Despite not owning Crash 1 until years after its original release, I remain charmed by it. I rented a PS1 from Blockbuster (whoof!) to see what the fuss was all about. His design was a bit garish, but this obscure marsupial's game was apparently supposed to be fun. I was a staunch lover of DKC2 and still a kid at heart, so the cooler-than-thou marketing didn't sway me one way or the other.
Seeing Crash mugging quizzically on the title screen was a sign that this game would leave an impression. The animation was beyond crude, but my god, he had expressions! The game had its limitations, as much in the gameplay as the visuals. The lack of a run button and reliance on digital input meant I would misjudge jumps and die often-- but then, I was taking baby steps into the 32-bit era, and I appreciated the pseudo-3D level design more than many modern critics would. It had good game feel, and that helped. It was insanely satisfying to break crates and push Square to yeet enemies into the offscreen void.
And if Crash himself was a blank slate of a protagonist, the art direction was bursting with personality to make up for it. Mark Mothersbaugh's characteristically Rugrats-esque grooves made for a solid soundtrack as well.
It may sound like I'm damning Crash 1 with faint praise, and yes, his legacy extends much further now. I actually love Crash Team Racing and appreciate it as a tighter, more accessible alternative to Mario Kart. But where Crash Bandicoot is concerned, those first impressions meant a lot to me. Even with his games' flaws and shortcomings, he was definitely in the right place at the right time. 😎
@Razieluigi Right? Disney animation had a charismatic presence in the SNES/Genesis years. Even in the PS1 era, some solid platformers came out-- Tarzan, Emperor's New Groove, Goin' Quackers, etc. I can only assume that the rising costs of PS2/GC/Xbox development didn't mix with Eisner's faster-cheaper mantra. He and most of the execs under him were keen to pump 'products' out, which gave us all those direct-to-video sequels and nearly cost them their relationship with Pixar. There's a heavy stink of insincerity all over that regime. Not that I love what Iger's done with the place...
It never ceases to amaze me how often Disney has sabotaged efforts to make decent video games out of things they own... and not even in ways that make sense. 😳 Funny how the curse of poorly-planned pirate flicks like Cutthroat Island still hung over the first PotC movie, though.
I knew he wasn't doing too well after the stroke, but his passing still hurts like a slug in the gut. You could put him in just about anything and he would make it more fun to watch. FernGully? Legend? Home Alone 2? He brought the secret sauce to all of them, and it came from a sincere, simple desire to entertain. And that's not even mentioning stone-cold classics like Rocky Horror and Clue that he headlined. RIP Tim Curry – you are loved and missed.
@gmar Okay, so there's this from the NinjaBaseballBatMan.com website, run by Drew himself:
"IREM JAPAN has the rights for all video game content specific to the “Ninja Baseball Bat Man” game as they designed the game. I retained all of rights to the characters and title which I created at the termination of my deal with Irem. As for Ninja Baseball Bat Man 2 for Xbox or PS? I think it would be great!" https://ninjabaseballbatman.com/the-history-of-nbbm/
Edited for the sake of tact: Drew seems a teensy bit overprotective of the property he had a lot of help creating. I for one am happy it's being brought back to honor Irem's legacy as a kickass developer.
Shame that: 1. They're not releasing the original game while they're at it. What the actual eff? 2. It's being handled in some form by City Connection, who we know has a spotty track record. 3. It's not on Switch 1. Between this and my desire for simple couch multiplayer on the Arcade Archives titles, the effort to make some of us get a next-gen console in this economy is obnoxious. They might sway me yet. WIth all that said, I'm cautiously optimistic for this remake. That trailer looks incredible. The subtle bump to HD and widescreen, cleaner music, and potential other additions make this look like a fun retooling. And I never thought I'd see the pom-pom girl as a playable character-- neat. 😁
Just watched Big Trouble in Little China again recently and was happy to rediscover his creature work. In an entertainment industry that thrives so shamelessly on imitation and dulling things down, it's all the more important to celebrate individuals like Screaming Mad George whose work is so personal, specific, and strangely beautiful you can't take your eyes off it. RIP George. ❤️🔥
The graphics are endearingly (not abrasively) colorful, and the truck breaching the water is nice and silly. Unfortunately, Bubsy 4D seems to be the parody 3D platformer of the moment and does a lot more with its premise. They'd have to sell this one for very cheap...
Excellent interview! This game is a banger and the most fun thing to emerge from the prequels IMO. Loved hearing how the physics came together and how the team figured the way these machines worked-- who'da thunk they and the ILM crew were comparing notes on air flaps??
As a player who appreciates an emphasis on track design, shoving, and speed boosts over randomized powerups and other gimmicks, I appreciate Episode I Racer as a pretty pure arcade-racing game. The John Williams score is a unique bonus, too, that gives it a slightly cinematic edge. 😎
When I was a kid living on the East Coast, I saw ads for Parappa on TV and even a billboard on a ride into Philadelphia. Shawn has a point-- Sony, at that point in time, was willing to market more unique games to a wider audience. There are more avenues for self-promotion these days, but let's be honest, the marketing push helps.
It's also crazy to think that when the original version of Parappa was made, consoles were still in an arms race for graphical realism, and many of those attempts look laughable today even if they don't look 'bad.' But PS5 and Xbox in particular keep trying to break that same old ceiling, as if they'll somehow escape the Uncanny Valley. I don't know about you folks, but I can only watch so many stoic, brooding space bros shooting at crap in a State of Play conference before I go completely numb.
Wow, that's some nonsense. Didn't Josh directly cause the oversaturated market he's talking about? LRG is a disgrace to boutique physical publishers largely because of the just-sell-some-crap mentality he pioneered. If the games were good, the distribution was a trainwreck, and vice-versa. Can't wait to see what TE says when he tanks his next venture, because the tone has certainly changed.
I've always been salty about how Sega favored certain brands, and their respective R&D divisions, at the expense of others. Yu Suzuki and Toshihiro Nagoshi helmed a ton of games in the Dreamcast era — and beyond — that were deemed too old-fashioned to port to anything. And damn if they weren't good games. But Naka, man... he was clearly happy to settle for producing slop like Shadow the Hedgehog and run that deeply flawed Sonic Adventure engine into the ground. That could only come from a studio boss who suffered from a debilitatingly high level of confidence.
Late late late LATE comment, hot on the heels of the StarFox 2026 announcement...
When the game was released, I was in my early teens and cynical enough to believe wholeheartedly that Miyamoto bullied Rare or pushed them away, and I was ready to go after him with pitchforks and torches. How little I knew about development stories like Phil Tossell's!
First of all, I'm glad to hear he had a pleasant experience. And second, it goes to show the power any studio holds as an independent. Not only did Microsoft (and arguably, the Stampers) separate Rare from a fanbase that had opened their hearts to them, but Microsoft squeezed the life out of them.
Arguably, the same thing could've happened if Nintendo bought them down the road. Buyouts end up sucking one way or another. But I wish I could take a stroll into the dimension where Rare produced five more kickass GameCube games...
Jeezus, Sega. How dare you just throw names out, after reviving practically nothing from the past wave of announcements, and expect us to get excited? Do we even need to see these games pointlessly retooled, rather than re-released, which you can't seem to get off your duff and do?
Yes, M2, please survive! Thanks to TE for conducting the interview and Mr. Horii for participating in it.
I appreciate that, as a team with a strong emphasis on game design, the team would be drawn to early classics like Marble Madness and Darius-- the foundations of game design were still being laid down.
On the other hand, I can't heap enough praise on their emulation of polygonal arcade juggernauts. Their work on G-Darius HD was stellar, and the PS2 port they made for Virtual-On, with local versus play and abundant secrets, deserves a lot more coverage.
Even as a guy who loves wacky cartoon BS and classic 32-bit twitch games-- and Crash Bandicoot scratches both those itches-- I'd rather see a Banjo-Kazooie series. Those characters' core personality traits are already written.
Crash could make a fun protagonist, but you'd practically have to write him from scratch. Dude is a blanker slate than Mario!
@gojiguy I hate to say it, but corporate blueballing is also a possibility for why Hamster hasn't been able to help them. I know many of these games wouldn't turn a massive profit--maybe any profit-- as standalone releases, but Sega stands more to gain just by licensing their games out, so... shrug.
[heavily edited because I lost track of my point for a minute lol]
Additionally, I looked up Yutaka Ito, and he's been a programmer at RGG Studio since they were still called AM11, and then Amusement Vision (boy, does that name bring back some warm fuzzies!). He programmed on Spikeout. He directed Slashout. If he does care about rereleasing these games, he's either been beaten down by the rigors of making 20 Yakuza games in 20 years, or he doesn't have enough sway with Sega to make it happen. But hey, if Sega's chintzy enough to lend entire IPs to hacks like Forever Entertainment, maybe we have a chance with a company like Hamster to do the trick. 🤞
Who said anything about buying all these games "individually"? Have they not considered the value of selling all these oldies in a pack? I doubt it. Excuses, excuses.
Woot! I appreciate Capcom's willingness to reach out to rights holders to further legitimize their retro collections-- as exemplified by their inclusion of Capcom vs SNK 1 & 2 in CFC2 and the whole pack of Marvel rereleases. Maybe they can only afford to do so because of the massive success of recent RE and MH entries, but hey, I'm grateful.
Being the Rare maniac I was as a kid, I picked this game up despite having next to no interest in baseball... and being oblivious to the fact that there was no real player in the MLB with the names Jack Hammer, Big Magoo, and Slash Cannon. 🤪 But the gameplay was fun and the controls were accessible, which was easier to expect in sports 'sims' back then.
Sigh... another legend gone. Many thanks to Sato for his contributions, and heartfelt condolences to his friends and family.
I know Sega has struggled forever to stay financially stable, but I always felt that from 2004-- right after Sato's presidency-- Sega's scruples as a publisher went downhill, and they began to neglect their immensely talented R&D staff. I can't help but wonder if there's some correlation.
Shoot, I woulda played this! Not that we got a raw deal with Metal Slug or anything, but this premise sounds even harder to resist. (Not sure if it would have been as big an international hit in the '90s though-- there seems to be more awareness of Japanese humor and pop culture now than there was then.)
Doug, you goddamn parasite. How is it lost on you that, if you hadn't put in the effort to draw Earthworm Jim thirty-some years ago, Grok would spit out something infinitely worse than the crap you're proudly flouting?
This is how you squander your creator cred, folks. Not that he hasn't already been doing that for the past twenty years...
As gruesomely catchy as MK's tunes and SFX are, I was and am a huge fan of the crunchy, digital UI sounds Midway employed in sports games in the early aughts. Every sound in Blitz 20-02/03 lands on the ear so nicely. I'm sure that's just a footnote in Dan's career, though!
I didn't know Dan was a King Crimson fan, but that makes so much sense. Their album Red is the epitome of romanticized dread.
It was cool to see him mention The Grid-- notice how that keeps happening among MK team members? Footage of its gameplay doesn't suggest a lot of depth, but I would love to see that rereleased just because it was a fun diversion from MK and a proud tribute to Smash TV. But WB didn't seem to care, and now Netflix bought WB. So uhhh... maybe in the next life? 🫠
Ok, so I still think the Klonoa ad is shameful. (And it's not a rail shooter, dawg-- it's a nice, robust platformer.)
That said, I appreciate Fischer's insights on the chat he and Peter Moore had with Yuji Naka and Yu Suzuki. I love Sega arcade games to death, and when I heard Moore tell the story, I was similarly defensive. But the idea of people selling console ports back after they've enjoyed them for a weekend (thus blowing up the used game market) would be a harrowing concept for any publisher in the early aughts. The fact that Fischer brought up Super Monkey Ball as a balance between arcade-style gameplay and replay value certainly resonates-- I still have my copy!
It's always cool to hear stories from somebody who had to navigate through a few radically different generations of gaming history. Thanks to Mike Fischer for talking, and to TE for conducting the interview. 🫡
When I read that Mitsuyoshi made it a rule to sing the 'Game Over' jingle, I remembered that he had a role in scoring one of my favorite Sega rail shooters, Let's Go Island from 2011. I checked the playthroughs, and sure enough: https://youtu.be/OPz1Mm2Jr1s?si=CQXI1b-FQVCzJkJ4&t=1518
Different strokes for different folks, I guess. I love the intimate quality of Midway arcade games-- the vibe that nothing was too ridiculous to put in the game as long as the team got a kick out of it. Perhaps that started with "Toasty!"
I'm really looking forward to reliving that era with the upcoming MK Legacy Kollection, and I hope whatever Dan does next makes him happy.
It makes enough sense-- if they needed buttons that were reserved for secondary functions, with A and B doing a lot of the heavy lifting on early SNES titles, best to go towards the back of the alphabet. Thanks to Sasha (and by extension, Damien) for sharing this!
On the other hand, let's not forget the N64's C Buttons-- arguably standing for 'camera' on many games, but tiny and darned uncomfortable for other functions. Mashing that little square is not ideal for combos in Killer Instinct Gold and the like. I got a blister that way once.
@The_Nintendo_Pedant I don't have many words... I just wanted to say I'm with you on this. The situation is scary. This is stuff that's usually handled in court, not with a freaking raid.
Sega's behavior is probably just down to tone-deaf corporate possessiveness, but can you imagine if there was something really incriminating in those devkits that they didn't want people to see? I hope they realize they're starting to look guiltier than not... 👀
Let me be clear: My grudge is not with graphical upgrades. It's with rebuilding a game badly for no reason. Maybe the Panzer Dragoon Zwei remake won't totally suck, but I think we have valid reasons to set the bar higher.
Sega made some gorgeous arcade games with hyper-real graphics before they considered their internal staff increasingly redundant in the 2010s. Their art direction was never as subtle as, say, Capcom-- Sega likes to throw in every color of the rainbow-- but the art direction was still deliberate and cohesive, from bosses to backdrops to UI. Look up playthroughs of After Burner Climax, Let's Go Island, and Sega Race TV, and that should be fairly apparent.
What Forever Entertainment did to HOTD1 and 2, by contrast, was an abomination. The dim contrast and overabundant bloom lighting made it feel like they were trying to hide mistakes. It was almost justifiable to do it to HOTD1, since Sega reportedly lost the source code years ago (which is telling of how well they maintain their history). But HOTD2 is fairly fresh in our memories, and they got the look and feel horrendously wrong.
As Sega continues to cut down on internal development, I expect that all those franchises they keep yakking about rebooting-- and still haven't shown off-- will fall victim to the same insincere stink Forever Entertainment just happens to excel at.
There's always something visually gross about these clowns' remakes, isn't there? I would like to say it's just the inaccurate HD-ification of a low-poly game, but Forever keeps rebuilding these games so they look wrong-- likely by using a lot of stock assets and tweaking them only when they deem necessary. And they have no artistic sensibilities to base that judgment on, so yeah.
House of the Dead and Panzer Dragoon are not AAA franchises these days, so even trying to cash in on nostalgia is dubious. And I say this as someone who particularly loves House of the Dead. With the meager financial rewards, you really shouldn't remake these games unless you love them.
If you're not gonna do it right, Sega, why let these untrained monkeys do it at all?
Tokyo Wars gets my vote, but again-- I'd need local or couch multi to get the most out of it. In a few years, maybe they'll get to Gunmen Wars, which was even more frantic and visually enticing. (Though if it required a light gun, I guess that's no good!)
Armadillo Racing would've been my runner-up. That game is cute af and I'm glad it got some votes!
Take a good look at the screenshots and footage. Breathe them in. This, to me, is the quintessential arcade game aesthetic-- a literal day at the beach. 😌
There is one thing I wanna message Hamster about, though, which countless arcade remasters have dropped the ball on in recent years. Splitscreen or dual-monitor multiplayer (especially on Switch) should be a thing. I've never seen much point in playing an arcade racing game alone.
I can't possibly sum up my disgust with this alleged 'person' selling his own N64 clone between lobbying for Donald Dump, building VR machines that 'kill the users,' and various other billionaire-manchild hobbies. And yet, I'm even more disgusted with anyone who is willing to buy it. Sorry kids, my nostalgia isn't that bulletproof.
Let me be clear on this: I like Tron from 1982 a hell of a lot more than Tron Legacy. It's more colorful, more fun, and not cynical in the least. The characters are wafer-thin, but the simplicity of its storytelling is arguably its greatest strength-- and the bare-bones CGI they could afford at the time only reinforces it.
Legacy is almost the exact opposite, bogged down by hollow reboot tropes that have become disturbingly commonplace in the past 15 years. The movie starts right off with a gross, 'younger' CG replica of Bruce Boxleitner, so there you go.
Reading this article, I was reminded of how I was curious about Tron 2.0 back in the day. When Disney under Eisner's "faster/cheaper" regime actually released a good game, it was worth noting-- especially off the back of such an odd, yet memorable film as Tron. And they tapped Monolith to make it, so they must have been doing something right! I might just have to seek this game out to see how it lines up with the highs and lows of the Tron Universe...
Wait, what? What the hell? This wasn't a Kickstarter before. Never mind that Namco's backing this-- it's sounding more and more like a scam. Pour one out for Time Crisis, I guess.
Also, the pointless AI terminology is back. These G'AIM'E clowns literally can't figure out what audience they are trying to attract.
Rival Schools came up as the top request in a poll they had a couple years ago, so I figured they were already making plans to do something big with it. But if they're asking, yeah, we gotta have Rival Schools! That game is crazy fun-- and a successful early attempt at blending 2D and 3D fighting mechanics.
Tatsunoko vs Capcom would also be extremely welcome. It's crazy to think that it's an oldie now.
As a longtime fan of PaRappa, who was never very good at it but thinks it has done a world of good for games as a medium, I loved reading Matsuura's perspectives. We should all be so curious about our craft and how we can push it further. (I'm gonna politely disagree with him on the potential of AI, though.)
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Re: Anniversary: Crash Bandicoot Turns 30 Today! What Are Your Favourite Games From The Mad Marsupial?
Despite not owning Crash 1 until years after its original release, I remain charmed by it. I rented a PS1 from Blockbuster (whoof!) to see what the fuss was all about. His design was a bit garish, but this obscure marsupial's game was apparently supposed to be fun. I was a staunch lover of DKC2 and still a kid at heart, so the cooler-than-thou marketing didn't sway me one way or the other.
Seeing Crash mugging quizzically on the title screen was a sign that this game would leave an impression. The animation was beyond crude, but my god, he had expressions! The game had its limitations, as much in the gameplay as the visuals. The lack of a run button and reliance on digital input meant I would misjudge jumps and die often-- but then, I was taking baby steps into the 32-bit era, and I appreciated the pseudo-3D level design more than many modern critics would. It had good game feel, and that helped. It was insanely satisfying to break crates and push Square to yeet enemies into the offscreen void.
And if Crash himself was a blank slate of a protagonist, the art direction was bursting with personality to make up for it. Mark Mothersbaugh's characteristically Rugrats-esque grooves made for a solid soundtrack as well.
It may sound like I'm damning Crash 1 with faint praise, and yes, his legacy extends much further now. I actually love Crash Team Racing and appreciate it as a tighter, more accessible alternative to Mario Kart. But where Crash Bandicoot is concerned, those first impressions meant a lot to me. Even with his games' flaws and shortcomings, he was definitely in the right place at the right time. 😎
Re: "Disney Started Freaking Out" - Here's Why Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse of The Black Pearl Never Got A Proper Video Game Tie-In
@Razieluigi Right? Disney animation had a charismatic presence in the SNES/Genesis years. Even in the PS1 era, some solid platformers came out-- Tarzan, Emperor's New Groove, Goin' Quackers, etc.
I can only assume that the rising costs of PS2/GC/Xbox development didn't mix with Eisner's faster-cheaper mantra. He and most of the execs under him were keen to pump 'products' out, which gave us all those direct-to-video sequels and nearly cost them their relationship with Pixar. There's a heavy stink of insincerity all over that regime.
Not that I love what Iger's done with the place...
Re: "Disney Started Freaking Out" - Here's Why Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse of The Black Pearl Never Got A Proper Video Game Tie-In
It never ceases to amaze me how often Disney has sabotaged efforts to make decent video games out of things they own... and not even in ways that make sense. 😳
Funny how the curse of poorly-planned pirate flicks like Cutthroat Island still hung over the first PotC movie, though.
Re: Hollywood Legend And Video Game Star Tim Curry Has Passed Away
I knew he wasn't doing too well after the stroke, but his passing still hurts like a slug in the gut. You could put him in just about anything and he would make it more fun to watch. FernGully? Legend? Home Alone 2? He brought the secret sauce to all of them, and it came from a sincere, simple desire to entertain. And that's not even mentioning stone-cold classics like Rocky Horror and Clue that he headlined.
RIP Tim Curry – you are loved and missed.
Re: An Obscure Irem Beat 'Em Up Is Getting A Revival Later This Year, Courtesy Of City Connection
@gmar Okay, so there's this from the NinjaBaseballBatMan.com website, run by Drew himself:
"IREM JAPAN has the rights for all video game content specific to the “Ninja Baseball Bat Man” game as they designed the game. I retained all of rights to the characters and title which I created at the termination of my deal with Irem. As for Ninja Baseball Bat Man 2 for Xbox or PS? I think it would be great!"
https://ninjabaseballbatman.com/the-history-of-nbbm/
Edited for the sake of tact: Drew seems a teensy bit overprotective of the property he had a lot of help creating. I for one am happy it's being brought back to honor Irem's legacy as a kickass developer.
Re: An Obscure Irem Beat 'Em Up Is Getting A Revival Later This Year, Courtesy Of City Connection
Shame that:
1. They're not releasing the original game while they're at it. What the actual eff?
2. It's being handled in some form by City Connection, who we know has a spotty track record.
3. It's not on Switch 1. Between this and my desire for simple couch multiplayer on the Arcade Archives titles, the effort to make some of us get a next-gen console in this economy is obnoxious. They might sway me yet.
WIth all that said, I'm cautiously optimistic for this remake. That trailer looks incredible. The subtle bump to HD and widescreen, cleaner music, and potential other additions make this look like a fun retooling. And I never thought I'd see the pom-pom girl as a playable character-- neat. 😁
Re: Joji "Screaming Mad George" Tani, The Man Behind The PS1's Oddest Game, Has Passed Away
Just watched Big Trouble in Little China again recently and was happy to rediscover his creature work. In an entertainment industry that thrives so shamelessly on imitation and dulling things down, it's all the more important to celebrate individuals like Screaming Mad George whose work is so personal, specific, and strangely beautiful you can't take your eyes off it. RIP George. ❤️🔥
Re: 'Panic 64' Is A New 3D-Platforming Adventure That Blends Together Sonic & Crash Bandicoot
The graphics are endearingly (not abrasively) colorful, and the truck breaching the water is nice and silly. Unfortunately, Bubsy 4D seems to be the parody 3D platformer of the moment and does a lot more with its premise. They'd have to sell this one for very cheap...
Re: Donkey Kong Country's SNES Trilogy Is Getting a Fanmade Sequel Over 10 Years In The Making, With Characters From DK64
Even with recycled assets, this is freaking ambitious. The abandoned-looking cityscape level is a trip. Hope Nintendo turns a blind eye to it...
Re: The Making Of: Star Wars Episode 1 Racer - "Maybe We Can't Make A Great Racing Game, But We Can Make An Excellent Toy"
Excellent interview! This game is a banger and the most fun thing to emerge from the prequels IMO. Loved hearing how the physics came together and how the team figured the way these machines worked-- who'da thunk they and the ILM crew were comparing notes on air flaps??
As a player who appreciates an emphasis on track design, shoving, and speed boosts over randomized powerups and other gimmicks, I appreciate Episode I Racer as a pretty pure arcade-racing game. The John Williams score is a unique bonus, too, that gives it a slightly cinematic edge. 😎
Re: "Games Like PaRappa The Rapper Don't Get Made Anymore" - Shawn Layden Thinks Mainstream Gaming Has Gotten Too Safe
@PinballBuzzbro I don't disagree. They're the only studio I know who had a press release announcing they weren't making cartoony games anymore. 🙄
Re: "Games Like PaRappa The Rapper Don't Get Made Anymore" - Shawn Layden Thinks Mainstream Gaming Has Gotten Too Safe
When I was a kid living on the East Coast, I saw ads for Parappa on TV and even a billboard on a ride into Philadelphia. Shawn has a point-- Sony, at that point in time, was willing to market more unique games to a wider audience. There are more avenues for self-promotion these days, but let's be honest, the marketing push helps.
It's also crazy to think that when the original version of Parappa was made, consoles were still in an arms race for graphical realism, and many of those attempts look laughable today even if they don't look 'bad.' But PS5 and Xbox in particular keep trying to break that same old ceiling, as if they'll somehow escape the Uncanny Valley. I don't know about you folks, but I can only watch so many stoic, brooding space bros shooting at crap in a State of Play conference before I go completely numb.
Re: "To Enter Now Would Be A Deathwish" - Limited Run's Ex-Boss Thinks Boutique Physical Publishing Is "Oversaturated"
Wow, that's some nonsense. Didn't Josh directly cause the oversaturated market he's talking about? LRG is a disgrace to boutique physical publishers largely because of the just-sell-some-crap mentality he pioneered. If the games were good, the distribution was a trainwreck, and vice-versa. Can't wait to see what TE says when he tanks his next venture, because the tone has certainly changed.
Re: "Not The Same Thing" - John Romero Challenges DOOM Designer's Claim Piracy Indirectly "Gutted" id
Kudos to John for keeping it classy while Sandy goes off like a fire hose of delusion. 😅
I read that PC Gamer article and, man, this goes on way too often.
Re: "The Most Miserable Person I Have Ever Worked With" - This Former Sega Exec Has A Dim View Of Yuji Naka
I've always been salty about how Sega favored certain brands, and their respective R&D divisions, at the expense of others. Yu Suzuki and Toshihiro Nagoshi helmed a ton of games in the Dreamcast era — and beyond — that were deemed too old-fashioned to port to anything. And damn if they weren't good games.
But Naka, man... he was clearly happy to settle for producing slop like Shadow the Hedgehog and run that deeply flawed Sonic Adventure engine into the ground. That could only come from a studio boss who suffered from a debilitatingly high level of confidence.
Re: Can You Match These Konami Arcade Flyers With Their Games?
@sdelfin Oh, the exact ones I missed? 🤪
Re: The Making Of: Star Fox Adventures - "Nintendo Was Really Trusting Of Our Ability To Make A Great Game"
Late late late LATE comment, hot on the heels of the StarFox 2026 announcement...
When the game was released, I was in my early teens and cynical enough to believe wholeheartedly that Miyamoto bullied Rare or pushed them away, and I was ready to go after him with pitchforks and torches. How little I knew about development stories like Phil Tossell's!
First of all, I'm glad to hear he had a pleasant experience. And second, it goes to show the power any studio holds as an independent. Not only did Microsoft (and arguably, the Stampers) separate Rare from a fanbase that had opened their hearts to them, but Microsoft squeezed the life out of them.
Arguably, the same thing could've happened if Nintendo bought them down the road. Buyouts end up sucking one way or another. But I wish I could take a stroll into the dimension where Rare produced five more kickass GameCube games...
Re: "No Old, Stay Gold" - It Looks Like Sega Is About To Revive More Of Its Classic Franchises
Jeezus, Sega. How dare you just throw names out, after reviving practically nothing from the past wave of announcements, and expect us to get excited? Do we even need to see these games pointlessly retooled, rather than re-released, which you can't seem to get off your duff and do?
Re: Interview: "You're Always Facing The Risk Of It Coming To An End" - M2 Co., Ltd.'s Naoki Horii On Creating Retro Perfection
Yes, M2, please survive! Thanks to TE for conducting the interview and Mr. Horii for participating in it.
I appreciate that, as a team with a strong emphasis on game design, the team would be drawn to early classics like Marble Madness and Darius-- the foundations of game design were still being laid down.
On the other hand, I can't heap enough praise on their emulation of polygonal arcade juggernauts. Their work on G-Darius HD was stellar, and the PS2 port they made for Virtual-On, with local versus play and abundant secrets, deserves a lot more coverage.
Re: "You're Doing Nothing With It" - Crash Bandicoot's Co-Designer Asks "Where's the Movie? Where's The TV Series?"
[remembers that Microsoft owns both Banjo-Kazooie and Crash Bandicoot, and dies a little inside] 🫠
Re: "You're Doing Nothing With It" - Crash Bandicoot's Co-Designer Asks "Where's the Movie? Where's The TV Series?"
Even as a guy who loves wacky cartoon BS and classic 32-bit twitch games-- and Crash Bandicoot scratches both those itches-- I'd rather see a Banjo-Kazooie series. Those characters' core personality traits are already written.
Crash could make a fun protagonist, but you'd practically have to write him from scratch. Dude is a blanker slate than Mario!
Re: "I Think It Would Be Extremely Difficult" - Don't Expect Sega To Sell Yakuza's Retro Games Individually
@gojiguy I hate to say it, but corporate blueballing is also a possibility for why Hamster hasn't been able to help them. I know many of these games wouldn't turn a massive profit--maybe any profit-- as standalone releases, but Sega stands more to gain just by licensing their games out, so... shrug.
[heavily edited because I lost track of my point for a minute lol]
Re: "I Think It Would Be Extremely Difficult" - Don't Expect Sega To Sell Yakuza's Retro Games Individually
Additionally, I looked up Yutaka Ito, and he's been a programmer at RGG Studio since they were still called AM11, and then Amusement Vision (boy, does that name bring back some warm fuzzies!). He programmed on Spikeout. He directed Slashout. If he does care about rereleasing these games, he's either been beaten down by the rigors of making 20 Yakuza games in 20 years, or he doesn't have enough sway with Sega to make it happen.
But hey, if Sega's chintzy enough to lend entire IPs to hacks like Forever Entertainment, maybe we have a chance with a company like Hamster to do the trick. 🤞
Re: "I Think It Would Be Extremely Difficult" - Don't Expect Sega To Sell Yakuza's Retro Games Individually
Who said anything about buying all these games "individually"? Have they not considered the value of selling all these oldies in a pack? I doubt it. Excuses, excuses.
Re: Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection To Restore Missing 'Lunar Knights' Crossover
Woot! I appreciate Capcom's willingness to reach out to rights holders to further legitimize their retro collections-- as exemplified by their inclusion of Capcom vs SNK 1 & 2 in CFC2 and the whole pack of Marvel rereleases. Maybe they can only afford to do so because of the massive success of recent RE and MH entries, but hey, I'm grateful.
Re: New Cheat Codes Discovered In SNES Baseball Game, Almost 30 Years After Its Original Release
Being the Rare maniac I was as a kid, I picked this game up despite having next to no interest in baseball... and being oblivious to the fact that there was no real player in the MLB with the names Jack Hammer, Big Magoo, and Slash Cannon. 🤪
But the gameplay was fun and the controls were accessible, which was easier to expect in sports 'sims' back then.
Re: "The Father Of Sega Hardware", Hideki Sato, Has Passed Away
Sigh... another legend gone. Many thanks to Sato for his contributions, and heartfelt condolences to his friends and family.
I know Sega has struggled forever to stay financially stable, but I always felt that from 2004-- right after Sato's presidency-- Sega's scruples as a publisher went downhill, and they began to neglect their immensely talented R&D staff. I can't help but wonder if there's some correlation.
Re: Metal Slug Artist Shares Old Doodle For A "Sci-Fi Comedy Game" Based On Samurai Shodown
Shoot, I woulda played this! Not that we got a raw deal with Metal Slug or anything, but this premise sounds even harder to resist. (Not sure if it would have been as big an international hit in the '90s though-- there seems to be more awareness of Japanese humor and pop culture now than there was then.)
Re: "The Fine Arts Were Always A Massive Grift" - Controversial Earthworm Jim Creator Goes All-In On Generative AI
Doug, you goddamn parasite. How is it lost on you that, if you hadn't put in the effort to draw Earthworm Jim thirty-some years ago, Grok would spit out something infinitely worse than the crap you're proudly flouting?
This is how you squander your creator cred, folks. Not that he hasn't already been doing that for the past twenty years...
Re: Interview: "Everything Was Turned Up To Eleven" - Uncovering The Epic Story Behind Mortal Kombat's Unforgettable Audio
As gruesomely catchy as MK's tunes and SFX are, I was and am a huge fan of the crunchy, digital UI sounds Midway employed in sports games in the early aughts. Every sound in Blitz 20-02/03 lands on the ear so nicely. I'm sure that's just a footnote in Dan's career, though!
I didn't know Dan was a King Crimson fan, but that makes so much sense. Their album Red is the epitome of romanticized dread.
It was cool to see him mention The Grid-- notice how that keeps happening among MK team members? Footage of its gameplay doesn't suggest a lot of depth, but I would love to see that rereleased just because it was a fun diversion from MK and a proud tribute to Smash TV. But WB didn't seem to care, and now Netflix bought WB. So uhhh... maybe in the next life? 🫠
Re: "It Sounds Like Some Kind Of STD" - The Birth Of Sonic, Xbox In Japan, & Why Namco's Advertising Hated The Name 'Klonoa'
Ok, so I still think the Klonoa ad is shameful. (And it's not a rail shooter, dawg-- it's a nice, robust platformer.)
That said, I appreciate Fischer's insights on the chat he and Peter Moore had with Yuji Naka and Yu Suzuki. I love Sega arcade games to death, and when I heard Moore tell the story, I was similarly defensive. But the idea of people selling console ports back after they've enjoyed them for a weekend (thus blowing up the used game market) would be a harrowing concept for any publisher in the early aughts. The fact that Fischer brought up Super Monkey Ball as a balance between arcade-style gameplay and replay value certainly resonates-- I still have my copy!
It's always cool to hear stories from somebody who had to navigate through a few radically different generations of gaming history. Thanks to Mike Fischer for talking, and to TE for conducting the interview. 🫡
Re: "It Never Crossed My Mind To Bring In Another Singer" - How Takenobu Mitsuyoshi Became A Game Music Legend Almost By Accident
When I read that Mitsuyoshi made it a rule to sing the 'Game Over' jingle, I remembered that he had a role in scoring one of my favorite Sega rail shooters, Let's Go Island from 2011.
I checked the playthroughs, and sure enough:
https://youtu.be/OPz1Mm2Jr1s?si=CQXI1b-FQVCzJkJ4&t=1518
Re: "What Was Psygnosis Doing On The N64? Traitors!" - Ex-Sony Staff On WipEout Coming To Nintendo
Dang, wasn't this the first Wipeout with splitscreen? Shame it hasn't gotten a rerelease.
Re: The Guy Behind One Of Mortal Kombat's Most Iconic Easter Eggs Has Just Left NetherRealm
Different strokes for different folks, I guess. I love the intimate quality of Midway arcade games-- the vibe that nothing was too ridiculous to put in the game as long as the team got a kick out of it. Perhaps that started with "Toasty!"
I'm really looking forward to reliving that era with the upcoming MK Legacy Kollection, and I hope whatever Dan does next makes him happy.
Re: Here's Why Controllers Have 'A, B, X & Y' Buttons, And Not 'A, B, C & D'
@The_Nintendo_Pedant That also explains the shape and position of the triggers! 😅
Re: Here's Why Controllers Have 'A, B, X & Y' Buttons, And Not 'A, B, C & D'
It makes enough sense-- if they needed buttons that were reserved for secondary functions, with A and B doing a lot of the heavy lifting on early SNES titles, best to go towards the back of the alphabet. Thanks to Sasha (and by extension, Damien) for sharing this!
On the other hand, let's not forget the N64's C Buttons-- arguably standing for 'camera' on many games, but tiny and darned uncomfortable for other functions. Mashing that little square is not ideal for combos in Killer Instinct Gold and the like. I got a blister that way once.
Re: Company That Cleared Sega's Offices Of "Stolen" Nintendo Dev Kits Is A Charity, New Evidence Reveals
@The_Nintendo_Pedant I don't have many words... I just wanted to say I'm with you on this. The situation is scary. This is stuff that's usually handled in court, not with a freaking raid.
Sega's behavior is probably just down to tone-deaf corporate possessiveness, but can you imagine if there was something really incriminating in those devkits that they didn't want people to see? I hope they realize they're starting to look guiltier than not... 👀
Re: "Reject This Ugly Husk And Play The Original" - Panzer Dragoon II Zwei Remake Isn't Going Down Well With Fans
Let me be clear: My grudge is not with graphical upgrades. It's with rebuilding a game badly for no reason. Maybe the Panzer Dragoon Zwei remake won't totally suck, but I think we have valid reasons to set the bar higher.
Sega made some gorgeous arcade games with hyper-real graphics before they considered their internal staff increasingly redundant in the 2010s. Their art direction was never as subtle as, say, Capcom-- Sega likes to throw in every color of the rainbow-- but the art direction was still deliberate and cohesive, from bosses to backdrops to UI. Look up playthroughs of After Burner Climax, Let's Go Island, and Sega Race TV, and that should be fairly apparent.
What Forever Entertainment did to HOTD1 and 2, by contrast, was an abomination. The dim contrast and overabundant bloom lighting made it feel like they were trying to hide mistakes. It was almost justifiable to do it to HOTD1, since Sega reportedly lost the source code years ago (which is telling of how well they maintain their history). But HOTD2 is fairly fresh in our memories, and they got the look and feel horrendously wrong.
As Sega continues to cut down on internal development, I expect that all those franchises they keep yakking about rebooting-- and still haven't shown off-- will fall victim to the same insincere stink Forever Entertainment just happens to excel at.
Re: "Reject This Ugly Husk And Play The Original" - Panzer Dragoon II Zwei Remake Isn't Going Down Well With Fans
There's always something visually gross about these clowns' remakes, isn't there? I would like to say it's just the inaccurate HD-ification of a low-poly game, but Forever keeps rebuilding these games so they look wrong-- likely by using a lot of stock assets and tweaking them only when they deem necessary. And they have no artistic sensibilities to base that judgment on, so yeah.
House of the Dead and Panzer Dragoon are not AAA franchises these days, so even trying to cash in on nostalgia is dubious. And I say this as someone who particularly loves House of the Dead. With the meager financial rewards, you really shouldn't remake these games unless you love them.
If you're not gonna do it right, Sega, why let these untrained monkeys do it at all?
Re: The Nintendo DS Game 'Sonic Rush' Is Getting A Fanmade Reimagining For PC
I'm also worried about a takedown from Sega. But this looks cool-- I hope it stays.
Re: Analogue's FPGA N64 Is Shown Running For The First Time
Oof, the scope of that video really doesn't inspire confidence.
Re: Poll: Which Namco System 22 Game Do You Want To Come To Arcade Archives Next?
@h3s Uhhhh yes. For chrissakes, get Sega on this bandwagon-- they're never gonna release the classics on their own.
Re: Poll: Which Namco System 22 Game Do You Want To Come To Arcade Archives Next?
Tokyo Wars gets my vote, but again-- I'd need local or couch multi to get the most out of it. In a few years, maybe they'll get to Gunmen Wars, which was even more frantic and visually enticing. (Though if it required a light gun, I guess that's no good!)
Armadillo Racing would've been my runner-up. That game is cute af and I'm glad it got some votes!
Re: Namco's 1996 Jet-Ski Title Aqua Jet Is Coming To Arcade Archives
Take a good look at the screenshots and footage. Breathe them in. This, to me, is the quintessential arcade game aesthetic-- a literal day at the beach. 😌
There is one thing I wanna message Hamster about, though, which countless arcade remasters have dropped the ball on in recent years. Splitscreen or dual-monitor multiplayer (especially on Switch) should be a thing. I've never seen much point in playing an arcade racing game alone.
Re: Palmer Luckey's Nintendo 64 Clone Will Cost $199 For Early Adopters
I can't possibly sum up my disgust with this alleged 'person' selling his own N64 clone between lobbying for Donald Dump, building VR machines that 'kill the users,' and various other billionaire-manchild hobbies. And yet, I'm even more disgusted with anyone who is willing to buy it. Sorry kids, my nostalgia isn't that bulletproof.
Re: Street Fighter's Worst Character Has Been Cast In The Upcoming Live-Action Movie
Street Fighter '94 is lookin' pretty good right now 😅
Re: "I Would Have Slaughtered Goats To Make That Happen" - Ex-Monolith Staff On Mœbius & The Tron Sequel That Time Forgot
Let me be clear on this: I like Tron from 1982 a hell of a lot more than Tron Legacy. It's more colorful, more fun, and not cynical in the least. The characters are wafer-thin, but the simplicity of its storytelling is arguably its greatest strength-- and the bare-bones CGI they could afford at the time only reinforces it.
Legacy is almost the exact opposite, bogged down by hollow reboot tropes that have become disturbingly commonplace in the past 15 years. The movie starts right off with a gross, 'younger' CG replica of Bruce Boxleitner, so there you go.
Reading this article, I was reminded of how I was curious about Tron 2.0 back in the day. When Disney under Eisner's "faster/cheaper" regime actually released a good game, it was worth noting-- especially off the back of such an odd, yet memorable film as Tron. And they tapped Monolith to make it, so they must have been doing something right! I might just have to seek this game out to see how it lines up with the highs and lows of the Tron Universe...
Re: Time Crisis, Point Blank And Steel Gunner Are Coming To Modern TVs Thanks To This AI-Powered Light Gun
Wait, what? What the hell? This wasn't a Kickstarter before. Never mind that Namco's backing this-- it's sounding more and more like a scam. Pour one out for Time Crisis, I guess.
Also, the pointless AI terminology is back. These G'AIM'E clowns literally can't figure out what audience they are trying to attract.
Re: Capcom Is Keen To Make More Of Its Fighting Games Available On Modern Systems
Rival Schools came up as the top request in a poll they had a couple years ago, so I figured they were already making plans to do something big with it. But if they're asking, yeah, we gotta have Rival Schools! That game is crazy fun-- and a successful early attempt at blending 2D and 3D fighting mechanics.
Tatsunoko vs Capcom would also be extremely welcome. It's crazy to think that it's an oldie now.
Re: Interview: "Music Is Pretty Much All I Think About" - PaRappa The Rapper's Masaya Matsuura On His Journey From Pop Star To Game Dev
As a longtime fan of PaRappa, who was never very good at it but thinks it has done a world of good for games as a medium, I loved reading Matsuura's perspectives. We should all be so curious about our craft and how we can push it further. (I'm gonna politely disagree with him on the potential of AI, though.)