On this weeks episode, we discuss (with loads of spoilers) Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Batman: Endgame, and our favorite games of 2015!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS
…
The one where we come back from far too long a hiatus and discuss our Star Wars excitement, why Doctor Who is not terrible, and favorite Christmas things.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS
…
There’s no doubt about it, ask anyone who has compiled a short-list of some of the “hardest” games on NES, and Silver Surfer will make that list. Featuring a side-scrolling shooter approach, this game had many unforgiving ways to die. It features The Silver Surfer aiding Galactus on his quest to gain possession of the Cosmic Device. Supposedly, this is the key to saving The Universe. However, the mechanics of this NES excursion make that very difficult for the player.
For starters, this game has some really exact techniques that must be followed. Although there are a healthy amount of enemies to shoot-up, you can also die from touching anything on the screen. That’s right, The Sky-Rider of the Spaceways can easily be thwarted by a well-placed wall.
Not only are the obstacles well-placed, making things extremely difficult, but the enemies come fast and furiously. Your only weapon is some kind of energy The Surfer shoots from his hands. You can’t hold the fire button down, so you have to literally smash the B-button continuously to stand a chance. If you have an NES advantage, or a controller with turbo, USE IT!!
In our opinion, the graphics aren’t too bad for an NES title, but the exception is the Silver Surfer’s sprite:
Despite the difficulty of the game, there are a few redeeming qualities. The music was enjoyable and fun, and was praised for it’s technical accomplishments back when the game was released.
We recommend playing Silver Surfer if you want to see just how tough NES games can be!
Bonus Silver Surfer Links:
.: AVGN Episode
.: Soundtrack (In stereo!)
.: NESDudes Silver Surfer episode!
…
The next episode of our Underrated Retro Series is the *not-so-underrated*, Mike Tyson’s Punchout. This is the spiritual prequel to the last game we featured, Power Punch II.
Punch Out was released in 1987 in North America for the Nintendo Entertainment System, and served as a console port from the original Punch Out!! arcade game. It was directed by the original Arcade producer, Genyo Takeda. Because the NES was not as powerful as the arcade hardware, Takeda and his crew realized that it would be impossible for the NES port to faithfully emulate the arcade graphics. Instead of making the playable boxer wire-framed or transparent to see an opponent, they decided to shrink the playable boxer, so that players could easily see opponents over his head. Other things added to the NES version that the arcade versions lacked were a rough plot, a background music track played during fights, animated cutscenes and a password system for saving progress.
The cover boy and final boss was a young, “Iron” Mike Tyson. Nintendo decided to pay Mike Tyson a rumored $50,000 for his likeness in Punch Out, a period that would last 3 years. It was a huge chance for Nintendo, since Tyson wasn’t an established champion yet. However, it just so happens that Tyson would go on to win the WBC World Title, but later be defeated by James “Buster” Douglas. After this defeat, Nintendo decided not to renew the licensing deal with Tyson. They went on to create a fictional final boss, “Mr. Dream”, in lieu of Mike, and insert him into the game.
The game is centered around a fictional boxer that is trying to work his way up the ranks, Little Mac. Mac has an extremely limited repertoire of moves compared to his many colorful opponents.
The main attacks the player …
Shovel Knight is one of the best games I’ve played so far this year. In fact, it’s one of my favorite games that has been released in recent memory. In my honest opinion, it’s the best game to come out so far in 2014. It does have some staunch competition coming in this 2nd half of the year, though.
Shovel Knight is an 8-bit inspired platform medley of Mega Man, Ducktales, a little bit of Zelda 2 and Castlevania, with a sprinkle of Super Mario Bros. 3. On top of all of this, however, it manages to produce some exciting and unique features not seen in any of the aforementioned games. This game is pure fun, sounds fantastic, and has some really great tunes and some beautiful artwork. Shovel Knight was developed by Yacht Club Games; whom are based out of California. The game was funded by a very successful Kickstarter campaign. The minimum goal was 75k, and Shovel Knight went on to raise over 300k before the conclusion of the Kickstarter Campaign.
Shovel Knight has two goals in this game: To defeat the evil Enchantress, and get some answers about his lost beloved companion, Shield Knight. However, throughout his quest, he is met by staunch resistance in the form of the Enchantress’s henchmen (and Shovel Knight’s mortal foes) The Order of No Quarter. These other quirky Knights attempt to block Shovel Knight’s passage to the Enchantress, and it is up to you to guide Shovel Knight to victory. Can you dig it?
The gameplay is mostly reminiscent of platformeresque Mega Man, but then you have to add in a shovel. Why a shovel? Well, Why not? Besides being his namesake, the shovel is the Shovel Knight’s main weapon. The shovel behaves similarliry to Scrooge McDuck’s walking cane pogo …
Radie here! Back again with another game play for you all to enjoy, I’m sharing the experience that is Syberia via my newest series of youtube plays.
The game follows a young woman named Kate on a point-and-click adventure across a fictional europe to finalise the selling of an old factory to a toy company. Need more explanation? There’s a search for a man named Hans who may or may not be alive, a subplot of a failing relationship via cell phone calls and very, very pretty environments.
It’s kind of hard to explain without watching it – so maybe that’s exactly what you should do!
The series currently has two videos up on youtube, with an episode (or two, when you’re lucky) coming out every day this week. Not only that, but I have a selection of other playthroughs in line for you, including going back to an unfinished play from last year! (Here’s a hint, your name is Hero ;D)
Head on over to Radie Games, drop a sub, a like, a comment – get involved!
…
One game I never thought I would get into was FTL: Faster Than Light. I’m more of a shooter/platform type of gamer. The idea of a “space sim” seemed, well, boring. However, I was quickly addicted to FTL after I gave the tutorial a fighting chance!
The only problem? I’m really horrible at this game. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve only dumped 3-4 hours into it, but that equated to a few dozen broken-ass Kessler ships and way more dead crew members. I know most “experts” have played for over 100 hours, but still! I feel like I lose to the most random things. I guess this is the nature of the beast, though. The game is extremely random, the only way to hedge against these events is to prepare your ass off. I can’t seem to get a good stockpile of scrap, though, before stuff really starts to hit the fan. I also have none of the better ships at my disposal, so I’m somewhat stuck.
Any pointers on one of my random missions? Check out the video below!
…
If you haven’t checked out the Indie Game, Beat Hazard, yet – we highly recommend it! This twin stick shooter is a game that runs off the music files you have on your PC! Things can get a little intense if you have the right music, as you can see.
Check out a UR gameplay video below:
…
Werdnamh ups the ante in this video by showing us level 33 in Zombies. This is an extremely hard wave of zombies to beat, and as you can see, his bullets aren’t even killing them! Fun to watch, since most of us will never get half this far…
…
As far as horror games go, this one surprisingly gives more jumps than most big titles.
A cute little indie game made with RPG maker, The Witch’s House offers about an hour and a half of gameplay, not including some excessively aggravating puzzles, which might be short, but considering the nature of the game, it still remains incredibly engaging and fun.
I’m a bit of a softie at heart, and jump scares always catch me out. This game is no exception! Along with a well thought out storyline, including a twisted ‘truth’ ending (Unfortunately I got the ‘regular’ end on my play – but look it up if you don’t play yourself – it’s great!), The Witch’s House is a great game for anyone looking for something short to play but not to just ‘waste time’ with. The puzzles provide plenty of head scratching, the horror elements will catch you off guard and the game has a lovely soundtrack to boot! Definitely one to check out.
…
