Sega Saturn Shooter Roundtable Vol I

Instead of writing single posts for every Sega Saturn title that grabs my attention, I've decided that I should group several short reviews together in a single post, so that we can speed through the system's extensive video game library more quickly.  For this installment, we'll look at five titles from Saturn's most popular genre - arcade shoot-em-ups!




Dodonpachi - Cave for Saturn - 10/10

Oh, Yeehhhh!  Dodonpachi, Cave's manic, bullet-hell masterpiece.  The heaviest, loudest, fastest, most intense shoot-em-up ever created.  It's such a wild ride, so gloriously and insanely over-the-top, so wildly colorful and luminous.  This is the video game equivalent of Red Bull and Jolt Cola.  And it's just about the most exciting game ever made for the Sega Saturn.

I don't even think you conquer or master Dodonpachi so much as survive.  The very act of cheating death is a massive rush.  How the heck did I escape that?!  Literally every pixel on the screen is moving, flashing, firing, or exploding.  And you're always caught in smack in the middle.  This feels like a video game that begins where all the other shmups ended, and instead of retreading the same ancient cliches of the genre, cranks all the dials to maximum, gleefully reveling in the beauty of pure chaos.

DX Jinsei Game - The Game of LIFE

When going through my latest stack of Sega Saturn discs (thank you, internet), I found this entertaining little gem of a game.  It's DX Jinsei Game, or The Game of LIFE (1995), by Takara for Sega Saturn.  This is the third title in a very long and popular series that has appeared on most game systems from Gameboy to Playstation to Wii.  Do you remember the tropical island board game from last year's Wii Party?  Well, probably not, judging by the lackluster sales.  But DX Jinsei is kinda like that.

I don't know if The Game of LIFE is different in Japan than the US, because this video game version is quite different from the board game I played as a kid.  The basic premise is still there - you drive a car and move through a winding pathway, earning degrees, getting married, making money.  Takara's version is quite a bit different, adapted both for Japanese culture and the video game medium.  I really enjoyed this, because it kept me on my toes.  It felt like a new discovery for me.

Rabbit - 2D Anime Fighter on Saturn

Here's another quality 2D fighter on Sega Saturn, and definitely one of the weirder ones.  It's called Rabbit, and it was the work a Japanese software house called Aorn.  They created Rabbit for the arcades, where it languished in obscurity, and was later ported to the Saturn.  Electronic Arts published the title in Japan, as they were trying to break into the Land of the Rising Sun (without success, of course).

What sort of fighting game is Rabbit?  Well, it's just kinda weird.  Eight colorful characters square off against one another, and they range from the usual anime suspects to the bizzare.  There's a crazy clown character, who apparently is a singer in a rock band or something.  There are a couple crazy, big guys.  There's a blue-haired girl with a parasol.  Everything is wrapped in a cartoonish, mainland Asian style, complete with the usual projectiles and combos.

The game's "hook" is that each fighter is accompanied by an animal spirit who floats on their shoulder, cheering them on, and contributing an extra special attack or two.  Defeated characters lose their animal to the winner, and as the game progresses, you can switch between your animal helpers during the fights.  It's an interesting idea, that's for sure.

The Saturn conversion of Rabbit is very solid, although clearly a step below the arcade original.  Colors are washed out, slightly dull, animation frames have been sacrificed, and the fighters appear strangely pixelated. I'm really not sure why that is.  Graphics zoom in and out in the classic Neo-Geo style, which was very common with '90s brawlers, and goodness knows the Saturn has mastered many SNK fighters.  Heck, just look at Capcom's 4-Meg masterpieces to see how amazing 2D Saturn games can look.

In any case, I'll have to spend more time playing this game.  I think it's very good, very solid, and Saturn fans should be thrilled to have another great, "lost" 2D brawler in their collection.  So that said...diplomacy aside...the best non-Capcom, non-SNK fighting games for the console remain Sonic Council, Asuka 120%, and Astra Superstars.  Those are the must-haves.  Add those to your library first.

Video - Ninku (Saturn)

And now, if only to prove that I am not a Sega Saturn fanboy, here is a look at an early Saturn fighting game that has not aged very well.  It's name is Ninku, and it's based on a Japanese anime series.  For some reason, a lot of anime shows were turned into fighting games; probably because those types of games were popular in the '90s, and it's an easy way to bring together a cast of characters.  If you're used to importing or downloading Saturn titles, then you've seen a few examples of this.

Ninku was developed by Sega and published early in 1996.  The graphics are a mixture of 2D animation sprites and 3D polygon backgrounds.  It's a very interesting idea, and I have to admit, I am still impressed by these locations.  The textures are detailed and everything looks very good, even though there's still that slight shaky movement as the camera pans around.  Also, as there are no lighting effects or variations in color tones, the scenery does have a certain flat look.  It's certainly a time capsule from Saturn's early days.

The character animation was good for its time, and I do try to be generous.  It looks okay.  Later fighting games on Saturn and Neo-Geo would feature far more fluid animation, and that makes Ninku feel a bit stiff.  It's as though only key animation frames were used, and the in-betweens were entirely cut out.

To its credit, Sega did an excellent job of moving 2D sprites along a 3D world.  The fighters knock each other back and forth, and they quickly spin around in circles.  It's pretty cool to hit an opponent into the screen, even if they do become all pixelated.  The camera quickly rotates and always keeps the player perspective locked in place.  You can see the designers trying to think their way around the limitations of 2D, and whether sprite graphics could be integrated into the growing field of 3D fighers.  Remember that 1995-6 was a period of experimentation for video game developers.  The new 3D paradigm of Super Mario 64 and Tomb Raider had yet to arrive.  Until then, everyone was just guessing.

The Saturn overflows with so many excellent fighting games that it's easy to become jaded.  Ninku was never going to become more than a cult hit (although it should have been released in the West).  The fighting engine is very basic, only a few standard and special moves, and little in the way of combos or complex techniques.  This feels more like an early Street Fighter 2 knockoff from the 16-bit era.

Again, I'm feeling spoiled.  Ninku will certainly entertain Saturn fans, and particularly anime and fighting game fans.  It's not outstanding, but it's not terrible.  It fits squarely into the, "Meh" category.

Yuji Naka's Ivy the Kiwi? Arrives on Nintendo Wii and DS

The puzzle platformer Ivy the Kiwi? arrives on Nintendo Wii and DS this week. This is the latest creation by Yuji Naka, who left Sonic Team to pursue more independent-minded games. It's very close to a Nintendo DS launch game called Yoshi Touch & Go, which was a favorite of mine years ago, so I'm very much interested.

Ivy the Kiwi is a small bird, still trapped in her eggshell, who must be guided through 100 increasingly complex and dangerous mazes. The character runs on her own; you use the Wiimote (or stylus on the DS version) to draw vines for Kiwi to walk. You can also spin the vines around to move Kiwi around corners, and even stretch and snap the vines to smash through barriers. You must be on guard from various obstacles and enemies while searching for secret items and the exit.

This is the sort of game that has "cult hit" written all over it. Arriving on a small botique publisher doesn't help matters any (Sega declined to publish the game for unknown reasons). I still haven't seen any advertising or promotion online, or any real presence on Youtube. Smaller video game companies must learn to rely on social networking sites to build customers and sell their games.

Ivy grabs my attention for three key reasons: it uses motion controls, it includes multiplayer (four-player splitscreen), and it's unique. The sepia-toned storybook graphics are certainly inspired, and I always have to stand up and cheer whenever a classic 2D video game arrives on a console. I think the Nintendo Wii needs more games like this.

Most of all, I'm still rooting for Yuji Naka, who gave us Sonic the Hedgehog and NiGHTS: Into Dreams and Chu Chu Rocket and Phantasy Star Online. He hasn't creating anything inspired since the Sega Dreamcast days, which seems to problem among his peer group of older Japanese game designers. But at least he's still making Arcade Games and not Cinema Games.

People often love to complain that no interesting or inventive video games are being made anymore. Then they ignore a quirky game like Ivy the Kiwi and rush over to the latest Metroid disappointment. If's enough to make you wonder if it's all just a cheap setup. Creativity should still count for something in these foreboding days; at least, that's what I think. We need to embrace the clever and charming. It's even worse than it appears, but it's all right. I will survive.

Virtual Console Review - Ninja Commando (Neo-Geo)

Ninja Commando - ADK for Neo-Geo - 4/10

After playing through so many Neo-Geo games, it's pretty obvious to me that ADK was a second-tier developer.  Their games were nearly always duller, weaker, and slower than any of SNK's own titles.  They really were only good for one good video game, and that was Twinkle Star Sprites.  Everything else should be dumped into the generic leftover bins where they belong.

Ninja Commando is yet another example of this sad fact.  Here is an overhead run-and-gun game similar to Commando, Ikari Warriors, Heavy Barrel, and numerous other arcade games of the 1980s.  Heck, Rambo shoot-em-ups was SNKs specialty back then.  Ikari Warriors, Iron, Tank, Guerrilla War - those were classics, especially on the NES.

Ninja Commando wants to be Ikari Warriors, but it fails miserably for one key reason - you can't turn your fighter.  Yes, kids, that's right, you cannot turn and shoot in any other direction than up.  This goes against literally every other game in the genre, on every console and home computer ever built.  Every other game lets you shoot to the side, or shoot at an angle, because you're pretty much being hit by all sides.  Not so here.  Ninja Commando only allows firing forward.

What a sick joke.  Why would I dump quarters into this when I have so many better alternatives?  There's a reason why this game became obscure so quickly.  It sucks.

Being more charitable, I can appreciate the three different ninja characters, who have their own personality.  I might also appreciate the idea of time traveling and blowing stuff up all throughout history.  It would have helped if ADK offered level designs that were less cramped and a little more open.  Also would have helped if the weapons were more wisely designed.  The strength of your shots is determined purely by how quickly you mash the buttons.  How's that for a cheap gimmick?  Good luck with that gamepad.

Whatever.  I really don't care.  This game is substandard, looks flat and dull, is far too slow, and have I mentioned that you can't turn and shoot?  Yes, there is a move where you can throw ninja stars while doing flips, but it's extremely slow and weak - it doesn't effing work.  Did anybody playtest this game?

Oh, and that part about the characters having a personality?  I was only trying to be nice.  The truth is, they're dorks.  I mean, look at 'em.  Didn't the flat-top go out of style, like, 50 years ago?  Did the employees at ADK all wear flat-tops?  That would explain a lot.

Virtual Console Review - Top Hunter (Neo-Geo)

Top Hunter - SNK for Neo-Geo - 4/10

Top Hunter sucks.  Please don't waste your time or money on this clunker of a game.  Despite the gorgeous graphics and luxurious use of color, this is an extremely simplistic arcade side-scroller, with sluggish controls, annoying boss fights, and deeply repetitive gameplay.

The level designs are essentially a straight path from A to B.  There's a dual-pathway set akin to Sega's Shinobi, but it's never really used to any effect.  It's just a second pathway with the exact same enemies.  Have I mentioned Top Hunter is deeply repetitive?  Yes, it is deeply repetitive.  My mind just aches when I have to think at all the deeply repetitive moments I played through before reaching the end.  It's the same stupid pathway, the same stupid enemies, and the same stupid boss fights.

The gameplay gimmick is that you're a fighter who grabs enemies and throws them around.  Your arms also zoom out when you punch.  Neither are especially interesting, as no novel ideas are employed.  You would think the level design would take this into account, or there would be some challenging boss fights.  Sorry.  You would also think there wouldn't be a slight lag in the button pressings, or that the game designers had figured out walking and jumping.  This was a video game from the mid-'90s?  Sorry again.

Oh, and have I mentioned the audio is nothing but clown music?  Good Lord, I just wanted to punch the sound designer's jaw out.  This is the kind of music you expect when you're ordering a Happy Meal.  That sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach kinda feels like a Happy Meal, too.  Moral lesson: don't load up on empty calories.

Virtual Console Review - Neo Turf Masters (Neo-Geo)

Neo Turf Masters - Nazca for Neo-Geo - 9/10

I don't know if the claim will mean much to today's Nintendo Wii audience, but I'm of the mind that Neo Turf Masters on the Neo-Geo is the best arcade golf game ever made.  It's so easy to become spoiled by motion controls on Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort and Tiger Woods Golf, isn't it?  It's very tempting to toss aside all the older golf games and stick with the Wiimote.  However, I do strongly suggest that you hold on to this one.

I really love the presentation on Neo Turf Masters.  This game is wonderfully polished and you can see the care and dedication Nazca, the developers, brought to the table.  Golf games were decidedly second-tier in the arcades (usually reserved for PC simulations), and I think that's part of the reason gamers are so impressed.  Just look at the bright and brilliantly detailed graphics.  Note the excellent use of color, and note the spectacular animation of the golfers.  Observe the stunning use of scrolling to simulate 3D depth with sprites.

I certainly wouldn't expect four different courses, at 18 holes each.  I certainly wouldn't expect a variety of golfers with their unique skills, or a full set of clubs, or the ability to add curves or spin to the swings.  In other words, I would expect a stripped-down arcade game, not the full experience.  Nazca clearly proved their dedication and love of detail - a trait they would demonstrate again and again with their Metal Slug series.

Perhaps because this is an arcade title, the courses aren't recreations of actual locations, but offer the sort of surreal fantasy video games are made for.  I especially like the par-three holes which take place over cliffs. I also enjoy the brisk speed of the game; it's just a couple quick button presses and you're making your next shot.  It's fairly easy to make shots, but you will have to use your golfing skills, as the game is quite challenging.

And, hey, look at that!  I made it to the end of the review without cracking lame Tiger Woods jokes.  What an achievement.  I should get an award for this review.

Virtual Console Review - Baseball Stars 2 (Neo-Geo)

Baseball Stars 2 - SNK for Neo-Geo - 8/10

Baseball Stars 2 is one of the signature Neo-Geo titles.  It perfectly captures the rebel vibe SNK was going after when they launched their arcade/home system - flashy, brash, over-confident, and irreverent.

There have been a million arcade baseball games during the '80s and '90s, and to be perfectly honest, there isn't a dime's worth of difference between any of 'em.  The batter-pitcher view is always the same, as is the control scheme and play mechanics.  It's video game baseball, so you know the score.

What Baseball Stars 2 has in spades is attitude.  All of the baseball players are mutated steroid freaks, carrying powered-up bats that may as well be tree trunks.  Pumping fists, breaking the bat over the knee, macho poses, dramatic diving for the ball...haha haha, this is almost like a cartoon spoof of sports games.  What's interesting is that SNK's previous games in the series (despite the title, this is actually the third Baseball Stars) were playing it straight.  Isn't that weird?  Perhaps they just needed an over-the-top sports game on Neo-Geo.  The system mascot was a rabid pit bull, after all.

My favorite moment in the game is when you hit the batter with a fast pitch.  He gets knocked down, then rushes the mound, and punches the pitcher clean on the jaw.  I don't know why I always laugh when that happens.  The closeup shot makes me laugh.  I only wish the pitcher could fight back...hah!  The best part is that your pitcher becomes crippled after getting punched out - the pitches are all slow and wobbly.  Hah!

Other than all that, what is there to say?  It's arcade baseball.  It's best for short bursts of dumb fun, and especially good for showing off the graphics of the Neo-Geo.  I don't know if that sort of thing can impress teenagers in the year 2010.  It was really awesome in 1991.  Everything was awesome in 1991.

Virtual Console Review - Samurai Shodown 2 (Neo-Geo)

Samurai Shodown 2 - SNK for Neo-Geo - 9/10

Now we come to one of the all-time great fighting games.  Samurai Showdown 2 is a brilliantly executed and conceived sequel, a skillful and challenging game that should keep fans thrilled for ages.  This is universally regarded as the peak of the series, for good reason.

Half a dozen new fighters are introduced to the roster, all very impressive and unique, all while exploring different methods of weapon-based combat.  I'm very impressed that SNK managed to create new characters without copying anyone else.  Even Soul Calibur could barely manage a dozen fighters before double-dipping.  SamSho 2 brings the total to a very impressive 15.

The controls feel well-oiled, and matches seem to flow more quickly than before.  All fighters have more special attacks, including a number of defensive moves that were truly groundbreaking.  In addition to rolling, ducking, or hopping to dodge attacks, you can successfully parry an attack with precise timing.  At least, that's what Wikipedia says.  I'll be very thrilled if I can pull that trick off, so I better practice.

In addition, you can taunt your opponent, unleash super desperation moves when your POW (frustration) meter is filled, and even destroy your opponent's sword.  That is an especially thrilling moment, especially when you're clawing back a dramatic comeback.  I've saved my bacon more than a few times thanks to the desperation moves.

The graphics appear more detailed, more colorful, more smoothly animated.  The color palette hews darker for this sequel.  It's an autumnal tone, heavy on the reds and browns.  I'm a sucker for warm color tones, so obviously I'm a fan.  The arterial sprays look especially nice at the end of a match, and how often do you get to say that?  Even the camera scaling, a staple of Neo-Geo games, appears very smooth and refined.

I think SamSho 2 plays much, much better than the original, for all the reasons listed above.  The game feels more liquid, more loose.  Attack combos are now a factor, and this really speeds up the game.  Thankfully, the tactical approach to fighting is still present and has not been sacrificed.  I appreciate that Samurai Shodown is a smarter fighting game.  Button mashers are not welcome.  Smarts are what is required.

I love the Japanese vibe to Samurai Shodown 2.  It's even more steeped in the mythic past than the original, evoking Kabuki and Noh theatre and Kurasawa's samurai westerns.  The music and audio are especially grand at transporting me back to this lost world.  This game just breathes style with every note, every beat.  SNK really was onto something special.  Is this their greatest fighter?  Fans will no doubt flock to the King of Fighters series, and rightfully so.  Those are outstanding arcade games.  But this game has the panache.  It has style in spades.

Virtual Console Review - Samurai Shodown (Neo-Geo)

Samurai Showdown - SNK for Neo-Geo - 7/10

Here we finally come to one of the gems of the Neo-Geo library. When SNK debuted Samurai Showdown in 1993, its innovative weapons combat stood out among a sea of mediocre Street Fighter 2 clones. Who doesn't want to be a sword-wielding samurai or ninja? The game quickly became a great success for SNK, and would even appear on Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo - the first of many ports during the era.

Does the original Samurai Shodown still hold up today? I think it does. Gameplay is tight, stripped-down and focused squarely on the essentials. Special moves are few and thankfully avoid needless flash. Each attack counts. I do appreciate the focus on smart tactics, of knowing just when to unleash the most powerful strikes, knowing when to go for the throw. You must rely on your wits instead of endless strings of combos.

In that sense, Samurai Shodown is much closer to the '80s classic Karate Champ than Street Fighter. This is a tactical fighting game, and not a button masher. Many would cite this as a weakness, but I prefer to see it as a strength. Fighting games got away from casual players rather quickly, as they drowned in increasingly complex combat systems and painfully complex combos. This genre was taken over by hardcore competitive gamers almost from the beginning.

Also, I am more than willing to feel generous when the spectacular Samurai Shodown 2 is waiting in the wings. I can appreciate the basic structure of the original, since those foundations are so solid. This was without question SNK's finest fighting title when it was released in 1993. After trudging through Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting (and ADK's mildly tolerable World Heroes), Samurai Showdown is like stylized lightning from the sky.

I really enjoy the character roster, which thankfully avoids cliches and aims for originality. There are no clones, no cheap color swaps, no Bruce Lee look-a-likes, no Street Fighter wannabees. And for once, we actually get to have women fighters who aren't pinup dolls. Do you mean women get to wear clothes, too? And they get to have normal physiques, and not just be a sex doll for horny teenage boys? Wow, what a world.

Impressive moments abound. When fighters strike their weapons in close range, there's a short shoving match, and the loser suddenly finds themselves unarmed. Sometimes finishing blows unleash an arterial spray, much like Akira Kurosawa's Sanjuro, or may split the opponent in two. During the match a passerby throws bombs which explode, or food which restores your health. And when your fighters get hit too many times, they turn red and become frustrated. Good Lord, even the characters in this game think Neo-Geo is too damned hard.

I really dig this game. Sure, the computer is a pain in the ass. Yes, SamSho 2 is the superior sequel. Whatever. Life is precious and short, kids - get your kicks however you can.

Virtual Console Review - The King of Fighters '94 (Neo-Geo)

The King of Fighters '94 - SNK for Neo-Geo - 5/10

What the hell's the problem, SNK?!  This game is too $%&@#! hard!  What's the deal with all these impossible Neo-Geo fighters?  Here is yet another one where I can't get past the first stage. In fact, I can't get anywhere on any of the system's early fighters.  I'm still feeling cranky about Fatal Fury Special and Art of Fighting 2.  And World Heroes can bite me for all I care.

Well, that tears it.  I know it's far too late to raise a ruckus about it now, since these games are 15-20 years old.  So I'm docking King of Fighters '94 three points off the review score.  I wanted to give it a solid seven or maybe an eight...but forget it, kid.  This game earns a 5/10 on the report card for teeing off the reviewer.

This is especially frustrating for me because, during the research for this game, I've become a great fan of the King of Fighters series.  That means I've been spending my time playing all ten titles on the Neo-Geo, from KoF '94 to 2K3.  And they're excellent games, just bloody brilliant, once the series gets rolling.

Strangely enough, only KoF '94 is currently available on the Virtual Console in North America, and the '95 edition is only available in Japan.  What's the holdup?  When is SNK going to bother to get around to the rest of the series?  They were kind enough to release a a compilation disc, dubbed The Orochi Saga, which contains the first five games up to KoF '98.  Unfortunately, this retail disc was released in 2008, and may be difficult to find today.  Way to drop the ball, SNK.

Anyway, enough complaining.  The King of Fighters '94 is the first of what would become ten yearly installments on Neo-Geo, becoming the console's flagship series.  It all but invented the "team-based" fighting games, as well as the "dream match," featuring characters from SNK's vast roster of arcade hits.  Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting are represented, naturally.  But you'll also see nods to Ikari Warriors and Athena, among others.  Years later, Sega, Nintendo and Capcom would all offer their own "dream match" fighters, and it all began here, with the first King of Fighters.

Since this is the earliest title in the series, it's no surprise that KoF '94 has the smallest characters, the fewest martial-arts moves, the chunkiest graphics, and the fewest animation frames.  And this is without question the most difficult.  The 3-on-3 teams cannot be edited or customized - a feature that becomes standard immediately in KoF '95.  The ability to dodge attacks by stepping to the side is interesting, but I much prefer the ability to roll, which also appears later.

In other words, King of Fighters '94 is the foundation for the classic series.  That doesn't make it a classic by its own merits.  In fact, I think this is the worst episode of the series.  You might have better luck than I have, so don't let my frustration get in the way.  But I would strongly advise buying King of Fighters: The Orochi Saga, or simply waiting for whenever SNK bothers to get around to releasing the sequels on Virtual Console.

Virtual Console Review - King of the Monsters (Neo-Geo)

King of the Monsters - SNK for Neo-Geo - 5/10

King of the Monsters was a big hit for SNK and Neo-Geo, and was successfully ported to the Genesis and Super Nintendo.  This is essentially a wrestling game, but with monsters stomping Tokyo.  If that sort of thing appeals to you, go right ahead, have fun.  The novelty of fighting as b-movie monsters does have a certain appeal, and there's a certain undeniable thrill in smashing building and throwing trains at one another.

Unfortunately, this is really nothing more than a button-mashing game.  Like most wresting games or the era, there is very little technique, and nowhere near the nuanced precision of martial-arts fighting games like Street Figther 2 or Tekken or Virtua Fighter.  You just mash buttons, punch, kick, and grapple.  I've never been a fan of these sort of games, and I don't see any reason to bother now.  The flashy graphics will not impress in the year 2010, and the typically clunky animation and slow pacing will not win over the tournament fighters.

King of the Monsters was mildly impressive at the time, but in out century it remains decidedly average.  Pass.

Virtual Console Review - Art of Fighting 2 (Neo-Geo)

Art of Fighting 2 - SNK for Neo-Geo - 5/10

You know, I am trying to like Art of Fighting 2.  I really am trying.  On my better days, I can convince myself that a quality fighting game lurks here somewhere, just under the surface, waiting to be discovered.  Most of the time, I find it to be a frustrating mess.

This game is impossibly hard.  I mean impossible.  Neo-Geo fighters are known for being difficult, but AoF2 takes the crown.  Either I just don't have the pacing down, or I can't figure out the special moves, or the computer just has a sixth sense and responds faster than I can.  Whatever the case, consider yourselves lucky to even clear the first stage.

The graphics on Aof2 are spectacular.  This is probably the best-looking game from the early Neo-Geo years.  Colors are vibrant, detailed, luxurious.  Fighters are immensely large, standing at 2/3 screen size in close-up.  SNK knew how to pull off flashy graphics, and you can see it every moment.  All of us kids with Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo were duly impressed.

The animation, however, continues to be choppy, clunky, almost half-finished.  There needs to be more frames of animation to these fighters.  Compared to Street Fighter 2's smooth movements, Aof2 is just stiff.  It's deeply frustrating because this affects the gameplay, and makes things more difficult than necessary.  And have I mentioned that this game is impossibly difficult?

The fighting roster is hit-or-miss.  Half the characters are excellent, and you'll see them reappear in the King of Fighter series again and again.  The other half are forgettable.  SNK doesn't seem to know what to do with the really big guys.  I've still yet to find one large brawler who can equal Zangief or E. Honda on SF2, or Wolf and Jeffrey on Virtua Fighter.  Why can't SNK's big guys have more throws, or, heck, more than one?  Why can't anybody have more than one throw?  And would it kill anyone to come up with some original fighting moves?  Fireball?  Dragon Punch?  Are you kidding me?

Ugh!  Frustrating!  I really want to like this series, I really do.  It seems SNK never quite clicked with their fighting games until Samurai Showdown and King of Fighters, and they never really mastered the genre until later titles like The Last Blade and Garou: Mark of the Wolves.  It's like they needed to break a dozen eggs before figuring out how to cook an omelette.

Virtual Console Review - Blue's Journey (Neo-Geo)

Blue's Journey - ADK for Neo-Geo - 7/10

Now this one is a real surprise.  The Neo-Geo is famous for its shooters and sports games and about a million fighters, but not side-scrolling platformers.  Perhaps ADK felt the need to fill a void when they conjured Blue's Journey, and they very largely succeeded.  This is a very fun and very entertaining game.

I think it's a bit unfair to compare Blue's Journey to Super Mario or Sonic the Hedgehog; this game is far closer in spirit to Hudson Soft's platformers like Adventure Island and Bonk's Adventure.  The level designs are relatively straightforward, left to right, with some impressive dips and turns and surprises.  One impressive feature is that your hero can shrink down to a tiny size, where he can slip through cracks into secret areas.  The ability to switch sizes on the fly is nice, real nice.

This game is very cartoon-like in its graphics, and I'm sure that didn't win any fans among the SNK crowd, which was becoming increasingly "hardcore" on Neo-Geo.  I think the graphics are very nice - bold, confident sense of color, well balanced, not garish or loud.  The artists knew what they were doing, and this is much easier on the eyes than ADK's earlier Neo-Geo titles like Ninja Combat.  I really like the look of this game.

After being subjected to so many awful Neo-Geo games, Blue's Journey feels like a breath of fresh air.  It's definitely an anomaly in the system's library, and I'm a bit curious why that is so.  I think there should be more - more levels, more variety, more surprises.  But that's really a hallmark of quality, don't ya think?  I'm spinning Paranoid, side two, on my stereo as I'm writing this, and I'm secretly wishing for just a few more songs.  I'm pleading with the sunset for just a little more time.

Virtual Console Review - Ninja Combat (Neo-Geo)

Ninja Combat - Alpha Denshi for SNK - 3/10

Augh....Most of the earliest game for the Neo-Geo were terrible.  I'm a bit embarrassed, and wondering to myself just why I am devoting a warm and (partially) sunny Sunday writing about this subject.  Why am I recording this brief moment of early-'90s pop culture for posterity?  Will future generations really be that concerned?  Will my brief paragraphs about terrible arcade video games appear in some post-graduate dissertation in the year 2050?  One can never outguess the future, but I highly doubt it.

So here's the lowdown, kids: Ninja Combat was an early game for SNK's Neo-Geo aracade system, developed by Alpha Denshi, who were responsible for other titles as Ninja Commando, Magician Lord, and the World Heroes series.  Eventually, they created the excellent puzzle-shooter hybrid Twinkle Star Sprites, which considerably salvaged their reputation.

Ninja Combat is a side-scrolling beat-em-up at heart.  The angled playfield, the layouts and level designs, the power-ups and bosses, all point to Double Dragon and Final Fight as inspiration.  The only break is that your character throws ninja stars instead of punching or kicking.  When you pick up a weapon, however, that's when you revert to pure fighting.

So we see that ADK tried to mix up styles for this game.  The idea is interesting, but in execution, it just doesn't work at all.  You can see that this is a second-tier developer, from the stodgy graphics and clunky, limited animation, the rather frustrating sense of collision detection (a long line of ninja can wipe out your health bar almost instantly).  This is a game goes from mindless to frustrating and back again.

The graphics are just terrible.  Why are all the characters so squashed and square-ish?  Why are their upper bodies so much bigger than their legs?  Why does everyone have the same facial features?  Does it seem like the entire game works from a single character template?  That was a cheap gimmick in arcade games of the late 1980s.

Ninja Combat becomes very frustrating very quickly, and the boss battles are especially unfair.  You will be killed with a couple hits, with no real chance to evade or escape.  In fact, you will burn through your credits in no time at all.  Bam-Bam-Bam and you're dead.  Then Pow-Bam-Oof and it's game over.  I don't know if the Virtual Console release offers unlimited continues.  If there are only a set number of continues, then forget it.  At least I can add endless credits on MAME; even then, it's a chore for me to continue.

Now that I think about it, Magicial Lord was impossibly hard, too.  What's the deal with these guys?  Count me out.  I want to go play outside and enjoy the warm sunshine.

Virtual Console Review - Burning Fight (Neo-Geo)

Burning Fight - SNK for Neo-Geo - 2/10

I cannot believe they are charging nine dollars for this train wreck.  Who's in charge of pricing for Virtual Console titles?

Burning Fight was one of the original launch games for Neo-Geo, and arguably the worst.  None of the early titles were especially good, but at least Magician Lord and Nam'75 had flashy graphics that tempted us to drop a few quarters.  What does Burning Fight have to attract the kids?  Absolutely nothing, except maybe pity.

This is a scrolling beat-em-up in the style of Double Dragon and Final Fight.  You march a chiseled steroid freak through city streets, kicking and punching hapless goons, smashing signs and phone booths for points and power-ups, and fighting large bosses at the end of the stage.  You've seen the formula a million times; these sort of games were as common in arcades as space shooters.

Burning Fight is a crude, simple game, certainly nowhere near as compelling or interesting as Double Dragon.  And Final Fight just smashes it to pieces.  The large character graphics and sprite scaling is an early Neo-Geo trademark, but the chunky, stiff animation, simplistic moves, and cheesy voice samples are just hideous.  This is rank amateurism, and there were any number of beat-em-ups in the arcades that were far, far better.

Burning Fight is arguably the worst game in the Neo-Geo library.  Ninja Combat comes pretty close, but when push comes to shove, I think this clunker takes the crown.

Virtual Console Review - Fatal Fury 2, Fatal Fury Special

Fatal Fury 2 - SNK for Neo-Geo - 5/10

There were many copycats to chase the Capcom's coattails after Street Fighter 2, and none were more dogged than SNK.  They really were determined to become the kings of fighting games, and this began with the Fatal Fury series.  Now, I have to be honest here: I'm not a great fan of SNK's fighters.

Fatal Fury 1 was a clunker of a game; its only appeal was being the only Street Fighter competitor at the time.  It was a flashy showoff for SNK's Neo-Geo system, but simply awful in every other respect.  I think Fatal Fury 2 was a much better improvement.  Graphics, animation, and color are simply superb, a striking improvement over the original.  Characters are large and detailed, and the roster is expanded.  They figured out the appeal of The Hot Chick, and

Sadly, I still don't think Fatal Fury is very good.  It's average at best.  SNK was at their best with run-and-gun shooters like Ikari Warriors and Iron Tank and Guerrilla War.  When Neo-Geo launched, the focus quickly turned to Double Dragon and Final Fight clones.  With Fatal Fury, they began to learn fighting games from ground zero.

Street Fighter 2 is immaculately balanced, precisely timed, and built on a strong foundation of cause-and-effect.  Each attack has a proper counterattack.  It's this elegance that makes the game a classic, even today.  I have as much fun playing Champion Edition on the PC Engine as anything.

Fatal Fury still doesn't have this elegant balance.  It's still clunky and slightly choppy and a bit slow.  There still aren't enough moves, and the animation still comes up short.  And, really, that two-plane idea just doesn't work.  It never worked.  I'm really not having fun with this game, but I can see the improvements, which leaves me hopeful for later installments.

Fatal Fury Special - SNK for Neo-Geo - 6/10

Hmm, perhaps SNK would be wiser to jump ahead to Garao: Mark of the Wolves.  Now there is a truly great fighting game.  Most of the later Neo-Geo fighters are excellent, in fact.  There's Art of Fighting 3, Last Blade 1 and 2, there's Sunsoft's quirky Waku Waku 7.  Why not release those games, instead of the clunkier, chunkier early titles?

Fatal Fury Special is the third title in the series, more of a slight reworking of Fatal Fury 2.  I'd say it's the better game of the two, slightly more refined and polished.  I understand the fighting system has been completely revamped, introducing combos into the series.  It's a subtle improvement and it helps.  The number of characters has been increased as well, and you can already see the SNK roster exploding at the seams.

I'm still struggling to enjoy myself.  Perhaps I'm just not very good at this series.  But I'm perfectly fine with Street Fighter 2, and I'm perfectly fine with the latter Neo-Geo titles.  FF Special is still a learning experience for SNK, as if they were searching for Capcom's magic formula.  In all fairness, I don't think this is a bad game, and it is better than most of the hideous SF2 clones from the early '90s.  But everything you can level against Fatal Fury 2 can be leveled at Special.

Getting better, yet still not there.

Virtual Console Review - Drop Off

Drop Off - Data East for PC Engine/Turbografx-16 - 2/10

What the heck is this?! It feels like a car crash involving Breakout or Arkanoid with Bubble Bobble. It doesn't even remotely work. This is a concept of a game that should never have left the test stage. Perhaps the problem is that you control a creepy eyeball instead of a paddle. That was a terrible idea. Most likely, the basic premise simply doesn't work, and it never will.

Drop Off is a terrible, awful, no-good video game. You have so many better titles available on Virtual Console. The PC Engine/Turbografx has many great games. This is not one of them. Please don't waste your precious money on this junk. Such a move is the textbook definition of waste, and the greatest sin in this life is to waste your precious time. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, dear readers.

I'm really only interested in writing these sort of reviews for completion's sake. I tell myself it would be nice to have a complete database of Virtual Console reviews. Any prospective book publishers should be impressed. Can I have an advance now?

Virtual Console Review - Digital Champs

Digital Champ - Naxat for PC Engine/Turbografx-16 - 2/10

This is the song that doesn't end...Yes it goes on and on, my friend...Some start singing it not knowing was it was...And then they'll start singing forever just because...This is the song that doesn't end...

I'm really beginning to think Devil's Crush was the only great game Naxat ever made. How else can I explain a clunker like Digital Champ? This boxing game is terrible. In fact, it's worse than terrible: it's mindlessly boring. I won't give out extremely low scores in my reviews unless the video game is somehow broken or unplayable, and such things are often subjective. But I say this game qualifies.

Digital Champ is a boxing game that appeared on the PC Engine in 1989. It should have stayed in Japan. This is a game so mindless, so dull, so lacking in tension or passion that it barely qualifies as anything more than a glorious 16-bit graphics demo. Yes, the large fighters were impressive at the time, especially when compared to NES/Famicom games. But shallow beauty fades; there's no depth beneath the surface.

Obviously, when any gamer thinks of boxing, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out immediately comes to mind. It's a classic game - fast, intense, challenging, fun. Digital Champ is like a mirror image; it gets nearly everything disastrously wrong. Punching is all button mashing and zero strategy. The opposing boxer shifts into the center of the screen, where they can be hit, sliding like a cardboard cutout. You can only throw high or low punches, and only angled to the center.

Moving or dodging is strangely sluggish. You have to press the joypad and then release it before moving. This renders strategy useless, since you cannot dodge incoming punches. You can try to bob and weave, but you're just shaking the camera around. And you can't throw punches when moving or devise combos. It's just tap-tap-tap. The computer opponent slides around, even moves into the background. So I'm reduced to tapping button and hoping he walks into the punch, like a cheap carnival attraction.

The worst offense? This game is agonizingly, dreadfully slow. One useless round grinds into another. My first opponent, a Rocky Balboa ripoff, took my endless barrage of punches, but he would never go down. After two or three rounds, I finally knocked him to the canvas. Count to eight, he rises again, and his strength is nearly full again. Augh! I must have punched this guy a hundred times, and he just gets back up and take a hundred more. Finally, after an eternity of button mashing, Rocky finally goes down in the 7th for good. Turn it off, off, OFF. Sigh.

Hudson did an excellent job bringing the US Turbografx titles to Virtual Console. Now they need to be careful about bringing the strongest PC Engine games, not the clunkers. There are still many great games - Gradius 1, Salamander, Twin Cobra, Tatsujin, Daisenpu, Raiden, Xevious, Image Fight...shooters, yes, but those were the PC Engine's bread and butter. I don't see what the hangup is. These are free rom dumps; it's free money. Please, Hudson, don't drop the ball now.