This weekend I was browsing the Web as part of my ongoing quest to learn EVERYTHING and I stumbled across Etsy.com. This is a site where a number of different people/companies offer their handmade creations. I must admit, there is a reporter from Moses Lake, Washington who calls her creative endeavor Digital Soaps and makes some very interesting (wait for it…) soap. If you need some form of incentive to get your kid off the console and into the tub, or if your spouse would get a kick out of such a novelty, I have to say that these are pretty neat. Click below to see even more of these creations!
IGN recently named the Nintendo Entertainment System (affectionately known by many as the “NES”) the greatest console of all time. (You can see their countdown HERE.) They followed this announcement with their list of the top 100 NES games of all time. You can see this list HERE. Unlike a number of top lists, these hit home with a parent who grew up with video games as a child. One of the most important things about many of these titles is that they are FUN!
In fact, many of them are so much fun that you can still purchase them and enjoy them via GBA cartridge adaptations and as downloads for the Wii. In fact, over 80 NES titles are available on the Wii’s Virtual Console.
For those of you who may not be convinced, I encourage you to take a look at PlayNES.net. This site allows you to play practically any original Nintendo Entertainment System game online via a web-hosted Flash emulator.
For those of you who know me, I can wax philosophic about the major impact that the NES had on the gaming industry having single-handedly resurrected the video game market after the North American Video Game Crash of the 80s caused by a glut of bad games for the most successful previous system, the Atari VCS (or 2600 as many know it). However, I will spare you my usual litany and, instead, encourage you to just have some fun. What’s more, almost all of these games are very kid-friendly and some even have multiplayer options!
Why did the American titles jump from Final Fantasy III to Final Fantasy VII?
How can there be more than one Final Fantasy?
What is a Chocobo?
If so, then I have an article for you. Check out IGN Presents the History of Final Fantasy. Spanning from the roots of the franchise on the Famicom through development for the current PS3 titles, this retrospective offers some good background to those who may not be as familiar with the rise of the console-based RPG in American culture. It’s a great read and a good chance to gain some insight to the genre. And it explains where they got the name!
According to Sony’s Official PlayStation Blog, The PlayStation Network has provided a venue through which Sierra Online could resurrect an old franchise of theirs. (Read the details HERE.) To say that the gameplay is addictive is an understatement for those who enjoy a simplified flight sim fighter. In fact, I am shaking my fist (much like Snoopy did in Charles Shultz’s comics) as a testament to that.
Having got that out of the way, Red Baron Arcade is not as involved as the original series on the PCs from the 90s, but it sure is fun. I believe that it falls somewhere between the Sierra Online franchise and the original Atari arcade game. For those of you unfamiliar with the original vector arcade game, you can see some footage of a sit-down cabinet that we observed at an auction in Game Apparent TV Episode 2. The Red Baron cabinet makes a short but memorable 15-20 second appearance starting at 6 minutes and 4 seconds into the video. Also, for those of you who are interested in seeing the original in action, Atari actually has a playable version on their website RIGHT HERE!
In fact, this feels a little like a simplified version of Crimson Skies or the Xbox version Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge. I logged many an hour on the last one. When it comes down to it, one of the most important things about the old Red Baron franchise, the newest version, and the Crimson Skies titles has been the multi-player capability. The games are fun, but playing them against human opponents and shooting them down in the heat of battle is a real treat. Having spent an hour last night playing the demo for Red Baron Arcade, I can say that the multi-player is there and the fun-factor is intact.
One thing unique to the PS3 incarnation of this title is that it utilizes the motion detection functionality of the controller (and fairly well). Instead of using the joystick on the controller, I opted for the motion control function and the controller could be configured to interact with the game like an actual airplane’s yoke. I found this very immersive and quite natural.
For those with PCs interested in the Red Baron 3D experience, a community website is still sponsored HERE for the game and it is available for free download on that page. Otherwise, PS3 owners will find the $9.99 pricetag hard to beat for some online fun for their families.
Motivated by my rant about what an “influential” game is, I went looking online to see if anyone had a playable version of Space Invaders. There were many, but I was impressed by this clone and the fact that the designer (Paul Neave) posted his embeddable code so that anyone could include it on their site. If you get a chance, you should check out his site in general RIGHT HERE. He has an inspired sense of design and his interface maintains elegance while being quite modern. (Nice work Paul!)
To begin, click on “Yes, I understand” in the box below and then click on “Play Space Invaders” from the following screen.
← moves your ship left
→ moves your ship right
[SPACEBAR] fires the missile
This version is a little easier than the arcade original, but you get the idea. Without further ado, take a look at the state of the art of videogaming from 30 years ago!
Also, if you’re interested in playing the game full screen, just click HERE.
As an ending note, I believe that there has been a playable version of Space Invaders in every generation of consoles and on almost every platform made. There have been evolutionary steps as well as attempts to simply preserve the classic experience. If there is any question as to whether or not Space Invaders has evolved or been influential, check out the trailer below for the most recent incarnation of the series for the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP.
It’s official. As of THIS PRESS RELEASE The Beatles Rock Band has a release date of September 9th. For those of you who love numerology, that’s 09-09-09! For those of you who are old Beatles fans, you may remember Revolution 9 off of The White Album. Any way you look at it, mid September will be an opportunity for Beatles fans and their families.
Harmonix has created a teaser site HERE and we expect that it will become more realized as the release date approaches.
According to the press release, this is the expected availability and pricing for September 9th:
• The Beatles: Rock Band Software:
- Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $59.99 MSRP
• The Beatles: Rock Band Standalone Guitars:
- Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $99.99 MSRP
• The Beatles: Rock Band Limited Edition Premium Bundle:
- Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $249.99 MSRP
Limited edition instruments will be available that represent the Liverpool lads’ choices over the years, so I’d expect (minimally) Paul’s Höfner bass, John’s Rickenbacker, and George’s Gretsch among others. Also, the game is supposed to be compatible with existing Rock Band hardware.
For more information, you can also read THIS ANNOUNCEMENT on MTV’s site too. Come September, you may get to enjoy reliving classic Beatles moments with a little help from your friends!
