A new edition of Retro Corner Reviews is up and this time we are taking a look at the Super Game Boy for the Super NES. There was once a time when us Golden Age Gamers were stuck using monochrome Nintendo Game Boys. Despite the competition having full color and even a backlit screen like Sega Game Gear and Atari Lynx, they didn’t have a diverse library to enjoy. Sega might’ve had Mortal Kombat in color with blood and gore in their versions, but Nintendo had many bangers even in the early years. Aside from the Sonic series, Mortal Kombat and a few gems are all that were offered on Game Gear. While the GB had four double A batteries that lasted longer and there were many genres to choose from. That is the reason the Game Gear after a few years of being on the market, saw it in bargain bins along with the Atari Lynx. That is why Nintendo’s first portable lasted well into the late 90s especially thanks to Pokemon releasing in 1996 to 1998.
That is where the SGB comes in and would see its release in mid-1994 for the Super NES. During the time, Sega and NEC had their CD addons on the market that continued to flop in sales. Thanks to the abundance of shoddy games that paled in comparison to the base systems and the ridiculous price cemented these facts. Nintendo rather than releasing their CD add-on after the fallout with Sony, they would drop these plans all together. Instead, they produce the SGB cartridge to allow black and white GB titles to play on the TV. That is why the House of Sonic continued to struggle for the rest of the decade. It is the reason Nintendo, even after losing to Sony, continued to stay in the black. The adapter did more than give extra color but through the SGB cartridges would offer special features that weren’t possible on the original portable. After three decades, how well does the Super Game boy hold up compared to its successor the Game Boy player? Super Game Boy (Super NES) Review
0 Comments
A new edition of Retro Corner Reviews is up, and we finally tackle a Sega CD game called Vay that was a JRPG. Developed by Hertz who are known for putting together the Genesis port of Outrun was tasked to produce a traditional role playing game. When it came to RPGs in general, the Mega Drive was a distant second to the Super NES that had hosted many titles of the genre. That forced Sega to produce their own games like Phantasy Star to make up for the lack of these titles. It is one of the reasons the House of Sonic wanted to release their own CD add-on beyond trying to stay competitive. While Compact Disks as a format was the next thing for gaming, Sega was obviously trying to get the genre on their platform. This was to entice third parties to develop on the Sega CD using the more advanced technology then the base system couldn’t perform. As history tells us, that didn’t work out for the House of Sonic for more than just this genre. Despite getting a string of decent games, the addon’s lineup was nowhere near the quality of the Super NES’s JRPG library.
For Vay it is titled this based on the plot about an advanced alien mech crashing on a planet that was still developing. Over a thousand years ago, a battle was waged far from most civilized planets in space. In the midst of the war, one lone large mech veered off randomly straight into unknown space after its pilot was killed. It eventually crashed on a world that was still primitive in a medieval age and on auto pilot the advanced armor attempts to destroy all life across the planet. Eventually, five of the powerfullest wizards cast a spell to subdue and seal away the advanced mechanized armor. After a millennium had passed a marriage between a prince named Sandor was set to marry his lover Elin to ensure the Lorath Kingdom was secure. However, his kingdom was unaware the Danek Empire was staging an invasion using technology from the legend to attack and kidnap Elin. Now, Sandor must brave an adventure to save his lover and stop the Danek Empire from its conquest across the world. The gameplay follows the traditional format that many studios used regardless of what quality they were. Can the studio of Hertz redeem their previous work? Vay (Sega CD) Review A new edition of Retro Corner Reviews is up, and we tackle another NSO Game Boy game called Kirby’s Dream Land. It isn’t a surprise to see Kirby be added as one of the first titles on GB NSO. He, among Mario, Wario and Link, is quite recognizable even when certain gamers haven’t touched any games from this series. It is a perfect way to have them try Kirby for the first time especially when having his earlier titles from the 90s available on this service. The first entry can also show where he began his adventure rather than through the modern releases. There is no doubt Star Stacker for GB as well as Nightmare in Dream Land for the GBA will eventually get added. However, having the Pink Wonder’s debut title available for these gamers to try is always a good thing. It is also a good thing to experience where some of the familiar mechanics originate from.
Now, his debut title along with Kirby’s Adventure on the NES is considered sleeper hits. Meaning, Nintendo did advertise the Game Boy release with a short animated commercial showing you don’t have to look like an action hero to take the role. While the second entry on NES came out during the system Twilight Years in 1993 when people were too busy with the 16-bit consoles. The mechanics here are often considered simplistic akin to Super Mario Land. However, when has anyone heard of a character that uses his mouth to suck enemies up and spit them out as if he was a vacuum? In a sea of copycat mascots — Aero the Acrobat and Bubsy to name some — Kirby was able to set himself apart from even the successful ones. Sometimes having a character with an outlandish appearance and ability from the usual is what’s needed. The theme of the original game is about Kirby trying to stop King DeDeDe from hoarding all the food of Dream Land for himself. So how good does the Star Warrior’s first outing stand the test of time? Kirby’s Dream Land (Game Boy) Review A new edition of Retro Corner Reviews is up and as we enter the Spring season, I have an NSO Game Boy game to cover. It is called Game & Watch Gallery 3 that was released on the GBC in December 1998 months after the handheld was upgraded to a color edition. G&W3 along with the original game on GB were two titles I spent hours playing through in the late 90s. I don’t remember when they came into my collection back then (probably as stocking stuffers during Christmas) but the gameplay was addicting. The series might not be as good as the Mario Parties or the Mario Karts however, Game & Watch Gallery does serve it purpose as a time waster. Even RPGs are classified under such a term regardless if grinding to a higher level or proper progression is there.
The third entry continues the same format from its predecessors that features five games remade using the GBC hardware. Nintendo usually does a fantastic job remaking previous games when Super Mario All Stars set the gold standard. It is clear they were attempting those same standards for the G&Ws because this has proven to work. It is no SMAS by any means considering the NES titles have aged well enough to play today. Compared to those old portables, none of them have the same luxury unless recreated in a modernized form as seen here. That is why remaking these classics is a good thing because it gives us those quality of life features missing previously. Nintendo has an outstanding track record of producing the best remakes. Now, this completion includes Egg, Greenhouse, Mario Bros (not the same Arcade title), Turtle Bridge and a variant of Donkey Kong Jr. Can a fresh coat of paint bring these oldies to life? Game & Watch Gallery 3 (GBC) Review As the year comes to an end soon, I have one of my old review to show about Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the N64. With the Expansion Pak online being added (despite the ridiculous backlash over the pricing) we finally got N64 games on NSO. If you are wondering I see nothing wrong with the pricing of the Expansion Pak as it was bound to happen. Did people expect this service to stay at twenty dollars a year with more consoles being added? However, unlike the complaining from most armchair analysts, I like to see things both ways to stay objective. Yes, even though the pricing isn’t problem, but Nintendo needs to add more stuff in later on. I have no doubt they will add Game Boy/Color and GBA to the service. The House of Mario probably should also add in DLC from Smash Bros, Luigi Mansion 3 or Zelda: Breath of the Wild to give more value. We all know Splatoon 3 will be added when the second game has its DLC available on the NSO.
Now, OOT has been hailed by many as the game of not only its generation but one of the greatest ever made. However, over time better 3D adventure titles would overtake OOT thanks to it slowly aging in nearly 25 years. With that said, it is still a hallmark to both its genre and to the series which stood the test of time. Similar to Mario 64, EAD used the same engine by modifying its program heavily to create unique assets. Truly amazing what Nintendo did with a limiting format as OOT wasn’t even using a 64 MB cartridge but instead utilizes a 32 MB cart. When we think of large games in the 90s, often PlayStation One’s massive RPGs with their three to four disks come to mind. They eventually would use a 64 MB cartridge when developing Majora’s Mask and taking OTT’s concept further. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64) Review A new edition of Retro Corner Reviews is up, and it is time to review a game I play every Autumn. The game is Donkey Kong Country 2 for the Super NES and for some odd reason it reminds me of the Autumn season. Maybe it has something to do with the setting being in dingy areas like a swamp or a haunted forest. The funny thing for me is it’s not the only game to give this feeling just take Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. Super Metroid also gives me those vibes oddly enough as its dreadful atmosphere played up to that. Even then DKC2 isn’t the only seasonal style game present as DKC3 had more of a wintery appearance. These types of games centered around these holidays is always something I play traditionally every year.
Now, DKC2 is among my favorite games to play not only because of the season but due to being a fantastic classic. It took everything great about the first DKC and multiplied this by ten times. That is what Nintendo did with Super Mario Bros 3 by taking the first game’s format and bringing the series to new heights. The jump between DKC1 and its sequel is nearly the same as the gameplay mechanics and broader visuals were tweaked here. The theme this time is about K. Rool turning to a life of a pirate captain as now the Kremlins have become that. However, Captain K. Rool seeks revenge on the Kong family by kidnapping Donkey himself and taking him to Crocodile Island. Now, Diddy and his girlfriend Dixie must go to Crocodile Island — the Kremlins’ stronghold — to save Donkey from K. Rool and his gang of pirates. Unlike the last entry, the stakes were raised higher beyond trying to save a banana horde that oddly enough doesn’t mold. Donkey Kong Country 2 (Super NES) Review A new edition of Retro Corner Reviews is up, and we check out what is considered a one off series called StarTropics for the NES. Summer has started as some will prepare for the beaches and pools while others look forward to their BBQs outdoors. We start the Summer off with StarTropics, one of Nintendo’s lesser known games—You can also add that to the list containing EarthBound, F-Zero, Mach Rider and Balloon Fight. It was released under the radar in December 1990 due to the combination of Super Mario Bros 3 and other bigger titles. There are many reasons this game never took off since once 1990 was over people were hyped for the Super NES. Of course by that point most rented the game but it is possible they had a “meh” attitude after their experience. It wasn’t Mario, Zelda or any other big release on the NES so in their minds why would anyone care when most were saving for the Super NES. The gamers I’m talking about are casuals and not us dedicated crowd who would at least rent this at Blockbuster for a weekend. It’s funny how Nintendo continued to support the NES alongside the Super NES. Then again, it’s a good thing they did because plenty of gems came out between 1991 through 1994.
StarTropics falls under the action/adventure or dungeon romper (to those who play Zelda Classic) based on the game’s mechanics. Today most don’t appreciate clones like they used to, and it should come off as a form of flattery then an insult. However, ST isn’t the usual adventure game as its level design is structured differently from Zelda—Sometimes a studio needs to do things different from the usual. Take Mario and Donkey Kong and even though they are from the same genre however, these series do not play the exact way. The theme is about an American teenager named Mike Jones who visits his uncle Dr. Steven Jones at his lab on C-Island within the South Seas. However, when he arrives at the island’s local village where his uncle’s lab is stationed, he finds him missing. It turns out aliens led by Zoda have kidnapped his uncle and now Mike has to brave the challenges of the South Seas to save him. Does StarTropics hold up after more than three decades especially against Nintendo’s elite series? StarTropics (NES) Review A new edition of Retro Corner Reviews is up, and we take a look at the Original Earthbound game on NES. After nearly two years Nintendo finally brought the Earthbound series to the NSO. Originally, both games were released on WiiU in 2015 after being absent for years on the Virtual Console. While the second title got a US release in 1995, the first one however was in a weird situation. It turns out the first game was already translated and ready to hit store shelves in 1991. Unfortunately, Earthbound NES — its original title before being renamed Beginnings as a subtitle — was never giving a reason as to why this was canceled. We can only assume Nintendo was worried about low sales considering RPGs weren’t as popular as they were in the later generations. I mean, it is the only conclusion that makes sense when the series is one of the company’s niche games.
For the game itself, like most RPGs from the 8-bit era, never age well compared to those on the 16-bit and 32-bit systems. Beginnings falls under this as time has not been nice to it with outdated mechanics. Now, that also could’ve been the reason for Nintendo to not release Beginnings when they thought it was probably too hard for American gamers. I mean, Nintendo did the same thing to the Famicom Super Mario Bros 2 only to replace this with an easier non-Mario title. Of course, EEB also had controversial visuals for the time as they removed some features and dialogue. An example being gore and cigarette smoking was present in the Japanese version from the enemies. Yet, the US port has removed these features altogether due to censorship laws. Sometimes censorship is used to remove things that shouldn’t be in a kid’s game as this was used properly here. Then there’s censoring games like Doom despite the M rating to appease angry pearl clutchers in the 90s. Earthbound: Beginnings (NES) Review A new edition of Retro Corner Reviews is up, and we take a look at Doom II for the PC. At this point who hasn’t played the classic games from the 90s. That is how much influence the series has had on gaming and the FPS genre. Not only did Doom spawn a sequel but many developers wanted to emulate its success. Before Duke, Quake and Golden Eye were released many tried to make clones of Doom. The series Blake Stone springs to mind and even though it used the Wolfenstein Engine, you can tell where the inspiration came from. Fortunately, many developers didn’t resort to emulating Id as most 90s FPSs had their own weapons and themes. A clear difference between Duke, Quake, Turok and Golden Eye is what made them unique.
As for the second game, most will agree the sequel felt more like an expansion off the first entry. Nothing was vastly improved upon as only tweaks is what Id did instead of building on the Engine. Its obvious Id was coasting on their success from the previous hit games of Wolfenstein and Doom. They would continue this until the Quake Engine was created in 1995 when something fresh needed to come out. It’s a shame the developers waited until the development of Doom 64 for them to finally build on the software tools. By then these software tools were already obsolete when a superior Quake Engine was being used. I can never understand why they didn’t simply utilize Quake’s own to develop Doom 64. Even modders have used the Quake Engine to recreate the first game in actual fifth gen 3D visuals and gameplay. Doom 64 is still a classic, but Id should’ve used Quake’s 3D assets to produce the series fourth entry. Doom II: Hell of Earth (PC) Review There is another older review to show this time and it was when I went over the second Metroid on the Game Boy in 2016. Ever since the remake of the second game was remade on the 3DS, the series has regained what made it successful. No doubt Other M might have soured people even though those resentments are misguided. People can blame Samus’ portrayal all they want but that isn’t the reason the story was bad when it was simply poor writing in general. Even if they made Samus into a stoic statue who acted like a badass wouldn’t have saved the plot of Other M. Today, the series is moving in a nice progressive direction thanks to Dread and Prime 4. Even Dread has done some decent sales numbers in most places like never before so the fandom can celebrate that. The only thing missing from the latest 2D installment is Mercury Steam adding a randomize mode so here’s hoping they do that as the next free update.
As for the original Game Boy release of Metroid II, similar to its predecessor, time hasn’t been kind here either. The sequel shares outdated mechanics as the Original’s own such as the level design being developed after mazes. It also doesn’t help that the game is in a monochrome palette thus making this truly hard to enjoy. Unless you had Nintendo Power who gave an intensive guild with maps, any player would have been stuck on it for years. Fortunately, Nintendo released the Super Game Boy for the Super NES a couple of years later. Despite the game not being an SGB cart, this adapter made it playable for us without using the green monochrome color. You can even change four different shades of color to deviate from the default non-SGB games as soon as it boots up. Metroid II: Return of Samus (Game Boy) Review |
Welcome to Retro CornerIn this section I review retro gaming hence my name and talk about what made the Golden Age so amazing. From the 8-bit era of the NES to the first 3D generation of PC and N64, no classic title will get overlooked. Archives
February 2024
CategoriesThe social media icon images and Vector Designs by Vecteezy, Medium and Onextrapixel
for more Please Click Below |