Name: Ginormo Sword
Year Released: 2008
System: PC (Flash game)
Link: http://babarageo.com/flash/ginormo/

Before I start this review I would just like to thank eldiablov for the fantastic articles he produced which have kept this section alive while I was gone. Most of the games the others and I review in this section are eighty/nineties classics hence the term "retro" and it's always nice to revisit these age old gems. Ginormo Sword however was released in 2008 but this game feels and plays like it came out twenty years earlier and if you think that's a bad thing then prepare to be corrected, because this game is one of the most addictive things I have ever come across.

Ginormo Sword is a PC flash game developed and published by Babarageo and released in Japan (although the game is in English).

Plot:

When it comes to plot this game is no Xenogears, in fact if I'm perfectly honest it's on about the same level as Pong, but then again since when have the Japanese needed a reason to fight demons and sand monsters? I may be missing something as I'm still stuck on the final boss which upon completion may reveal some kind of epilogue explaining what I have been doing for the past 10 hours of my life but I highly doubt it. This game is a test, a test to see how far you can go without any sort of reward.

Gameplay:

Gameplay is the only reason why anyone could possibly enjoy this game for one reason: It's like cocaine - no matter how much you want to get off it and do something productive you can't because it's too much fun (Note: Cocaine is actually a filthy drug and I'm not advocating it in anyway).

Ginormo Sword is a hybrid between a hack and slash and role playing game. The idea behind it is you enter certain areas on the map and kill everything you see this unlocks a boss then another area. Monsters drop gold which can be used to add stats to yourself or make you sword bigger which allows you to hit more enemies at once and eventually doing major damage to everything on the screen at once.

The game contains multiple weapons and armors that you can enchant with gems that drop to give you an elemental advantage (for example you can only hurt the Ifrit boss with a saphire (water) enchanted weapon). You can also purchase magic spells which are auto cast when you attack to give you that extra edge. The whole system is extremely simple which is what makes it so great. If you have a hot date don't play this game before it as your finger will be in bits (unless you're left handed like me ).

Graphics:

Ginormo sword looks like it was drawn up in MS Paint which is disappointing, the sprites for some of the monsters look great but the world map and the hero sprite (a pink stick man I shit you not) look terrible but today I'm an optimist so I'm going to say it has an element of childhood charm. There isn't much else to say on the subject, most of the enemies are just recolors of previous opponents and your sword (the main focus in the game) is literally just a block of color.

Sound:

The sound effects in this game are shockingly bad to the point where I had to mute my browser. I'm no composer but I can't imagine anything worse than the high pitched torcher this game put me through, I'm actually getting stressed out writing about it. I challenge any of you to find me a game with worst sound effects. The main problem is it's the same three noises again and again and again every five seconds. To put it into perspective I want you to imagine the most annoying girl you know droning on about the same tripe for five hours without giving you or anyone else a chance to talk, got that? This is worse, far worse.

Conclusion:

Ginormo Sword is by all means a terrible game, it's unoriginal, looks and sounds bad and has no plot what so ever but for some reason I can't stop playing it and for that factor alone it scores fairly high. Take the new Sonic games for example, they look great, have decent sound effects and music yet I don't recall playing anything after Sonic Adventure 2 for the Dreamcast for more than an hour. I have currently logged almost ten hours playing this game (not in one sitting). I feel compelled to beat that final boss and finish it despite the fact nothing will happen and that's what gaming should be about, forcing us gamers to want to complete no matter what.

Serideth signing off saying "Mine is bigger than yours".

Score 7/10

Name: Pokémon Gold
Year Released: 1999
System: GBC

As a nineties child I have fond nostalgic memories of various things, from specific TV series I used to enjoy to random collectors cards I used to trade with friends. Though one franchise that stays with me through every category is Pokémon. Pokémon (standing for pocket monsters) was an idea thought up by Bandai and was marketted to children through every possible avenue. In the nineties Pokémon was everywhere, from the TV to the supermarket and eventually to the cinema, Bandai made billions from these fictional creatures and still continue to do so. I'm sure those that do remember it can still recite the famous theme tune used in the first series word for word. Being an avid Pokémon fan during those years I gained a great amount of joy from anything to do with them but I had an even bigger love and respect for the gameboy games that were produced in the nineties. My all time favourite being Pokémon Gold for the Gameboy Colour.

Pokémon Gold is an RPG developed by Game Freak that was released in 1999.

Plot:

In the game you play as a rookie trainer who has just moved into the Johto region with your mother. You are briefed by Professor Oak on what exactly Pokémon are and how you should treat them. As you go through the game you will level up, complete puzzles and defeat your adversaries as you aim to get to the Indigo Plateaux. This is where the Elite Four are housed. They are the best trainers in the Pokémon world and by defeating them you will achieve your aim of taking your place as a true Pokémon master.

Name: Ninja Gaiden
Year Released: 1988
System: NES

Back when the NES was the coolest console you could own, there was a common genre that saturated all gaming platforms; 2D platformers. They were the most common genre and for good reason, they made money. However, most of them lacked the polish and the effort required to stand out in people's memory as a true classic. Ninja Gaiden for the NES was not one of them.
Ninja Gaiden was released in 1988 by Tecmo. It is a 2D sidescrolling platformer.

Plot:

You play as Ryu Hayabusa, a ninja who finds a letter written by his missing father Ken Hayabusa. The letter tells him to go to America and meet with an archaeologist named Doctor  Smith.  Doctor  Smith tells Ryu that two statues hidden by him and Ryu's father from their expedition to the Amazon have the power to end the world if they are united. Ryu then goes on a quest to acquire the statues and destroys them while also trying to discover the fate of his father. The plot was a lot deeper than I first expected for an NES game and I was impressed by it although the story felt "traditional" in the sense of stereotypical ninja stories.

Name: Platoon
Year Released: 1987
System: NES

As a gamer I feel it is pretty safe to say that we gain a great amount of joy from original ideas that are executed creatively and designed well. However, we all know of a darker side of the gaming world that exists due to the film industry. I am of course referring to the much loathed game adaptations of films. You would have assumed back when Platoon for the NES was released that these games would be as good as the films they are based on.  Platoon was a well executed movie well worthy to be rated at the top of its genre. On the other hand, the game adaptation was one of the biggest piles of shit I have ever encountered on a retro console and has without a doubt contributed to the negative stereotype that now hangs over all game adaptations of films.

Platoon was released in 1987 for the NES and was released by Ocean Software. It is a 2D sidescrolling "run and gun" game.

Plot:

The story of Platoon is non-existent. If you have never seen the movie it is highly unlikely you will have any idea about what is going on. The only thing you'd notice is that you're a skinny white guy in the midst of a war zone being attacked by black guys that look like Rambo. You are given no objective whatsoever as you begin the game although this is not necessarily a large issue if you have seen the film as you would know you are a soldier in the Vietnamese jungle trying to fight for your life. The problem is, this is not put across at all in the game. The image to the right is the extent of the introduction.

Gameplay:

The gameplay in Platoon is perhaps the most frustrating I have ever encountered. You run around a jungle which is effectively a maze as you have trees blocking your way every half a minute. There is no sign given if you are going the right way, all you have is guess work.

My next point is regarding enemies, of which there are three types. There are enemies that walk around in the jungle who are fairly easy to spot and pick off, as long as you can duck quick enough and fire back. There are also enemies that jump from the trees, this is one of the many annoying parts of the game as they can jump out from any tree at any moment. Sure, it may seem like that could add to the suspense, but it doesn't. It simply adds to the already mountainous difficulty level as enemies often land behind you and kill you before you have a chance to react. Now we come to pinnacle of annoyance, the mole people. The mole people in Platoon were either added to slap every hardcore gamer in the face or simply because Ocean Software ran out of ideas. Whatever the reason, the mole people of Platoon were the most insanely difficult aspects of the gameplay. The premise behind the mole people is simple, poke your head up as low as possible so the player may not even notice you, and shoot him, shoot him and watch him scream in anguish as he cannot even see you due to you being cunningly positioned behind huge jungle bushes. As you can imagine, this a hugely frustrating aspect of this game.

I always feel like I'm apologizing in this section for being late/infrequent with reviews and this time round I honestly don't have a valid excuse. I do however have a lot of free time on my hands and I do not want to see this section fade away. I have been trying to think of ways to improve the series and I understand asking people to contribute articles is  requesting too much. I do however feel that the reviews would be far more interesting to read and write if there was more input from the users (that would be you guys).

Most of you may of noticed I tend to pick games that interest me and therefor the majority of review scores are fairly high, and I personally feel this is getting boring.  From now on I want you guys to email me (tenchitsu[at]mformature.net) with the game you want me to review and a a short summary of what you thought of it (pros and cons - can be in bullet point form). Anything goes, from the worst to the best (I will not however review pornographic games despite having completed most of them already).

So let's get the ball rolling again, first come first served.

Name: Rayman
Year Released: 1995
System: Atari Jaguar, MS DOS, Sega Saturn, Playstation 1 (PS1)

As a gamer I assume it's safe to say the majority of people have one genre they really can't get into. For some it's dungeon grinding RPGs, for others: fast paced FPSs, for me it's platformers. I very rarely play the genre due to a number of reasons, with the main three being they're often boring, the music is repetitive and (more so nowadays) a lot of them just feel like they're poorly made. Super Mario and Sonic the Sellout Hedgehog are two great examples of classic platformers but, as most of us have played them, I wanted to go for a game that was a little less popular: Rayman.

Rayman was released in September 1995 for the Atari Jaguar and MS DOS. It was then released a month later on the Playstation and Sega Saturn. The game was developed and published by Ubisoft and is a fairly traditional 2D platformer with a few twists.

Plot:

The story in Rayman isn't its strongest point, but as a 2D platformer I didn't expect much. The antagonist of the game is a mysterious sorcerer who goes by the alias of "Mr. Dark" (whoever named the characters for this game should have been shot) who has captured a number of Electoons (creatures that live in the Rayman world) and it's Rayman's job to free them. During the adventure you meet a cast of interesting friends and foes that keep the game light hearted and entertaining.

Gameplay:

I tend to find most platformers a pain in the ass to play. Even Sonic annoyed me as he didn't understand the concept of how to jump properly but Rayman's controls were as solid as a rock and really responsive unlike a lot of platformers (especially Croc). I do, however, have one legitimate complaint and it's the lack of enemy variety in the game. Throughout the whole game it seems to be the same guys over and over again or similar enemies with a few changes.  One of my favorite gameplay elements in Rayman are fighting the bosses as most of them are unique and have certain tricks to beating them (one example being punching back enemy attacks in order to hurt them). The game's levels are more than just jumping over gaps like the majority of platformers: some levels have you sliding down slippery hills on a frying pan while others have you trying to cut ropes dragging the roof down on top of you. It's fun, quirky events like these that keep the game feeling fresh. Another thing that really bugged me was a packaging error made on a number of the European copies which stated the game was one or two player. Back then I couldn't shell out on a new game everyday (in fact, I still can't) and had to share the playstation with my brother, so we tried to purchase multiplayer games whenever possible. This error caused a hell of a lot of arguments in my house as we were both convinced we knew how to unlock two player and would spend hours trying even though it didn't exist. The game's biggest flaw however is: it's too easy.

Graphics:

Name: Dragon Ball Z Super Butouden
Year Released: 1993
System: Super Nintendo (SNES)

I was rather shocked when I noticed how long ago the last Retro Review was published. As a lover of retro games, and reviewing them, I had hoped to publish more. So I'd like to thank all the users on our IRC who showed interest and motivated me requesting more. Without further ado, I am pleased to present Dragon Ball Z Super Butouden for the SNES. This game is a bit of a landmark for me as it was the first game I ever emulated. It provided me with endless entertainment. I mean come on, who wasn't awestruck the first time they discovered they could play thousands of games, most of which are near impossible to buy these days via emulators? There are quite a few Dragon Ball Z games for the SNES but this is, to my knowledge, the most popular.

The game was developed by TOSE, a company who likes to latch on to popular franchises and milk them, and released in Japan on March 20, 1993 and later released in Spain and France. (Dragon Ball had a cult following in these countries) Due to it being a fighting game, a popular genre back then, and having the "Dragon Ball" name it sold fairly well.

Plot:

If we portray the plot from my last retro review, Xenogears, as a beautiful woman who pays for dinner and puts out on the first date then "Dragon Ball Z Super Butouden" has a plot that's portrayed as her older fat sister who has yet to be introduced to hygiene. (i.e. the type of girl Chathurga would go for) Basically, there isn't a plot at all. It loosely follows the Dragon Ball Z storyline in the sense that you fight people, and that's it. I don't really mind that though because as I said it's a fighting game. I play these to beat up my friends, not study why Vegeta has anger issues or why the gang allowed that pathetic weakling Chiatzu to fight with them. Anyway, I'm ranting and I think you all get the picture by now.

Gameplay:

Considering its age; gameplay is actually pretty solid. You can kick, punch and fire small and large energy blasts depending on your character. The only issue with the moves that I had was the lack of variety, but I soon forgot about that when I discovered I could fly! The ability to be able to take the fight to air is what I enjoy the most about this game because I had never seen it before. This is something the modern Dragonball fighting games took a while to adopt. Another thing I liked, although some people complain about, was the split screen. If you got too far away from your opponent, the screen would split giving you half each from which you could launch attacks, one such being the famous Kamehameha. The character roster is mediocre with eight selectable ranging from the end of Dragon Ball up to the Cell Games.

Graphics:

I always find it hard to judge SNES era graphics in detail compared to 3D models because if something is wrong in pixel art you tend not to notice it as much. (Final Fantasy 7 box hands anyone?) I can, however, say that Super Butouden has really colourful graphics that I can't really fault; except for the big round shadows which I hate. If I had to sum up the graphics in one word I would say "clean." The energy blasts look great and characters actually look like their anime counterparts.

Sound:

Besides the plot, sound is my biggest issue in this game. I understand that they didn't have much to work with back then, but the music was repetitive. It sounded nothing like the music in the actual anime and the sound effects all had this really cheesy echo. Before I wrote this review I played the game again to brush up on it and I said to myself, "these sound exactly the same as the Streets of Rage sound effects." Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking Streets of Rage, but that came out two years before this did which, to be frank, makes me rage.

Conclusion:

Dragon Ball Z Super Butouden is an average fighter with a few gimmicks. Cool, but gimmicky nonetheless, thrown in like flying and energy beams. The problem, however, is if you don't like or know Dragon Ball you probably won't enjoy this game at all as it seems to be a fan service with the main goal of making easy money rather than setting out to make a really good game; and if you don't believe me check out Dragon Ball Z Super Butouden 2, and 3 which are pretty much the same with a couple of different characters and new maps, cheap.

Score 5/10

Name: Xenogears
Year Released: 1998
System: Playstation 1 (PS1)

As I sat down on my thinking seat (those of you who use the #mformature IRC channel will know what I'm talking about) I probed my brain trying to think of what to write this retro review about. I had asked for opinions on IRC but was less than happy with the answers I received. "Eighty4" Hiratai typed, I had no idea what that was or if it was even a game, at 3AM I wasn't going to find out, it had to be something I could write about, a game I had not only just played, but lived - Que every 90's RPG gamer thinking "Final Fantasy VII?" Sadly for you, no, I am not about to review Final Fantasy VII, nor will I ever since there are tons of sites with reviews for that title. If you haven't guessed what I'm about to review from the big obvious title then let me reveal Xenogears. I'll probably say this with every game I ever review, but this is one of my favorite games of all time.

Xenogears  was first released in Japan on February 11, 1998 - less than a year after Final Fantasy VII. This fact alone, I believe, prevented Xenogears from doing as well as it should have. Another massive blow was the fact Xenogears never saw a PAL release which I will never get over. The game was developed by Squaresoft (now known as Square Enix).

Plot:

Light up a cigarette and grab a beer because this is going to be long. (editor’s note: careful kids!)

Xenogears, in my opinion, has one of the greatest plots of all time. However, before I start going into the review I want you all to do me a favor: please do not compare this to Final Fantasy or any other RPG, this game is in a league of its own. I'm not saying it's better, but it's unlike anything else you have or will ever play.

You play the role of Fei Fong Wong, a martial artist living in a quiet town in yet another war torn world until one day the town is destroyed. To many of you it might sound like “cliché RPGs 101,” but while the game may have typical clichés it brings plenty “new” to the table. The thing with Xenogears is that you have to look past some of its rusty exterior to really experience the clean, juicy inside. The world has been caught up in a war between its two major nations, Aveh and Kislev, but this is not your typical war. War has evolved to the point where people pilot massive "Gears" which are huge robots capable of taking over whole countries. The story is just about personal development of the characters as much as it is the war. That was a massive plus for me as I genuinely felt connected with my party throughout most of the game. I would also like to point out that Xenogears has a very mature plot; it questions many things like religion, love, and war which, for me, made it all the more interesting. I would also like to point out that I played this when I was 19 and had emulated it on my PSP so I was able to understand it all, as opposed to people who may have played it when they were kids.

I have purposely tried not to mention much in the way of the actual story because it's so deep that we would be here forever; it has more twists and turns than a slinky, but luckily unwinds itself at the end. I would like to personally recommend this to Abe (MfM staff member) - if you haven't played it as I think you would enjoy it.

Gameplay:

Gameplay-wise Xenogears doesn't differ from most RPGs. You walk around levels and fight monsters via turn based combat. Attacks are really well done and look great with a low learning curve to the system. There are a mix or magic-type attacks and physical depending on the party member as well as "deathblows" which are similar to FFVII's limit break system. Besides normal combat there are also gear battles which are also turn based but the party members are in their gears fighting other gears or large monsters. However these battles must be fought strategically as they rely on fuel that is easily depeletable. I personally disliked gear battles as I felt more work had been put into to regular fights but I'm sure other people could argue that point.

Graphics:

Although Xenogears was released after FFVII, it wasn't fully 3D; Xenogears used 2D sprites on 3D backgrounds which were surprisingly pleasing. For its time everything was polished and the sprite work was beautiful, my favorite sprite being Citen (especially when he gets his sword). (editors note: oh no! spoiler? A sword! I want one!) The game also featured some beautiful anime-style cut scenes which I always felt there should of been more.

Sound:

In-game music is always one of the most important features of a game as far as I'm concerned and Xenogears did not disappoint. The music was composed by Yasunori Mitsuda who you may know from Chrono Trigger and who I honestly think is on par with Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy 1-X2 composer). If anything can capture my emotions it's music and the music did everything from make me smile to have me on the brink of tears (literally); everything was captured perfectly and right now I'm wondering why I don't have the OST on my harddrive.

Conclusion:

All in all this game is utterly fantastic; if I had to relive my life and was told I could only play one RPG, this would be it. If you haven't played this game and you consider yourself an RPG fan then dump your girlfriend (or boyfriend) and get ready for an experience, because that's what this is, it's more than "just a game" it's a story, and an extremely well told one to.

Score 9/10

Name: Harvest Moon
Year Released: 1998
System: Gameboy Color (GBC)

Today's games seem to be made up of big guns, fast cars, and to some people, beautiful women;  resulting in great titles like Gears of War, Team Fortress 2, Forza Motersport 2. The list can go on and on, and often does. This game however, has none of the above, but don't advert your eyes just yet because Harvest Moon GBC (Gameboy and Gameboy Color) is one of the most original and innovative games of all time.

Harvest Moon was released on the Gameboy Color on December 31st, 1998. The game is a port of the Gameboy and SNES versions that took full advantage of the Gameboy Color's modern color technology. Harvest Moon received positive reviews but due to the nature of its fairly repetitive game play, players soon got bored of it and returned to other titles.

Plot:

Harvest Moon has you playing as a young boy or girl who is visited by the ghost of their dead grandfather. The player discovers that they have received a derelict ranch and it's their grandfather's wish to see them revive it and make it successful, all within a year! Throughout the game you meet various characters, most of which own shops you buy items from. There is no character development or side quests; the objective is to plant crops and raise animals.

Gameplay:

Gameplay is Harvest Moon's most charming feature. You start off with a small plot of land which is overgrown with weeds and littered with rocks and useless tree stumps. Clearing these obstacles is no problem since our "hero" is given the tools he needs; these include a hammer (for breaking rocks), an axe (for chopping wood), a hoe (for tilling the land,) and a scythe (for cutting grass). Other items are unlocked as you progress through the game. Once the land is cleared you can plant seeds, these can be bought in the local village and different seeds become available as the seasons change. Once planted, the player must water them every game day and can then be sold for a profit. The more money you make, the more crops you can plant, which eventually allows the purchase of livestock which gives you the somewhat lacking selection of cattle or chickens. The problem is that's it, the game is very limited and you're doing the same thing again and again. In fact as I type this I'm surprised I invested so much of my time into it. Sadly, this type of repetitive gameplay followed Harvest Moon into every single one of it sequels. Despite this major drawback, the game was enjoyable on a pick-up-and-play level. Although the game had no real multiplayer, there was a trade system, although I never got a chance to use it.

Name: EarthBound (Mother 2)
Year Released: 1994/1995
System: Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)

What comes to mind when you think of a Role Playing Game (RPG)? Do you think of knights and swords on hell bound magical quests to save the world or die trying? Few RPG’s take place in a modern setting, fewer still are parodies of a modern culture; that’s where EarthBound comes in.

On August 27th, 1994, Mother 2 was released in Japan where it met instant success. Months later on June 1st, 1995, it made its way over the Pacific Ocean to North America. However, Mother 2 was renamed to Earthbound due to the fact that Mother (the first of the series) was never released outside of Japan.

EarthBound’s success outside of Japan was slow, it took a few years until it finally became the popular game it is known as today. EarthBound has transformed into something of a cult classic, with tons of websites devoted to it.

Plot:

In EarthBound, you are a kid named Ness (but you can name yourself anything). One night you are awoken by a loud noise. So you do what any kid would do, investigate. Ness is quickly wrapped up in a quest to stop the evil Giygas with his friends. To do this, Ness must visit 8 sanctuaries to gain enough power to fight Giygas and save the world. While this seems like a dry storyline, i assure you it’s not. The game has many plot twists and will keep you immersed for hours. I could go on, but i don’t want to give anything else away. All i will say is, your in for the ride of your life.

Gameplay:

Battles in EarthBound are turn based style, meaning you attack while the enemy waits. Battles are not random like modern games such as Pokémon. In EarthBound you actually see the enemy before it runs up and attacks you. Once you find yourself in battle, some characters in the game have the ability to use Psychic (PSI) attacks, or just bash the enemy. Outside of battle Ness is followed by your party members. The developers spent a lot of time on detail in this game, as you can interact with almost everything. There are many pop culture references in this game including:

• The Beatles
• Chuck Berry
• Various Sci-Fi Movies
• Monty Python
• Blues Brothers
• and more…

Graphics:

The graphics of EarthBound were not spectacular even when the game was released in 1994 because the game did not use the SNES in full. However, the graphics certainly do not make the game unplayable, and are perfectly acceptable for EarthBound. In fact, its possible to say that EarthBound’s graphics are comparable to most modern Gameboy Advance games.

Sound:

This is normally the worst thing about RPG’s, that horrible repetitive tune played throughout the game. EarthBound’s tunes, while repetitive, are actually decent for its time. Don’t believe me? Here is some background music found early in the game.

Conclusion

EarthBound is an amazing game. It’s release changed the RPG world forever; many of the developers of EarthBound went on to help develop Pokémon. EarthBound’s fan following is huge and recently with the release of Mother 3 (aka EarthBound 2) a fan based group translated the entire game. EarthBound is very replay able with hours of game play and places to explore.

For More information on EarthBound and the Mother series visit Starmen.net

[View with PicLens]

Score: