The Wonder Years 12.27.07: Week 36 - The 2007 Retro Review
Posted by Owain J. Brimfield on 12.27.2007
Stepping out of the 16-bit arena to look at the best bits of the year in retro!
Welcome to the column where all gamers of a certain age come to wallow in 16-bit nostalgia. I'm your host, Owain J. Brimfield, and today I'll be departing from the usual format for the obligatory year-end special. We're going to be stepping outside of the usual 16-bit remit today, and focus on some of the best and most surprising retro-flavored games that have emerged in the year that's gone by. So, without further ado, let's take a final trip for 2007 to:
I'm refusing to call this by its European name of Lylat Wars, of course. What does that even mean? Even Starwing 64 would have been better. Still, prevaricating about the title aside, Starfox 64 was always a strong candidate to appear on the Virtual Console, but it's pleasing to see how well it has weathered, given its age (a whole decade, can you believe it? [/rhetorical question]). Improving immeasurably on the critically acclaimed but slightly tepid original game, Starfox plays like a cross between Star Wars and Bucky O'Hare, throwing you into the thick of it from level one. A linear shooter with non-linear level progression (to an extent), the game is action set-piece after action set-piece, with you commanding a variety of vehicles from Arwings to the Landmaster tank in an attempt to dispatch the forces of the evil Andross. I always preferred the planet-based levels, but hey, each to their own. It was also lauded for being one of the more technically advanced titles of the late 90s - digitised speech on a cartridge? Take note, Zelda! - and for introducing the Rumble Pak, which pretty much started the force feedback craze that endures to this day. Starfox 64 makes the list because, in addition to being a damn fine game in its own right, it's a reminder of the many quality titles released for the N64 that are now being given a second chance on release to a much wider audience than that console's user base.
If you've been reading Theo Fraser's Nintendophiles news report, you'll have an inkling of how good this game really is, but it's not the quality I want to talk about here. I'll settle for mentioning it in brief - probably the best shooter to be released on any of the consoles of its time, this is absolutely worth the Virtual Console download. The primary reason that Sin and Punishment makes it into the best of 2007, though, is the fact that the original game was a relatively obscure Japanese-only release, and was this year given the full localization treatment by Nintendo to be re-released worldwide through the Wii. I don't think most gamers really know just how much Japan-specific content is released in the East, and while there's more dross than quality, there are still hundreds of gems that it would be marvelous to see picked up and given a lick of paint to be unleashed on the Western gaming world. It's rare to see companies celebrating the under-appreciated games that made up older consoles' heritages, and there are certainly many older titles that would be infinitely preferable to another sad installment in, say, the Mario Party franchise. Here's hoping that Sin and Punishment has started a trend, because it would be a hugely satisfying one.
Has there been a contemporary game released that packs in as much retro appeal as Alien Hominid when it first appeared in 2004? And I of course discount Metal Slug Anthology from that rhetorical question. Coded by just a few dedicated nerds the game was unabashedly arcade in scope, and its re-release as Alien Hominid HD on the Xbox 360 confirms the fact that it's one of the most instantly pleasurable retro games of the year. What was surprising for me, though, was the extent to which the game was updated for it's XBLA re-release. Featuring new and improved high-definition visuals, a widescreen mode, co-operative multiplayer and an array of online 4-player minigames, as well as additional downloadable content, it's an exercise in remastering that shows how a game can have its lifespan extended immeasurably by a touch of TLC and faith in the gaming audience, and is a prime example of the good that XBLA could do if it had a larger catalogue of titles available. If only more developers took this amount of care of their back catalogue.
Everyone remembers the original Donkey Kong Country as one of the finest platformers on the Super NES (and deservedly so), and I'm sure most people also remember the great-but-not-truly-brilliant sequel Diddy's Kong Quest. Dixie Kong's Double Trouble, though, was released late in the system's lifespan and never fully got the attention it deserved. Although safe to say it's the weakest of the trilogy, it's still one of the best in the genre on the console. Responsible for introducing Chunky into the Kong family (surpassed only by Lanky as the funniest of the extended characters), the game was a joy to play and features arguably the highest quality graphics of any game of the 16-bit era. Although it lacks the simplicity of the original DKC, it's still a long way from the arduous collecting bananas marathon that was the next game in the series on the N64, and proves that the SNES was churning out top notch titles right up until it passed away. Here's to DKC 3, then, which shows that in 2007 many gamers found personal favorites they'd long thought of as forgotten re-emerging into the world of mainstream gaming and enchanting a whole new audience.
I've always loved this game since I found out that its title translates as "One, Two, Kung Fu!" Brilliant. Released through the Xbox Live Arcade service back in July, what we have here is an updated version of a martial arts-based arcade machine that is a whole twenty two (count 'em) years old. While games such as this have been downloadable through services such as MAME in the past, it's wonderful to see some old arcade classics coming back to prominence and receiving graphical and gameplay updates as part of the deal. This particular title is a wonderfully campy addition to the genre, with a protagonist named Oolong taking on a series of a dozen or so martial arts masters in one-on-one combat. Although it's certainly not a legendary title, it's remarkably good fun to play considering I first tackled the game on a BBC Micro (remember those?), and is representative of the fact that in 2007, no game is off limits when it comes to reworking past classics and doling out the nostalgia.
For gamers like me who matured (gaming-wise) in the 90s, the chances of Sega ever releasing a Sonic title on a Nintendo console were about the same as Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini rising from the grave, hitchhiking to the Moon and setting up a space brothel for passing aliens. "Unlikely" is what I'm trying to get at with this ridiculous simile. Anyway, of course this news is old hat, especially with the recent release of Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (and look who got first billing...) which shows that the two companies' mascots are even capable of a bit of friendly competition. However, it wasn't until Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was released this year on Virtual Console - and Xbox Live, although the shock of seeing the little blue fella on a Microsoft console wasn't anywhere near as palpable - that I finally realized the final taboo of 90s gaming had been broken. Seeing Sega's flagship character in his undisputed masterpiece game for download on a Nintendo online service? Let's face it, if you'd have suggested this a few years back you'd probably have been punched in the face. Kudos to Sega and Nintendo for fully burying the hatchet, for bringing one of the best games of the 90s back into the public eye, and for proving once and for all that games shouldn't be about boundaries. For me, the best retro moment of the year.
The Videosphere
Let's take a look at this week's video highlight. It's time to end the year with a bang, courtesy of IGN's video review of the Best Game of the Year. What is it? Well you'll have to watch to find out. Gosh darn, I'm so sneaky!
General indulgences
Every week in this section I'll endeavor to provide you, the faithful readers, with a fascinating insight into the various forms of entertainment currently dominating my spare time.
This week, I have been mostly enjoying:
Super Paper Mario, thanks to finally getting my hands on a Wii. They're like gold nuggets, I tells ya. Anyway, the game is certainly enjoyable and original, but I can't help but feel as though it's a stopgap measure that was used to placate those of us who wanted Mario Galaxy. That's my next purchase, incidentally.
Led Zeppelin III, which is my current pick for their best album. That'll probably have changed by next week though. For now, let it earn its moment in the spotlight.
X-Men 3: The Last Stand, which disappointed me on first viewing, but now that I come back to it and I can forgive its flaws and enjoy it as a brainless blast 'em up of a movie. Plus, Vinnie Jones is awesome.
and chocolate. Loads of it. Where would Christmas be without perpetual nausea brought on by over-indulgence? Nowhere good, that's where.
And finally…
As always, reader feedback and suggestions are welcome, I respond to everything so just drop me a line or leave a comment. You can also check out the Christmas edition of my science fiction column "The Flux Capacitor" over at 411 Movies. Next week in "The Wonder Years" - we start the new year by zipping way back in time. Until then - keep it real, keep it retro.
