Steel Empire Review

Subscribe To My YouTube Channel!

Shooters were still very popular in the early 90s for the Sega Genesis. In 1992, HOT B and Flying Edge teamed up and released “Steel Empire” for the Genesis. The side-scrolling shooter was unique in a variety of ways that made it fly above the generic shooters that flooded the market. It’s time to defend our homes in this Steel Empire review!

Steel Empire Plot:

When you picture a shooter in your head, I’m sure you imagine space with aliens or jet fighters with screaming missiles. Steel Empire took a much different but refreshing route with the setting. Set in the late 19th century (1800s) this world is an alternate reality of what Earth is.

Empires rule the planet, the largest one that has taken control of the world is called the “Steel Empire” run by its soldiers called “Motorheads”. These Motorheads have conquered most of the world except a small empire called the “Republic of Silverhead” that has engineered higher-performing energy to power their airplanes. The Motorheads still rely on steam-powered planes, making them less powerful. The Motorheads have tracked down the last of the Silverheads in a small base in Antarctica.

The player takes on the role of a Silverhead pilot who goes on seven missions to defend, attack and destroy the Steel Empire. The final fight takes place in space as the commander of the Motorheads has launched himself into orbit. After taking his ship down, the world is again free from the grip of the Steel Empire. Let’s fly into the gameplay portion of this Steel Empire review.

Steel Empire Gameplay:

As I mentioned in the preview, Steel Empire is a unique shooter that stands out in a wave of shooters from the early 90s. Most shooters, the ship can only shoot from the front but in Steel Empire, the pilot flies a plane with the ability to shoot in front and behind with a simple press of a different button. This action comes in handy because enemies will come from both in front and behind your plane, but the game does it fairly and it never feels overwhelming on the screen with enemies coming at you from both ends. I enjoy my fair share of shooters and this was one gimmick I thought needed to be discussed in my Steel Empire review.

All of Steel Empire’s levels take place in the sky, above the ocean or in caverns except for the final mission where you are in orbit. I think Steel Empire helped differentiate itself from all the space shooters by incorporating a different environment to go along with its alternate universe. During your missions, you’ll be able to level up per se by gaining experience. There will be certain planes that if you kill will drop little bubbles that give you bonus points, health, bombs, and experience. You’ll need the experience to fill your gauge up. When it gets filled up your bullets will become stronger and cause more damage against bosses. You can also get two twin ships that mimic your movements and shooting. I loved having them tag along during my Steel Empire review.

When worst comes to worst, you’ll have the option to deploy your secret weapon which is a giant bomb that will shoot lightning all over the screen. I didn’t use this option much except for when I came across two boss fights. The first time I used the bomb was when I was in a tight space and needed the boss ship to back up and the other was against the final boss when I blasted him with eight bombs that I had collected throughout the game.

After reviewing many different genres of games, I have discovered that I suck at one-on-one fighting games, but I’m not that bad with shooters. Steel Empire presented a moderate challenge, but I was able to overcome each level with just a few tries. I think the sprite of the plane I flew was very ugly and most of the enemy planes were ugly too, I’m just not a fan of the brown and red color match. What does work is the beautiful sprites of the bosses and large enemy blimps and ships. It was so much fun to fly near a gigantic ship or flying fortress and destroy it piece by piece. Vulnerable parts of the enemy will stick out and you’ll have to destroy that segment of the ship before moving on to the others.

During my Steel Empire review, I had the option to pick either an airplane or a blimp to pilot. The airplane is quicker but has less health, the blimp is slower but can take more damage. I never tried out the blimp sticking to the airplane. I thought it steered well and didn’t have any issues with controls. There were a few moments of screen lag but that actually helped me out as I could maneuver the bullets better.

There aren’t any cutscenes besides a small intro to Steel Empire at the beginning. You are briefed before each mission on where you are and who you fighting and why, which I thought was a nice touch.

Memories:
I never had a Sega Genesis growing up but I had a few friends who did. They didn’t have Steel Empire but as I got older and more into video games I heard that the Genesis was home to many great shooters. I looked into a few of them and settled on Steel Empire due to its unique setting. I had fun playing it and beat it within a day. Most shooters are extremely short, so it wasn’t a surprise to me that my Steel Empire review ended quickly.

Steel Empire Review Score:

Steel Empire brings a few unique elements to the shooter genre. I’m not a fan of steampunk, but the setting was nice to see instead of just stars and space. The ship I piloted was very ugly but some of the enemy sprites, particularly the boss ships were visually impressive. Being able to shoot both forward and backward was a fun touch and so was leveling up with experience. If you want a change of pace to the shooter genre pick up Steel Empire.

Steel Empire scores a 6.8 out of 10.

What would you write in your Steel Empire review? Have you heard of Steel Empire or played it before? How does it compare to other shooters you’ve played. Did you choose the airplane or the blimp to play as? Let me know your thoughts and memories, I’d love to read them!

Marvel’s Spider-Man Review

Subscribe To My YouTube Channel!

Superheroes have become mainstream since the mid-2000s. Spider-Man helped bring them to the next level and made it “cool” to watch superhero films and play Marvel and D.C. video games. While I’m not a huge fan of superheroes, I know an amazing game when I see one. Spider-Man if I had to pick is my favorite superhero from Marvel. In 2018, Insomniac games teamed up with Sony Interactive Entertainment to produce one of the greatest superhero games to date simply titled “Marvel’s Spider-Man”. The game was released exclusively for the PlayStation 4. Let’s swing into web-head’s greatest outing and see what makes this game special in this Marvel’s Spider-Man review!

Marvel’s Spider-Man Plot:

There are hundreds of Spider-Man stories and timelines, but this particular version takes place after Spider-Man has been established as a superhero. Peter Parker is a 23-year-old assistant struggling to balance his life as a superhero, and lab assistant, and maintaining a relationship with his on-again, off-again girlfriend Mary Jane.

I’m not going to explain who Spider-Man is and how Peter Parker got his powers because if you don’t know by now, don’t bother reading my Marvel’s Spider-Man review. Anyway, Spider-Man has recently put away Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin. A gang that wears ancient Chinese masks calling themselves the demons have been breaking into Fisk’s properties and stealing his assets in the hopes of finding something called “Devil’s Breath”.

Spider-Man teams up with Mary Jane who is a crime reporter and Officer Jefferson Davis who helps fight off a demon attack. He is recognized by his peers at a city event for his heroic work but the Demons unleash a deadly attack that kills Officer Davis and other bystanders.

There are a lot of subplots unfolding during the events of the main plot. Peter has discovered that the president of the shelter where his Aunt May works at is the leader of the Demon gang called Mister Negative. Norman Osborn has become the mayor and hires a professional (mercenary) police force to help fight the demons and uprising crime throughout the city. The force called Sable International is not fond of Spider-Man, to say the least.

Meanwhile, Peter continues to work with his mentor and boss Dr. Otto Octavius on a few formulas and scientific breakthroughs in artificial limbs. Unfortunately for them, their lab funds are dwindling and Dr. Octavius has been suffering from a crippling disease that is taking away his mobility.

It’s revealed that “Devil’s Breath” is a chemical bioweapon accidentally created by Oscorp when they were developing cures for diseases. Mister Negative and the Demons obtain the only sample and threaten to release it across the city unless Osborn surrenders. Spider-Man intervenes with their plan and captures Mister Negative enprisoning him.

Throughout the story, you continue to watch Dr. Octavious become more desperate to develop artificial limbs as his body’s mobility worsens. It’s a great arc to watch as he goes from a brilliant scientist and friend to Peter to a desperate man willing to sacrifice anyone and anything in order to advance his research. I understand why he does it and I think these villains are more relatable with the writers making them more human. I’m currently rewatching Breaking Bad, and I love the descent of Walter White as he slowly becomes more and more unstable. My favorite video games are able to pull me in with their storytelling and from start to finish, Spider-Man does just that.

Anyway, Dr. Octavious has been experimenting on himself in private with the mechanical limbs but they increasingly alter his moods and personality. He eventually breaks mentally and helps start a prison break freeing Mister Negative, Vulture, Scorpion, Rhino, and Electro. Dr. Octavious fully embraces his alter ego and Dr. Octopus is born as he now attaches his body with robotic limbs that can carry his frail body around and react to his thoughts a hundred times quicker than normal limbs.

Dr. Octopus unleashes the Devil’s Breath in Times Square infecting thousands including Aunt May. Mayor Osborn declares martial law and shifts all the blame onto Spider-Man for letting these circumstances happen. Meanwhile, Spider-Man has to defeat and recapture the escaped villains one by one who are causing chaos around the city.

Spider-Man defeats Mister Negative who had the only known antidote for Dragon’s Breath and takes it from him. Dr. Octopus steps in and beats the hell out of Spider-Man stealing the antidote in the process. Brutally wounded, Spider-Man builds an armored suit with the technology that he and Dr. Octavious created. With his new suit, Spider-Man defeats Dr. Octopus who reveals that he knew Spider-Man was Peter Parker all along. Peter returns to Aunt May who has been hospitalized. He has the opportunity to save Aunt May or use the antidote to create a vaccine to save thousands of lives. Aunt May reveals she knows Peter was Spider-Man before quietly dying. Amazing plot and writing. Let’s head to the gameplay section of this Marvel’s Spider-Man review to see if it can keep up.

Marvel’s Spider-Man Gameplay:

When you play this game, you truly feel like Spider-Man as you swing between buildings, sprint through the streets and alleys, and interact with citizens. The world is so reactive to your style of play it’s fascinating to watch everyone point or talk to Spider-Man as he passes by. Some even ask for selfies and you can pose for their cellphone!

Combat is extremely satisfying, as you continue to grow numerous powers and web enhancements. Similar to the Batman Arkham games, you’ll be able to take out ten or twenty thugs in just a few moves. Each boss fight is clever and it was fun to fight against famous Spider-Man villains throughout the years. The final battle against Dr. Octopus was epic and the atmosphere of the battle didn’t go unnoticed as former friends and colleagues went at it. I’ve reviewed a ton of games, and this was one of my favorite fights and had to make a special note of it in my Marvel’s Spider-Man review.

The entire city is open to exploration and there’s plenty to explore. You’ll find numerous side quests and objects to find. Normally, I don’t look to complete all of these tasks in games, but it was so satisfying and fun to explore the city that I completed every single one of the bonus objectives. Completing them unlocks new suits for Spider-Man that grant him new powers and bonus attributes. You can change suits whenever you please to test out the new powers. I feel like this added a lot to the game. It’s easy to find games where you can tell the developers put thought and love into making the game. These small but welcomed features made my Marvel’s Spider-Man review special.

I could not envision a better superhero game if I tried, Marvel’s Spider-Man offers everything you could want with a fantastic story, exceptional battle mechanics, beautiful graphics, and attention to detail. I spent just as much time slinging around the city for fun as I did playing the main story. The voice acting was superb to go along with the writing. It doesn’t matter if you’re a veteran Spider-Man fan or a newcomer, this game presents an enjoyable story and experience for everyone.

Memories:
Once I started playing this game, I was hooked. I hadn’t been this into a game in a long time, but from the first hour of gameplay, I was in. It was all I could think about and after work, I’d come home and play it for hours. I’ve said this before but I’m not into superheroes at all. I haven’t watched ANY of the Marvel movies besides the first Iron Man, and I don’t read comics. Marvel’s Spider-Man, however, is a work of art and it couldn’t have been crafted any better. I loved slinging through the city each night and listening to Spider-Man’s witty banter with everyone. This Marvel’s Spider-Man review was one of the most fun reviews I’ve completed in a while.

Marvel’s Spider-Man Review Score:

An epic story, with tremendous boss fights, a city full of life whether you swing on the rooftops or run through the streets, and a world packed full of secrets. Marvel’s Spider-Man rises above every other superhero game and swings to the top of the pedestal in which every developer and publisher of superhero games should strive for.

Marvel’s Spider-Man scores a 9.7 out of 10.

What would you write in your Marvel’s Spider-Man review? Is Marvel’s Spider-Man the best superhero video game? Who was your favorite villain to fight? Did you discover all the secrets in the game and what was your favorite suit? Let me know your thoughts and memories, I’d love to read them!

Paperboy Review

Subscribe To My YouTube Channel!

In 1985, Atari Games released Paperboy in the arcade. The simple but addicting task of delivering the daily paper on a street full of danger became an instant hit and resulted in Paperboy being one of the most ported games in the 1980s. Today, we’ll be slinging papers in the Game Boy version that was released in 1990. Pick up that stack of papers, and get rolling into this Paperboy review!

Paperboy Plot:

You play as a young boy who just wants to make it through one week of delivering “The Daily Sun” to your neighbors and friends on the street. This street, however, is no ordinary road. Unlucky for our brave paperboy, he’ll ride his bike past twisters, biting dogs, angry women with rolling pins, and even Death himself stands on the corner waiting for our young paperboy to ride by. The paperboy needs to make it through the week without losing all of the paper subscriptions or else he makes the front page for being fired. If you make it through the seven days, the newspaper will proclaim the local paperboy is a hero.

Also, do you see the cover of Paperboy? This little boy has gray hair from all the stress he encounters during his route! Now onto the gameplay portion of this Paperboy review!

Paperboy Gameplay:

The object of Paperboy is to deliver the paper for a full week to the newspaper’s subscribers. These houses will have an open mailbox by the sidewalk or next to their front door. Throwing the newspaper into the mailboxes or against the front door will result in keeping the subscriber as a customer. If you fail to throw the paper in these target areas or throw it through the window they will cancel their subscription. If you make a perfect run and deliver to all the customer you’ll pick up new customers. You’ll need to keep at least one subscriber throughout the week or else it’s game over.

Delivering newspapers seems simple but it’s far from it. There are stationary objects that you’ll have to avoid like lamps, tombstones, doghouses, plants and my biggest enemy during my Paperboy review, storm drains. Aside from the stationary objects, you’ll come across an interesting variety of moving objects that will make you crash if you hit them. There are dogs, runaway Hoola hoops, skateboarders, angry women with rolling pins, rogue lawnmowers, bikers, a man pumping air and even a strange lad trying to perform fellatio on himself. Don’t even think about veering off into the street as oncoming cars will hit you or storm drains will force you to crash. You’re better off on the sidewalk. The strangest objects in the games are twisters and Death himself, who will wait for the Paperboy on the corner. One-touch from him, and well you know how it goes.

Our paperboy has a limited number of papers he can throw. You can throw papers to deliver, sabotage non-subscriber’s houses for bonus points and defend yourself. If something is chasing you, you can hit it with a paper to make it stop. You’ll need to replenish your stash of papers by picking up a few stacks that are scattered around the street.

When you reach the end of the street, you’ll cross into the “training course” which is a fun zone filled with ramps over walls and water and targets for the paperboy to hit for bonus points. If you make it through the training course you’ll cross a finish line where you will be greeted by cheering fans. It’s a nice little bonus stage that I enjoyed during my Paperboy review.

Like most arcade games, Paperboy is not only about surviving but scoring points. You want to make it through the seven days without crashing multiple times but you also want to score points by trashing houses, delivering papers and making it through the training course.

The music is entrenched in my brain, it’s such a simple hook but it’s catchy and cheery making the world of Paperboy seem innocent with all the danger lurking down the block. I can’t speak for the colorful graphics, I know the NES version had them, but my Paperboy review was for the Game Boy and it’s just black and white. It doesn’t take away from the gameplay and it doesn’t make the upcoming danger hard to see.

Paperboy is a great arcade game and there’s a two-player option for head-to-head competition. Like most arcade games, it’s very short. If you want a simple game to burn an hour in the car, Paperboy is great but if you want a game that draws you into a story and has in-depth game mechanics, look elsewhere.

Memories:
I was first introduced to Paperboy when I was a very young child in the mid-90s. I had a friend who’s parents worked at the hospital with my dad and we’d end up being babysat together often at each other’s houses. He had a Nintendo and the game Paperboy. We were pretty young and Paperboy was easy enough for us to grasp and understand what the mission was. There was no reading or elaborate game controls, just peddle the bike and throw papers while avoiding danger.

I’m sure I talked about Paperboy to my parents because soon enough they bought me it for my Game Boy Pocket. I loved it so much and played it all the time. The music is vividly burned into my memory and I can hum it whenever I please. I spent many hours playing Paperboy in car rides.

Fast-forward to a few years after college when I found my Game Boy Pocket in storage along with a few games like Paperboy. I played it again, and this time had my wife (girlfriend at the time) play it too. She too had it for her Game Boy growing up. We spent a few nights playing it together and reminiscing about how good we used to be at it. It was nice to pay homage to a video game from my childhood when I finished my Paperboy review.

Paperboy Review Score:

I’m learning that some of my favorite video games have the simplest of concepts. Overcooked, Harvest Moon, Paperboy all take simple jobs and turn them into video game gold. If only these jobs worked like their games in real life! Paperboy is a classic, I’m surprised there’s not a remake of it today with the explosion of retro classics coming back.

Paperboy delivers.

Paperboy scores a 7.9 out of 10.

What would you write in your Paperboy review? What system did you first play Paperboy on? Have you made it through all seven days? Which object always knocked you down? Let me know your thoughts and memories, I’d love to read them!

If you want to own Paperboy you can purchase a preowned copy of it for the Game Boy on eBay for between $4-$8.

Super C Review

Subscribe To My YouTube Channel!

After the buzz from the 1988 run-and-gun shooter for the Nintendo that was Contra, Konami decided to produce a sequel in 1990 for the Nintendo. Our heroes Bill and Lance are back shooting up anything in their path to take down more aliens. Is their adventure more or less the same as the original? Bill and Lance are back for this Super C review!

Super C Plot:

It’s been one year since Bill Rizer and Lance Bean took down the evil Red Falcon terrorist organization and its alien leaders. The dangerous duo is called back into action, this time they must infiltrate an allied base as their brothers in arms have been possessed by aliens who are back with a vengeance and a new mutation to their bodies.

Let’s turn to the manual for more about… lemonade? Yeah, that’s right!

“Sipping cold lemonade with a couple of native lovelies. (Bill – Codename: “Mad Dog”) and (Lance – Codename: “Scorpion”) relax on a Rio beach and boast of how they destroyed the vile alien warmonger, Red Falcon. Little do they know that Red Falcon didn’t flee with his pointed tail between his legs. Instead, he tactically retreated to round up ruffians of the universe, friends from all walks of war, to mount a second assault on planet Earth.

One of these new recruits is Jagger Froid, a demented alien from the Black Hole Galaxy, who dishes out punishment with a laser-sharp tongue. Red Falcon has also shuttled in The Babalu Destructoid Mechanism, a giant alien attack tank, which was the primary weapon used to disintegrate the innocent solar system of Tralala.

But the genius behind Red Falcon’s Earth-conquering concept is his plan to have thousands of intergalactic warriors seep into the brains of the U.S. Army. It’s a mind contamination trick that has already taken command of U.S. forces at Fort Fire Storm.

How do we know that our soldiers have been brain trashed? You can see it in their eyes.

Now, if Mad Dog and Scorpion fail to recuperate from their months on the beach in time to destroy Red Falcon’s G.I. fortified Hate Nest, his sinister scheme will permeate the world’s mightiest power (nuclear missile silos included).

And if that happens, we’ll all be pushing up daisies.”

Once you defeat Red Falcon again you’ll be rewarded with a boring helicopter cutscene and credits! Let’s head to the gameplay portion of this Super C review.

Super C Gameplay:

If I wanted to be perfectly honest about Super C aka Super Contra, I would just copy my review of the original Contra and paste it in this blank space. Super C is almost an exact replica of the original, much like how Mega Man 1-6 are pretty much the same game with different bosses, Super C is the same game as Contra except for different bosses. My Super C review won’t differ much.

The gameplay is just as difficult as the last Contra with bullets, soldiers, and aliens flying everywhere on the screen. I actually found my Super C review to be slightly easier than its prequel. It only took me a little over an hour to beat. I had a few struggles in some boss battles, but that was to be expected. Once again you can choose between a variety of guns and power-ups, but I always stuck to the gun that sprayed bullets in different directions as I found it the most effective.

The first boss was a helicopter controlled by soldiers which made sense since the enemies are your former pals now controlled by aliens. After the first boss, I was surprised that the next level didn’t change to the “3D” vertical levels like the first Contra. I was a little bit disappointed because I enjoyed the challenge that they gave me. Instead, Super C has a few top-down view levels. Contra almost seemed like the sequel instead of Super C with the missing “3D” levels.

The next few bosses gave me a bit more of a challenge for my Super C review. There was a tank with three soldiers on it, a spider-walking tank, and a typical contra-style wall with targeting guns with weak points for you to hit. The wall is always tough to destroy because of the moving targets and bullets coming at you. You can never stay in one place and have to memorize the pattern of about eight different things on the screen. What’s up with all of these walls in the Contra series? I’ve never played a video game series with killer walls all over the place and it’s not just boss fights. You’ll be running through a level and small walls will pop up from the ground with mounted guns and start popping off at you. There are walls you’ll have to break through in order to advance and there are walls with spikes too. Good thing Bill and Lance are always balls to the wall.

After having no problem with the first four or five levels, things quickly changed on the topdown levels where enemies came at you from every angle. It was best just to find one path and walk up to it instead of walking all over the screen hoping to dodge every alien. Once you get into the base of the aliens, you realize you’re in for a fight. There was this “ant hole” level where these little bugs would crawl out of holes in the walls. There must have been 10 at a time coming at me, I died often but finally managed to get through it by sticking to one side of the screen and mashing the fire button.

The final level is actually quite fun, and the boss was tough. Some of the bosses from Contra and Super C are so bizarre. They rival the crazy combination of bosses found in Altered Beast. On the final level, the ceiling collapses on you and you have to hide under stable sections while aliens chase you until you reach the final boss which looks like a giant stone statue that shoots baby spiders at you. Major bonus points in my Super C review for unique bosses.

Memories:
Like the original Contra, I remember playing this at work. (Whoops) Sometimes I had significant downtime and did my best to fill it with video games that I knew were beatable within a few hours. Super C tested my patience but I was able to complete my Super C review in about an hour. I’m not a pro at it like some of the gamers on YouTube that beat the game in 15 minutes but I thought I did pretty well for myself.

Super C Review Score:

Super C should really be called “Same C” because it’s just like the original Contra. That’s not bad because the first Contra was a solid game packed with action. The sequel doesn’t add anything, but it also doesn’t make any fatal mistakes by trying to be something it’s not. At the end of the day, Konami just wants to make money and the first Contra made them money, so why change the formula?

You just can’t get rid of these bad motherfuckers in Bill Rizer and Lance Bean, the two most intimidating and somersaulting dudes in the universe.

Let’s see…what did I give Contra for a score…a 7.7? Okay, that sounds about right for Super C then too.

Super C scores a 7.7 out of 10.

What would you write in your Super C review? Do you think Contra and Super C are too similar? What was your favorite boss to fight? What’d you think of the top-down levels? Let me know your thoughts and memories, I’d love to read them!

Harvest Moon Review

Subscribe To My YouTube Channel!

In 1997, the Super Nintendo was on its last legs but that didn’t mean that there weren’t great games being produced for it still. Video games can take boring, mundane, and obligated tasks and turn them into fun. Harvest Moon started the farming craze back in 1997 when Natsume released it for the Super Nintendo. Who knew that running a farm, planting crops, and raising animals could be so fun? Natsume did and the series continues today. Time to save your Grandpa’s farm so let’s plow a path in this Harvest Moon review!

Harvest Moon Plot:

Harvest Moon begins when a young man’s parents gift him with his deceased grandfather’s old farm. The farm is rundown, full of weeds, stones, and is in shambles. The father gives the son two and a half years to get the farm up again and making money.

Over that period, the player must renovate the farm, grow large fields of crops and raise farm animals like chickens and cows. If you want the best ending, you’ll need to woe several bachelorettes in the neighboring town, convince them to marry you and have children with them. During the middle of the second year, your father will return and judge your farm.

There’s a ton of Harvest Moon games out there but the main goal never really changes. Take over a farm, make it successful and make money! Let’s head to the gameplay portion of this Harvest Moon review.

Harvest Moon Gameplay:

Like all the other Harvest Moons, you must balance your time and energy to perform daily tasks that will benefit your farm. You’ll need to pull weeds, stumps, and stones out of your soil so you can ho the dirt and plant crops. You’ll be able to grow and sell corn, tomatoes, potatoes, and turnips, each has a specific season that they can grow.

Aside from planting crops, the farmer needs to manage animals on the farm. You’ll be able to purchase chickens and cows from the local town. When you give them attention and feed them, they’ll produce milk and eggs for you to sell. You’ll also have ownership of a horse and a dog.

The majority of your day is spent on the farm making sure everything is running smooth but after a hard day’s work, you can visit two other areas in Harvest Moon. The local town is just a quick walk away and offers a few buildings to visit. There’s a tool shop, a flower shop, a church, a bar, and a restaurant for you to visit and interact with the characters who work and visit these places. You’ll visit each of these places multiple times throughout the game if you want to advance any plot points or improve your farm.

Speaking of improvement, you’ll have tools to help you on the farm. At first, they are basic tools like an ax or hammer but through quests and money, you can improve your tools to make your tasks easier and shorter. You can also visit the forest and mountain peak near your farm. You’ll be able to pick berries and chop wood for your farm expansions.

Once you’re in a grove with dividing your time between farming and raising animals, it’s time to start courting a wife. You’ll have your pick a few different lovely ladies but my wife always chose Nina during her Harvest Moon review who has pink hair that she has affectionately nicknamed Nina as “cotton candy”. My wife will try and “bang all the hos” in Harvest Moon but Nina always comes out on top for her marriage material. To get the girls to like you, you’ll have to give them gifts, talk to them daily and do small tasks for them when they ask. Once you’re married, your wife will move in with you and you can begin to have children. The toddler looks like a kid in Yoda pajamas and likes to say “Boo-Boo Dah” when you talk to it.

In Harvest Moon, you’ll do the same tasks over and over each day, but the game tries and keeps you guessing with fun events. Some events are random, some are seasonal. There will be festivals to attend where you can mingle with the ladies and townsfolk. Storms, hurricanes, and earthquakes will occur that ruin your crops and tear up your farm.

Numerous secrets can be found throughout Harvest Moon. You never know what you’ll end up doing each day which kept my wife playing. She may have started of hoeing the fields (she would) but by night she’s at an egg festival.

Harvest Moon came out late in the life of the Super Nintendo but the 2D graphics were perfect for the system. I prefer them still over the newer 3D version. My wife is currently playing the newest Harvest Moon that came out in 2019 and I still think the SNES version looks a million times better. The sprites are beautifully colored and there are details in every screen whether it’s the crops, the forest, the townsfolk or the water in which you can fish. Harvest Moon was detailed very well and its beautiful setting made it a game that I wanted to watch my wife play.

Memories:
I have Harvest Moon on an emulator on one of my laptops. Each Summer my wife and I go on a road trip to a city we’ve never been to. She brought the laptop a few years back and she played it for this Harvest Moon review the entire way there and back on it. It was cute to listen to her get excited about purchasing a cow or talking to one of the girls in town. She loved checking their diaries to see how much they liked her.

Here’s a memory from my wife as she during the Harvest Moon review.

“I didn’t like it at the beginning because there was no tutorial. The only way that you learn stuff is to look at forums or google the question. If I didn’t have the internet to look stuff up at first, I’d be lost. It took me a while, but I ended up really liking it. I married the hardest girl to get so I was proud of that. I got the best ending, but I liked seeing all the other ones. I enjoyed the credits to the game as it shows highlights of your work.”

Harvest Moon Review Score:

Harvest Moon invented the farming genre and they nailed it on their first try. Offering farm animals, numerous crops, a marriage quest and a world full of secrets, Harvest Moon launched one of the best series for the casual gamer. Special thanks to my wife who gave me the input for this Harvest Moon review. This is her score for Harvest Moon.

Harvest Moon scores an 8.2 out of 10.

What would you write in your Harvest Moon review? Did you play Harvest Moon when it first came out for the SNES? Have you gotten into the series later? Which girl did you choose to marry? Let me know your thoughts and memories, I’d love to read them!

Dead or Alive Review

Subscribe To My YouTube Channel!

Fighting franchises were popping up in the 90s every year. Some would become mainstream franchises, others not so much. If you think of the franchises you’ll start with Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, perhaps Tekken but the Dead Or Alive franchise has flown under the radar for most of its life. Team Ninja and Tecmo teamed up and released Dead or Alive in the arcade and in 1998 ported it to the PlayStation. As Gerald Broflovski from South Park puts it best “Curse Your Rocking Tits”, let’s enter the ring in this Dead or Alive review!

Dead or Alive Plot:

Dead or Alive is a tournament held annually by founder Fame Douglas. This tournament offers fighters from all around the world to fight the best of the best in mixed-martial arts. The champion receives a large sum of cash.

The story for Dead or Alive is simple, but each fighter has a reason for entering the tournament. Let’s take a look at the roster for the first game in this Dead or Alive review. These bios come straight from the manual.

Kasumi

Kasumi – Kasumi’s brother, Hayate, was next in line to succeed as the 18th master of the Mugen Tenjin Academy…until one fateful day when an assassin attacked and crippled him. Her father Shiden was left bitter and refuses to mention the details surrounding the attack. Kasumi wants revenge, and she’s determined to succeed as the 18th master of the school. Kasumi is the main protagonist in the first game and wins the tournament. She fights an evil ninja named Raidou in the championship who was the man to cripple her brother. It turns out Raidou was exiled from Kasumi’s clan.

Occupation: (While not in the manual, I assume she is an MMA teacher)
Favorite Food: Strawberry Mille-Feuilles
Hobby: Fortune telling

Jann Lee

Jann Lee – Jann Lee’s parents escaped from China’s Maoist regime when the boy was a child, then left him an orphan, alone to fend for himself. He threw himself into the study of Ji Kun Do soon after. At first, he fought to replace what he had lost when his parents died, but eventually, Jann fought just for the sake of fighting.

Occupation: Body Guard
Favorite Food: Hamburger and grapefruits
Hobby: Watching action movies

Lei Fang

Lei Fang – Lei Fang is an impulsive, yet determined prodigy of Tai Kyoku Ken. Don’t let her sweet smile fool you…she may look like an angel, but she’s got a devilish determination to prove herself. You’d better keep your eyes on her at all times.

Her confidence has been shaken just once, several years ago. Lei was challenged by a gang of street fighters. She was prepared to take them on single-handedly, but a boy named Gi, wearing a dragon emblem, suddenly jumped to her rescue. If there’s one thing Lei hates, it’s someone assuming that she can’t handle things on her own. The incident left her determined to find and defeat Gi…and anyone standing in her way. (Gi does not appear in the tournament)

Occupation: College Student
Favorite Food: Almond Jelly
Hobby: Karaoke

Bayman

Bayman – As a child, Bayman witnessed the assassination of his parents, carried out under martial order. He was later trained by the Russian military in commando-style fighting and served as a special agent for years. Until the day he made one fatal mistake involving the Kremlin’s favorite daughter. He was banished from the Special Forces forever, and exiled to Brighton Beach, New York.

He now works as a professional assassin. Bayman is posing as a participant of the DOA tournament, but his true assignment is to find and exterminate Fame Douglas the notorious leader of the DOA tournament.

Occupation: Assassin
Favorite Food: Beef Stew
Hobby: Collecting Fire Arms, Chess

Tina

Tina – Tina has been a pro wrestler since high school and has worked her way up to become one of Dead or Alive’s most feared lethal competitors. Tina’s father, trainer, and chief support, Bass Armstrong, also joins the tournament this year. Tina almost threw in the gloves last year until her father stepped in again and convinced her to take on the world. Bass thinks Tina is in it for the glory of winning the DOA championship tournament but her real aim is to be discovered in Hollywood.

Occupation: Wrestler
Favorite Food: Seafood
Hobby: Outdoor Sports, Laser Tag

Ryu Hayabusa

Ryu Hayabusa – A dark figure approaches and hands Ryu a piece of paper stained with something red. Then, without a word, the figure slips away. Welcome to Dead or Alive – from Fame Douglas.

Ryu bears the name “Hayabusa” an honor bestowed upon only the most distinguished of Ninja’s coming from the Hayabusa School. His life had been a continuous fight until he met his love, Aileen, and found satisfaction in peace. But his thirst for challenge returned when he learned that his best friend’s sister, Kasumi, had disappeared.

The invitation in his hand beckoned and winked like an old lover. Another seduction from the dark. Once again, Ryu became a shadow of darkness.

Occupation: Antique Shop Owner
Favorite Food: Sushi
Hobby: Mountain climbing, fishing

Zack

Zack – Reporter: “We’re here with Mr. Zack, who is about to participate in the DOA championship. Mr. Zack…
Zack: “Where’s the camera? Are you sure you’ve got my best side?”
Reporter: “Mr. Zack, uh, that’s a little too close to the camera. Great. So I understand that you studied the ancient martial art Muetai…”
Zack: “Hey man, sorry-you know what I mean? Gotta Go. Thanks for your support. It’s gonna be a cool night. The prize is mine.”
Reporter: “Sir, I…”
Zack: “Sorry, man. Be cool. This tournament rocks!”

Occupation: DJ
Favorite Food: Ice Cream
Hobby: Pool Bar

Gen Fu

Gen Fu – Gen Fu left his native China in 1976. He barely made his escape before his cohorts were caught and imprisoned under the misnomer “gang of Four”.

No one knows the real reason Gen Fu recently came out of retirement. No one would guess about the dream that haunts Gen Fu nightly. Only his closest enemies suspect that something profound must have caused the old man to come out of retirement. (Could it have anything to do with the tragedy surrounding his granddaughter Mei Linn?)

Gen Fu may appear to be just a feeble shop owner, but this master of Shin-I Rokugo Ken is no one to patronize… he never misses an opportunity to test his lethal acumen.

Occupation: Used Bookstore Owner
Favorite Food: Mabo Tofu
Hobby: Chinese Painting

That’s it for the fighters in the manual. The PlayStation version included two new fighters in the tournament. Tina’s father Bass Armstrong who is mentioned in her bio and Kasumi’s half-sister, Ayana. You can also unlock Raidou.

Bass
Raidou
Ayana

Dead or Alive Gameplay:

Where to begin on the very obvious and large element in the game that stood out to me right from the start? I try and type this Dead or Alive review with a straight face but it’s difficult because of the bouncing images in my head but the first thing you’ll notice if you fight as a female character or fight one of them is how excessive their boobs bounce. It’s hilarious and I couldn’t believe it when I first started playing.

After beating the game with each fighter, I still couldn’t get over their jiggling jugs. It’s so over-the-top but I get a laugh out of it. Dead or Alive is known to sexualize their female characters, and right from the start, they cranked the boobage to a 10. If you are the type to get offended easily, there’s an option to turn off the boob bouncing, but if you select that I can just assume you are a miserable grump.

Okay, now that I have that feature out of the way, let’s get to the fighting aspect in this Dead or Alive review. Dead or Alive offers a new option for fighting games that I think works pretty well. Instead of a “guard” position, you can hit square and enter a hold position to catch your opponent’s foot, leg, arm or fist if they try and attack you. You’ll be able to reverse the attack and send them back the other way.

This comes into play when you fight very aggressive opponents and really is the only way to defeat the upper-tier fighters. Each fight is the best two-out-of-three, with rounds being 30 seconds each encouraging you to make quick work of your opponent. There’s no “ring out” but there is the “danger zone” which is outside of the fighting square. If you knock your opponent down outside of the ring, they’ll fall onto an explosion for extra damage, but be careful because the same can happen to you. It was fun to K.O. my opponents outside the ring because when they are knocked out their body flies like 50 feet in the air before coming down.

Besides the boob physics, I thought the fighting physics was generally well-done. There is a quality of smoothness when you catch your opponent’s attack or when you each throw a punch or kick at each other. You don’t just bounce off each other, but the limbs lock into place realistically. One thing that could have used some work was how slow the fighters moved toward each other. I’d inch my way to my opponent if they were a few feet away. I needed a button to activate a walk or run toward them. The AI had no trouble running at me so perhaps there is a way.

I’m not good at fighting games. I’m quickly and sadly learning that. Mortal Kombat destroyed me. My Dead or Alive review was slightly easier but even in normal mode, it’s difficult to get to the final fight without getting knocked out 50 times by various fighters. Perhaps, I just don’t have the patience required to learn the moves and mechanics of each fighter and I just button mash my way to victory.

Dead or Alive offers a variety of other modes besides the tournament. You can train against a dummy fighter, something I should have done, but there’s also a survival mode, team battle mode, and arcade mode. It’s nice to see fighting games include extras like this. Speaking of extras, Dead or Alive is all about extra outfits. You can unlock outfights for each fighter, some even have five different outfits to wear, most of the girls have some type of slutty wear for your viewing pleasure. I didn’t have the patience to unlock everything.

I liked the back story for all the characters, but you know what really blows? No cutscenes! Even when you beat the game, there’s no character story arc ending, it just shows a brief lame photo of the character and that’s it! If you don’t read the manual you have no idea why these characters are fighting or who they are fighting for!

Memories:
I just started using eBay to buy some games and I found Dead or Alive for the PS1 for $5 on there. It works perfect and came with the case. It was a good purchase but as soon as I put it in, I couldn’t help but laugh with all the bounce this game comes with. I showed my wife and she couldn’t believe it either. I played the game for a bit before putting it away until I chose to write my Dead or Alive review.

My favorite fighter was Lei Fang. She had dope kicks and I used her flexibility and quickness as my strength. She controlled better than the other fighters in my opinion and was much less stiff.

Dead or Alive Review Score:

Dead or Alive presents an interesting combat technique with the hold button. It works well and offers something different than just a “guard”. I had a tough time pulling off any combos and just resorted to button mashing. If you like fighting games with characters’ stories, look elsewhere, but if you like big boobs that smack the girls in the face, Dead or Alive is your game.

Dead or Alive scores a 6.6 out of 10.

What would you write in your Dead or Alive review? Could you contain your laughter with the massive tits slapping everywhere? Who did you pick as your fighter? How does Dead or Alive compare to other fighters? Let me know your thoughts and memories, I’d love to read them!

Ico Review

Subscribe To My YouTube Channel!

Japanese game creators are known for putting out bizarre video games with silly concepts. “You’re a mosquito and you must bite that woman’s breast” or “play through this maze that simulates an acid trip”, I’m not joking those are both real games. Japan may produce some whacky games, but they also produce a ton of brilliantly beautiful fresh concept games. That’s what happened in 2001, when SCE Japan Studio, Team Ico and Sony Computer Entertainment teamed up and released “Ico” for the PlayStation 2. Put on your horn hat because we’re rescuing the princess in this Ico review!

Ico Plot:

Ico has very little dialogue in the game but gives hints on what is happening. The game starts with a young boy being taken to an abandoned castle by a group of men on horseback. He is placed within a stone tomb and locked away as the men leave. This boy will be the main protagonist named Ico, but he isn’t just any boy, he is a boy born with horns, maybe six or seven inches long on his head. The men have placed him in the castle to be sacrificed.

After an earthquake occurs, Ico can escape from his broken stone tomb. He begins to explore the castle and discovers a young girl named Yorda who has been imprisoned. Despite not being able to understand her, (you can’t either) Ico and Yorda work together to escape from the castle. During their journey, they encounter dark shadow creatures who come up from the ground or fly down from the walls. These shadows try to forcefully take Yorda away and drag her into shadow pits. Ico does his best to beat them off (LOL) with a stick.

Ico believed the castle to be abandoned but just as the two are crossing a bridge leading to safety, a dark queen appears who rules the castle. She informs Ico that Yorda is her daughter and will never permit her to leave the castle. The Queen then destroys the bridge separating Ico and Yorda as Ico falls off and lands unconsciously.

When he wakes up, Ico is beneath the castle and slowly begins to work his way back up, finding a magical sword in the process that effectively fights off the shadows. Ico finds and confronts the Queen who has turned Yorda into a stone statue. She informs Ico that she plans to begin a new life using Yorda’s body. Ico fights the Queen, using the magical sword to block her shadow attacks and eventually kills her. With the Queen dead, the castle begins to crumble and Yorda starts to turn back into flesh. Ico has been badly hurt in the fight with the Queen, his horns are broken and he passes out again. Yorda carries him to a small boat and sends it away on the water.

Ico regains consciousness on a beach and begins to explore it. He finds Yorda’s body on the shoreline back in her normal human form. She begins to wake and smiles at his as the game ends. For those who have read my previous reviews, you know how much I enjoy a great plot. Ico has a mysterious plot that made me continually wonder what was going to happen next. I was hooked and made sure I completed my Ico review.

Ico Gameplay:

There’s been a lot said about the controls of Ico and how difficult it can be to get Yorda to follow your instructions. In my Ico review, I didn’t struggle that much with her but there was some learning curves. As Ico, it’s up to you to help Yorda navigate the platforming puzzles but pushing box stones around or directing her to jump. It’s humorous sometimes to watch her struggle with your instructions, after all, she doesn’t speak your language. You can grab her hand and make her follow you which is what most people end up doing, especially when the shadows come.

This comic from Penny Arcade always makes me laugh!

It was rare that the shadows were able to abduct Yorda away, but they did pull it off a few times. Ico can attack them with a stick to swat them away from himself or Yorda, but if they grab her, they’ll fly off with her and try and take her to a shadow pit where she’ll disappear. Ico can grab her hand and pull her out but you have to make it to the pit before she sinks.

Back in 2001, Ico was a beautiful game with its graphics. There’s a lot of bricks and stone but it was an amazing castle. It was a refreshing sense of gameplay too. Up to that point I can’t name a game that had a style, concept, and controls like Ico. Everything about the game was fresh and exciting. Who was Ico? Why did he have horns? Who was this Yorda and what’s up with her mom who hates her? Ico was a big question mark that everyone was dying to solve.

There’s a real sense of fear when you play. I’ll touch more on that in the memory section of this Ico review, but being on the edge constantly about shadows appearing wore me down. I cringed every time I went through a door or discovered a new room because I knew those shadows would be appearing at any moment. Don’t confuse my fear for Ico being a horror or thriller game, it’s not at all. It’s just something about the shadows freaked me out, the wait was worse than the actual fights.

Besides fighting you’ll have to do your fair share of puzzle-solving on which room to enter, or how to get Yorda up broken stairs or climb a wall. It’s not too difficult, but the solution is not always right in front of you. Some puzzles took me a few minutes while others took around 15 minutes to figure out.

Memories:
I remember when this game came out there was a lot of hype around it. I used to read PlayStation Magazine religiously in middle school, and this game was fresh on the market. I didn’t know what it was about, just that it was supposed to be a great game. I wasn’t able to play and complete my Ico review until just a few years ago when I received the HD version of it. For some reason, I kept freaking out internally about the black shadows coming to get Ico or Yorda. It was a strange time in my life, I don’t know why it made me so uncomfortable waiting on the inevitable. It felt like a panic attack was always right around the corner and sometimes I had to force myself to keep playing. It was a strange feeling, but I’m glad that hasn’t happened with other games. I do remember that I got stuck on the witch. She was difficult until you figured out the trick to beating her, then I beat her with no issues, but I suppose that’s how it goes for almost every boss in video games.

Ico Review Score:

Ico showed off what the PS2 could offer with its concepts, gameplay, and unique story. The game had minimal dialogue, minimal fighting, and it took place in a huge empty castle but everything came together making a terrific game that many remember. By far, the worst thing that happened with Ico was the terrible North American box cover. It’s so hideous, who thought that was a good idea? The European box is way better, so do yourself a favor and google it. So many games ask us to rescue the princess, but Ico presented a brand new way to do it.

Ico scores a 9.2 out of 10.

What would you write in your Ico review? What were your thoughts on Ico when it first came out? Why does he have horns and who is he? Did you hate the anticipation of the shadows like I did? Was the Queen a difficult battle? Let me know your thoughts and memories, I’d love to read them!

If you want to own Ico you can purchase a preowned copy of it for the PS2 on eBay for between $10-$25.

Dead Nation Review

Subscribe To My YouTube Channel!

Back in 2010, the Zombie craze was still raging in America. You couldn’t play a game, watch a movie or tv show or read a book without there being zombies in it. During this outbreak of the walking dead, developer Housemarque teamed up with Sony Computer Entertainment and released “Dead Nation” for the PlayStation 3 and later the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. This top-down zombie shooter combined elements of the popular genre to put together a solid zombie adventure. Get hungry for brains in his Dead Nation review!

Dead Nation Plot:

The world burns as the human race has collapsed under a virus outbreak. Resources of food, water, and other essentials have started to dwindle as survivors struggle. Zombies attack in packs, with both slow and steady zombies and quick sprinting ones. Two survivors are left in an unknown city. Jack McReady and Scarlett Blake pick up a radio transmission which is the first sign of human life they’ve heard in a while. With the last of their supplies packed, they arm themselves with a few guns and set out to the police station in hopes the radio signal coming in clearer.

Fighting through zombies on the streets, the two make it to the police station but realize they need to get to higher ground for the signal to come in properly. Reaching the top of a tower, they hear the transmission from a man named Doctor Morton, a scientist working on a cure for the virus for a company named Egogate Pharmacy. As both Jack and Scarlett are unaffected by the virus, Doctor Morton pleads with them to come to his lab so he can get a sample of their DNA to complete the cure. He also informs them that he needs a tissue sample from the first human to contract the virus, aka patient zero whose body happens to be at a hospital nearby.

Jack and Scarlett agree to help Doctor Morton continuing to fight off hordes of the undead as they make their way to the hospital. They soon discover that the body of patient zero was buried in a graveyard close by. As the hunt for patient zero continues, they learn that his body was never buried but transported away from the graveyard by a train to the harbor and then again to an airport. The zombie attacks worsen as advanced zombies begin to attack Jack and Scarlett as they barely escape the hordes. They find patient zero and severely his head taking it with them as they escape in an abandoned helicopter at the airport.

They fly to Doctor Morton and his underground facility where it is safe, giving him the head and their samples of DNA. Doctor Morton betrays them and injects them with a serum that paralyzes them. Both wake up in large glass tubes filled with biological liquid and serum. Doctor Morton had betrayed them in hopes of turning them into superweapons for his pharmacy company. It’s revealed that both Jack and Scarlett kept cyanide capsules stored in their teeth as a last resort if the zombies got them. They decide to bite the capsule as they slowly turn into zombies before Doctor Morton. He loses control over them and their first kill is him.

Dead Nation Gameplay:

Dead Nation is a top-down shooter where you control the movement with one joystick and the aim of the weapon with the other. I haven’t played many top-down shooters, but I loved the way the controls worked, everything was smooth and I had no issues aiming during my Dead Nation review.

I teamed up with my wife during our Dead Nation review as we took control of both Jack and Scarlett and made our way through the city. Each level ends as you make your way to a safe zone that is fenced in with an equipment truck that will refill your ammo, upgrade your weapons, and buy armor. It’s a great system that sets you up for success and encourages you to kill and explore to obtain more money. You’ll have access to pistols, machine guns, flamethrowers, shotguns, and more.

There are all kinds of zombies, but they are all the typical zombie types you’d find in a video game. You have your slow and stupid zombies that can barely walk, you have the sprinters who will run at you, and there are lurkers that will hide in the shadows and wait for you to get near. My favorite to kill were the super fattys that exploded when you pumped them full of enough lead. We nicknamed them “Shannons” as an inside joke. Sometimes you’d get all of the types to attack at once and you’d have to focus on what ones were more important to take out first.

During our Dead Nation review we had sidearms, like grenades, mines, and Molotov cocktails that came in very handy when fighting hordes. Zombies can be distracted by noise, so if there was a car nearby you could set the alarm off and they’d attack it causing it to explode and kill them. It was little things like this that made the game fun to play, it wasn’t just holding down the trigger button, but planning your attack, knowing when to run and fight.

We were able to get through most of the levels on our first or second try but the final level was hard. We played it around ten times and each time we got a little further, knowing which zombies came out when and where to place our mines, grenades, etc. After some memorization and luck, we were able to beat the level and complete our Dead Nation review.

The story is told through a graphic novel-style presentation, illustrations are shown on the screen as the characters talk and tell the story. It’s not my favorite type of cut scene but it works for Dead Nation. This a minor complaint I had and I know this is on purpose, but the game is so dark! Not in its story, but in the actual environment. Sometimes it was hard to see where my character was and it was certainly hard to visually see all the zombies coming my way. When we died it was because we couldn’t see what we were doing. You can collect health packs that are hidden around the level but be warned, there’s a good chance you’ll laugh when you get them. Both characters will moan out in ecstasy when they heal themselves. It’s quite comical and we both laughed numerous times and started doing impressions of the characters.

Memories:
I downloaded this game and beat it by myself in college. It was fun, but when my wife played it with me, it was ten times better. This is meant to be a co-op game and we enjoyed making our way through the hordes. I had to take the flamethrower away from my wife though as she set everything on the screen on fire, myself and her included. She was not thrilled when I banned it.

Dead Nation Review Score:

Dead Nation is unique in many ways with the comic book style cutscenes, twin-stick controls, and the top-down view. It’s shorter than most games and can be beaten within a weekend, but it’s a recommended experience. If you love couch co-ops, and zombies, you’ll love Dead Nation.

Dead Nation scores a 7.5 out of 10.

What would you write in your Dead Nation review? Have you played Dead Nation with a friend? Where’s it rank in your zombie games? Did you pick Jack or Scarlett to play with? Let me know your thoughts and memories, I’d love to read them!

Fantasy Zone II Review

Subscribe To My YouTube Channel!

Sega couldn’t get enough of Opa-Opa in the first Fantasy Zone, so they decided to produce a sequel in 1987 for the Sega Master System. Fantasy Zone II added warp tiles, larger levels, and hidden secrets. Fantasy Zone II was one of the first games I ever played as a child. I spent many hours sitting in front of the TV playing it’s brightly colored graphics. It gets real weird in this Fantasy Zone II review.

Fantasy Zone II Plot: 

Opa-Opa is the main character in the Fantasy Zone series. He defended the Fantasy Zone which is a section in space from the invading army led by his father in the first game. It’s been ten years since the first battle of the Fantasy Zone, and now a new invading army is back. 

Defeating this army won’t be easy, as Opa-Opa must fight through eight worlds, each with sub-levels in them. Clearing out the enemy bases will open up the warp tile to the boss. In the end, Opa-Opa faces the commanding ship of the enemy army which turns out to be himself? Fantasy Zone is just a cute shooter, but Sega really wanted to inject it with a crazy story. After defeating your evil twin by shedding tears onto him (yes, I’m serious) Opa-Opa flies off with his father. Confused? So was I! Sega recognized that players would be so they wrote an in-depth story explaining the game after you beat it. It’s a unique story and I suppose I give them credit for trying to incorporate it. Bonus points for the Fantasy Zone II review.

“With the riddle of “Who is the enemy’s mastermind?” Further deepening, the war comes to an end. Peace will once again be restored to the Fantasy Zone.”

Space Year June 29, 6226. 

“Who was the mastermind leading the enemy forces that so closely physically resembled Opa-Opa and fought with the same functional weapon?

It was in reality, Opa-Opa’s other-self. Due to the emotional stress brought about as a result of war during his childhood, he developed a dual personality of virtue and vice, unknown even to himself. Only his father was aware of this fact. 

Splitting into two separate beings, he became in addition to his role as the hero, the enemy’s mastermind, thus because of the paternal bond existing between them, his father had no alternative but to assume the role of their leader. 

Now, as a result of Opa-Opa’s courageous victory, the evil being that dwelled in him had been destroyed. Deeply moved, Opa-Opa can no longer contain his tears, which as they fall, signify his return to the sole path of righteousness. 

Opa-Opa vows that never again will war occur.”

So this cute little spaceship you’ve been playing as has been dealing with serious emotional and physical stress since a child resulting in him splitting, yes quite literally splitting his physical self in half so his evil urges could separate into another version of himself. That evil version led the attack on Fantasy Zone. 

While I enjoy elaborate stories with in-depth plots, I think a simple “An evil army has invaded the Fantasy Zone. Fight back and take out their commander!” would have sufficed. 

Fanasy Zone II Gameplay: 

There are a few things you’ll notice right away between the first and second Fantasy Zones. The first is the introduction of the warp tiles. Killing enemy bases will make them drop money, sometimes even dollar bills which is another new feature but some enemy bases cover-up warp tiles that will warp Opa-Opa to other sections in the world. It’s required to defeat all the bases in the world. With the inclusion of this feature, Fantasy Zone II becomes more than double the size of the original Fantasy Zone. 

I found the bosses to be slightly easier than the original Fantasy Zone. Many times, I didn’t need a special weapon like the laser beam or wide beam to defeat them. Using the Twin Shot was just as effective. I thought you’d be able to keep a special weapon as your main weapon after collecting all the engines, similar to the first game. That was not the case to my disappointment in my Fantasy Zone II review. I have to say though that I got a chuckle after purchasing the twin big bombs. Dropping them down on opponents, the bombs are painted like the American flag. USA! USA! USA! Remember, this was made in Japan, so they certainly respect the power of the American army giving it a nod with those bombs. 

The levels become increasingly difficult and around world six it really ramps up. Enemies shooting at you is the least of your worries as they fly around so fast you’re more likely to be kamikazed by them than shot down. Some enemies are drawn to you like a bug to the light, and they’ll constantly fly around you just waiting for you to make a mistake. 

To help you combat the enemies are cloud shops found throughout the world. These were my safe havens during my Fantasy Zone II review. Some are hidden, you’ll have to shoot them constantly to make them appear. I also found a hidden clock but I didn’t know what it did. Let’s take a look at the bosses you’ll face in Fantasy Zone II. 

Boss #1 – A wooden log that floats backward. He’s not the danger, it’s the tiny logs floating toward you that you have to navigate through while shooting him. 

Boss #2 – This totem pole boss looks like the mustache version of Freddie Mercury who spews hammers at you. You’ll have to shoot everything except his head to defeat him. 

Boss #3 – A giant eye encased around ice. He floats around the screen occasionally firing at you. 

Boss #4 – This guy looks like a Chinese dragon that you’d see at a festival. He flies around the screen shooting fire at you. He’s pretty tame. 

Boss #5 – A big face that puffs up doesn’t sound too dangerous. Just make sure to kill him before he starts zooming around the screen. 

Boss #6 – This boss reminds me of an accordion. You’ll have to bomb or shoot all the levels of him. 

Boss #7 – The spinning face, screw this guy. I hate him so much. It took me at least thirty attempts to beat him during my Fantasy Zone II review. His face is on a pole and spins around faster and faster shooting balls at you. He’s near impossible to beat. 

Boss #8 – Like the first Fantasy Zone, you’ll face off in a snake mini-game. After killing the head of the snake a few times you face your evil twin self. 

You’ll have to face all eight in a boss rush just like the first Fantasy Zone. 

Memories:

Growing up with nothing but a Sega Master System until the fourth grade, I played my fair share of Fantasy Zone II. It drew me in as a child with its colorful graphics and happy go-lucky enemies. I was pretty young but I was able to make it to the fourth world. I never could get past it, but I put the time in. It’s one of the games that is vividly engrained into my memory. Beating the game today after not playing it for over 20 years and completing my Fantasy Zone II review was strange. 

Fantasy Zone II Review Score: 

Fantasy Zone II adds a few gameplay elements that make the sequel worth playing. The worlds are larger, the enemies tougher but the story is just too much for me. Keep it simple with small shooters like this.  

Fantasy Zone II scores a 6.7 out of 10. 

What would you write in your Fantasy Zone II review? When do you remember playing Fantasy Zone II for the first time? Did you like it better than the original? Who was the toughest boss you faced? Let me know your thoughts and memories, I’d love to read them! 

If you want to own Fantasy Zone II you can purchase a preowned copy of it for the Sega Master System on eBay for $70. 

Overcooked 2 Review

Subscribe To My YouTube Channel!

The original Overcooked acted as an appetizer for the main dish that is Overcooked 2. Team17 and Ghost Town Games are back to serve seconds for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One. Released in 2018, Overcooked 2 slides more chaos on your plate to sort through. Today, I’ll be reviewing the PlayStation 4 version. I’m back for seconds in the Overcooked 2 review!

Overcooked 2 Plot:

Our two favorite rulers of food land are back as Onion King and his pet dog Kevin need our help again. After destroying the Spaghetti Monster the undead are attacking, I mean the Unbread. Slices of burnt toast have risen from the grave and are attacking Onion King’s castle. It’s up to you and your partner chefs to navigate through hoards of unbread and a buffet of levels to save the food kingdom again.

Defeat all the chaotic levels, and the unbread go back into their graves leaving in peace.

Overcooked 2 Gameplay:

Overcooked 2 doesn’t change the recipe from Overcooked. You can play by yourself, or with up to three other chefs to navigate six different worlds. My wife and I teamed up and took down all the kitchens in the land for this Overcooked 2 review. The first Overcooked we were able to three-star every kitchen in the game which is the highest you can rank. At first, Overcooked 2 seemed a little easier than the first game as we blew through the majority of the levels with no issues three-starring each kitchen. About halfway through our Overcooked 2 review we started to run into issues and didn’t three stars two kitchens in the game. We replayed them a few times but we didn’t have any luck putting our best effort forward. My wife and I are both very competitive in Overcooked and often blame each other for the failures in the kitchen. After attempting these levels, it was best to move on with two stars to save my wife yelling at me. Don’t let her fool you, I’m the better cook.

It’s important to do the best you can and get as many stars to unlock the next set of levels. You can even drive off the trail and find a few hidden “Kevin” levels which were equally as fun. While there were two or three hard levels to three-star, we found the game to be generally easy like the first Overcooked. We were disappointed in the final level where you face hordes of Unbread. It was so easy! Maybe we are just master chefs, but we crushed it on our first attempt and beating it so easily was a little disappointing. I remember it took us a few tries to beat the Spaghetti Monster in the first Overcooked, so I was expecting a challenge.

You’re able to select from quite a few different chefs to play as. It’s always fun to unlock new ones. I was set on the sushi Asian chef for my Overcooked 2 review and my wife switched between a few different rodents like squirrels, rats, and mice. After we beat the campaign, I thought that was it, but I was happily wrong. The creators of Overcooked 2 added a few bonus worlds for free that you can access through a menu selection.

This added so much more to Overcooked 2. There are four more worlds each with 5-7 levels and these levels add tons of new ingredients and elements to the kitchen. You’ll be able to play Winter Wonderland, Kevin’s Crackers, Spring Festival and Chinese New Year all for free. My wife and I had so much fun playing these bonus levels, we liked it even more than the main course!

These bonus stages added fun new gameplay. You’ll launch each other out of an air cannon, wear backpacks with ingredients that the other chef must grab from and push large pots of boiling Pho to cook. I’m glad they included these levels but this sort of innovation was the type of gameplay I expected throughout the entire game. I suppose I’d rather have these elements in the dessert portion of the game than not at all. Aside from the new elements in the kitchen, there are two new modes too. Survival will have you serving dishes based on a timer, each order you put out will reward you with more time. Once the clock runs out, it’s game over! My favorite mode was horde mode in which attacking foods like Christmas cookies and killer candy canes tried to break into your kitchen. There are numerous entries for them to break into that is covered up by wooden boards. They’ll start to smash through the boards and if they get through they’ll damage the kitchen. It’s up to you and your partner to serve dishes to earn money. You can use the money to reinforce the doors between the 3-5 waves of hordes you’ll face. It was so much fun and a little stressful. I hope if they make an Overcooked 3, this gameplay is included in the main portion of the game.

Overcooked 2 Review Score:

I bought the Overcooked games for my wife who loves cooking games, but this series has us both hooked. I love playing with her and teaming up taking down kitchens and solving new recipes. Overcooked 2 didn’t change up the gameplay until the bonus levels but at least the incorporated it.

Before I discovered the bonus levels, I was going to rate Overcooked better than Overcooked 2 but with the bonus levels including hordes, cannons, backpacks and more we are having way too much fun and find it hard to put the controllers down. Overcooked 2 is just as good as the first dish, but gets the nod over the original right before closing time!

Overcooked 2 scores a 9.1 out of 10.

What would you write in your Overcooked 2 review? Have you played both Overcooked games and if so which one if your favorite? Did you love the horde mode as I did? Are you the best chef in your circle of friends? Let me know your thoughts and memories, I’d love to read them!

If you want to own Overcooked 2 you can purchase a preowned copy of it for the PS4 on eBay for $13.