Head Off #3 - Mind-Blowingly Good Games
Written by Mobiusclimber February 7th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
Usually Alex will send me some crappy and beaten up games to review for this column. Other times, rarely, the games are only one or the other. It’s why I’ve tried selling a few of the junky titles (they’re complete, and maybe someone out there WANTS to be the manager of a Japanese “boy” band made up of thirty-somethings), and it’s also why I have some pretty cool games in my collection that aren’t in a condition I’d normally accept them in if I were buying them. Today we’re going to do something different here at Head Off. Instead of reviewing junk in the poor-game-design sense, we’ll be looking at some junk in the beaten-up-and-missing-parts sense. All the games talked about today will be good ones.
Vampire Savior (The Lord of Vampire - yes the cover says this like it’s the subtitle) - Sega Saturn - Darkstalkers, as Capcom saw fit to rename this series in the West, is one of my favorite fighting games. In fact, I only really like two fighting game series: Darkstalkers and Tekken. That’s mostly because I suck at fighting games. While Darkstalkers isn’t the button-masher that Tekken is, I still find it much easier to pull off (and stumble across) combos and special moves. The thing that really endears me to the series, though, is the cast of characters. In what other game can you play as a homicidal, machine-gun-toting LIttle Red Riding Hood? Or an ancient Egyptian mummy complete with sarcophagus? Or a bee girl that shoots… bees… out of her… beehive? Okay that one is just plain weird. But that’s really the charm of the game. You have no idea what you’re going to experience. The backgrounds, art direction, character design… pretty much every gameplay element contributes to making this amazing fighting game come to life. The level and attention to detail that Capcom invested in this game is pretty staggering (they tend to be known for that, particularly with their fighters, but this is the only one I’ve ever been able to get into). So why did Alex give this one away? The copy he sent me was disc and manual only. This wouldn’t be too bad except that Vampire Savior requires a RAM cart. I actually had to trade for another game just to be able to play this one. (I traded for X-Men vs Street Fighter, another Capcom fighting game, and one which I played for all of ten minutes before turning off in frustration and boredom. See? I’m just not a fan of fighting games.)
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Keep Playing: Rewind - Vectorman
Written by SeanOrange February 3rd, 2010 at 8:00 am
Famicom Dojo Season 2: Train Your Game
Written by SeanOrange January 27th, 2010 at 6:42 pm
YouTube Version
Video Netcast Version
Subscribe to Famicom Dojo on iTunes
Direct Link: Famicom Denshimail - Rare Games (2009/09/28)
Just one more month!
Show Notes
Famicom Dojo Season 2: Train Your Game
Get your own copy of the Famicom Dojo Season 1 DVD today!
Also, don’t forget to join our Facebook page and Twitter to keep up-to-date on Famicom Dojo news!
2 commentsThe Truth About Peso (Alex)!
Written by Traegorn January 26th, 2010 at 8:52 am
Keep Playing: Rewind - Top 5 Creepiest Retro Games
Written by SeanOrange January 20th, 2010 at 8:00 am
“Creepiest”, not “Scariest”:
Show Notes:
KEEP PLAYING: Rewind - Top 5 Creepiest Retro Games @ Powet.TV
Keep Playing: Rewind - Batman (NES)
Written by SeanOrange January 13th, 2010 at 8:00 am
THE best Batman game… before Arkham Asylum came out, that is.
Show Notes:
KEEP PLAYING: Rewind - Batman @ Powet.TV
Keep Playing: Rewind - Games of 1989
Written by SeanOrange January 9th, 2010 at 3:58 am
So everyone’s writing articles and making videos about the games from the last decade, but what about the decade that birthed the modern era? Check out which games were hot in 1989!
Show Notes:
KEEP PLAYING: Rewind - Games of 1989 @ Powet.TV
*100 Games* Japanese Mega Drive Collection
Written by WildWillyWilson December 13th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
First milestone…
3 commentsJapanese Insanity Invades America: A Review of Switch For The Mega CD
Written by Mobiusclimber December 8th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
I’ve used this space in the past to lament the lack of quirky Japanese titles that have seen localization in the States, at least pre-Playstation. Many of the weirder games never made it over here simply for being deemed too “Japanese” as if us Westerners just wouldn’t get it (which seems to be true for the most part given how so many of the early attempts were commercial failures). Switch for the Mega CD was one early attempt at selling the American public a quirky, truly bizarre and completely Japanese-influenced game. It’s U.S. release, retitled Panic!, was met with poor sales and mostly negative reviews. I have to admit, I’d never even heard of the game and, at first, assumed Switch was a Japan-only release. The good folks here at Rising Stuff were kind enough to supply me with this wonderfully weird game to review and, after playing it for twenty hours or so, I feel obligated to track down the American release. Better late than never, I suppose. (Read the rest of the review by clicking the “more” link!)
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Famicom Dojo: Season 2 Promo
Written by SeanOrange November 30th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
YouTube Version
Video Netcast Version
Subscribe to Famicom Dojo on iTunes
Direct Link: Famicom Dojo - Season 2 Promo
Show Notes
Famicom Dojo: Season 2 Promo
Can’t wait for Season 2? Get your own copy of the Famicom Dojo Season 1 DVD today!
Also, don’t forget to join our Facebook page and Twitter to keep up-to-date on Famicom Dojo news!
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