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Still one of the best beat 'em ups I've ever played, especially in two-player co-op mode.
This legend is closing in on 40 years and still makes my gamer heart beat a little faster. Picking up the dropped weapons was such a blast!
Double Dragon (1987, Technos Japan).
This legend is closing in on 40 years and still makes my gamer heart beat a little faster. Picking up the dropped weapons was such a blast!
Double Dragon (1987, Technos Japan).
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What's a computer or console you always dreamed of as a kid/teenager but that was simply out of reach?
If there was ever an unachievable goal (or better yet, dream) from my teenage gaming years, it was owning the otherworldly Neo Geo. Alas, it was so far out of reach it might as oon.
The Neo Geo AES (Advanced Entertainment System) was deliberately positioned and priced as an extreme luxury console. Launch price was around $650 in North America (1990–91). Adjusted for inflation, that’s roughly $1,500+ in today’s money.
But here’s the real kicker: games typically cost $200 to $300 each, sometimes even more. A single cartridge could cost as much as an entire competing console plus several games.
SNK was selling "the arcade in your living room" as a status product - essentially the Ferrari of consoles. The core appeal was that it wasn’t a home console with an arcade port. It was THE arcade hardware.
If there was ever an unachievable goal (or better yet, dream) from my teenage gaming years, it was owning the otherworldly Neo Geo. Alas, it was so far out of reach it might as oon.
The Neo Geo AES (Advanced Entertainment System) was deliberately positioned and priced as an extreme luxury console. Launch price was around $650 in North America (1990–91). Adjusted for inflation, that’s roughly $1,500+ in today’s money.
But here’s the real kicker: games typically cost $200 to $300 each, sometimes even more. A single cartridge could cost as much as an entire competing console plus several games.
SNK was selling "the arcade in your living room" as a status product - essentially the Ferrari of consoles. The core appeal was that it wasn’t a home console with an arcade port. It was THE arcade hardware.
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Ever wondered what's up with those "Human Torch" lookalikes in Bad Dudes?
Developer notes confirm they were deliberately modeled on Marvel’s Human Torch (just as the clawed ninja boss draws from Wolverine). Data East reportedly tried to license the characters from Marvel. When gh, they used the unlicensed lookalikes anyway.
How Marvel didn't take any action, especially after the licensing deal was denied, boggles my mind a bit. That's like "Hey, you mind if we use your characters in a game? - No? Ok, well, we'll do it anyway, have a good day."
Bad Dudes vs. DragonNinja (1988, Data East)
Developer notes confirm they were deliberately modeled on Marvel’s Human Torch (just as the clawed ninja boss draws from Wolverine). Data East reportedly tried to license the characters from Marvel. When gh, they used the unlicensed lookalikes anyway.
How Marvel didn't take any action, especially after the licensing deal was denied, boggles my mind a bit. That's like "Hey, you mind if we use your characters in a game? - No? Ok, well, we'll do it anyway, have a good day."
Bad Dudes vs. DragonNinja (1988, Data East)
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Pre-2000 computer and tech sounds were something to behold - and highly recognizable. Some of them are forever burned into my memory:
*⃣ The dial-up sound of an old modem.
*⃣ The disk drive “clack” when you inserted a 5.25" or 3.5" floppy.
*⃣ The “press play on tape” datasette hecksum/disk error sound on the Amiga.
*⃣ The machine-gun clack-clack-clack of a disk read error on the C64.
*⃣ Turning on an 80s or 90s PC sounding like a small jet about to take off.
*⃣ And then, of course, probably the most recognizable sound of all: the good old dot-matrix printer.
When I hear that sound, I instantly visualize the endless green-and-white paper with the holes along each side.
*⃣ The dial-up sound of an old modem.
*⃣ The disk drive “clack” when you inserted a 5.25" or 3.5" floppy.
*⃣ The “press play on tape” datasette hecksum/disk error sound on the Amiga.
*⃣ The machine-gun clack-clack-clack of a disk read error on the C64.
*⃣ Turning on an 80s or 90s PC sounding like a small jet about to take off.
*⃣ And then, of course, probably the most recognizable sound of all: the good old dot-matrix printer.
When I hear that sound, I instantly visualize the endless green-and-white paper with the holes along each side.
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What's the first game that comes to your mind when I say Westwood Studios?
Dune II?
Command & Conquer?
The Legend of Kyrandia?
If so, then I'd like to remind you that they also made this great game back in 1997: Blade Runner
The original Blade Runner movie is from 1982 and arguvies ever made. Turning it into a game was probably quite a daunting and challenging task, given the high expectations. I think Westwood did an exceptional job.
Instead of Rick Deckard, you play as Ray McCoy, an elite detective. The setting is still Los Angeles in 2019 which was futuristic when released, is now our past, and yet strangely like a potential future we might be heading toward).
The game is a classic point-and-click adventure but, unlike many others of its era, it has a much darker and more dystopian vibe. The goal remains similar to the movie’s story: investigating and hunting dangerous replicants through classic detective work.
Dune II?
Command & Conquer?
The Legend of Kyrandia?
If so, then I'd like to remind you that they also made this great game back in 1997: Blade Runner
The original Blade Runner movie is from 1982 and arguvies ever made. Turning it into a game was probably quite a daunting and challenging task, given the high expectations. I think Westwood did an exceptional job.
Instead of Rick Deckard, you play as Ray McCoy, an elite detective. The setting is still Los Angeles in 2019 which was futuristic when released, is now our past, and yet strangely like a potential future we might be heading toward).
The game is a classic point-and-click adventure but, unlike many others of its era, it has a much darker and more dystopian vibe. The goal remains similar to the movie’s story: investigating and hunting dangerous replicants through classic detective work.
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"You're lucky he didn't tie your weeny into a granny knot."
Ahh, good old Elvira.
Being a pubescent teenager in 1990 was tough enough as it was. Needless to say, this was a popular game for obvious reasons.
"Follow your mistress and collect your just reward" - you bet!
Ahh, good old Elvira.
Being a pubescent teenager in 1990 was tough enough as it was. Needless to say, this was a popular game for obvious reasons.
"Follow your mistress and collect your just reward" - you bet!
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Jungle Hunt for the Atari 5200 was originally published as Jungle King, but then rebranded due to a copyright dispute over too much likeness to Tarzan.
I don't think Tarzan ever wore a funny looking hat or any kind of shirt at all but whatever...
I don't think Tarzan ever wore a funny looking hat or any kind of shirt at all but whatever...
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Please insert disk 2 of 10.
Installing games, tools, and operating systems from floppy disks was quite a time-consuming yet also oddly satisfying process. Watching that animated progress bar inch closer to the elusive 100% mark was a thing of beauty.
A salute to all you former You truly know what the word patience means.
P.S.: Extra points for the times you remember when the last disk was faulty and the progress bar let you stare at 96% for eternity...
Installing games, tools, and operating systems from floppy disks was quite a time-consuming yet also oddly satisfying process. Watching that animated progress bar inch closer to the elusive 100% mark was a thing of beauty.
A salute to all you former You truly know what the word patience means.
P.S.: Extra points for the times you remember when the last disk was faulty and the progress bar let you stare at 96% for eternity...
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Remembering some 80s legends: Hulk Hogan, André the Giant, Randy Savage, Ted DiBiase, Bam Bam Bigelow, and Honky Tonk Man.
Who was your go-to guy in 1989's WWF WrestleMania for the NES?
Who was your go-to guy in 1989's WWF WrestleMania for the NES?
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Who here remembers exploring the Americas in The Seven Cities of Gold (1984)?
Loved this game as a kid, despite having little clue what to do at first. It doesn't have a specific fixed ending or hard win condition, which I always found unusual.
Loved this game as a kid, despite having little clue what to do at first. It doesn't have a specific fixed ending or hard win condition, which I always found unusual.
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The good old days of CGA.
Alley Cat (1984 by Synapse Software) feels exactly like some programmer had a wild late-night coding session on too much coffee (or whatever they had back then) and just let the surreal vibes flow.
That limited 4-color palette (black, cyan, magenta, thing into a piece of art... well, it's an acquired taste, I suppose. Add to that the squeaky PC speaker sound and you got yourself a game!
You're Freddy the alley cat, jumping bins, dodging dogs, climbing fences, then breaking into people's apartments to knock over vases, eat fish, and court Felicia while Cupid shoots arrows at you.
We've come a long way.
Alley Cat (1984 by Synapse Software) feels exactly like some programmer had a wild late-night coding session on too much coffee (or whatever they had back then) and just let the surreal vibes flow.
That limited 4-color palette (black, cyan, magenta, thing into a piece of art... well, it's an acquired taste, I suppose. Add to that the squeaky PC speaker sound and you got yourself a game!
You're Freddy the alley cat, jumping bins, dodging dogs, climbing fences, then breaking into people's apartments to knock over vases, eat fish, and court Felicia while Cupid shoots arrows at you.
We've come a long way.
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Gamers today click "Install," wait a little while, and then hit the "Play Game" button. Technical skill required: zero.
Gamers in the 1990s needed a PhD in computer science, mastery of hardware and software configuration, willpower, patience, BIOS knowledge, boot disks, base s, and insane amounts of trial and error - just to run a single game.
Show this to anyone under 35 and they'll think you were a wizard... and maybe you were!
Gamers in the 1990s needed a PhD in computer science, mastery of hardware and software configuration, willpower, patience, BIOS knowledge, boot disks, base s, and insane amounts of trial and error - just to run a single game.
Show this to anyone under 35 and they'll think you were a wizard... and maybe you were!
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What was the most expensive game you ever played?
For me it was Gauntlet, hands down. And it's not even close.
Let me tell you why...
In 1985, the arcade version of Gauntlet was released. There was an arcade mall a few kilometers from where I lived, so my friend and I would most every weekend for about a year.
One game credit cost 50 Pfennig (roughly US$ 0.25 at the time), and we’d each spend around 10 Deutsche Mark per weekend, totaling about 500 Deutsche Mark (roughly US$ 250) over that year. In the mid 80s that was some serious cash for a teenage kid.
So yeah, Gauntlet was the most expensive game of my life.
For me it was Gauntlet, hands down. And it's not even close.
Let me tell you why...
In 1985, the arcade version of Gauntlet was released. There was an arcade mall a few kilometers from where I lived, so my friend and I would most every weekend for about a year.
One game credit cost 50 Pfennig (roughly US$ 0.25 at the time), and we’d each spend around 10 Deutsche Mark per weekend, totaling about 500 Deutsche Mark (roughly US$ 250) over that year. In the mid 80s that was some serious cash for a teenage kid.
So yeah, Gauntlet was the most expensive game of my life.
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38 years ago today, Super Mario Bros. 3 was released for the NES.
It's generally considered by the video game press to be the best game ever created for the NES.
For several years it held the record for the highest-grossing non-bundled video game in the world.
It's generally considered by the video game press to be the best game ever created for the NES.
For several years it held the record for the highest-grossing non-bundled video game in the world.
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Streets of Rage II (1992, Ancient/Sega)
Kicking Mr. X’s ass after he almost falls asleep watching his henchmen get totally owned by you.
Kicking Mr. X’s ass after he almost falls asleep watching his henchmen get totally owned by you.
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Confession time - who was a serious crush you had back in the day?
I go first: Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar).
Now ram that stake right through my heart!
I go first: Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar).
Now ram that stake right through my heart!
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When you combine a dream with passion and skill, the result can be groundbreaking: Karateka (1984) by Jordan Mechner is widely recognized as the world’s first game to use rotoscoping.
Guinness World Records lists Karateka as the first “motion-capture animation” in a game (using coping process).
Jordan Mechner, then a Yale student, filmed his mother’s karate instructor (and later his father and sister) performing various running, kicking, and punching moves with a Super 8 camera in 1982 and 1983.
He projected the footage, hand-traced each (!) frame onto paper, and then digitized the drawings into the Apple II using a graphics tablet. It’s hard to put into perspective how much manual labour went into it.
Mechner later refined that approach further in his most famous game, Prince of Persia (1989).
Guinness World Records lists Karateka as the first “motion-capture animation” in a game (using coping process).
Jordan Mechner, then a Yale student, filmed his mother’s karate instructor (and later his father and sister) performing various running, kicking, and punching moves with a Super 8 camera in 1982 and 1983.
He projected the footage, hand-traced each (!) frame onto paper, and then digitized the drawings into the Apple II using a graphics tablet. It’s hard to put into perspective how much manual labour went into it.
Mechner later refined that approach further in his most famous game, Prince of Persia (1989).
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An oldie but goldie... and definitely needing a manual to have even the slightest clue what was going on: Carrier Command (1988).
Developed by Realtime Games and published by Rainbird, it's essentially a mix between RTS and simulation elements.
You command the aircraft carrier war to colonize a 64-island archipelago before a rival carrier does the same. You can attack by air (Manta) or land (Walrus) and drop command centres on neutral islands. The game switches between fleet management and direct vehicle control.
Its filled-polygon graphics and tactical elements made it one of the oldest true RTS games. It received excellent reviews, often in the high 90% range. A sequel, Battle Command, followed two years later.
Developed by Realtime Games and published by Rainbird, it's essentially a mix between RTS and simulation elements.
You command the aircraft carrier war to colonize a 64-island archipelago before a rival carrier does the same. You can attack by air (Manta) or land (Walrus) and drop command centres on neutral islands. The game switches between fleet management and direct vehicle control.
Its filled-polygon graphics and tactical elements made it one of the oldest true RTS games. It received excellent reviews, often in the high 90% range. A sequel, Battle Command, followed two years later.
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