2. It featured new powerups, puzzle solving, and animal friends to help Kirby out. The game also had increased colors when played on the Super Game boy. Kirbys Dream Land 2 is my personal favorite in the Kirby series, because growing up, it was probably the #1 game in my Game Boy. It was just that good. I was obsessed with finding every little secret in the game, as well as experimenting with all of the different powers that combined with each animal.

Kirby reached a milestone in his career with Kirby Super Star, released on September 20th, 1996 on the Super Nintendo. It featured 9 different games on one cartridge, and is widely regarded as the greatest kirby game of all time. A remake of the game, Kirby Super Star Ultra, is currently being made for the Nintendo DS.

After his success with the Kirby games, Sakurai and Hal Labs created a new game that many people are familiar with. Super Smash Bros., which premiered in 1999 on the Nintendo 64. Sakurai left HAL in August 2003 and worked with Q Entertainment. This collaboration resulted in Meteos, an addicting puzzle game released in 2005. He then formed his own company, Sora. He is currently working on new titles since completing Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

The post Kirby appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

The post SNES 2 (Model SNS-101) appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

The video game industry is booming these days. Some games are rivaling hollywood movies in terms of sales, and the technology is beyond what anyone would have imagined 10 years ago. But back in 1983, an event happened that would change the video game industry forever. Poorly made games, a ton of systems to choose from, superior technology, media frenzy! What happened to the industry back in 1983? It crashed. Now, I try not to bore you guys when I do these shows, so I’m not going to be going into financial details about the stock market and company sales figures and what not. Hopefully, by the end of this episode, you will know the main reasons why there was a crash.

Let’s start with the first reason. Poorly made games. Pac Man is easily one of the most successful arcade games of all time, and according to a recent survey, the most recognized video game character of all time. After its release in the United States in 1980, Atari obtained the license to port the game to its Atari 2600. Around this time, there was about 10 million Atari’s in US households. With this data, Atari decided to manufacture 12 million copies of the game. Atari was so confident with their game, they made MORE games than there were consoles, hoping consumers would buy an Atari JUST TO PLAY PAC MAN. Todd Frye, a leading programmer at Atari, was asked to do the port. Frye eventually showed them a prototype of the game. Rather than miss the approaching 1981 holiday season, Atari PUBLISHED THE PROTOTYPE. It was a disaster. The game barely resembled the original, and consumers were upset, many asked for refunds. Overall, about 7 million Pac Man cartridges were sold. Todd Frye was given a royalty on every copy sold, so it didn’t matter if the game was bad or not, he made a huge sum of money. But Atari had to accept the losses with the extra 5 million unsold.

Another disaster was E.T. E.T. was released on June 11th, 1982 in movie theaters. It was a big success, and soon it was licensed to become a video game. Steven Ross, head of Warner Communications (which owned Atari), told Ray Kassar, CEO of Atari, that he wanted the game out by Christmas. The game was a disaster and to this day it is still considered one of the worst video games of all time. About 5 million cartridges were produced, and almost all of them came back to Atari. With millions of unsold cartridges sitting in an Atari warehouse, Atari dumped them in a New Mexico landfill, steamrolled them, then poured cement over top. Atari had lost 536 million dollars by the end of 1983.

These two games really made consumers lose ALOT of confidence in the video game industry. That’s not to say there were other bad games. Believe me, there were alot. For instance, if you sent in proofs of purchase of Purina dog food bags, you could get a copy of Chase the Chuck Wagon. That’s right, dog food companies had video games. There was a flood of games being released during this time, and many stores could not even keep up, let alone have enough shelf space for them all. Console games went from being 30-40 dollars to about 4 dollars in a bargain bin during the crash.

Let’s take a look at another reason for the Video Game Crash of 83; too many consoles. In todays time, we have 3 home consoles competing against each other: The Xbox 360, the PS3, and the Nintendo Wii. Well, back in the early 80′s, you had dozens of consoles competing against each other. Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Colecovision, Intellivision, Coleco Gemini, Vectrex, Magnavox Odyssey II, Fairchild Channel F System, Emerson Arcadia 2001, I could keep going. Not only that, but some of these consoles had interchangable software. For example, the Colecovision had an expansion module that would allow you to play Atari 2600 games. Can you imagine if that happened today? What if Sony announced a device that would allow 360 games to be played on the PS3? Since the Atari 2600 could be reproduced with standard parts, this was legal. Coleco also released the Coleco Gemini, which is basically an Atari 2600 clone. The US Market was flooded with consoles, and consumers had way too many choices and not enough information.

This brings me to my next reason for the Video Game Crash of 1983. Loss of publishing control. Activision was the first third party publisher of video games. Because Atari would not credit their game designers, several programmers from Atari left and founded Activision. Many noticed this, and soon tons of developers and publishers began making their games and putting them on shelves. See how this might go wrong? Today, all games for consoles are controlled by the console manufacturer. You won’t find an xbox 360 game without this logo on top. When the manufacturer loses control of this, the market is flooded. This is exactly what happened. They were everywhere. You know Columbia House, the company that sends you flyers in the mail that offer 5 dvd’s for 49 cent each? They formed the Columbia Cartridge Club to sell video games. Some companies even experimented sending games through cable television! Regardless, this flood of games was just bad for the industry.

Today, we rely on computers for just about everything. Internet, news, even this video. Well during the early 80′s, personal computer were first being put into american households, and guess what? They contributed to the crash. During the 70′s, a computer would run easily over 1,000 dollars. But by the early 80′s, they had come down in price. Computers offered not only superior graphics and sound, but also other uses such as word processing and accounting. Many consumers felt that owning a computer was a strictly better investment than a console. Computers were also much more widely distributed. PC’s such as the Commodore, the Atari 400, Atari 800, and the Radio Shack Color Computer were all technologically superior to consoles and were competitively priced as well.

So what happened as a result of all of these events? Consumers lost confidence in the industry, and business analysts saw no long term future for the business. The industry came to a sudden halt in 1983 and would last for 2 years. Now keep in mind, this was bad mostly for the businesses. Due to the crash, all of the consoles and games were marked down to bargain bin deals, and this was good for consumers. Even though arcades were beginning their downfall, they were still popular. Thus many people don’t even KNOW about the Video Game Crash of 1983. The Video Game Crash was primarily bad for the industry, not the consumer.

The North American Video Game Crash of 1983 did have some long term effects. Starting with the Nintendo, new measures were taken to control third party development. One example would be the lockout chip in the Nintendo Entertainment System. The most important change however, was the shift of the video game market from the United States to Japan. Even today, Japan has a majority control over the home video game market. Atari never fully recovered from the crash. Warner Communications sold the company soon after, and when Atari tried to reenter the market, they found themselves far behind Sega and Nintendo. Atari called it quits on hardware after the Jaguar failed. Many other companies such as Mattel and Coleco simply abandoned the video game market.

It was not until 1985 with the release of the Nintendo Entertainment System that the industry would recover.

The post The Video Game Crash of 1983 appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Part 1:

Part 2:

The post SEGA Dreamcast appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

Capcom, which was founded in 1979 in Osaka, was looking to expand to the home video game market, particularly the popular Nintendo. They had previously released a few ports from their arcade games, such as 1942, but were hoping to create a whole new franchise for the consoles.

At the young age of 22, Keiji Inafune joined Capcom. He had just graduated from college and was looking to become an illustrator. His first project was working on street fighter, but was then assigned to a new project: come up with a hit franchise for the home consoles.Seemed easy right? Not exactly. While Tokuro Fujiwara was the director of the project, Inafune was given the task of designing the characters, instruction booklet, logo, and boxart. He was even responsible for taking his designs and turning them into pixel form. Thus, Keiji Inafune is the creator, and father, of Mega Man. Inafune grew up on anime and decided that characters were going to be important in the game. Not just any characters, but detailed characters. Inafune noticed many NES games that lacked these qualities. “We wanted to make sure that the animation and the motion was realistic and actually made sense.”

Inafune was also limited to a 56 color palette. Knowing that he wanted good detail on this character, he chose the color blue, since it had the most colors in the NES palette. Inafune even admits ” The Blue Bomber is really blue because of the Nintendo, not anything else.”

Platformers and side scrollers were the top games on the NES. Sales charts could tell anyone that. Thus, the game was going to be a side scroller. The concept of the game was based on rock paper scissors, in that every boss and weapon has a different strength and weakness. Inafune’s love for music also played a large part in the creation process. Quote, “to base characters on that, that’s something that we all can understand, and we can all…buy that concept.” Thus, why the japanese know the blue bomber as Rockman. Rockman’s sister’s name is Roll. Future characters such as Treble and Bass also had names based on musical references. This is also why the music in Mega Man is so incredible. It is an important part of the game.

Rockman was released to the Japanese and Americans in December of 1987. However, Capcom executives in America made a few changes. They didn’t really understand WHY he was named Rockman (also because the name Rockman was copyrighted), so they came up with Mega Man instead. Also, the Yellow Devil Boss was renamed to “Rock Monster” due to Nintendo’s strict rules of religious referencing. And of course, the most infamous change of all……the cover art. From what I do know, it seems that this cover art was made overnight by Capcom USA’s marketing department.

Mega Man was critically acclaimed and sold more than expected, but it was not the huge hit Capcom thought it might become. However, Inafune and everyone involved in the project still felt that the series had life. Capcom gave them another chance, and Mega Man 2 was released in Japan on December 24, 1988 and in North America in July of 1989. The 2nd game in the series was both critically acclaimed and extremely popular. Since Mega Man 2, the series has become Capcom’s leading franchise, even beating out Resident Evil. Now, I know there are tons and tons of Mega Man games out there, but for now I just wanted to show you how the blue bomber was created in the first place.

The post Mega Man appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

The Sony Playstation was released in the United States September 9th, 1995. It was a CD based home console that used memory cards for game saves and data storage, although it is not the first console to use memory cards. That would be the NEO GEO AES, which was released in 1990. The Playstation was a huge success in the video game market, and soon companies were throwing together accessories for it. One such company, InterAct, developed a device that made quite an impact. The DexDrive. So what exactly did it do?

The DexDrive was actually not a “drive” at all. It was more of a memory card slot than anything. Basically you could hook it to your PC, put your memory card into the device, and transfer game data. The possibilities were endless. The DexDrive had alot of benefits. For one, you no longer needed to buy more memory cards. Just transfer old game data to your PC, clear it off the memory card, and save some more. You could also download other people’s game saves, characters, levels, any game data and put it on your memory card. And of course, you could download team rosters for your sports games. EA Sports even endorsed this product. It was that cool. PSM Magazine said it best with “it opens up a whole new world of exchange..”

Luckily, these things are actually not that hard to find. I was able to find a Playstation DexDrive and a N64 DexDrive brand new, for about 5 bucks each. Hooking up the DexDrive is fairly straightforward. Simply plug the device into your computer, plug the AC Adapter up, and install the software with the floppys. Unfortunately, my floppy drive no longer works, but if you simply google Dexplorer, you will be able to download updated software. The Dexplorer is software is simple as well. Open it up, plug in your memory card, and you can view your game data. As you can see, I have Final Fantasy 7 and MedEvil data on here. I can backup, restore, duplicate, re-format the card, e-mail data, and delete data.

Although InterAct went out of business in the following years, the DexDrive’s impact had been made. A few years later, The MaxDrive was released by Datel for the XBox and Playstation 2. However, with the advancements in online capabilities for consoles, these types of devices were dying out and simply not needed anymore. The Dex Drive is important because it introduced some of the benefits of going online to consoles. Soon after, the ability to go online became a staple for home systems, and the current generation systems such as the XBox 360 and the PS3 take advantage of some of the features the Dex Drive was capable of. For example, the 60 and 80GB PS3′s have flash memory card readers built into the system.

Pick up a DexDrive if you can, it’s an interesting piece of history, extremely useful, and well worth it for only 5 dollars.

The post DexDrive appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

When you think Nintendo, what is the first character that comes to your mind? Fox McCloud? Link? Kirby? Of course not. Mario comes to mind. Mario is the title character for Nintendo, and easily the most recognized video game character of all time. He has appeared in over 200 video games, and his debut was in the Nintendo arcade game known as Donkey Kong. Yeah, Donkey Kong! Most gamers today know who Donkey Kong is. He has appeared in numerous platform and party games, including Super Smash Bros and Mario Party. But his beginnings in the early 1980′s in the arcades saved Nintendo as a company and established them as the leading video game company today.

During the late 70′s and early 80′s, arcade games were a huge market. Space Invaders even caused a coin shortage in Japan. Japanese companies such as Taito and Namco also made alot of money selling arcade cabinets to Americans. One of these companies was Nintendo. Nintendo was founded September 23rd, 1889 as a card gaming company. During the age of video games however, they saw a huge opportunity in electronic based games. Their first game to hit US shores was Radarscope. It was the 2nd most popular game in Japan (right behind Pac Man), but a huge disappointment in North America. Out of 3,000 radarscope machines, only about 1,000 sold. Hiroshi Yamauchi, president of Nintendo, was baffled as to how to break into the US Market. He wanted to make something that would appeal specifically to American audiences. Luckily, he had just hired a young college student who had just received his degree in industrial design. Shigeru Miyamoto.

Miyamoto was asked to design a new arcade game and he happily agreed. He began by doing something that had never been done before in an arcade game…he wrote a story. It’s nothing elaborate like a final fantasy game or anything, but the story goes that a carpenter has been mistreating his pet gorilla. To get revenge, the Gorilla escapes from his master, kidnaps the carpenters girlfriend, and begins climbing a construction site. Miyamoto was inspired by several things. One was popeye. Donkey Kong is Bluto, Olive Oil is Pauline, and Popeye is Jumpman. Both are trying to hang on to the girl, and the whole love triangle was very similar. He also took some inspiration from King Kong, as far as kidnapping a girl and climbing a building. Thus, Donkey Kong was born…..well what exactly is a Donkey Kong? Remember, this game was being made specifically for the American audience in mind. Miyamoto chose the name “Stubborn Gorilla”, based on the way the gorilla acted in the game. Looking through a thesaurus, two synonyms came to Miyamoto. Donkey for Stubbon, and Kong for Gorilla. Thus…we have Donkey Kong.

Yamauchi was excited about this new title. He immediately notified Minoru Arakawa, head of operations for Nintendo in North America. The timing could not have been better.

Arakawa was close to bankruptcy and could hardly pay the rent for the Nintendo warehouse in New Jersey. The landlord of the warehouse, Mario Segale, visited Arakawa to demand his late rent. After some harsh words, Segale was promised the money would come soon. Segale was also immortalized in this moment. Soon after, Jumpman was renamed to Mario. So Donkey Kong was finally coming to the United States. However, two distributors for Nintendo, Ron Judy and Al Stone, were a little worried. Radar Scope was a disaster, and they were risking their future on a game named Donkey Kong. But they soon visited their lawyer, Howard Lincoln, to get the name Trademarked. Howard Lincolns’ response was one of awkwardness “Pardon me, what was that? Donkey Kong? How do you spell that?”

What happened next, changed everything for Nintendo. Arakawa decided to test their new game. He placed a Donkey Machine in two bars in the Seattle Area, Goldies and The Spot Tavern. The machines easily raked in 30 dollars per day, so the managers asked for more machines. The game was a hit. Remember those 2,000 radarscope machines that never sold? Nintendo converted them into Donkey Kong Machines, saving them both money and time. Orders were soon pouring in over the new Donkey Kong game. Nintendo went from almost bankrupt to millionaires seemingly overnight. Howard Lincoln soon received a call from Nintendo. He expected them to ask for help with filing bankruptcy, but instead, they asked Lincoln for help in protecting all of their money.Overall, Nintendo sold over 67,000 cabinets.

The rest as they say, is history. Donkey Kong ended up appearing in a few sequels such as Donkey Kong Junior, and Donkey Kong 3. In 1994, Rare took the Donkey Kong name and made a platformer out of it. This is where we get the Donkey Kong we know of today.

The post Donkey Kong appeared first on The Gaming Historian.

The post NES 2 (Model NES-101) Top Loader appeared first on The Gaming Historian.