Shining the Holy Ark - There is the Dungeon!

The 32 bit era was a landmark for several different game franchises. It allowed many of them to change the perspective of their entire game and bring us even closer to the action. The Shining series brought their games to this landmark as well and we got some great titles as a result. Shining the Holy Ark is no exception to this! The RPG genre was boosted to a whole new level and the push to 3D was a resounding success!

With haunted mansions and an entire barrage of monsters to face throughout caves and other dreary landscapes, you will never grow bored. There is also a cascade of beauty in green forests and grasslands. When you and your band of mercenaries are hired to take down a strange ninja, you embark on a journey that is far beyond what you’d expect. With characters that use melee weapons and characters that are mastered in the arts of magic, you need to make your strategy an effective one if you want to get through all of the ridiculous obstacles.

Now, is the game perfect? No, in fact there are several parts of the game that force you to grind a lot of your progress. If this is your thing, then the game will give you a lot of it. You can easily get lost in the tunnels and caves and this can be a problem when you are running out of magic and items to survive.

The characters are one of the saving graces of the game. There’s enough of a story to keep your involvement solid, while leaving your character enough of a blank slate to make them your own. The monsters can get a bit difficult in spots of the game, but overcoming them gives you a great sense of satisfaction.

The real problem with the game is it can get repetitive and there isn’t a great deal of replay value attached. However, after a long while between playing, it is very easy to pick up once again. The graphics are an example of the time and many have compared playing this game to playing the ever popular Final Fantasy VII. Any Fantasy RPG fan will most likely love this title. The Shining series is a fantastic Sega franchise that boasts several games that are more than worth trying for yourself. Give it a try!

Typing of the Dead Overkill (PC) - Beyond Parody

House of the Dead is no stranger to Planet Virtua. We don't love all of them, but the first two games from the arcade, Sega Saturn and Sega Dreamcast were some of our most celebrated titles! Overkill has found brand new life, since its introduction on the Wii, and it is some of the greatest the brand has to offer, bar none. 

Oh, yes, this is some of the corniest, cheesiest horror movie parody you could possibly ask for. Since the old days of the grindhouse movies in the dollar theaters, horror fans have had a fascination with slasher/zombie movies with a shoe-string budget, stupid one-liners and questionable effects in both makeup and pyros. As crappy as these movies were in production, they had their own beautiful charm to them. 

House of the Dead: Overkill captured this perfectly, and if you don't have a gun to shoot the screen with, now there's Typing of the Dead. That's right, you can now shoot zombies using the English language and that is yet another point of celebration! Now, you are going through strip clubs, old mansions and dark places, taking down zombies with your typing skills. This is especially endearing because now you can play it with a normal gun, mouse or the keys on your keyboard plugging holes in zombies. 

The real problem with this game is that it is unbearably short. By the time you're ready for another bout of the main characters' hilarious one-liners, it's basically over. Some of the action can get a little disgusting and grotesque, especially with the final bossfight. 

It's very easy, aside from the typing. The typing gives it a wonderful exercise for your fingers and while I type 100 words a minute, I do make typos and the game penalizes you if you have too many at once. Of course, it's a railshooter, and it's going to have the sudden enemies that appear at the bottom of the screen and some of the more unfair things therein. With the typing, this is toned down a great deal because you kind of need to do that when someone has to literally read and word and very quickly type it. This is a little more difficult than it sounds. 

With the Typing version, this game has been given new life and it is wondrous! This is definitely an addition to the House of the Dead series that belongs on your gameslist and do not pass it up. It is better than the House of the Dead remake, for certain. 

Sonic R - Life is Not a Race

I have talked at length about how Sonic has not had the greatest relationship with the Sega Saturn. With a title like Sonic 3D Blast not meeting a lot of expectations, that is a well long dried up in terms of enticing conversation. It’s not a horrific game, but it certainly doesn’t blow up the skirts of those looking for the high octane action of the original trilogy. Sonic Jam was a massively awesome title, but that’s more because it ported Sonic’s success on the Genesis over to the 5th generation. Not only could you play all three original titles, but you can play all of them with Knuckles as well. Total Sonic win!

Then there is a title that many have overlooked for many reasons. Sonic R is not what we would call a celebrated title among the many games on the Saturn. There are legitimate reasons for this for sure. The graphics are not the greatest by any means. The framerate can dip to some single digits and the glitches in the gameplay can make your skin crawl. Then the controls come along, and yes, you need to get used to them in a very steep learning curve. When you are trying to win this game, it can be a bit of a hassle.

However, when you are going into this game with the idea of “fun” in mind, you can have all kinds. It’s really not hard at all. With a bit of practice and a few friends playing, you can engage in some minigames that the game comes with from the very start! On top of the racing, you can also play tag! That’s right! A racing game with a tag feature! With the awesome characters at your disposal, you can have high speed games of cat and mouse with free exploration of the vast maps as far as the eye can see.

When you have a child to entertain, the possibilities are endless! Quality time can be spent scouring the race tracks for a balloon minigame. Finding the balloons sounds childish as all getout, but why not? Isn’t the point of a game to be fun in our own little ways?

No matter how much this game gets lambasted by the critics and snidely turned down by framerate snobs. This game is still a lot of fun to play. This is not a troll, nor is it saying that it’s the GREATEST SONIC GAME by any means. The love for this game stems from a mixture of both its wide variety of gameplay, its characters and its amazing soundtrack.

The music in this game can never be overstated. It is some of the most energetic, majestic, lyrical tunes on the Sega Saturn. If I were to pit this up against Daytona USA, Sonic R would come out on top, and that’s really saying a lot. From start to finish, this game hits the beats hard and does not stop.

Sonic R is far from perfect and it certainly won’t make a whole lot of favorite games lists. However, there are those of us who still love it for both its pros and its cons. Would I recommend it? No, it’s more for a certain group of people and those willing to forgive its flubs in the graphics and gameplay. On a conventional scale, this game is not good and it deserves all of its critical panning. On another level, the subjective, nostalgic, bleeding heart level, this game is endless fun and deserves a second glance if you’ve got the time. If you’re a Saturn fan, give this game a try and don’t drown in the water. Drink it.

Final Fight Revenge - There is no Revenge

This is a fighting game. More accurately, a 3D fighting game. This particular game was developed by Capcom as a Saturn exclusive (aside from the arcade port) and released only in Japan. It is the only fighting game in the Final Fight series, which normally features beat'em up games. Final Fight has come out with a great number of beat'em up games that have received a great deal of acclaim in both arcades and console versions. 

This game, again their only fighting game, is a bland experience. It is so by the numbers and so mediocre that there's really not a whole lot to talk about here. The stages are beyond bland and the fights are about as unimaginative as you can imagine. Imagine that! It's not that it's terrible, there is just nothing to write home about. The graphics are decent for 32-bits and the character designs made a good conversion over to 3D from their 16-bit counterparts. That's about all the good that can be said about it. 

The fighting is boring. You fight the opponent, they block a whole lot, and you spend the entire time trying to get around their blocking. In hard mode, that is accentuated to a glaring degree! It's not hard, it's tedious! Some of the characters control terribly, because they lack the drive to move forward as they attack, making their controls sluggish! 

One thing that other fighting games have going for them is that they either have cool special moves, fancy footwork and interesting martial arts styles to keep the gameplay fresh. This game does not have any of that stuff. There are punches, kicks and grapples. The best you have to mix things up is Poison with her whip and a few other characters with weapons. Oh, and Guy has shuriken that he throws en mass in hard modes. Woot...

That's the real problem with this game. It looks and plays as bland as white bread and the AI for your opponents does nothing but spam block and throwing attacks while also shooting off their ultimate attacks. The ultimate attacks are about as good as it gets when it comes to the aesthetics, but they are teeth-grindingly cringeworthy when you've seen them for the seventh time. 

The most noteworthy aspect of this game is that your final boss is a zombie. It's a zombie version of Horace Belger. That's it. There's nothing interesting about this other than he falls into pieces and throws those pieces at you while they explode. Yeah, that's pretty cool but when it's your only trump card, it's pretty sad. Yeah, he does the Michael Jackson Thriller dance in the credits but by this time, you've already gone through six lackluster fights against people who spam block and grapple moves. It's cute, but too little, too late.

If you're looking for a 3D fighting game, there are obviously worse out there. This was made by Capcom, though and you would expect a lot more out of them. Obviously, there were problems with the production. This game screams "Under Developed" and it was obvious that they either did not have their prime talent on this game or they were not given nearly enough time to polish it and make it any good. It's boring, predictable and not worth going out of your way to pay the scalping price. This game became one of those rare, expensive relics that people ask way too much for. Just skip it and try something else. Try some water, it's more exciting. 

Gauntlet Legends (Dreamcast) - Red Wizard is about to Kill!

Reaching back into the annals of history, there is a smallish franchise that has sadly not seen the light of day as of late. The arcades and the NES were both graced with the presence of Gauntlet, a top-down multiplayer fantasy game Ed Logg and Rob Zeigler of Atari in 1985. Like many fantasy video games, it was inspired by Dungeons and Dragons and brought to life for arcade cabinets with gameplay basically ripped from Dandy and Time Bandits. 

Gauntlet is a game series of survival, shooting various ranged weapons into various mobs and making your way to a goal on the other side of the map. Gauntlet Legends is a cut and paste of the 2D game from 1985 brought to the arcades, Dreamcast, N64 and Playstation. While it does tilt the camera at a more isometric angle, the top-down qualities of the game are still in tact.

You fight mobs made up of orcs, ghosts, wraiths, etc. with one to four players, collecting power-ups, avoiding traps (one including Death himself) and making your way through locked doors and blocked paths. Each level is part of a hub world that you return to when you either die or beat said level. As you progress through each of the levels, more of the portals in this hub world open up and you start to unlock more secrets and level up your characters as you fight. 

It is almost essential to have at least two players, especially in some of the later levels. This may not be the deepest of games and it may be somewhat repetitive with its gameplay but there is no denying that it's fun. Employing each of your special abilities in a fight as an Archer, Wizard, Warrior or whatever class you choose is part of your own contribution to the fight. Wizards have catastrophic ultimate attacks that can clear out large amounts of enemies. As you collect potions on the battlefield, they will each have different effects that will help you fight the long line of enemies coming your way. 

The spawn points for the enemies need to be destroyed. If you don't make sure they are down to their lowest point, they will continue to spawn enemies for as long as there is room in the area to have them. This means that the mobs will come from this spawn point and attack you from anywhere on the map. If you leave them unattended, you will have a long line of monsters to battle in order to backtrack and destroy the trap to its fullest. Some of the traps start at a high level and they produce stronger enemies. The more damage you do to these spawn points, the weaker enemies will spawn. 

If you needed an excuse to have over some friends and play a fun little game that's simple and enjoyable, look no further. Gauntlet has always been a game that is very familiar to those who play Dungeons and Dragons and that is always enjoyed most with a small group of people. This is arguably the peak of the franchise in both graphics and gameplay. The iconic quotes like "Red Warrior is about to die" or "Blue Wizard needs food badly" always seems to exist in some gaming circles. Do yourself a favor and give this game a try. Virtua Axe Throw! 

Virtual On (Saturn) - Lasers! Missiles! Laser Missiles!

 

As soon as you hear the phrase "Get Ready!" for the first time, if you hadn't practiced before hand, you were not ready! Virtual On is a game that takes some practice but then you will not put it down! This is hours of fun on single player and years of fun against your friends! Everyone has to at least try this game in order to feel the rush and zap your opponents with just about every type of laser! You will munch metal, tear titanium and sever steel with your own chosen mech! I could douse this game in hyperbole all day, but let's get slightly more objective before I turn this arena into a scrap heep!

If it wasn't clear, this game rocks. It is a third person 3D fighter that puts you in control of your choice of war machine. There are several to choose from and they come in all shapes and sizes. Whether you want the heavy weapons fighter that doesn't run quite as fast or one of the more slender models that are far more agile, this game has you covered. The Saturn graphics really shine with this title. Each machine is very unique, even though each stage is pretty much the same aside from different placements of cover. 

The real problem with this game is that the controls really do take practice to get use to and the game can be very unforgiving in its learning curve. It is moderately hard to learn but somehow very easy to master once you pick it up. All you need is some dedication in order to learn your chosen fighting machine and you can come out swinging! Learning how to throw the bombs, when to fly upward and when to use your ultimate attack without wasting it are all essential. The biggest challenge is the movement and going faster and firing with better accuracy than your opponent is also a very large part of the strategy. All of these elements help the immersion and puts you in that state of concentration that gamers florish in while you grind your opponent into pulp! 

It is very hard to find a fault in this game. The learning curve can be a little annoying at first but it can also be easily overcome. The graphics may seem menial today, but those who appreciate the 32-bits will absolutely relish in its quality and detail. The game has glitches but they are very few and far in between. It would be nice to have a bit more variety when it comes to stages and levels, but even then, they look different and function properly, so why fix what isn't broken? Even the short single player campaign can be forgiven because it has such a great 2-player function. The framerates can take a rather low dip! There we go, there's a fault in the game! There's the smudge on the Mona Lisa! Yes, the framerate can go down rather low, especially when there are the larger explosions. Even then, though, this game is amazing. 

If you have read either my Top 20 Saturn Games or my Top 10 Saturn Games lists, you will probably realize that this has been my favorite Saturn game for a very, very long time. Even after a very high boost in the number of games I've played on this system, Virtual On was never dethroned. This game is high octane action and top rate competitive gameplay for the whole family, so long as your grandpa enjoys turning mechanized warriors into can openers! VIRTUA BEAM!!!!!

Sonic The Hedgehog Movie - Red vs Blue for Real!

At long last, after all of the delays, we finally have it. This was something that Sonic fans of old have been waiting for and dreading for decades. Part of us wanted this more than anything while the sensible side of us never wanted it to come about, for fear that the quality would be so absurdly dreadful. Who in their right minds could blame us for thinking this? Not only was it a fish-out-of-water movie, not only did it have a CGI protagonist working with real life actors and not only was it a video game movie, but the original sonic character design spoke volumes for the content therein. 

That original character design seemed to project a horrific omen of doom and damnation. If Sonic looked so terrible in the trailers, chances were that the rest of the movie was equally repugnant. This movie was sending us mixed signals from the very beginning. As terrible as the original design was, we still had a perfectly suitable actor for the antagonist. Jim Carrey seemed to be the one saving grace for this otherwise depicted dumpster fire. Even after the studio reacted well to the backlash of fans and movie-goers, the outlook was bleak to say the least. They agreed to change the design and that surprisingly worked out well in the end.

Then the movie came out and it was quite pleasa--wait, what?! The movie was good? Hold on, I think I skipped a paragraph or two. By all rights, this movie should never have worked to begin with. James Marsden couldn’t hack it with Russell Brand as the Easter Bunny in a very similar type of film, how in the holy land of crap did this actually pan out? 

The movie was funny, charming, character based and focused on entertaining the audience while telling a compelling story. Sonic wasn’t quite the cool rockin’ dude we grew to love, but that’s because he had next to no human interaction for his entire life. The vast array of differences from the video game were well explained while also being very well executed. We didn’t spend too much time away from our main protagonist and antagonist. In fact, their interactions and solo scenes not only perfectly outlined exposition through the narrative, but also didn’t focus too much on mediocre backstory or stupid character traits. It was balanced. 

Yes, we are not going to persecute them for ruining the original Sonic design. They paid for that in sweat and money and we got what we wanted from it. Now, Sonic looks like Sonic actually should. The CGI effects were well executed. It was very easy to suspend your disbelief, especially when it came to Dr. Robotnik’s mechanical drones. They looked like they were actually part of the movie. 

Sonic’s speed and running effects were ridiculously well pulled off. There was even a great effect where it looked like he was running circles and there were hundreds of him because he was moving faster than the naked eye could comprehend. That’s some great detail. 

Where the visuals undercut was hither and thither. At the beginning, when we first see Sonic as a child, the character design is very underwhelming. Beyond that, there are some nitpicks that I could go into, but just know that they are not a deal breaker and they are easily forgotten about as the movie progresses.

Where this movie thrives is the soundtrack. Gangster’s Paradise was so out of place in the trailer, so it’s good that it wasn’t in the actual movie. However, the music is lively and sometimes even gives you the nostalgia feels as you recognize some of the Blue Blur’s original music. 

Sonic’s voice is sadly not Jaleel White, but Ben Schwartz was still superb. Even if you’re use to the old Sonic voices of the TV shows, it will take seconds before you get used to his take on the character. Without a doubt, he pulled off just about every line with flawless humor and wit. Sure, some of the dialogue was cheesy and some of it didn’t ring all that true, but that’s a minor nibble.

Focus, that’s the key word here. The story was tight and focused while also giving us the visuals and plot points to keep up the pace as it went along. Characters worked and coincided without feeling contrived or forced into easily avoidable situations. Whatever distractions they do put on the screen do not waste a whole lot of time and do not out stay their welcome. You get enough character backstory to relate to the characters and even care for them. 

One major change from the source material is the mythical rings. Their function is vastly different from what we’re used to, but at the same time they perfectly fit where they sit. Instead of the rings being a source of energy, they serve to move the plot along at a good pace. 

To call this a road trip movie would be quite shallow, as the driving sequences, while densely packed, do not take up a terrible portion of the overall film. Besides, the main driving scene is so action packed you kind of forget the road trip feel all together. 

Let’s not kid each other, this is not high art. It is not going for any Oscars and it’s certainly not going to appeal to a universal audience. Therefore, the themes are more what you’d find in your bargain bin Dreamworks and Pixar movies. There’s the friendship quality that’s rather obtuse and palpable throughout the whole thing. Then there’s the evil inherent in a careless government and staying true to your modest roots as well as to yourself. It’s about what you’d expect. They’re ham-fisted, but not at all unwelcome. 

That’s one great thing we can share with our kids, is the power of 90’s Nostalgic Kids Intellectual Properties. Sonic is perfect for the kids. If there were any cursing, it wasn’t noticeable. There’s no real violence or gore. Another great and surprising fact about this movie, aside from the overall quality, is that there is one single fart joke in the whole thing. It’s not entirely wholesome, though, there are small bits of fighting as well as a few jokes that only grownups would find a bit strange and oddly cruel. There was no raunchiness or overall shocking material, though. Bring the younglings.

Everyone pulled their own weight. Sonic and Robotnik were perfectly cast and James Marsden did what he needed to while still being overall likeable. He fit into the plot wonderfully and was not overly accepting of this outlandish situation, especially at first. Along with him was Tika Sumpter, an actress who was actually somewhat under utilized. She joined in on some of the adventures, but she was so likeable, I wouldn’t argue if she were in more of it. 

Jim Carrey was a bright spot on the radar, for sure. From the very beginning, everyone sang the praise of his inclusion. What a perfect concept of a 90’s nostalgic movie featuring one of the 90’s sharpest comedic talent. He brought Dr. Robotnik to life in more ways than one. He was hateable in the most wonderful way and you really didn’t want him to leave the screen when his scenes ended. 

All of the other minor characters served their purpose. There were no terrible performances, though some were a bit stiff. The cast was probably the real glue that made this whole movie stick together so well. 

One place where this movie falls short is picking the plot out in a lineup. Yeah, it’s the alien in the real world who befriends a human and sets out to do something that will take a lot of gusto and fighting to accomplish. It’s bare bones as storylines go. Yet another reason why this movie should not have worked in the first place. 

As a Sega fan, a Sonic fan, a 90’s kid and a part of the movie going public, I absolutely loved this film. One major factor in grading a movie is whether or not I would go see it again. I was ready to buy another ticket for either that day or the next day to see it again. It was just so much fun and so easy to watch. I think I never cringed once. If I did, it was quickly forgotten.

Is it for everyone? Obviously not. However, if you have kids and some time to kill, this movie is ideal. There is a reason why Sonic has lasted so long as a character. He is so easy to love and fun to look at that he has survived this long on charm and a handful of legendary games. This movie is going in my Bluray collection.

Virtua Sonic #5 - The Cube is the Game is the Cube

 

You do not know how strong your favorite game series is until you've played a collection that you truly fall in love with. Sonic the Hedgehog has survived through the years through imagination and a strong foundation of great games. Even the bad games are fun to play and will be worth the charge of just a few compilations, Sonic the Fighters is proof of that. The Gamecube brought about a quiet dignity to the gamers of the mid-2000's that was unappreciated in its time. Since then, a great community of fans have kept this system among the mainstream gamers for generations. The Sonic Gems and Sonic Mega collections were a Hedgehead's best way to cash in on some of the most legendary titles. 

Of course, this means that they had the first three games in the Mega Collection. In fact, a lot of his best titles. Though if I may be subjective for a moment, I have to say Sonic Spinball and Sonic 3D blasts are memories that aged about as well as a banana in the refrigerator that everyone’s seemed to have forgotten about. Sonic Spinball is a little more challenging and unfair than I remember. Maybe I had a better fix on the game as a child, because I remember seeing more levels in my youth. Maybe I just had more time and patience as a child but that doesn’t sound like a child I remember being. 

And Sonic 3D Blast is still just as slow as I remember it. There are a decent about of tiny speed ramps here and there but the game overall is far too slow to be a Sonic game. And let’s face it, chasing animals and collecting them for a pile is just boring. 

That being said, Sonic’s original three titles including the Knuckles editions of two and three bring this collection to new heights of replayability. Whoever skips out on these titles for any system cannot consider themselves Sonic fans. Your opinion is duly noted but Sega would not be in the place it was were it not for these exclusive titles in the first place. How wonderful it is that Nintendo grinned, kidnapping our dear Hedgehog and laughing maniacally as they start piledriving titles to rub it in Sega’s face. This is so apparent that there was even a port of Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2. They sure didn’t wait long to start attacking those Dreamcast titles. 

However, even the Saturn graced it with its presence. Yes, the Gems collection had Sonic 3D Blast, but I will not stop being subjective in this review, just because I’ve always loved to see that more and more people are coming out to praise Sonic R. This version is even updated with some polished graphics here and there and it’s great to see so many people come out and show love to this title. There have been a few famous reviews that called it out on its ineptitudes but really it only needed a bit of practice. Even if you call it nostalgia goggles, those are things I will wear until my dying days. Unlocking Super Sonic is well worth it for those who can appreciate the effort to bring him about. Yes, some of those levels can get a little overbearing but they are not impossible. 

There is also a serious look back at the other collection from a much more obscure console. The Sega Gamegear gets a closer look in the Sonic Gems collection. Even Tails gets two titles, acting as a single main character in his own platformer game. Is it as good as the original three? No, not even close. In fact, they would be strained to go under the title of “good” but then again, they were born on the Sega Gamegear, so we do need to give them a little bit of credit. That’s like making fun of water for being wet. These games can’t help but be awful!

Tails Skypatrol is a game that couldn’t handle any real movement from the bad guys, nor could it afford any control of any kind. Even when you’re flying, the controls are so bad, the game has to compensate by making you hook onto random moving objects to see that you control just a little better. Don’t hit those little moving things, then expect to run into some random wall that will kill you immediately! One wrong move and you’re toast. These walls and platforms come out of seemingly nowhere because they look so generic that they’re in the background. They don’t seem to pop out as an obstacle or a threat. Was it really so much to ask for for just a simple moving ladybug robot or maybe a ball with spikes? Something that looked the least bit like a danger of any kind would be really nice.

Sonic Drifts 2 is just awful. You drive at high speeds down a road which you have no view on. Your control is sluggish to say the least. This is an asinine design for a racing game. You could make a case for some of these other platformers, but you can’t render a racing game on something that couldn’t produce a proper framerate to save its life! It’s bad enough to control the Gamegear Sonic 2 or Sonic The Hedgehog Triple Trouble. Those two games are made easier for the sake of making up for its lack of “BLAST PROCESSING” or any semblance of the proper graphics to handle any speed. The problem is you run to the other end of the screen and it has to catch up. Hopefully, there’s nothing in front of you to knock some rings out of you. 

This title had tons of samey Sonic slamfests (I ran out of nouns, bite me) but if I keep getting into them, this article will go way too long. Just trust that you can assume their gameplay and control pretty much blows tremendous amounts of chunks. It also has Vectorman games, but this isn’t called Virtua Vectorman! Moving on!

Sonic Advneture DX and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle were both ported to the Gamecube as upgraded and cleaned up Sega Dreamcast games! In fact, as nostalgia goggles go, this was probably the best they’ve looked in a while. They also had extra levels and extra modes to play! Everyone loves raising chao babies and now everyone can shoot their least favorite Sonic characters in the FACE! Not only were they made better, but Sonic Adventure 2 deleted almost ALL of the Big the Cat cameos! That’s a part of Sonic Adventure we’d prefer to forget, of course.

The Gamecube brought about quite the library for our favorite blue speedrunner, in fact, I’ve barely scraped the surface of this collection. Sonic was actually treated better on the Gamecube than he was his own systems from before. Even Sonic R was treated with respect. Though, it would have been amazing if we got a port of Sonix X-treme, but that may have been expecting a bit too much. Not only did the Gamecube polish up old games, but it released titles such as Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic Heroes. Even counting Sonic Riders, at least they were trying new things. 

There are many reasons I personally consider the Gamecube a spiritual sequel to the Sega Dreamcast. It's funny how things turn out, isn't it? No one back then would think Nintendo could make such a good Sega System. Underappreciated in its time but still a timeless none the less. Give it a try and play some rockin' Sonic titles! Remember to get that Robotnik jerk and drink plenty of water!

Super Mario Brothers 3 vs Super Mario World

 Look, we all understand who Mario is and we have some understanding of his games on some level. If you're new to the franchise, you may only know his games on the Switch. Some may only know Odessey or some may even know the Galaxy games. Well, old school gamers know two things when it comes to Mario. One, if you say Mario 2, you're going to hear someone say "It was originally Doki--", yes yes, we get it! And, two, you either like Super Mario 3 better or you like Super Mario World better. 

There are many views on this subject and there are several theories, but in the end, it all comes down to the era and which side you were on in that era. You either were born into a family that currently had a Super Nintendo, or your family could only get a Nintendo, so you were subjected to one or the other as a result. Whatever the case may be, there is so much to love on either game. 

Super Mario World has some graphics that just scream 16-bits! These are those strange graphics where the team was experimenting while also proving their expertise carrying over from the previous game. The haunted houses with the Boos and the Bowser Castles with the Thwamps look very stylish and polished. Then, there's Yoshi. Everyone loves Yoshi. Virtua Venus, my space partner from space loves Super Mario World better because of Yoshi. He was the face of Nintendo for a time and has proven to be quite personable with different colors available on Mario Kart 8. 

Then, there's Super Mario 3, coming in before the game I just talked about, with such a style that has been copied but never duplicated. This game has secrets and flutes in its many great things it contributed to gaming lore. Anything from the giant world to the Tanuki Suit have been referenced in so many other games along with the raccoon tail and the automatic screen side scrolling time limits with limitless pitfalls. There's a lot! Let's go with that. 

When people decide which one is better, a lot of people may realize that these two games are quite similar. While the feather isn't exactly the leaf, there are quite a few familiar levels that show up in both games. Many monsters make new appearances, though one of the developers apparently discovered American Football, because those weird villains charging at you in pads was a little surprising in the first level. 

One cool thing many will observe in Mario 3 is that, from the very beginning, it is a play that Mario is acting in. You see the red curtain at the very beginning and you notice that much of the first few levels are screwed into the back like a stage. You can even go behind the stage if you go on top of one of the white blocks in the first level and press down for a bit. That way you can dodge all of the enemies and just run to the end. All you need to remember is to jump the falls. 

When it comes to difficulty, that's a crossroads that both of these games share as well. You can beat Mario 3 much faster because of the flutes and it is one of the most speedran game along with Doom. Overall, Super Mario World is probably considered the more difficult game but that's really dependant on what's more difficult, the water levels or the moving platform levels with all of the floating spiral platforms? 

One point against Super Mario Brothers 3 was the movie, The Wizard. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a terrible idea and it was a successful campaign overall, as it had been the first time it was ever done. They advertised their third title release at the end of the movie and showed the kids competing to play it. It really was an iconic moment in gaming and one that old school gamers will always remember. The movie itself, however, was absolutely horrible. The acting in it was beyond cringe, but that is very acceptable by many people. So, many will consider this a plus. Super Mario Bros. The Movie, however, that's another article. 

One day, the polls will say Super Mario Brothers 3, the next day, Yoshi's first game will be the victor because everyone loves the dinosaur who spits fireball red shells. It's really a testament to their greatness and a declaration of integrity to have created two knockout titles in such quick succession between two different systems.  Mario has a rich and deep history with gaming in general and there are so many games in the library to cover. He and Sonic's rivalry can never be overstated as one of the biggest in Video Gaming. Planet Virtua celebrates Sonic more but we're of a mind that Mario deserves his kudos. Just wait until we get to the Super Show! Momma Mia!

Virtual Hydlide - Virtua Vomit!

Ah, yon traveler! Far have you journeyed in your quest to find the princess who was changed into the three fairies by the dragon! Long have you fought the trees and the bees and faced off against the long, twisting and turning halls of the cave! Your journey has come this far, but hark unto me! You forgot to look in the 4th room of the 2nd cave and you forgot an item! Good luck back tracking!

Who can forget the wondrous feel of those awesome fantasy games of old? Those classic knights and dragon games where you had to use a lot of imagination while you played were a staple of old RPG's. That awesome feeling of destroying your enemy and gaining those sweet levels on your way to destroy the master of evil. Toss all of that aside for the one known as Jim! That’s right, you are now Jim and you’re rummaging through random crap to face the evil overlord.

The first thing you may notice, when you pop this into your Saturn for some ungodly reason, is that the character looks extremely plain and very bland. Sure, starting with a blank slate is a good thing, but this? He doesn’t even look like a product of the middle ages, he looks far too much like every single white guy with dark hair ever! He is so generic that putting armor on him makes him look like a guy with an armor overlayer. It’s like they found the perfect mismatch character and they were none the wiser.

Then there's the item system. Using items in any capacity is a hassle no matter how you slice it. Bringing up the interface for any reason forces you to stop what you're doing and concentrate on it. This was fine back in the 8-bit era when we were first working out the mechanics of a game, but now? They should know better. There are so many items you have to dig through, it slows the game's pace which didn't need any more hindering to begin with.

Add that to some of the worst landscapes brought to 32-bits and you have a craptacular journey ahead of you. You travel around forests and caves with a straight back point of view, this makes hit detection almost impossible because the vantage has no depth perception. You could be swinging your club at a monster from two feet away instead of two inches and you wouldn’t be able to tell.

The quests you go on can all equate to “Go to this place and get this thing.” Fetch quests are aplenty and they’re only made harder through their monotony. If you are not lulled into a passive sense of blandness, then you are frustrated that every single enemy you face can kill you in just one or two hits. The abrupt and tedious deaths are common place here. You could finally feel like you’re getting somewhere, but then you run into a tree that contains a patch of bees and it’s over. They kill you almost instantly and don’t apologize. They don’t even buy you a drink!

After you die, the load times become ridiculous! Between levels and continue screens, the load times are around 50% of the game! It gets so boring! The worst thing you could do to a game is make it boring and unplayable. This game is playable, but just barely.

The castle setting is probably the best you’ll find in this game, as they do look quite nice and actually reflect well with the game’s “tone.” The caves, however, are just black walls, black floor and some dark gray bones. You will run into the wall constantly if you do not keep a close eye on the map. They become a problem, especially when you’re forced to platform! Yes! Platforming from a back point of view in a game where you did not have to platform anywhere else. Well, there’s a platforming cave and good luck getting everything you need out of it!

While this is popularly known as the worst game on the Saturn, it’s honestly playable enough to stay away from the top of the list. However, it has made so many worst game lists, it’s comical at this point. If you don’t suffer from motion sickness as the POV and the framerate, it may be worth your time to try. Some people actually like it, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, if you troll someone into buying it, lying to their faces, we shall fire our Virtua Beam Cannons into your face! Virtua DIE!!!!

Shining Wisdom - Onward, to 2D!

Being a diehard Saturn fan is hard, we know this. After years of acknowledging that our favorite console has been looked down upon by the gaming public and focusing on the what if's and why's of the Sega Saturn's history, we need as many wins as we can get. This brings me to the Shining series, a flagship franchise for Sega that has some of the most constant quality throughout its duration. It's not the highest quality, but it is definitely quality none the less. The Shining series has been fantasy gameplay that one can trust and popping these games in can cause you to get absorbed into its world and love taking down monsters and villains.

Sadly, going into Shining Wisdom with these expectations will not bear the wanted results. With all of the cool perspective and dungeon crawling fun from Shining the Holy Ark, you would think a year prior, the game wouldn't be so brutally different. How naive I was to think so. This was a bit of a downer coming into it. This was all based on expectations and not in an objective view, I will admit. Going into it, you see a top-down view of a game and you expect this just to be an outer world view and noncombat perspective. Then you go into the wilderness and find out that this is what you have and there's not much else to it. 

Going through a hub world, talking to civilians and exploring forests is one thing, but when you find out that you are literally just swinging swords and casting spells in that world and nothing more, there is a sour sense of disappointment that goes along with it. Yes, there is good gameplay here and I'll get to that, but going into it like this, knowing my child side, at a young age, I probably would have stopped playing it outright. Just walking around swinging at random monsters in the forest seems about as shallow an option for gameplay as you can get and you would have at least thought they would go for a classic RPG turn base portion or at least some sort of close-up view of the combat, but no, you swing a sword, they get knocked away and explode. 

The graphics are about as underwhelming as it sounds. These characters look cartoonish, the shading is smooth and the monsters look about as generic as they come. Again, if there were some other gameplay with different graphics behind this, it would have been much more palletable, but as is, it's very difficult to take this seriously. 

Now, is it a terrible game? No, it's just not what you would consider a deep, engrossing experience. There is some fun to be had with taking down a whole ton of monsters with swords and magic as you traverse caves, wilderness, castles and fantasy settings. Once you get over the initial gameplay experience and start to play, you can start paying more attention to the story, which is where the game thrives to a degree. The plot and progression are actually quite good, as is the leveling system for your protagonist. The puzzles are fun, though, they do outstay their welcome somewhat with how frequent they are. It starts off pretty slow with having to use healing plants more and more as you fight monsters on a very large scale. The grind is not especially bad, considering each of them take one or two hits to kill and they drop some pretty helpful items along the way. 

The more comfortable you get with the game, the better it gets. If this is your cup of tea, then Christmas has come because this is not an especially short game, but it also isn't so long as to overstay its welcome. The graphics and character designs, along with the gameplay are all an acquired taste and if you're not already prone to liking this style, this could be a pretty hard game to grow into. Consider this a mixed review from someone who has grown accustomed to the Shining series' better titles. Overall, it's only recommended for a certain audience, everyone else may be pulled away from its presentation. Graphics don't make the game, but that's obviously not the only place this game falls short. For all its faults, it's not a terrible game, just know what you're getting before you spend a lot of money on it. Until then, keep crawling those dungeons and don't forget to bring some water.

Virtua Cop 2 - Virtua Boogaloo

Try as I might, I don't want to make reviews solely based on personal opinion. Though, it slips through a lot of the time, there is always an edge of truth and objectivity concerning the reviews I write for the Planet. I love Virtua Cop 2 but the first one is my favorite concerning them. Take that for what you will, but VC2 is still an absolute grand time! 

The sequel takes everything we love about the first game, polishes it, and slaps on more mechanics for us to enjoy in brand new ways. It adds excitement, because not only do we go on the rails, firing our weapons at criminals on a rail, but we also get into a car and have a high octane car chase, shooting at other cars with baddies at the wheel. 

The game always feels in motion and there's always a lot happening on the screen. What's better is that this time around, it is much more challenging than the last game because you need to be on your guard. The innocents look very similarly dressed to the badguys, so there's that to look out for, once again. 

One great game mechanic that came about was something that made the entire game's replay value go through the roof! This time around, you are able to choose which way on a map that you'd like to go and explore different areas of the map, giving you a reason to come back for another playthrough. This is also a way to unlock a secret boss battle, but that is something to figure out on your own. 

The boss battles are more intricate and elaborate, while also throwing back to the first game. In fact, the first level's boss looks exactly like the mech boss from the last game. I would say that he's also named Boss, but all of them are named Boss in this game. When it comes to these boss battles, you'll see that they changed things they needed to while also keeping many elements the same. You can't really miss when it comes to Virtua Cop 2!

The levels are more intricate, there's more badguys to take down and new characters to meet along the way. It's a great time, no matter how you look at it. It does what a sequel should do. It polishes the graphics, adds some adrenaline and gives you more of what you loved about the first game. There are some drawbacks here and there. Sometimes the levels seem like they can drone on and on and every once in a while, it can move the camera to a point where hitting the badguys becomes something of a slog, but you hardly notice the flaws. The bottom line is that if you loved the first one, this one goes right there with it and adds everything you want! In the name of Virtua City, you're under virtua arrest, you virtua scumbag!

Podcast Episode #2 - Resident Evil on Planet Virtua

 Join myself and Virtua Panzer as we dodge horrible zombies while talking about Resident Evil as a franchise. Please, leave a like and subscribe to Virtua Panzer's channel on youtube!