Top 10 Original GameBoy Games

Whilst there were other portable consoles from other manufacturers released before the GameBoy hit the shelves, none managed to "grab" or even maintain such a strong amount of followers as Nintendo did.

With a library of games reaching over a staggering 700 different titles (Just for the original GameBoy remember, not the Color or Advance), the GameBoy with it's numerous advantages such as cost, battery life, and game library availability, soon got underway to becoming one of the greatest handheld consoles in existence.

Creating a list (and restricting that list to just 10 games) has been a difficult post for me as there's so many superb releases available.

However, I've thought as best I could and come up with the following list.

Please remember that this is a personal top 10 selection, and (almost guaranteed) may not include some other popular titles.

Without further delay, let's take a look at the "Top 10 Original GameBoy Games"...

10. Dr Mario

Kicking off the list begins with (what I would consider) one of the most addictive and fun to replay puzzle games of all time.

The objective is simple, On the screen there will be different viruses or bacteria which flash a certain colour, as Mario chucks in pills to help rid these nasties, you have to rotate the medication to match the certain virus/bacteria's colour...get 3 or more connected (including the virus/bacteria) and you've successfully cured...whoever.

Sound simple? Think again. Each level contains more viruses and bacteria than the last, 

The pills are tossed in faster than you can blink and you have less space to manoeuvre the rotation of the medication when the screen is filled with more nasties.

As well as being a plumber, it seems that Mario is also a qualified doctor!

9. Duck Tales

In Duck Tales you play as Scrooge McDuck and complete various levels set in different parts of the world, defeat various bosses and ultimately defeat your rival Flintheart Glomgold so you become the worlds richest Duck.

The game itself is an action/adventure with nicely detailed graphics, upbeat music and a solid (yet comical) storyline.

Gameplay is rather simple with Scrooge being easy to control and the actual difficulty of progressing through levels and defeating bosses won't leave you frustrated or scratching your head (Typically, you can get a level done in around 4-5 attempts).

 

It's sold a lot of copies worldwide (around about 1.5 million worldwide)! and is a must-play for any fan of the TV series...or even if you're just after a light-hearted "pick up and play" game.

8. Boxxle

Who would've thought that a game where you push boxes would be so fun!

Boxxle is puzzle game with a bit of a weird twist to it. You play as a warehouse assistant who has to move boxes in order to make enough money to appear "attractive" to a girl!

If you push the storyline aside and begin playing, you'll soon be dedicated and focussed on solving some of the most mind boggling puzzles available on the GameBoy.

Boxxle delivers a lot of frustration in the puzzles and requires patient, logical thinking in order to proceed.

Whilst the game isn't known to be a best-seller,  have a huge reputation or cult following. It's still a superb and timeless game that's fun to pick up for a low price and re-play.

7. Super Mario Land

Making his debut on the GameBoy is Nintendo's ever-famous mascot Mario in Super Mario Land.

The game itself is a platformer, and like most Mario games before (and after this) it features catchy tunes (which you'll still be singing in your head an hour later), decent graphics & animations and most importantly, easy to grasp controls.

Within the game, there are various power-ups, secret areas and mini-games which along with the already-brilliant level designs, make the game even more interesting and fun to play.

All of the above combined, make Super Mario Land present superb all-round gameplay and is a title that's always fun to pick up and play through time and time again.

At the time of its release back in 1989, Super Mario Land helped drive forward sales of the original GameBoy and sold a phenomenal 18 million copies worldwide!

6. Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins

After the ground-breaking success of Super Mario Land, Nintendo released this superb sequel.

This time around, Wario has taken ownership of Mario's castle and sealed the entrance with magic to prevent you from getting back in.

The seal can only be broken if Mario defeats Wario's henchman and collects from them the 6 golden coins.

Along the way you'll be travelling to various worlds, collecting power-ups to aid your progress and once again, playing through various mini-games and discovering secret areas.

6 Golden Coins also features slightly improved graphics and animations, and was the first Super Mario GameBoy game to save progress (after each completed stage) as you played.

5. Golf

Golf is a game that you'll either fall in love with and want to re-play time and time again or you'll play it once and think "it's just another sports game".

For me it's a game that I absolutely had to include on the top 10 list, purely because of it's simplicity.

The game features just 2 courses - Japan or America and is so easy to control and play through.

For example, to hit the ball, you select your club and press A. The power slider will then increase and you press A again to select how hard you want to hit the ball. The slider then moves back down the scale and you can select the direction and control the accuracy of ball depending on where you stop the pointer next. Do you want to hit the ball left? stop the pointer out of the black box, hit it straight? stop the pointer in the black box. Hit it to the right? ...you get the picture.

It's true that there's nothing amazing or ground-breaking about the game, but it's simplicity is so nice that it's great to just pick-up and play from time to time if you don't want to delve into any "serious" storylines or gameplay.

4. Donkey Kong Land

Another fine platformer available for the GameBoy, This time developed from Rareware (Who later developed Goldeneye 007)

http://retrogamingposts.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/game-of-month-april.html)

Donkey Kong Land allows you to play as either Diddy or Donkey Kong and each has their own advantages and disadvantages. Diddy for example is smaller, faster and less sluggish to manoeuvre. However, Donkey is bigger but stronger and seemingly more difficult to control.

The levels are very well-structured and present much variation. To progress through the game, you'll be required to collect bananas, roll, climb, swim, jump to and from ropes, toss barrels and more in order to continue through to the end.

As I previously mentioned, the game has a lot of variation in the level environments. You'll be playing through a jungle, a ship, underwater, caves, ancient temples etc. and more!

There are also many bonus levels and mini-games (such as collecting the letters K-O-N-G) to complete. The game really is jam packed with action, adventure and many levels/tasks/bonuses to complete.

3. The Legend of Zelda - Link's Awakening

Released back in 1993, This was the first Legend of Zelda title available for a portable console.

Since it's release (and the 1998 re-release for the GameBoy Colour) it's been a phenomenal success and sold over 6 million copies.

The setting for the game is different than the previous Zelda titles,

In Links Awakening you're on Koholint Island, far from Hyrule. You must collect 8 instruments to wake the "Wind Fish" in order to be able to return home.

The map of the island is huge and there's plenty to see and do. You'll find yourself stumbling upon many different secrets and hidden pathways, collecting treasure, battling enemies and meeting some familiar faces from other Nintendo games!

The controls aren't fantastic but they're simple enough and easy to get to grips with. The same goes with the fighting mechanics, they're not all that advanced but the simplicity is actually quite pleasant as it makes the game feel more dumbed down and more welcoming for those that don't normally feel all that comfortable with getting into RPG games.

2. Pokemon Yellow

Unfortunately, we in Europe didn't receive Pokemon Yellow until 2000...but the wait was worthwhile!

Yellow didn't begin by giving you a choice to pick between 3 Pokemon, instead you had to begin with Pikachu and form a relationship (as in the beginning, Pikachu doesn't seem too sure about you as his trainer).

As you set off on your quest "to be the very best", you'll have to complete a range of tasks, battle other trainers, catch ('em all) Pokemon, level-up & strengthen your Pokemon, help foil evil plans and more!

The game has such a wide variety of tasks and mini-games, and has plenty of rewards for you (as the player to earn).

In terms of graphics, they haven't been heavily modified or improved when compared to Red and/or Blue, and neither has the sound. However, this isn't a bad thing as the original graphics and sounds were well-polished, and quite honestly didn't need to be adjusted.

1. Tetris

Addictive, fun, logical and frustrating.

It's a weird combination to describe a game, but that's how I would honestly describe Tetris in just a few choice words.

The game's addiction is like no other.

Every time I play the game, I strive to do better and better. It's so satisfying to build up blocks after blocks after blocks, only to vertically insert a bar to destroy the whole lot and start from scratch, all whilst watching the score counter increase.

The game itself is actually a portable version of Tetris which was originally released in 1984 for the IBM-PC and Commodore 64 and was designed by Alexey Pajitnov (a personal favourite video game designer of mine for his work with Tetris and Pandora's Box).

Tetris isn't just famous for being one of the most addictive puzzle games ever made! It was also the first Game Boy game to feature multi-player support (via the Game Boy link cable) and has gone on to sell over a phenomenal 170 million copies (This includes PC, Game Boy and Mobile Phone editions).

Tetris is undeniably one of the greatest games to have ever been made, and despite being released on the GameBoy all the way back in 1989, it's certainly one that I can personally see being popular 10, 20, even 30 years into the future.

Game Highlight #4

Spider-Man

Making his debut on the Sony PlayStation, Spider-Man swings straight into action as you run across rooftops, swing across skyscrapers, kick and punch bad guys and shoot webbing to get enemies in a "tangle" with your webbing (bad joke I know).

Let's begin the review by discussing the general gameplay and unlockables...

Gameplay and unlockables...

As soon as you start a new game, you're straight onto the rooftops of NYC, battling against typical lowlife criminals wielding pistols on either hand.

Playing as Spider-Man, you can run, jump, kick, punch, shoot webbing, shield yourself (in webbing), crawl, swing (and more) with ease.

Throughout the game you will see scattered around "comic books" which you must collect,

collecting all of them reveals the "Spider-Man 2099" costume which allows you (when you wear it) to withstand double the amount of damage from enemies as you could in Spidey's original costume.

But aside from the "Spider-Man 2099" costume, there are plenty of other costumes to utilize...I mean plenty! For me to tell you how to unlock everyone would involve a lot of typing and it's easy if say...you entered "EEL NATS" into the cheat menu to unlock everything...but you didn't get that cheat code from me, understand!

Finally, if you're a lover of all things weird and wonderful, you'll appreciate the crazy little things they've included within the game.

From an appearance from the Fantastic 4, Stan Lee (yes THE Stan Lee) doing the voiceover, original comic book heroes / villains making an appearance, funny one liners, kid mode (for those that find gaming and controls etc. difficult) and even the crazy cheats such as "big headed" Spider-Man,

this is one game that delivers to true fans of the comics...and even those that just want variety in a game.

The characters... 

Without a shadow of a doubt, a vast amount of what makes this game so great is the fact that it includes so many of the comics popular heroes / villains throughout the game.

From memory, there's Spiderman, Dr Octopus, Mary-Jane, J. Jonah Jameson, Black Cat, Fantastic 4, Daredevil, Lizard, Venom, Carnage etc. and each have their own particular role and / or cameo appearance as you progress through the game.

Next, I must give credit to the cast who lent their voices for the characters...

Rino Romano (who was Spiderman in the TV show of "Spiderman Unlimited" and also Luis Sera in Resident Evil 4 which I only found out recently) does a grand job of providing the voicing of Spiderman in the game, and he also delivers some funny one liners throughout the game...

Daran Norris provides the voice of Venom (shown right) in the game, and boy, if he didn't have a sore throat after doing that...even more credit to him. Venom is portrayed as a creepy and gross character who Daran manages to voice in such a way that it makes Venom as a whole come across even more freakishly.







There are of course many others who provided voice-overs for the characters, some even reprised their roles from the Spiderman Unlimited TV show, and each do a splendid job at delivering a believable and understanding character.

The freedom...

Alright it may not be as "open world" as some later games are, but it was decent enough at the time (and still to this day leaves an impact) to be recognised as an action adventure game which allowed the player a wide expanse of freedom.

For example, take the first level where you're on the rooftops...there's nothing stopping you from swinging onto buildings in the distance (this is a requirement if you want to speak to the fantastic 4), and you as the player can quite literally spend half an hour or so exploring (as there are that many buildings around to keep you occupied).

Unfortunately you will get the continuous speeches of "This isn't the way to the bank" or "My spidey compass will help me reach the bank", but if you can put up with this for half an hour, then feel free to explore! who knows, you may find a comic book which could (if you don't use the EEL NATS cheat code...ahem) put this towards unlocking the "Spiderman 2099" costume.

But it's not just the first level which offers complete freedom. There is of course, as you progress through the game, the option to explore buildings...again as you may have heard from word of mouth, game covers or review sites etc. exploration rewards!

In conclusion, Spiderman is (in almost every kid born in the 90's opinion) one of the most memorable and adventurous games around.

To this day, it continues to impress with it's generous amounts of characters, unlockables, playability and graphics detail.

To be able to play a game where you can have action, adventure and the freedom to explore,

all complete alongside a comic-style storyline, (and again) Stan Lee voicing the narration! what is stopping you from buying this!

In my opinion...this and the sequel of Spiderman 2 - Enter Electro are "Must-Haves" for any retro PlayStation collector. (Unfortunately however,the sequel didn't live up to expectations but still worth a go for the low price it can still be picked up for).



Game Highlight #3

Altered Beast

Known widely to be a "must have" in any retro gamers collection, Altered Beast is a great example of a 2D side scrolling beat 'em up which is easily on par with other great classics such as "Streets of Rage", "Street Fighter", and "Mortal Kombat".

So why is this the Game Of The Month for July?

Well, quite simply it's fun, adventurous, colourful and above all "monstrously" playable over and over again (you see what I did there)?

Let's start again with the plot...

You are a centurion resurrected in Ancient Greece by the god "Zeus".

"Zeus" makes it your mission to rescue his daughter "Athena", but by doing so you must battle through hordes of zombies, creatures, animals and monsters.

(Not really your average "day in the office" is it)?

The colour/detail in the graphics...

From the screenshot to the left, you can see how colourful Altered Beast is.

The Megadrive does a fantastic job of rendering the graphics in Altered Beast and keeps up with the characters movements with very little issue as well.

Combine this with the animations of the enemies such as "The Eyeball Boss" (Shown to the right) who somehow manages to dispatch eyeballs out to damage you (freaky as hell!) the game at times, can really make the viewer squirm...again because of the attention to detail from the artists.

The power ups...

I tried so hard to save this until the end...but it's no good, I need to get this out of my system!

The power ups on this game are awesome! you go from average man, to strong, to Schwarzenegger, to Wolf, Dragon, Bear etc. not only that, but with each "creature / animal" you become features different moves...The following is a screenshot of when you "evolve" from Human to Creature (In this case - The Wolf)

Just as an example, the Wolf can "Jump Kick" which knocks all enemies off their feet, resulting in an instant death.

Alongside this, it can also throw fireballs (comes in handy with the boss at the end of the level believe me)!

The wolf is just 1 of 5 animals/creatures that you can turn into as your progress through the game, the exact order is:

• Level 1 - Wolf
• Level 2 - Dragon
• Level 3 - Bear
• Level 4 - Tiger
• Level 5 - Gold Wolf (Slightly more powerful than the original wolf in Level 1)

Once again, each of these characters have their own strengths, weaknesses and powers.

From flaming fireballs to surrounding yourself with electricity, to even bad breath!

Altered Beast promises fun, yet action packed side scrolling fighting fun.



The history / continued legacy...

OK so it may not be directly related to the gameplay, but one of the things that makes Altered Beast so good is it's history and continuing legacy.

Originally released for the arcade (back in 1988), it was an instant success.

Why? well mainly because of the points spoken about above...the graphics, colour, detail, story, bosses, powerups etc. they're all memorable and back in the days when Arcade gaming was still a popular pastime (sigh), this was one the newest and biggest hit games around.

Unfortunately, the ports of Altered Beast such as for the Megadrive, Master System, Amiga, Commodore etc. weren't exactly popular in the eyes of critics.

Some said the games were poorly ported, other stated that although the Megadrive was more powerful that it just didn't belong on a home console, others rated it as one of the worst ports around!

However, these do only seem to be "critic" reviews (albeit, there will be a few "non critics" that don't think the ports were good) but my advice? get it and try it for whatever system you have, nowadays you can pick Altered Beast up for between £2 and £15 (roughly $3 - $25) it's definitely worth a go to see for yourself.

And now for the continuing legacy it leaves...

Since it's initial 1988 arcade release, I've just written that it was ported to a numerous amount of consoles...but it didn't stop there.

In 2002, for the Gameboy Advance, THQ released Altered Beast - Guardian of the realms.

This was a sequel to Altered Beast and featured more creatures and animals to turn into, more powerups and destructible environments...though I haven't played it myself it seems to be rated between 3-5 stars.

Aside this was a remake of the original Altered Beast released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2.

By remake, I mean completely different to the original. You are a human that has had your DNA purposely altered so you can change into any creature (at any time - depending if you have the correct amount of serum) to fight your way through enemies.

Once again it's not something I've played and unsure whether I will or not...anyone played this? any opinions?

All in all, Altered Beast (as a recap) is a 2D side scrolling beat 'em up which promises endless fun and playability with just the right amount of difficulty, powerups and levels.

To reiterate, it IS a classic, and it IS a must have!

Do yourself a favour...grab it and own yourself a piece of gaming history!

Studying / Future of my blog...

Hi guys,

Just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for all of the views so far on my blog and that I'm seriously looking forward to getting back into the game (no pun intended!) after just 3 months I've had 500 views!

Whilst some may think that 500 odd views isn't really a huge amount in comparison to a lot of big company blogs, it's a great number and achievement for me and again I thank you...each and every one of you for viewing my blog...

Now for the question of "Where have I been?". If you're a regular viewer you'd know I post at least once a week with a review or some exciting news, but for the past month or 2 I haven't posted a single thing!

Why?

Studying...I'm currently 22 and work full time as an IT technician, I love working in IT and have a strong passion for the industry...luckily I'm also working in a fantastic place, but I also need strengthen my skills in certain areas.
Last year I passed my Comptia A+ and this year I'm taking the Network+ and for the past month or 2 have been studying rigorously!

Hopefully in 2 weeks from tomorrow, I'll be a qualified Network+ technician and as soon as the exam is over, I shall be on a "study break" and get back to the blogging.

Before I leave this post, please know I've been playing loads (in the hour of free time I get a week) and will get back to doing reviews and posts etc. before you know it!

In conclusion, thanks so much for the views...please send me some comments and follow the blog for all the latest updates...you guys are amazing for your support and I can't thank you enough.

Right now, I'm off upstairs for a short go on Altered Beast on the MegaDrive (bought for just £2.99 boxed with the manual)...let me know what bargains you've found lately :-)

All the best for now...
Ash

Top 10 Bargain Megadrive Games For Less Than £10

I've been doing a lot of tidying and clearing at home today...largely thanks again to the unpredictable British weather.

For those of you outside of the UK... it is true, and definitely NOT a rumour that we British have strange weather.

I came across my box of MegaDrive games (before I go further, the MegaDrive is known outside of Europe as the Genesis), and thought "Why not help your readers discover some good, cheap games?"

Now, I've compiled this list with 2 objectives in mind...

A) The game must be less than £10 or $16.80 for my US readers

B) It must be completely boxed with the manual

So, I done some digging around on various big retail stores such as eBay, Amazon and a couple of others to see what games I could find...I present to you below "The Top 10 MegaDrive Games For Less Than £10"....or $16.80.

P.S. This is in no particular order or rank, and the reason I've not mentioned the sites where the prices I've found are from, is in case they sell in the meantime.

Without further ado...

10. Sonic The Hedgehog

"Predictable", This is what I imagine you're probably thinking...

"How predictable that Sonic would be in this list!".

First off, I don't blame you for thinking this if you are... 9 times out of 10, when I say

"What's the first thing you think of when I say Sega" people will say

 "Sonic...I played that all my childhood"

or something along those lines.

Currently, I found this boxed with the manual online for £6.53

(Please note that you can't spin dash in the original Sonic...Grr!)

9. The Revenge Of Shinobi

Yes, it's true! you can pick up one of the greatest titles released for the MegaDrive / Genesis for a mere £7.99

Why get it? well if you're an experienced retro gamer you'll know exactly why...for those of you that are new to the retro lifestyle, it promises great fluid gameplay, great graphics and great sounds (sounds great doesn't it?).

Oh, lastly if you manage to get hold of the original 1989 release of this game you can have boss fights against Batman, Spiderman, Godzilla and The Terminator...later versions and re-releases omitted and adjusted the characters appearance to comply with the license rights.

8. Toy Story

As a huge fan of the movie series, to hear that there was a game released for the MegaDrive

(as well as SNES and PC) I thought "I must get it".

Whilst it's not as memorable and classic as other big titles, it is still a fantastic game to pick up and play, and features most of the characters from the film.

Again for a small fee of £8.53, this easily makes it's way onto the list.

The only thing that bugs me about this game? what is Buzz Lightyear's facial expression on the cover?

I guess It's probably one of those mysteries that just goes unsolved...

7. The Lion King

The Lion King is a great film...

 (I guess it's shameful to say I only watched it for the first time at age 21).

The game? also...brilliant (trying not to use the word great again).

It's got wonderful graphics, upbeat and jolly music and easy controls and follows closely to the film.

I found The Lion King at £7.99 and cannot recommend this enough...it needs to be in your collection (and mine for that matter).

One final note...watch the film if you haven't done so already!

6. Mortal Kombat

Known in the "Retro Underground" as the starter of violent video games, Mortal Kombat deserves it's place in this list.

Whilst by today's standards it is dated, back in the 90's shortly after it's release, governments around the globe were trying to completely ban or restrict the sale of this game due to it's excessive violence!

It also paved the way and strengthened the case for implementing ESRB ratings

 (US equivalent to PEGI)

But if you push this aside and want a good fighter game with fairly decent graphics,

memorable soundtracks, quotes and of course the history! then this is a game for you...

Retail price as of today £8.99

5. Greendog - The Beached Surfer Dude!

When I first got my MegaDrive, I said to a friend of mine "What games shall I get?".

His response was "GreenDog...I spent all my 18th birthday money on that game".

Sure enough, the game was memorable for my friend as he recited all the levels and the cheats codes!

Green Dog is a side scrolling adventure platformer with very colourful graphics, easy controls and is generally a typical example of a truly "fun" game.

But aside from just walking as the character, you have a skateboard, roller skates and a flying bike!

From the looks of things, it can be picked up very cheap! right now it's online at £4.58

Definitely worth a play for the cheap price...for me it's a great game to replay over again.

4. Altered Beast

Just barely squeezing in under the price limit is Altered Beast.

For many experienced retro game collectors, this is an absolute classic and in most personal collections!

So why am I recommending this to you? well, I'll start with what I believe is the best aspect of this game...you can play as different characters every time you defeat a blue wolf...not only this, but you grow bigger and stronger, which just adds constantly to the games playability!

There are 6 different characters in total: Human, Werewolf, Weredragon, Werebear, Weartiger and a Golden Werewolf.

Boss fights are also great fun in this game, but I won't say much more (for now!)

Go and grab yourself a copy at £8.90

3. Kid Chameleon

First of all, It was a struggle...a real struggle in fact to find this boxed with the manual for the set price of this blog post.

At exactly £9.98 I managed to find this (and buy it - sorry guys but it's one that I desperately needed for my collection and well...it's payday tomorrow).

Kid Chameleon is just a game that's everlastingly enjoyable!

So you're a kid named Casey, you notice that all the other kids have been playing this new VR video game in town...and disappeared.

As you discover that the games boss kidnaps any kid that can't beat the game, you decide to play and must use various masks to play as different characters in order to defeat the boss himself...

Heady Metal.

2. Jurassic Park

Released around the same time as the film, Jurassic Park made it's way as a playable

action platformer on the MegaDrive / Genesis.

You can play as either Dr Grant (played brilliantly in the film trilogy by Sam Neill) or as a Velociraptor.

Currently, the cheapest copy of the game I found was priced at £7.02 which is an absolute bargain for the complete set!

It will provide you with fun, colourful graphics and an awesome funky soundtrack.

Also, if you get chance, have a look at the TV commercial for this game...it's pretty damn cool

 (for the 90's anyway!).

1. Ecco The Dolphin

Another gem published by Sega is the first instalment of Ecco The Dolphin.

Yes, the storyline may sound ridiculous...but seriously don't let that put you off!

If you're still umming and ahhing, how about if I tell you that you can get this classic game complete for just £4.98?

It's a beautifully designed game with lovely colouring, interactive characters and (frustrating as hell) big level maps.

Alright so if you're new you're probably wondering what's the storyline, or what do you do as a dolphin?

Well...here's the gist of the plot:

You're a bottlenose dolphin, who travels through time and battles aliens in the ocean and on their spacecraft all to protect and save earth.

No, I'm not making that up, and despite it sounding ridiculous...it's a true classic and remains to this day...a fantastic game!

Game Highlight #2

Goldeneye 007

Rated worldwide as one of the best video games ever made,

(It was even in it's own display cabinet in a video game shop in Majorca last year!), and even more widely known as the best multiplayer game to have ever existed!

Goldeneye 007 makes it straight to this weeks "Game Of The Week".

First off...you don't even have to like the James Bond series to enjoy playing, quite simply,

Goldeneye 007 is just a great game to pickup and play.

Whether it's the single player or multiplayer mode you choose, it promises hours of fun, even 17 years after it's release date.

On the other hand, if you are a bit of a Bond fan then this is probably the closest you'll ever get to be him (sorry to break it to you).

In comparison to the earlier video games such as those released on the GameBoy, Megadrive and Master System etc. the game features various remixes of the James Bond theme, as well as dramatic and tense orchestral scores which really make you feel as if you're playing through the actual film...why they haven't done this in the later video game releases, I'll never know?

So overall then, what makes this game so utterly fantastic?

Guns, Girls & Martini...

Well, strictly speaking it doesn't feature Bond having a "shaken not stirred" Martini in the game,

but it does stick very closely to Bonds other traits.

There are guns, and there are girls in the game.

Most notably, Natalia Simonova who (if you've seen the film) is a programmer for the Russian Space Forces teams up with Bond to help stop Trevelyan's fiendish plans.

As you play through certain levels (in this example "Jungle") you'll be fighting alongside Natalya, who provides assistance in helping you take out the enemies. The only thing to be wary of is Natalya's health...if she's shot, then game over! you must restart the level again.

On one hand it's good that the game has stuck true to the film, and it's also good to see Bond not acting solo for a change...on the other hand, having Natalya can be a bit of a chore in the sense that you must ensure she doesn't run on ahead and get killed.

Going back to the first point on this sections heading "Guns", Goldeneye 007 provides you with a good range of weaponry...it's not packed full of guns and weaponry, but it certainly isn't skimpy.

The most commonly recognised gun in the game is of course Bonds signature weapon of choice...the Walther PPK.

It's simple, powerful enough to take down the enemies, and of course provides you as the gamer a more realistic and closer attachment as Bond.

Of course, there are more guns in the game that become available as you play through, for example the KF7 Soviet, Shotgun, Sniper Rifle etc. and my personal favourite, the "Klobb" (best used as a pair!).

The Soundtrack...

Goldeneye 007's soundtrack is my personal all-time favourite.

For those of you that have never played the game, it's not just your typical action sounding orchestral score...this soundtrack depicts Bond as a true secret agent / badass!

Chemical Facility is one of my prized levels, purely because of the music.

It's a grungy, dark and adrenaline filled version of the Bond theme which as a whole always makes me feel pumped up and ready to tear through the level (starting of course with shooting the hat off of the soldier in the toilet). But it's not just the Chemical Facility levels audio that makes the game great...Statue is truly horrifying!

I'll be honest, I'm not one that get's easily frightened when playing video games, but the dark eeriness of an empty park filled with statues of Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin with enemies jumping out of nowhere attacking you...all the while with a scary booming orchestral score playing, really made me think twice about playing Goldeneye with no lights on again!

Though I could spend a lot longer describing the soundtrack to Goldeneye, I'm going to decide to wrap it up there.

As a whole, the music suits the atmosphere of the level you're playing and is very well composed and implemented into the game...honestly though, play through statue and comment back telling me that you honestly didn't feel even the slightest chill...I'll be impressed!

Multiplayer Mode...

Long before the day's of talking via a headset, using an onscreen keyboard or any other form of chat over a network, multiplayer with you and 3 others meant splitting the TV screen into 4 mini screens. Back in the 90's when we had huge great analogue TV sets with small displays, this was a huge pain to setup...especially when the TV set's had really long backs and lunging over them blindly to try and plug a scart lead in was a mission itself!

However, spending 20 minutes of arm aching pain to try and plug the video lead in or searching through the analogue TV's frequency to pickup the aerial connection from the N64 to the TV was totally worth it in Goldeneye's case.

There are a choice of 35 characters to play as, 12 of them being the most recognisable from the Bond series. Baron Samedi, Oddjob, MayDay and probably everybody's favourite villain turned allie...Jaws.

Multiplayer mode is packed full of different weapons, huge levels and evenings full of entertainment, it's not a multiplayer game where you can camp or hide and lay low etc. it's fast paced and crazy fun!

So now you know a general overview of Goldneye 007 and what the game is like, we'll have a talk about what you do in the levels.

Goldeneye is no exception to the typical "objective based" levels that so many games feature.

Before you begin a level, you're tasked with a set amount of objectives that you must complete.

Of course, should you miss an objective or ignore it, then the mission is over and you will have to restart the level from scratch because of that failure.

Aside this, the number of objectives and of course the difficulty of completing the tasks is dependant on what level you have the game set to i.e. agent, secret agent or 00 agent.

Shown right is Alec Trevelyan, who (if you've

seen the film) is played by Sean Bean.

Rare have done their very best in matching the characters to their real likeness, and again it makes the game feel far more closer to the film than later game instalments have.

Agent under fire for example...who was that Bond supposed to be?

Graphics...

6/10 - Ouch, it may sound quite hurtful to give the almighty Goldeneye 007 a low score in it's graphics quality, but remember...it's a game released way back in 1997. It hasn't aged well, and it really isn't great in it's graphic abilities. That aside, I will admit that the textures and patterns used in the game as well as the animation are good and it makes for smooth gameplay even when confronted with a big bunch of enemies.

When COMPLETELY surrounded by enemies, explosions, fire and gas etc. ...you'll notice a slow down in the gameplay, and yes, lag will happen.

It's important to remember that it's a 17 year old game and therefore it doesn't have enough power to keep up with the rendering of the display.

On a more positive note however, the colours in the game are vivid and the shading has been done well (just look at the canisters behind Trevelyan).

Sounds...

9/10 - Goldeneye as I mentioned earlier, has a wonderful soundtrack to it and in my opinion makes up for at least 25% of this games greatness.

From it's tense, suspense and action packed orchestral scores, to the darker, grittier and scarier music in the case of statue. The audio really adds to the feel of Bond and the missions he must complete.

Now in terms of sounds, the gun noises are realistic and it's actually pretty cool to hear the ricochet of bullets bouncing off of walls (a sound that many games don't include). Besides these, the footsteps in snow, computer terminals and glass shattering etc. are all included and close to how it would sound in real life...a big well done to the sound team, it's made up of many elements to make this shooter that evermore popular.

Controls & Gameplay...

8/10 - Controls on an N64 controller as a whole aren't fantastic...it's an awkward design if you're new to the console, but Goldeneye seems to optimise what it has...and does it well.

There are many different control options to set to help you get the best feel for the game that's right for you. These can be found in the games menu...or Bond's watch.

I would recommend solitaire if you're new to the N64, otherwise, play about and see what's best for you.

Gameplay is moderately paced, plenty of levels and fun AI...they're not the most intelligent AI on the planet, but it is fun, and they do pull of some sneaky moves (standing behind boxes, rolling toward you or running to gain additional help are all part of their master plan!).

Of course, playing as Bond you do also get gadgets to help you out along the way.

The laser watch, remote mines with detonator etc. all aid you in the field and makes for a more interesting and "secret agent" like feel for the game.

To wrap up, if you haven't played Goldeneye 007, it's one of those games you must play before you die!

It's fast, fluid, packed full of fun, and did I mention the amazing soundtrack?

For a mere £6 for the cartridge alone or (if you're a collector like myself) £15 for the game fully boxed with the manual, it's a small price to pay for so much hours on end fun that you'll get back in return!

On Holiday...

Hi Everyone,

Apologies for the missing updates, I'm currently on holiday and will be blogging again within the week :-)

Ash

Game Highlight #1

Fahrenheit

First off, a small confession... I've heard a lot of good things about this game, but it's never really appealed to me that much, and I'll be completely honest here...looking on the rear cover, I thought it looked like another violent and grotesque action game.

Of course 9 years later after it's release back in 2005, I finally found the game in a shop in town for about £3 and thought "right I may as well give it a go, if it's no good I can sell it online to someone that would want this game and for the sake of £3 it's well worth giving it a chance".

Well...after buying it and putting it in the game box for a rainy day, I decided last Sunday to get it out, and give it a go.

The game begins with you in a toilet stall, and showcases you as a crazed man self-harming and preparing to commit a murder. As you progress through the game in it's self claimed "interactive movie" environment, you must find out if you're a murderer or victim of some sort of satanism or black magic etc.

So first of all, why is this the game of the week?

Well for a start, it's not a game that just gives you the plot and then you start, progress, find out and finish etc. oh no! it's a lot more complicated and stirring than that!





Every decision you make affects your mental health and mood...

As the game begins, you'll start to find that everything you can interact with can either raise or lower the way you're feeling. Playing as the murderer for example (or victim of uncontrollable darkness if that's the way the story uncovers...) having a sip of water will gently lift your spirits and provide reassurance and slight calming, however, should you pick up a photo of your ex girlfriend...be prepared to sink into an even lower depression.

OK so far that sounds a little obvious right? when you feel ill or panicky and have a sip of water, we all know that it helps slightly, such as it is in the game. Similarly if you found a picture of you and an ex in a "happy memories" pose, I'm sure it would bring a bit of sadness back...well what about alcohol?

In the game there's a bottle of gin in your apartment, now in reality if you're drunk you can either be happy, singing, laughing etc. or you could be asleep, stumble or even violent...do you do what I did on the game and think "getting plastered should temporarily relieve this man of his guilt and pain" or is that not such a wise idea?

I won't reveal any spoilers, but just know that what may seem like a good idea may not always be...

Playing as three characters...whose side do you take?

Well, officially you don't really take anybody's side...but you can (and will I gurantee it!) deliberately favour and want to help either Lucas or Carla and Tyler (who work together as the investigators trying to capture the criminal behind the murder).

In the game, there will be certain points where you can really do your best to evade any suspicion from the police i.e. coincidentally walking through the park next to the same police offer you almost confessed everything to! or hiding all traces of evidence when the police come to your door early in the game...more on that later!

Equally, when playing as Carla and Tyler, you will interact with other characters and the environment to get as much evidence and links to draw you in closer to the murderer...but do you want to discover and arrest Lucas...or do you take sympathy with him and let him discover what's happening? therefore purposely not interacting or digging deeper when playing as the police? It's your choice...

Tensity

It may only be one word to start off, but the tensity in this game is overwhelming.

There are plenty of moments throughout the game which are just simply nail-biting or chilling!

The morning after the murder which takes place, there's a knock on the door followed by "NYPD open up!". Lucas then proceeds by saying something along the lines of "that's it, they know it was me, I'm done for". As the clock counts down, you have to do everything you can to hide any evidence linking you to the crime! as you near the end of the time limit, it's time to bite the bullet and answer the door...will you really be found out so early in the game or will it just be a moment where you can breathe a deep sigh and relax because it's something innocent...don't expect me to reveal it...

So aside from the tense moments, the mysteries, plot twists and the interaction with other characters etc. there are also some fast-paced interactive cutscenes throughout the game.

To the left is an action sequence where Lucas is so nervous he hallucinates and giant arthropods start to chase and attack him.


Using both the analogue sticks you must press the directions indicated by the light within a couple of seconds to work your way out of a bad situation.

In terms of interacting with characters, there are no dedicated set dialogues...YOU choose what you want to ask.

To the right is a screenshot from the beginning of the game when you talk to the waitress about the murder in the men's restroom.

As you sit down you have a few options as to how you steer the conversation. Do you try and get a description of the murderer or victim first? or jump straight in to asking about the victims behaviour?



So now you know a little more about the storyline, the way you can control the game and the various action sequences and interactions, let's talk about the graphics, sounds and controls.


Graphics...
7.5/10 - The graphics in the game are very good. Faces, objects and the environment as a whole are very well drawn in the game and the same goes for the interactive cutscenes and animation throughout.


Sounds...
8/10 - The sounds in the game are perfect. Starting with the simple things like having a drink of water, having a shower or using the computer etc. the developers really went the extra mile to get every sound crammed into the game, and again, I know I've mentioned it in the previous posts, but to have even the minor sounds included make this "interactive movie" game, feel realistic and closer to home.
Aside this is the soundtrack which varies radically.
You'll be playing through the game in tense, nerve racking moments with dark, atmospheric music playing in the background (which, is utterly fantastic and does justice to the tense moments), only to complete the action sequence, breathe a sigh of relief and then continue on thinking "what next", only to then be greeted by a funky soundtrack and a mini-game such as basketball for Tyler or Boxing with Carla.


Controls...
7/10 - The controlling of the characters can at times seem a little difficult, especially within small spaces.
Like most of the small area, dodgy camera games they do have their annoying moments and Fahrenheit unfortunately is no exception.
Despite this however, Fahrenheit generally does have good controls and most of the time it's easy enough to navigate around. Included in this section are the interactive cutscenes that do all the movements for you, but rely on you as the player to press the analogue sticks in the correct direction to continue without encountering any problems. Put simply, the controls are nice and easy, and during the game it is self explanatory as to what to press to progress.

So as an overall score for Fahrenheit, I'd rate it as an 8.5/10

If you're like me and thought this game didn't look all that appealing from the cover or word of mouth etc. do yourself a favour and spend out the measly few pound this game is now priced at online...you won't regret it...