Contra 4 Art Gallery

It's midnight and I've been playing Contra 4 all weekend, and thought I would commemorate the time spent playing this awesome game with this art and photo gallery. I've been playing Contra 4 for about 5 years now. It never gets old. Awesome artwork as well.

Contra 4 Prototype Footage

I found what looks to be Prototype footage of Contra 4 from 2007 E3. You can watch it in the embedded video link below. Contra 4 came out before the retro craze had really caught on. Back then 8-Bit City even operated under the assumption that there was not much 8-Bit new going on at any given time. 

Mega Man 9 and Contra 4 were both big reboots that jumpstarted the recent retro revival on the last 5 years. Cave Story came out around the same time as well--the past was back. Geometry Wars perhaps deserves some credit too, because it was on every XBOX 360 in every store display you could image from 2005-2007. Games like Super Meat Boy, Braid, and Mega Man 9 would dominate the downloadable new frontier which had just been created.

While these downloadable titles may have been seen as second-rate (inferior) to the big-budget titles sold in a disc in the store, the lines continue to blur. Players are not as impressed with graphics as they once were, and a downloadable project is a better place to test out new ideas than a 50-million dollar blockbuster.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom (Intellivision)

Advanced Dungeons and Dragons: Tower of Doom (later known simply as "Tower of Doom" when licensing issues became a problem) is the third entry in the AD&D series for the Intellivision. The three games were revolutionary console RPGs and each broke new ground in a different way. The first entry, Cloudy Mountain a.k.a. Crown of Kings is more of an Action Adventure game. The second entry, the Treasure of Tarmin, introduces a first person perspective. Tower of Doom scraps that design in favor of hardcore dungeon crawling similar to glorious games like Nethack. One must give credit here, however, considering Tower of Doom was designed with limited resources (unlike Nethack) and release in 1989... which is fairly late considering the previous AD&D game (Tarmin) was released in 1983 (although writtin in 1981).

Tower of Doom, not to be confused with the Capcom beat-em-up, is a standard dungeon crawler. You can fight enemies with ranged attacks, or go into melee combat in first person. You choose one of 10 classes, I prefer Warlord, but others are fun as well, and journey into the dungeon. I've heard the levels are actually 256 floors deep, but I've only gone down 15 floors so far.

As you dive down, you find more items and stronger monsters. It's a dash to the next door in the dungeon, because your health will start to drain if you waste time. You can't save, so you're always going for a high score.

You can also find food, potions, magic spells, weapons, and treasure. Treasure ads to your score, and thankfully disapears once you use it. You can only hold 8 items, so inventory management becomes important, but not impossible. I haven't found any armor, so I'm pretty sure it doesn't exist, although you can find magical rings and treasure crowns, and ghostly spells; the game packs variety.

The dungeon floors are randomly generated on some levels, but the game has pre-existing adventures as well. Honestly, as a serious rougelike player, I prefer the randomly-generated levels.

It's an amazing game, and well worth purchasing Intellivision Lives! or even a real Intellivision to play this game. I don't own a better, faster paced, randomly generated dungeon crawler on the DS.

Beating Tower of Doom Catacombs 12

After a few days of attempts, I finally beat one of the levels in Tower of Doom for the Intellivision. Admittedly, 12 levels is not that bad. I lucked out hard with stair placement and pretty much zoomed out of the tower. Using Warlord was another major advantage (the Warlord starts at level 4 & with tons of gear)

Now I'm working on the deeper mazes, but it seems everytime I'm on a roll my health starts dropping mysteriously. Maybe I'm not eating enough food, but I didn't see any "starving" message. Maybe I'm being poisoned and I just don't know it; in any case these mysterious "health leech" deaths are beginning to become a serious pain. I just wish I knew what was killing me.

My "winning" game was played on the PS2, even though most of my Tower of Dooming takes place on Intellivision Lives! for the DS. Both versions are completely solid; the touchscreen doesn't offer much in terms of gameplay for this title.

The Catacombs are a randomly-generated series of dungeons. It's a little like playing Berzerk the RPG. Supposedly even stronger monsters exist in the later levels; I'm looking forward to giving them a medieval smackdown.

Frog Bog Intellivision

Frog Bog was one of several games featured in the recent cult classic film Grandma's Boy. It's easy to see why: the movie definitely has a retro penchant, and an Intellivision game is perfect for the movie's comedic vibe.

Supposedly this game is a remake of Frogs and Flies for the Atari 2600, but for some reason I just like Frog Bog better. The graphics are definitely improved, but I enjoy the controls on the Intellivision, oddly enough, better than on the Atari.

In the movie, a younger gamer challenges pro-taganist Alex to a game of Frog Bog, and its the perfect choice for multiplayer action. The game test reflexes, timing, and prediction of parabolas (mental calculus) to the extreme. Your competition is the only real difficulty setting, because the computer is laughably easy. Both players jump around catching flies for three minutes, flies are worth different amounts of points, and the player with the most points after three minutes wins the game.

There are several different control options. A fixed arc across the lilypads serves as the easy setting. I prefer medium, in which you have to plan your jumps more carefully by holding down the button to determine velocity; this setting also allows you to choose between low hops and high hops. This also allows the players to fall off the lilypads, and this is great because it only penalizes you by taking a little time to swim back up to the lilypad. Its both realistic (i.e. frogs shouldn't die when they touch the deadly water) and fair. Players won't be discouraged from taking risks, and an agressive strategy is the only way to victory.

As you play, the pond shifts slowly into nighttime--a nice graphical touch, and one that provides the game with some extra charm. The game was included in the PC, PS2, and DS versions of Intellivision Lives! On the DS you can play single-cart multiplayer with a friend of stranger. It's a game you can challenge anyone to, anytime-- to the death or for money.

Intellivision Lives! DS Review

Most Intellivision games are terrible. However, there are enough exceptions to make this collection worthwhile for any retro gamer.

The stars of this collection are undoubtedly the AD&D games, relabeled as generic fantasy adventures, but with all the original art and gameplay.

Crown of Kings was the first. It's something in-between Adventure for the 2600 and The Legend of Zelda. It randomly-generates caves and the map to offer endless potential and replayability.



Tower of Doom is my other personal favorite, offering a selection of dungeons, many randomly-generated, and is quite simply an awesome dungeon crawler.

Frog Bog is a nice addition as well, and I've always thought it was better than Frogs & Flies for the Atari.

Other Intellivision classics like Astromash appear, but I'm sure they left a few of the favorites out. They certainly left out the extras--such as documentaries present in the PS2 version--out of this release. Every game, however, has an in-game instruction manual, and I've found the interface intuitive and easy-to-navigate.

It's definitely the collection to own, and although it'ss getting hard to find these days, scoring a copy is not impossible. I'd recommend getting this collection while you can, and maybe even supplimenting it with the Intellivision Lives! disc for the PS2 or PC. I picked the PS2 version up for $1.59 at gamestop this week, and that's a hell of a deal. The DS version is a little more expensive, but it's got the better game selection and the the touchpad function nicely with the overly-complex Intellivision controls.

Get both--Intellivision might not be the best, but it's good enough. The AD&D games are truly epic, and legitimize the purchase, everything else is just gravy.

Many of the games are sports titles, a few are basically unplayably slow by today's standards. Others are just a little dull. However, it does have over 60 games, and single-cart multiplayer modes on tons of titles. Outside the Dungeons and Dragons games, many simply lack the spark of classic Atari adventures like River Raid, Adventure, Pitfall, Super Breakout, Missile Command, Centipede, Pac-Man, Circus Atari, and Berzerk.

Still, every now and then you'll find a great gem like Space Spartans, Frog Bog, Tower of Doom, Crown of Kings, or Treasure of Tarmin. What's the harm in having some crappy titles rounding out the collection? The variety ensures that this will last you at least a year if you're just now getting into the Intellivision. I've only been playing the games a few years myself ever since I bought an Intellivision Plug-N-Play a few years ago. It required 4 AA batteries, and I promptly returned it, but not before playing Crown of Kings and getting hooked. However the game is unfortunately missing from the PS2 and PC collections, which makes getting both versions a must for everyone. The $1.49 price tag is worth it for the cool virtual arcade menu, documentary, programmer interviews, and ability to play on a large monitor.

I like to think of it as an expansion pack for the DS version, and a necessary one at that.

Top 10 Budget DS Games to Buy Other People or Yourself, or, a Cyber-Monday Video Game Guide to the DS

You've got friends, children, people, and they need video games. They've probably got a DS, but you honestly don't know what they hell to buy them. Maybe your on a budget and don't want to waste a chunk of change for a crap game. This list is in no particular order, because I've tried to offer a variety of genres for everyone.

These are the games that define the DS.



#10 Final Fantasy III

You really can't go wrong with Final Fantasy III. The commercials for this game really showed off the power of the DS, and made this Famicom classic come to life. Everyone was waiting for Final Fantasy III to come out, and about 5 of my friends bought it on launch day. I was the first one to complete the game--3 months later. This adventure will always be remembered by anyone who conquers the crystal tower, and is a must-have for the DS. It's been out for years, so you can find it cheap.





#9 Contra 4

I remember the E3 announcement for Contra 4: gamers were stunned. A new golden age in retro releases and rehashes was beginning, and Contra 4 helped get us there! Contra 4 is sidescrolling action perfected, and if your buddy has the cart multiplayer mode can be a blast.

#8 Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow (and, sure, the others)

My personal favorite Castlevania, and one of the games that convinced me to buy a DS. Metroidvania gameplay is perfected, and a few stylus gimmicks keep things fresh. This of this game as Symphony of the Night on crack, and you're approaching Dawn of Sorrow. You can summon Death's Scythes, swarms of demonic locusts, and fire a 9mm handgun and rocket launch ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Need I say more? It's got more modes and difficulties than you'll know what to do with; well over 50 hours to complete everything.




#7 Sonic Rush

Another early DS game, and not a bad entry in the Sonic series. Unlike some of the more recent flops, Sonic Rush holds up as a Sonic game, and manages to be worthy of Genesis comparison. For those who are tired of Sonic 1, 2, and 3, Sonic Rush would be a much better option than Sonic 4 of Sonic Unleashed or Sonic Colors.





#6 Dragon Quest 9

Not a port; this is a full-fledged original entry in the Dragon Quest series. RPG fans will appreciate the standard JRPG grind fest and explorative adventure. Some people hate it, others love. Personally, I lament the loss of what this game could have been: an online action RPG--until fans backlashed and the game was redesigned. They listened to the fans, but I wish they hadn't. DQXI is a solid entry, and great fun on the DS.





#5 Chrono Trigger

A timeless classic. Considered by many to be the greatest game of all time. Either you've already got an opinion on Chrono Trigger, or you need to play this game. The DS version is far superior to the Playstation port; this game is recommended to all! I've seen this game for 5 bucks at stores, so you've got to be able to find it.




#4 Kirby Canvas Curse

A game that uses the stylus with style. Either all gimmick or no gimmick, Kirby Canvas Curse is still the best Kirby game on the Nintendo DS, and, in my opinion, the best Kirby game of all time if we don't count Super Smash Brothers Brawl. This one might be a little more rare, but if you see this game this holiday season, you might want to grab it for a gamer.








#3 Retro Game Challenge

If 8-Bit City were a video game, it would be something like Retro Game Challenge. Actually, if 8-Bit City were a game, it would be Star Quest. Expectantly, Star Quest and Retro Game Challenge feature a similar mechanic: games within the games; except in Retro Game Challenge you get magazines and new cart as you grow up as a young kid playing the Famicom. It's stranger than that, but this game is without a doubt one of the best on the DS, and reason enough to buy a used DS Lite or something.






#2 Meteos

The best puzzler around, and it's for the Nintendo DS. Meteos is half space shooter, half puzzle game, and all action. You need twitch reflexes and pattern recognition skills for this one. Improve your mind, play Meteos!






#1 Contact

The most underrated game for the DS, Contact went barely noticed. It still enjoys a cult following, and you can probably find it haunting a Gamestop this year. Contact breaks the forth wall, and recognizes that the player is playing the game and communicating with space aliens via a device called the Nintendo DS. It gets weirder from that, as you possess a boy from another dimension and turn him into a killing machine, all to help a dubious 8-Bit scientist. Contact engages the player directly, you can't help but love this game. If you're buying someone a gift for the DS, make it Contact--this might be the last year you'll be able to find this rare gem. It's sure to be worth quite a bit in the future, and will likely be sought after by collectors as an essential piece of the DS library.

Meteos

Before we do anything here, backstory: I've been working on a "special post" for Thanksgiving. It's a list of some Famicom games (a certain genre), but it's not finished yet and I don't want to short-change the article. Hopefully that'll be finished tomorrow, but whatevs.

The reason for the delay--not Thanksgiving, although mine was nice--is Meteos for the DS. But before we get into that, backstory:

On June 6th, 2006 at about 12:06 a.m. I bought Meteos, New Super Mario Bros., and my DS Lite. It was the launch day and I had been waiting for over a month to get my hands on the new DS. Why was I so excited? To understand the chain of events, you need a little more backstory:

Back in 2004 I hated the Nintendo DS. It was clunky, had poor display (My GBASP was better), and generally I felt like the stylus was a stupid gimmick. It had no good games as far as I was concerned. However, one day while working in the university library a co-worker let me borrow his DS. But you don't really understand this guy, so I need some more backstory:

I started working at the library in 2003. I had just started college and the world was my oyster. Clichés abounded. I was sitting around the college, it was raining, and school hadn't even started. I was trapped in the Quad, but I didn't have shit to do and I was enjoying the summer weather. I had only been living in the dorm two days. I was ready for anything, including a post-apocalyptic situation. I thought about the previous night; I came back to my dorm at 2:00 a.m. and found my roommate and a girl in bed watching porn. I said "hey" and started playing Team Fortress Command. I also thought about the job I just got (student-worker, included in a scholarship). Actually, this story isn't relevant at all. I'm not even going to tell it.

Meteos: for the DS. It's awesome.

I didn't draw the angel in the background, but it was similar to the background used in Meteos for the planet Starrii.

Also I found this weird-as-fuck Meteos blog, where someone created personalities for all planets.

Did You Make Contact?

Contact is one of the most underrated games of this generation. For example, Nintendo Power gave it a 6.5, but can you really expect them to rank a unique title that wasn't published or developed by Nintendo? GameSpot.com gave it a 6.7. 1up.com/EGM gave it a B+ (that's their new rating system, I think they gave it around an "8" in the magazine... ) I'm not sure why most mainstream reviewers didn't appreciate this complex and enjoyable game.

The battle system is similar to World of Warcraft (which you probably don't play or you wouldn't have time to be reading this post) or Final Fantasy 12 minus the gambits and fancy colors. It has a subtle job system, with 8 or 9 jobs that do different things (magic, knife expert, strong attacker, etc).

A major problem with the game, however, is the MP system. You have 5 magic points, and they only refill after you kill monsters. Basically, you never have that much magic at your disposal. The gameplay is still solid, but this one major gripe can't be ignored.

There are plenty of secrets and sidequests, but the game won't tell you where they are. the player really has to just find them, but, nonetheless, the game combinds a unique linear quality with a haphazard openess that really works well. There are plenty of sidequests. The game boast a ridiculous amount of items, and collecting them all would be a major challenge (granted there is no reward for this task, but its nice to have the option of having all of those items). This makes the game seem very spacious and roomy while playing the game normally. This will also ensure that every game will be different.

This is further developed with a variety of stats. Every action alters your stats. Kill a shopkeeper, and you become a little more evil. Kill a monster, and you become more good. Sometimes, killing good enemies will be the easiest, and most direct, way to victory... This balance make the game very interesting to play. You can even get a girlfriend based on your alignment, items, and other stats.

The music is just as good as you might expect it to be. It's extremely catchy, and very well-composed. One song, in particular (the airbase) has one of (if not) the best song ever, in a video game.

The best part of the game is that you are not the boy on the bottom screne, but his puppetmaster. Using the Professor (usually on the top screen)'s help and the use of a device known as the Nintendo DS, you control Terry in order to recover power cells stolen from the Professor. The game brings you inside other video games, and games within those games as well. It will make you question the very nature of gaming itself with a brutal final monolouge that rivals the greatest writers in history, okay you're not buying it, and I got a little carried away, but Contact seriously has those things (sort of) and magic stickers, and a cow more powerful than the final boss (only after you beat the game), and tons of weapons and items, etc.

It's a shame Contact didn't get as much attention as it should have. Maybe gamers know, however, because on launch day I drove to 7 stores in town that had sold out in the last 30 minutes before final finding the last copy at an EBgames. I really think this will be the definitive cult classic of the DS, something of a Lufia II or Legacy of the Wizard for the DS.

So, I ask you: Did you make Contact? If so leave your Friend Code in reply section, I never got around to exploring the multiplayer aspect, and it looks interesting. You unlock a strange new island (WiFi Island) with NPCs of your friends. These automaton programs give you extra, powerful, items. It could have been better, but I was happy to see the inclusion of some multiplayer, and it even adds a decent degree of interest to the single player campaign. Hopefully, we'll be able to make Contact on the DS again, if they ever release a Contact 2.