In the world of retro gaming there have been a lot of strange and weird stories throughout history. None however live up to the story of E.T. the Extra Terrestrial for the Atari 2600.
In 1982 Atari decided to go out on a limb and try something new. Their big idea was to create a game based around a blockbuster film. Trying a cross marketing scheme was a new idea for Atari, and a considerable amount of money was thrown at director Stephen Speilberg for the use of the main character in his film E.T.
This game has been so badly panned, it was considered one of the top causes of the video game crash of 1983
The issue was that there was very limited time to create a game and still have it out on time to coincide with the release of the film. With only a handful of weeks to build a game, the developer conceptualized a difficult game where you collect pieces of a telephone hidden in wells throughout a large world setting. Speilberg wasn't crazy about the idea and suggested they did something similar to Pac-Man. Since Atari ponied up the money for the usage of the name they decided they didn't want to rehash an old game but create a new gaming experience.
The result was a game that has been dubbed by some, "the worst video game in history." While that is probably a far fetched claim, it was a laughably bad game not really worth reviewing. While it wasn't completely unplayable, there really wasn't a resource like the internet for handy game tips. At the time and it wasn't terribly easy game to figure out the objectives of the game like that. And what was supposed to be one of the biggest video game releases ever, turned out to be a pile of junk with a picture of E.T. on it.
While the movie didn't suffer from it, the video game industry did. Atari suffered a huge loss, and the game was widely considered a contributing factor to an industry wide crash in 1983.
The front gate of the Alamogordo landfill that is rumored to be the burial site of the E.T. video game
While the game by no means was considered legendary, the story of the unused cartridges is. The legend of those cartridges is that they were unceremoniously buried in a landfill in the desert on the outskirts of Alamogordo, New Mexico. Atari themselves have neither confirmed or denied this story to be true, making for an urban legend that has lived to this day.
While the area in question is in close proximity to Roswell, New Mexico which of course is home to many conspiracy theories about UFOs and aliens. Alamogordo is also a short drive from where the world's first nuclear bomb test was detonated. You would think that an area with such a strange place in history would be immune to being known for something as simple as being a dumping ground for an unsuccessful video game, but the legend lingers on.
This is the marker commemorating the site of the very first nuclear bomb test, mere miles from the alleged site of the E.T. cartridge burial
Soon a team of Canadian filmmakers are going to try to prove the legend to be true. The team at Fuel Entertainment have secured a permit to search the landfill in question. They hope to create a documentary about the legend, and see once and for all if it is true. The team will search for a six month period hoping to dig up the holy grail of video game legends.
Local officials of Alamogordo are hoping this excavation will lead to exposure for their town. All I know is I am excited to see what is turned up in the near future.
I have avoided the topic of the new gaming systems for a while now because I was so extremely disappointed by what was going on. Dating back to the Atari 2600 the advantage to being a console gamer was that you avoided many of the hasslse of PC gaming. While there are many great PC game titles, there were many annoyances to gaming on a PC, while console gaming was as simple as inserting a game and playing.
Without the need for activation codes or having to understand system requirements, console gaming flourished into a grand past time for both hardcore and casual gamers. Consoles were also a cheaper alternative to investing in a state of the art PC to run new games. Gaming consoles were simple, user friendly ways to immerse yourself into a whole new world. All that was required was to insert the game, and play it.
Some of Microsoft's ideas for the Xbox One weren't so simple. Unfortunately I did fear when a company like Microsoft entered the gaming arena that the industry was about to move in the wrong direction. In my opinion their first cardinal sin was Xbox Live. Charging you to use your own internet is a sin and something that I flatly refuse to facilitate. But just as i feared, it was only the beginning of their dastardly ideas.
Xbox President, Don Mattrick choking down the last bite of his shoe after constantly having his foot in his mouth at E3
The issue is that industry is beginning to plateau, and for a company like Microsoft anything other than rapid growth of earning potential is not acceptable. So when information about how the company's plans for the new system began to surface many eyebrows were raised.
The first rumor to be addressed was that of a Digital Rights Management (DRM) system that Microsoft looked to place in the system. The system would keep an online record of each individual game disc, and once inserted into a game system link that game to the user's Xbox Live account. In the future if any other user attempted to use that disc, it would first require that an activation fee be paid to Microsoft.
This issue created quite an uproar due to the fact that this would mean that gamers would no longer be able to borrow, rent, or buy game discs that have already been used without paying Microsoft first. With many gamers being able to buy more titles for their systems when choosing to buy used, this became a concern that their Xbox One libraries would have to be considerably smaller. Even the most hardcore Xbox fanboys were forced to express their displeasure with this concept. However when the time came Microsoft announced that this would in fact be a reality for anyone who bought their new system.
Always being connected to the internet, with a wide angle 1080p camera constantly peering into your living room... someone else can write that article, but it is pretty scary to think about
The second huge issue to arrive was that of connectivity. While online features have been a staple of the last generation of gaming consoles, they certainly weren't necessary for most titles. Even great online multiplayer titles like Call of Duty had an offline single player campaign that players could go through. Microsoft planned on taking that luxury of online ability and making it mandatory. The "always connected" Xbox One was to require a daily internet check, or the system would not allow for games to be played.
Many people felt that this was a rather bold and conceited move by the brass at Xbox. While the internet has grown substantially over the past few years, there are still many homes that do not have readily available internet. Backlash on this topic met a fever pitch, when Xbox boss, Don Mattrick made some rather smug comments in an interview with video game journalist Geoff Keighley. Mattrick said, "Fortunately we have a product for people who aren't able to get some form of connectivity, it's called Xbox 360." He later made a comment about how they based that decision from reading the forums and only finding a guy on a nuclear submarine complaining about the issue. Apparently those on nuclear submarines were to quit their complaining and be happy with their 360.
Sony reps were almost repressing laughter at E3 explaining that their PS4 was not only going to be $100 cheaper than the $500 Xbox One, but wasn't including any sort of DRM technology, or forcing online connection. Combined with the horrible press and angry consumers Microsoft came out and changed their stance on the issues. While they did listen to the public, they certainly weren't thrilled about the result. They did act much like the pouting kid taking his ball home, declaring that some of the features now won't be able to work as previously advertised.
Thank you to blisteredthumbs.net for this wonderful apology photo from Microsoft
Well boo-hoo Microsoft, apparently you are going to have to find other ways to turn your new system into a revenue machine. Just be careful, apparently winning one round of the console wars doesn't make you immune to public scorn.
Mike Tyson made the news a few days back when he attended the latest UFC event with the companies president, Dana White. When former heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos was awarded the Knockout of the Night honors, Mike Tyson disagreed. He told Dana While that he believed up and coming fighter T.J. Grant deserved the award, and the $50,000 that comes along with it. White changed the decision and probably rightfully gave the prize to Grant.
While unfortunately not every Iron Mike story through history is as nice as him doing a solid for a deserving young fighter being overlooked, he has seemed to have left a troubled past behind him. That is nice to see, because Mike Tyson was a keystone figure in my childhood gaming experience.
The Orginal Punch Out!! arcade machine. Note the duel monitor setup it employed that served as the inspiration of the Nintendo DS.
In the mid 80's Nintendo had hoped to release a console version of the popular Punch Out!! arcade game. The original Punch Out!! was a simplistic cartoonish version of boxing. It was a neat machine because you did fight behind a green wire frame fighter, allowing a third person perspective with full view of your opponent. The other thing that was unique was the dual monitor display. The bottom monitor was the main play screen while the top monitor displayed fight information. The Nintendo didn't have anywhere near the graphical capabilities of the arcade version, so developers had their work cut out for them.
The main character had to be shrunk down, due to perspective issues from the Nintendo's performance limitations. The wire framed tough guy from the arcade version was replaced with Little Mac. Mac was listed at 4'8" and 107 pounds, and hailed from The Bronx, New York. Little Mac was a simple character capable of head and body punches, ducking, dodging, and a power uppercut whenever he earned a star. The point of the game was to take the underdog Mac through a string of unique boxers, winning various championships along the way.
Mike Tyson on the cover of Sports Illustated in 1986
Nintendo wanted something to put the title over the top, their idea was to have the game culminate against a real fighter. The marketing scheme was developed when the president of Nintendo of America attended a Mike Tyson fight. At the time Tyson was a young fighter to was beating up guys about every other week. Tyson wasn't a household name quite yet but, was signed the three year contract for the use of his likeness. Right about the time of the game's release, Tyson defeated Trevor Berbick for the Heavyweight Championship of the World, quickly becoming boxing's newest and biggest star.
The game couldn't have come out much better. Although it was technically a boxing game, in a weird way it actually transcended normal sports titles. Instead of using AI to dictate the computer, each opponent you faced was a scripted challenge. Since each fighter had individual strengths and weaknesses, the challenge of the game is figuring out to exploit each fighter's timing. Acting and reacting is the key to victory, so if you want to take a chance at Mike Tyson here is the path you will need to take.
Little Mac is trained by none other than The Office's Stanley Hudson
The game starts out with Little Mac and his trainer Doc Brown starting at the bottom of the boxing world. The first championship you fight for is the Minor Circuit. The Minor Circuit is your introduction to the game, and shouldn't be a problem for anyone seriously hoping to make it to the end of the game. So let the fighting begin.
Glass Joe - The game leads off with the same first character from the arcade game, the French fighter with a 1-99 record. Unlike most of the other fighters in this game Joe is not overly concerned with defense. From the very beginning of the fight you can begin picking Joe apart. Glass Joe only has three different attacks, and none of them are incredibly effective. Trying to pinpoint a strategy against Joe is pretty much pointless, if you can't beat him you should try a hobby besides video games.
Von Kaiser - The second challenger is the German fighter Von Kaiser. Kaiser only has two real attacks, a left jab and a right uppercut. He tips off his jab by shaking his head, you can dodge the attack and counter strike, or simply give him a shot to the body while his head is shaking to beat his defense. The uppercut is much of the same, he can be hit with a body blow while he is crouched to throw the uppercut, or simply dodge and counter punch to land a few extra blows. If you earn stars to throw your power uppercut, no matter how much stamina Kaiser has left the blow will knock him to the canvas. You should have no problem making your way to the first champion.
Piston Honda - Here comes the Champ. He's the toughest fight you have seen so far, but that's still not saying much. Honda goes through a slightly varying pattern of Left Jabs, Right Hooks, and Right Uppercuts. He tips off all of his punches, most notably his eyebrows twitch before throwing some blows. If you can time it right you can punch him while he is winding up and earn stars during his his Jab or Hook. The safest strategy is to dodge and counter punch his strikes. Honda's only curveball is his Banzai Attack. When he prepares to use it he will back off and hop around for a few seconds and charge forward. A well timed punch to the mouth will send him stumbling to the canvas. If you aren't brave enough to go that route you must be prepared to block and counter 5 straight punches and a quick uppercut. His Banzai attack is the most brutal technique so far in the game if not defensed property. Also you must win by KO or score the three knockdowns in the round to score the TKO because this fight is impossible to win by decision.
This is the famous pink jogging suit scene that transitions you to the next division
After you dispatch of Honda it is time to face off against the next tier of challengers. But first there is the legendary training scene, where Doc Brown is riding a bike in New York City while Little Mac trails behind in a pink training outfit. Perhaps the pink training outfit was only to pick warmup fights, because the Major Circuit fighters are trickier and more dangerous than the ones you have faced so far. It is probably my favorite circuit because of the iconic characters that were in it.
Don Flamenco - You knew right away you were in the big time at the beginning when Flamenco would do the dance of the same name. However his showmanship display lasts about as long as his match with Mac as long as you follow the simple formula to beating him. Instantly in the match Flamenco begins taunting Mac. He will continue to do this until you throw a strike. No matter what he will block your strike and quickly counter with a powerful uppercut. You must be ready for it because he doesn't tip his uppercut off very well. If you do manage to dodge his attack, alternate left and right blows to the head. You can knock him down after the very first uppercut. He will get up and immediately throw another quick uppercut. If you are ready for it and can dodge it you can repeat the process and knock him down a second time. He won't get up and the fight is yours. His only other technique is a wimpy little hook he throws if you run out of hearts. Be careful though, that right uppercut is quick and lethal.
King Hippo - One of the true iconic characters of the game, King Hippo was one of the few characters that really can only be beaten with one strategy. King Hippo only has several different varieties of jabs. King Hippo's strikes are amongst the most powerful you will see in the entire game, so not getting hit is extremely important in this fight. Occasionally during his punches he will open his mouth just before throwing the strike. At that moment Mac should punch Hippo in the mouth. Once hit in the mouth, Hippo's trunks will fall down allowing you to unload a barrage of punches to his stomach. To knock Hippo down you will have to accomplish that several times. The good news is that King Hippo cannot get back to his feet once knocked down, so after the 10 count Mac will be awarded the victory.
Great Tiger - Right from his intro Great Tiger shows that he is bringing something a little different to the table. His ability to use his abilities to warp around the ring will show itself soon enough. Tiger's main offense is his quick jabs. They are tipped off when the ruby in his turban begins to flash. The safe bet is to dodge and counter, but if you can sneak a punch in when the ruby flashes it will connect. Tiger can also through both left and right uppercuts, which also should be dodged and countered. He is a pretty straight forward match, until he does his Tiger Punch. The Tiger Punch is a series of five punches thrown while he warps around the ring. If you block all five blows Great Tiger will get dizzy and can be easily knocked down with one head shot. He isn't terribly hard to defeat, but it takes a lot. Tiger cannot be knocked out, you must either TKO him or score 10,000 points to get the decision in your favor.
Bald Bull - Perhaps the pinnacle icon of the series, the Major Circuit Champion is by far the toughest opponent yet. He has a powerful jab and hook, but tips them off with quick hand movement. Like most of the previous fighters he can be hit with a perfectly timed head shot when he is tipping those punches off. Unlike those fighter he has a very powerful uppercut that he throws much quicker than the other blows. You must be ready for it, if landed it causes a tremendous amount of damage. If that isn't enough Bald Bull will use his trademark Bull Charge on you. Bull will retreat to the far side of the ring and charge forward with a strike that if hits is an instant knockout. The Charge can be dodged, but he will just keep doing it. It must be countered with a perfectly timed body blow just before he reaches Mac. If countered properly Bull will hit the canvas like a ton of bricks. Hitting that counter is key, because Bald Bull is the only other character besides Great Tiger that cannot be knocked out. The trouble is that it is also impossible to win by decision in this fight, so the only way to win is to TKO the champ.
After this championship the pink gear is donned in the evening hours of New York. This means that you will also enter the big time. The World Circuit has some familiar faces mixed in with some new challenges. These are the truly difficult fights in the game, and really what gives the game the replay value.
Piston Honda - If you are breathing a sigh of relief when you see your old friend Honda, don't. Honda has refined his fighting style since the last time Mac faced him. He now throws trickier combos, that have smaller counter windows. His jab has become a triple jab, and the rest of his arsenal is now thrown with much trickier timing. Honda is certainly beatable this time around, but he's not easy.
Soda Popinski - He was originally named Vodka Drunkinski in the arcade version. However, Nintendo liked their games to stay family friendly on the consoles so he quit drinking large doses of alchohol and changed his name and sticks to what appears to be either Mountain Dew or 7up. While he can be dispatched by simple dodging and counter punching, Popinski doesn't make that terribly easy. He throws heavy uppercuts and hooks, with an occasional jab thrown in. The most difficult part of this fight will be identifying which punch he is about to throw and dodging with the appropriate timing. He has a special triple jab technique he will use on occasion that can cause problems if not avoided. A well executed fight should leave Soda Popinski with another loss on his record, you should be getting skilled enough by now to not let him be a road block.
Bald Bull - Oh no not again, who let this guy in the World Circuit. This rematch is a bit unique, where Bull really hasn't improved too greatly as a fighter. He still throws the same strikes as before, but this time there is a twist. You can beat down Bald Bull all day, but you cannot knock him down with normal counter punches. His energy bar will hover at the botton, only a power uppercut will actually send him to he mat. Getting the uppercuts are a bit easier this time around, but it still raises the overall difficulty of the match quite a bit. You will also need to counter the Bull Charge this time around as well. That can score you a quick knockdown as well. Mac will never be rewarded a decision so getting a KO or TKO is imperative.
Don Flamenco - Much like Piston Honda the 2nd time around with Don Flamenco shows an improvement in his game. Flamenco now features an arsenal of tricky jabs and hooks. He throws them slowly and deliberately so patience is the key this time around. Dodging and counter punching is yet again a sound strategy. This is probably an easier fight than the three previous fights, so if you can make it to Flamenco you probably have the skills to defeat him. I hope you enjoyed this fight because the cupcakes are over.
Mr. Sandman - The final three fights of this game are easily the toughest. You will need all the skills you have picked up so far to make your way to the end. Mr. Sandman throws his blows similarly to Bald Bull, only quicker. Sandman also has tremendous defense to his head, meaning that you will need to learn how to counter attack him. In many instances you must counter with a punch to the face, then repeated blows to the body while he is stunned. He can absorb a huge amount of damage and it takes quite a few punches to knock Sandman down. In fact many people will stop attacking him at the end of the first round, so that he can be knocked down quickly in the 2nd round to make a TKO possible. Sandman's unique move is the Dreamland Express which are three rapid fire uppercuts that need to be dodged. Dodging the Dreamland Express will lead to the best opportunity for damage against Sandman, so learning the timing is crucial to beating him.
Super Macho Man - Not to be confused with the late Randy "Macho Man" Savage, the World Circuit champion is the final step before fighting Mike Tyson. Macho Man is simply an amped up version of Soda Popinski, which makes him fairly manageable opponent for most of the fight. Macho Man's biggest assets are his unique spin punches. Occasionally he will delay for a moment then rip off a nasty spin punch. You must time your dodge perfectly or you will take some serious damage. His Super Spin Punches are even worse, he will pause the same and spin an undetermined amount of time. Avoiding this attack is crucial to taking down the Macho Man for good and making your way to "The Dream Fight"
Mike Tyson - One of the most legendary final challenges in the NES library is Little Mac's fight with Mike Tyson. Iron Mike doesn't really do anything special as he make his way out of the corner to fight, he saves every bit of aggression for the opening bell. The first 1:30 of the first round is among one of the hardest challenges you will ever face. Tyson throws huge uppercuts with very little warning that will knock Mac down with one punch. To get the timing of the uppercut and recover enough to counter is extremely difficult. If you aren't on your game this fight can easily end after just three punches. After the 1:30 Tyson comes back to earth and becomes a slightly more normal fighter. However his arsenal is quick, strong and tough to counter. If you can beat him, Tyson will congratulate you (Which is much better than having you ear bitten off, or having your children threatened to be eaten).
With the NBA Finals getting started, it serves as a reminder to me of some of the old basketball titles that graced the early gaming consoles. While there were some fun titles early on in the NES library for basketball fans, they were also rather generic and bland. Eventually NBA Jam came to the arcades. While that game was a blast to play, it was a crazy 2 on 2 arcade style game that didn't really speak to a true basketball purist.
The Sega Genesis was the first console to make a legitimate attempt at creating a true NBA experience. It did an updated version of 1989's PC game, Lakers vs Celtics and the NBA Playoffs. Now the game did have it's shortcomings. It only featured 8 NBA teams and 2 All-Star teams. There was no season mode, so your only real option was to take a team and start in the Conference Semi-Final round of the playoffs with one of the teams they had available.
The real treat of the game was the actual gameplay. It was a true 5 on 5 game with real rules, and no one jumping 30 feet in the air with the ball on fire. The coolest feature was that star players could perform signature moves if performed in certain areas of the court. Michael Jordan had his air reverse, Clyde Drexler did his glide, Charles Barkley did a gorilla dunk. While those were great, nothing was more brutal than Tom Chambers' triple pump slam.
Tom Chambers in his prime with the Phoenix Suns
While not nearly as respected as a Jordan or Barkley, Tom Chambers wasn't a slouch. A 6' 10" power forward, Chambers was a 4 time All-star and has his jersey number retired by the Phoenix Suns. He was an above average shooter for his size, and known for unleashing some powerful dunks from time to time. However I have never seen him pull off the triple pump slam from just inside the 3 point line.
This was just after jumping nearly 20 feet and pumping the ball three times in mid-air
And that was the issue with Lakers vs Celtics, that move was just to easy to pull off. Most of the other signature moves were much more difficult to pull off. To pull off a move in the game you needed to shoot with the player on the correct area of the court. Most required being somewhat close to the basket, but Chambers' signature dunk started just inside the three point line.
The only way to stop it was drawing a charging foul, but that was difficult to do consistently. It was a fun way to trick a new player. You could tell them they could have Jordan and the Bulls, while you play with the lowly Suns... then destroy them.
There were a few sequels to the game. Bulls vs Lakers and Bulls vs Blazers. Those were significant because they were among the first games to replace in game music, with in game commentary. Giving those games a more realistic feel. EA also did a similar game featuring the 1992 "Dream Team" playing internationally.
As we barrel towards what promises to be a very interesting summer in the world of gaming, Microsoft gave us the first look at the Xbox One. Thankfully Microsoft was a bit more forthcoming with information than the Sony Playstation 4 announcement several weeks prior. That wasn't terribly hard due to the fact that Sony couldn't even produce a system to show during their system announcement.
Microsoft has seemed to build a bit of a juggernaut as far as power is concerned. With 8GB of RAM, a Blu-Ray drive, and the Kinect peripheral now standard the Xbox One will certainly provide a considerable performance from the 360. While big numbers and fancy interfaces are great, I do have some concerns.
Before I go much further I must explain one thing. I have owned every system made by both Sony and Microsoft. Currently I have a working Playstation, PS2, and PS3 all hooked up to my television. Only my PS2 is not the original system that I bought. I purchased a slimline PS2 and bartered away my old original PS2. To this day that system still is in good, working order. My Xbox, and Xbox 360 are in pieces in a box in my attic due to system failures after a couple years of use.
The Xbox One
Outside of durability issues, I have always have taken exception to the Xbox Live subscription service. I don't care how many people try to convince me how much better quality the Live service is compared to the Playstation Network, you can't beat free in my eyes. Xbox Live's concept of paying for access to your own internet is almost criminal. I liken it to being expected to pay your toilet manufacturer for the water you use in it.
While I am trying to ignore some of my preconceived notions about the next run of systems, I can't help but to notice a few more concerns. My main concern about this system was that it wasn't promoted heavily as a gaming console, but rather a media hub. While Sony failed to show a system, they did an ample job of reminding us that they were preparing to release a video game console.
Yusef Mehdi from Microsoft seems to have channeled is inner karate kid for the menu navigation demonstration
Nearly all of the actual system demonstration was featuring the home menu navigation. Since the system promotes a one input system, now moving from games to television, to media control is nearly seamless. Controlling your television will be as easy as barking orders and doing Mr. Miyagi impersonations with your arms. Since the Kinect will actually come standard with the system they are finding ways to implement that into the experience.
I will say that I was impressed with the demo for the new 1080p wide angle camera the Xbox One version of the Kinect will have. It showcased many of the different ways that the Kinect has been improved to capture very accurate motions.
Either way the new console wars have begun. Within the next month we should be getting more information including the price points. It will be also interesting to see some of the more concerning rumors addressed, including the rumor about programming in blocks to disallow games from being used in multiple Xbox systems without paying for the game again. Until then I will keep my opinions on these rumors to myself.
Super Mario Bros is one of the definitive titles for retro gamers. Since the game was included with the Nintendo Entertainment System it was a game that nearly every single person who has ever played the system has played. Over 40 million copies were sold, which makes it the second to Wii Sports for the best selling video game of all time.
Super Mario Bros is fondly remembered for being one of the first truly good platforming titles. It's clean controls, and addictive game play was unlike anything that came before it. However one of the lasting memories of the game is its music.
Video game composer Koji Kondo
The music for Super Mario Brothers was composed by Japanese composer Koji Kondo. While Kondo had done music for arcade games like Punch Out!!, the Super Mario Bros soundtrack was his first big hit. While Kondo is responsible for the music for most of the Super Mario and Legend of Zelda games, the original Mario theme is still his most popular. Even Nobuo Uematsu, the composer of much of the Final Fantasy series praised the music so much, he was quoted saying that the Super Mario Bros theme should be the Japanese national anthem.
For you trivia buffs the theme does have an official name, "Ground Theme." And the theme still lives on today. The Super Mario Bros theme has been tackled by scores of unique musicians. Many examples are found right here on the internet, and one quick trip through YouTube will find some gems.
The first video is an impromptu performance by Jean Baudin on his 11 string bass guitar. It is an impressive performance, on a very unique instrument.
The second video is by Japanese beatboxer HIKAKIN. It is yet another extremely unique take on the theme song. And if anyone can inform me how exactly he does this please let me know.
The final video in this roundup is a strange one. While the song is dedicated to Marty B's love for Captain Crunch, it uses the theme from the second Super Mario Bros theme interchanged with many of the famous sound effects from the game.
In the early days of home console gaming all eyes were on Nintendo. They seemed to have the winning formula for success in the early days, so developers didn't seem to challenge their rules. While there were many great games out for the Nintendo and Super Nintendo, their strict policies on how violence was portrayed in games kept developers from pushing the envelope. This policy made many developers to gear their games for children, and made the idea of games with adult themes very taboo.
How did Nintendo not find this good, wholesome fun for the family
The Mortal Kombat series was one that certainly didn't seek Nintendo's approval. Debuting in 1992 with the original Mortal Kombat arcade game, the 2-dimensional fighting game made waves with it's realistic character models, and extremely violent content. From the outset this made the series extremely popular. And by 1995 there were two sequels to the hit out for arcades.
What made the game most shocking to most was the fact that instead of cartoonish characters, MK used real actors to create the models of each character. Successful strikes against your opponents caused sprays of blood to shoot from their wounds. At the end of each battle the loser stands dazed and the game proclaims "Finish Him." From there each character has his or her own unique finishing move called a Fatality. Mortal Kombat fatalities are gruesome animations of character dismemberment, or maiming. Each of the three original arcade games had home console counterparts.
Mortal Kombat 3 arcade machine
The first two games were available on the SNES and Sega Genesis. Most gamers remember the Genesis ports the best. Although the game was toned down from the arcade version, a cheat code could be entered to unlock the blood and gore that the arcade version had. The Super Nintendo was a different story all together. Much of the game was altered, the blood was removed, many of the fatalities were altered to limit the violence, and even if you had the cheat codes the blood would be green. This caused many gamers who didn't have access to a Genesis to cry foul.
The third game was also ported to the Sony PlayStation. The PS1 was a great system for the series to grow, and didn't have the same objections to the violent content that the earlier systems did. The issue that fans had with the third installment was that many of the principal characters were replaced. Raiden, Scorpion, Mileena, Kitana, and other series regulars were all replaced with new characters. While still a great Mortal Kombat the omission of many of the series' regulars were too much for fans to take.
Mortal Kombat Trilogy for the Playstation boasted tons of playable characters
In order to solve these issues for the home console market, in 1996 Mortal Kombat Trilogy was developed for the PlayStation and the Nintendo 64. On the surface they were very solid home console versions of the game, but the PlayStation version boasted 37 playable characters from each of the first three titles. There were several improvements made to gameplay including the Brutality finishing maneuver, and the Aggressor bar which gave temporary boost in performance.
The high number of playable characters really set the game apart from any game like it. Having such a vast number of playable characters gave the game a high replay value. Another feature that the game had was a cheat code for performing one button Fatalities. This eliminated the need to perform the complicated inputs previously needed to perform these abilities.
Tons of characters made for Mortal Kombat heaven
While the PlayStation version was a moderate hit, the Nintendo 64 was a different story. Limitations in the system caused the developers once again to have to scale back the game. The N64 version only had 30 characters included, among other limitations.
Mortal Kombat Trilogy also marked the end of 2D gaming for the series (until 2011's Mortal Kombat for PS3 and XBox 360). Mortal Kombat 4 evolved the series into a 3D fighter. Beyond that there were several other different style games set in the Mortal Kombat universe that further went away from the originals.
When we talk about retro gaming, many games bring back great memories. A lot of games can boast that they were innovative for their time. But very few games can claim to have revolutionized the industry. One game that comes to mind that can make that claim was Activision's Pitfall!
It is important to remember that at the time Atari was very indifferent to new ideas in gaming. The Atari 2600 was really only designed to play a handful of arcade ports like Combat and Pong. The limitations that game developers had to overcome creating games for the system restricted what could be done. Creating anything other than a game with simple shapes and objectives didn't terribly interest Atari, and was a seemingly impossible goal.
I never really understood the rainbow coming out of Pitfall Harry's backside on the original cover
Then along came Pitfall!, a game that can boast several technical achievements. First off the main character, Pitfall Harry was one of the first true sprites to be put into a game that boasted different colors and a unique walk cycle animation, that mimicked cartoon animation. Secondly the game was the first true platforming game that allowed you to travel beyond the scope of a single screen. 1981's Donkey Kong was probably the first true platformer, but the game never left the borders of your television. Pitfall's more open ended approach to platform gaming certainly inspired the side scrolling adventures like Super Mario Bros, Castlevania, Mega Man, Contra, and many others in the years to follow.
Pitfall! was the brain child of programmer David Crane. Crane had worked on Kaboom, Grand Prix, Fishing Derby, and several other titles for the 2600. His innovative use of the limited tools a programmer could use utilize in the early game systems made him one of the most respected programmers in his field.
David Crane's photo from his Twitter account (@PitfallCreator)
Crane was one of the few programmers to challenge the conventional thinking that home consoles were simply vessels for poorly done arcade ports. With Pitfall! he strived to raise the bar and create a unique gaming experience. The game was designed to last more than the 1-5 minutes you would expect to play most of the other games on the console. . Run and jump to find 32 treasures spread out over 256 possible screens. The game ends after all the treasures are found, the 20 minute time limit expires, or poor Pitfall Harry is killed by a number of perils that stand in his way to finding the treasure.
An example of a typical screen in Pitfall!
Crane took the Atari 2600 to it's absolute limits and it payed off. Only Pac-Man outsold Pitfall! for the 2600. There was a season of Pitfall Harry cartoons on CBS based on the game in 1983. Several sequels were released for numerous systems. And the Pitfall! series is still going strong in 2013 with the recent releases of the game as a mobile application.
Ultimately Pitfall! will go down in history as the first game to at least give the gamer the feel of a side scrolling game. Although Pitfall! itself didn't scroll, the unique way it switched from screen to screen it certainly was the precursor for the idea once the NES was released a few years later. This really made it a stepping stone game that influenced many games to come. This started with the early Mario Brothers and Sonic the Hedgehog titles, to the more modern games like Braid and Little Big Planet.
Whenever you find yourself truly immersed into a video game it is easy to forget the amount of coding that was involved into the games creation. It really is the ultimate goal for a developer to create a world for gamers that allows them to forget that they are simply using a piece of software. For a few moments a person can transform themselves into warriors, adventurers, pro athletes, fighter pilots, plumbers trying to save princesses, and countless other things.
Occasionally there are things that happen in these adventures that immediately remind us that we are using software. These things are called glitches. With all of the code that is needed to create these games, there are bound to be some mistakes along the line. Some have funny consequences, other can completely ruin the gaming experience. Here are some examples.
One of the first games to really showcase an array of glitches was Super Mario Brothers for the NES. The most commonly known of the glitches shown in the REARN49 video below is a specific jump you can execute in world 1-2. If executed properly you jumped through the brick wall and into the warp zone. At that point you had to use the warp zone. But instead of warping to worlds 1,2,or 3 you went to world -1, a never ending water level that you could never beat.
Since baseball season has just started here is a horrible example of glitches from more recent times. MLB 2K9 is the source, and EDDIEGGG27 vents a bit of frustration in this complilation. (Not work friendly audio in this video)
Street Fighter 2 houses several interesting glitches. But this one is noteworthy due to something horrible happening to E. Honda's gentleman's region. This one is not for the faint at heart, watch with caution.
In case you have been living under a rock you should already know that Disney is now the proud owners of LucasFilm. This has been concerning to a lot of people, due to the scope of what LucasFilm encompasses. Owning LucasFilm gives Disney rights to do what they please with film franchises like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and even Howard the Duck (Which allegedly is in Disney's plans for the future). Also it gave them ownership of LucasArts, the gaming company started by George Lucas himself in 1982.
Sad news came in this week that Disney has shut down the development team at LucasArts, and will solely focus on licensing new Star Wars titles to outside developers. Initial reports stated that LucasArts would be continuing business as usual. There were three Star Wars titles currently in development that have all been cancelled. Most notably Star Wars 1313, an open world RPG set in the Star Wars universe. It was supposed be based around the criminal underworld. I'm sure it would have been dubbed Grand Theft Star Wars, and really could have been a cool game. Perhaps Kickstarter will get that project back off the ground.
R.I.P. LucasArts 1982-2013
Sadly this turn of events has led to the layoffs of over 150 people employed at LucasArts. While layoffs are never a good thing, the move certainly illustrates the fear that developers have in the immediate future of the video game industry. I know that I shared a similar fear in my article about the Sony press conference where there was very little information given about the next generation PlayStation, despite the release date being slated for later this year. I'm not sure that there is a ton of market hype for the new PlayStation and Xbox releases so far, due to the fact that there really can be very little in the way of improvements to the way that next gen games will look.
LucasArts will be best remembered for their seemingly never ending run of Star Wars series. There was Battlefront, Jedi Knight, Bounty Hunter, Force Unleashed, tons of flyers, and all sorts of other games. Some were really good and some were really bad. My personal favorite games of theirs were the Knights of the Old Republic games. Those two games were really well executed RPG's. The stories were well done, and used locations that were true to the mythology of Star Wars.
Promotional photo for the Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic game
They also did a MMORPG named Star Wars Galaxies that lasted from 2003 until 2011. There were several Indiana Jones titles, the Monkey Island series, the Maniac Mansion series, Thrillville, Labyrinth, and many others. Early in their existence they were primarily known for their graphic adventure games, and have done everything under the sun ever since.
Obviously this was also a move to focus on the upcoming Star Wars films. So in time we will see if the change was worth it. There will be Star Wars games, lets just see which developer out there is brave enough to try one.
Happy Easter everyone, today I am writing a short article about what Easter Eggs mean to gamers. Traditionally on this day regular, decorated eggs are placed in hiding for children to enjoy trying to find. In video gaming it is something completely different. Easter eggs refer to a hidden material inside a video game that developers include, usually for their own amusement.
The idea of the Easter egg dates back to the Atari 2600's Adventure from 1979. Adventure's programmer Warren Robinett added his own name to a screen in the game as a statement that developers don't receive attention for their work. Since then there have been a number of inside jokes, political statements, and other oddities of gaming included with a variety of different titles. While I will cover many of these in the future, I will start by highlighting the most infamous of Easter eggs for this fine Easter evening.
The Grand Theft Auto series didn't give a shortage of those that hate video gaming a reason to be quiet. The surprising violent, sexual, and adult themed references often don't sit well with parents who feel that only children play games and a market for adult themed games is out of line. That didn't stop Rockstar Games into including a crazy easter egg that was never supposed to see the light of day.
1994's GTA San Andreas was the game that included the infamous "Hot Coffee" Easter egg. The game's playable character, Carl Johnson had the potential to have six girlfriends around San Andreas. There was a small minigame revolved around dating. The whole sequence was tame compared to what happened if you drove a prostitute to a secluded location.
This all changed when the PC version came out. Since PC games allow for anyone to see into the source code of the game, anyone can release mods for these games by making changes to this code and releasing it. A mod known as the "Hot Coffee Mod" was released. This mod changed the potential of the ends of these dates. If the date goes well Carl will be invited in for hot coffee. What follows was a full on sex scene minigame.
Rockstar initially claimed that the entire sequence had been added by the modders. The modders came back by claiming that only one bit of information needed to be changed to achieve the hot coffee sequence. It was also revealed that the rouge code was included with the console versions of the game as well. This meant the game was released to the public still containing the code. Since the code was disabled and not removed the video game rating board still requires that all coding included in a final version be submitted for review. Since the inclusion of a full on sex scene coded into the game would change the game's rating to an Adults Only rating from the the Mature rating it received, it was immediately pulled from shelves by many retailers fearing backlash from consumers.
Lots of bad legal things ensued. It also put increased pressure on developers to quit pushing the envelope of good taste with their content. It was a setback for the game industry, and probably a mistake that won't ever happen again.
