Oldie but goodie

Oldies but Goodies – Bust-a-Move

Genre:  Puzzle
Platform:  SNES

Bust-a-Move has been released, in some form or another, on pretty much every console since SNES.  I had actually played this one first on an arcade machine and immediately had to have it.  To my surprise, I found that it was available for the SNES, which I had.  I still have this game on my SNES and do actually play it.  There have been many clones of this game since, one of my favorites being Phlinx on pogo.com.

This version of the game stars Bub and Bob, of Bubble Bobble fame on the NES.  You are helping them clear a board of balls by matching three or more.  If you’re good, you’ll become skilled at bouncing them off of the walls to make tough shots and have large groups fall at once.

My favorite mode is the multiplayer battle mode.  I played through the story, but this is where the fun is.  You go through rivals until you reach the boss.  You can set how many wins you need per match before you move on to the next foe.  I have played through this many, many times and it’s still fun.

The graphics are just ok, but the soundtrack is great. I was humming it just thinking about it. The sound effects are also cute and add to the game. If you like simple puzzlers without a lot of story in your way, check this out!

 

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Oldies but Goodies – Jezzball/Qix

Genre:  Puzzle
Platform:  PC (Windows 3.1)/Arcade

Jezzball was a wonderful time waster which came bundled with Windows 3.1.  As a kid, I spent a lot of time playing this one late into the night.  Your goal was to section off as much of the screen as you could by avoiding the balls on the screen.  You drew a line that went out in opposite directions from the place you clicked on.  If one of the balls hit your line, you lost a life.  It sounds simple, and it was, but it required precise timing.

Jezzball was actually inspired by the game Qix for the arcades and later NES and Gameboy color.  It was the same premise.  There weren’t a lot of frills about either game, but they were both very entertaining to my math-inclined mind.  I don’t really have a lot else to say about these, but if you never had the pleasure, I’m sure you can find Jezzball for free online somewhere.

 

 

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Chey’s Top 25 – #12 – Tetris

Genre:  Puzzle
Platform:  All

This was the game that started it all, folks.  Video games had been fun, leisurely things to help pass the time up until this one.  It’s Tetris, the first uber-addictive game, at least in my world.  I was in sixth or seventh grade when we rented this one for the NES.  I remember distinctively because my cousin Nikki was spending the night, which was normally a really big and fun deal.  This game made me all but ignore her.  My mom tried to pry me away without much luck.  It was the first time I remember feeling addicted to something.

The game is really simple and I don’t have too much to say about it.  You line up the pieces and complete lines to clear them.  The more you clear at once, the higher your score.  Your goal is to keep playing for as long as you can.  It’s been done on every platform since its birth in 1984.  It was developed by two Russians, and I would argue it’s the best thing to ever come from that country (including the space program!).  The individual pieces are called Tetriminos.  You can find all sorts of Tetris-inspired memorabilia.  I have a board game called Tetris link and Matt made me Tetrimino shelves:

Tetris Shelves

My favorite version will always be the NES version, simply because it was the first one to get me hooked.  I have played many, many different versions of it, but this one is still one of the best.  Not to brag, but I’m pretty good at it.  If you have somehow never played it, just do a Google search for it and you’ll find a version free online.

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Oldies but Goodies – 3D World Runner

Genre:  Arcade
Platform:  NES

We had this game when I was a kid.  It was a really quirky game which had you running.  That was the premise, as far as I knew.  You were running through a world.  Toward what, I don’t know and never did find out.  Here’s what Wikipedia says:

“In the game, the player assumes the role of Jack the WorldRunner, a wild “space cowboy” on a mission to save various planets overrun by serpent-like beasts. The game takes place in Solar System #517, which is being overrun by a race of aliens known as Serpentbeasts, who are led by the evil Grax.  As WorldRunner, the player must battle through eight planets to destroy Grax.”

Yeah, the game never mentions a word of this when you’re playing.  As far as I know, you were just a kid late for school or something.  You don’t control when the runner runs – he does that automatically.  You do control his direction.  There are barriers you need to run through and mobs to avoid.  There are power ups to collect and you can jump as well.  You can jump pretty high.  In fact, there are parts of the levels that require careful timing of your jumps to pass.

This was a commonly played game in our house.  As soon as I heard the music in the video below, I smiled and immediately started humming along. It’s pretty catchy. We would never really get farther than maybe the fifth level, but we sure tried.  Check it out if you get the chance.

 

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Oldies but Goodies – Yo! Noid

Genre:  Platformer
Platform:  NES

So apparently, between McKids, the Cool Spot game, and this game, I was a sucker for advertisements when I was a kid.  Both this and McKids were pretty good, though.  Despite it’s massive advertising, it really was a fun game.

You are playing as the Noid, who was always the bad guy in the commercials.  Anyway, you are trying to help him get through a city and eat pizza.  He is armed with a yo-yo and you boink the baddies out of your way as you collect inexplicably floating scrolls, which give you power in the mini-game at the end of each level.  Pretty much every level is the same, with very few variations.  Some of the mobs and scenery may change, but the game play does not.  The graphics are just ok, but the music was catchy!

Yo! Noid Play 2

At the end of each level, you got to play a mini game against the anti-Noid (?).  You picked  and bet how many pizzas you could eat.  It could get ugly as you could be devious and spice his pizza, and vice versa.  I don’t really remember what you got for it, but I remember it as being fun.  I don’t know that I’ve played this since I was a kid, so if I played it now, it might be no fun at all.  It’s good enough in my brain to be an oldie but goodie, though!

 

 

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Oldies but Goodies – Neverhood

Genre:  Puzzle
Platform:  PC

Once upon a time, I moved out of my parents’ house and into the world.  I had a decent paying job, so one of the first things I bought was a shiny new Packard Bell computer (I didn’t know any better yet!).  And the first game I bought for that computer was The Neverhood.

This game was made entirely from stop-motion using clay.  It was beautiful, funny and HARD.  Back then, we didn’t have much of an internet to look up help files or forums.  We had to figure things out for ourselves.  This is why a lot of us didn’t finish many games back then, and this was one of those for me.  It was a puzzler through and through.  There were always levers and buttons that did some unknown thing.  Your next step usually wasn’t obvious and you would get all frustrated and AAAAHHH.

Neverhood play 2

I’ve pushed this damn button 15 times and NOTHING HAPPENS!

I digress.  This was actually a fun game.  I haven’t played it since way back then (1997ish).  I don’t think I would play it again as I want this one to remain a happy memory.  Sometimes, when you play old games, they are just not as good as you remember.

 

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Chey’s Top 25 – #16 – Super Mario Brothers 3

Genre:  Platformer
Platform:  NES

The first Super Mario Brothers may have had the biggest impact on the video game industry of any game in the history of gaming.  It came bundled with the NES and was a really fun game.  Super Mario Brothers 2 then came along and was just…weird.  There’s a story behind that game, but I’ll save it for another day.  Then came Super Mario Brothers 3 in 1988.  It may not have had the impact that it’s older sibling did, but it was far more fun.

I’m not the only one that feels this way.  This was one of the best-selling games for the NES and is often thought to be one of the best games of all-time.  When it came down to it, it was just a really fun game.  My sisters and I would play this for hours.  I still remember the fun little clap we would do at the end of each level.

This game is different from its predecessors as you navigated from world to world on a map.  This is a feature widely used in games to this day.  You could go back to replay previous levels and skip certain levels if you wanted.  It also introduced a fun new feature – Mario could glide with his raccoon tail!  There was also a frog suit and a bear (maybe?) suit.  The levels were unique – one was a giant level where you were tiny – and fun.  And, of course, that pesky Princess Peach was always in another castle.

The graphics in this game were crisp and cute.  The sound effects and music really added to the game and I probably still hum the main theme in my sleep.  There are lots of secret things to be found in this game, too, so if you don’t look them up, you’ve got a lot of fun exploration to do.

If you haven’t played this game, you likely haven’t played many games at all.  I have it on my 3DS and still enjoy playing it.  It has stood the test of time quite well.  Please go out and find it now if you’ve never had the pleasure!

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Oldies but Goodies – RC Pro AM

Genre:  Racing
Platform:  NES

I still play this one from time to time on my GCW Zero.  This was a fun little racing game where you were racing an RC Truck.  There were supposedly 32 tracks, but I certainly never made it through them all.  As you raced your truck around the track, you could pick up new parts for upgrades, letters to spell out PRO AM and other boosts.  There were also hazards on the track such as oil spills and water.  The crew at these tracks were not very good at cleanup and cautions weren’t a thing.  I know this is not unique in any way to racing games, but it was one of the first I played and thought it was a blast.

The AI (computer) was also notorious for cheating in this game.  You could be almost a lap ahead and suddenly the second place car would come soaring up right behind you, often passing you.  It was complete and utter BS, but that was a part of the game.  The idea of the RC cars was also very appealing to me as a kid.  The sound effects were good and hearing the music brings a smile to my face every time.

If you missed this one the first time around, I strongly recommend finding it and giving it a try!

 

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