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
0 Comments
A new edition of Horror Gaming is up, and we tackle an Earthbound CP called Crypt of the Ancients. The series is the textbook definition of a niche series at its core as till this day not many people know this exists. Each game follows a different story set in certain eras where a group of young heroes face an alien overlord named Giygas. However, the third game takes place in a completely different era of Earth where human civilization was reduced. I might understand why some love the series, but it is another Dragon Quest with pop culture references. Most of this niche fandom will get annoyed by that take but it is obvious why this is a niche series. The thing is EarthBound is often hindered by dated mechanics that don’t evolve the gameplay enough. Even Lufia II changed up several things from the original that actually made this a unique sequel. While the first two entries stayed true to the Old Guard’s format of Ultima and Dungeons & Dragons from the mid-80s.
The CP itself was the first time I listen to a horror theme EarthBound tale as this was years after the Giygas Theory was known. Now, Crypt of the Ancients is a tale about a guy named Nick who borrows a copy of EarthBound after enjoying what he saw. However, after the game was accidentally broken and he rushes to the local game store to get it fixed, the guy discovers once getting it back the RPG plays vastly different. That is when Nick learns of the Crypt that is mentioned often through his second play through. You are wondering how anyone can turn this into horror despite the backstory already being morbid. That is what makes this a little interesting at face value since this Crypt is another Lost Level CP. So how different and strange will Nick’s playthrough become? EarthBound: Crypt of the Ancients Creepypasta 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 |
WelcomeIf you are looking for Retro Gaming blogging and My Little Pony reviews then you came to the right place. I am Retro Gamer and on this site we are on a never ending quest to right the wrongs of gaming by calling it as it is. Archives
February 2024
CategoriesThe social media icon images and Vector Designs by Vecteezy, Medium and Onextrapixel
For More Please Click Below |