by lawrenceofcanadia

Sword of Vermilion – Review

I have mixed feelings toward RPGs. On the one hand, I love the extended adventure and stories of derring-do, but I dislike the grind and monotony of fighting the same demons over and over again to gain experience points so your players can level up. Sword of Vermilion (1989) decided to mix things up a little. The question is, were the innovations novel and interesting, or were they a misstep for the game creators?

Title screen (screenshot taken by the author)

Sword of Vermilion is a single-player action RPG developed and published by Sega and released for the Mega Drive in 1989 (1990 in North America and 1991 in Europe). It was later released with the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable’s Sega Genesis Collection (2006), and was available on the Wii Virtual Console (2006), the PlayStation 4 as part of Sega Genesis Classics (2018), and Nintendo Switch Online in 2021. For this review, I played the version found on PlayStation 4’s Sega Genesis Classics (2018).

Plot

Life was good in the peaceful Kingdom of Excalabria. That was until the evil King Tsarkon of Cartahena invaded, destroying all their farmland, and laying waste to this once-prosperous land. Seeing that nothing could be done to save his kingdom, King Erik of Excalabria entrusted his only son to his most loyal knight, Blade, and ordered him to take his son far away to safety. After a long journey, Blade finally found a home in the village of Wyclif where he raised the king’s son as his own but never told him of his royal lineage. After 18 years had passed, Blade’s health began to fail. On his deathbed, he reveals the now-adult prince’s identity and retells the story of his father’s fate. The prince, who has grown into a strong and skilled warrior swears vengeance upon King Tsarkon and sets off to avenge his father and retake his kingdom. To defeat King Tsarkon, the prince must travel the land of Vermilion to find and obtain eight Rings of Good. However, King Tsarkon already possesses the Rings of Evil…

Gameplay

There are four different views in this game:

  • Town View – Typical RPG view from overhead with a slight angle.
  • Battle View – Sparked by random map encounters, it is similar to the Golden Axe (1989) style view and allows you to take full control of your character. Using weapons and magic, you can opt to engage the monsters or flee.
  • Dungeon View – First person perspective similar to Shining in the Darkness (1991)
  • Boss View – Sideways viewpoint where you must defeat a powerful boss.

In Town View, you use the D-pad to move around the towns. When you wish to interact with someone or something, you press ‘C’ to bring up a menu with the following options:

  • Talk – Talk to a character
  • Item – Select an item to use
  • Str – See your characters stats
  • Open – Open a treasure chest or door in a cave/dungeon
  • Magic – Select a magic spell to use or to ready for use in battle (some spells require more magic points per use than others). You cannot change your choice of spell during a battle.
  • Equip – Equip a new weapon or piece of armour
  • Seek – search directly in front of you
  • Take – Take an item from an opened treasure chest.

To cancel, or return to the previous screen, press ‘B’.

In the towns, you will find armourers (to upgrade your weapons), potion shops (for healing and egress items), and magic shops (spells).

Town View (Screenshot taken by the author)

In Battle View, you will fight between one to eight enemies of varying degrees of strength and speed. You can run around the screen evading their attacks, slash at them with your sword, cast a magic spell on them, or flee. Naturally, the better your armour the less damage you take, and the better your weapons and spells, the more damage you inflict on the enemy. When you defeat an enemy or group of enemies, you earn experience points and Kims (money) proportionate to the difficulty of the battle. Once you earn a certain amount of experience points, your level and stats increase.

Battle View (Screenshot taken by the author)

In Dungeon View, when in a cave or dungeon, the HUD splits into five boxes. The largest one in the top left shows your first-person perspective. The slightly smaller one in the top right shows an almost overhead view of the map of the dungeon level or the area of the overworld. The three smaller rectangular boxes show you hit and magic points; your experience and Kims totals and the last is which magic spell you have equipped. You move by pressing up on the D-pad to go forward, down to go backward, and left or right to turn 90 degrees either way. It is during these parts of the game that you will have random map encounters.

Overworld View (Screenshot taken by the author)
Dungeon View (Screenshot taken by the author)

In Boss View, you can only move left or right. However, you can crouch to evade boss attacks and swing your sword when both crouched and standing. You cannot jump or block, but swinging your sword will destroy any fireballs thrown at you by the boss.

Boss View (Screenshot taken by the author)

How Does It Handle?

The Town View is standard for most RPGs. It is simple to navigate and the menu system is easy to use.

The Battle View is quite novel for these sorts of games. Usually, they are turn-based affairs. I actually prefer this more involved form of battle. I like how you can easily choose to flee random map encounters without having to go through a menu system. However, I dislike the fact that you cannot block an enemy’s attack. What is the point of having a shield if you cannot block with it? I also dislike that you cannot change your magic spell during the battle. Since different spells are more effective against different enemies, and you cannot predict which you will fight, it feels cheap that you cannot change your spells in battle.

The Dungeon View will be familiar to fans of dungeon crawlers. I like how the map is in darkness until you use a candle (which has a time limit on the light), or a lantern (unlimited light) and that you need to find a map to open up the whole dungeon/cave.

The Boss View is, again, quite novel for this sort of game. I just wish you were able to use your shield to block the boss’s attacks and that your player was more manoeuvrable.

Another annoyance was when coming across treasure chests, you have to select open, and then select take if you want to take the item. These actions are pointless as far as I can see because none of the treasure chests contain booby traps or anything else to your detriment, and there are no items that you wouldn’t want to pick up. It would make more sense to have the option to replace an item you’re carrying or decline to pick it up.

Overall, the changing views, which change the gameplay, are a great idea and stops the game from becoming monotonous too quickly.

Graphics

Let’s start with Town View and Overworld/Dungeon Views. Although the colours are not as vibrant as Phantasy Star II (1989), they are a bit more detailed and mature. Yes, it looks a bit less childlike. Oh, but why do the characters all look like they have green face paint on? The Battle View, however, pales in comparison with Phantasy Star II (1989) which is much more detailed and interesting to look at. The Boss View offers the opportunity to be really detailed with the sprites and it does just that. It’s just a pity that the sprite movement is labouriously slow.

Music & SFX

The music is ok, but for me not very memorable. The piece that plays over the Town View sounds like it has a quirky/spooky feel and would be more fitting in a game like Addam’s Family (1993). It’s not the heroic sort of tune I’ve become accustomed to whilst playing RPGs. The music for the Overworld View is more appropriate and adds a feeling of dread to your travels.

I like the sound the word makes when you swing it during Boss View (Oddly, this sound is not in Battle View) and the dying sounds the beasts make when you kill them. Feels very arcadey to my mind. Other than that, SFX are quite minimal in this game.

Replay Value

Unless you’re an RPG fan and a glutton for punishment, I don’t think this game has much replay value. There are no extra difficulty settings or alternate endings.

Did I Complete The Game:

No, I got as far as Cartahena and was just done with the game. I could not be bothered to finish it.

What The Critics Said:

Computer and Video Games: “…Sword of Vermilion offers a vast, sprawling adventure that’ll have you up burning the midnight oil for many a month before the before the quest is finally complete…The combat screens may not be complex, but it’s great fun whipping out your sword, chopping up all-and-sundry, and testing out your new magical powers as well. Graphically, Sword of Vermilion is a mixed bag, with 3D screens looking decidedly rough, but this is more than made up for with the excellent town graphics and detailed sprites. It’s the sound that lends a perfect atmosphere to the proceedings with some of the best music ever heard on the Megadrive. Overall 91%“.[1]

MegaTech: “What makes this vast RPG so attractive are the great graphics, excellent sound and the arcade-type combat system which replaces the boring exchange of hit-points found on most RPGs. Overall 93%“.[2]

My Verdict:

“I think the game has a good story and a great mix of different aspects to keep it interesting. Even if it doesn’t quite work as well as it should. I just got bored with it in the end and had no desire to finish it. RPG fans may have more patience than me.”

Rating:

What are your memories of Sword of Vermilion? I would love to hear your thoughts, and don’t forget to follow and subscribe so that you don’t miss my latest reviews! You can also find me on Instagram: @nicklovestogame.

[1] Leadbetter, R., ‘Review – Sword of Vermilion’. Computer and Video Games. (June 1991). Issue 115:114-116.

[2] ‘Alternatives – Sword of Vermilion’. MegaTech. (Xmas 1991). Issue 1:30.

by lawrenceofcanadia

The Chessmaster – Review

Chess is one of those games that I find rather intimidating. People who excel at chess are considered incredibly intelligent…which is probably why I suck at the game! The Chessmaster franchise was originally developed by Ubisoft and published by The Software Toolworks (formally Software Country). The first instalment of the franchise was released under the name of The Chessmaster 2000 (1986) for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, Macintosh, MSX, and ZX Spectrum. Since its humble beginnings, technology (and gamer expectations) had moved on. How would the mighty SNES deal with those expectations?

Title screen (screenshot taken by the author)

The Chessmaster is a chess simulator released for the NES (1989), Game Gear and Game Boy (1991), and the SNES and Mega Drive in (1992). For this review, I played the SNE version.

Objective

Manoeuvre your pieces so that you can gain a “checkmate” on your opponent. A “checkmate” is when you position your pieces in such a way that your opponent cannot move their king safely out of “check”, block your pieces with one of theirs, or take one of your pieces to take their king our of “check”.

Gameplay

The game can be played in single or two-player mode. You ad your opponent begin with a full army of troops that include:

Pawn x 8 – They can move two spaces forward on their first turn but can only move forward one space after that. They can “take” an opponent’s piece if they are diagonally one space in front of them. If the make it to the last row closest to you opponent, your pawn can be promoted to either a Rook/Castle, Knight, Bishop or Queen.

Rook/Castle x 2 – They can move as many spaces as they like horizontally or vertically (forward and backward) or until they are blocked by another piece.

Knights x 2 – They can move in all directions as long as it equates to one space forward/backward/sideways and then one space diagonally in the same direction. They are the only piece that can leap over other pieces.

Bishops x 2 – They move diagonally forward or backwards in a straight line as many spaces as they like until they are blocked by another piece.

Queen – The most powerful piece. She can move in a straight line in all directions as many spaces as they like until they are blocked by another piece.

King – The king can only move one space, in any direction they wish, at a time (with the exception of “castling”, see below).

If the king is in “check”, the only move you can make is to either move the king out of check or move another of your pieces to block the check, or take the piece that has the king in “check”.

To move your pieces, use the ‘D’ pad to move the hand over the piece you wish to move and then drag them to the square you wish to place them. The computer will tell you if you try to make an illegal move.

Standard 3D view (screenshot taken by the author)
Standard 2D view (screenshot taken by the author)

Special Moves:

En Passant – French for “in passing”, it can only be performed under specific circumstances by pawns. Rather than me attempting to poorly explain it to you, follow the link to hear chess expert David Pruess explain the manoeuvre.

Castling – This is one of the first special moves you are likely to have been taught when playing chess. Your rook/castle and king must still be in their original starting positions without having been moved so far during the game and with no other piece of either colour standing between them. The king can then move two spaces towards the castle. The castle then automatically transfers to the next space on the opposite side of the king.

At anytime in this version, you can open up the options menu which allows you the option of the following:

The option screen…which can only be accessed during a game (screenshot taken by the author)

How Does It Handle?

Once you learn how the pieces move, it is easy to play. However, I’d still recommend playing in 2D mode as I found I was less likely to miss opportunities take a piece or would not spot when one of my pieces was going to be taken.

One of the things I found odd was that from the title screen, you simply jump straight into a game. You then have to open the options menu and make any necessary changes you wish to make. This doesn’t make sense to me. Why not have the options screen available before beginning a game?

Also rather than the hand, I think I would have preferred the square to be highlighted instead. I think this would make it slightly easier to navigate the board.

Fantasy 3D view (screenshot taken by the author)
Fantasy 2D view (screenshot taken by the author)

Graphics

The graphics are very basic, but some would argue you don’t need more than that for a chess game. A chessboard against a black backdrop is sufficient. The 3D fantasy mode looks ok but I think you’d expect better sprites from the SNES and maybe even a little animation like Battle Chess (1988). The fantasy pieces are fun and quirky, but serious gamers may prefer to stick with the standard pieces.

It is unclear why the 2D fantasy view is the only view that changes from green squares to blue squares.

Music & SFX

The music over the title screen (you can also turn this on throughout the game) is a very cheap 8-bit piece that is unbecoming of the SNES.

As for the SFX, there aren’t any, save for a weird duh-duh-duh-da after every move. Who on Earth thought that was a good idea? It becomes incredibly annoying almost instantly.

War Room view(screenshot taken by the author)

Replay Value

If you enjoy chess, then this game has endless replay value. There are around 16 different difficulty levels and every game will be different. For the casual gamer, it may not hold the attention for that long.

Did I Complete The Game?

I only beat the game on level Newcomer 1.

What the Critics Said:

At present, I couldn’t find and contemporary review of this game.

My Verdict

“Awful, cheap music and SFX really let this game down. I know chess is a serious game and doesn’t need all the bells and whistles, but this is a SNES game and I expected a bit more in those departments. I just hope it didn’t cost £40 on its release!”

Rating:

What are your memories of The Chessmaster? I would love to hear your thoughts, and don’t for get to follow and subscribe so that you don’t miss my latest reviews! You can also find me on Instagram: @nicklovestogame.

by lawrenceofcanadia

PGA Tour Golf III – Review

By the mid-90s, Electronic Arts, under EA Sports, seemed to have established themselves as the number one developers of sports simulations. American football, football, rugby, ice hockey, golf, cricket and basketball, their games were lauded for their realism, gameplay, graphics, and ability to get licenses of sports personalities and teams to incorporate into their games. With the critical and commercial success of PGA Tour Golf II (1992), it made sense for EA to continue the franchise. Would PGA Tour Golf III garner the same praise from critics and achieve commercial success as well?

Title screen (screenshot taken by the author)

PGA Tour Golf III is a sports simulation video game. It was developed by Hitmen Productions and published by EA Sports for the Sega Mega Drive in 1994.

Gameplay

There are three modes to choose from:

Practice Round – Play 18 holes on any course just for fun. You can also just practice your long game on the driving range and/or short game on the putting green.

Tournament – Compete in any tournament which consists of 4 rounds of 18-hole rounds. However, to qualify for the next round, you must make the cut by ensuring you score low enough on your round. If you successfully compete the final round, you earn money and may even win the tournament if you consistently score the lowest numbers of strokes per round.

Skins Challenge – Two to four players can compete in an 18-hole match where each hole is assigned a monetary value. To win the hole, simply complete the hole in the least strokes. The winner takes the pot for that hole. The value of the holes increase as the match progresses. If a hole is tied, the money rolls over to the next hole. To make it more interesting, you can also opt to have pros join the game controlled by the computer.

The portraits of the players and commentator as well as the background images have now been digitized. (screenshot taken by the author)

You can play eight courses including:

TPC at Avenel

TPC at Las Colinas (New)

TPC at River Highlands (New)

TPC at Scottsdale

TPC at Southwind

TPC at Summerlin (New)

TPC at The Woodlands (New)

Advice from the professionals before every hole (screenshot taken by the author)

Unlike previous PGA Tour Golf games, you can play as one of eleven professional golfers who had won the following accolades at the time of the game’s release:

Brad Faxon – Three professional tournament wins

Jim Gallagher Jr. – Three professional tournament wins including The Tour Championship (1993)

Lee Janzen – Three professional tournament wins including the US Open (1993)

Tom Kite – Nineteen professional tournament wins including The Players Championship (1989), Nabisco Championship (1989), and the US Open (1992)

Bruce Lietzke – Twelve professional tournament wins including the Canadian Open (1978 & 1982)

Davis Love III – Eight professional tournament wins including The Players Championship (1992)

Mark O’Meara – Eight professional tournament wins

Jeff Sluman – One professional tournament win which was the PGA Championship (1988)

Craig Stadler – Ten professional tournament wins including the Masters Tournament (1982) and The Tour Championship (1991)

Fuzzy Zoeller – Ten professional tournament wins including the Masters Tournament (1979) and the US Open (1984)

Other than that, the gameplay hasn’t changed much. At the beginning of each hole, there is a slow flyover approach to the green with advice from one of the professional golfers on how to approach the hole.  Before each stroke, a bird’s eye view of the hole with a cross hair over the pin will appear. You can move the cursor and it tells you the distance from your golfer to the cursor. You can go back to the overview at any time by pressing ‘A’ button.

There has been a slight change to the gameplay. For example, when addressing the ball, a box with the lie of the ball appears where you can move a cursor allowing you effect the flight of the ball by adding a draw or fade to the flight or affect the arc of the ball. You can also change your type of shot from Normal, to Chip to Punch shot.

The information shown on the HUD has not changed. The wind speed and direction box is still on the bottom left, the power gauge remains in the middle, and the hole number, hole par, stroke number, current score, distance to pin and club are still bottom right. On the horizon is the cross hair which shows you were you are aiming your shot. You can move this cursor left or right. Your caddy will automatically select the club they think you should use but you can change clubs yourself by pushing up or down on the D-pad. As you do this, you will notice the number to the left of the power gauge will increase or decrease. This is the maximum number of yards the club will hit the ball if the ball was unaffected by wind or how the ball lies.

When you are ready to hit the ball, press ‘B’ and the power gauge begins to fill from right to left. When you have reached your desired power, press ‘B’ again and the power bar begins to descend having left a mark when you stopped the power gauge rising. You then need to press ‘B’ a third time as the power bar reaches the Stroke Bar. If you are accurate, you will hit the ball without a slice or draw. The earlier or later your stop the power gauge either side of the stroke bar will determine the degree of which you slice or draw the ball. After striking the ball, and when the ball begins to descend, the camera angle changes, and you will see where the ball lands.

When you reach the green, a 3D square grid will appear showing you the lie of the green. This allows you to judge the slopes of the green when attempting to putt. Again, by pressing up and down on the D-pad when you are on the green increases and decreases the maximum power of the putt. The 3D view when observing the putting green is unaltered from PGA Tour II (1992). I guess if it ain’t broke, why fix it?

PGA Tour Golf II (1992) (screenshot taken by the author)
PGA Tour Golf III (screenshot taken by the author)

How Does It Handle?

Again, little has changed from the first two PGA Tour instalments. The game is easy to pick up and play but mastering it will take patience and practice. It might just be me, but I found this game harder than its predecessors. I can’t seem to place very high in any of tournaments. Clearly, I need more practice.

You have to be incredibly precise (maybe too precise) when you try to stop the descending gauge at the Stoke Bar else you can very easily draw or slice the shot. If you’re not accurate with your timings, you will inadvertently put your next shot in a place that puts you at a big disadvantage. It is very unforgiving.

They have kept the power gauge and method of changing clubs which is simpler than other golf games.

When putting, I like the fact that you can change the maximum strength of the putter as this allows you to more accurately gauge the strength of your putt. That is not to say that putting is easy, of course. I found the putting to be very unforgiving with little margin for error. I still think the putting is the best and most accurate method to date. With regard to the 3D view of the green, it becomes a tad annoying when you need to keep rotate the view in order to check the line of your shot. One would think this would be done automatically.

Graphics

The first thing to notice is that they have moved away from illustrated pictures of courses and headshots of pros and have moved to digitized photos…and I have to say it looks great! The sprites have been rotoscoped too, allowing the addition of extra frames to ensure a more realistic golf swings. The courses themselves are also more detailed. The trees look a lot more realistic and the horizon contains detailed clouds in the skies and even some mountainous terrain.

However, I didn’t like that the fairways have been pixelated in two shades of green. I found it an attack on the eyes. I also didn’t like the new wind indicator, but overall, the HUD looks a bit slicker.

When comparing the game to its contemporaries, I think it looks much better than PGA European Tour (1994) (which is basically the same as PGA Tour Golf II (1992). I also prefer this instalment’s sprites over those of Pebble Beach Golf Links (1994). When it comes to the colouring of the courses, I also prefer the more muted, realistic palette of colours of PGA Tour Golf III than that of Pebble Beach Golf Links (1994). The edges of the sand bunkers and fairways are better too as on Pebble Beach Golf Links (1994), they look too angular rather than smooth curves.

Music & SFX

The only music that I recall is a slow piano like melody that is played over the leaderboard. I’m surprised there wasn’t any music played over the title screen.

Again, the minimalist sound creates a laid back and relaxing environment. The occasional thwack of the ball, the gentle ripple of applause from the crowd, and the infrequent bird tweets, does well to capture the atmosphere of the game.

Replay Value

The desire to do better draws you back in to play again and again. Having more courses also encourages further forays into the world of golf. Definitely a game enjoyed more in two-player mode.

Viewing the putting green has not changed at all. I guess if it ain’t broke…(screenshot taken by the author)

Did I Complete The Game?

I didn’t spend as much time on this game as I did on PGA Tour Golf II (1992) because I felt I grasped quickly what the game had to offer. I did not come anywhere near winning a tournament yet.

What The Critics Said:

Next Generation: “Other Genesis golf games have looked better (like the first Genesis golf game, Arnold Palmer Golf), but none maintain the depth of play or the true PGA experience like PGA III has been improved with an arc meter that helps control backspin. Golf fans put down that Golf Digest, keep your eye on the ball, keep your left arm straight, and pick up this game. Overall 4/5“.[1]

Liverpool Post: “Evolution not revolution, but PGA addicts will want it anyway. Overall 16/20.”[2]

My Verdict:

“Arguably, the most realistic golf game to date with regard to graphics and gameplay. Addictive and tough to beat, though, casual gamers may be deterred by its difficulty.”

Rating:

What are your memories of PGA Tour Golf III? I would love to hear your thoughts, and don’t for get to follow and subscribe so that you don’t miss my latest reviews! You can also find me on Instagram: @nicklovestogame.

[1] ‘Sega Genesis – Hole In One’. Next Generation. (March 1995). Issue 3:102.

[2] (Jan 7, 1995) ‘Fairway to go for revolution’. Liverpool Daily Post. p29.

by lawrenceofcanadia

Blockout – Review

Tetris (1988) is one of the most popular puzzle games of all time. The learning curve is steep, and the game is highly addictive. Although Sega owned arcade cabinets of Tetris (1988), licensing issues meant their Mega Drive release in 1989 had to be abandoned. This may account for the development of Blockout as a potential rival. The question soon became: would it be just as successful?

Title screen (screenshot taken by author)

Blockout is a 3D puzzle game developed by P.Z. Karen Co. Development Group and published by American Technos for the arcade in 1989. That same year, it was also released for Amiga, Apple IIGS, Commodore 64, Mac OS, MS-DOS, PC-98 (California Dreams). It was later released for Atari ST (California Dreams) and NES (Technos Japan Corp.) in 1990, Atari Lynx (Atari Corporation) and Sega Mega Drive (Electronic Arts) in 1991, and Virtual Boy (as 3D Tetris) in 1996. For this review, I played the Sega Mega Drive version.

Plot

There is no plot other than to earn the maximum points you can.

Gameplay

Played in single or two-player mode, you play by looking down a 3D “well” where blocks of varying shapes and sizes slowly descend. The slow descent rate gives you time to rotate the block around three coordinate axes and place it into your desired position. When a facet of the block touches the floor (or the lowest point of the well where a previous block has been placed), it will fill with colour, meaning you can no longer move or rotate that block. Every block you place earns you points. Once you have filled an entire layer (known as a “face”) and there are no gaps in that layer, it will disappear, earning you a bonus, and the rest of the cubes drop down as far as they can go. If you are able to empty the well, you will receive a “Block Out Bonus”. 

Like Tetris, as the game progresses and the levels increase, the speed with which the blocks fall gradually increases. The game continues until you fail, and the blocks fill the well.

It’s tetris but in 3D! (screenshot taken by author)

How Does It Handle?

The 3D element and three coordinate axes rotation format adds an extra degree of difficulty that you wouldn’t find in Tetris. It definitely takes a lot of practice. Being able to change the dimensions of the well is a nice feature too adding an extra challenge to the game.

Graphics

The graphics are basic, but they don’t need to be complicated for this game. Having different colours to differentiate each layer is sufficient for the game.

Music and SFX

The intro music is quite aggressive for a puzzle game. It remined me of the fuzzy musical notes of Road Rash (1991). There is no in-game music and minimal SFX when you place a block or complete a Face. I think some light music would not have gone amiss here.

Replay Value

For fans of Tetris and the like, I imagine this would be an addictive game, especially with a two-player mode.

Did I Complete The Game?

I’m not sure that you can complete this game but I didn’t spend too much time trying to find out. I don’t enjoy these sorts of games so don’t put in the time to become a good player. My highest score so far is a pitiful 18242.

Different colours help differentiate the layer (screenshot taken by author)

What The Critics Said:

MegaTech: “This sort of 3D Tetris is surely the finest Megadrive puzzle game available, packed with tons of options (including a simultaneous two-player mode) and featuring highly addictive gameplay, this is a must for your collection. Overall 91%”.[1]

Mean Machines: “This sort of 3D Tetris is surely the finest Megadrive puzzle game available. Packed with tons of options (including simultaneous two-player mode) and featuring highly addictive gameplay, this is a must for your collection. Overall 91%”.[2]

My Verdict:

“It’s Tetris in 3D. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of these sorts of games and but can appreciate their appeal and the skill and practice that goes into being able to achieve high scores. Ardent fans will play for hours and return time and time again.”

Rating:

What are your memories of Blockout? I would love to hear your thoughts, and don’t forget to follow and subscribe so that you don’t miss my latest reviews! You can also find me on Instagram: @nicklovestogame.

[1] ‘Game Index – Block Out’. MegaTech. (May 1992). Issue 6:76.

[2]’Review: Mega Drive – Block Out’. Mean Machines. (October 1992). Issue 1:137.

by lawrenceofcanadia

Alien Soldier – Review

Ah, emulation vs original hardware. There are very good arguments for both sides of this divisive coins. Personally, I do not have the funds, or patience, to seek out games I wish to play on original hardware due to the prices have been inflated by collectors, the scarcity of the original hardware and pure laziness. So, I say, thank God for emulation. Without emulation there are many, many games that I would never have heard of and would never have had the opportunity to play. Alien Soldier is one such game.

Title screen (Screenshot taken by the author)

Alien Soldier is a single-player side-scrolling run and gun video game developed by Treasure Co., LTD. and published by Sega. It was released for the Mega Drive in 1995 and would be re-released on PlayStation 2’s as part of the Gunstar Heroes Treasure Box (2006), Volume 25 of the Sega Ages 2500 series. It would go on to be re-released on the Wii Virtual Console (2007), Steam (2011), Nintendo Switch Online (2022) and the Sega Genesis Mini 2 (2022). For this review, I played the version found on Sega Mega Drive Classics (2010) for the PlayStation 4.

Plot

The plot to this game is a weird one. Basically, it’s 2015 and the planet Sierra is under attack by a terrorist group known as Scarlet. Led by the evil Xi-Tiger, they plan to destroy the human race. Scarlet’s former leader, Epilson-Eagle has sworn to defeat the terrorist group putting and end to Xi-Tiger’s evil scheming once and for all. (Bearing in mind, Epsilon-Eagle is not trying to save humanity but simply seeking revenge on Xi-Tiger).

Gameplay

Epsilon-Eagle must battle his way through 25 stages, defeating 26 bosses along the way. Before embarking on your mission, you must arm yourself with four out of a potential six weapons, each with their own advantages and disadvantages:

Select your weapons! (Screenshot taken by the author)

Buster Force – Firing bright yellow blasts at your enemy, this weapon has a weak attack but uses less ammo and has a good range.

Flame Force – A deadly flame that uses less ammo but is limited in range.

Sword Force – A deadly laser beam with a good range but that guzzles your ammo.

Ranger Force – Three way shot that is a bit of an all-rounder. Not as strong as the Sword or Lancer Forces but uses less ammo than them.

Homing Force – Flame thrower that seeks out the enemies’ weak spots. Great for bosses but not as strong as the Sword or Lancer Forces. It does use less ammo though.

Lancer Force – Another deadly laser beam with a good range but that guzzles your ammo.

To change weapons in game, please ‘A’ and cycle through the wheel until you find your desired weapon. press ‘A’ again to close the wheel.

Awesome graphics (Screenshot taken by the author)

How Does It Handle?

The controls are nice and responsive but take a little getting used to. You need to be super quick when changing weapons as the game will continue to play. Since there are only four weapons, I think it would have been better to simply press ‘A’ to cycle to the next weapon on the list. This would enable you to continue to evade your enemies rather than be a sitting duck.

Although you can block by double tapping the fire button but I don’t think this works very well. The six-button controller was around by this time so why not utilise it?

I like the idea tht there is a target on the bosses body so that you know where to shoot. Hardened gamers may disagree but this is a personal preference.

I don’t think I used the hover function until stage 11, but I certainly used the Zero Teleport. In fact, spoiler alert, using the Zero Teleport was the easiest way to defeat most bosses which made them a little monotonous after a while. Having said that, I’m yet to get past the boss on Stage 11 and you can’t use the Zero Teleport much on it.

Graphics

I think the game looks great. Epsilon-Eagle is well illustrated and animated and there is plenty of variation between the enemies and each boss is noticeably different. Lots of big explosions, screen shakes when the bosses have been defeated. I think the levels look great too with a nice variation of backgrounds which are very detailed and modestly coloured so as not to draw the eye away too much from the action.

Music and SFX

The music is very high-octane stuff which fits a game like this well. The issue is that I was so engrossed in what I was doing, I never noticed the music. I had to play through again and really pay attention to it. SFX-wise, again lots of explosions and laser noises but they get lost amid the chaos of the game. Although I do like the siren going off and the vocalised “Emergency” when you are coming to a boss battle.

Replay Value:

Having more than one difficulty setting always adds a little to the replay value but I think the game is very samey and did not make me want to continue playing.

The game focusses on boss battles more than level length (Screenshot taken by the author)

Did I Complete The Game?

No. At present, I got to stage 10 or 11 before I felt I had seen all the game has to offer. I will continue to play at a later date though.

What The Critics Said:

Consoles +: “A good shoot ’em up for the MD. Overall 88%“.[1]

Computer and Video Games: “This is a well worn genre and there aren’t many roads forward. Alien Soldier doesn’t exactly build a new orbital motorway, but it does lead you down quite an interesting road. Basing play on boss fighting isn’t a new idea, but Alien Soldier does quite a tidy job of delivering the goods. Alien Soldier will take any budding sadist a lot of determination to complete, my only worry is that your blood lust may dry and your interest shrivel into repetitive stress syndrome before you kill the final infernal boss. Overall 80%“.[2]

Mean Machines Sega: “A modern classic that turns the concept of platform blasting inside-out, but that suffers from being a bit samey. Overall 85%“.[3]

Verdict:

“Alien Soldier looks great and is exciting to play…at first. As the levels progress, the game becomes a bit monotonous.”

Rating:

What are your memories of Alien Soldier? I would love to hear your thoughts, and don’t for get to follow and subscribe so that you don’t miss my latest reviews! You can also find me on Instagram: @nicklovestogame.

[1] ‘Mega Driver Review – Alien Soldier’. Consoles +. (April 1995). No. 42. :131.

[2] ‘CVG Review/Showcase – Alien Soldier’. Computer and Video Games. (June 1995). Issue 163:52-57. 

[3] ‘Megadrive Review – Alien Soldier’ – Mean Machine Sega. (July 1995). Issue 33:80-81. 

by lawrenceofcanadia

Beneath a Steel Sky – Review

Point and clicks aren’t for everyone. Some find them sleep inducing when what they really want is a high tempo adrenaline fuelled experience. However, even though some of us might enjoy a more relaxed experience from time to time, point and clicks can still be incredibly fun. You are basically taking control of an interactive movie. It still takes a lot of work though. There are puzzles to be solved after all, and they won’t solve themselves!

Beneath a Steel Sky is a point and click adventure game developed by Revolution Software and was published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment in 1994. Originally for MS-DOS and Amiga computers, it would be released for iOS in 2009, Apple Arcade and Steam in 2020, and GOG.com in 2022. For this review, I played the version downloaded from Steam.

Gotta love those early 1990s SCUMM graphics (screenshot taken by the author)

Plot

Beneath a Steel Sky is based in a cyberpunk-themed dystopian future. The Earth is a very different place. Set in Australia and against the backdrop of an economic war, a young boy called Robert is the only survivor of a helicopter crash that occurred in ‘The Gap’, an area outside of Union City. Robert is found and adopted by some of the locals who protect him and teach him the necessary skills to survive in The Gap. Over the years, he learns engineering and robotics, and builds a sentient robotic friend called Joey. Joey’s memories and personality are stored on a microchip and can be installed into other robot bodies to utilise them.

One day, a group of soldiers arrive from Union City. They have been sent by LINC (Logical Inter-Neural Connection), a computer system that runs the city, with orders to take Robert into custody without an explanation as to why. As they fly back to Union City, their helicopter malfunctions, and crashes on the city’s upper level. Robert survives and flees into a recycling plant where he hides from his captors.

Gameplay

Played from a third-person perspective, Beneath a Steel Sky is a standard point and click game with simple controls. Using the cursor, you click on parts of the screen move Robert around the environment, or to look at, or interact with people and items. To progress in the game, you must solve puzzles which involve finding objects that can be combined with one another or part of the environment. When conversing with another character, you can ask questions or make statements using a dialogue tree which either furthers the plot or gives you hints as to how to progress in the game.

Using the mouse, the left button looks at the object or part of environment, and the right button allows you to interact with it. By moving your cursor to the top of the screen, the items in your inventory appear. Again, you can use the right mouse button to select the use of an item and drag it to where or who you wish to us it on.

Like other point and clicks of this era, there are plenty of whacky characters to interact with (screenshot taken by the author)

How Does It Handle?

The game is simple to learn and to control, so you are able to dive straight in. One aspect of the controls I found annoying was that the “looking” button was the left mouse button, and the “action” button was on the right. I would have preferred this to be the other way around as it feels more intuitive for me.

Interestingly, you can actually die in this game, a rarity for point and clicks. Luckily you have infinite lives and you are simply taken back to your last save, so remember to save often.

Graphics

Firstly, I love the comic book style introduction (and ending). It is a great way to start the game and engages you instantly with the background story. The in-game graphics have that typical SCUMM (Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion) game look to them, which I love. The characters are all unique and the backgrounds are well designed and really give a sense of what a futuristic dystopian city might look like.

Music and SFX

For the most part, the music in many point and clicks are subtle and atmospheric, and at times, completely forgotten. However, in Beneath a Steel Sky, the music is a prominent feature and is very noticeable throughout. It feels like it is constantly changing from scene to scene to stop it from getting monotonous and there is a good mix of dramatic and playful. I found myself rather enjoying it.

This game has excellent dialogue with an array of accents. It is easy to see why it won an award for its dialogue. I really enjoyed the conversations, especially between Robert and Joey. The SFX in general, as I sit here and write this, I don’t really remember much. There are background noises like when you are walking through the factories, and sliding doors opening and closing but apart from that, I don’t seem to be able to remember much about them.

Inside LINC (screenshot take by the author)

Replay Value

There are two endings to this game. A good one and a bad one. However, both endings were disappointing in my opinion. Although I enjoyed the game, it didn’t make me want to play through it again.

Did I Complete The Game?

Yes, I completed the game but had to use a walkthrough to assist me several times.

What The Critics Said:

PC Gamer Online: “A slick, funny, and absorbing adventure that will appeal to a wide variety of gamers–two thumbs up! Overall 91%”.[1]

Awards:

1995 Best Dialogue – PG Gamer[2]

1995 Best Adventure – The Golden Joystick Awards 1995[3]

Verdict

“In my head, I imaged Beneath a Steel Sky to be a serious point and click. I didn’t expect the humour and quirky characters. The game looks great too, has memorable music and excellent dialogue. Not much in the way of replay value, but if you like point and clicks, you can’t go wrong.”

Rating

What are your memories of Beneath a Steel Sky? I would love to hear your thoughts, and don’t for get to follow and subscribe so that you don’t miss my latest reviews! You can also find me on Instagram: @nicklovestogame

[1] Poole, S., (December 1994). ‘Beneath a Steel Sky’. PC Gamer Online. (https://web.archive.org/web/20000311190200/http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/178.html accessed on 13th January 2023).

[2] Petitte, O., (September 24, 2012). ‘Return to Rust: Beneath a Steel Sky 2 Confirmed’. (https://www.pcgamer.com/beneath-a-steel-sky-2-confirmed/ accessed 13th January 2023).

[3] Chalk, A., (24 September 2012). ‘Revolution Confirms Beneath the Sky a Steel Sky 2’. The Escapist.  (https://web.archive.org/web/20140203035828/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/119762-Revolution-Confirms-Beneath-a-Steel-Sky-2 accessed 13th January 2023).

by lawrenceofcanadia

PGA Tour Golf II – Review

In the early 1990s, EA Sports quickly made a name for themselves as the producers of the most realistic sports videogames. Their PGA Tour Golf (1990) release set the standard for how realistic and additive a golf videogame could be. The question was: could EA Sports produce a sequel to PGA Tour Golf (1990) that maintained the high standard set by the first instalment but have enough differences to make purchasing copy worthwhile?

PGA Tour Golf II is a sports simulation game developed by Polygon Games and published by EA Sports for the Mega Drive in 1992. A version was released on the Game Gear by Time Warner Interactive in 1995. For this review, I played the Sega Mega Drive version.

(screenshot taken by the author)

Plot

As with most sport sims, there is no plot per se. The object of the game is to compete in and win six tournaments whilst competing against other professional golfers.

Gameplay

With up to four players, there are several modes to play:

Practice Round – Play 18 holes on any course just for fun. You can also just practice your long game on the driving range and/or short game on the putting green.

Tournament – Compete in any tournament which consists of 4 rounds of 18-hole rounds. However, to qualify for the next round, you must make the cut by ensuring you score low enough on your round. If you successfully compete the final round, you earn money and may even win the tournament if you consistently score the lowest numbers of strokes per round.

Skins Challenge – A nice addition to the game. Two to four players can compete in an 18-hole match where each hole is assigned a monetary value. To win the hole, simply complete the hole in the least strokes. The winner takes the pot for that hole. The value of the holes increase as the match progresses. If a hole is tied, the money rolls over to the next hole. To make it more interesting, you can also opt to have pros join the game controlled by the computer.

The courses you can choose to play include:

TPC at Avenel

TPC at Eagle Trace (New)

TPC at Sawgrass

TPC at Scottsdale (New)

TPC at Southwind (New)

PGA West Stadium

At the beginning of each hole, you are greeted with a rotating 3D view of the green and advice from one of the professional golfers on how to approach the hole.  Before each stroke, a bird’s eye view of the hole with a cross hair over the pin will appear. You can move the cursor and it tells you the distance from your golfer to the cursor. You can go back to the overview at any time by pressing ‘A’ button.

As you address the ball, a small window will appear showing you how the ball lies, allowing you to select the most appropriate club. The HUD contains all the information you need. You have the wind speed and direction in a box on the bottom left, the power gauge in the middle, and the hole number, hole par, stroke number, current score, distance to pin and club you are using in a box on the bottom right. On the horizon is the cross hair which shows you were you are aiming your shot. You can move this cursor left or right. Your caddy will automatically select the club they think you should use but you can change clubs yourself by pushing up or down on the D-pad. As you do this, you will notice the number to the left of the power gauge will increase or decrease. This is the maximum number of yards the club will hit the ball if the ball was unaffected by wind or how the ball lies.

When you are ready to hit the ball, press ‘B’ and the power gauge begins to fill from right to left. When you have reached your desired power, press ‘B’ again and the power bar begins to descend having left a mark when you stopped the power gauge rising. You then need to press ‘B’ a third time as the power bar reaches the Stroke Bar. If you are accurate, you will hit the ball without a slice or draw. The earlier or later your stop the power gauge either side of the stroke bar will determine the degree of which you slice or draw the ball. After striking the ball, and when the ball begins to descend, the camera angle changes, and you will see where the ball lands.

When you reach the green, a 3D square grid will appear showing you the lie of the green. This allows you to judge the slopes of the green when attempting to putt. Again, by pressing up and down on the D-pad when you are on the green increases and decreases the maximum power of the putt.

A new feature includes a Draw/Fade option allowing you more control over your ball when evading sand bunkers and water hazards.

There is also the new “Hole Browser” feature which allows you to really inspect the course, scrutinize the hazards, and plan the best approach to the green.

PGA Tour Golf (1990) (screenshot taken by the author)
PGA Tour Golf II (screenshot taken by the author)

How Does It Handle?

Very little has changed from PGA Tour Golf (1990). The controls are easy to learn. It’s the execution that proves difficult, but that is what makes the game so frustrating yet addictive.

Graphics

The graphics have improved since PGA Tour Golf (1990). The sprites are more detailed, and the swing animation is smoother and looks more realistic. The courses look better too with more differentiation between the light rough and heavy rough. I also think there are more varieties of trees of which are more detailed. The HUD looks slicker too.

When compare to its 16-bit console contemporaries, I think the sprites and courses look much better than Pebble Beach Golf Links (1992).

Music and SFX

Nice, upbeat pieces of music can be heard over the title screen, at the beginning of each tournament, and at the start of each hole which suits the game. In my mind, it is reminiscent of music that would be heard on Prime Time TV over the intro montages to sports TV programmes. There is no music whilst playing your rounds of golf which I prefer.

SFX are very minimal too. You’ll hear the occasional bird tweeting, the ‘thwack’ as you strike the ball, when ball when it lands, an applause when you putt in the hole, and the frustrating splash as the water lands in a water hazard. You don’t need more than this for a golf game. Less is more in this case.

Use the 3D mapping to read the green (screenshot taken by the author)

Replay Value

Like most sports games, this really comes into its own in multiplayer mode. The addition of the Skins Challenge is certainly something that will have you returning time and again. Add to that, the game is tough but strangely addictive. It is also a relaxing game which can be played in a semi-sedate manner.

Did I Complete The Game?

You can’t complete this game as such. I guess “completing” it would be winning all the tournaments. The best I ever did was place third in the TPC at Scottsdale.

Personal Memories

I used to own this game as a kid, and my father and I would regularly play the Skins Challenge. I was also better than my father at this game and after a few holes…and a few bogeys on his part…he would make an excuse along the lines of “I better get on with some jobs your mum wants me to do.” and would resign from the game, a little to my annoyance.

What The Critics Said:

MegaTech: “Seven 3D courses based on real-life PGA Tour venues are the setting for this prime golf simulation. Multi-player and skins tournaments, on-screen advice form the pros, battery game save – this cartridge is just loaded with features. Overall 94%“.[1]

My Verdict

“Arguably, one of the best 16-bit golf games of its time. It looks great but don’t be fooled by its serene atmosphere. It is challenging enough so that you won’t get bored easily, and addictive enough to keep you coming back for more, especially in multiplayer mode.”

Rating

What are your memories of PGA Tour Golf II? I would love to hear your thoughts, and don’t for get to follow and subscribe so that you don’t miss my latest reviews! You can also find me on Instagram: @nicklovestogame

[1] ‘Game Index – PGA Tour Golf 2‘. MegaTech. (October 1993). Issue 22:101.

by lawrenceofcanadia

PGA Tour Golf – Review

In real life, I enjoy playing golf. I’m not very good, and I’ve never scored a birdie, but it is hard not to love being surrounded by greenery and, in some cases, wildlife. I have played in scorching heat in Canada (Alberta and Ontario), fighting off mosquitoes but receiving regular visits from the cart girls selling refreshments, and I have played in rainy, gusty conditions in England where there are no cart girls but it’s easy to sneak your own drinks onto the course.

Title screen (screenshot taken by the author)

PGA Tour Golf is a sports simulation game developed by Sterling Silver Software and published by Electronic Arts. The first of a franchise, it was released in 1990 for MS-DOS. It was later released for the Mega Drive and Amiga in 1991, and SNES in 1992. Later releases for the Master System and Game Gear were published by Tengen in 1994. For this review, I played the Mega Drive version.

Plot

As with most sport sims, there is no plot per se. The object of the game is to compete in and win four tournaments whilst competing against other professional golfers.

Gameplay

With up to four players, you have the option to play a Practice Round or a Tournament, or you can simply practice on the Driving Range and/or Putting Greens. The practice modes are self-explanatory, but they are handy for people unacquainted with the game.

In Tournament Mode, each tournament consists of four rounds of 18 holes competing against 60 other golfers, of which all are real-life professionals.

The game contains three real courses from the US and one fictional course:

TPC at Sawgrass (Florida)

TPC at Avenel (Maryland)

PGA West Stadium (California)

Sterling Shores (Fictional)

At the beginning of each hole, you are greeted with a  rotating 3D view of the green and advice from one of the professional golfers on how to approach the hole.  Before each stroke, a bird’s eye view of the hole with a cross hair over the pin will appear. You can move the curser and it tells you  the distance from your golfer to the cursor. You can go back to the overview at any time by pressing ‘A’ button.

As you address the ball, a small window will appear showing you how the ball lies, allowing you to select the most appropriate club. The HUD contains all the information you need. You have the wind speed and direction in a box on the bottom left, the power gauge in the middle, and the hole number, hole par, stroke number, current score, distance to pin and club you are using in a box on the bottom right. On the horizon is the cross hair which shows you were you are aiming your shot. You can move this cursor left or right. Your caddy will automatically select the club they think you should use but you can change clubs yourself by pushing up or down on the D-pad. As you do this, you will notice the number to the left of the power gauge will increase or decrease. This is the maximum number of yards the club will hit the ball if the ball was unaffected by wind or how the ball lies.

When you are ready to hit the ball, press ‘B’ and the power gauge begins to fill from right to left. When you have reached your desired power, press ‘B’ again and the power bar begins to descend having left a mark when you stopped the power gauge rising. You then need to press ‘B’ a third time as the power bar reaches the Stroke Bar. If you are accurate, you will hit the ball without a slice or draw. The earlier or later your stop the power gauge either side of the stroke bar will determine the degree of which you slice or draw the ball. After striking the ball, and when the ball begins to descend, the camera angle changes, and you will see where the ball lands.

When you reach the green, a 3D square grid will appear showing you the lie of the green. This allows you to judge the slopes of the green when attempting to putt. Again, by pressing up and down on the D-pad when you are on the green increases and decreases the maximum power of the putt.

An overview of on of the four courses you can play (screenshot taken by the author)

How Does It Handle?

PGA Tour Golf is not for the feint hearted. It is clearly designed for golf fans and is very challenging, much more challenging and unforgiving than Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf (1989). I wonder if the game is a bit too difficult. You have to be incredibly precise (maybe too precise) when you try to stop the descending gauge at the Stoke Bar else you can very easily draw or slice the shot. That being said, I really like the power gauge for this game. The ease of which you can change clubs and use the percentages of the power bar to estimate shots is a much simpler and user-friendly way of playing than Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf (1989).

When putting, I like the fact that you can change the maximum strength of the putter as this allows you to more accurately gauge the strength of your putt. That is not to say that putting is easy, of course. I found the putting to be very unforgiving with little margin for error.

Unlike Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf (1989) where you have to keep pressing ‘A’ to scroll through wind, distance, club selection etc., I love how all that information is one the main HUD. This speeds up the game and means you don’t keep having to go back a screen because you’ve forgotten the distance to the pin.

All the information you need on one screen (screenshot taken by the author)

Graphics

I love the design of the main menu. The picture of the Pro Shop is very colourful and nicely illustrated, and it really adds to the feeling of getting ready for a round of golf. The drop down menus show that the game was designed for MS-DOS/PC.

The in-game graphics aren’t as realistic as Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf (1989) and the courses themselves are far less detailed when it comes to the trees, sky, and differentiation between the fairway and the rough. The bitty graphics become even more apparent the larger your TV screen. The sprite also pales in comparison. Oddly, there is no difference in the look of the clubs or the stance of the golfer whilst using them with the exception of the putter which is disappointing. However, I do prefer the graphics of PGA Tour Golf to Jack Nicklaus’ Unlimited Golf & Course Design (1990).

The innovative 3D overview of the greens is awesome. It is a simple design, but is a great way to display the lie of the green. It allows the player to read the greens more accurately that previous methods. Bravo!

I also like the way the camera angle changes a few seconds after you have hit your shot so that you view the ball coming into land is a nice touch. This really helps with the feel of professional golf you see on television. 

Music and SFX

The only music you hear in the game is the cheap 8-bit ear-offending tune that plays over the introduction to each hole where a professional golfer offers advice on how to play the hole. I appreciate this game is ported from MS-DOS but one would expect the music to be of better quality for the Mega Drive. 

The sound is very minimalist. You hear a few birds tweets, the sound of the ball as you strike it and as it lands, and a ripple of applause when you putt the ball. It is how golf should be. Peaceful and relaxing…at least for the spectators anyway.

Replay Value

The main replay value of this game is the multiplayer mode. Each of the tournaments are individual titles and so once you have won them, you have won them. The money accrued means very little other than to be kept as a bragging statistic which is a shame. It would have been nice to be able to buy some different clubs like you can in Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf (1989). That is not to say that the game will be cast aside quickly. The tournaments are incredibly hard to win and mastering the game will take some time.

Did I Complete The Game?

At present, I have not won a tournament…in fact, after several attempts, I have only ever qualified for the third round once whilst competing in the Sterling Shores tournament and the second round of the TPC at Sawgrass.

The 3D view allows for more challenging green designs (screenshot taken by the author)

What The Critics Said:

Mean Machines: “A superb sports simulation which will appeal massively to golf fans, and will even be enjoyed by those who normally wouldn’t play this type of game. Overall 91%“.[1]

Raze: “PGA Tour Golf is a very accomplished piece of programming on the Amiga, and even more so on the Mega Drive, putting Arnold Palmer in the rough. The slick presentation on both versions gives the game a very professional look and a lot of appeal. To casual players or more serious golf devotees it will provide an ideal opportunity for long term entertainment. Overall 87%“.[2]

Video Games and Computer Entertainment: “The computer plays a good game, but this is one of those that really shines when you play with one, two or three other people. If the graphics, which would seem to be no more than 32 colours, were on a level with Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf (or even the celebrated Links 256-colour golf game from Access), it’d be a truly remarkable achievement. As it is, PGA Tour Golf is still a thoroughly entertaining, challenging and complex golf simulation. Overall 26/40“.[3]

Sega Power: Possibly the best golf game to appear on the MD! Good 3D views, loads of options, a multiplayer mode, a Save Game option, and classic golfing play. A must for all golfers. Overall 5/5”.[4]

My Verdict:

“Although the graphics are a bit sub-par (pun intended), PGA Tour Golf is fun and easy to learn but challenging to master. It has plenty of replay value, especially in multiplayer mode, and the creators have captured the atmosphere of the sport nicely.”

Rating:

What are your memories of PGA Tour Golf? I would love to hear your thoughts, and don’t for get to follow and subscribe so that you don’t miss my latest reviews! You can also find me on Instagram: @nicklovestogame.

[1] ‘Mega Drive Review: PGA Tour Golf’. Mean Machines. (April 1991). Issue 7:40-42.

[2] ‘Reviews – PGA Tour Golf’. (May 1991). Raze. Issue 7:38.

[3] Mandel, J., ‘PGA Tour Golf’. Video Games and Computer Entertainment. (May 1991). :47-8.

[4] The Hard Line – PGA Tour Golf’. Sega Power. (October 1991). 23:54.

by lawrenceofcanadia

Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf – Review

In the 1980s, game developers cottoned on to the fact that celebrity endorsements help increase game sales. Beginning with Atari’s Pele’s Soccer (1980), it wasn’t long before names and likenesses of other celebrities such as Bruce Lee (albeit posthumously) and Daley Thompson soon appeared on video games. The quality would vary, however, and a celebrity endorsement was not always a guarantee of a good game.

Title screen (screenshot taken by the author)

Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf (Naomichi Ozaki Super Masters in Japan) is a golf game developed and published by Sega and released in 1989. AS far as I know, the game has not been ported or re-released at a later date and so the Mega Drive version was the only option I have to review the game. 

Plot

As with most sports games, there is no plot other than you must compete against other golfers to win the tournament. To win the tournaments, you must finish each hole in the least number of shots.

Gameplay

Played in single or two-player modes, you can choose to play practice rounds or full Tournament Mode. Practice Mode can be played with one or two players, and you have a choice to play any of the three courses. The Tournament consist of 12 rounds of 18 holes played over three different courses located in the US, Japan and Great Britain. As you progress, you earn money based on your standings at the end of each round. This money can be used to upgrade your clubs from the default black carbon to the better glass fibre and ceramic clubs. Your skill level also increases allowing for greater distances with your shots and your caddy offers better advice for each shot.

Most of the rounds of are played as normal stroke play golf, in that you simply have to get around the course in the least number of shots. However, rounds seven and eleven are played as match games where you play against one other golfer. All you need to do is finish the hole in less shots than it takes your opponent. If, at the end of the tournament you are tied, you will play a sudden death game where the first golfer to win a hole, wins the match.

When it is your turn to address the ball, the HUD becomes split. On the left, you’ll see an overview of the hole and on the right, you’ll see your golfer and the caddy standing with their golf bag. There are three black boxes on the screen displaying various pieces of information. The top left box consists of the number of the hole, distance from the pin, and the hole’s par length; the top right box is the caddy’s advice; and the bottom right box displays your name, the number shot you are on and the club you are going to select. When you press ‘A’, a fourth black box will appear with the options to get Advice, to see the Green, or to see the Score. Press ‘A’ again, and all the black boxes will disappear, and a weathervane will appear showing the wind speed and direction. Press ‘A’ again and the weathervane disappears and an image of how the ball lies appears. Press ‘A’ again and the lie of the ball disappears, and picture of your club appears. You can use the direction button to search for the club you wish to choose. Press ‘A’ again and you will then be shown the stance of your golfer. Again, using the direction button you can adjust the stance allowing your golfer to deliberately ‘slice’ or ‘draw’ the ball. Press ‘A’ again, and the weathervane will appear once more as will the power gauge, and a small yellow arrow on the horizon. The direction button controls the yellow arrow and allows you to aim where you wish to hit the ball. You then press ‘A’ and two white markers begin to ascend on the power gauge. A third white marker will remain in the bottom third of the power gauge. Once they reach your desired power, you press ‘A’ again. The left marker will stop, and the right marker will begin to descend. You then press ‘A’ a third time to stop the descending marker in line with the stationary marker in the bottom third of the power gauge. Your player will then strike the ball. The progress of your hit ball can be seen on the overview map on the left. You will then be told where the ball lands (E.g., fairway, rough, sand bunker), and the process starts all over again. When you land on the green, the view changes to a near bird’s eye view. The lighter areas of the greens are higher than the darker areas of the green. Pressing ‘A’ will make arrows appear on parts of the green which shows you the direction of the slopes.

To help you during the rounds, you have a caddy who offers advice to you before you take a shot. At first, the advice simply states distance left to the hole. As you progress through the game, the caddy begins to offer more advice regarding how the ball lie and various landmarks and hazards on each hole of the course.

Excellent graphics and beautifully detailed (screenshot taken by the author)

How Does It Handle?

For the most part, the game is easy to pick up and play, but you will need the instruction manual to remind yourself of the maximum distance of each club. Adjusting your strength of shot and direction based on wind speed and direction takes some getting used to but adds a sense of realism to the game. Sometimes the wind works in your favour, other times it works against you. The putting is the hardest part as each increment of the putting gauge equals one yard. Add slopes into the mix and the speed with which the power increases in the power gauge, and you can be forgiven for missing some seemingly straightforward puts. I much prefer the way the greens can be viewed in PGA Tour Golf (1991) but I still prefer it to Power Golf (1989).

One of the things I found frustrating was the HUD display. The remaining distance to the hole wasn’t displayed at all times. Once you play your first stroke, you only need to know the remaining distance and to be reminded of the par of the hole. You don’t need reminded of the hole length. The annoyance of having to constantly click the ‘A’ button and then the ‘B’ button to go back and forth does become tiresome after a while. I actually prefer the HUD display for PGA Tour Golf (1991) and Power Golf (1989) which displays all the information all the time.

Oddly, there is an inaccuracy between the map of the hole and what you can see on the right screen when the ball has struck. Many a time I have struck a ball into an area and the ball is seemingly on the fairway but it is in fact in a bunker or in the rough. For example, on hole 13 of one of the courses, I forget which, the ball was lying on the fairway according to the right section of the screen but on the map sections, it showed I was in the bunker. It was rather annoying at times.

Graphics

I think the game looks great. The colours are vibrant, and the sprites move in a very realistic way. The courses are clearly defined so that you can differentiate between the fairway, rough, sand bunkers and trees. I think I actually prefer the way the courses look here than I do with PGA Tour Golf (1991), which looks a tad bland for me, or Power Golf (1989), which looks a bit too cartoony for me.

Halfway through each course, you have a tea break where you are greeted with one of several animations of Sega Master System hero Alex Kidd playing golf. He is joined by Opa-Opa of Fantasy Zone fame.

Oddly, the backgrounds of the courses do not vary and so the courses are not visually distinctive. This is very disappointing as it would have been a great opportunity to design courses based around styles and fashions from those nations: mountains for the USA and cherry blossom trees and some pagodas for Japan. These may come across as stereotypical, but the visuals would have been a nice way to differentiate the courses.

It is also disaapointing that there is only one player face to choose from and that you cannot change the colour of the jersey. The only colour change is a palette change when you compete against another opponent.

Music & SFX

Music plays throughout in the form of an upbeat and bouncy number which doesn’t really lend itself to the sedate nature of a golf game. I do like the music, but If I’m honest, I prefer silence with the occasional bird tweeting and the gentle ripple of applause from the crowd as you bag another birdie. There is a satisfying noise as you sink your ball and a nice little applause from the crowd, but I found that I just turned down the sound and listened to my own music or podcasts as the music and noise aren’t really needed for the game. Weirdly, there is a slight delay of sound when you hit the ball.

Replay Value

For golfing fans in particular, I think this game has lots of replay value. Picture a relaxing evening with a beer or cup of tea, maybe a bit of light music on in the background whilst you play a genial game of golf. Two-player mode will also ensure that level of competitiveness amongst friends remains ignited.

Apparently, there is a secret Fantasy Zone level hidden within the game. To find it, allegedly hit the ball 100 times on the first hole without putting in. You then enter up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B and A on the game over screen. However, I’ve never had the patience to do this and so cannot confirm if this is true.

Did I Complete The Game?

As of yet, I have never won the overall tournament but I have won the GB Pro Tournament and earned a nice set of fibre glass clubs for my troubles.

“Driving for show, putting for dough” (screenshot taken by the author)

What The Critics Said:

Mean Machines: “More fun than Bruce Forsyth, better looking than Tarby, and more strokes than Cecil Parkinson. Overall 83%“.[1]

Raze: “The whole game is slickly designed and beautifully executed. Arnold Palmer may sound like a boring old fart to you, but he’s got one hell of a game to play. Overall 89%“.[2]

Sega Pro: “One of the first and still one of the best. Accurate graphics, good sound and heaps of playability make this an impressive golf simulation, but PGA Tour Golf plays a lot better. Overall 83%”.[3]

Sega Power: “Impressive looking game with convincing 3D courses, good player animation and a hidden Fantasy Zone Game! Simple play-style grows dull so seasoned golfers should go for PGA Tour Golf instead. Overall 3/5”.[4]

Verdict:

“I think this is a solid golf game. Lovely colours and animation, and the game is surprisingly addictive. There is a fair amount of replay value and I’d wager than you’ll be paying your golf fees again and again with this one.”

Rating:

What are your memories of Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf? I would love to hear your thoughts, and don’t for get to follow and subscribe so that you don’t miss my latest reviews! You can also find me on Instagram: @nicklovestogame.

[1] ‘Mega Drive Review – Arnold Palmer’s Golf’. Mean Machines. (December 1990). 3:58-60.

[2] Ellis, L., ‘Reviews – Arnold Palmer’s Tournament Golf’. Raze. (February 1991). 4:60-61.

[3] Proview – Arnold Palmer’s Tournament Golf’. Sega Pro. (November 1991). 1:37.

[4] ‘The Hard Line – Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf’. Sega Power. (October 1991). 23:52.

by lawrenceofcanadia

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune – Review

Ask a retrogamer what makes a game “retro”, and you’ll get as many asnswers are there are grains of sand in the Sahara desert…well, maybe not that many, but what makes a game “retro”? Length of time it has been released? Has the console it was first played on been discontinued? Or are there other criteria that I’m not aware of that classifies a game as “retro”? I would love to hear from you about what you think makes a video game “retro”.

Title screen (Screenshot taken by the author)

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is an action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Released for the PlayStation 3 in 2007, it is the first of a series of games that follows the fortunes of treasure hunter Nathan Drake, as he pursues mythical treasures across the globe. Although it was remastered for the PlayStation 4 in 2016, for this review I played the original version.

Plot

You play as Nathan Drake, who believes himself to be a direct descendant of Elizabethan explorer Sir Francis Drake (c. 1540-1596). Drake has been searching for the lost city of El Dorado and the trail as brought him to their current location.

The game begins somewhere off the coast of Panama. Drake is being filmed by journalist Elena Fisher as they raise a coffin from the seabed which is believed to be the final resting place legendary Elizabethan explorer and privateer Sir Francis Drake. No sooner have they opened the coffin (I won’t tell you what’s inside) then they are ambushed by pirates. Once the pirates are dealt with, Drake and fellow treasure hunter Victor “Sully” Sullivan, continue to follow a trail of breadcrumbs. However, they aren’t the only treasure hunters who have an interest in El Dorado.

Gameplay

Uncharted is a mix of action-adventure and platformer. The game is split between intense fire fights and jumping and climbing (with a few puzzles thrown in for good measure).

Enemies can be defeated in numerous ways: You can use a stealth attack to sneak up behind them, although if you’re spotted this makes it incredibly hard to do. You can have a straight up fist fight with the option to perform a few combos, but if you are being attacked by more than one enemy, this option leaves you open to being shot easily. The third is to use an array of weapons including various handguns, machine guns, shotguns, sniper rifles and grenades. You can only carry one side arm and one rifle/shotgun at any one time. When an enemy is killed you can collect ammunition or different weapons from them.

Guns can be fired in three ways: You can either aim and shoot (most accurate), shoot from the hip (not very accurate but good for an emergency at close range) and shooting blindly when in a covered position (very handy if you are low on life and have an enemy approaching).

For grenades, an arc will appear whilst aiming to show the trajectory of the grenade.

Hint: If you see an enemy about to throw a grenade, try to shoot him at least once. Even if he doesn’t die, he will drop the grenade and it will explode, hopefully killing him and anyone nearby.

Interestingly, there is no health bar in the traditional sense. Instead, when you are hit, a red blood like fog/splay appears on the edge of the screen which also indicates the direction of the attacker. If you continue to take damage, the screen will lose colour and become black and white. When you are near death, you will also hear a heartbeat pounding away. Drake’s health will return to normal once he reaches a location where he is out of range of enemy attack.

There are a few occasions where you will be riding vehicles. One is a jeep and the other is a jet ski. For the jeep, Elena will be driving, so that part of the game is done automatically. Your job is to use the mounted gun to destroy your pursuers. For the jet ski parts, you control both the jet ski, driven by Drake, and the attacking done by Elena. Simply press the aim button and Elena will aim her gun at any assailant (it does take a bit of getting used to).

To add some replay value to the game, there are 60 treasures hidden throughout the levels for you to find. They are tricky to spot! You will see some of them flash like a small white star. When you are near them, a triangle button icon will appear with a small treasure chest icon meaning you can pick them up.

Uncharted blew me away with its environments (Screenshot taken by the author)

How Does It Handle?

I think the game handles really well. The controls are intuitive and there is a nice mix of intense gun battles and puzzles for you to solve. The only issue I had with the controls is that sometimes Drake will hide against a wall or crouch behind a wall when that was not your intention, leading to him being shot and leading me to swear at the controller. Another issue was when piloting the jetski. I found that you always needed to stop before firing, leaving you a bit of a sitting duck.

Graphics

This is a beautiful game. The characters look and move realistically and the environments are incredibly immersive and stunning to look at. Some critics did note a few graphical issues such as some screen tearing but I don’t think the average gamer would really notice/care too much.

Music and SFX

Apart from the main theme, which I love, the in-game music is quite understated but at the same time atmospheric, adding an air of mystery and suspense. It does not play all the time and when it does, you can be forgiven for not noticing as you will be engrossed in the game. The voice acting is great and sounds very authentic. There is great chemistry between Drake and Sully and the dialogue that continues as you move throughout the game feels natural between the two.

Replay Value

Although some argue that the game is too short, I think this game has lots of replay value. Collecting the treasures, along with completing other accomplishments such as killing a certain number of enemies with a particular weapon or in a particular way, will unlock bonuses such as concept art, unlimited ammo, alternate costumes and the ability to play as other characters. This, as well as the four difficulty settings give this game a huge amount of replay value. You’ll definitely get your money’s worth from this game.

Did I complete the game?

Yes, I have completed the game on crushing.

The gun battles are loads of fun and require an element of tactics when approaching a lagre group of enemies (Screenshot taken by the author)

What The Critics Said:

1Up: (The original article has been removed)Overall 8.5/10[1]

Edge: “Amid all the comparisons Uncharted tempts, however, one thing remains: it is a great adventure story that plays excellently. There’s nothing substantially new in what it does – indeed its influences are obvious – and there are some minor problems, but through judicious pruning and reweaving Naughty Dog has crafted one of the finest action adventures to date. It’s involving in its narrative, a triumph of pacing, and simply a pleasure to play. Your move, Ms Croft. Overall 8/10”.[2]

Game Informer: “Uncharted isn’t destined to be a classic; I don’t think there are enough new ideas here to put it in the genius category. However, this is game that is very sure of its identity and does the things that it set out to do very well. It’s a fun, fast, and memorable thrill ride, and perhaps the closest video games have come yet to approximating the experience of an interactive summer blockbuster. Overall 8.75/10”.[3]

Game Pro: “Uncharted reminded me a lot of an Indiana Jones movie in that both are fun and enjoyable romps that are just good enough to make you forgive their respective weaknesses. It isn’t going to single-handedly pull Sony’s bacon out of the fire this holiday season but it is definitely a title that PS3 owners can be proud to call their own Overall 4.25/5″.[4]

Gamespot: “It took us about eight hours to get through Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, and it was an action-packed eight hours, without much in the ways of load times or informational status screens to break it up. The imbalance between the gunplay and the platforming is jarring but forgivable–but the platforming itself works pretty well and looks fantastic thanks to the game’s excellent motion-captured animation. If nothing else, Uncharted is a graphical showcase for the PlayStation 3, and it dazzles the senses at nearly every opportunity. Overall 8/10“.[5]

Gamespy: “Ultimately, there’s little to dislike about Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Even if you’re not a platforming fan, there’s plenty of action here to balance out the near-death leaps of faith. It might not have the running time of other titles on the market, but the leanness of the experience and time invested are fulfilling, plus the replay value is strong. It’s also worth noting that you might also be surprised by how much it pushes the envelope on its T rating. The violence isn’t graphic, but a bloody headshot is a bloody headshot, and the amount of blue language is surprising. It’s also utilizes the system’s technology wonderfully for both the visuals and load-free gaming. The PS3 has received a good share of solid games this year, but any gamers who own the console owe it to themselves to check out Uncharted. It stands out from the current sea of first-person shooters, and you won’t find a better action/adventure game this year. Overall 4.5/5“.[6]

IGN: “Here’s the thing about Uncharted, the final sum is far greater than the individual parts. Maybe you don’t dig the combat or maybe the pop-in gets you down, but the overall package of an endearing story, outstanding score, great performances and fun gameplay should put this title on the top of your holiday wishlist. Say what you will about the PS3, but Uncharted isn’t just a standout for Sony — it’s a standout for gaming as a whole. Overall 9.1/10“.[7]

My Verdict:

“I frickin’ love this game. It looks incredible, it has a great storyline and there is plenty of variety in the controls to keep you interested. It has tons of replay value and I think the experience of the game as a whole easily outweighs any graphical or game length issues it may have.”

Rating:

What are your memories of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune? I would love to hear your thoughts, and don’t for get to follow and subscribe so that you don’t miss my latest reviews! You can also find me on Instagram: @nicklovestogame.

[1] Naruto. ‘Uncharted Review’. 1up. (https://n4g.com/news/83798/1up-uncharted-review-8-5 Accessed 28th December 2020).

[2] EdgeStaff. (26th November 2007). ‘Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune Review’. Edge. (https://web.archive.org/web/20130618105707/http://www.edge-online.com/review/uncharted-drakes-fortune-review/2/ Accessed 28th December 2020).

[3] Helgeson, M., (December 2007). ‘Pass the Popcorn’. Game Informer. (https://web.archive.org/web/20080409120343/http://gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200712/R07.1114.0939.00825.htm Accessed 28th December 2020).

[4] Kim, T., (14th November 2007). ‘Review: Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune’. GamePro. (https://web.archive.org/web/20071116013247/http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps3/games/reviews/147948.shtml Accessed 29th December 2020).

[5] Davis, R., (19th November 2007). ‘Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune Review’. Gamespot. (https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/uncharted-drakes-fortune-review/1900-6183147/ Accessed 28th December 2020).

[6] McGarvey, S,. (14th November 2007). ‘Review – Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune’. Gamespy. (http://ps3.gamespy.com/playstation-3/naughty-dog-ps3-project/835136p1.html Accessed 28th December 2020).

[7] Miller, G., (13th November 2007). ‘Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune Review’. IGN. (https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/11/13/uncharted-drakes-fortune-review Accessed 28th December 2020).