Most games are (or used to be) designed as quick yet satisfying forms of amusement, taking a minimal chunk of time for the sake of entertaining individuals in moments of high stress, agitation or exhaustion. Most folks play video games to simply have fun, though every now and then we'll see games that have a sort of addicting quality, almost like it's some form of pixelated crack. But what makes a video game addicting? Is it the general flow of events, or repetitive grinding methods that seem to make one feel "stronger" with each lasting step?
With us moving forward into the new year & 2011 already showing promise of being the better year we've all desired, it also shows promise that the memories of our previous gaming memories can be made available again for a whole new generation. Retro games are already available though, this is nothing new. There are platforms like Wii's Virtual Console & The Microsoft Game room. With the dwindling support & updates that these aforementioned services suffer suggest against the claim I've made with Modernized-Retro gaming getting much better, there's a change that's slowly taking place & it caters to everyone.
Happy New Year everyone! We at Press Pause Radio hope that you have had a fun and safe holiday, and thank you all for making 2010 a great year for the show and the website. The end of 2010 also means that we can now discuss our favorite games of the past year. The entire show is dedicated to our top ten games, as well as some disappointments and various other awards. So please enjoy the latest episode, and stay tuned for what Press Pause Radio has in store for 2011! Don't forget to go on the various social sites and our forums to discuss your top games of this past year, and also check out Crush! Frag! Destroy!'s Game of the Year coverage over at their site.
In this episode of Bullet Heaven, we take a break from heavy-handed space epics and super militarized shmups to take a look at the refreshing Trouble Shooter for the Genesis and Megadrive.
So I know this was a late time coming but this past Tuesday I was able to guest-star on the latest Pokemon Podcast & it was a fun episode indeed, I also made friends with a new friends of the show Matt of Open Forum Radio so click the link & check out the episode. On the episode we evaluated Catie's team on the Featured Team segment & then I shared my opinions of what a Magmar truly is. Also keep an eye out for some more of those sweet Poli-shirts & we here at PPR are working on ours! stay tuned! & click here for the episode!
In this episode of Bullet Heaven, we take a look at the only shmup on the infamous Virtual Boy: Vertical Force by Hudson.
Viewers beware... the only way I could capture this one was with a camera jammed into the visor, so the sound and picture are... uh, comprimized. I very nearly abandoned this episode, but Vertical Force is one of a kind on the Virtual Boy, and still makes for an interesting episode. Thankfully, this will be the ONLY episode filmed this way!!
The arrival of Resident Evil coined the term “survival horror”. However Capcom’s franchise title was inspired by the 1992 game, Alone in the Dark. Polygonal characters were rendered on a two dimensional backdrop with foreground elements overlapping. The player could select to play as either a male or female protagonist. While the game play mixed together combat, exploration, and puzzle elements.
Alone in the Dark - Gameplay
Despite the obvious influence, Resident Evil took the formula and made it its own. Combat took a bigger stage. Zombies and B.O.W. creatures (biological organic weapons) stalked throughout the mansion. A short supply of ammo and weapons meant you had to wisely employ your arsenal. Not to mention health refills were as equally rare. The locked camera angles kept the player from seeing what was around the corner. When you did encounter something it’s typically accompanied with a nice jump scare. Like when the rotting dogs burst through the windows. The intensity and nervousness induced by encounters where further amplified by the “tank controls” which make your character plod along as if they were stuck in mud. This recipe would forever leave an impression with gamers.
Capcom is not the kind of company to let a success go to waste. Resident Evil would see a Director’s Cut, a Dual Shock version, and numerous platform releases and remakes over the years. Each sequel would take things to new extremes. Resident Evil 2 in particular expanded onto two discs, introduced the “zap system” which let the player plunder from or leave supplies for the other playable character, and the T-Virus reanimated monsters were now alongside the mutating G-Virus infused pursuers. Resident Evil 3 seemed content to stay the course. The overall presentation was much more polished than the previous games.
Code Veronica on the Dreamcast brought the series into a full three dimensions. Ignoring the voice actor for Steve Burnsides and the heavy backtracking, the numerous settings showed that nowhere was safe from Umbrella’s dubious experiments. The intro still stands out as one of the most ridiculously awesome things to me and gave an early hint at where the series was going.
Resident Evil: Code Veronica - Intro
Resident Evil 4 was in development for awhile. And the complete reworking of the game play took the series further into action horror territory. The over-the-shoulder camera enabled the player to precisely aim. For instance zombies could be staggered by capping their knee. While a well placed headshot puts them down for good. No longer a mindless mob, the enemies attack in groups and will alert others to your presence. Intensity is now found in being overwhelmed or dealing with extremely deadly enemies. Leon also grew into this wise-cracking smart ass which is a departure from the deadpan and direct tone of the prior titles. Even though it’s nothing like the original, number four is one my favorite games in the series
The series officially became action horror with the release of Resident Evil 5. Chris Redfield, the lead, evolved into this mountain of muscle that can punch his way through crowds. His partner, Sheva, is a gun-toting babe that easily doubles the kill rate. Supply hoarding took a step back as diving up ammo and health between two people became the focus. The enemies this time out are just as well armed as you. They’re even smart enough to take cover. Also the fight scenes with the “Masked Lady” and Albert Wesker employ all sorts of slow motion and acrobatics.
Resident Evil 5 - WESKER!!!
A lot of people have complained about where the franchise is going. It’s still technically a survival horror game. Instead of fretting over supplies and creeping along like in the original, you’re now faced with overwhelming numbers and intelligent (as far as programmed) bad guys. Resident Evil has been around since 1996. That’s fourteen years old and counting. If the developers didn’t change things up, the series would have gotten stale long ago. I’m glad they actually had the balls to experiment and keep things fresh. Which is a miracle when you consider the other games Capcom has ran into the ground.
After a long week of Christmas shopping and holiday hijinks, Press Pause Radio returns to you with our latest episode. This week Ser takes the hosting duties as we discuss Nintendo 3DS rumors and the somewhat lukewarm reception to OnLive. The crew will also discuss what they have been playing, such as Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Halo Reach and Pac-Man Championship Edition DX. Georgie then reviews a Ronald McDonald game made by Treasure. Wait....what? I'm being told this game actually exists; I suppose you'll have to listen to the show to find out for sure. Also a friend of the show Matt Jay of Sega Addicts wrote an article to only add to the confusion...
Our featured topic this episode is all about social interactions in video games. With Twitter and Facebook integration now on our consoles and leader boards becoming more and more common, is this too much exposure? When does being linked to fellow gamers and friends start to have a negative effect? We explore this and many more topics on this week's episode. Please rate or review us on iTunes and Zune, and who knows? You may win fifteen games and a book, just like our Zom-blowout contest winner Avocado-Goddess!
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