Game Reviews – Page 39 – Obsolete Gamer

Chaos Legion

Chaos Legion is a Gothic third-person action game that was released in 2003 by Capcom who both developed and published it. It could easily be attributed to Devil May Cry that was released just two years prior, in 2001. The gameplay and style is similar though Chaos Legion certainly seemed to have its own genre at the time it was released. The game is based on the novel by Tow Ubukata that has the same title. The concept of a gun-slinging, sword-swinging male hero in a world that combines the planes of demons and humans was still fairly new.

Classic Windows Games Computer Games

Dan Epp

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis

Of course, even before Fate of Atlantis was released, Indiana Jones was already a cultural phenomenon. There had been three movies (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), and at the time of Fate of Atlantis’ release, a television series was in its first year of production (The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles). Games based on the movies had been released on several platforms, including Indiana Jones in the Lost Kingdom in 1984 (C64), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in 1987 (Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, C64, DOS), Indiana Jones in Revenge of the Ancients in 1987 (Apple II, DOS), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Action Game in 1989 (C64, DOS, Atari ST, Amiga), andIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure in 1989 (Amiga, Atari ST, DOS, Macintosh). In other words, this was a franchise with both a solid history and strong fan base.

Indie Games

Konstantinos Dimopoulos

Tidalis

Tidalis is a block-based puzzle game with casual appeal, hardcore depth, and an addictive new “streams” mechanic. The game is brimming over with riffs and variants on that core mechanic with 20 game modes, dozens of special blocks and items, and 115 levels in the adventure mode alone.

Game Reviews

J.A. Laraque

OI Daily Video: Why You Should Never Celebrate Too Soon

Today in the daily video we have something to think about for the March Madness crowd and players. Here is the story a losing team scores a winning 3 points with only 0.6 seconds left in the game, all while the other team is celebrating their victory. See the priceless expression on the Coach's face as it turns from celebration to disbelief.

Bootleg Games

Luis Zena

Earth Worm Jim 3

The gameplay was done quite well and is very responsive. The level design is decent and does its best to mimic the SNES version. They even added the select button function to switch from your head whip to your gun since the NES/Famicom controller doesn’t have as many buttons as the SNES controller, now that’s impressive. The bosses are awfully easy so you’ll be able to get through with ease. The music is so-so as they tried to copy the SNES sound score although they felt short from making it successful, it was a good attempt nonetheless. You will be able to tell which song is which so no worries there. For 8-bit music, it’s what you get for it.

Classic Windows Games Computer Games

Dan Epp

James Bond: The Stealth Affair

The story revolved around a missing F-19 stealth fighter, stolen from an American base and tracked (how did they do that?) to somewhere in Latin America. Who did it? Could it be the Russians pulling a Red October or could it be some Latin American tinpot dictator or crime lord? The danger of having a Latin American drug lord having stealth technology was sufficient to bring in the best troubleshooter in the business: James Bond. The action began as fast as our man James stepped off his flight into the Santa Paragua airport, holding only a briefcase and his airline ticket, with the need to somehow get past a maddeningly efficient airport security guard. “I don’t care who you are. In this country you are all outsiders.“ The game moved on from there, with a variety of puzzles to solve, as well as a few arcade action sequences to complete.

NES

Eric Bailey

Toxic Crusaders

There are even the usual beat-’em-up elements like a skateboard level (quite essential to any 80’s or 90’s gaming experience) and even an underwater stage. The enemies are pattern-based, as repeated plays will make passing the waves of baddies much easier as the player learns their vulnerabilities, most of which amounts to “do not attack in a straightforward manner; rather, move up or down directly into an attack, or even let them move vertically to you as you are swinging.” Each of the six levels has a boss fight, and there are items hidden in destructible objects that can increase health or mop meter.

Game Reviews

J.A. Laraque

The Sexual Gangster

This song might seem crude to those that do not understand it, but for the young professional rap star once you have climbed the ladder for financial stability it is time to settle down and have a family. However, before that is done you have to find the right mate, which requires intensive testing, and to make sure you do not make a mistake.

Mobile Games

Nathan Blakesley

Save the Egg

The premise of the game is simple. You use wood and/or “rubber” planks to guide/bounce an egg safely to the ground or to a nest. There is a bit of room for error in that it will crack a couple times before breaking if it makes a small drop. After the first couple of levels, expect the difficulty of each level to increase significantly. Realistic physics make for interesting gameplay. I did enjoy the fact that there’s no specific way to beat any given level, unlike some other games that require you to figure out the developer’s sequence or arrangement to be able to succeed. This allows for great replayability in trying to develop simpler (or more intricate) ways to complete each level.

Bootleg Games

Luis Zena

TMNT 2

There is also the super move that each turtle has. They are all the same and as effective so it doesn’t matter which turtle you use, you’ll be alright with either one. There is an added movement that will work on the pirate which helps you hit both ways with the super move. it’s quite easy to do if you are quick with the d-pad. All you have to do is perform the super move and then as you are doing the move you’ll need to tap the d-pad to the other side of where your turtle is facing resulting in the double super move! Things like this makes you wonder if pirates really intended to leave this bug in there or if they were too lazy to take it out but I think I’ll go with the first one as the game was hacked to aide you into finishing it without cursing and throwing the controller out the window.

DOS Games PC

Konstantinos Dimopoulos

Blackwell Unbound

The game is thus slightly longer that Legacy and feels even more so, as the inclusion of a couple new mechanics, make for a far more taxing experience. Not that the game is difficult, mind but the ability to switch between Joey and Lauren, a few newly integrated simple inventory puzzles and looking up names and places in a directory do help mix things up. After all, making sure that a deceased jazz musician, a half-crazed ghost and an incredibly sad villain find their respective ways, shouldn’t be that easy.

Arcade Games

Simon Lethbridge

Drift Out ’94 – The Hard Order

Aside from the change in viewpoint there’s actually very little difference between the games though. There’s a similar roster of cars available here (although it seems Visco acquired an official license in the interim as the cars all have their proper names now), such as the usual Impreza, Evo, Celica, Lancia’s, etc. Sadly the Sierra doesn’t return but to make up for it they’ve included a Mini! Anyway, once you’ve chosen a car you’ll start your first race which must be completed within a set time limit.

Indie Games

Patrick Scott Patterson

Indie Game Gems: Mr. Gravity

The graphics for a game like this don’t need to be complex yet don’t need to be too simple, and Mr. Gravity nails this aspect to. The fairly simple graphics are given a color vector look and glow, reminiscent of classics such as Tempest and more modern hits such as Geometry Wars. Both characters in the game change facial expressions based on what is going on in the level with a simple yet fun charm. The background music is excellent, especially for an indie game, and adds a great extra element for the player while attempting difficult moves.

Atari 2600

Matt McKee

Freeway

Overall, I like the game. The graphics are nice and colorful. The bright, yellow chicken moves its little feet quickly across the road. I say “little”, but it’s about 5 foot long. I like to pretend it’s escaping from KFC ‘s Double Down assembly line. The many cars look different, with unique shapes and sizes. A neat little animation of the chicken getting knocked backwards is a nice touch.

Bootleg Games

Luis Zena

Tekken 2 (SNES)

Pirates come in crappy shapes and sizes. From the Famicom to the Nintendo 64 (Believe it or not) But there are some that just seem to good to be true. This is where Tekken 2 for the SNES comes in. Yes! You heard it! It’s Tekken for your 16-bit console. You might be getting all excited about this “gem” but it’s far from being a “gem”. The game is memorable in many ways and none of those ways are good. We are going to have a brief chat about Tekken 2 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

NES

Eric Bailey

Rygar

This game looks grand, from the multi-colored environments that take Rygar through areas of sandy deserts, snowcapped mountain peaks, and even lush woods, to the varied monstrous enemies he encounters, to the detailed backgrounds that put a finishing touch on enhancing the setting. Gameplay itself proceeds at a smooth clip, despite some definite flickering issues, even with just a couple or a few enemies on the screen. Rygar looks like the rugged hero he should, and one can hardly find complaint with the original canon at work here.

Game Reviews

J.A. Laraque

Bands That Are A LOT Like Aqua

Aqua is loved and hated by many, but they are often copied! Here are some clones! This kind of music