That's right, three. One, two, three. Uno, doce, tres......however you count to three in some other language. Why three you ask? Because there are three big things I am happy for this week.
First of all, Mass Effect has gone gold, meaning it will see it's November 20th release date. In other words, Bioware just made Thanksgiving plans for me. This is the game I've been waiting for from them since the original Knights of the Old Republic. A truly epic IP of their own invention. If you've not seen the trailers then you are doing yourself a big disservice. This game is going to be awesome.
Secondly, and in the same vein, Assassin's Creed has also gone gold and is scheduled for release the week before, November 13th. While I am, indeed, really looking forward to this (the trailer with the song Lonely Soul clinched it for me) I am also a bit hesitant. I am not sure if I mentioned it before or not, and I am too lazt to check, but I am a student of history in college. In my studies, there are two ears I have focused the most on, one of them being the Crusades. As such, I am really concerned that that part of my brain will refuse to allow me to enjoy the game. I'll watch aspects like the ever growing obviousness of some or of "Templar plot" and yank my hair out at the resumption of fairy tale crap that Dan Brown invented. Or I'll see things like how Altair (the main character) had a "Christian mother and a Muslim father" (a practical impossibility at the time) or how he is "more spitirual than religious" (a definite impossibility for a member of the ultra fanatical Hashashin Muslim sect) and feel the need to toss the controller across the room. Not saying this is their fault, per se, but I am sure I will be unable to set aside the historian in me enough to let myself enjoy them.
Last, but not least.....my WoW guild has started raiding! And I raid Karazhan Saturday night! I couldn't be more excited about that prospect. I've been waiting for this for the last few months, since I hat 70 really, and now it is time. Pray for phat epic lootz for me.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
My most anticipated games
I thought I'd do something different, and give a list of games that I'm greatly anticipating, in the next six months. (Which would take us to April 2008.) These are in no particular order.
Assassin's Creed - This was first shown at X05 as Project Assassin. It later went on to be given a name, and branded a PlayStation 3 Exclusive. (Despite debuting at Microsoft's then-annual XBox-themed event.) "Officially" multi-platform since early-2006, Assassin's Creed has looked incredible. Though I'm still waiting for a pre-release demo of the game (which they promised about a year ago), I can honestly say that I cannot wait to play this game. The graphics look awesome, and the gameplay looks promising. It looks like it gets some of its inspiration from the Prince Of Persia: Sands of Time trilogy, and that's a good thing.
Unreal Tournament 3 - I've played the recent beta demo, though I'm still eagerly waiting a Linux demo. Anyway, the demo looks promising. There are some issues that I've read about on the official Epic forums, but I'm hoping they get resolved. Either way, I love UT2004, and I'm enjoying UT3. While it may be coming out on the PS3, I think I'm sticking with the PC version. Though, I think it's ridiculous that one single man is working on making the Linux version of UT3. I mean, that's just not right. One man porting the Windows binaries to Linux? I'm glad it's being made, but I hope the guy is getting paid well. I don't know how many people are working on the Mac version. The Windows and Mac versions will have their own separate boxed versions, while Linux users will have to buy the Windows version, and download a Linux installer from Epic's website. I guess it's better than nothing.
WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2008 - What can I say? I'm a whore for the WWE Smackdown series of games. I've bought every single version since the first. Every year I get the new one. This year is no different. There's not much other reason I'm looking forward to this, other than I'm a whore for the series. Though I am annoyed that the XBox 360 version gets custom entrance music and the PS3 version doesn't. How is that different from the Custom Soundtracks I mentioned in an earlier post? To me, a "Custom Soundtrack" is a playlist that overrides the default music that the game is shipped with. But being able to import your own music, only for the sake of using it as an entrance theme in a wrestling game, is something completely different in my book. I want to be able to give my custom wrestler his own music. Not some lame ass "butt rock" music THQ signed for the game soundtrack, or leeching off some other wrestler's theme.
Fire Pro Wrestling Returns - Finally, a console version of Fire Pro. I own both the GBA versions that came out in the US. I've played Fire Pro G, and Fire Pro D through nefarious means. And I must say, I absolutely love Fire Pro. I'm so excited to play a PS2 version of Fire Pro in full English, and without the need of a mod-chip.
Twisted Metal: Head-On (PS2) - David Jaffe's new studio, Eat, Sleep, Play is working on the PS2 port of Twisted Metal: Head-On. But it's not just a straight port from the PSP. The PS2 version will have higher resolution and higher polygon graphics. Plus, the PS2 version will include Twisted Metal: Lost, a mode that features five or six tracks from the canceled Twisted Metal Black 2. Along with all that, the PS2 version will come with a Twisted Metal documentary, and other bonus features. It's shaping up to be a must-have for any Twisted Metal fan. I own Twisted Metal 2, 3, 4, and Black, and I cannot wait to get this.
Metal Gear Solid 4 - I'm looking forward to this game, as a Metal Gear Solid fan. I've followed the story, and since this is supposed to be the absolute end of the series, I just want to see how it ends. Add to that Metal Gear Online, which looks like an interesting online component, and the package can't be missed. My only concern is that there will be a second edition of MGS4, in the vain of MGS2 Substance and MGS3 Subsistence.
LittleBigPlanet - Sony's unique game has me quite intrigued. The concept is basically enabling the player to make whatever they want (within reason), and allow them to upload and share this content with other people. Create full levels, new objects, outfits for Sackman, and more. The fact that it's so focused on user creativity makes the game something to look for.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl - The lone Wii game on my list is hardly a slouch. I love the Smash Bros. series of games. I just love them. I really want this for two reasons: Solid Snake and Sonic. How long have gamers waited for Mario and Sonic to go at it? I'd rather ignore the Olympic-themed crossover (the games are totally fixed, as evidenced by the fact that Mario can keep up with Sonic in the 400 Meter Dash). I would like to see Tails included, but Sonic is fine, I suppose. This game has become a three-company crossover, with Konami and Sega throwing down with Nintendo. Classic Smash Bros. gameplay, mixed with fresh characters, new elements, and the excitement of having Sonic beat the snot out of Mario makes me desperately want a Wii.
Assassin's Creed - This was first shown at X05 as Project Assassin. It later went on to be given a name, and branded a PlayStation 3 Exclusive. (Despite debuting at Microsoft's then-annual XBox-themed event.) "Officially" multi-platform since early-2006, Assassin's Creed has looked incredible. Though I'm still waiting for a pre-release demo of the game (which they promised about a year ago), I can honestly say that I cannot wait to play this game. The graphics look awesome, and the gameplay looks promising. It looks like it gets some of its inspiration from the Prince Of Persia: Sands of Time trilogy, and that's a good thing.
Unreal Tournament 3 - I've played the recent beta demo, though I'm still eagerly waiting a Linux demo. Anyway, the demo looks promising. There are some issues that I've read about on the official Epic forums, but I'm hoping they get resolved. Either way, I love UT2004, and I'm enjoying UT3. While it may be coming out on the PS3, I think I'm sticking with the PC version. Though, I think it's ridiculous that one single man is working on making the Linux version of UT3. I mean, that's just not right. One man porting the Windows binaries to Linux? I'm glad it's being made, but I hope the guy is getting paid well. I don't know how many people are working on the Mac version. The Windows and Mac versions will have their own separate boxed versions, while Linux users will have to buy the Windows version, and download a Linux installer from Epic's website. I guess it's better than nothing.
WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2008 - What can I say? I'm a whore for the WWE Smackdown series of games. I've bought every single version since the first. Every year I get the new one. This year is no different. There's not much other reason I'm looking forward to this, other than I'm a whore for the series. Though I am annoyed that the XBox 360 version gets custom entrance music and the PS3 version doesn't. How is that different from the Custom Soundtracks I mentioned in an earlier post? To me, a "Custom Soundtrack" is a playlist that overrides the default music that the game is shipped with. But being able to import your own music, only for the sake of using it as an entrance theme in a wrestling game, is something completely different in my book. I want to be able to give my custom wrestler his own music. Not some lame ass "butt rock" music THQ signed for the game soundtrack, or leeching off some other wrestler's theme.
Fire Pro Wrestling Returns - Finally, a console version of Fire Pro. I own both the GBA versions that came out in the US. I've played Fire Pro G, and Fire Pro D through nefarious means. And I must say, I absolutely love Fire Pro. I'm so excited to play a PS2 version of Fire Pro in full English, and without the need of a mod-chip.
Twisted Metal: Head-On (PS2) - David Jaffe's new studio, Eat, Sleep, Play is working on the PS2 port of Twisted Metal: Head-On. But it's not just a straight port from the PSP. The PS2 version will have higher resolution and higher polygon graphics. Plus, the PS2 version will include Twisted Metal: Lost, a mode that features five or six tracks from the canceled Twisted Metal Black 2. Along with all that, the PS2 version will come with a Twisted Metal documentary, and other bonus features. It's shaping up to be a must-have for any Twisted Metal fan. I own Twisted Metal 2, 3, 4, and Black, and I cannot wait to get this.
Metal Gear Solid 4 - I'm looking forward to this game, as a Metal Gear Solid fan. I've followed the story, and since this is supposed to be the absolute end of the series, I just want to see how it ends. Add to that Metal Gear Online, which looks like an interesting online component, and the package can't be missed. My only concern is that there will be a second edition of MGS4, in the vain of MGS2 Substance and MGS3 Subsistence.
LittleBigPlanet - Sony's unique game has me quite intrigued. The concept is basically enabling the player to make whatever they want (within reason), and allow them to upload and share this content with other people. Create full levels, new objects, outfits for Sackman, and more. The fact that it's so focused on user creativity makes the game something to look for.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl - The lone Wii game on my list is hardly a slouch. I love the Smash Bros. series of games. I just love them. I really want this for two reasons: Solid Snake and Sonic. How long have gamers waited for Mario and Sonic to go at it? I'd rather ignore the Olympic-themed crossover (the games are totally fixed, as evidenced by the fact that Mario can keep up with Sonic in the 400 Meter Dash). I would like to see Tails included, but Sonic is fine, I suppose. This game has become a three-company crossover, with Konami and Sega throwing down with Nintendo. Classic Smash Bros. gameplay, mixed with fresh characters, new elements, and the excitement of having Sonic beat the snot out of Mario makes me desperately want a Wii.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Warhawk - 48 days later
It's been about 48 days since Warhawk was released on the PS3. While not quite two months, I wanted to go back and revisit the game now that it's been out a while.
I haven't actually played Warhawk in a few weeks. That's mainly because I'm so used to the four maps available on Sony's official CTF Large servers. Yes, there are five maps in the game, but somewhere around the time the first bug fix was rolled out, the Destroyed Capitol map was removed from the map rotation on the official CTF servers.
Anyway, I like playing CTF. And I like playing defense. So it's the same thing every time I play. Sure, I can go on offense, but I usually end up on a single-man suicide mission, and that does my team no good. Zones is an okay mode, and I'm not very fond of Deathmatch.
Also, I absolutely suck at aerial combat. The moment I jump into a Warhawk or Nemesis, I'm considered dead. A few seconds after I start flying, I get a Missile Lock-On warning, and I don't have enough time to react before I'm a fireball streaking across the sky.
One other problem with the game so far is that there are still bugs in the Ranking system. I'm ranked 2nd Lieutenant, but I'm not qualified for anything above Chief Sergeant. This, among other minor bugs, haven't been fixed yet. Granted, the game is playable. It's hardly broken. Just a few minor things are. I can't complain much, as the only real bonus to gaining a rank is more customizations, and I love to customize.
The maps have multiple layouts, but you only ever see other layouts on the official servers, when you play on a different sized server. I like playing on the Large servers. But I'd have to play on a Medium or Small server to get a different map layout. And I don't want a smaller map with fewer people. I like big maps, and lots of players.
All in all, I want more maps. There has been no official word on any future content, other than they confirmed there would be more maps and stuff back before the game came out. It's been almost two months. Sure, bug fixes are a priority, but it would still be nice to have some more maps to play with. My only concern is that, when new maps are made available, that the official servers won't include them.
Overall, the game is still good. It's not the gameplay that has dulled. It's the lack of maps. Lack of variety. It'd be nice to have some extra gameplay modes, as well. But the game hasn't held up for me. That's just my opinion. But I need more maps.
I haven't actually played Warhawk in a few weeks. That's mainly because I'm so used to the four maps available on Sony's official CTF Large servers. Yes, there are five maps in the game, but somewhere around the time the first bug fix was rolled out, the Destroyed Capitol map was removed from the map rotation on the official CTF servers.
Anyway, I like playing CTF. And I like playing defense. So it's the same thing every time I play. Sure, I can go on offense, but I usually end up on a single-man suicide mission, and that does my team no good. Zones is an okay mode, and I'm not very fond of Deathmatch.
Also, I absolutely suck at aerial combat. The moment I jump into a Warhawk or Nemesis, I'm considered dead. A few seconds after I start flying, I get a Missile Lock-On warning, and I don't have enough time to react before I'm a fireball streaking across the sky.
One other problem with the game so far is that there are still bugs in the Ranking system. I'm ranked 2nd Lieutenant, but I'm not qualified for anything above Chief Sergeant. This, among other minor bugs, haven't been fixed yet. Granted, the game is playable. It's hardly broken. Just a few minor things are. I can't complain much, as the only real bonus to gaining a rank is more customizations, and I love to customize.
The maps have multiple layouts, but you only ever see other layouts on the official servers, when you play on a different sized server. I like playing on the Large servers. But I'd have to play on a Medium or Small server to get a different map layout. And I don't want a smaller map with fewer people. I like big maps, and lots of players.
All in all, I want more maps. There has been no official word on any future content, other than they confirmed there would be more maps and stuff back before the game came out. It's been almost two months. Sure, bug fixes are a priority, but it would still be nice to have some more maps to play with. My only concern is that, when new maps are made available, that the official servers won't include them.
Overall, the game is still good. It's not the gameplay that has dulled. It's the lack of maps. Lack of variety. It'd be nice to have some extra gameplay modes, as well. But the game hasn't held up for me. That's just my opinion. But I need more maps.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Bi-weekly, stupidly late post FTW!!
So,here we go, it's Firday, and it's time for me to get off my lazy ass and post. Or on my lazy ass and post. Whatever. Here's what I've been up to and read about this past week.
- Been playing a lot of Jeanne d'Arc on my PSP. It's very cool. I guess. I mean, the whole SRPG thing is all about Shining Force for old school Sega nerds like me. I enjoy Jeanne d'Arc plenty, to be sure, but I can't shake that longing for a real Shining Force game from Sega *sigh*. Also, it's kinda funny how one of the main characters in the game was, in real life, a child murderer. Kinda disturbing.
- Also been playing Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin a lot. Again. I bought the damn thing earlier this year and haven't finished it yet, mostly because it is so damned complicated. With that "Metroidvania" style, you put the game down for any significant amount of time and you totally forget where you are and what you were doing, tottaly frustrating.
- I want the Orange Box so bad I can taste it. I mean, that is value that you can't just sdeny. 5 games for that price? Not only that but 5 of probably the best games ever made? Sheesh. That is the video game equivalent of selling smack on the corner for a nickle. It's so good it should be illegal.
- So, EA bought Pandemic and Bioware. Ugh. I don't hate EA as much as most, simply because I respect the fact they actually act like a company at a time when so many video game companies piss and moan about the "artistic" qualities of the medium, but I can't pretend this is a good thing. It's obvious that EA is upset about losing their top developer spot to Activision and this is there response to that, but, Bioware? Why them? Why did it have to be them? And what does this mean to the future of the proposed Mass Effect trilogy? I wouldn't bet against their future installments being multi-platform, but is that really for the best? And does EA care? Ugh.
- Sonic was officially announced for Super Smash Bros Brawl....whatever. I didn't like the first game, I won't like this one. I never saw the appeal.
- The Wii won't see a price drop this holiday. Well, du. Who really thought they would?
- Puzzle Quest for the Xbox 360......I need to go download this immediately.....
With that, I am done. I hope to finish up Jeanne d'Arc over the weekend and do my first "Alex Gore's Super Duper Review!!" to mix thngs up, but I make no promises. I am hitting the home stretch on a few courses and that takes precedence.
- Been playing a lot of Jeanne d'Arc on my PSP. It's very cool. I guess. I mean, the whole SRPG thing is all about Shining Force for old school Sega nerds like me. I enjoy Jeanne d'Arc plenty, to be sure, but I can't shake that longing for a real Shining Force game from Sega *sigh*. Also, it's kinda funny how one of the main characters in the game was, in real life, a child murderer. Kinda disturbing.
- Also been playing Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin a lot. Again. I bought the damn thing earlier this year and haven't finished it yet, mostly because it is so damned complicated. With that "Metroidvania" style, you put the game down for any significant amount of time and you totally forget where you are and what you were doing, tottaly frustrating.
- I want the Orange Box so bad I can taste it. I mean, that is value that you can't just sdeny. 5 games for that price? Not only that but 5 of probably the best games ever made? Sheesh. That is the video game equivalent of selling smack on the corner for a nickle. It's so good it should be illegal.
- So, EA bought Pandemic and Bioware. Ugh. I don't hate EA as much as most, simply because I respect the fact they actually act like a company at a time when so many video game companies piss and moan about the "artistic" qualities of the medium, but I can't pretend this is a good thing. It's obvious that EA is upset about losing their top developer spot to Activision and this is there response to that, but, Bioware? Why them? Why did it have to be them? And what does this mean to the future of the proposed Mass Effect trilogy? I wouldn't bet against their future installments being multi-platform, but is that really for the best? And does EA care? Ugh.
- Sonic was officially announced for Super Smash Bros Brawl....whatever. I didn't like the first game, I won't like this one. I never saw the appeal.
- The Wii won't see a price drop this holiday. Well, du. Who really thought they would?
- Puzzle Quest for the Xbox 360......I need to go download this immediately.....
With that, I am done. I hope to finish up Jeanne d'Arc over the weekend and do my first "Alex Gore's Super Duper Review!!" to mix thngs up, but I make no promises. I am hitting the home stretch on a few courses and that takes precedence.
Friday, October 5, 2007
The Simpsons Game demo
I played the demo of The Simpsons Game on the PS3. And I'd say the game is a disappointment.
The demo consists of Homer and Bart trying to defeat Doughnut Lad. First annoyance is the running commentary by Kent Brockman. The stage is set up as a news broadcast by Kent, but he's quiet about half the time, and only chimes in for the very obvious, or to let you know that the character you are not controlling has been knocked out.
The demo doesn't tell you at the start, but you're getting graded. You're also being timed. The goal is four minutes. I finished the boss in almost twenty-five minutes. You're also graded on how many of a specific object you smashed, and how many cliches you uncovered.
The cliches are, in my opinion, what is either going to make or break this game. Making fun of video game cliches is fun and all, but I think I'll reference A Bard's Tale (PC, PS2, and XBox). A Bard's Tale is a top-down RPG/Dungeon Crawler like Diablo or Baldur's Gate. The main character complains, mocks, and otherwise makes fun of various cliches of both Dungeon Crawlers and RPGs in general. The problem is that the game itself contains those cliches. The main character sees these cliches in use, and then proceeds to mock them.
In another game, the title of which I forget, has the main character tasked with various fetch quests. Said main character then complains about fetch quests (actually calling them "fetch quests") and talks about how stupid and redundant they are. Yet the game still makes you do them.
It may seem funny, but when the game is telling you "This is stupid," and then proceeds to make you do it anyway, is that really fun? When the game tells you about the inherent flaws in the design of its own being, it makes me wonder why it's there to begin with.
Back to the Simpsons Game. The first cliche I ran into was the "Obvious weak point." Which is the very obvious weak point on Doughnut Lad's backside. The second cliche is "You can't swim." Which makes reference to the fact that you have to "wait for the sequel" to be able to perform that action. I didn't find that last one, but I'd expect it to be stupid.
It's been stated that the Simpsons Game will "make fun of" various video game genres. But the cliche thing makes me think the humor will be too forced. When you take a cliche concept that's either overdone, annoying, or makes gamers pull their hair out, don't put it in your game and then tell us how stupid it is. If you think it's dumb that characters can't swim, then don't make it so your characters can't swim! If you think it's silly to have bosses with obvious weak points, then don't give him obvious weak points.
Don't give us something dumb, just so you can tell us that it's dumb. At least that's my opinion on the topic.
The demo consists of Homer and Bart trying to defeat Doughnut Lad. First annoyance is the running commentary by Kent Brockman. The stage is set up as a news broadcast by Kent, but he's quiet about half the time, and only chimes in for the very obvious, or to let you know that the character you are not controlling has been knocked out.
The demo doesn't tell you at the start, but you're getting graded. You're also being timed. The goal is four minutes. I finished the boss in almost twenty-five minutes. You're also graded on how many of a specific object you smashed, and how many cliches you uncovered.
The cliches are, in my opinion, what is either going to make or break this game. Making fun of video game cliches is fun and all, but I think I'll reference A Bard's Tale (PC, PS2, and XBox). A Bard's Tale is a top-down RPG/Dungeon Crawler like Diablo or Baldur's Gate. The main character complains, mocks, and otherwise makes fun of various cliches of both Dungeon Crawlers and RPGs in general. The problem is that the game itself contains those cliches. The main character sees these cliches in use, and then proceeds to mock them.
In another game, the title of which I forget, has the main character tasked with various fetch quests. Said main character then complains about fetch quests (actually calling them "fetch quests") and talks about how stupid and redundant they are. Yet the game still makes you do them.
It may seem funny, but when the game is telling you "This is stupid," and then proceeds to make you do it anyway, is that really fun? When the game tells you about the inherent flaws in the design of its own being, it makes me wonder why it's there to begin with.
Back to the Simpsons Game. The first cliche I ran into was the "Obvious weak point." Which is the very obvious weak point on Doughnut Lad's backside. The second cliche is "You can't swim." Which makes reference to the fact that you have to "wait for the sequel" to be able to perform that action. I didn't find that last one, but I'd expect it to be stupid.
It's been stated that the Simpsons Game will "make fun of" various video game genres. But the cliche thing makes me think the humor will be too forced. When you take a cliche concept that's either overdone, annoying, or makes gamers pull their hair out, don't put it in your game and then tell us how stupid it is. If you think it's dumb that characters can't swim, then don't make it so your characters can't swim! If you think it's silly to have bosses with obvious weak points, then don't give him obvious weak points.
Don't give us something dumb, just so you can tell us that it's dumb. At least that's my opinion on the topic.
Monday, October 1, 2007
October in gaming history
OCTOBER
1st --
1979 – Former Atari programmers David Crane, Alan Miller, Jim Levy, Bob Whitehead, and Larry Kapland form Activision, the industry's first third-party developer. They start making games for the Atari 2600, and later move on to other platforms.
4th --
1995 – Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island is released for the SNES.
1997 – Gunpei Yokoi is killed in a car accident. Yokoi worked at Nintendo where he created various toys, before creating the Game & Watch series of LCD handheld games. He was assigned as General Manager of Research & Development 1, where he helped create the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Virtual Boy. He was also the producer of the Metroid games. After the failure of the Virtual Boy, he left Nintendo and started Koto Laboratory, where he started development on the WonderSwan. He died before the final product was released.
7th --
2003 – Nokia releases the N-Gage, a cellphone capable of playing cartridge-based games.
10th --
1980 – Pac-Man is released in arcades in North America. It goes on to become the most successful coin-operated game ever.
11th --
1994 – Final Fantasy VI is released in North America as Final Fantasy III, for the SNES.
18th --
1985 – The Nintendo Entertainment System is released in select markets in North America. Super Mario Bros. is among the launch titles, along with 10-Yard Fight, Baseball, Clu Clu Land, Donkey Kong Jr. Math, Duck Hunt, Excitebike, Golf, Gyromite, Hogan's Alley, Ice Climber, Kung Fu, Mach Rider, Pinball, Stack-Up, Tennis, Wild Gunman, and Wrecking Crew. Two configurations of the NES were available at launch. The Control Deck ($199.99) had the NES, two controllers, and Super Mario Bros. The Deluxe Set (249.99) had the NES, R.O.B., a Zapper, Duck Hunt, and Gyromite. Nintendo would release several more bundle pack configurations in the lifespan of the NES.
1994 – Sonic & Knuckles is released for the Sega Genesis (aka Sega Mega Drive).
26th --
2000 – Sony releases the PlayStation 2 in North America.
1st --
1979 – Former Atari programmers David Crane, Alan Miller, Jim Levy, Bob Whitehead, and Larry Kapland form Activision, the industry's first third-party developer. They start making games for the Atari 2600, and later move on to other platforms.
4th --
1995 – Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island is released for the SNES.
1997 – Gunpei Yokoi is killed in a car accident. Yokoi worked at Nintendo where he created various toys, before creating the Game & Watch series of LCD handheld games. He was assigned as General Manager of Research & Development 1, where he helped create the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Virtual Boy. He was also the producer of the Metroid games. After the failure of the Virtual Boy, he left Nintendo and started Koto Laboratory, where he started development on the WonderSwan. He died before the final product was released.
7th --
2003 – Nokia releases the N-Gage, a cellphone capable of playing cartridge-based games.
10th --
1980 – Pac-Man is released in arcades in North America. It goes on to become the most successful coin-operated game ever.
11th --
1994 – Final Fantasy VI is released in North America as Final Fantasy III, for the SNES.
18th --
1985 – The Nintendo Entertainment System is released in select markets in North America. Super Mario Bros. is among the launch titles, along with 10-Yard Fight, Baseball, Clu Clu Land, Donkey Kong Jr. Math, Duck Hunt, Excitebike, Golf, Gyromite, Hogan's Alley, Ice Climber, Kung Fu, Mach Rider, Pinball, Stack-Up, Tennis, Wild Gunman, and Wrecking Crew. Two configurations of the NES were available at launch. The Control Deck ($199.99) had the NES, two controllers, and Super Mario Bros. The Deluxe Set (249.99) had the NES, R.O.B., a Zapper, Duck Hunt, and Gyromite. Nintendo would release several more bundle pack configurations in the lifespan of the NES.
1994 – Sonic & Knuckles is released for the Sega Genesis (aka Sega Mega Drive).
26th --
2000 – Sony releases the PlayStation 2 in North America.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)