November 2008 Archives

Better known as Teenage Mutant Turtles II: The Arcade Game, TMNT was developed and released by Konami in 1989. This side-scrolling beat'em up game was simply titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in Japan, where I first purchased and played the game.

I remember this game with great fondness, and I was excited to see a Ninja Turtles game in Japan, where the comic book and TV series were not as widely known. I remember that the game delivered everything I had hoped for, and didn't disappoint.

Now that the fog of childhood excitement has cleared, I can give my honest opinions of this game without any reservation. Does it stand up to the test of time, or does it fall short?

Something I loved about this game as a kid was the 2 player co-op mode. This was, in fact, my preferred method of play as a kid, because it made it a lot easier to beat the game. It was difficult enough that we couldn't beat it every time, but typically you could make it a lot farther with 2 players as opposed to 1. This time I played the game alone, and I must admit that this did have an impact on my overall enjoyment of the game. It's better with 2 players, but it's not bad as 1 player.

Another thing I loved about the game was the gameplay. The controls were simple and responsive, and the boss battles were challenging. The gameplay is still pretty fun, if somewhat monotonous. Most of the time you jump, kick, and repeat, which is your basic strategy for most boss battles.

Of course, part of the appeal of this game is the Turtles universe, which they took full advantage of (unlike some movies or games I could mention). They could have released this game under the guise of another hero quartet, but somehow I just don't think it would have been as satisfying. This is where it gets a little difficult to rate as a game, because those who grew up with the Ninja Turtles are familiar with the universe and the characters, but those didn't grow up with the Ninja Turtles might have a different view of this game altogether.

Gameplay
As per aforementioned, the gameplay is simple and the controls are responsive. I like how you can combine your jump with an attack (jump-kick), and if you hit the buttons simultaneously, you can get another "special attack" that brings Foot soldiers down in one hit. I like the variety in movements, but most of the time you're going to be using the jump-kick or the special attack because they are more effective and it's easier to avoid enemy attacks. Unlike Final Mission, there are a fair number of stages to the game, and it still retains a good level of challenge.

Graphics
The graphics were impressive at best, and par at worst. I like the variety in expressions and actions the Turtles can take, and you can tell they paid a great deal of attention to detail here. Of course, some of the backgrounds are a little underdeveloped, and you can tell they recycled the Foot soldier graphic (merely changed the color of it), but this was common practice at the time. All in all, it looks a lot better than a lot of other NES games, so I'm not going to dock any points here.

Sound & Music
I like the fact that they made use of the Turtles' theme, and also created variations on it. Some of the loops tend to be fairly short and repeat too often, but there are also some pretty good themes here. My favorites were the snow level and the Technodrome themes.

Overall 7.5/10
This game may not be the cream of the crop, but I have to admit it's still a fairly well developed game. It's a bit like Contra combined with Double Dragon, if I had to make comparisons (although not as memorable as either). I realize I was a lot more forgiving of games like this as a kid. You almost never knew what you were getting when you went out and bought NES games, and fortunately this one turned out to be one of the better ones in my collection. Give it a whirl if you have some spare time.

Final Mission (a.k.a. S.C.A.T. Special Cybernetic Attack Team) is a side-scrolling shooter developed by Natsume and released in 1990 (1991 in the United States).

It's a hard game. Seriously. My understanding is that there are subtle differences between the Japanese and American version, namely the Japanese version is a lot harder, and I played the Japanese version.

This shooter closely resembles Contra in many respects. The heroes look similar, the weapon upgrades are similar, even the sound effects sound similar. The main difference is that the heroes use jetpacks to float around the level, and have orbital cannons. These cannons circle around the heroes as they move around, but they can also be locked in order to target enemies in harder-to-reach areas (i.e. top or bottom of the screen).

The hero only has three bars of health to begin with - although you gain another bar of health every 10,000 points - once you've been hit three times the game is over. I would suspect that the average player wouldn't be able to beat the first level on their first six tries, so that's some indication of how difficult it is. Stage 4 and 5 are particularly difficult, with laser beam cannons, indestructible ships that take up 3/8 of the screen, and enemies that scatter multiple bullets across the screen.

On the up side, there are only 5 stages and 5 bosses in the entire game (although there are some mid-level encounters as well). This makes it a relatively short game. On the one hand, such a difficult game shouldn't go on any longer than that, but on the other hand, it's just lazy. I mean, why not have 12 stages that gradually increase in difficulty rather than 5 stages that weed out all but the serious gamers. I kind of saw it as a personal challenge, so I went ahead and beat the stupid game (though not without the help of an emulator).

Gameplay
Okay, I do have to admit this is a pretty fun game. It's a bit of a button masher, because one button is used to fire and the other to lock your orbital cannons, so really you're only using one button 95% of the time. The overall difficulty is a bit ridiculous, and I still think it would have been better with more stages.

Graphics
Not very good. Again, slight differences here in the American release vs. the Japanese release, but the original game's graphics aren't good even by NES standards. Backgrounds are primitive, and the heroes and enemies look even worse. The gameplay certainly matters more to me than the graphics, but it does seem a little lazy, like other aspects of the game.

Sound & Music
All the sound effects could very well be direct rip-offs of Contra and I would be none the wiser. However, I liked the Contra sound effects so that's not saying much. The music was anything but memorable. It was kind of just there. The only thing that could redeem a game like this is really intense music, but again there was nothing overly memorable about here.

Overall 5/10
Okay, so it probably sounds like I didn't really like this game. Don't get me wrong, it's a fun shooter if you have a lot of patience and time to kill. It has its moments, but there are definitely better games out there. The reason I couldn't give it less than a 5 is because it's actually a fully developed (well, sort of), functional game. I don't think I would play it again now that I've finished it, but maybe I would try the 2 player co-op mode.

The Wedding Singer refers to the 1998 nostalgic 80s Comedy written by Tim Herlihy, starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. The setting of the movie is in 1985, and Sandler plays a popular wedding singer, Robbie Hart, who sings hits from the 80s. When his fiancée, Linda (Angela Featherstone) dumps him on his wedding day, he becomes friends with Julia (Drew Barrymore), a waitress, and helps her make arrangements for her wedding. In the process, they fall in love with each other and realize that they have both picked wrong partners.

Everything about the idea of a wedding singer is endearing already, but add to that some of the best 80s music and lighthearted (and sometimes absurd) comedy and you have The Wedding Singer. Some look back on the 80s in fondness, while others don't regard it with much enthusiasm. This movie certainly wears the 80s on its sleeve, perhaps more so than many movies from the 80s, and may not appeal to those who would rather forget than remember. However, I think it's a fun, enjoyable film.

The Wedding Singer is perhaps one of my favorite Comedy movies from the 90s, and there are several reasons for this. Firstly, Adam Sandler's outbursts are always fun to watch, and are reminiscent of Happy Gilmore, another favorite Comedy of mine. Secondly, the movie is set in the 80s. I'm not exactly a 80s kid, but I was born in the 80s, and love the music (and some of the fashion) from the 80s. Thirdly, I play music myself, so I can relate to having to find gigs and performing on days I didn't really feel like performing. It's fun to watch Sandler sing songs like "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)". Finally, it's an uplifting story about finding true love, a subject most people can relate to (on different levels).

The movie, to me, encompasses an easily relatable story and era. What are your thoughts on this movie? Are you a fan of the 80s? What were some of your favorite songs from the 80s?

What can I say about Rocky that hasn't already been said? This 1976 film written by Sylvester Stallone is remembered fondly by many, and is so widely acknowledged that it's practically a self-caricature (i.e. Rocky running up the steps and raising his arms in victory, Rocky yelling "Adrian!" repeatedly at the end of the movie).

Rocky Balboa, an amateur boxer, is presented with the opportunity of a lifetime: to fight the heavyweight champion in a title match. After some hesitation, Rocky trains under the direction of Mickey. Apollo Creed, the heavyweight champ, just views it as a show, but Rocky means business. Ultimately, this movie is a love story about Rocky and Adrian, where most of the character development happens.

Best I can remember last Saturday was the first time I've ever seen the whole film. It's a little bit before my time you could say, but with all the hype surrounding the release of Rocky Balboa, I had to see it for myself.

There's something about the story of an underdog that always fires me up, and this movie fits that description to a tee. These "Cinderella stories" are both inspiring and thought-provoking. I am often confronted with my own failures and victories, and my own shortfalls and triumphs. It inspires me to try harder.

Some may disagree, but I believe this movie is really as much about love as it is about boxing. Rocky's only concern after his bout with Apollo is Adrian. A good portion of the film is in fact about Rocky's many attempts at wooing Adrian. Most of the story revolves around these two characters.

In the end, I found it to be a very entertaining and poignant film. Stallone's writing was impressive. The acting was also surprisingly good. I don't really have anything bad to say about it.

Project A 2 is different from legions of other Jackie Chan movies in some respects. For one thing, Jackie Chan plays the straight man instead of a comedic role. That's not to say that the movie is without moments of comedic relief, but Chan's character, Dragon Mao, is in fact a relatively stoic character. With that being said, the movie is still everything you would expect from a Jackie Chan movie; plenty of Kung Fu action and outrageous stunts.

In Project A 2, Mao is assigned to the police force. His assignment is to administer and monitor the corrupt practices of the local police. He learns the whereabouts of a known criminal and goes to arrest him but the criminal boss and his minions aren't going down without a fight. Ultimately, Mao is able to arrest them with the help of his friends in the navy. This is where the story gets a little convoluted.

Mao, having arrested the criminal boss, is assigned to a new task. He is to be chief of security at a party. A revolutionary faction is bent on stealing the jewels at this party, and pandemonium ensues. Mao is set up, and has to be arrested. However, having rid of Pirate Lo in the previous film, Mao becomes the target of Lo's minions. This is where the chaos really begins, as the revolutionary faction, the pirates, the police, and the government converges on an epic clash, each with their own agenda.

All in all, this was a really entertaining film. The Kung Fu action and the stunts were incredible as always, and the plot kept you engaged. Even though this film took a great deal of effort, I like how it looks completely effortless. It looks simple enough conceptually, but its scope is truly epic.

OK guys, I know there are a few articles (that used to be here) that you might be looking for, so let me point you in the right direction.

All of my interviews can be found at: www.DAWInterviews.com.

As for the design, it's basically just a Movable Type template right now, but I will be changing things up a bit when I have the chance. The most important thing right now is the content, and for you to be able to comment on it, which you can now. Enjoy.

If you haven't noticed already, I've been making some changes around here. You'll have to bear with me as I get everything up and running again, but when it's all said and done you will be able to comment on all of my articles. Welcome to Web 2.0. :P

This site is also going through a re-branding of sorts. I've moved all the guitar and music stuff over to DavidAndrewWiebe.com, so if you've come looking for that, it's all there. Arctic Sunburn will feature all of my articles on video games and movies. I decided to make this transition because Arctic Sunburn was becoming a little too cluttered and I didn't think it was focused enough.

I'd love to hear what you think of this new direction, but in the mean time just hang tight. All the content will be up here shortly. Cheers!