New Sega Genesis

The Original SixteenBit

I got a new, well new to me, Sega Genesis. Got it at King of Trade pawn shop, its pretty fucking sweet there. Tons of vintage consoles, games from Original NES to PS3 move stuff, lots of shit old sports games though. Man, those sport games coming out every year, lots of people get sick of NHL 94 when NHL 95 comes out. There were a few gems like; Altered beast; Sonic 3; Road Rash 2; Legend of Zedla and alike there priced around 20 bucks a piece. I only got Pitfall: Mayan Adventure and NHL 95 (around two bucks), the system with power cord and RF switch (fuck it's been awhile since I seen one of them). Also picked up a AV cord and extra controller. It only ran me about 35 bucks.

Setting up initially, I tried to run the AV from Genesis to my amp receiver and a dual AV cable from the amp to my TV. Didn't work out though, tried a AV few input combinations and holy shit, is the electrical converter huge, covers the power outlet. While flipping through my inputs I noticed there were two antenna options. Couldn't believe this fancy LCD HD TV had this stone age technology. Plugged in the RF switch and everything was good to go, no 7.1 surround sound but it will do. I will figure that out later, sure its possible.

Ok run down of the damage of the what I bought. First we started up NHL 95, two players, my brother and I. There was plenty of confusion at first with what team you were on, then I noticed the one controller's buttons didn't work so well. Still won 3-0 with that handicap, his paddle seemed fine. Big chain pawn shops are great places to get old games hell even new games if you look lots. Most offer a warranty of some kind but be careful shit can still not work, and a lot of the hook ups and accessories can be cheap unofficial knock offs. Still most the time they work good enough though.

I know there is a Nintendo 64 in the closet just no controllers or games, and I swear, I seen a box of Genesis games somewhere and I know Road Rash 2 is in there with a couple of other good ones. Going to be looking through storage tomorrow that's for sure. I am going to be searching more pawn shops and garage sales for some classic gaming also. 

New Releases April 12th 2011

Patapon 3 (PSP)
Release Date: April 12th, 2011
Genre: Strategy
Publisher: Sony Computer Enterainment
Developer: Pyramid
Online Play: 8 versus/ 4 Co op
Local: 8 versus/ 4 Co op

Patapon is bad for a new adventure. This one has some added multiplayer to its musical gameplay. I never really liked this game but always thought the Patapon are awesome looking.

Heavy Fire: Afghanistan (PS3/Wii/Xbox)
Release Date: April 12th, 2011
Genre: Shooter
Publisher: Teyon
Developer: Teyon

I don’t have any info for this game it looks like a squeal to a WiiWare game. I think it’s a shooter using the motion controllers for Playstation Move, Xbox Kinect, and Wii.

 




Rio (PS3/Wii/Xbox)
Release Date: April 12th, 2011
Genre: Party
Publisher: THQ

Another “motion: type party game, but this one is based on the animated movie Rio.  Never even heard of the movie and both are the aimed for the kiddies. Not my cup of tea.



Trackmania Turbo (DS)
Release Date: April 12th, 2011
Genre: Racing
Publisher: City Interactive
Developers: Firebrand Games/ Nadeo
Online Play: 4 Versus
Local Play: 4 Versus


I couldn’t find much information on this on another racing game. A couple racing games coming out this week. Most racing games don’t do to well other then the Gran Turismo, Forza Motorsport, and Need for Speed series. I will have to ask my DS playing friends to check it out for me.

Squinkies (DS)
Release Date: April 12th, 2011
Genre: Fucking children’s game
Publisher: Activision

This piece of shit from Activision puts you in control of  Squinkie Princess in search of her fucking squinkie fucking friends. With over 250 squinkies to “collect” by winning mini games, such as Squinkies Puzzle, Squinkies Pool, Squinkies Chains, Squinkies Paint or Squinkies Chomp. This game looks terrible, and I doubt I will play it. Never know the Mini Games might be fun.




MotorStorm: Apocalypse (PS3/ Xbox)
Released Date: April 12th, 2011
Genre: Racing
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Evolution Studios
Online Play: 16 Versus
Local Play: 4 Versus


I’ve played an older MotorStorm and it was pretty rad. I am not a huge fan of the off road racing games. Freakstyle was pretty badass though. 16 player online sounds fucking cool. If I see this one in the bargain bin in a few months I will pick it up for sure.

Fantastic Pets (Xbox)
Released Date: April 12th, 2011
Genre: Virtual Pet
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Blitz Games

This pile of puke is a virtual pet game that probably sucks more the Tamagotchi. Tamagotchi was the only pet game out actually and the only that counted your steps and killed your pet if you didn’t feed and clean up after it. It’s exclusively for Kinect and “puts you in the game”, another stupid “motion” game.  

Micheal Jackson The Experience (PS3/Xbox/Wii/DS)
Release Date: April 12th, 2011
Genre: Music
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

This a game for the Jackson fan to spend more money on the dead wacko. Kids can moonwalk and sing Michael’s infamous hits out of tune. Do you know anyone that can sing like MJ? This game is going to be impossible for me considering I can’t sing or dance. 

LEGO Battles: Ninjago (DS)
Release Date: April 12th, 2011
Genre: Battle
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive
Developer: Hellbent Games

Another fucking LEGO game man there is a lot of these coming out lately. Lego Batman was the last one I played and it was pretty fun actually. Being on DS will most likely cut down the gameplay compared to the console versions.

Dungeon Hunter: Alliance (PSN)
Release Date: April 12th, 2011
Genre: Action- RPG
Publisher: Gameloft

Another Gauntlet style Co op Action RPG, these games have been over done. Who has a clue if this will be another piece of shit. If it’s not too pricy I might get it, I liked Gauntlet, fucking classic. 

 Fucking Space Invaders!!! Solid, love this game, it's nine years older then me. The Game was created by Tomohiro Nishikado and released in Taito Japan in 1987. According to Wikipedia, the game was so popular that there was a shortage of 100yen coins. That's pretty bad ass. Shortly after it was released in North America. Space Invaders has always been an underrated video game icon. I still see that shit everywhere, merchandise in novelty shops like backpacks ,wallets and T-shirts. I knew a kid that had a Space Invaders bong and they never even played it before.

The beginning of Story mode starts out like the classic in a little rectangle with a line on top. Of course the classic aliens, in uniform fashion, slowly come down in that little pattern they do. Moments into shooting them, its flashes white, Charles Darwin's quote "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change."Your little box turns into a cool little spaceship and the background has some depth and feel. The enemies include the classic aliens, with many new ones, that have the freedom to move in complex patterns anywhere on the screen. Instantly you seen numerous differences from the original while still stay true to it.

The theme of the game is evolution and is enforced with a gene evolution system. Play through the game and add to the meter to advance through the gene levels. With advancement through the game you unlock new ships that shoot different projectiles and different abilities like free roam (which is unlocked very early). Shooting down the UFO unleashes a power up, which looks like a atom. Once the gene levels up, the power ups improve. It's a vast improvement from the original game. A very good job from developer Taito Corporation and publisher Square-Enix

There are a few game modes, Normal mode mentioned above; Challenge which consist of 99 short levels; Bonus is a collective of extra levels unlocked in Normal mode. Lets not forget Music mode, it creates an level from a song in your personal music collection. This is pretty cool and I enjoy it a lot. Can't figure out if the BPM of the song matters for the difficultly of the level generated. BPM of Normal levels can be seen before playing them. I noticed death metal levels are harder then the dance ones, and beck was pretty mellow. At the end of a song, a boss battle ends the round. 

What I really like about this game, is its playability, it is really addictive. You can see your rank in the top left hand corner and gives you drive to survive longer. You can continue on the level you died on, to continue the "evolution" but your score resets. This is a great game after smoking a fat joint, there are some amazing graphics and trippy patterns. I couldn't imagine playing on Psilocybin or other hallucinogens. Anyway for ten bucks, its a good buy and is while worth it. Plus you get to listen to your own music. Have fun with it.

PS: I am trying a new thing, I've been broadcasting live gaming sessions on blogtv.com under Sixteenbit. Right now I just point my PS eye at the television while hooked to my computer. Soon I will set up a recording system. More info later.  

What do we really think of Sonic?

Sonic the Hedgehog, is a series I grew up on. While most kids I knew had Super Nintendos, playing Mario, Donkey Kong and  Super Metroid. I had a Sega Genesis and Sonic was the man, Tails, I always thought was a little queer. Knuckles was straight up bad ass. Last March Playstation Network released Sonic the Hedgehog in all its original glory. You can even choose to make it less pixelated. Then just last Tuesday, they released Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Hoping in a while we will see Sonic and Knuckles.

Lets give you some background on this speedy little blue bastard.  Sonic is, of course, some sort of hedgehog wearing red shoes and lives out on South Island. Then this evil scientist asshole name Doctor Ivo Robotnik comes along and transforms the cute little animals of South Island into his robotic minions. Sonic, I guess steps up to the hero position. And to top it off, for no apparent reason collecting Chaos Emeralds will help Sonic in his quest. Actually if you  collect all the Chaos Emeralds in the game they make plants grow on South Island, which seems to surprise the dumb blue fucker. The game is a 2D side scroller platformer, which you run through a level collecting rings that is sort of a life system and adds to the score and jumping on evil robots.

HaHa, 16-Bit

Sonic 2 came out in a year later in 1992, and was far better. Add the spin move, better bonus levels and the introduction of Sonic’s yellow two tailed fox sidekick, Miles Power (classy name) aka Tails. The plot is pretty similar. Robotnik secretly follows Sonic’s biplane, the Tornado, to Westside (really…) Island, sonic’s vacation spot. There is some legend about an ancient civilzation once abused seven powerful “stones” that strangely sound like the  Chaos Emeralds. On this Island Sonic meets Tails just before Dr. Robotnik launches an all out assault on Westside Island and turns all the animals into robots, which are called Badniks, again. Sonic and Tails head out to find the Chaos Emeralds before Dr. Robotnik can use them to fuel his new Death Egg warship. Same shit different game but greatly improved from the first one and two players is always an added plus. If you do collect all the Chaos Emeralds there is a cool ending where Sonic goes all Dragonball Z and turn Super Sonic.

This time it took two years for Sonic to be back at it again and in 1994 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 debuts. Completely following the ending of Sonic 2.  After the epic space battle at the end of Sonic 2, Dr. Robotnik and his Death Egg fall toward earth. The Death Egg and Robotnik lands on a floating island called Angel Island. Dr. Robotnik meets Knuckles the Echidna while working on his ship. Knuckles is the last of the Echidnas, a ancient civilization that once lived in the ruins of the island. He is also the guardian of the Master Emerald, which levitates the island. Robotnik convinces Knuckles that Sonic is trying to steal the Master Emerald and to steal the emerald for himself. Super Sonic and Tails get ambushed in the Tornado and Sonic loses the Chaos Emeralds and the power to be Super Sonic. Again solid platform gaming, through more “Zones” or levels.

Sonic and Knuckles is the fourth instalment (actually fifth but never mind that) in the series and I think the coolest. It came out very shortly after Sonic 3, October 1994. That’s because the two games were designed to be one but because of timelines and cartridge memory problems, they came out as two. Instead Sonic and Knuckles’ cartridge was a dock you could insert Sonic 3, even Sonic 2 into the top and use Sonic and Knuckles as a expansion pack. Ok the Story keeps going but I will save you with the details because it just variations of the first three with a little more. Sonic and Knuckles’ game has to separate story modes and along the lines Robotnik double crossed Knuckles and he realizes Sonic is on his side.

 

The Saga is greatly improved from the “expansion pack” which tons of extras. I suggest you all rummage through your storage and dust of the old Sega Genesis and play all four, and enjoy it. Because in 1999 after some name changes and tweaks, Sonic Adventure came out for Sega Dreamcast. It’s the first in the Sonic series to feature free roaming 3D gameplay. It sucks ass, large, and in my eyes it doesn’t get better. The story gets deeper and stupider and more and more characters are introduced. Just in Sonic Adventure alone, the new characters include Amy Rose, a pink hedgehog who is obsessed with Sonic, Big the Cat and E-102 Gamma some gundam wing looking motherfucker. The series continues with Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Sonic Unleashed, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, and Sonic Colors.

This blows ur mind, on shrooms

The series as amazing when it was a 2D side scroller, the first one is a little weak compared to the next three titles. Once they threw in 3D, it fucked everything up, Sonic Adventures sucks, Sonic Heroes sucks, Sonic 2K6 suck and even with high praise for going partially back to 2D Sonic Unleashed still tanked. Playstation Network and X Box Live Arcade released Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 which did quite well, mainly in my opinion, because going back to only side scrolling 2D with amazing graphics. They were plenty of complaints about the length of the game and the simplexes of the puzzles and bosses. Sonic Colors did so-so, but they should of expanded on Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2or something. There is some Sonic Racing games and Sonic characters in other Sega games. Sonic is a mascot for Sega and like many other game mascots and series, he started out strong, only to crash and burn. Only to be remembered as a classic to us kids that played zone after zone on our Sega Genesis any time we weren’t asleep or at school.

Looks pretty cool but Sonic Adventures lacks gameplay

Maybe its time to put the ol’ guy down. How long do hedgehogs live for? Sonic is like 20 now, wow times flies. A 20th anniversary box set would be pretty cool to come out, but other then that, let sonic rest on peace now.
 

New Releases

OK, to start out I am one day late for this post. Every Tuesday as we all know is new media day for most. The day when the latest Movie, Music and Game releases hit the shelves. So Every Tuesday I will recap what has come out that Tuesday and the ones close to that date. So lets get started... and this a terrible week in gaming but the next couple of weeks look a lot better.

StarDrone (Playstation Network)
Publishers: Beatshapers
Developers: Beatshapers / Testplay
Genre: Action
Release: April 5, 2011
Also Available For:
iPhone, iPad, PC, Macintosh, Wii

This game look like a piece of shit. From a top down view, you pilot a space drone collecting pieces of Equilibrix in order to restore the balance of the universe and stop the expansion of evil G-Noids.It boasts 3D capabilities. Honestly I can't see this game winning awards.



Carnival Games: Monkey See, Monkey Do (X Box 360)
Publishers: 2K Play
Genre: Party
Release: April 5, 2011

I another fucking kinect, wii, move game. This one only for the kinect though. I haven't played a "motion controller" game I liked other then Wii Sports and Fit. In this one you play Carnival Game like ring toss and throwing a ball at stacked milk bottles. Unlike real life, these games are probably not rigged and its possible to win them. If you have a family this might be a good game for the youngsters.



Shadow Harvest: Phantom Ops (PC)
Publisher: Viva Media
Developers: Black lion Studios
Genre: First Person Shooter
Release: April 5, 2011
Also on: X Box 360

This one Might actually be good, it is hard to tell without playing a First Person Shooter. The story means alright, set in the year 2025. The main characters,  Myra Lee and Aron Alvarez are operatives of a secret US military intervention unit, called the ISA. Players will be immersed into highly detailed environments in Somalia, Cuba and the city of Dubai. the world is shaken by numerous conflicts over the control of dwindling natural resources. Greedy warlords and dictators of 3rd world countries thirst for advanced weapons systems and never before have arms dealers been so profitable. I don't know sounds cool enough.


Darkest Hour: A Hearts of Iron Game (PC)
Publishers: Paradox Interactive
Genre: First Person Shooter
Release: April 5, 2011

Darkest Hour is a stand-alone Hearts of Iron II game featuring a mixture of short and in-depth campaigns set across the darkest chapters of the 20th century, from the outbreak of the Great War up to the onset of the Cold War. I know nothing about this game, at first I thought it was a mix between Risk and Command and Conquer. Then they throw First Person in there. Very curious about this one.


The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile (X box Live Arcade)
Publisher: Ska Studios
Developers: Mircosoft Game Studios
Genre: Side Scrolling Beat'em Up
Release: April 6, 2011

The sequel to the highly acclaimed 2009 XBLA 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up hit The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai by Ska Studios. Players assume the roles of The Dishwasher along with his stepsister Yuki in two separate solo campaigns, as they battle through legions of enemies and try to unravel the secrets of their pasts.


Well that is enough for now. See how that was a bad week a collective of 5 full games came out for consoles in the last week. Here are some honorable mentions:

NBA Elite 11 (PS3/XBox360/iPhone)
April 2, 2011
Nuclear Dawn (PC)
April 3, 2011
Hoard (PS3/PSP/PC/Mac)
April 4, 2011
Adam's Venture Episode 2: Soloman's Secret (PC)
April 7, 2011 
Anomaly: Warzone Earth (PC)
April 7, 2011

"Guess who's back?, bitches!!"

Earthworm "mothafuckin" Jim is back and looking better then ever. Earthworm Jim HD was released for Playstation Network and X Box Live Arcade, August 10th 2010. I can't remembered what I paid for it, I think around 9.99. I was was a little worried it was worth ten bucks, as soon as I started the first level, the price did matter anymore. The memories came flooding back, the catchphrases, strange animal like enemies, tubas, and amazing bosses.

I must of been around 10 years old when I first played as the ultra-high-tech-indestructible-super-space-cyber-suit wearing worm. The original release date was August 2, 1994 from Developer Shiny Entertainment and published by Playmates Interactive Entertainment. Doug TenNapel is the brain behind Earthworm Jim, he started as a animator on Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: The animated series. He began working in the video game industry, on titles such as Jurassic Park and Stimpy's Invention for Sega Genesis and The Jungle Book (which is an epic game) for SNES. He also voices our hero Earthworm Jim. Sorry for the history lesson, lets get back to the game.

Ok, One day, in the space above Earth, the evil Psy-Crow had cornered a rebel spaceship pilot who had stolen an "Ultra-high-tech-indestructible-super-space-cyber-suit" built by Professor Monkey-For-A-Head. The suit had been commissioned by the evil Queen Pulsating, Bloated, Festering, Sweaty, Pus-filled, Malformed, Slug-for-a-Butt so that she could further conquer the galaxy. In the ensuing space fight, the suit was dropped to Earth, and fell on Jim. By a stroke of luck, Jim managed to land within the collar of the suit, and it ended up mutating him into the large and intelligent (at least by earthworm standards) superhero he is today.Jim overhears Psy-Crow talking to Queen Slug-for-a-Butt about the scorch marks left by the suit and her plans for her sister, Princess What's-Her-Name. Jim thus sets out to rescue the princess, fighting many enemies along the way, such as Major Mucus, Chuck and Fifi, Evil the Cat and my favorite Bob the Killer Goldfish.

I have no idea what Doug TenNapel was on when he thought up the Earthworm Jim story, but it is still a game I will never forget. The HD version has some added gameplay features like the ability to change between plasma round and normal rounds, and three new computer related levels. The graphic upgrades are pretty good, but the controls seem the same as 1994. Jim can be hard to control sometime,s mostly when trying to change paths and  trying to whip those hooks can cause fits of rage and controller throwing (well at least when I was a 10 year old). There is some online multiplayer, unfortunately I can never find any matches. Earthworm Jim is a solid all around shoot'em up platformer for its age. With so many platforming games out in the 90s, Earthworm Jim stood out with it's wacky story line.

To me this game kicks ass. The second level in Evil the Cat's lair is one of my favorite levels of any platformer game. Just love the hell, underworld theme and how fart sounds are the main sound effects for the fire and killing enemies. Major Mucus's snot bungee battle is super fun and Bob the killer Goldfish might be the hardest boss in gaming history. Trying to collect all the atoms, ammo and 1-ups using hooks and chains to navigate hidden paths, adds a lot more to the levels other then just running from the left side to the right. The Psy-Crow interstellar races between levels are awesome. Lets not forget the interactive groovy screen is fucking hilarious.

Well it might not be for the new gamers out there today, but this is the type of game I grew up on in the 1990s. If you like retro games and platformers I suggest you purchase Earthworm Jim HD for Playstation Network or X box Live. Come on guys I need some one to play with online.  

 

I caught on to the Call of Duty thing late. First person war games never gave me much pleasure, love First Person Shooters like Doom, Quake and Halo. The war ones just seemed to disappoint, in my mind. Everyone I played, First or Third Person, weren't very good and I kinda gave up on them. Not sure if I even played the first Call of Duty, but I know sure as shit that I played Call of Duty 2: The Big Red One. Believed I even beat the damn thing just in spite. It was along time ago, considering CoD2 was released October 25th 2005, and I can't really remember what I hated about the game. The Hate was strong enough to throw me off the Call of Duty franchise for a long time.

Zombies!!!!!! That's what guided me in the direction of the CoD franchise again. I stopped into my wheelchair bound gamer friend's, and was stoked to see them blasting zoms co op style. This was around the time zombies were huge in movies and games like, Left 4 Dead and Dead Rising. I didn't personal have a console or online at the time, so I played 2 player on Nacht der Untoten (which mean Night of the Undead in German) at his place quite a bit. I forgot about it till, around the time Call of Duty: Black Ops came out and a friend of mine that lives on the other side of Canada then, wanted to play Nazi Zombies. So I went out and bought it. The version I bought didn't come with the zombie mini game so I had to beat the campaign mode. I was impressed it was an all right game.

After some rounds, trying to make sense of the Verruckt, Shi No Numa, and Der Riese maps, he suggested we try Team Deathmatch online. My mind was blown at the match making and overall online experience. My friend tells me this is nothing and I should get Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 so we can jam on that. Of course I went straight out and bought it, for like 25 bucks at a pawn shop. I was hooked, many weeks were wasted playing online, funny thing, I never played the campaign mode. Found out that a ton of my friends played either Modern Warfare 2 or Black Ops quite religiously. Some people I never expected played all night long. In my mind Call of Duty has the best online experience to date, it is so easy to jump in a game and start pwning noobs all across the globe.

Can't lie, the first couple Call of Duty games sucked big hairy balls. Treyarch swooped and saved private Ryan's day. In the end, the Call of Duty series turned out on top. I am super excited to see if one of the many first person shooters that are coming out now can hold up to CoD. Going to get Killzone 3 and Socom 4 for sure. Heard Homefront is boasting that it has a better online then Black Ops which I am stoked to put to the Challenge.But no matter what you play out there just keep on playing.

P.S.
Do you agree Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is the lamest title for a game I have hear in a long time.