The latest trailer for SEGA's "Sonig & Sega All-Stars Racing" for the Xbox 360 was revealed today and it came with some "shocking" news.Not only will the racing game feature "Avatar Racers", similar to what Activision did with Guitar Hero 5 (and Ban Hero) the game will also feature RARE'S main character "Banjo" and his sidekick "Kazooie" and judging from the trailer (which can be seen below) the concept of their car (or kart) was taken from the recent "Nuts & Bolts" game.
So it seems to me that SEGA are now starting to trail off down NAMCO's route of putting "exclusive" characters into different formats, this was first seen with Soul Calibur 2 when the Playstation 2 got Heihachi (from Tekken), Xbox got Spawn (DC Comics) and Gamecube got Link (Legend Of Zelda).
So the question remains - if the Xbox 360 is going to get Banjo Kazooie and Avatar's as an exclusive (or extra character) then what will the Playstation 3 (and other formats) get. Either way the latest trailer for the game can be seen below:
Today's Retro Game of the Day is Rolling Thunder 2 by Namco - a rather sharp run 'n gun, or "slow Contra," that appeared in arcades and then ported to Sega Genesis in 1991.
Let me start by saying this - Namco, have I got your ear? Headcase Games would 
Back on track - Rolling Thunder 2 was a sequel to an earlier Namco hit, unsurprisingly titled Rolling Thunder. A staple of my bowling-alley videogaming days, I never heard (or expected) a sequel to the slow-paced but stylish blaster, but suddenly one appeared out of thin air for the Genesis (I never crossed paths with the arcade). It looked pretty funky in the magazines (funky as in.. I don't know if I am interested in this!) and a further rental cemented the notion.
Turns out I was wrong! Years later on a long plane trip, I picked up an old copy of this to keep occupied "it's Rolling Thunder, how bad can it be?" I put the first stages through their paces and got a little more into the meat of the game. I was surprised to find a very enjoyable and well-put together little adventure in there. Under my nose all of this time!
RT2 puts you in control of a high-class secret agent, Bond style, or his femme fatale accomplice - or the 
I was shocked to play through the levels and see how different and varied they got. Not outstanding, but definitely bigger and more involved than I had expected. The design got pretty tight as well, with decent platforming/shooting and a special front/back technique that is unique to the series. That was a further iteration of the "ducking into a doorway/closet" seen in the first game, and it lends itself to some pretty interesting gameplay elements this time around.
All in all, Rolling Thunder 2 is one of those games which represents the best of what I love about a game or film experience - I come in with little or no expectation, and come out pleasantly surprised and eager for more. I am very curious to pick through the 3rd installment at some point! In the meantime, a big thumbs up for number 2, give it a play and enjoy!
EA's second installment of the "CO-OP" Based "Army Of Two" game isnt set to be released for quite some time, however recently on Xbox Live Marketplace, and on the Playstation Network a decent size Demo has been uploaded for all other us gamers to download and enjoy.
Dick Tracy for the Sega Genesis, released in 1991 and based on the previous year's film.
Early in the 1990s, Sega was enjoying the luxury of being the new Big Cheese with their Sega Genesis/Megadrive system. The only "true 16-Bit machine" on the block, at least until Nintendo rolled out their SNES a couple of years later, Sega tried padding their release lineup with lots of "big name-brand" titles featuring well-known sports stars (Tommy Lasorda, Arnold Palmer) and Superheroes (
After the Tim Burton-directed Batman movie release in 1989, Superheroes(and their fantasy worlds) experienced a huge rebirth in marketability. No longer seen as just "a kid's property," it became huge business and the stuff of Summer Movie Exposition/Cultural Landmarking - and all the crossover money that would mean. Dick Tracy was another very old property to be "rebooted" in a similar fashion, directly following this new legacy, in an attempt to cash in. Of course, some video games followed in the ensuing rollout.
Dick Tracy tells the story of a highbrow police detective who's sharp with his wits and sharper with his pistol, set against a bright and colorful 1930s metropolitan backdrop. The gimmick here is the atmosphere, which is very refreshing and unusual (and not really seen anywhere else these days). As with any other good superhero, Tracy's world is filled with a larger-than-life rogue's galley of villians, all appropriately cartoony (over the top - if a character was named "Lips" Johnson, for example, he'd literally have huge 5-foot puckered lips on his mug).
It all sounds like a promising setup for both a film, and a video game - unfortunately, neither turned out to be much more than a half-hearted effort. The Bandai-developed NES game was one story, and this Sega effort was another.
As for the game itself? Basically, they took the most generic side-scrolling blaster and skinned it with a Dick Tracy theme. This could have worked out, but considering Sega's similarly-developed efforts at the time, there was a bit of an expectation there. Dick Tracy was pretty easy on the eyes in screenshots - still, something was amiss. I picked up a rental one weekend and got my dose. There was the whole game - walk to the right. Shoot at enemies. Don't die. That's about it. Pretty graphics? Meh - colorful and clean, but mostly lacking pep. What 
Why even bring up Dick Tracy at all, then? Well, some people liked it. It did represent a misstep of a young and eager Sega, who was making several right moves in many other directions of the time. I would say most people forgave them for putting out also-ran's like this when we got exceptional titles like ESWAT at the same time. In fact, I was really hoping that this title would end up like a 1930s ESWAT if that makes any sense. Not a "bad game," and one which is definitely fun to load up if you've not seen it - the theme alone makes it noteworthy, and some mindless blasting has its place as well. Just an empty effort with a wisp of what could have been. Moving right along!
Starting yesterday Xbox Live now has a new "daily promotion" where for the next 12 days Xbox Live Arcade Games, Downloadable Content, Avatar Gear and other "downloadable content" are being offered at reduced prices.
I've not been very secretive of my love for Sunsoft and their brilliant work on the NES. Batman, released in 1989 to coincide with the Tim Burton film, is among the highlights of their portfolio of games.
A very straightforward action-platformer, Batman NES fell right in line with other titles of that mold of the day - Strider (NES version), Castlevania, Ninja Gaiden. You had a basic punch attack, and several secondary weapons (batarang, rocket gun, and "dirk" - a 3-way spread weapon). To employ any of these weapons you'd need to acquire MP, but usually a good player could make it through much of the game with only his brains and fists - very appropriate for a game based on The Dark Knight, eh?
This was an absolutely gorgeously rendered game, among the best looking on the NES. The sprites, though minute, were exceptionally detailed and well-animated. Each level had extremely lively backgrounds that were carefully and exquisitely constructed. Sunsoft were absolutely at the top of their game here. It's not for everyone (this is a very dark and moody game, steeped in the underbelly of the criminal underworld - no happy Super Mario bushes here!) but I think most seasoned gamers would have to admit that they completely nailed the feeling of a dark, grim Batman theme perfectly.
Likewise, the music is outstanding. Not very Batman-ny, true, but quite catchy and lively. Even all these years later I will still boot up the old .NSF files from this game, once in awhile. It's remarkable to see such thought and care into what could otherwise have been a pretty easy sale (it is a licensed game, after all, based on a very prominent property).
Gameplay-wise, I notice quite a divide in the opinions of people. The average gamer will often refer to this game as being quite difficult - in fact, I'd say quite the opposite. After wrestling with games such as 
That will wrap it up for Batman on the NES then - one of the top games for the system in my book, it was unfortunate to see the IP become so sullied down the road (Batman games deteriorated in quality as the years went on - until recently, of course!) This old NES cart might draw some skepticism, though most will consider it a timeless classic which ranks among the best in the Nintendo catalog.
Galaxy Force by Sega, original arcade release in 1988 and ported to the 8-Bit Sega Master System a year later, and then to the Sega Genesis in 1991 (and several subsequent systems years later).
Let's face it - back in the 1980s, Sega meant serious business when it came to their arcade operation. They put out no shortage of above-average standard coin-op fare, but they really stole the show time and again with their deluxe units. Space Harrier, Thunder Blade, After Burner, Outrun, Hang-On - each was available in a super deluxe version in addition to the normal uprights, and these deluxe machines were breathtaking. For years, one machine dominated the others amongst them - Galaxy Force!
The game was ported of course, it was one of the short-list of 4-Megabit carts to appear on Sega's 8-Bit home console. Not much to write home about, as of course there were literally worlds of difference between the home version and what was possible with the full arcade experience - still, for the time, it was a fun title in its condensed presentation.
A couple of years later, a new Sega console released and with it, upgraded versions of their big arcade hits slowly trickled out to be more beefily-represented at home once again, with the power of the new hardware behind them. Games like Hang On, Space Harrier II and Super Monaco GP all made rather impressive debuts on the new Genesis/Megadrive console - when Galaxy Force was announced as coming down the pipe, it was certainly cause to raise a brow.
Unfortunately, the 16-Bit Genesis version landed with quite a thud rather than a sonic boom. The game seemed pooped out, stripped down to a very skeletal state - much of what made the arcade experience so remarkable was gone, leaving a bare shell of a game. Still playable, and not what one would consider an outright failure - but they definitely phoned this in. A shame!
In spite of Galaxy Force's seemingly ruined legacy, the game is still remembered and loved to this day by those who were lucky enough to enjoy the proper arcade monster during its heyday. It's seen re-releases on the Sega Saturn (which still wasn't an appropriate port!) and much more recently on the Sony PlayStation2. In fact, I really need to see about picking up an import of that someday - I've never had the opportunity to really put the game through its paces, and it still looks pretty gorgeous even today.
Once upon a time - Sega made something great. It was called Space Harrier 3D, and in 1988 it was released for the Sega Master System "Segascope 3-D" series.
Space Harrier was already a very popular arcade series in Sega's stock - we've picked apart a further iteration (16-Bit Genesis release) in this column previously. Though that was a higher-tech piece of software, this iteration released prior to that and was a more compelling experience.
Sega developed a unique Stereoscopic-3D system for use with their console, of which a short list of special games would take advantage. Here's how they works - plug the cheap plastic specs into the Power Base (or Control Deck if you prefer), fire up the game, and the system would alternatively flick on or off a dark LCD for either lens - effectively blocking the vision of either your left or right eye, for one second. On-screen, a flickering image would flash in tune with the glasses. So for one second the left eye's screen would be visible as it's LCD was in the "off" state, then the next second the right eye's screen would be visible as the left eye was blocked. Does any of this make any sense?
Regardless, the effect was dramatic. This was a huge jump beyond the Red/Blue 3D effects that were seen in other games. The SegaScope 3-D games were something else! You'd get a true feeling of depth, like you could just reach between your face and the screen and you would almost expect to be able to pluck a game character out of the air.. Not bad for something I picked up for a song at a yard sale, eh?
As for the game itself, this was vintage Space Harrier - very solid, very fun blasting and dodging, with that trademark cheery weird Japanese Calliope music that is so specific on the Master System (that I love so much!). Limited by the technology of this particular platform (as compared to its arcade predecessor), the game was simplified, small, and pastel-colored. Still, it ran as competent a game of SH as the processor was capable of, and things looked nice enough with the usual range of interesting and detailed enemy sprites attempting to blow you out of the sky (kudos for the blatant Tie Fighter rip-offs, and Tomcat Fighters as well!)
In all, I would rank this up there as a "must-see experience," as Space Harrier 3D is certainly one of those games which only the fanboys have ever got their hands on. It's most certainly a treat, as most of the SegaScope 3-D games were, and I look forward to examining some of the others in this column in the future.
In a recent post on the Official SEGA US Blog, SEGA have stated that a majority of PSP Go, PS3 DLC and Playstation Network games will go on sale for 2 weeks (from 24th December to 7th January to be exact).
Awhile ago the "Games For Windows Live Dashboard" was updated with a fresh "Live Marketplace" where full "on demand" Live PC Games (with achievements) could be bought and downloaded straight onto the PC, well not only that Arcade styled games were also added. The first of which was called "Tinker" and was a free download.
