The Mattozoic Era

Golgo 13 aka Duke Togo – the world’s greatest hitman and sniper. He is perfect in what he does – never failing, never swaying from the course. I had early exposure to Golgo 13 in the mid 90’s with The Professional, but even before that I knew it as an NES game. Golgo 13 had two installments on the NES – Top Secret Episode and The Mafat Conspiracy and they tend to be fondly remembered by those who have played them. Personally it’s not a game I played much (if at all) as a child. I mostly remember being at my brother’s friend’s house and watching them play Top Secret Episode. But it was still deeply interesting, especially whenever it would enter a first person action sequence.

Indeed, these games are known for having mature (particularly by NES standards) themes and a great number of play styles. Vic Tokai crafted some ambitious games for Duke, but how many games have there been that have tried to do everything instead of doing just one thing well?

Well, since I have been feeling a resurging interest in Golgo 13 I figured it was time to finally clear these games…

Continue reading “Golgo 13: Operation NES”

It’s probably not much of a secret that my favourite console has remained the Nintendo Entertainment System since time immemorial. The aural and visual aesthetic, the closeness to ‘pure’ concepts and execution. This is why it’s a joy to collect and play NES games I have never played before. But it’s rare that I can open up a brand new game for the console.

Most recently this thirst was slaked by the 2012 release, Battle Kid 2. I was lucky enough to grab a copy of the first release of this game in December and I’ve played a whole bunch of it since. It’s the kind of game that makes you feel like a kid again, bringing out that enthusiasm to see what’s next. To press on and on. To see what’s changed, what’s new, and just what’s through that ominous door.

Continue reading “Battle Kid 2 – Reaching The Summit of the Mountain of Torment”

I think what I like about good action puzzle games is that they an take a simple concept and spiral it wildly from that centre. You maintain the core attributes of the game, while providing many varied experiences by branching off from it. And a puzzle game can attain this quality by simply moving pieces, introducing a single new element, or even by changing where the player starts. Modern or classic, they’re a very “pure” style of game. My prime example is always Eggerland, but there are many others of course. And when I am turned on to another, I really have to hunt it down.
Continue reading “Boulder Dash is not Balderdash”

There were a lot of rumours that certain Famicom games never made it to the NES because they were deemed too difficult for Western audiences. I don’t know if this is always entirely true – for instance the NES versions of Ninja Gaiden III and Castlevania III have some changes that make their NES versions more difficult in ways. And there’s also the publishing limitations imposed on the NES to consider. But there are definitely some Famicom exclusives that are very challenging, and you do have to wonder if the difficulty is part of the reason that they were held back. I’d say Holy Diver fits the bill.

Continue reading “Famicom’s Holy Diver – Like The Eyes Of A Cat In The Black And Blue”