Burning Rangers - Charge Your Water Zappers!

 

Of all the titles that deserve recognition that got none of it, Burning Rangers is probably the finest. This is a game that Sonic Team created especially for the Sega Saturn that pushed its boundaries to its very limits. The real problem was that it came at the end of the Saturn's lifespan, when it was already being discontinued. It was very expensive to make, and Sega was cutting their losses, so it became a very limited release. Thus, it became rare and excruciatingly expensive as a result. Its quality cannot be overstated, though. 

In this game, you are a fire fighter of the future. You go through burning buildings, extinguishing fires and rescuing victims that are caught in the fire. You are also flying through the dangers and trying to stay alive, while strange things are happening all around you. The game is very simple to learn but very hard to master. There is some 3D platforming to get through and it can be very tricky. 

The story is not especially deep, but it is still deep enough to where you learn about your characters, meet them and begin to care about them. You choose between two characters and learn how to use your equipment. You have water beams (yes, water beams) you can use to put out fires that spontaneously come out of nowhere. Sometimes the fires appear so fast that you have a hair trigger of a second in order to dodge back and put them out. You also have your jet pack that you can use to get through the buildings and all of their levels. 

There are flaws in this game, obviously. Sometimes the camera doesn't do what you want it to do and sometimes the game will tell you to go a certain way, but the command will be vague or just downright incorrect. You definitely cannot play this without sound, because then you will be missing some very important messages that will help you throughout it. The platforming can be downright unforgiving, especially if the camera is not cooperating with you. The time limits are also quite unforgiving, but once you get use to the controls and the level layouts as you play, these hardships can be overcome by sheer strength of will. The urge to play this game can get downright addictive because it is such a smooth experience.

Collecting crystals is also something of a headache. Putting out fires will get you some crystals for armor and such, but sometimes you don't have enough crystals to save all of the civilians and it can become something of a slog to try and even it out. Crystals also help protect you from the fire's burn but try your best not to waste them. On top of everything else, this can be some of the more challenging aspects.

The graphics in this game are unparalleled and even rivals some of the later systems of Dreamcast and PS2 in how amazing they look. Burning Rangers boasts some of the most impressive graphics because of Sonic Team's dedication and experience. They were obviously swinging for the fences with this title, which makes it all the more sad that it never got the praise it truly deserved. Obviously, this title has gotten a fanbase all its own and there have even been fans who petition Sega for a revival of the franchise and even sequels and remakes. They want anything having to do with this title to be done, even going so far as to make fan revivals themselves. 

If you haven't guessed already, this is one of the greatest games on the system. Its very being is that of nostalgia within its heavy polygons, its atmospheric aesthetics and the anime stylings of Japan. It is a gem in the Saturn's collection that rivals many of the Playstation's finest titles. Do yourself a favor and play this game however you can without spending too much money. It is not worth emptying your bank account to scalpers who covet it, don't give them the satisfaction. Buy yourself a reproduction or get it on a rom, it's too old of a game for anyone else to care about its development costs and you'll be glad you did. Start putting out fires and don't forget to drink your water lasers.

Doomverse #10 - Quake 2 N64 and PC Shotgun the Escape Pod!

There are times when a port outdoes its original in certain aspects of its gameplay. Even though it had a bit more of graphical limitations, the N64 version of Quake 2 is somehow better and more interesting. A lot of this came from the fact that the levels are a bit shorter and more linear, as terrible as that sounds. Yes, like Doom, the levels are known for being very complicated to navigate. Sometimes, though, you just want to bash some skulls. 

The N64 levels came out on the new Quake 2 update for Steam and I can't remember why one of my friends told me to give it a try. They were right, however, as I found it to be a much more gratifying experience. It was simpler and there were more Strogg to destroy as a result. Sometimes, just bringing one thing to a control panel to open a door and escape can suffice for a level challenge. Putting harder enemies around the levels with more interesting level design can always bring about a better game. 

The original Quake 2 lacked in atmosphere compared to the first game. It didn't have Nine Inch Nails on the soundtrack, although what it had was still pretty good. The controls, the weapons, the enemies, all of it just screams Quake and Doom. The problem was that they tried very hard to make the levels bigger and more confusing to up the challenge. The N64 port was a completely different game. Quake 2 is not at all a bad game, but it did lack identity in both its level design and enemy design. The Stroggs would gain more prominent and unique designs in Quake 4, though.

The multiplayer is here in all its glory, of course. Arena battling on Quake will always be worked into its DNA, so long as its made correctly. This was the game that brought Bitterman into the fold and he didn't go over quite as well as Doomguy or even Ranger from the first Quake. With the full array of weapons from its former titles, Bitterman seems to have needed some sort of upgrade, since it features weapons not even in the first Quake. While Quake 2 lacks the lightning gun that would later be brought back in Quake 3 Arena, it does have something of a plasma rifle equivalent. This was a tough decision between the two and honestly, they seem on equal grounds as far as weapons go. Who knows, maybe we should just make some Doomverses that showcase the weapons. I'll think about it.

It is obvious from the offset that Quake 2 was not meant to be a sequel, more just a standalone title. However, given their limitations in creativity thanks to Romero's exit from the company, they had to focus their energies elsewhere. This took a bit of the mystique from the title itself, as it will always be compared unfavorably in several ways. Quake 2 was a distinct difference in graphics and it was also a big difference in theme. The two are not interchangeable. It's basically a no win situation, because now the fans lose lore and the developers lose interest in their new game. 

This is why I sort of fell in love with the Nintendo 64 game. Not only does it bring about what's best about the original game, it breaks up the levels into more digestable pieces. With everything on display, it's really a testament to how the customization in ID Software's games can give birth to better games. Quake is a perfect successor to Doom, as its customized levels are also quite popular, though far more complicated to make. Quake set the standard for full 3D rendered FPS's from the start and it still holds a great place among the greatest in their ranks. It just goes to show that Quake 2 has its own greatness, it could simply use a different look with a different brain behind it. Just remember to use the chaingun only for the very big enemies, use the smaller machine gun for everything else. Stop wasting ammo!!! 

10 Least Favorite Sega Dreamcast Games

 Say what you want about the Dreamcast's library and how small it is, that's fine. Yeah, it was missing some great games, but it was also thinning the herd when it came to absolute schlock. The process of finding terrible games on this system was monotonous because every time there was a game that was said to be terrible, there was usually something of note that made it either easily playable or just all around fun. Of course, look hard enough and you will find it. There were so many great games discovered in this route, but there were definitely some real stinkers in the pile. 

Some of these games are also liked by Dreamcast fans and there's nothing wrong with that. These were simply games that did not compute as fun to me or were so abstract and boring as to drag. As always, you're welcome to leave a top 10 worst list of your own in the comments. Also, don't forget that if you disagree with my list, be sure to be as petty and condescending in your replies as humanly possible. Some of you are going to anyway. This is my top 10 worst games on the Sega Saturn 2--- I mean Dreamcast!

                                                                                                            #10 Incoming

Not going to lie, this game is a serious guilty pleasure for me. I will not defend it. This game is bland, somewhat boring and ridiculously easy to beat with minimal effort. However, it’s still mindless fun to shoot limitless jets and flying saucers out of the sky with reckless abandon. It’s fun, but there’s no denying that it lacks in just about every category, especially the graphics.

#9 D2

D is among my favorite Saturn games, it truly encapsulated the horror puzzle genre in both atmosphere and pace. This game, however, was a horrific attempt at a changeup. This game wants to be Resident Evil so HARD, it’s almost painful to watch. We’re given a clumsy amount of dialogue trying to explain that an airplane crash happened and we’ve lost our memory, blah blah blah who cares. Then a guy walks in and plant monsters come out of his body. It’s comical in how much this video game tries but doesn’t try at the same time. The forced RPG elements, the terrible combat gun controls and the fact that ammo is infinite. Then there’s the fact that you see items in a room but can’t get to them, so you need to leave them! Your survival instincts are stunted because of this! All of these new mechanics are smashed in here to try and fix complaints about the first game while also wiping the game of any identity and originality. It’s still fun in a mindless, repetitive sort of way, but not enough to keep you coming back.

                                                                                                            #8 Death Crimson OX

Never would I expect that the worst rail shooter on the Sega Saturn would get a sequel. Now, let’s be honest, this game is far better than its predecessor. It’s still garbage, but they at least upped the graphics and the details of the mechanics. Not to mention, it’s hilarious! The random rooms you pass through without a thought, the random enemies that LITERALLY come out of nowhere and the skeletons. Yeah, skeletons just pop up and creep toward you, falling apart when shot. It’s so entertaining in how terrible it is! That’s honestly why it’s stuck on the higher numbers of this list. You can at least play this game and it feels like a game. It’s got at least some effort put into it. I wouldn’t spend 10 bucks on it, but that’s just me.

                                                                                            #7 Evil Dead: Hail to the King

Continuing on with another Resident Evil clone, we have the Evil Dead tossing their hat into the ring. This game is about as repetitive as it gets. The backgrounds do not even look like they’re part of the game. They look like someone painted the background details inside a cabin. This makes all of the items stick out like a sore thumb and the only other thing you can interact with is a doorway that you walk through. Take one step in a direction, and an evil spirit will come out of the ground for an extensively boring fight. I love Bruce Campbell as much as the next guy, but even Ash couldn’t make this game any good.

                                                                                                #6 Nightmare Creatures II

Where the original actually had some thought put into its mechanics and its combat, this game just says nuts to that! We just need to be able to swing an axe and that’ll do it! That’s the majority of this game. You kick the enemy and you slice them up. Rinse and repeat. This is kind of sad because the game has some awesome set pieces and the tone is just right for a horror game. It’s just a shame it couldn’t pull off the gameplay like the first Nightmare Creatures did. The story is boring and the character you play is a snorefest when it comes to interesting qualities. Give this one a pass.

                                                                                        #5 Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare

In another Resident Evil Clone, complete with tank controls, we see how not to pace a horror game. While the graphics are decent for the time, especially the cut scenes, the gameplay is laughably bad as we fight off shadow creatures with our flashlight, we’re supposed to figure out what to do with the game itself. As soon as we start, we need to practice the tank controls on the edge of a roof. As soon as we exit the first room, we meet our shadow bug creatures and stand there, shining a light at them. Sounds thrilling, I know.

                                                                                                                            #4 Urban Chaos

Oh, where to begin with this one. Normally, graphics don’t bother me all that much, but this game looks like the polygons were belched onto the screen and they are ridiculously hard to look at. Then there’s the frame rate that makes those polygons jerk across the screen! Everything about this game is hard to look at. It looks like it was going for an open world feel like GTA 3, but it lacked the resources to pull it off. The gameplay is probably the very worst part. Coupled with the controls, this game is almost impossible to play. The combat is laughably bad and the driving mechanics… just don’t get me started. This game is bland, boring and all around awful. It’s hard to find any entertainment in any aspect of this game. Just, please, give it a pass.

                                                                                                                        #3 The Grinch

Yes, I have never said that movie tie-in games were off my radar. This is based on the Jim Carrey film from the early 2000’s that some people liked but a lot of people did not. Me, I’d put myself with the latter category. However, the movie was not nearly as terrible as this game is. You may think that goes without saying, but the lack of creativity and effort was palpable. You’re supposed to go around Whoville and pull pranks while dodging unavoidable snowballs being thrown at you by the Who children. The graphics are obviously terrible but that’s just the start of how terrible this game is. I’d recommend watching the movie if it looks good to you, but if this game looks good to you, I’d recommend a hospital appointment.

                                                                                                                    #2 Sonic Shuffle

When people said this game was bad, there really is no way of imagining it without actually playing this horrific mishmash of Mario Party and Sonic the Hedgehog. It tried to ripoff Mario Party without knowing what makes Mario Party good in the first place. The mini-games are terrible and only serve to screw over the player who plays against the other 3. Getting around the gameboard is a slog and a half and the fact that they had the gall to let Robotnik screw you over further randomly is just the crowning achievement to make a player rage quit. With lackluster battle sequences and random traps to make you lose your rings, it’s really not worth the trouble to play it in the first place.

                                                                                                    #1 The Ring: Terror’s Realm

We finish this gaming list out on yet ANOTHER Resident Evil clone! This one is the worst out of all of them! The character designs are just about the ugliest I’ve seen. The uncanny valley is ridiculous! The tank controls are back and the gameplay is so boring, you could sell this as a sleep aid! The story and the dialogue are what sets this apart from every other title on this list. It’s literally nothing like The Ring, let’s get that out of the way. Instead of a video that kills you, now it’s a computer program that makes you dream about killing monsters as part of a task force. Yeah, it makes no sense and is not scary in the slightest. Every scene I sat through was so full of cringe. Whether it be the stupid way people talk to each other and the nonsensical way they progress the story, you’ll find something you hate in this game. In fact, I’m pretty sure this game is universally hated, and for good reason.

It really surprised me how many Resident Evil clones there were that came out in this era. Many of them tried to replace the gameplay with their own mechanics and forgot to make these mechanics coherent or even remotely fun. The worst part about it was when they latched on mechanics that belonged in other genres. The Dreamcast's library is still full of great quality games and is still the true successor to the Saturn!  

Virtua Cop - Set Guns for Justice!

There are thousands of rail shooters out there, and even if there aren’t that many, there are a lot. When you want a shooter that isn’t spilling gouts of blood and gore, there are few as satisfying as Virtua Cop. It is 32-bit polygon action at its very finest. The graphics are ancient and dated, but that’s just a cool breeze of mountain air when it comes to nostalgia and those who remember those beautiful days of squared and triangular graphics. The feeling of moving through construction sites, warehouses and skyscrapers, taking down virtua baddies was never so prominent in bright, blissful colors. You are Virtua City’s finest, and as a cop, you are going to take down virtua scumbags!

The real draw to Virtua Cop is its simplicity and its smooth transition from position to position. It starts out slow, so you can get a good gauge of the action, but then it begins to pull the rug out from under you with how fast you need to react. That’s not to say the game is hard, but we’ll get into that in a moment. For now, all you need to know is that you shoot the bad guys and thugs who point guns at you and come at you with sharp objects and you don’t hit the civilians that pop out in front of you relentlessly.

One small drawback to this game is the innocents will come out and raise their hands randomly, begging you not to shoot them. This is par for the course, no issue there. The real problem is when they do this while you are shooting criminals and they come out of nowhere and you either shoot them, or wait for the split second of them ducking down. This can be done but, wow, is it ever annoying! They’re normally marked with purely white clothing so they stick out from the normal affairs of gunmen, but sometimes they can show up in black and white suits, making the need for hesitation that much more important.

Another drawback to the game is that it is really not hard. There are some difficult aspects and a few frustrating elements to it, but all in all, you would be hard pressed to find it any kinds of extreme. It is also rather short, normally lasting less than an hour for all three difficulties.

The first level is little more difficult than a tutorial. It serves its purpose of giving you the overall gameplay of shooting and reloading while keeping your eye out for the circles that turn red the longer you wait for the bad guys to shoot. It even has some special temporary guns that help with taking down sum bags like the machinegun and the shotgun. The machinegun is understandable because of the increased fire rate, but the shotgun does little more than widen your target range by a small margin.

The boss on the first level is a bit of a joke. Kong is just a big meathead who fires missiles at you with a quad launcher. Shooting him through his missiles is easily done and shooting him when he pretends to surrender doesn’t take much reaction time in the slightest. Needless to say, you’re well suited for the job.

Medium level is as advertised; it is a bit harder. The construction zone is more challenging in the sense that the enemies are farther away, making them smaller targets by default. This is compounded by the fact that they get a little more clever with their hiding places and will sometimes jump out of unexpected locations such as inside crates. They also make a lot of use of the construction equipment such as bulldozers and trucks.

Even if you don’t find the second level harder, it is a lot more interesting to see all of the tricks the enemies pull out in attempting to take you down. This is accentuated when you fight the boss, King (because the joke wasn’t obvious enough). He is a bit harder with faster attacks than Kong with his flamethrower, but he also employs henchmen to attack you as well. Again, he is not overly difficult, but he is a change up from Kong’s gameplay.

In the third level, you are now infiltrating the evil building that holds the evil criminal coporation of evil (It’s even named EVL, because Virtua Cop is awesome). Part of the fun with this one is that the criminals are faster and it is remenescent of those old action films where the hero busts in through their compound and takes out the guards with nothing but a hand gun, some explosives and some explosive one-liners.

Once again, we are reminded HARDCORE of the innocents in this game. They are all over this building, getting directly in your way, sporting business suits. Women and men are popping up everywhere and you need to be extra careful where you aim and how you shoot. It is an office building and that makes sense that there would be a lot of people involved, but the amount they put into this game gets ridiculous.

Moving through the entire compound is an absolute joy. Out of all of the level designs, this one is the most varied since it isn’t a blue collar work zone and there’s more of a variety in the setting. There’s even a nice looking fountain statue right before the boss battle. The boss, cleverly named “Boss”, is the most eccentric battle, due to the fact that he pulls out an entire Mech Suit [!?!] in order to battle you! He is surprisingly easier than King. The mech is slow moving and its weaponry consists of those same missiles and a big huge gun you’ll never see fire because it’s so easy to stop with a few gunshots. Just shoot and take down, easy.

However, if you fought through all three levels in order in one go, you’ll get a bonus battle with the one known as “Fang”. He is in a combat helicopter and he is a bit harder than Boss. Again, this isn’t saying much because he is still pretty easy. Yes, he attacks fast and his helicopter can move from side to side rather quickly but it’s still your normal rail shooter boss battle. Shoot him down as he fires missiles and flames at you and you’re golden.

No one said that Virtua Cop was perfect and I’m not going to try and convince you to love it if you don’t already. There’s a good chance you probably aren’t aware of the joys of bringing an arcade game home without having to pay a pocket full of quarters. For those of you who were fortunate enough to jump into this at a young age when the internet was slow, you probably know what I am talking about. This is the finest quality railshooter on the Saturn, right beside House of the Dead. No Saturn collection is complete without it.

Mortal Kombat Deception (PS2) - Punch Me Again!

The 3D era of Mortal Kombat can be seen in two different lights. For one, they introduced many great and horrible new characters. For another, the storylines became longer and more convoluted while killing off characters and going off into strange directions with others. Having Liu Kang die and then come back at a zombi for this title was one of those strange choices and he is far from the the only one. 

Like many titles around this time period, this MK had many different characters, both new and old. The most prominent of these characters was Shujinko. He was essentially supposed to replace Liu Kang, which he very much didn't. This character was the main focus of a very different adventure mode than your normal affair. At first, it seemed to be heading in a very good direction. The best thing about it was exploring the different factions and learning techniques from Sub Zero, Scorpion and Bo Raicho along with many others. One of the most fond memories of playing this game for the first time was punching your teacher in the face and covering the practice ring in their blood!

The problem was that they screwed over their new main character by telling too much of his story. While the storyline with Onaga is fun, the story with Shujinko sees him getting arrested and going to jail until he's old. Our main character runs the gauntlet of learning student to old hermit mentor in the literal blink of an eye. Who signed off on this and who thought of it in the first place? They're fired.

This was one of the games that followed the game mechanic of giving each character different fighting techniques. They would get two normal fighting styles along with a weapon style. This was a good mechanic because it was well implimented through the shoulder buttons, but like in Mortal Kombat X, it wasn't especially essential. This is a subjective view, as many call it a genius touch, and we're not here to disagree with this.

While it doesn't have the roster of Armegeddon, Deception is no slouch. These are not the greatest character designs, but they are very telling of the time. Mortal Kombat in the 3D era had a very unique look and that turned it into something of a time capsule. It was a product of its time in a good way and it was the best of the four in this transitional period, as far as Planet Virtua is concerned. Add this to your MK collection and punch it into the pit!  

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (PS2) - Magic it Again!

 

There was one comment in the earlier Harry Potter Video Game Review. I said that they ran the gambit between great and dreadful, in a nutshell. Guess what? This one took extra steps to be extra boring and repetitive. Harry Potter is a lot of things, but trying to make a straight game from book/movie to Video Games, apparently, people ran out of ideas. 

The real problem with this game is that it tries to make it look more exciting than it actually is. It puts you in weird puzzle arenas and makes you think it's exciting by putting a time limit in the mechanics and there's your action sequence, enjoy. The puzzle platforming gets old. You can only move so many platforms over so many death falls so many times and keep the gameplay fresh. Working villains into the end of puzzles where you shoot people with spells is not a good way to pad out your gameplay. 

There is also no cooperative mode, when there very well could have been. If they got rid of the platforming mechanic and tighten up the gameplay with some sort of combat mechanics that work, this could have been a good title. It could have been a great title if it just would have stayed closer to the books in story and combat, but apparently they thought there just wasn't enough puzzles. Everything needs to be more complicated, whether it be getting an object and moving that object somewhere, or just getting to stairs! 

It obviously doesn't stay with the books or movies to any real extent, but it does keep to the fact that Dementors are annoying. Anything having to do with the Dementors is just going to be tedious and usually rather repetitive. Obviously, they're going to be a bad enemy, given their status as sucking happiness out of you and making you freeze, but really, we should have done something more with Boggarts. 

Anything having to do with the story or the dialogue in this game is going to be awful. Even for PS2 era, these graphics are rough. The portions with flying around on Buckbeak look terrible as a result because the surroundings look flat and lifeless. There's no music, only the sound of the afforementioned ticking clock that gets more and more monotonous as time goes on. Speaking of dialogue, did I tell you that it gets very repetitive?

The controls are not terrible, but anything flying around that you have to click on or catch, and you're going to be there for a while. Controlling everything with a PS2 controller was not always as glamourous as Old School gamers will attest. Yes, PS2 came out a while ago, it can be considered old school at this point. Anything with this level of repetitive voice acting gets the retro stamp any day. Speaking of dialogue, did I tell you that it gets very repetitive?

It's still a charming game and some of the gameplay can be pretty fun, but it's marred with serious problems. Unlike the Goblet of Fire for the PS2 (as there are many versions, mind you), this game is very hard to get into. The audio is awful, the graphics are problematic, the puzzles are dreary and boring and trying to keep interest in it is highly difficult. Don't bother with this one. 

Balan Wonder World Demo - Nights on Training Wheels

 

So, you wanted high flying action? Mysterious and wondrous worlds of beauty and glamour? How about amazingly smooth gameplay with awesome mechanics? Well, if you were expecting a true successor to Nights Into Dreams, allow me to probably be the 10th person to tell you, this ain't it. What they did was take the most basic mechanic of walking around as a child in Nights, added some power-ups and crappy puzzle solving and slapped it onto a game. Then they added some Chao clones and one cool enemy along with his generic minions and called it a day. 

Do not get me wrong, I know this is a demo and I know that there could still be some good stuff here, but that's where they really screwed it all up. The point of the demo is to give people a taste of what is to come and make them want more. What this gave us is the most basic of 3D platformers with the same problems in depth perception and cryptic purpose to all of it. If this is really all we have in store for us, count me out.

This leads me to believe that if there is something of a Nights flying mechanic, it is buried underneath idiotic level designs and time-wasting bonus rounds in the "Balan Bout" segment. These segments heighten your score but they are not fun in the least; they are Quick Time Events: The Game.

Nights Into Dreams mixed with elements of Alice in Wonderland should have been a homerun. Well, it's not even a first base hit. It attempts to make the level designs interesting, but it's stuff we've seen twenty million times before. So, now we're walking around as a child in this watered down version of Wonderland. Do the power-ups even make a dent in this boredom? Of course, not. The best thing about them is that they called the rabbit suits "Jumping Jacks" which is very mildly clever. Beyond that, you're a sprouting flower much in the vain of Mario Odyssey, a dragon that puffs out a scrawny fart of fire and a rabbit suit that does the Luigi running long jump. The next power up is just a pig suit that makes you do the super stomp, much like MARIO!

Funny how this "Nights clone" is looking more and more like the gargantuan Nintendo franchise. It's almost like they didn't want to spend all of that time and effort on creating full blown flying mechanics so they just asked themselves "What's easier and doesn't take a whole lot of thought? I got a dinner date for the rest of the week." Okay, that was a bit cruel to the developers but what else are we supposed to think? They had every single bit of potential this world had to offer and they cheaped out on us! 

The introduction graphics and opening theme are quite good, if we're going for compliments. The opening score is nice to listen to and it's quite obvious that there was a lot of effort put into certain elements of this game. One of the main baddies we do get to meet actually has a cool character design; you know, much like a Nights villain with tentacles. That's pretty much where all of the praise comes to a close. Beyond that, it's so mediocre and off-putting because they gave us every single wrong idea. To their credit, they at least released a demo. That's a lot more than can be said about other certain games that have come out recently. 

So, Saturn fans, I'm sorry to say that this is not the game we were hoping for. It's highly unlikely that Nights Into Dreams will ever get a full sequel outside of that underwhelming Wii game. If this game includes awesome high flying episodes, that should have been the whole entire game or at least 80% of it. Balan Wonderworld could have been a contender for a nostalgic throwback of amazing proportions, but they decided not to go that route, for whatever reason. Be absolutely sure you play this demo if you have any interest in this game at all. It could be your cup of tea, as doubtful as that is. It's not completely devoid of fun, it's just lacking a great deal of it. Looks like Nights still remains king while this pauper is nothing more than the castle janitor. Decide for yourself, and don't forget to drink water.

Half-life (PC) - Head Crab Hat Accessory

 Many gamers, even many Half-life fans are not aware that Half-life was supposed to make an appearance on the Sega Dreamcast. Why these two legendary entities never met is between life and the fates, but one can only wonder what could have been. The port was marred with delays and the Dreamcast wasn't doing well in the market, but apparently the whole thing was cancelled despite the fact that it was ready to ship. Yes, Half-life made an appearance on the PS2, but the Dreamcast copy would have been a marrying of the centuries. Half-life is a milestone in gaming history and it needs to be celebrated to its utmost. 

The worst part about this is that such a sight would have been something of a novelty, both the true coverart and the fact that it was supposed to be the exclusive release of the expansion pack, Blue Shift. Now, do I care that it was not exclusive to the Dreamcast? No, and I am also not the biggest fan of the Blue Shift expansion anyway. Either way, I am a huge fan of Half-life and I played it for hours and finally beat it after almost a month. 

This was mostly because I had a hell of a time figuring out some of it and some of it was really hard for my poor 12 year old brain. However, it was magnificent! It scared the pants off of me with the head crabs and the huge enormous water creatures that charged you when you went under. There are miles and miles of story and gameplay in this and it is really hard to determine where to start. 

The graphics, for the time, were phenomenal. They weren't so great when it came to the Blueshift upgrade, but often times I find myself switching the graphics very quickly back to the original. That's what feels natural. That's when you start the whole game on the trolley ride that so many people have either dreaded or found absolutely iconic. Count me in the latter. It was worth seeing all of the new graphics, the upgraded Quake engine that made the 3D environments look so premitive and crude by today's standards but these were graphics that defined an age. 

Storywise, this is about as raw and natural as it gets. You are told where to go and what to do, but that's because you're going to work and you're late. The scientists need to get to the experiment and it needs to start on schedule. You have to get your equipment and you need to get to the lab, pronto! Of course, everything goes wrong, and you need to get through obstacles to survive a dying underground facility. Dying in both it's falling apart and its being invaded by monsters and they're killing the scientists. Then the military comes in. Then there are ninja spies. Look, it gets a little crazy, and there's a ton of stuff to go over. 

The aliens are horrifying, if that was not made clear earlier. Headcrabs will attack you out of nowhere. The whole "if it were a snake, it'd have bitten me", these things are the prime example of jumping out and attacking you! They latch onto deadbodies and act as their heads as they zombify them, which only adds to their terrorizing characteristics! These things are vile! 

All of the encounters with the inhabitants of Xen are not exactly pleasant, mind you. Some of them can get as tall as oak trees and that is no joke. We don't even know how long those green blind worm things truly are. We just know that if we make too much noise and are too slow, they will kill us in about three swipes or less. There are all kinds of obstacles to go around already and you have to contend with aliens that teleport into the room and shoot lightning at you. This occurs on a stiflingly regular basis. 

Working your way through Black Mesa and fighting off increasingly more difficult challenges has never felt more satisfying. There is a linear path, but it feels like you're being pulled toward it and you have to keep your guns blazing if you want to stay alive. 

The weapons, by the way, are amazing. From the lowliest crowbar that comes when you need it most, to the explosive laser zapper that makes your enemies into giblets, these are awesome. My personal favorites of the arsenal are the Colt Python .357 Magnum sixshooter and the Black Mesa Crossbow. Believe me, in some of those stealth sections, you will fall in love with the crossbow. Do not underestimate it as it is often a one-hit kill to normal enemies.

Some of these sections can be a little hard to figure out as some of the jump and crouch mechanics can be a little cryptic. Jump-crouching is a must for some sections and you'll need to know which ones to continue. Some of the jump sections over high cliffs can come with either a helicopter or several enemies firing at you. This sort of thing can happen. There are also sniper sections, which no one usually likes. That section is best treated with the Rocket-Propelled Grenade Launcher. 

This game remains a legend to this day and it is lauded as one of the greatest of its kind still. Even after Half-life 2 came out, this was very hard to outshine. However, it did come with some very long puzzle sections and there are some platforming sections that should never have made it to an FPS. Xen, as many will attest, is one of the longest, most boring sections and that is no joke. There are times the challenges can become very, very frustrating and it is in those moments when you need to reach deep down and try not to cheat. Or, to make yourself feel better, make an extra save file for cheating. That's fun too. 

Blue Shift was far outshined by its only other expansion pack, Opposing Force. That expansion was far longer, better planned out and had a much more solid challenge to it. Blue Shift was a blink-and-you-miss it kind of game. This was because it only lasted maybe two hours and the contents within are quite forgettable. There's really no way around one single fact: You can play both of them and all of Half-life and you will get a good solid 20+ hours of gameplay. One short expansion certainly didn't spoil the experience.  

This game is still very available on several platforms, along with its sequel and a VR game that released as well. Sadly, it was never concluded with a true third installment, but here's hoping that changes soon enough. Until then, there's so many hours of great games that came from Half-life, on top of the first game itself. If you haven't tried any of these titles, do not hesitate to do so if you want an awesome FPS experience either with friends or in a single-player. What's stopping you? It's not like games today are getting any better. VIRTUA BURN!!!!

Virtua Sonic #4 - Into Dreamcast

Hello, Hedgeheads, today we are going to be discussing Sonic and his venture into the final system that Sega has created to date. I’m Virtua Neptune and this is my take on the Blue Blur on the Sega Saturn 2-- I mean the Dreamcast. Please keep in mind that this is all my silly opinion and if you have different views on these titles and their legacy, by all means, share them in the comments. Just remember to keep it civil and respectful.

The Dreamcast was a follow-up system that any Sega Saturn fan could ever want. Not only did it possess Star Wars games (which are strangely absent from the Saturn), Marvel games and Capcom fighters, but the Sonic games it possessed were far better received and have even garnered acclaim from both gamers and critics. Many Sonic fans will tell you that despite their clench factor, the Sonic Adventure games brought about a whole new genre that the Blue Streak could explore.

That’s not to say these games were perfect. It was, after all, the introduction of the infamous Big the Cat and his stupid frog named Froggy (I’m sure that took all night). These were the worst parts of the game. The biggest complaint is that the platforming in a 3D environment was sometimes atrocious. Some of the tasks made you perform especially awkward feats with your characters (namely Knuckles’ emerald missions) and sometimes this alone would cause players to rage quit. 

Still, the gameplay itself had some amazing moments of fast paced, amazing action. The moment of glory that comes to mind is when Sonic commits cold blooded murder, flying away from an exploding helicopter and surfing down a declining street being chased by a semi-truck. Yes, perhaps the devs were compensating for the more frustrating aspects of the Adventure games, but we came out on top with a gaming moment of greatness.

Then we need to consider the fact that this is definitely two of the best outings we’ve ever seen Sonic in the third dimension. This includes his outings into the 360/PS3/Wii era. It’s honestly sad to think that they got it more right here than they would when 3D graphics were edging more toward the more modern cleanliness. It really goes to show you that, once again, the love put into a game is worth far more than the money. 

With the addition of the Chao pets, Sega spawned an entire game within a mini-game within the game! People were playing these games for eons just so they could raise a better Chao in their Chao daycare. The mere fact that you could transport these chaos onto a Tamagachi were enough to keep fans breeding them to be winners! (Article now rated R)

Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 can be considered deeply flawed, but no more so than many games that are considered masterpieces by the mass populace. The gameplay is gripping, and the graphics show off the 6th Gen graphics as they move away from that blocky, pixel-heavy look more and more. Our hero has definitely looked worse. 

Such as a game where you play as popular Sonic characters in a boardgame-like environment where you compete against computers or other players. This was a totally original concept and was not at all worse in every way. It rose to the top of the charts and did not bomb as an abysmal failure at all. Yes, I am doing this whole paragraph sarcastically, isn’t it sooooooo great?

Sega has had some bad ideas, but this one is a real head scratcher. Kart racers are one thing to get wrong, but a concept so simple as a competitive boardgame? Take my word for it, this is not worth your time. However, if you find it cheap enough and you’re a true blue fan? Why not? Some bad games are good times. You may even like it.

As for me, nope! This game was a solid waste of precious time in Sonic wrapping paper with a bow on top. The gameplay is not only terrible, but it is also boring. The cut scenes are the very beginning tell you the inconsequential storyline that goes along with the game. They drone on and on and try as you might, the story makes no sense and means nothing. The English voice acting is among some of the worst you’ll ever hear in the Sonic franchise. 

Once you get to the game, the entire system seems like it does nothing but screws over the player while giving them no opportunities to recover from the losses. One minute, you’re on the side of the board with all of the hidden gems, the next minute you’ve been shot all the way across where all of your opponents are so they can screw you over more. There are also boss battles across the board. They are one hit kills, go figure.

The mini-games are, by far, the worst part. They are so brainless and are just another way for you to fail, unless you get very, very lucky. Any time the games are free roaming, they are ridiculously hard to control to avoid the traps, like in the beach segment with the crabs. There’s also a shape building mini-game like Tetris, where you throw shapes into a shape outline and it’s nearly impossible to get it right while the score makes no sense. You get the idea, the mini-games are garbo and one of the many features that were half assed throughout the entire game. 

Then comes the Sega Smash Pack! Yes, this one is a collection that only has one Sonic game in it, the original for the Genesis. That’s right! Sonic came full circle when it came to his roots. He started out in the beginning of the life of the Sega Mega Drive and with that same game, he appeared in his roots in the very last console Sega ever made. How poetic. So, along with a whole bunch of other games, if you wanted, you have another port of the original. Merry Christmas. 

Problem is, it’s not so much a port as it is an emulation, meaning it was an afterthought. Nothing was done to improve it, however, it was downgraded in overall quality to make room for the rest of the Sega Smash Pack! Well, it was a cool thought while it lasted, right? It’s okay, Sega. We still love you! 

So, yes, the Dreamcast era for Sonic was not without its pitfalls. Whether you love raising Chao to compete or couldn’t look past some of the flaws, Dreamcast certainly left its milestones in the Hedgehog’s lore. The mere fact that they were able to give us a few more unique additions to the Sonic Franchise is something to be grateful for. Sometimes, it’s nice to keep things in house. 

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Saturn) - A Miserable Pile of AWESOME!!!

Castlevania, for us oldschool gamers, was a serious victory for gamers and horror fans alike! Who wouldn't love to go through Dracula's castle, defeat horrific creatures and take on demons of a terrifying nature? It had a successful run on the original Nintendo system and has gone into the 16-bit era nearly unscathed. It did not have a successful 3D run, but that's further into the future than we're going to be going. No, instead, we're talking about the game that brought together both 2D and 3D elements into one of the pinnacle games of the genre and the franchise. This is the game that many call the greatest platformer right alongside Super Metroid, hence the mixing title "Metroidvania". Fans will never let this title go, and after playing it for about ten or eleven hours, it is clear to see why. 

The problem is that many perceive the Sega Saturn version of Symphony of the Night (Or Dracula X: Nocturn in the Moonlight in Japan) to be the lesser version of this game, add in the fact that it never released in America an you can see why this title never really hit as hard as the PSX version, which became a landmark title and remains a legend in its own right. As someone who has played both versions of this game, I am here to tell you, loosen up! Yeah, there are some noticeable differences but there is also so much to love about the Sega Saturn title, namely that they put in a ton of extra features, including characters that were unlockable for the Playstation port that are given to you from the beginning. 

Now, there is a catch when it comes to these two new characters. I never played as Richter, but I did play a full run with Maria and, wow, the differences are quite stark. First off, there is no story for her. There is only story for Alucard, the main protagonist. Maria also makes the game ridiculously easier. Her range attack added with the items you can use for weapons makes her an absolute powerhouse of a character and gives her some abilities that almost break the game, almost. It's still got its sections that make it very challenging, even with a runthrough with Maria. 

I am not going to go into the differences between the two systems. Sure, the graphics aren't as good and the level design is a bit more wonky but oh well! It's still a fantastic time! The gameplay, the controls, the graphics and the adventurous journey elements are all addicting to the gamer brain. This will make you want to play the game for hours upon hours on end. 

The real strength in this game lies in its boss battles. They are seriously some of the most fun and frequent moments of joy in this entire game. There are large monsters that you would struggle to identify, even when you know monster lore, some of them are just bizarre. That's a good thing! These look so outlandish and otherworldly that you find nothing but joy in bringing them down because you'd be terrified of them in real life. The character designs are outlandish and the satisfation in bringing them down still gives you that wonderful blast of brain endorphines you crave when you play a title such as this!

But let's be fair here, it's still a better game when you play with Alucard, rather than the other two extra characters. Without the story and without the added challenge of leveling up your abilities, it does take away from the experience as a whole. Yes, if you don't speak/read Japanese, you can't really get that story's full effect, but there are plenty of ways around that. 

Now, there are some noticeable differences in the Saturn port that are not so great. The Cursed Prison portion with all of the ghosts and the floating blue flames got more than a little frustrating. Then there are the framerate drops which, yes, are a bit of a nuisance. I've also heard that the loadtimes are more frequent, but that never bothered me to begin with. When you die, you don't have to wait through the Game Over screen, thankfully, and you can load your save state in a quick fashion. 

Let's be honest, was this really a BAD port of Symphony of the Night? I really do not think so. It may not be quite as good as the Playstation port, because it's rumored the Konami rushed through its production, only to release it exclusively in Japan. It has its faults, but if that's what you're thinking about as you run and slice down skeletons, zombies and ghosts, then you're missing the point.