WWF Super WrestleMania - SEGA Mega Drive (1992)

WWF Super WrestleMania
Platform: SEGA Mega Drive
Published: 1992


REVIEW BY RICHARD FOX

In the early 90's there were two franchises at their very peak in the UK; SEGA and the WWF. You couldn't move without seeing some item of merchandise with either Hulk Hogan, The Legion of Doom or the British Bulldog plastered on it, it was literally everywhere. Wrestling fever was running wild!
  
One of the first games I have vivid recollections of playing was WWF Super WrestleMania on the SEGA Mega Drive. As a fan from a very early age, this game was always going to be in my catalogue. I distinctly remember playing the fantastic WWF WrestleFest (1991) in the arcade while away on holiday, a home version was a must.
Unfortunately, WrestleFest wasn't available on home console but by that time, WWF Super WrestleMania was available. Naturally things were brought down to a smaller scale being on the console instead of the arcade but none-the-less, it was my first opportunity to control some of my heroes from the comfort of my own home.

The Game
At that age, I was never going to compare it to the arcade classic but now I am able to, it really doesn't stand up. I don't want to make this review purely a comparison piece but it is going to be tricky not to, both games around the same era with the same wrestlers, the only differences are the graphics and gameplay which WrestleFest far exceeds.

Anyway, The SEGA version, which I owned, gave you the option of 8 Superstars to choose from; Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, 'Macho Man' Randy Savage, Papa Shango, Irwin R. Schyster, Shawn Michaels, 'The Million Dollar Man' Ted DiBiase and The British Bulldog. Later I did get the SNES version which had Hogan, Savage and DiBiase but omitted the rest, replacing them with Jake Roberts, The Undertaker, Sid Justice, Hawk, Animal, Earthquake and Typhoon.

At the main character selection screen, you get a chance to listen to the wrestlers theme music, a feature it really could have done without. None of the tracks do the real life counterparts justice, they all sound horrific, especially IRS's theme, which is a continuous sound of what I can only describe as a cash counting machine, but done very, very badly. The other main audio shambles it the Natural Disasters theme on the SNES which was one lone monotonous rumble noise. In real life they did have this sort of theme sounding like a very large boulder rolling down a mountainside but nothing like this. It's hard to describe, but believe me. Both are terrible.

Highlighting over a wrestler plays their theme. Don't, they're dire.

Graphically, everyone looked like they were supposed to, not to the standards of WrestleFest but definitely to the other wrestling games before it. Although everyone looked like they were from the same mold, the art style and colour palette was well designed to really differentiate everyone. The ring is nicely presented and you can see each individual fan in the background cheering you on. I would say the presentation was successful as it went on to be the foundation for the WWF Royal Rumble game, a year or 2 later.

Vibrant colours and good animation, but body mold's look very similar.

There were three match types to choose from 1 vs. 1, Tag Team (2 vs. 2) and Survivor Series (4 vs. 4 elimination). It would have been nice for the SEGA version to have an actual established Tag Team to use like the SNES version did as I have no clue why IRS or Papa Shango were even included. I normally picked the Survivor Series as it was better to see everyone in the match together in my eyes.

The controls were basic but they worked for the time. You could grapple an opponent, kick and punch and also run at them for a running attack. You also had different controls for the situation e.g. if your opponent was on the ground you could stomp on them, elbow drop or pick them up and continue the more powerful grapple moves. Likewise, if they were in the corner, you could complete a corner specific attack such as the dreaded 10-punch. The SEGA version benefited here due to the ability to do signature moves, something I believe you couldn't on the SNES version. This actually made each wrestler feel different as the move set is the same for everyone. The SEGA version however allowed you to pull off Hogan's Legdrop, Savage's Big Elbow from the top rope or Shawn Michaels Sweet Ch... erm.. Teardrop Suplex.

With the exception of the signature moves (SEGA exclusive) everyone had the exact same moves and it could seem a bit odd.

Till, the signature moves were a welcome addition though as they added variation as above.

You could also leave the ring and take the action to the outside, a nice little feature, although with the exception of trying to win the match by count out, there was little reason to leave. More often than not I tried to take my opponent to the outside, got knocked out and ended up being counted out myself.

Taking things to the outside offered an alternative to winning  match but it could backfire and you could find yourself counted out instead.

The Experience
Certainly a game that, had I not been a fan, I probably wouldn't have gone back to as fundamentally it was just a fighter game (punch, kick, special move etc.) and there were better alternatives out there if you wanted to beat up and knock out an opponent. But for a fan, it was great to take a childhood hero like Randy Savage and beat the evil Million Dollar Man for the 3! There was investment in the characters you were playing and that was probably key.

At the time, it was a continuously played game for me. I even kept records about who was champion on a little notepad and was able to decide who the contenders were based on win/loss records. If Shawn Michaels wanted a shot at Savage for the Title, he was going to have to get through Warrior and Hogan first and earn his way to the top! The game was basic but in being so, it opened up your imagination and let you make up storylines in your own head. 

Overall
I wrote a while ago about the ageing of sports games and at some level wrestling games fall under the same category. Each year, they evolve and each year something gets added or enhanced BUT older wrestling games also hold up the nostalgia a hell of a lot better. You can get the modern day equivalents with the same wrestlers up-scaled and in HD as "Legends" in the modern day games but if you turn on the SEGA or SNES and pop this in, those memories of the golden age come back to the front of your mind. You will probably need to be a wrestling fan to appreciate it but it is a level of nostalgia that very few other things can give.

6/10

Car Boot Sale - UK Collecting

Now that we are set back up again (thank you Retron!), I decided to check out two local car boot sales this week. 

Now, as I live in the North East of England, there are two Car Boot Sales/Markets that are considered the biggest in the area. The first one is Sedgefield Race Course and the other is in Hexham.

You can imagine my wide-eyed naivety and my barely containable excitement when I was going to not one but two venues to see what treasures could be unearthed, then it hit me like an Acme(tm) anvil, the UK retro scene is shocking for purchasing retro items unless you are very, very lucky.

The first market, Sedgefield, had nothing but PS3 FIFA games and the odd WWE game (I might add, someone was still wanting £8 for FIFA '13, yes some people don't know the value of games do to not having the slightest bit of interest but it has the year covering the front of the game, common sense would dictate that newer versions are out and the table next to you have about 9 copies of the same game!). I was disappointed but left with a bit of hope, I still had Hexham and Hexham has a guy with a table that has retro games on it. I remember this as a fact, I trudge on.

So we get to Hexham market and I find the guy with the retro table and his prices are more than fair (any 5 Mega Drive games for £5, really can't complain with that aspect). But the selection is slim pickings, cricket, soccer, tennis and racing pretty much sums it up. I ended up buying 5 games just because they were the only non-sport ones there (and I needed to upgrade a couple of carts). I waled out with the cliche collection of Sonic 1, Mega Games 1, Urban Strike, Side Pocket (didn't own this one already) and Altered Beast.

It's a bit of a shame, the seller can't help what games he has I suppose and his prices were great but I still left disappointed, not with him but in general. It is getting increasingly more difficult here in the UK to be a retro gamer. More often than not, games are becoming more and more hard to find or have a very high markup, which is to be expected but it makes me think the U.S. has it as bad? 

I don't claim to be an expert to any stretch of the imagination, I have said it countless times, I like to play old games, that is pretty much it. You learn bits and pieces along the way but I don't commit my life to it but it is clear that on this side of the pond if you want to enjoy the nostalgia, you need to pay a premium at the minute.

Retro gaming is as popular as ever over here which is certainly good news as it helps the longevity of games and consoles and they go much loved for much longer but it is is a double-edged sword as with that comes greater cost to the humble gamer.

In closing, if you are in the UK, I would no longer waste my time in car boots etc. It appears specialist outlets like the excellently stocked Electric Town in North Yorkshire (*and many other retailers*), eBay or Facebook groups is the only way to go now. Nine times out of ten it will cost you a little more than a car boot but chances are you will at least walk away with something you are looking for.


We would love to hear about your experiences from whatever part of the world you are from, how is the retro scene where you are? Send us an e-mail at recollectgamereview@outlook.com or leave us a comment. 

Update - June 2015

A Crisis of Cables and Consoles
A nightmare of events with cables and consoles occurred over the last few weeks and it made things grind to a halt. Inability to set things up and find appropriate time to get back to gaming made things somewhat tricky and alas as things looked up from a technical stand point, the old personal factors come into play... still on-wards and upwards!


NERG 2015
We went to the North East Retro Gaming event over the weekend and had an absolute blast, it was here I had my crossroad... do I continue trying to get my consoles sorted out or just bite the bullet and buy a Retron 5? You may have read my piece on the Retron and now that I have one, I stand by my decision to get it. Especially now that a patch has been released to allow translation files for some foreign games, really looking forward to seeing what it can do up close and personal, pleasantly surprised so far.

The NERG event in itself made for a very enjoyable day. Myself, fellow RGR reviewer Mark and his pal, Stuart (some of you may know from the Ashens Youtube series, if not I highly recommend his channel here) spent a good few hours lurking around and made some great purchases, played some excellent arcade classics and fulfilled that nostalgia void.

When all was said and done we had a little competition of our own, a challenge of Micro Machines 2 and California games, washed with a couple of beers and pizza and those ingredients made for a cracking weekend.

I hope to give more details about the NERG 2015 goings on in a later post with a couple of pictures. Alas, Mark took some good photos but is off to Glastonbury festival for the week, selfish.


Looking Forward
Now that I am set back up with the Retron 5, I will be looking to get back to reviewing as soon as I can. As always, I like to fully complete a game before making a review about it and will be looking at the next project imminently. It's great to be back!

Thanks to everyone for your support and I am delighted to get the ball rolling again!


Cheers,
Richard

Guest Review: Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance - PS2 (2002)

Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance

Platform: PS2

Published: 2002

GUEST REVIEW by Mike Lebolo

When I was kid, I never really cared much for fighters. The most I'd give any attention to were Dragon Ball Z-related and those were utter shit. Then my older brother showed me the light, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. Blood, gore and martial arts, there wasn't much more you could offer me at that age. Unfortunately, I was just coming out of some...unpleasant business that left me with severe anger issues. So while I had a blast just plugging in the second controller and bludgeon every other character in the game with Sub-Zero, I don't exactly have the fondest memories of the actual multiplayer. In addition, my terrible reflexes at the time also made it impossible for me to pull off any of the fatalities. 

Why do I still look fondly on this game then? Simple, for all the frustrations the game provided, nothing like it had ever embedded itself in my imagination before. The characters and world were fascinating to me, ninjas and sorcerers, gods and royals, all battling it out in 1-on-1 bouts to the death. It was practically every single thing I thought was cool rolled into one package. Well, that and the fact that the Adema's tie-in song, "Immortal" is one of my favorite nu-metal (insert tired "hurr-durr, Limp Bizkit" joke here) songs.

The Game

Released in November of 2002 for all three major consoles (and the GBA for some bizarre reason), Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance was the fifth installment in the main portion of the MK series. Deadly Alliance was Midway's saving throw after MK4 its disastrous "re-release" MK Gold left fans bitterly divided on the series' transition to full 3D. While it didn't exactly repair the rift in the fanbase, Deadly Alliance did manage to provide a much more solid game that won many over. Taking MK4's base gameplay, Deadly Alliance provided a greater focus on combos and upped the ante on its predecessor's weapon system by giving each fighter three distinct fighting styles that could be switched to (and combo-ed into) on-the-fly. The result was a much more complex fighting game that gave its contemporaries a run for their money in more than just the popularity department. Something that couldn't exactly be said of the previous games.

The story (what little there is) is thus, the evil sorcerers Shang Tsung and Quan Chi have united to form the eponymous Deadly Alliance. Their first action: the assassinations of Earthrealm's champion Liu Kang and Outworld's emperor Shao Kahn. With their two greatest threats dead, the duo set about reviving the army of the monstrous Dragon King. Having witnessed all of this and with his fellow Elder Gods refusing to act, Raiden renounces his status as an Elder God (he became one at the end of 4) and gathers the remnants of Earthrealm's defenders to take part in a tournament hosted by the Deadly Alliance in the hope of stopping them before it's too late. This is all from the intro, mind you. Mortal Kombat didn't have a proper story mode until Deception's Konquest mode.

Speaking of Konquest mode, one of the same name appears in Deadly Alliance. You play as a monk on a journey to master all fighting styles and achieve enlightenment. In practice, it functions as a dressed-up tutorial/source of my greatest frustrations. One cool little detail in this mode, however, is the inclusion of tidbits of information either expanding on the backstory of the game or the history of the martial arts used by the fighters. It's a welcome touch and demonstrates how much effort and research was put into the game.

The Experience

I honestly want to tell you that this game is still amazing after all these years, I want to so badly, but I just can't. I used to think that the term, "it's a product of its time", was just a result of a lazy reviewer refusing to bother coming up with a better description. Well, either I was wrong, or I'm a lazy reviewer, because it's the best way to describe Deadly Alliance. This game embodies the early 00's 3D fighter craze. That heavy emphasis on combos I mentioned earlier? It comes at the expense of so many of the things that make a Mortal Kombat game, well, a Mortal Kombat game. Specifically, the special moves, stage interaction and fatalities. But, before we get into the meat of my issues with the game, let's start with the characters that debuted in Deadly Alliance and my various praises/complaints about them.

• Blaze - An elemental who was on some vague quest before being imprisoned by worshippers of the Dragon King who forced Blaze to guard the egg of the Great Dragon. One of the two actually secret characters in the game (the game claims every character you unlock to be "secret", but they're not exactly a secret when they're on the damned select screen now are they?) and in the vein of previous MK secret characters, Blaze's fighting style is a composite of other characters (in this case, three) in the game. This results in Blaze having no weapon style, which is strangely distracting. He also has no fatality, in a Mortal Kombat game...

• Bo' Rai Cho - A legendary martial arts master from Outworld, who I guess was too fat and lazy to help out in the previous games. I hope you think fat, flatulent, drunkards are the funniest people ever, because that's all you're getting from this one-note joke. Both fighting as and against him is an exercise in patience as he fluctuates from one of the most awkward to play as to biggest spambot in the game in the blink of an eye. The best thing I can say about him is that brutally murdering him never stops being fun.

• Drahmin - One of the two oni that freed Quan Chi from his imprisonment in the Netherrealm, thus causing much of the plot. I hate Drahmin. The average human lifespan is roughly 71 years, yet that still would not come close to describing one one billionth of how much I hate him. Drahmin is the only fighter in the game built entirely on juggle combos which, by itself is fine, but he lifts his design almost wholesale from the equally uncreative Meat from MK4. The only major difference being his right arm being encased in a club and his vaguely Japanese myth-related mask. The straw that breaks the camel's back, however, are the flies that incessantly buzz around him for the entire match. Just a constant high-pitched buzz the entire fight, it's maddening, made even worse when he fights himself (which you have to do if you want to finish Konquest mode). What pisses me off even more is that he has one of the better fatalities in the game, must be the reward for not blowing your brains out the minute you heard the buzzing.

• Frost - A Lin Kuei prodigy with powers very similar to the Grandmaster and her mentor, Sub-Zero. Is anybody even going to read this one? I've already established I'm a Sub-Zero fan, so of course I'm going to think more of him is even better. Ah well, might as well give her a write-up anyways. Actually, despite the similar powerset, Frost's general fighting style is quite different from ol' Subby. She's much quicker and precise, which can best be demonstrated with her two specials: a ray of ice projected from her hands and a sliding kick. Certainly sounds like Sub-Zero, but both come with a twist. First the ice ray travels along the ground, so it can only freeze a grounded opponent that doesn't step out of the way, this difficulty is balanced out by the fact that Frost has plenty of combos that can leave the enemy reeling. Second, the sliding kick, rather than propelling her opponent back, flings them overhead, making it great for escaping when your back is literally against the wall (invisible wall, that is). If you ask me, Frost is one of the best characters in Deadly Alliance, especially with how much effort was clearly put in to make sure she didn't feel like a clone of her master.

• Hsu Hao - One of the most trusted members of the Red Dragon Clan, Hsu Hao works as the enforcer of Mavado's will. Mongolian Jax, seriously, just ask the creators. Planning to make Hsu Hao as iconic of a foe for Jax as Kano is for Sonya, what they wound up with instead is a cardboard cutout evil brute with absolutely nothing remarkable. In fact, his main outstanding characteristic, his cybernetic heart, functions exactly like Kano's eye. Come to think of it, he uses a rough, brawling style, a grappling style and dual-wields small bladed weapons. So in trying to make Jax's greatest foe, Midway created a plainer, bulkier clone of Kano. Klono, if you will. Though considering all of the missteps over the years, how he is Ed Boon's most despised creation, continues to elude me.

• Kenshi - An arrogant fighter brought low by Shang Tsung's treachery, Kenshi seeks to redeem himself and kill the traitorous sorcerer once and for all. The only good male fighter introduced in Deadly Alliance and probably the only one most readers will recognize. To wit, he is the only DA character in MK9 and even with all the room given in the reboot, he remained almost unchanged from his first appearance. Then again, it's pretty hard to strike greater gold for a fighting game than a blind, telepathic samurai out to avenge his ancestors. His fatality is also one of the most brutal (if a bit long) in the game, not exactly the highest bar, but still a plus.

• Li Mei - A villager from an Outworld town under the boot of the Deadly Alliance, Quan Chi and Shang Tsung have promised her home's freedom if she can win the tournament. Mileena, at some point Mileena was supposed to be in this game. That doesn't come from any info given by the creators, there's just no way to not see Mileena when you play as Li Mei. She's a dark-haired stunner who wears purple, relies heavily on kicks much like Kitana (who is in the game) and wields a pair of sais. In truth though, I wouldn't count her among the bad newcomers, her sympathetic backstory certainly helps endear her.

• Mavado - Leader of the Red Dragon, the predecessors to the Black Dragon, Mavado has pledged his and his clan's loyalty to the Deadly Alliance in exchange for the head of Kano upon the Alliance's victory. Do you like Kabal, I sure as hell hope you don't. You think he got a raw deal in 9? At least he died on-screen there. Here? He gets iced off-screen with zero fanfare and only faint mentions about Mavado killing him like he was nothing. If it was anything like how the computer uses him, Mavado likely sidestepped Kabal's attacks and spammed his stupid ass grappling hooks. To further twist the knife for Kabal fans, Mavado uses hookswords that the game openly states he took from Kabal's corpse. Much like his minion, Hsu Hao, Mavado is little more than a cheap attempt at creating more evil Earthrealm characters while expending as little effort as possible.

• Mokap - "A former martial arts teacher on the North side of Chicago, the man commonly referred to as Mokap was called upon by Johnny Cage to do some motion capture work for his new movie "Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance". I'm not even bothering to do my own version of his bio. Mokap was intended as a tribute to Carlos Pesina, the man responsible for Raiden's motion capture in the first three games (Mokap! Get it? Get it? It's so damn clever!). Much like Blaze he...you know what? Screw this! It's fucking Mokap! Who the hell wants to play as Mokap!?

• Moloch - The other oni that helped free Quan Chi and the resident "Why couldn't you just be Goro?". Moloch is one of the worst bosses in fighting game history. His design is unbelievably plain, he's little more than a blueish-gray, hairless gorilla with a ball and chain. He also has about five attacks, one of which can only be dodged by sidestepping, but sidestepping it just means he slaps you in the face with his balls...that came out wrong. The other attacks are so quick that it's next to impossible to interrupt any of them without spamming, which is also the only consistent way to beat him. Between him and Drahmin, I hope to God that there is never another oni in Mortal Kombat, ever.

• Nitara - Contrary to Earthrealm folklore, vampires are in fact a species from the realm of Vaeternus, a realm that Shao Kahn merged into Outworld during his many conquests. Having heard of an orb that can restore her people's homeland, Nitara seeks to obtain it, but the Deadly Alliance and their tournament stand in her way. It's a bit more complicated than that, but that's the best summary I could write. Next to Frost, Nitara is probably my favorite Deadly Alliance character. She also brings to mind the question, cyborg ninjas, a skinless man and Jarek really came first in a series built around blood and horror before a sexy vampiress? Really? Anyways, Nitara is a good all-rounder with a good mix of ranged specials and close combos. The fact that her grapple restores some health makes her an even better choice for beginners. Well she would, if you didn't need to unlock her.

Onto my previously mentioned meat...I really need to think before I speak. Let's start with my issues with the fighting itself, because I have never had such a love-hate relationship with a fighting engine. On the one hand, it's a solid, occasionally great, fighter in the style of Virtua Fighter. On the other, it's Mortal Kombat in-name-only. Sure there's blood spraying everywhere, but special moves vary from almost practical to completely useless, can only be chained into juggle combos and even then, not every character has a good enough pop-up attack to give you time to initiate the special. Then you have, aside from the acid spitting dragon orb statue things in one level and some destructible objects in two others, zero interaction with the stage, including no stage fatalities. Even 4 had stage fatalities! And that brings me to my biggest complaint, the fatalities that are in the game (barring a small number) suck. They just suck. Ranging anywhere from the overly-ridiculous one where Sub-Zero rips out his opponents entire skeleton whole, to the outright pathetic, like Quan Chi stretching his opponent's neck and that's all he does. Behold:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8b24vIPcP0

If that is not the single worst fatality in Mortal Kombat history, I don't know what is. For even greater comparison, here's his fatality from 4:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw32oupXphA

But that's just par for the course for Deadly Alliance. It gets so much right, but at the expense of the core concepts of Mortal Kombat.

You've probably noticed that I have yet to talk about Konquest mode. That's because there's nothing more to be said, it's literally a tutorial mode with a couple "challenges" sprinkled in for "fun". Konquest exists solely as another mode to gain Koins to use in the Krypt, or as I call it, the most tedious way to unlock anything ever. The "koffins" go from AA to ZZ and each one requires one of six different kinds of Koins, two of which can only be earned in the Test Your Sight and Test Your Might minigames. I'm going to be honest here, by the time I was done unlocking every character and had finally finished Konquest mode (which can't be done until you unlock every other character) I made it through arcade mode (which I did about ten times prior to get the Koins required) one more time before I about lost my damned mind.

Like I said before, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance embodies the early 00's 3D fighter craze, especially its worst aspects. Specifically, the tendency to completely ignore the appeal the series, even if that meant making a less fun game, in order to make a game that appealed to tournament players. So I feel it's only appropriate to give it two scores, one for its quality as a fighting game, and the other for its quality as a Mortal Kombat game.

Fighter Score - 6.5/10

Mortal Kombat Skore - 4/10

Guest Review: Altered Beast - SEGA Mega Drive (1990)

Altered Beast (1990)
Platform: Mega Drive
Published: 1990 (EU)


GUEST REVIEW by GARY HENEGHAN

I first experienced Altered Beast back in 2002, a time of gaming limbo for me. Disillusioned with my PS2 and needing a break from Pro Evolution Soccer, I picked up a Mega Drive and a few cheap carts. One of the carts was Altered Beast. At the time, I considered the game's...well, naffness to be charming and really took to it.

When I purchased SEGA Genesis and Mega Drive Classics from Steam last year, Altered Beast was the first game I loaded up, to see if it was as...entertaining as I remembered.

The Game
Originally released in arcades in the Summer of 1988, Altered Beast was ported to practically every video game system under the sun. The Mega Drive port is the best remembered of all the ports as it was the 'pack in game' that came with the console...before a certain blue hedgehog became a global phenomenon.

The plot is fairly simple. Zeus' daughter Athena has been kidnapped by the evil Neff and taken to the Underworld. Zeus chooses to resurrect a fallen soldier to rescue his daughter and defeat Neff. This begs the question – why would Zeus need to resurrect someone to save his daughter? Surely, he could have solved the problem himself?
At least Zeus has given our resurrected hero some new powers – if he collects orbs, he will power up. One orb will bulk our hero up, two orbs will make our hero look like he's been on the 'roids and three orbs will transform him into a superpowered beast. The screen showing the transformation into a beast is one of the highlights of the game; an over the top cutaway showing the hero becoming a monster, complete with digitized scream.

Probably my favourite bit of the game.

These transformations sum up Altered Beast's graphics nicely. The game has an 80's horror feel about it, full of dark, murky caverns and mutated, supernatural enemies. While the graphics are nothing special by Mega Drive standards, they certainly do a good job of emulating the arcade game. Altered Beast's sound, on the other hand, stands out a lot more. Everyone knows about the infamous speech, but little thought is given to the music. This is a shame as the music is very underrated in my opinion; moody and epic, it really contributes to the atmosphere of the game.

The Experience
Playing Altered Beast in 2015 was no different to playing it in 2002...or 1990 I'd imagine. Even by retro standards, the game feels very basic in structure. The five short levels offer little variety – it''s simply a case of 'Punch enemy, keep walking right”. There aren't any clever set pieces either – enemies generally just wander on to the screen waiting to be destroyed. Even the bosses can be beaten fairly handily.

The boss of level three looks tough, 

but can be beaten by standing next to him and hammering B.

As a simple side scrolling brawler though, Altered Beast does the job. Sure, the controls feel heavy and I can't deny that the game does rely on cheap hits to challenge the player (looking at you, Chicken Stingers). Yet I found the game compelling – the challenge of quickly getting the orbs and transforming into an altered beast is addictive and the game doesn't wear out it's welcome. I can see why SEGA used Altered Beast as a pack in game – it was a port of a well known arcade game, with impressive graphics for the time, and by bundling it with the console, no one would feel cheated by the lack of depth offered.

Damn Chicken Stinger...

as long as you don't get hit once, you'll be fine....

otherwise, you're getting spammed to death.

Overall
I see Altered Beast as a 'guilty pleasure game'. I can't recommend it based on quality – it's horribly dated, sluggish and very shallow. However, I can recommend Altered Beast for it's accessibility. In an age where games often have 30+ hours of gameplay, extensive multi player options and additional content, Altered Beast is a fantastic alternative to modern gaming, a mindless twenty minute arcade blast. Sometimes you want the finest steak for dinner. Sometimes you want fast food. Altered Beast is the gaming equivalent of a sausage roll – cheap, simple but pretty satisfying.

Score – 6/10

The Ageing of Retro Sports Games

There is a common thought process among retro gamers that sports games don't age well. You may find that the old football/golf/tennis games you once loved are on eBay or other sites for a pittance and you can claim back some of your sporting youth at a bargain of a price. But is it truly worth it.

Short answer for me... no...ish.


On Friday, we had a sit down at RCR headquarters and tried to get through a couple of games, we maybe didn't get through as much as we hoped due to a multitude of reasons but I certainly took enough away to know that going forward, sports games are going to be very tricky to review for a few reasons.

We know retro games may not always support the best graphics, many would argue that it is part of the charm. There is sometimes no distraction from the actual gameplay and a game can be appreciated on a completely different level. Sports games however don't get that luxury, it is a lot harder to look back with a nostalgic head due to the yearly update of many sport games in a franchise series, the game I will be using as an example will be FIFA '97 on SEGA Mega Drive. Keep in mind just a year later, FIFA '98 was released on the PlayStation and the difference is unreal. Granted the Mega Drive didn't have anywhere near the capabilities of the PS1 but for 1997, I just can't take what was put out as acceptable.

Look at the examples below, FIFA '95 to '97 are practically the same game, the level of progression is unforgivable here.

FIFA '95

FIFA '97

FIFA '98

Now it isn't just the graphics here, I genuinely have no clue how on earth we played these games and enjoyed them at the time, yes hindsight and all and there will have been no basis of comparison but playing this again made me fully appreciate how far we have come.

The gameplay for me was practically non-existent, the controls were apalling, blocky with no real feeling like you were controlling what was going on. You could be one-on-one with the goalkeeper for example and you could only hope this "this time it is going to be different" shoot and once again get the shot saved. Repeat. No matter which direction you shoot in, the keep does the 'save' animation at the last possible split second and the ball ends up somehow in the middle of the goal. Frustrating isn't even the word.

Contrastly, we played WWE RAW, also on the Mega Drive and I actually enjoyed it. It was simple and basic with few commands to pull of moves but the Royal Rumble match we had catered to the 'laugh' we were looking for. Some of our Twitter followers and people over at the Greydog Software Forum may already know we are long time wrestling fans to begin with so this may have been the reason why, but we are big football fans too so it can't be purely on personal interest.

I think I know why now there is a general rule of thumb that sports games don't age well, of course there still will be one or two that people have a personal preference over but it is much harder to look back without evaluating how far they have come in terms of controls, gameplay and graphics to that of any much loved side-scroller. There will always be a comparison to something more modern and in this genre, retro games will most likely lose.

Updates

First Co-op Review
Something a little bit different for Recollect Game Review (RCR) as we will be doing our first co-op review this weekend. Myself and our other resident reviewer, Mark, will be battling it out on the previously mentioned Retron 5 (you can read my dilemma on it here). The game has yet to be determined but expect it to be a multi-player side scroller. I have suggested Golden Axe 2, Mark has suggested Alien Storm and there are several others in the mix... ultimately undecided until tomorrow!

What will make this different to our other reviews is that we will be writing on the same game. Throughout the years, we have had very contrasting opinions on gaming and if I recall, I don't think we have ever been able to physically complete a game together without something being launched across the room e.g. a controller or my younger self. So it will be an interesting turn up and we will let you all know how it goes!


Direction of Recollect Game Review
While we have our co-op tomorrow night, we will be looking at what direction we want to take RCR. We love what we have done so far and have enjoyed every minute. I may have mentioned though, this whole thing is pretty brand spanking new to us so new ideas may come at various times. 

The twitter account has really taken off and the comments/feedback back from you lot have been amazing through various medium (truly, we can't thank you enough). It is because of this, we want to try and offer more than just our own take on games that we remember when we were young (that will continue to be the main core though). With that said, we are looking at a few different ways of adding new bits and pieces throughout to try and keep content going as frequent as we can to a high standard.

With that said...


New Section - User Reviews
...We have introduced a new 'User Reviews' section on the blog to allow readers to contribute their own reviews to RCR. If you have a game that gives you that nostalgic feel and you want to write about it, send us an e-mail and we will be happy to discuss it! It goes without saying that you will be credited for everything you write, so if you fancy jotting down your memories and experiences about a game, give us a shout.


Link Tidy Up
Just a little bit of housekeeping, you may have noticed there are no longer the 'Nintendo (NES)', 'Super Nintendo (SNES)' and 'SEGA Mega Drive (Genesis)' links across the top menu any longer. In an attempt to simplify things, NES and SNES have gone into their own 'Nintendo' link and the SEGA link has been re-named.


What's Next
As well as what has already been mentioned, we will also be travelling to a couple of retro game shops over the weekend. The aim is to be able to spotlight them on here so we will be taking several images and giving it a write-up. I have already spoken to a really nice representative from the two shops and she has even answered a couple of questions for us. This sort of interaction is something we have enjoyed doing and we are looking forward to popping through over the weekend. It is something we would like to continue doing, if all goes well, and perhaps look at other places throughout the country.



I think that about covers it for now. We may well have more updates in the next few days after our co-op. But for now, thanks again to everyone who has looked at RCR so far, it is a pleasure for us to do and I hope you are all enjoying it as much as we are.


All the best.

The Retron Dilemma

RICHARD FOX (Admin)

Retro gamers have had this debate since the console was first released last year, to Retron or not to Retron? It has created a divide and many feel passionate about their stance on the matter.


While some feel the console is a convenient new way of playing their old favourite games, others believe it removes the authenticity, character and charm of the classics and understandably prefer to play their carts on the real thing.


The latest version of the console is the Retron 5 and it sounds like an impressive bit of tech, supporting 9 retro cartridges with the option of an additional 10th (you need an adapter to play SEGA Master System games). At any time, you could pick up your controller and play game for the following: 

• NES
• SNES
• Game Boy Advance
• Game Boy Colour
• Game Boy
• SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis
• Famicom
• Super Famicom

The console is region free, which allow gamers to also play imports of carts should they desire. Not only this but the newest version also up-scales to 720p, provides save/load state functionality, it even allows for original controllers to be used when playing games.

It also comes in two swanky colours; 

the more retro looking grey or a sleek black.

So why was it met with murmurs and mumbles? Well the release could have gone smoother. When the first shipment was batched, there was an evident issue with the Super Famicom connector pins. Release dates were knocked back several times and many people who were anticipating the console started to feel disheartened. On top of this, Hyperkin (manufacturer) stated that the demand was simply too high, much higher than expected and they couldn't cater to the masses. Keep in mind that many people had this console pre-ordered and this left a sour taste in people's mouths to say the least!

Chances are, if you have met somebody who has bad things to say about the console, it is likely due to the the release date issues above much else. Our own resident reviewer, Mark, owns one and he absolutely swears by it. He still has his retro consoles but to have everything all in one is a huge space and time saver, especially as it up-scales to HD. Here is what he had to say with his own personal experience with it:

"The console itself is very light weight and while this is great for transporting, it does feel somewhat cheap and you wouldn't want to drop it. The controllers are... well, not great in my opinion, lightweight, a bit awkward and too bulky in size and shape. It's nice that a universal controller was created, especially as it's wireless, but if you have original NES/SNES/MD controllers, the Hyperkin controller is bound to stay in the box. The box it comes in is annoying. Although it looks visually smart, one side of the box is angled, meaning that the cardboard insert needs to be jammed back in when you want to transport the system around. However, these are minor inconveniences. It's very simple to set up and play, it has a very quick start up response and out of the 40+ games I've tested, there hasn't been any connection issues as of yet. The up-scaling works for me and it's convenient to use HDMI rather than a SCART. For the original 'die hard's', these are great machines if you want to limit the amount you play on your original consoles, especially if you're concerned of your consoles life expectancy, it won't however replace the feeling of nostalgia. For the new generation of retro lovers, get one, just, get one."

My dilemma (as mentioned in the title) has been whether to buy one or not. What side of the fence do I sit on? When it all boils down to it, would the Retron 5 serve it's purpose? Put simply, I think it would. The teething problems seem to have gone, Funstock (linked below) regularly update their stock, most importantly it is a great tool to give your old games a new lease of life on a modern bit of kit.

Retron 5 consoles are available at http://www.funstock.co.uk/retron-5 and other retailers.

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins - Game Boy (1992)

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Platform: Game Boy
Published: 1992


REVIEW BY RICHARD FOX (Admin)

Back in my youth, Super Mario Land 2 and Donkey Kong Country 2 were my 'go to' games of choice. They were both great games and while DKC 2 was amazing, for some reason I hold more nostalgia for SML 2. I managed to pick it up this past weekend at Ripon to bring those fond memories back.

The Game
SML 2 is a sequel to Super Mario Land which was a release title on the Game Boy in 1989. The original was the standard side-scroller we all know Mario games to be and while SML 2 had the fundamentals of that style, it followed suit of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World in that it had a map the player could move around and offer replayability on levels.

It also is the first time Wario came on the scene. The story is that Mario's castle was taken over by Wario and a spell was put on the door. Mario has to collect 6 golden coins to unlock the door and defeat Wario to get his castle back. Each coin is claimed by going through a themed zone (Tree Zone, Mario Zone, Macro Zone, Pumpkin Zone, Space Zone and Turtle Zone), they can be completed in any order.

The Zone map is very reminiscent 

of Super Mario World.

The design is reminiscent of the Mario games we all know but there is something a little different about it. While some of the enemies are the same (i.e. the Goomba's and the Koopa Troopa's), there are several new enemies that I had never seen before and I don't think they were brought into a Mario game again after. The enemy variation is fine and makes sense as they went in with the theme's of each world, but there is something odd about jumping on a walking hockey mask with a knife sticking out the top in a Mario game (after a little revision this particular enemy is named "J Son" in tribute to Friday The 13th villain Jason Voorhees... let that sink in, Mario references a serial killer).

I still can't get over 

a serial killer representation 

in a Mario game.

The Experience
The charm was still there, no question about it. I am pleased to have bought it again and gave it another run through. I still love the soundtrack and the graphics are (considering it was for the original Game Boy) are fantastic. The game is as responsive, detailed and well-designed as you would expect from a better Mario game but something seems different.

It is Mario, no question about it, but maybe I am now used to playing Super Mario Bro's 3 and see that as "The Mario" or even Super Mario World. The soundtrack of SML 2 is great but is perhaps a little too different, the enemies are great and well thought but maybe aren't classic Mario enemies. It is a really though one to explain because it feels just like a Mario game but it doesn't feel 100% like the Mario games I remember. It might be just because it was for the Game Boy and it went in a slightly different direction.

It is Mario, it's just got a bit of a twist.

The main gripe I have is that it is just too easy. The game was done in about just over an hour and I think even that was when I made silly mistakes in a couple of levels. My younger self would have loved it as it was a game I did actually complete but now it is just really simple. This could well be nostalgia kicking in and me subliminal remembering certain parts, I must admit after I jumped a certain distance or fell down a certain hole, there would have been no way I would have just 'known' to do it.

The bosses were just too easy too beat.

The bosses in particular are pretty shocking in terms of ease, 3 hits and they're gone. Yes, this is the case on a lot of Mario games but these boys are too easy to hit, they have a simple, repetitive animation and they are way too vulnerable.


Overall
I still have fond memories and, even now, I know why I had them. The game is charming and definitely lovable. The graphics and sound are fantastic, the levels are well designed and, most importantly, it is fun to play. That, I suppose, is the whole point of playing a game and it meets the criteria. For the child version of myself had every right to treasure this game.

My memories are probably fonder back then but my appreciation of the game is a lot higher now. It is still probably my favourite Game Boy game.

Regardless of ease, still a great feeling to see this again!

7.5/10

Skitchin' - SEGA Mega Drive (1994)

Skitchen'
Platform: SEGA Mega Drive
Published: 1994

REVIEW BY MARK FOX (Admin)


Notes: 
- Skitching - The act of grabbing the back of a moving vehicle whist wearing roller blades. 
- Jeff van Dyke is a composer, known for his soundtrack development for hits such as Total War, Need for Speed and various EA Sports titles.

1994 was an interesting year for me; it mainly consisted of the Americanisation of my hobbies, sports, music and the dream of having one of those basement bedrooms with neon lighting. Although I couldn’t convince my parents to build a basement, I did however get the guitar and the grunge. I also got Skitchin’. For a 10 year old, north east lad going through an international identity crisis in 1994, this game epitomised that moment in time.


The Game
As mentioned above, it hit the stores in 1994 and coincided with the fact that aggressive inline skating competitions had risen to notoriety, due to newly acquired TV deals. The game consists of your character contesting in rollerblading races and fighting his way through each course with the hope of progression. Along with its basic plot, it also shares a view and track design similar to that of Road Rash. You can fight the other contestants with punches, kicks and weapons (like Road Rash); perform tricks via skating over fallen signs and ramps, along with the act of skitching itself. In reality, Skitchin’ is an evolution of Road Rash with added angst, which isn’t a bad thing as I also loved Road Rash as a child, almost as much as crisps, and still do. However, Skitchin’ brought a new twist to the tale, a fresh vibe to the scene and a tasty new flavour to the... crisp. 

The game starts by gripping your attention with a flashing red warning, informing you that the tricks performed are highly dangerous and that attempting such stunts may cause SERIOUS INJURY. I was hooked by this point. This is followed by an amazing graphic (as shown above), with a beastly grunge riff. Before we explore the game play, we must acknowledge the Seattle & Vancouver inspired sound design. It’s quite simply, a Discman of Jeff van Dyke grunge. You can listen to 16bit classics such as Cheese Grater, Bellybutton Lint, Jerky Curtains and Eat My Junk which would sit happily alongside your Alice in Chains & Dandelion collections. Considering the development limitations, it still sounds great today.

Much like the music, the location is inspired by its grunge roots. It features 12 course/cities including Denver, Seattle, and Vancouver, before finishing in New York. You must progress through each
course by finishing in the top 5. Each race also has an entry fee which needs to be taken in to consideration and funds can be acquired in numerous different ways. 
You can receive different cash prizes for your race finishing position, for the tricks you perform and for the knock downs you deliver to battling opponents. 
Depending on where you position in a race and the speed at which you complete, bonus rounds are made available. These consist of tricks and speed rounds, each offering cash prizes if you meet the objective set. 

You also earn small cash bonuses for every vehicle that you skitch in main races, however, some drivers slow down to a halt on purpose if they catch you, whilst other pop their boots, knocking you to the ground. You can earn $1 for each second that you skitch a cop car, but be warned, if you skitch a cop car for too long, they drag you to jail and impose a fine, which depletes your cash funds. 
If you take too much of a kicking from your opponents, you will be carted off to hospital, again costing you your valuable earnings. 
You must also visit the man with a van in between races to buy some new gear. You can buy gloves, wrist guards, elbow and knee pads, boots and wheels. You have 5 ranges for each item, from economy, up to professional quality. Each item and range differs in price and offer different life expectancies.

Before entering a race you are warned via visuals about the wear and tear of each of your items, so you know when it’s time to shop. Other than the general level difficulty, this is one of the harder aspects of the game because if you can’t afford new equipment prior to racing, it hinders your chances of race completion, sometimes resulting in your wheels breaking mid race.

Skitchin’ is a brilliant pick up and play game, much like Road Rash is, but this has more depth, style and charisma. The cut scene graphics are great; the general graphics don’t blow you away, but are
more than suitable for a 16 bit racer. The way your character must build up momentum before gaining speed is a neat touch, along with the additional speed garnered when you slingshot from the back of the car. A lot of what you do is based on timing, such as when to skitch by looking behind you at oncoming traffic, when to attack an opponent, when to move between vehicles and when you perform a trick. 
What it lacks in its originality, it by far makes up for in its playability, attention to detail and vibe regarding level, character and sound track design. It does stand the test of time, 21 years to be exact and it is overall, quite possibly, the best SEGA game in its field when you take everything in to consideration.

Now excuse me, I’m off to listen to ‘Smells like tuna’, whilst slapping a Vancouverite around on the back of a VW Polo Mk3.

8/10