I have another old edition of Retro Corner Reviews to show and it was when I went over the first Streets of Rage. The original SOR on the Genesis/Mega Drive was something I never played until years later. My first experience was when SOR came to the Wii’s Virtual Console in 2007. It wasn’t the fact the game couldn’t be found but rather just didn’t have the time to buy the first one. I even discovered a cartridge of it in 2004 at a GameStop—when shopping there was once great—while looking for Lufia on Super NES. I am aware there were a couple of completions that had SOR1 on them like the Genesis Collection on PS2. However, the emulation wasn’t good based on these third party studios not scaling the original game right. Another example comes from the defunct Atomic Planet’s Mega Man Anniversary Collection with terrible scaling. While the Wii’s Virtual Console emulation wasn’t any better but the convenience of downloading them was there.
The original SOR has aged better compared to other brawlers from the 8-bit generation. It was due to having modern mechanics from the 16-bit era is why today’s gamers won’t have much a problem. Most would never go back to the original Double Dragon Trilogy whether it was on the NES or the Arcade versions. The reason SOR1 doesn’t have these issues is because the level design wasn’t trying too many things. Double Dragon tried being a brawler and an action platformer at the same time—It created some of the most difficult level design that tested a player’s patience rather than their skill. While those in the 16-bit generation didn’t have to deal with that as even B titles like Night Slashers had this better. The theme is about a corporate overlord of the city has taking over the metropolitan area and the local government. Now, a group of ex cops named Adam, Axel and Blaze are tasked with cleaning the city of crime and to take down Mr. X. Streets of Rage (Sega Genesis) Review
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There is an old edition of Retro Corner Reviews for me to show and it was the time I reviewed the Super NES port of Final Fight. Capcom was often the leader of the Arcade market way before their Street Fighter II years. They were known for releasing classics like Ghouls N Ghosts and Bionic Commando during the 80s. Now, the best one to come out that decade was a brawler called Final Fight. Similar to Double Dragon, you take on the role of martial artists who have to save a friend’s girlfriend from a crime lord. Today there isn’t anything original about the theme and will come off archaic. The reason this is a dated concept is due to the role female characters take now that many like Samus paved the way for. Even if this was a male character needing rescuing as seen by Bad Dudes would still be a dated concept.
The original Final Fight in terms of gameplay has aged decently due to modern mechanics. Despite the dated theme about rescuing the Mayor’s daughter, you can easily jump in and plow through enemies. The was usually the thing about the 16-bit era as these pixel based games had a strong lasting value. There was something special about 16-bit and even 32-bit pixel based brawlers that keeps me coming back. While those in 3D didn’t fair so well when Die Hard is your only good game to champion. Despite Final Fight as a series being a nice leg up to Streets of Rage, it never reached the quality Sega’s famous beat’ em up is known for. Capcom simply couldn’t get the concept to the same standards even though they passed Double Dragon. Will the Super NES port reach the same quality of an Arcade to console game? Final Fight (Super NES) Review I have another old edition of Retro Corner Reviews to show and it’s from the time I went over Zelda: A link to the Past for the Super NES. Even though Nintendo has been rather quiet on doing Zelda 35th Anniversary, that still didn’t stop us fans from doing it for them. Its rather ridiculous they decide to do one for Mario but don’t show the same enthusiasm for a series second to the Plumber in terms of legacy. That makes me wonder if Pokemon will get the same silent treatment for a celebration considering Zelda didn’t get the justice it deserved. Even then, they still have no plans to port the 3DS remakes of Ocarina of time or Majora’s Mask to the Switch. I guess we are just going have to settle with the original games coming to the N64 Nintendo Switch Online for now. It’s obvious Nintendo will port the 3DS N64 Zelda remakes eventually but that won’t happen until the 3DS is absolutely retired. Of course, this will happen after Breath of the Wild 2’s release and probably on the next Nintendo console.
Now, Zelda: A Link to the Past needs no explanation as to why it was the gold standard for adventure games. The reason for this is simple and it refined the experience the Original couldn’t do. The NES Zelda titles are the definition of outdated as nothing holds up whether it’s the visuals or the gameplay. While the 16-bit sequel—including Link’s Awakening on Game Boy—surprisingly holds up really well by today’s standards. That is why refining a previous experience with the right hardware and controls can take the series to the next level. Is there to say that ALTTP is showing age? Yes, no doubt ALTTP has aged considerably for the last three decades, but it’s a retro title even modern gamers could enjoy. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Super NES) Review There is an old edition of Retro Corner Reviews to show again, and it is when I reviewed the first Metroid in 2016. After many years of waiting for a new Metroid game Nintendo finally announced one at this year’s E3. The game is called Metroid: Dread and it's releasing in October 2021 which is what I call perfect timing. From what we saw, Dread is taking gameplay elements from Fusion but implementing them even further. There are even rumors that Nintendo might reveal a Game Boy family lineup service through their Switch Online soon. People are basing this fact on a Tweet by them which highlights Metroid II and Fusion in the report. It is hard to tell if this is the case, but the company also revealed the NES and Super NES online service every year around September. I can’t think of a better way to get people hyped for Dread than to put the Game Boy family library up featuring past Metroid games.
Now, the Original Metroid much like the NES library hasn’t aged that well. The 8-bit console always had this limited stigma about them as no matter what developers did almost none stood the test of time. I am not just talking visuals but also in the level design and gameplay department. It’s obvious the limited tech of the NES hindered the vision the developers had for achieving what Super Metroid did. However, the series much like Mario, Zelda and Kid Icarus has a legacy to it that shouldn’t be denied. For once Nintendo is giving the lone bounty hunter much needed attention after all these years. I guess Prime 4 and Dread is a good start but at the same time they shouldn’t forget what brought the series to the dance. Metroid (NES) Review I have an old edition of Retro Corner Reviews to show, and we take another look at my Zelda II review from 2016. Now onto other things, much like the first game the sequel didn't go into any backstory of the world and the Triforce again. Nintendo would explain several historical events of Hyrule and why the Triforce's power is sought by many after Zelda II. There wasn't any backstory or history on Hyrule and the holy relic until ALTTP on Super NES. This game would go over everything that wasn't explained in the first two entries and went further into the lore. Another thing about Zelda II that is interesting is how a true sequel was never made from the second game. Even till this day no Zelda III was ever developed or considered by Miyamoto. I doubt it has anything to do with Zelda II's gameplay structure or features. If that was the case, many of its features would’ve never been used in future installments.
Now, Zelda II has for years been the black sheep of the series due to its infamous difficulty. Other than Twilight Princess—the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion of the series—Zelda II often takes the most criticism. It’s no doubt the game has aged terribly since the late 80s as most 8-bit titles never hold up. There have only been a handful across both the NES and Master System to age well between visuals and gameplay. The thing that made the second title interesting is the backstory elements which were rather dark for an NES game. As mentioned, Valiant Comic took the ideas from the sequel and used it to tell the comic series’ plot. In fact, they did an amazing job using pre-A Link to the Past lore to tell a darker version compared to Nintendo’s lighthearted vision. The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES) Review I have an old edition of Retro Corner Reviews, and it was the time we went over the original Zelda on the NES. I went over this back in the Summer of 2016 when Nintendo revealed a beta of Breath of the Wild at E3. The first Zelda by today's standards is outdated, and I think hasn't aged that well since its release in 1987. Even though it's still playable in some form, the graphics and presentation are just bland. The gameplay hasn't aged that good either, but it still offers innovation that set several standards in exploration and puzzle solving. That's the lineage to where most of today's games series such as Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts got their concepts from. Surprisingly, the first game is still on the 3DS and Wii U’s eShops despite its availability, on the NES app for the Nintendo Switch. There are other non-digital versions like the NES cartridge, the disc collection on GameCube and the GBA port. However, don’t try finding the classic gold cartridge unless you're a collector as the battery in those are most likely expired. The same goes for the two other editions that will cost a fortune to get. Other than that, this game is definitely something you should check out due to its historical purposes.
Another thing about the first game of a series is its continuity is never explained in detail at first. In other series such as Kingdom Hearts it never gave full details, and a backstory about why the Heartless or better yet, the Keyblade existed. We didn't know of its power, and what exactly could the Keyblade do to other worlds if it were used for darkness. We also didn't understand if nobodies or unversed existed in the series—that was an example of what I am trying to say about the Zelda series. It wouldn't be until A Link to the Past on the Super NES where a full backstory on Hyrule and the Triforce was given an explanation. That is where the series gave a complete backstory narrative on the Triforce's exact purpose and what it's capable of. To celebrate the series—something Nintendo won’t do as of now—I will repost links to my old Zelda reviews from when this site started. The Legend of Zelda (NES) Review A new edition of Retro Corner Reviews is up and this time we look at another obscure RPG from Sega for the Genesis. It’s no secret how much influence Nintendo had on the genre from most third parties. History shows how cutthroat Nintendo use to act towards the third parties and their competition. They even had these publishers limited to releasing five games a year per platform. As stated, many times, this forced Sega to come up with homegrown RPG titles as seen from Phantasy Star. The early years for the Genesis regarding this genre was a massive struggle as it was before Sonic hit the scene. By 1990 Phantasy Star II was the only true release to offer a proper RPG found only on the NES at the time. They would have to wait until the mid-90s to start seeing a wave of RPGs hit their platform thanks to the Sega CD add on.
The game we are covering is Fatal Labyrinth which is considered Sega’s one off titles. In fact, this is a Gauntlet style game that has an overhead view while adventuring through a dark castle’s floors. The theme is about a dragon’s legion has stolen the Goblet of Light from a nearby village. The Dragon’s minions took the goblet to the beast’s dwelling of a massive labyrinth structure that takes the form of a castle. Now, the villagers task a warrior without a name to retrieve the Goblet of Light. He must prevent the beast from rising up and plunging the world into eternal darkness. Not as elaborate as PHII since it has a similar simple theme to Sword of Vermilion. Did Fatal Labyrinth age to the point of no return? Fatal Labyrinth (Sega Genesis) Review A new edition of Retro Corner Reviews is up, and we check a more obscure game from Sega on the Genesis. When the Genesis comes to mind, we often reminded of the Sonics, Phantasy Stars, Shining Forces and the Streets of Rages. Even the Arcade lineup and ports of hit games such as Shinobi, Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat hit us no pun intended. Now, for RPGs, it’s a genre you would never think of when the Genesis enters the conversation. Surprisingly, the console did get a handful of RPGs and adventure titles on its platform. The problem was that at the time Nintendo used cutthroat practices on third parties. That is the reason more noteworthy titles never showed up on the Genesis and not even from B and C quality releases like Breath of Fire. Sega was either stuck making their own or had third parties make lesser known ones like Lunar on the CD add on. That is not even factoring in the RPGs stuck in other International markets as seen by Brave Battle Saga.
The game in this review is called Sword of Vermilion that saw its release in January 1991. It was coming off the heels of Phantasy Star II and several months away from the third game hitting store shelves. As mentioned, Sega attempted to build a lineup of RPGs that by 1991 was lacking in that genre. The company tasks a studio called AM2 to develop SoV who by that time were known to produce Arcade classics of Outrun and Space Harrier. Due to their experience developing arcade titles, it was clear this was their first time developing anything role play related. The theme is about an unnamed warrior who is a prince of a fallen kingdom. The Prince sets out to stop the King who killed his father and conquered the kingdom years prior. He learns these events from a man named Blade who raised him as his own. However, the former soldier tells his adopted son this on his death bed about the Prince’s lost heritage. Now, the unnamed Prince must avenge his father and take back the country that is rightful his. Pretty simple set up for a story that was often written for the time. So, how does this old school RPG stack up to later games of the Fourth Generation? Sword of Vermilion (Sega Genesis) Review As I continue playing through my Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Collection on Steam, here is another old Genesis review. It is my Sonic 2 review that was written almost five years ago and a few months from when this site opened. After playing through the nearly 60 plus collection of games, it’s hard for me to get Sega off the mind. I even planned to go to my local game store next year and for once buy a Master System and a Saturn. Unless Sega decides to release mini consoles to the rest of their past systems, you will need to shell out over a hundred dollars. The Master System won’t be an issue for emulation, but Saturn and Dreamcast are where the challenges will come from. It is annoying that both the Sega CD and the 32X lineup isn’t included in the Genesis Collection. Unfortunately, the Sega CD is still expensive and at $200 used from Amazon and eBay.
The Hedgehog’s second outing is the textbook definition of an improved sequel. It’s what gave the Genesis a big release that was needed to convince consumers to buy the system. The original game had several issues that needed refinement. To modern gamers and even those who played the first title came off frustrated thanks to the illogical designs of certain stages. Games like Sonic 2 are why we look fondly on Sega back then before their third party era. Ever since the 2000s Sega slowly started to falter to their own devices and would get worse as time went on. When your main series is either a hit or a miss with mixed feelings instead of being exceptional then there is something wrong. However, with that said let’s check out another Genesis classic. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Genesis) Review In this edition of Retro Corner Reviews, we take a look back at another early review I wrote over four years ago. It was my review on the Original Sonic game on the Genesis and was the first title I went over for the console. The reason for bringing this up is thanks to Game Shack and Pixel Games Squad on YouTube. They made me remember fondly about why my love for the old Sega still holds up and their retro lineup from all those years ago. It brought my love out so much I busted the model 2 Genesis from storage and played some games. I even bought the Genesis/Mega Drive Collection on Steam because of the Autumn sale which included almost 60 titles. Now, if only Sega can ask third parties like Capcom to bring classics such as their Genesis’ Street Fighter II. The massive collection has more things then Nintendo’s Super NES Switch app has at the moment. That will eventually change as more Super NES classics come out but right now Sega has it better.
That brings me to the first Sonic that gave Sega the ammo they needed to take on Nintendo’s Super NES and Mario. The first entry wasn’t groundbreaking by any means, however; it was still drastically different from Mario and Mega Man. By 1991, they dropped their Arcade marketing for the system and pushed Sonic as the next advertising ploy. By then they would promote the concept of Genesis having “blast processing” to show how capable the console was. In fact, “blast processing” is actually a truthful thing about the Genesis as it ran at 7.67 Mhz. While the Super NES ran at 3.58 MHz which is half the speed. Does Sonic’s first outing hold up or has age slowed the hedgehog down? Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Genesis) 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
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