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Noise Off! 02.03.08
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More new super Gamebot Lives
We have two new episodes to offer up, episodes 9 and 10! These episodes include all the great trivia and classic banter you have come to expect plus Joe & Mac, 7800 trivia, Lode Runner, the "Impressive Human!" Dig Dug II contest, Donkey Kong, Gobots, Target: Renegade, King of Kong and much more! Download them on the media page. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, answers to trivia, high scores or anything you wanna say, email us! mail@gamebotonline.com or go voice your opinion in the forum. |
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Venture 02.01.08 |
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Carolina Games Summit
We had a great time at the Carolina Games Summit! This event was located in Goldsboro, NC and featured game contests, game developer panels, VG music artists and more. Even though the CGS was not a retro or classic themed show, we represented the classic by setting up a classic game room. I met lots of interesting characters (as usual) including a Castlevania expert that said he had played every one in the series (and claimed they were too easy) and a gentleman who actually requested to play the Three Stooges for NES (and did well to boot)! Interesting indeed! |
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GRADIUS III for SNES 
SUPER PUNCHOUT for SNES |
I did my best to represent the most popular games systems in history which includes the excellent late 80s/early 90s, the time of the great
16-bit console wars. It is a rivalry that in many hearts continues to this day, so I had to offer up both options to keep the masses happy.
Naturally I hooked up a Super Nintendo and boy, was it a success! Strangely, the most popular game of the day was the one I expected to be played the least. It was a game I brought purely to represent the shooter genre... Gradius III and it was played non-stop for the bulk of the show. The second one person stopped, someone else would snap it up in a hurry. Shooters really are more popular than I thought, I even had someone offer to buy the cartridge. But it was my own personal copy so no way! When there was a free moment I quickly changed to Magic Sword. This is one of my favorites as of late and I was curious to see how others felt. The gamers just kept asking me to put Gradius back in. Ouch! The third game was Super Punchout. It is one of the best games on the system and I had to show it off. The resident Castlevania expert turned out to be a Punchout expert as well. He cleared the entire game in one sitting without losing a single match. Awesome, I got to see the ending! |
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As stated earlier, The 16-bit console war was a milestone in video game history and resulted in many great games. The Sega Genesis featured many of these on one cart! |
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The game is called Genesis 6-pack and it is loaded with the biggest hits of the system including
Columns, Streets of Rage, Super Hang-On, Golden Axe, Shinobi II and Sonic the Hedgehog.
The most popular of the bunch was Sonic of course with Golden Axe and Streets of Rage tied for second place. Several players took advantage of the beat 'em ups' co-op play. Both Columns and Shinobi were nearly overlooked and Super Hang-On wasn't touched at all. Another super beat 'em up that tagged along was Mazin Saga Mutant Fighter. Mazin has fantastic, sound, music, graphics and gameplay. Typical levels have you punch and kick faceless thugs into oblivion and boss battles are fought (in giant form) towering above the cityscape and play more like a simple one on one fighter. Unfortunately, it's missing a two-player mode, a must-have for this genre. |
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Going back in time is my specialty. The two big guys of the 80s include the Atari 2600 (out in '77 but blossomed in the early 80s) and the immortal Nintendo Entertainment System. |
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SPIDER FIGHTER for Atari 2600 
COBRA TRIANGLE for NES |
The sad part here is that NES got 10 times more love than the Atari. A fact that is explained best by
counting the number of grey hairs on my head. One day the Atari VCS will be the system that time forgot (your time
is coming as well XBOX 360)!
Spider Fighter by Activision was the most played Atari game and Pitfall was the most asked for. This is a good time to remind you that Activision made the Atari the legend it is today. Other gems included Defender, M*A*S*H, Moon Patrol, and E.T. The latter I put out simply because it is a fan favorite (for obvious reasons). Throughout the day, I had to show players how to start the game by pressing the "Reset" button and how to hold the joystick. Meanwhile, I replace the batteries in my hearing aid. For the NES we played Cobra Triangle. This must-have, along with Battletoads, falls under the category of "RARE properties that should be brought to current-gen systems" (Goldeneye?! ha!). More NES action ensued with Ninja Gaiden, Ultima Exodus (did I say action?), and Jackal. The most requested game was "Super Mario". One customer asked if he could play Super Mario Bros. 3 while he was waiting for his son to stop playing SNES and continued playing a full 30 minutes after said offspring had left the room. |
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The final system I will mention is not exactly historically significant, but interesting. |
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K.C. Munchkin for Odyssey 2 
SPINOUT for Odyssey 2 |
The Odyssey 2 was the only console on display that gave a taste of video games of the late
seventies. It was released in 1978, a year after the Atari 2600 but never had the success to
produce more impressive games. The games of the Odyssey 2 are limited in colors, detail and sound but
a few are still worth playing.
From my limited selection of games I offered two: K.C. Munchkin (a Pac-Man inspired maze game) and Speedway/Spinout/Cryptologic, the cart that came with the system featuring three games. The poor Odyssey 2 was often scoffed at and barely touched. This is not the case at classic game cons, where the system is adored for its silvery sci-fi look and keyboard interface. It has a hardcore following that swears by games like Killer Bees, Pick Axe Pete and the Voice peripheral that makes this beast talk! Perhaps another Killer Bees tournament was in order. The Halo 3, DDR and Smash Bros. tournaments at the event would have pailed in comparison! |
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All in all it was another glorious time for Gamebot. I wanted to thank all the supporters for coming out and playing our games. I hope to see you again next year! - Blake Leftwich, gamebot |
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Living the High Life 01.21.08 |
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I just had another great week of gaming with Kris, Kelley, Jordan, Hayley, Evan, Matt and Tillman!
It started with Big Brain Acadamy for Wii wherein my score dropped from a B++ to a C. Just goes to show that you should train your brain every day not once every four months! Kris' score went up to a B++ as she perpetually gets smarter. Kelley got a C, she couldn't handle the Locomotionesque train game. Then came the weekend and Jordan came back into town for a classic game reunion the likes of which are only seen every few months. New friend Hayley came into the fold as well. |
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Before the party started, Tillman and I slashed bears with a burly muscleman in Magic Sword! The SNES jewel is a side-scrolling platformer port of a Capcom coin-op. The goal is to reach the top of the dark tower, kill baddies and rescue prisoners who can aid you in your quest. The game is extremely easy, simple and fun with lots of varied enemies, helpers, bosses and words of wisdom like "Do not be beguiled by the Black Orb." I miss the loincloth-clad musclebound Adonis vacant in today's games! They appeared to have died off with the 90s. The game is an excellent fantasy action game, you should get it. |
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Next we tried the sequel, Knights of the Round. This game played more like a beat 'em up with weapons a'la Golden Axe. But with a block button and fewer attacks. The character's level up with experience points at the end of most stages and actually change in appearance by gaining armor. It wasn't as fun as Magic Sword in my opinion. It was missing too many frames of animation and didn't give the satisfying CHUNCK! of better brawlers. |
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Now the other friends have arrived and we played Dudes with Attitude for the NES. I have to admit, this game was put in to laugh at. The concept is solid: Collect treasure before your friend and avoid enemies. First you must paint yourself the matching color of the treasure you want to collect by running into a paint bucket. But that is a little too simple for an NES game. Players control smiley faces that bounce from left to right automatically, you can only move them up and down the screen. The game has the biggest "what the hell is happenning" factor of any NES game i've played. It is an unlicensed cart. The good side is that it has a level editor. |
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I told everyone that the game reminded me of Orb 3D so we tried it. I really got into that game at one time but the crowd was unimpressed and now I have added the 3D glasses that originally came with the game to my want list. |
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| After all of this we challenged the gods themselves to predict our future in Taboo for the NES. I love the presentation and idea behind this game. It simply has you enter a few stats like age and name then allows you to type in a question. What follows is a Tarot style fortune telling with cards and everything. Let me just say this, Hayley's future looks pretty bleak. At the end of the fortune tellin, you enter what state you are from. Unfortunately, NC and VA among other states are not listed as options. As you know Gamebot is based in NC. What gives! The game then gives you lucky numbers to play the lotto (or do whatever your superstitious brain can concoct) with. I really love the idea, its a great addition to any NES collection and is fun to play with friends. |
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Atari time! Yes, we broke out the 2600 for a goodwill-found good time (by Jordan) with Math Grand Prix. I had never played this game before and I must say, this was the most exciting game of the night. |
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The gameplay is very simple: Take turns against an
opponent answering math problems. You may select the difficulty of the problem and the higher
difficulty allows you to move further on the race track. Th first to cross the finish line wins.
Here is the play by play as it happened:
Jordan answers first and moves ahead, we laugh at how easy the problems are. 1/4th in I land on Jordans space, knocking him off the road. Frustrated Jordan intentionally screws up, now he's really behind. Not taking things seriously I decide to screw up too. To my surprise, Jordon zooms past! Jordan accidentally selects the wrong number, I take the lead again. Now Jordan knocks me off the road, how could this happen! Jordan crosses the line and the room erupts in cheers and high fives. Later, I hire an arsonist to burn Jordan's dorm to the ground! The drama continues... |
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The last game of the night was Dragster one of my favorite 2600 games of all time! In dragster the goal is to get to the finish line in the least amount of time. The game is set up for two player competitive play but can be played alone as well. The button accelerates and left changes gears. You can also restart your run by pressing right if you have a false start or blow your engine. This game is all about timing and you can get better with practice. It is extremely addictive and races only last about 6 or 7 seconds, it's very fast paced. Check out my best time under "Impressive Human!" in the forums. |
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The weekend ended with Rock Band on the 360. Highlights included, Epic by Faith No More, Detroit Rock City by Kiss and Last Train to Clarksville by The Monkees. Another golden memory secured in the annals of time. Thanks for the fun guys. It was a blast! - Blake Leftwich, gamebot |
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Venture 01.11.08 |
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Gamebot Live number 9 is here! In episode 9 we have a new coin-op puzzler,
Joe & Mac for Genesis is reviewed, we discuss the upcoming XBLA Lode Runner and what
it is that makes a good classic game remake, Matt and Blake go head to head on NES Dig Dug II
and a surprise stranger takes the lead in a past Impressive Human Challenge. Plus
Finds in the Wild, music from DJ NES and Alpha Channel, Donkey Kong, LOZ: Windwaker,
Pac-man, Bomberman and more! Download it at iTunes or on the
media page.
Submit your best top score to mail@gamebotonline.com to be added to the Impressive Human scoreboard! Thanks for listening! |
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"Happy Holidays!" 12.26.07 |
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Gamebot Live Quickie number 2 is now available for download on the
media page. In this long-for-a-quickie we
discuss the E-reader, Contra 4 and difficulty in
video games: past and present. Also, Evan trumps his own score, Impressive Human!
and coin-op trivia!
We will be at Carolina Games Summit on 01.26.08 in Goldsboro, NC providing a classic game room with playable games and systems like the Atari 2600, Sega Genesis, Nintendo Entertainment System and more! You can also watch classic video game tips and trick videos, movies and commercials while waiting to participate in our Impressive Human! High Score Challenges! Consoles and games will be for sale in very limited quantities, so get there early! Go to Carolina Games Summit for more information. Think you can beat our high scores? Think you know the answer to our trivia? Prove it! mail@gamebotonline.com. |
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"Impressive Human!" 12.06.07 The epic battle between Steve and Blake is over. A definitive winner of the Intellivision version of LOCOMOTION has been decided. Download Episode 8 to hear all about it! 
But now it's time for an all new Impressive Human Challenge! This time around there's trouble
in paradise as Matt challenges Blake.
The game of choice? DIG DUG II for the classic NES!
But that's not all! If you think you can do better on this game simply submit your score before our next recording session. If you beat us, you'll be mentioned on the air and possibly win a mysterious but amazing prize?! The e-mail address is mail@gamebotonline.com. Can you defeat the Gamebot? Go, go, go, go, go for it! Maybe you stand a chance?! Noise Off 12.06.07 Gamebot Live Episode 8 
It's time for a classic game-fest with Matt, Blake and Steve.
Topics include SNES, Castlevania ports, Generations Lost, outtakes and our opinioins of video game media.
We also bring back the Impressive Human! scoreboard. This episode's challenge... Locomotion for
the Intellivision. Blake, the underdog, faces off against Steve, the Intellivisionary. Who
wins? Tune in to find out!: 40 minutes
Gamebot Live Episode 8 (mp3 39.26 MB) You may also subscribe to the feed with this link or at iTunes! You can now win prizes for your trivia answers! Listen and give it a shot! mail@gamebotonline.com Thanks for listening! Venture 11.28.07 Gamebot Live episode 7 
The time has come for downloading episode 7 of Gamebot Live, the classic video game podcast! Here you can find Mailbag listener mail and our Sega Genesis must-haves, information regarding the release of Rob Fulop's Actionauts, Quarter Munchers, Commodore 64 trivia and music from Stage 3-1! Recording Time: 55 minutes Gamebot Live episode 7 (mp3 49.06 MB) You may also subscribe to the feed with this link or at iTunes! Submit your best top score to mail@gamebotonline.com to be added to the Impressive Human scoreboard! Thanks for listening! Power-up 11.21.07 Hello readers! I have made a few changes and added new content:
Venture 10.20.07 Two new episodes of Gamebot Live! 
Happy Birthday Atari VCS! One of the greatest consoles of all time is turning 30 this month. In this, a very special episode of Gamebot Live, we give a history lesson on the classic console and compile a list of must have games. If you love Atari don't miss it! Recording Time: 53 minutes
Gamebot Live episode 6 (mp3 48.40 MB) 
Introducing the Gamebot Live Quickie. From time to time we have content we want to talk about
between programs and Gamebot Quickies are the answer. They are short and have no rules. In this
quickie we introduce some new friends and talk about what makes a system classic. Recording Time: 18 minutes
Gamebot Live Quickie 1 (mp3 16.10 MB) You may also subscribe to the feed with this link or at iTunes! Come on, take the challenge! Email your answer to classic game trivia from the podcast and we will give you propers on the air! mail@gamebotonline.com Any feedback is appreciated, even bad stuff. Thanks for listening! Venture 09.20.07 
Gamebot Live episode 5
Steve is back and its time for some gaming greatness from the past! In episode 5 we discuss Flying Warriors, Planet Puzzle League, Wolfenstein 3D, Halo 3, Feel the Magic, new Wii channels, Fatal Fury Collection, downloadable demos, the music of Animal Style, a new Colecovision homebrew, a new DS Kirby, Dr. Mario Wii, and the old standbys: Trivia and Finds in the Wild -plus a new segment: Quarter Munchers, where we talk about home conversions of coin-ops. Recording Time: 56 minutes Gamebot Live episode 5 (mp3 51.09 MB) You may also subscribe to the feed with this link or at iTunes! Come on, take the challenge! Email your answer to classic game trivia from the podcast and we will give you propers on the air! mail@gamebotonline.com Any feedback is appreciated, even bad stuff. Thanks for listening! Venture 10.03.07 Why Chibi Robo: Park Patrol Shouldn't (And unfortunately will be) overlooked. 
Just yesterday I stopped by my local Wal-Mart to purchase my copy of Chibi Robo: Park Patrol
for the Nintendo DS. I've been looking forward to Chibi's DS debut since my friend, Jordan Pike
(jordanpike.com), introduced me to the first game of the series on the Nintendo GameCube, entitled
Chibi Robo: Plug into Adventure! I instantly fell in love with the game and its quirky, playful
characters, fun to explore environments, and unique gameplay--so you can imagine how excited I was
to find out about its sequel on the Nintendo DS. Did it live up to my expectations? The answer is YES!
The game uses the DS's touch screen perfectly. The game has a relaxing pace, paired with smooth
gameplay and a pleasant sense of humor.
I urge anyone who enjoys great, original games to check out Chibi Robo: Park Patrol. The bad news: despite being such a great game, there are a couple of reasons why I'm predicting some pretty bad sales figures. 
Number one: The release date, only one day after the release of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom
Hourglass--one of the most, if not the most anticipated Nintendo DS games of all time. Being
this close to such a "big hitter" can only hurt the sales of Chibi.
Number Two: Wal-Mart exclusivity. I personally wouldn't consider Chibi a commercially mainstream game, and when I want to purchase what I believe to be a somewhat obscure title, Wal-Mart isn't the first place that comes to mind. Number Three: Bland reviews. Although there are a handful of good reviews, most reviewers, including IGN, are giving the game the, "I just looked at some screenshots and read a press release." score of 7. Hopefully, dear reader, you'll appreciate these simple reasons why I doubt this great game will sell. Nintendo's marketing has been puzzling lately. Due to the game's environmentally-friendly setting (the game is about cleaning up a park), Nintendo has decided to give away 500 trees (yes, trees) to anyone who registers his or her copy on Nintendo.com. In a second promotion, one perhaps more understandable, Nintendo has put Chibi Robo-themed bookmarks in schools. At the time of writing, I have no further information on how many schools have received these bookmarks. The bottom line: Park Patrol is one of the best games I've ever played. You owe it to yourself to check it out! - Matthew Taylor, gamebot Venture 09.20.07 New Gamebot Live! The screenshot below is dedicated to Evan Jackson. Thanks again for being on the show Evan and we hope you'll come back soon! The Gamebot Live podcast is also available at www.last.fm. Thank you for your interest and we welcome your feedback. Please email us at mail@gamebotonline.com and tell us your what you think! Gamebot Live episode 4 
Steve is out this week due to technical issues but we welcome our guest Evan Jackson of Slushie! In this edition we talk about our favorite arcade games, read some listener feedback and Evan submits a high score to Impressive Human. Also, all the segments you expect like Trivia and Finds in the Wild. Highlighted games include Nibbler, Pirate Pete, Micro Machines Twin Turbo for GBA and Kangaroo! Featuring Algorythms of Royal Space Force. Recording Time: 31 minutes Gamebot Live episode 4 (mp3 31.06 MB) You may also subscribe to the feed with this link or at iTunes! Think you've got what it takes? Test your mettle on a classic system (or a new one) and submit your best top score to mail@gamebotonline.com to be added to the Impressive Human scoreboard! Thanks for listening! Links 09.15.07 Located herein are the official links for the stories and info we have spewed forth onto the internet by way of Gamebot Live. Gamebot Live episode 4 God-Awesome Rock Band - Slushie: www.slushietheband.com Spectacular Stupidgamer Website: www.stupidgamer.com Killer List of Video Games: www.klov.com Link's Crossbow Adventure: www.kotaku.com Lair Reviewer's Guide: www.ign.com Classic Game Books: www.amazon.com Gamebot Live episode 3 Senator Yee Attacks ESRB: www.gamepolitics.com Vance Fires Fires Back at Yee: www.gamepolitics.com Contra 4 Contains Secret Games: www.cubed3.com Joust Movie: www.gamedaily.com New Stella and Atari800MacX: www.atariage.com New High Scores: www.twingalaxies.com Gamebot Live episode 2 Online Games More Popular than Youtube: www.gamedaily.com King of Kong: www.billyvssteve.com Chasing Ghosts: www.chasingghoststhemovie.com Missing in Action Prototype: www.atariage.com Gamebot Live episode 1 Spider: The Video Game: www.gamespot.com Venture 09.04.07 Gamebot Live episodes 0 through 3 available! We have posted two new episodes of the Gamebot Live podcast. They are now available for download here, on iTunes and at www.last.fm. Please email us at mail@gamebotonline.com and tell us your what you think! Gamebot Live episode 2 
Episode 2 features a few new touches: In addition to Trivia, Finds in the Wild and Classic news we talk about the Manhunt controversy, Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge, Okami, Samurai Showdown and more. We're really trying to keep the show dynamic so mail us with your feedback! The Algorythms this time? Dog Stories by Action Math! Recording Time: 39 minutes Gamebot Live episode 2 (mp3 27.0 MB) Gamebot Live episode 3 
In this episode the usual plus: Donkey Kong Jr. Math, Lode Runner DS, Moon Cresta, World Heroes, Magician Lord, busting on video game myths such as "girls don't play games" and "video games inspire youth violence", new segments including Flag Capture: Import gaming news and Impressive Human: Our official gamebot high score table and Algorythms by the Advantage. The episode clocks in at 49 minutes. Gamebot Live episode 3 (mp3 37.9 MB) You may also subscribe to the feed with this link or via iTunes! Think you've got what it takes? Test your mettle on a classic system (or a new one) and submit your best top score to mail@gamebotonline.com to be added to the Impressive Human scoreboard! Thanks for listening! Living the High Life 08.21.07 Video Game Diary: Yesterday Blake, Kris, Scott, Kim, Evan, Tillman and I got together and played some classic video games. 
We started off with Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom for the Atari 2600
In Buck Rogers, the player controls a spaceship that must destroy ships and avoid obstacles.
Unfortunately, Buck never makes an appearance. The only real resemblance to the Buck Rogers
license is the game’s outer space setting.
Blake has a notable high score on Buck, 713,995, Level 11. The game was also released for the Atari 5200, Atari XE, Colecovision, Intellivision, MSX and Sega Master System, as well as some computer systems and is a port of the 1982 Sega coin-op. Next we played Jungle Hunt for the Atari 2600. The game is comparable to Pitfall, although I found the game to be far more sophisticated than Pitfall. The game consists of four scenes. 
The player is required to perform carefully timed jumps from vine to vine towards a crocodile-infested river.
There, you must keep your oxygen supply in check while either dodging the reptiles or knifing
them for bonus points and in scene three, dodging and ducking boulders is the name of the game.
Your final task is to jump over the native warriors who have captured your girlfriend while their spear is down.
In the end, the four screens start repeating, getting tougher...
After everyone had a turn with this gem of a cart, Tillman had a chance to play the game and was frustrated with scene two, the afore mentioned deadly jungle river.
Blake ensured him that this scene was difficult because "those gators are hungry, they've had nothing but fish to eat for 10,000 years!"
Next, we played Wall Street Kid for the Nintendo Entertainment System... 
In Wall Street Kid, you're given $500,000 and the goal of successfully investing in stocks.
The first challenge is to earn enough money to purchase your uncle's castle
before it is sold to restore the family name-time is of the essence! You must also balance your job, girlfriend and still get plenty of
exercise. Most of the game is spent in your office buying and selling
stocks. However, you can leave your office to go on a date with your
"Sweet Heart" to a picnic, shopping, or a
local carnival. You can also work out by going swimming or hiking. The time management is strict
and difficulty may be a factor in your enjoyment of the game.
Tillman later expressed that this was his favorite game we played that evening. (You can tell Tillman I said he needs to grow some! -ed.) 
Next up was Journey to Silius for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was released in 1990. It was produced and developed by Sunsoft. The game is an edited version of Raf World, a Famicom game featuring a different main character. The game was originally supposed to feature the Terminator license, but Sunsoft lost the rights. (this game blew me away with its great presentation, music and graphics. Another great side-scroller adventure for your NES!-ed.)That was the end of our evening of classics. Goodnight, folks! - Matthew Taylor, gamebot Venture 08.21.07 Gamebot Live podcast now available! Gamebot Live is the podcast version of everything you love about gamebotonline. We will keep you posted on upcoming conventions, the newest homebrews, mods and hacks, history, trivia and everything associated with the classic and obscure gaming scene while keeping our standard segments like "Impressive Human!" and "The Hunt and the Haggle" (podcastized as Finds in the Wild). Its time for you guys to listen up then tell us what you think! Contact us with feedback, questions, comments, ideas and what you want more of by emailing us at mail@gamebotonline.com. Write us and you may be immortalized on the show! Feel free to download and share with your friends: Gamebot Live episode 0 
In this episode we cover The Cuttle Cart #3 (for Intellivision), Opcode games and Spider: The Video Game for Playstation.
It was our first attempt and was never intended for release, but it turned out pretty good so we
decided to after all! Please excuse the lack of a musical guest (even though one is introduced).
Gamebot Live episode 0 (mp3 13.0 MB) Gamebot Live episode 1 
This is the Official first podcast, still shakey and raw but live and entertaining! We chat about
two new classic video game movies coming out in 2007, the popularity of "casual" games online,
offer up some trivia and speak of games like
Skullmonkeys for Playstation, Panic Bomber for Virtual Boy and Missing in Action for the Atari 7800
Gamebot Live episode 1 (mp3 27.9 MB) You may also subscribe to the feed with this link or via iTunes! We plan on continually changing the format to keep things fresh and are open to ideas from you, so tell us what you think. Happy listening! |
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Venture 08.09.07
"For the completely broke" 
Its time for an update for the faithful readers and what better way than with a list of
games none rare, but still interesting none the less...
No haggling was necessary in the procurement of these carts. In addition to the title (listed in alphabetical order by system, recorded also is what I paid for it and its current approximate value. Anyone interested in starting a collection for the first time, you'll find that there are lots of games at a flea market near you for a fraction of what you'd pay on ebay!
Nintendo Virtual Boy Sega Genesis Sony Playstation Systems
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Living the High Life 07.29.07
Video Game Diary: 
Speaking of Disaster Report, the sequel Raw Danger turned out to be a slight letdown. It's missing the level design and presentation of the first game. The story is told from multiple
perspectives (i.e. playing as different characters) but the levels aren't varied enough and playing through the similar levels over and over just isn't as fun. I love the idea that water, your lifeblood in the first game is now your biggest foe. But in Disaster Report, water, fire, falling buildings, shifting landscapes and dangerous terrain
were all your enemy. And the water isn't enough after playing its prequel.
- Blake Leftwich, gamebot Living the High Life 07.24.07 Video Game Diary: 
This is I.Q., also known as Intelligent Qube for the Sony Playstation. Arriving on our shelves September 30, 1997, it was
another unique Japanese title ported to America thanks to the success of Parrappa the Rapper,
the first widely revered title with the distinctly
Japanese quirkiness now accepted in our game culture (current examples: Katamari Damacy, Loco Roco and the upcoming Furu Furu Park for Wii)
I.Q. is an action puzzle game. The play requires the user to control a man on a playfield called a stage. The object is to avoid falling off the edge
by "capturing" cubes that roll toward you. It is a simple puzzle concept that quickly becomes challenging, addictive and fun. Its
"quirkiness" comes from the presentation and graphics, very different. As a bonus, the music is orchestral and epic.
For the full story on how I attained I.Q., scroll down to the Hunt and the Haggle 11.05.06. 
To my surprise, Evan, Tillman and Matt hadn't heard of Dragon's Lair! This was the first animated Laser Disc game so it was a precursor to
CD based games (particularly "full-motion video games"). The game is comprised entirely of cartoon video and requires the
player to choose either the sword button or one of four directions at key moments to avoid a death sequence.
The gameplay is simple but the game was a huge hit due to the amazing animation created by Don Bluth.
To appreciate this gem one must put themselves in the
shoes of an arcade goer seeing this game for the first time back in '83 when games like Elevator Action
and Major Havoc represented
the newest technology.The version
we played was a DVD game made by Digital Leisure anyone can find this version for around $10.
The arcade original came out in 1983 and fetches upward of $1600.
- Blake Leftwich, gamebot Living the High Life 07.23.07 Video Game Diary: Over the past couple of days I have had the luxury of guests Brian Tate and Reagan Tate. We had hot dogs and hamburgers again and played lots of games, but before that, we went on a quest to get two 9 volt batteries for a rather interesting device I attained in a trade at last year's ECGX... 
This is "Zodiac the Astrology Computer" by Coleco. It was released in 1979, but don't worry, it's still not as
old as I am. Designed to tell your fortune in one of three ways, it can give your horoscope, a "daily preview"
or answer your questions in Advice Mode. These require the user to input her date, time and area of birth.
One thing that I found intriguing was how much the user must do himself to find his future-due to the limitations of the electronics.
Players write feedback from the display
on a zodiac chart. Once the chart is filled out, one must use
the instruction booklet to search codes and their meaning.
I have to say that our readings were pretty accurate with the exception of Brian, but we had guessed on his, and my, time of birth, so there could still possibly be a supernatural force guiding us through the universe. The instruction manual is a necessity in enjoying this little jewel and features celebrity birthdates and an introduction by "noted astrologer" Sydney Omarr. One thing that may be a deterrent in your hunting down this beauty is the fact that the included birthdate codes only go up to 1990 so if you were born after that, you're done for! The creators didn't anticipate nerds born after 1990 would even know what the heck this thing was... understandable. It is currently valued at around $30. 
After that, and some required Wii Sports Bowling and Tennis, we followed up with a bit of PS2!
The first game I popped in was Shadow of the Colossus-to show these guys one of the greatest adventure games ever made!
Then we delved into some classic goodness via Sega Genesis Collection. This game is fantastic and includes over 30 games
including Altered Beast, Shinobi III (my favorite side-scroller of all time), all the Phantasy Stars (for the Genesis) and
even hidden easter eggs like Zaxxon! I love it so much because the emulation
is 99% accurate, and I am a real stickler!
Brian and I couldn't find a second controller for Golden Axe - a travesty! Instead I played Flicky! Flicky was a fantastic 1984 arcade game ported to the Genesis. As Flicky the bird, you must collect canaries and lead them to the exit while avoiding cats and jumping from platform to platform. Collecting all birds before touching the exit results in a large score and boards are cleared by saving all canaries. The bonus levels are fun too, wherein Flicky must catch canaries launched in the air by catapults. Sega Genesis Collection is currently available in stores for $14.99 to $19.99 and is absolutely one of the best values out there for classic game fanatics. 
Sony made the demo disc a standard for consoles back when its original Playstation arrived in 1995 and most
gamers have a few lying around. I picked up a PS2 demo disc a month or so back because "Portal Runner 2"
was listed on the disc and I thought I had found a demo of an unreleased sequel of a beloved game. Turns
out it was a misprint, however these events led to the imminent trying of said disc when Bri and Rea came about-which was good.
Before I get into what we played I want to mention that there was an demo for Ico which was different than the final game, exciting for an obsessed fan (see previous Shadow of the Colossus comment). On the disc, Reagan was excited to see Portal Runner, a game I introduced to her years ago. It was released in spring of 2001 by 3DO as a side story of their Army Men franchise (but you are not green -ed.) and has garnered 6.5s and lower from most game sites and mags. What those guy don't tell you is that it takes all the concepts of early 3D games and produces them in a way that works -and the funny thing is, gamers who want simple adventures like side-scrollers of the 16 and 8-bit era do not have many choices. Portal Runner delivers a simple but fun action adventure game in an unpredictable fantasy setting including prehistoric times, ye olde knights in shining armor, etc. with platforming, strafe firing, collecting, exploration, stealth and sniping. You have full control over the camera and a pet Lion! One requirement is that you must be man enough to play a game that does not involve Master Chief (for example, I own and enjoy Britney's Dance Beat I'm not.. that.. innocent). 
I also made Reagan play the MTV Music Generator 2 demo and watch me play Cool Boarder 2001. My house, my rules. 
The last game of the night, Super Bust-A-Move 2 was played into the wee hours. I love games that allow you to be creative, the gang played through nine levels of my own creation then played the normal game (not as good as my levels). Later, well after our guests had left, Kris was angered, after staying up until 4:30 a.m. she was rewarded only with credits for completing the adventure mode. Alas, the cutscenes revealing the storylines of each of the strange characters is found by completing the single player mode. Ouch! - Blake Leftwich, gamebot |
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