retro review
Retro Review: Phantasy Star Online (DC)
Release Date: December 21, 2000 Developer: Sonic Team Publisher: SEGA Corporation The SEGA Dreamcast was a snake-bitten console. It was their most technologically-advanced console, but it was released at a time when gamers were openly hostile with the company. Stateside, all of the goodwill SEGA of America garnered for the 16-bit Genesis was washed away with SEGA of Japan’s meddling, forcing such ...[Read More]
Retro Review: The Krion Conquest
Release Date: January 1991 Developer: Vic Tokai Corporation Publisher: Vic Tokai, Inc. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that’s the case, The Krion Conquest is the most flattering game in the 8-bit world. Known as Magical Kids Doropie in Japan, Vic Tokai’s The Krion Conquest is about as close to a rip-off of Mega Man as you can get. From the premise to the visuals to ...[Read More]
Retro Review: Blackthorne (SNES)
Release Date: 1994 Developer: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. Publisher: Interplay Productions Ltd. On February 8th, 1991, three UCLA Bachelor’s graduates decided to start making video games for the SNES under the name Silicon & Synapse. The games were good but not spectacular. Sometime in 1993, Silicon & Synapse became Chaos Studios. They eventually caught the attention of distributor...[Read More]
Retro Review: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Saturn)
Release Date: June 25, 1998 Developer: Konami Computer Entertainment Publisher: Konami For my first Halloween Retro Review, I decided ahead of time that I would look at a Castlevania game. I mean, it’s Halloween, and few things go better with All Hallow’s Evening than Dracula himself. But I also decided to add a twist to the review. For the twist, I looked to Japan for the second week in a row. Ca...[Read More]
Retro Review: Chō Aniki: Kyūkyoku Muteki Ginga Saikyō Otoko (PS1)
Release Date: December 29, 1995 Developer: Masaya Publisher: Nippon Computer Systems Many people have been complaining for years that games that are released stateside often lack variety. It’s hard to argue with them. True, there is some real innovation going on in the indie space, but the AAA market tends to rely on also-ran cookie-cutter games to fill out their release schedules. Whether it’s a ...[Read More]
Retro Review: Yars’ Revenge (Atari 2600)
Release Date: May 1982 Developer: Howard Scott Warshaw Publisher: Atari The Atari 2600 was the sales leader for the second generation of home video games. It was also quite tricky to develop games for. The system’s notoriously low capabilities and the game cartridges’ equally low capacity made things difficult for programmers. The stories about having to read manuals to learn to exploit buffers an...[Read More]
Uncle Willy’s Retro Review: The Adventures of Lolo
This is the beginning of a new series where I discuss the old-school games that I recall from my olden times. Today I take a look at The Adventures of Lolo, my favorite puzzle game on the NES. Click here for a written review of this game.
Retro Review: Adventures of Lolo (NES)
Release Date: April 20, 1989 Developer: HAL Laboratory Publisher: HAL Laboratory Puzzle games have always held a special place in my heart. Whenever the adrenaline rush of shoot-em-ups and the story of a good RPG paled, I would always relax by taxing my mind with a puzzle game. The mental stress was taxing yet soothing. It was my way of chilling out. While my ex-wife was in labor with my son, wait...[Read More]
Retro Review: Missile Command (Arcade)
Release Date: 1980 Developer: Atari Publisher: Atari Ever since Atari’s Computer Space debuted at the Music Operators of America (MOA) Exposition in 1971, the purpose of video games has been to provide enjoyment for players and money for developers. Rare is the video game that is supposed to make players think about the consequences. Rarer still is the game that gives its developer nightmares. Mis...[Read More]
Retro Review: ActRaiser (SNES)
Release Date: December 16, 1990 Developer: Quintet, Enix Publisher: Enix The debut of the Super Nintendo in the United States was not completely seamless. The Sega Genesis, the first true 16-bit console of the fourth generation, was already out and selling like hot cakes. Nintendo, for some reason, did not market their new 16-bit system too heavily. The system released in limited quantities on Aug...[Read More]
Retro Review: Bushido Blade (PS1)
Release Date: March 14, 1997 Developer: SquareSoft, Light Weight Publisher: SquareSoft With all the attention For Honor’s closed alpha received this past weekend, I felt it only appropriate to go back and look at Bushido Blade, the PS1 game that For Honor’s stance system reminded me of. So I fired up my PlayStation 2 top-loader, popped in my copy of the game in, and gave it a shot. Ten minutes lat...[Read More]
Retro Review: Metroid (NES)
Release Date: August 6, 1986 Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo Last month, I celebrated Samus Aran’s 30th birthday by paying homage to one of my favorite games on the SNES, Super Metroid. I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize the matriarch of the series: Metroid for the NES. As a 15-year old obsessed with girls and cars, I missed this gem. I had to graduate from my teenage years before I e...[Read More]