Saturday morning cartoons are a staple of every child’s life. Nearly every good (and even some not-so-good) Saturday morning animated feature had a video game tie-in to go along with it. Along with kid-favorites such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers, there were also shows such as Exo-Squad and Gargoyles which, while they were still intended for children, contained themes which were more complex than what one would find on shows like Pokemon. Phantom 2040, which debuted in the mid 90s, was one of the shows in the latter category. It told the story of Kit Walker, who was the 24th Phantom. In the distant future, he was charged with saving the city of Metropia from collapse. It was bought to an end after only 2 seasons, mostly due to it’s themes of environmentalism, corporate greed, and social structure going over viewer’s heads. This was especially unfortunate considering that the show had a lot going for it. It had a stylish art style (thanks to Aeon Flux creator Peter Chung), solid writing, and a vocal cast featuring the likes of Mark Hamil, Margot Kider, and Deborah Harry to name a few. Most impressive of all, it featured a 16-bit era video game tie-in that didn’t suck. This was indeed impressive, especially given the dismal track record of 16-bit games based on existing intellectual properties back then.

[Read the rest of this entry…]

Thanks to his inclusion in the cast of Super Smash Brothers Brawl, Pit, the hero of Kid Icarus has finally broken out of obscurity and back into the gaming icon spotlight. No word yet on a new Kid Icarus game, but in the meantime, here is one of his earlier adventures. This little known Game Boy cart, released in 1991 is the only sequel to the Nintendo Entertainment System 8-bit classic. The goddess Palutena has summoned Pit back into action to help defend Angel Land from the demon Orcos. However, Pit must first travel through four worlds and gather the three sacred treasures. Along the way, you must also prove your worth to Zeus. Towards the end of the fourth stage, Zeus will judge your performance and determine how many of the sacred treasures you will be able to use in the final battle. The game uses the same engine as Metroid II, and the graphics have been slightly improved from the game’s console predecessor. Unlike the original NES game, the game scrolls in all directions, allowing players to backtrack. The password system from the NES has been nixed in favor of a save system. They may be small improvements, but they are nice to have. If you’re a fan of Kid Icarus, or a recent Smash Brothers player who wants to know more about Pit, then you should definitely seek out this cart. It will tide you over until Nintendo creates a sequel.

This is pretty much a companion piece to my Final Fantasy I – VI special from two weeks ago. What makes this funny is that the Final Fantasy Legend series is actually the English translation of what is known in Japan as the Saga series. When Square released it over here, it changed the name to Final Fantasy Legend to capitalize off the growing popularity of the series. It has nothing to do with Final Fantasy, but then again it’s just as well, as none of the Final Fantasy games have anything to do with each other. Besides, these three games have managed to become excellent role-playing games in their own right.

[Read the rest of this entry…]

My birthday was this past week, so in lieu of my usual $20 Game of the week and Lost Classics segments this week, I decided to give you a look at the the first half of one of the greatest console role playing game franchise of all time. That’s right, it’s my birthday, but I’m giving you the gift. See how cool I am? Well, onto our special feature.

After Dragon Quest (or Dragon Warrior as we knew it over here at the time), Final Fantasy was and still remains one of RPG gaming’s most prolific franchises. It introduced and refined several conventions that are seen in RPGs such as the turn-based battle system, character customization, ability progression, and story writing. Even so, it wasn’t until FFVII bought the series into 3-d that the series gained mainstream popularity. However, the first six games of the series still hold a special place in the hearts of many longtime FF fans.

[Read the rest of this entry…]

Although this game was one of the first role playing games to be released on the original Playstation in Japan, it would end up being the one of the last RPGs on the original PS1 in America. Arc the lad spawned several sequels and an anime series. Ironically, even though it was Sony Computer Entertainment themselves who owned the franchise, the ‘anti-2-d’ stance of its American branch was the main factor that prevented this game’s release. Working Designs (best known for its U.S.releases of Lunar) even attempted to score the U.S. publishing rights to the three games, but they were denied by Sony. However, things turned around thanks to new management at Sony and the success of other RPGs, most notable Final Fantasy VII and VIII. After several months of delays, Working Designs finally gave us the chance to play this classic. Not only that, we got all three PS1 games to boot. Arc the Lad Collection carried a $75 price tag, but being able to play this classic RPG series made the hefty price worth it.

[Read the rest of this entry…]

This past week, I featured Twisted Metal Head On: Extra Twisted Edition, so it’s only fair that I feature another car combat game. This game was even developed by SingleTrac, the team behind Sony’s car combat series. Due to creative differences with Sony, SingleTrac briefly split with them, developing this game for GT interactive. When this game was created, the car combat genre was full of copy cats. Many of them weren’t very good. Some of the more notable failures included a WWE car combat spinoff and a Star Wars title that forced players to stop and refuel every few seconds. It’s only fitting that one of the few good games in the genre was created by the developers who innovated it.
[Read the rest of this entry…]

Although it’s all but unknown over here, Hirohiko Araki’s manga Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure has enjoyed a sizable following in its native Japan. A bizarre mash up of vampires, martial artists, fortune tellers, superheroes, and gangsters, Jojo is a story about the trials and tribulations of the Joestar family. A major focus of the series are the stands, psychic entities which grant their users powers. Much of the series has been inspired by music, as it features several characters who have been named after songs, rappers, and rock bands. The series has been divided into 6 arcs, each taking place in a different time period and centered around a different main character. Capcom produced a series of games based on the third story arc, in which Jotaro Joestar, his grandfather, and their allies travel to Egypt to defeat a vampire in order to save Jotaro’s mother from her own stand (don’t ask). Although they are fighting games, they are as far removed from Street Fighter as they get. The first game, Jojo’s Venture, was released in the arcades in 1998 and was bought to the PS1 and Dreamcast with exclusive features. In typical Capcom fashion, Jojo’s Venture received a championship edition-style update complete with new characters and features known as Heritage for the Future. A third game was released in Japan for the PS2, but never made it over here.
[Read the rest of this entry…]

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.