Alright all you aspiring game designers, wanna make your own game? Want to make an RPG? Not quite ready to learn Microsoft XNA? Got a PS2 and a memory card with lots of space? Here ya go. The RPG Maker series, or RPG Tsukuru as it’s known in Japan, is hugely popular amongst game hobbyists. However, its steep learning curve and low-end graphics have kept it from mainstream success. RPG Maker 2 is no different. It may not be a graphical powerhouse, but those who are willing to put in the time and effort to learn the system will find themselves well rewarded. I can’t sing this game’s praises enough. There is more advanced game creator software available (including scenario and map editors for your favorite PC RTS, FPS, and RPGs), but for beginning developers, you can’t go wrong with this.
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Since its original release in 1996, this game has been remade with a number of different themes and under a number of different names. The most notable of which, Pokemon Puzzle League, features Pokemon characters. Though no matter what cosmetic changes were made, the basic gameplay has remained the same. Although this is named Tetris, the game does not resemble the falling-block classic at all. Instead, you make blocks disappear by swapping them and creating columns and/or rows consisting of three block or more of the same color. Instead of falling down, the blocks slowly rise from the bottom. The Japanese version of the game featured faeries and nymphs, who were replaced by characters from Yoshi’s Island for the American and European releases. This game has a number of gameplay modes, including 2-player VS, endless mode, puzzle mode, and stage clear mode. Puzzle game fans who can look past the excessive cuteness will enjoy the simple yet addictive gameplay. There is no doubt that this will receive a virtual console release in the near future, so if you like puzzle games, then check it out.

Lately, I’ve been playing a lot of real-time strategy games. Mainly I’ve been sticking with the Command and Conquer series, Starcraft, and Warcraft. You can never go wrong with their simple-but-addictive play mechanics, but there are also options available for people who seek something deeper. Total War, Age of Empires, and Empire Earth are a lot more complicated than beginning RTS players are used to, but the historical settings they utilize as their backdrop reward those who have the patience to learn the play mechanics. Microsoft Game Studios/Big Huge Game’s Rise of Nations however, achieves a happy medium between the fast paced and simple mechanics of Starcraft and the world building aspects of Empire Earth.
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Welcome back to Xavier’s school for gifted youngsters. This is part 2 of our special edition X-men $20 GOTW and lost classics. In the first part we looked at some of the lows of the X-men franchise. In this second part, we’ll take a look at the Marvel Vs Capcom series, as well as Activision’s X-men games. You can find pretty much all of these games in stores, and most of them retail for $20 or less.
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Today, we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, a man who has dedicated his life to equality between people of all races. In the 1960s, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the X-men, a comic book about a team of superheroes dedicated to equality between human and mutant. Even though the cast was all Caucasian at the time, the book explored race relations in a profoundly brilliant manner without the material being heavy handed. Over time, the team’s roster would expand to include heroes from many different backgrounds, from the Jewish Kitty Pryde and the African Storm to the Native American Mirage. Throughout their 40+ year history, the X-men have seen many ups and downs, both in and out of comics, and video gaming is no different. What better way is there to celebrate Dr King’s dream than to have a look back at the interactive adventures of Xavier’s finest? In the first part of this two part special, we’ll take a look at some of the earliest games starring the children of the atom. The second part, coming later this week, will feature the Marvel vs Capcom games as well as Activision’s X-men titles.
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Shortly after SNK’s Metal Slug proved that simple side-scrolling ‘run-and-gun’ games still rule, Saurus released this Neo Geo/arcade game that proved that simple top-down run-and-gun games still rule too. This game is best described as a top-down Metal Slug, as it’s wildly absurd and light hearted. You take control of one of 8 commandos, each with their own special abilities and weapons, as they rescue a kidnapped scientist and his granddaughter from a terrorist organization known as the Black Scorpions. You can either choose to play as in either lone wolf or team battle mode. Lone wolf mode is self explanatory while team battle allows you to pick from three of the eight heroes and switch between them at will. There is a dodge button allowing you to avoid enemy fire, and you can move and shoot in 8 ways. You can even strafe by holding down the fire button. You have your usual weapon upgrades and bombs, and the fire button becomes a melee attack when in close range of an enemy. You traverse through six levels. A semi-sequel, Shock Troopers:2nd Squad was released a short time later. While it only featured 4 characters, it still contained the fun shooting action as in the original. It’s a shame that this didn’t take off as well as the Metal Slug series, as fans of MS will love this game. This game needs to show up on an SNK compilation pack, Wii Virtual Console, or Xbox Live Arcade.

In 2004, developer Raven created the smash hit X-Men Legends. This game took Marvel’s merry mutants and sent them throughout the X-men universe in 4-player action rpg goodness. The game featured customizable stats, upgradable powers, and a huge load of fan service. Raven followed up the following year with X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse which addressed the small amount gameplay issues found in the original XML and featured a story which included even more of the X-Men universe, including elements from the Age of Apocalypse storyline. In 2006, Raven decided to let the whole Marvel universe get in on the act with Marvel Ultimate Alliance. This game allowed fans to experience their favorite (and not so favorite) Marvel super heroes in a way they never imagined possible.
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Before Madden, ESPN/All-Pro 2k, NFL Gameday, NFL Blitz, or any other football game, there was Tecmo Bowl. Tecmo’s 1989 NES port of its arcade game was way ahead of its time. It had rosters and playbooks for each of its twelve fictional teams. Although there were no real teams in the game, (as Tecmo couldn’t get the NFL’s permission to use actual team names) an NFL Player’s Association license allowed the game to feature real life players such as Bo Jackson and Joe Montana. The game was surprisingly deep even with the small amount of plays available. Even though the gameplay was a bit unbalanced at times, the game was still downright fun. A sequel, Tecmo Super Bowl was released a year later, this time featuring actual NFL team names. In fact, TSB was the first home football video game to use actual NFL teams. The series continued on Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis before a final entry on Playstation. It didn’t do so well in its final years, but it was still loved by its fans. In fact, many rom patches exist on the internet that update the rosters for Tecmo Super Bowl on the NES. Thankfully Tecmo will be bringing back the series later this year to unspecified gaming platforms. Until then, football fans owe it to themselves to play one of the classics of the genre. It may not have a franchise mode, superstar mode, color commentary, or fancy graphics, but it has a certain charm that can’t be found in today’s games.

By the way, the virtual console version of Tecmo Bowl has obviously been edited, due to the fact that EA has exclusive licensing rights to the NFL and the NFLPA.