The Archives
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08.12.10Another Unlikely HeroRemember that time we took a hike through the outskirts of The Mushroom Kingdom and we got lost with only a gameboy to guide us? You kept complaining about my sense of direction and I kept insisting we were on the right path. Do you recall stumbling onto that meadow full of delicious fungi and eating entirely too much? You always were a glutton. How about that bouquet of flowers I picked for you that enabled you to throw fireballs at will? That was neat. I think my favorite part was how we saved the entire population of Mushroom Kingdom ...
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07.07.10The Birth & Liberation of Chicken GeorgeFrom the very same team that brought you the hit Famicom adaptation of The Drifting Classroom comes an 8-bit take on another Kazuo Umezu manga, Fourteen. This monsterpiece—which follows Chicken George as he grows from a sentient pile of chicken flesh to a full-sized creature who absorbs and implements all of our scientific knowledge in the most twisted way imaginable—debuted in Big Comic Spirits in 1990, and could possibly be the master's most mental work yet. If you want to read about the specific insanity of Umezu's Fourteen, here is as good a place as any. Unlike The Drifting Classroom, you ...
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06.11.10Halcyon HillsHad Beast Blaster been domesticated closer to its Japanese debut it would no doubt be a highly coveted classic today. However, the port took so long that it was nearing the end of the NES's life when it finally came out, though fans "in the know" still consider themselves the fortunate few. Beast Blaster is a lighthearted action/platformer on the surface, but there's incredible depth beneath, as well as some startlingly violent boss battles that clash magnificently with the stages that precede them. Take this track for instance. Halcyon Hills, an early stage, is bright and colorful. Sure, stomping about in ...
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05.29.10Goblin Sack Race & ThimbleriggerEveryone knows and loves the Very Quest series. You may recall we posted one of the most beloved themes in Very Quest II, "Cave Visitors", at the very beginning of Beep City. The series certainly didn't slack down the line. Much like Square Enix's venerable Final Fantasy series in popularity (though more of an action-RPG at its core), Very Quest spawned numerous sequels, and one of the best was without a doubt Very Quest IV: The Mystic Throne. VQIV is most notable for having more minigames than any other entry in the series, truly fleshing out the mystical world of Verania. ...
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05.07.10Party in the PalaceImagine, if you dare, being stuck inside a place so terrifyingly conflicting, you just don't know what to do with yourself! Such is the plight of Victor Cazarian, famed researcher-slash-adventurer that finds himself trapped in the confines of the nefarious Baron Blood's Lunatic Lair. Does he dance with the devil in the pale moon light? He may not have a choice! This late '80s gem was perhaps most famous for its party or die philosophy. It confounded players with a moral dilemma. Sure, you could traverse the sprawling manor with relative ease by gettin' down with the ghoulish guest list. But ...
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03.11.10From Kingston To DeadwoodDuring the early '90s there was a lot of in-house feuding in the game development community, and High Noon was no exception. Half the team wanted a game set in the romping wild west, while the rest were banking on their latest character concoction: the controversial, cybernetic stoney hero known then as Brutus the Bakin' Jamaican. Thankfully, they reached an agreement in 1991, and debuted the saloon-stompin', cyber-horse ridin' Cybastian-01; a hero whose enemies existed in two dimensions. As this first stage track indicates, the western world could go hazy at any moment, transitioning to a beautiful (but deadly) beach in ...
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02.06.10Action Vacation on Shuriken IslandAction Vacation IV took the much ballyhooed series in an even more technologically refined direction, sporting an additional chip that doubled the graphical power of the Nintendo Entertainment System. This time the Bullet Twins (Zip and Flip) vacation on Shuriken Island, a brutal destination in the ninja nation filled with soldiers and armored salamanders of a madman's creation. This particular track is the well known theme music, which plays from 1-1 too 1-3, as the wind in the field blows kite-flying ninjas in a whip of leaves and bits of branches. Action Vacation on Shuriken Island Created by Moldilox using Milky Tracker (OSX)
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12.25.09Funeral StormThe Revivification series—part action, part role-playing (but always billed as the former due to uninspiring RPG sales at the time)—was never quite the downer its boxart (by famed cart designer/photographer Gus van D'nan) depicted. The third in the series was especially uplifting, due in no small part to the sequence to which this song provides accompaniment. Following the theme of the series closely, protagonist Terrence Knight once again finds himself waking up in the middle of his own funeral, buried deep beneath the earth. Thrust into action, he battles his way to the surface as rain pounds and thunder krakows, engaging ...
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12.13.09By Tooth & NailCapcom's CODENAME: W.O.L.F. took the successful formula of the Rock Man games in an exciting, and admittedly darker direction. War has ravaged planet earth and the only remaining hope lies in the paws of a lone K-9 Unit. From the family pet to the front lines - Help Lobo navigate the singed steel and crumbling concrete in a quest to avenge the family he lost. Join forces with Professor Quasar as you set out to defeat The Seven Blood-Thirsty Barons of The New Wasteland and assemble the coveted W.O.L.F. armor. By Tooth & Nail
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11.22.09Snow-Steeped Forest (November)Alex Wonder brought a lot of heart and innovation to the NES when he broke away from his employers at LJN to start his one-man outfit, Wondersoft Game Corp. His first release—which he designed from the ground up, from the art to the music and programming—took everyone by surprise, throwing the player in the shoes of a young boy named Billy, who gets trapped in the Dream Dimension and has to find his way out before the final grain of sand in the hourglass tumbles down. And then he has to fight the hourglass! This particular track comes from the snowy ...
