Tubey's Retro Gaming Thread
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CTR: CRASH TEAM RACING
Release Date: 1999
Available: Playstation Network, most good retro gaming shops, Amazon, eBay.
Console: PSX
Crash Bandicoot was the Playstations’ attempted answer to Mario and Sonic. He never quite got there. That said, the games themselves were actually pretty great – they were 3D corridor platformers that rewarded split second timing and speed.
Then in 1999, after seemingly squeezing the IP for every possible cent (there’s been well over 10 Crash games, to varying success), the gaming community collectively gasped in disgust when CTR: Crash Team Racing was announced for release. An obvious, shameless, Mario Kart rip off aimed at dredging cash out of gullible fan boys, much in the same way as also soon to be released South Park Rally and a slew of others (let’s pretend none of us ever heard of the Crazy Frog game too…)
Except… well, it wasn’t really any of those things. Well, sure, it was a Mario Kart rip-off, but only in the same way that Call of Duty is a Quake rip-off, or Command & Conquer is a Dune rip-off and so on. Amazingly, not only is CTR great, it’s arguably the best example of the genre there is.
No, really.
Let me start by explaining that I grew up on Mario Kart. It’s a sensational game, and has a deserving place in gaming history. The thing that makes me personally prefer CTR is that it took everything that made Mario Kart great and then expanded upon it. It is graphically wonderful, moreso than the platformers it takes it’s characters from, and it still stands up to this day, albeit with obviously scratchy textures compared to next gen monsters we have in 2014.
The weapon variation is absolutely brilliant in CTR. The homing rockets create wonderful tension, with beeps increasing in frequency as the rocket focuses in. The tracks are diverse and plentiful, allowing for skidding in sandy terrain to slippery ice. The sound… not so good. This is where Mario Kart wins hands down, and the personality of the games characters are also more forgettable than its’ Nintendo cousin. To be fair, this is a failing of the platformer when set against the legend that is Mario rather than a criticism of CTR, which does at least feature an adventure mode which is challenging and enjoyable.
The one thing that makes CTR stand out, however, is the multiplayer, and in a kart game this is pretty much the bread and butter of the experience. It is, quite simply, unbelievably good, especially if you invest in the MultiTap for the PS1 version. Pro Evolution Soccer aside, CTR was the most fun I had with a console game with the lads around – completely maniacal, allowing for cynical tactics in the best multiplayer karting maps ever devised.
There are people that simply hate CTR automatically because, obviously, it has zero originality in its concept. However, that’s a poor way of looking at it – games do not have to re-invent the wheel all of the time; they simply have to be an enjoyable experience. And that’s what CTR is from top to bottom. We can reminisce about the brilliance of Mario Kart, but in 2014, when I reach for a kart racer, it’s CTR every single time.
VERDICT: 91% - A faultless multi-player package and an enjoyable single player experience make CTR a fantastic retro racing experience.
Release Date: 1999
Available: Playstation Network, most good retro gaming shops, Amazon, eBay.
Console: PSX
Crash Bandicoot was the Playstations’ attempted answer to Mario and Sonic. He never quite got there. That said, the games themselves were actually pretty great – they were 3D corridor platformers that rewarded split second timing and speed.
Then in 1999, after seemingly squeezing the IP for every possible cent (there’s been well over 10 Crash games, to varying success), the gaming community collectively gasped in disgust when CTR: Crash Team Racing was announced for release. An obvious, shameless, Mario Kart rip off aimed at dredging cash out of gullible fan boys, much in the same way as also soon to be released South Park Rally and a slew of others (let’s pretend none of us ever heard of the Crazy Frog game too…)
Except… well, it wasn’t really any of those things. Well, sure, it was a Mario Kart rip-off, but only in the same way that Call of Duty is a Quake rip-off, or Command & Conquer is a Dune rip-off and so on. Amazingly, not only is CTR great, it’s arguably the best example of the genre there is.
No, really.
Let me start by explaining that I grew up on Mario Kart. It’s a sensational game, and has a deserving place in gaming history. The thing that makes me personally prefer CTR is that it took everything that made Mario Kart great and then expanded upon it. It is graphically wonderful, moreso than the platformers it takes it’s characters from, and it still stands up to this day, albeit with obviously scratchy textures compared to next gen monsters we have in 2014.
The weapon variation is absolutely brilliant in CTR. The homing rockets create wonderful tension, with beeps increasing in frequency as the rocket focuses in. The tracks are diverse and plentiful, allowing for skidding in sandy terrain to slippery ice. The sound… not so good. This is where Mario Kart wins hands down, and the personality of the games characters are also more forgettable than its’ Nintendo cousin. To be fair, this is a failing of the platformer when set against the legend that is Mario rather than a criticism of CTR, which does at least feature an adventure mode which is challenging and enjoyable.
The one thing that makes CTR stand out, however, is the multiplayer, and in a kart game this is pretty much the bread and butter of the experience. It is, quite simply, unbelievably good, especially if you invest in the MultiTap for the PS1 version. Pro Evolution Soccer aside, CTR was the most fun I had with a console game with the lads around – completely maniacal, allowing for cynical tactics in the best multiplayer karting maps ever devised.
There are people that simply hate CTR automatically because, obviously, it has zero originality in its concept. However, that’s a poor way of looking at it – games do not have to re-invent the wheel all of the time; they simply have to be an enjoyable experience. And that’s what CTR is from top to bottom. We can reminisce about the brilliance of Mario Kart, but in 2014, when I reach for a kart racer, it’s CTR every single time.
VERDICT: 91% - A faultless multi-player package and an enjoyable single player experience make CTR a fantastic retro racing experience.
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Shining Force III on the Saturn. This was a sprawling 3 part RPG/strategy game that employed a system whereby you were supposed to be able to play alll three parts simultaneously and what you did in each one affected how the others played out. Still makes me sad I never got to play parts 2 and 3 because they never got translated from the Japanese, which leaves so many unfinished plots in part 1. Damn you, Sega!
Shining Force 2 is actually next up on my review list haha
Problem is most of them are in the 80s and 90s scores haha! They're indicative of my preferences really - the odd one point between two incredible games like Grim and FF7, for example. 9/10 for each would indicate I appreciate them the same way, and that's not quite the case.
To be honest, the scores are not the point at all, just the game being in the list themselves is!
Yep, named Polar. Lightweight, slow as hell, good handling though on the ice tracks but was basically useless.
Pat's Van
Player Valuation: £70m
yeah and the track where you could fall off either side coz it was dead high up, that was boss too
RFUS
Anustart
Ha, it's jusy something that's always bugged me. I used to write game reviews for a small site; I do it as a hobby and read them religiously, though most are pretty gash these days. I just never understood the notion of percentage scores or ones that go to one decimal point. I'd struggle to decide if something was an 8 or a 9, never mind if it was a 9.1 or 9.3!
Keep it up though. I'm only 21 so the games I grew up with don't go further than Crash Bandicoot, Pokemon, Rayman, Mario Kart 64 etc, but I've always loved retro games and those before my time. Monkey Island I/II are the pinnacle of the genre for my money, but Grim Fandango was one hell of a game.
SHINING FORCE II
Release Date: 1994
Available: Sega Megadrive cartridge is rare, available at retro shops. Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection for Xbox 360. Available on Steam in Sega Collection. Emulation also an option.
Console: Sega Mega Drive
The odds are a lot of you haven’t heard of the Shining Force series, as it’s simply in a genre that is under the radar for many gamers. It’s what is known as a tactical RPG – you take turns to move your units in range of the opponent and attack with your powers. Think chess meeting Japanese RPG and you won’t go far wrong.
This is a genre that has been consistent in its distribution over the years, and the Nintendo DS is the current home of titles such as Fire Emblem: Awakening (which is absolutely breathtaking, seriously, if you’re a fan of Shining Force or these types of games at all, get Fire Emblem!) and Suikoden Tierkreis, Final Fantasy: Revenant Wings etc. etc.
Shining Force II is a release that occurred long, long before these titles. It’s actually the third Shining Force title, confusingly enough. Actually, I’m not sure, it may be the fourth. Who knows… it’s a series with a long and varied history, often changing genres (the first title was a dungeon crawler called Shining in the Darkness, for example).
What I can tell you is that it is one of the very best RPGs ever made and I’ve easily sunk 100+ hours into it over repeatedly plays over the years.
So, what makes it good? Strangely enough for an RPG, it’s not necessarily the story. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good, but it’s unremarkable. The reason it draws you in isn’t the story – it’s the characters. Because you play with all of them equally and meet more through your journey (as well as hidden characters depending on your playstyle), it means that you get indulged in their personalities. Jaha, the warrior, is a loyal companion who will lead the charge in early battles with his axe, and you’ll look to optimise him towards the end game to keep him with you as the tale progresses, despite his stats tailing off. Sarah the Priestess takes a great deal of effort to level, but the outcome is worth it if you persist.
Another stand-out of this game is that the character development is entirely up to you, and the story arch allows you to pick and choose what characters you take. Want to give a certain character an upgrade to Monk? You can, but by doing so you can’t upgrade your other eligible characters. At one point you get to choose between three characters, leaving the other two behind. It’s little things like this that draw you in and keep you going.
The settings are also brilliant. At one stage, you’re miniaturised into a desktop kingdom and literally fight a turn-based battle on a chessboard. Brilliant. You’ll go into a mouse hole and fight rats. Brilliant. You’ll cross a bridge and fight aerial enemies that require you to tactically place your ranged fighters and take them out before they attack your healers. And so on.
The graphical style is fine even to this day. It’s a Mega Drive game, so expect the obvious simplicity of a game released 20 years ago, but because it’s turn based it has aged tremendously well, much better than later games such as Syndicate Wars which adopted the early 3D technology.
Criticisms would be that it’s not necessarily a tough game at all, but it does require some thought and you can’t just steamroll through (and the game offers multiple difficulty settings). But that aside, this title is a solid 30-ish hours of RPG goodness that stands the test of time.
VERDICT: 87% - Shining Force II set the standard for many classic titles that followed it, combining great gameplay with decent storytelling and compelling characters. A must own for RPG nuts.
Release Date: 1994
Available: Sega Megadrive cartridge is rare, available at retro shops. Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection for Xbox 360. Available on Steam in Sega Collection. Emulation also an option.
Console: Sega Mega Drive
The odds are a lot of you haven’t heard of the Shining Force series, as it’s simply in a genre that is under the radar for many gamers. It’s what is known as a tactical RPG – you take turns to move your units in range of the opponent and attack with your powers. Think chess meeting Japanese RPG and you won’t go far wrong.
This is a genre that has been consistent in its distribution over the years, and the Nintendo DS is the current home of titles such as Fire Emblem: Awakening (which is absolutely breathtaking, seriously, if you’re a fan of Shining Force or these types of games at all, get Fire Emblem!) and Suikoden Tierkreis, Final Fantasy: Revenant Wings etc. etc.
Shining Force II is a release that occurred long, long before these titles. It’s actually the third Shining Force title, confusingly enough. Actually, I’m not sure, it may be the fourth. Who knows… it’s a series with a long and varied history, often changing genres (the first title was a dungeon crawler called Shining in the Darkness, for example).
What I can tell you is that it is one of the very best RPGs ever made and I’ve easily sunk 100+ hours into it over repeatedly plays over the years.
So, what makes it good? Strangely enough for an RPG, it’s not necessarily the story. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good, but it’s unremarkable. The reason it draws you in isn’t the story – it’s the characters. Because you play with all of them equally and meet more through your journey (as well as hidden characters depending on your playstyle), it means that you get indulged in their personalities. Jaha, the warrior, is a loyal companion who will lead the charge in early battles with his axe, and you’ll look to optimise him towards the end game to keep him with you as the tale progresses, despite his stats tailing off. Sarah the Priestess takes a great deal of effort to level, but the outcome is worth it if you persist.
Another stand-out of this game is that the character development is entirely up to you, and the story arch allows you to pick and choose what characters you take. Want to give a certain character an upgrade to Monk? You can, but by doing so you can’t upgrade your other eligible characters. At one point you get to choose between three characters, leaving the other two behind. It’s little things like this that draw you in and keep you going.
The settings are also brilliant. At one stage, you’re miniaturised into a desktop kingdom and literally fight a turn-based battle on a chessboard. Brilliant. You’ll go into a mouse hole and fight rats. Brilliant. You’ll cross a bridge and fight aerial enemies that require you to tactically place your ranged fighters and take them out before they attack your healers. And so on.
The graphical style is fine even to this day. It’s a Mega Drive game, so expect the obvious simplicity of a game released 20 years ago, but because it’s turn based it has aged tremendously well, much better than later games such as Syndicate Wars which adopted the early 3D technology.
Criticisms would be that it’s not necessarily a tough game at all, but it does require some thought and you can’t just steamroll through (and the game offers multiple difficulty settings). But that aside, this title is a solid 30-ish hours of RPG goodness that stands the test of time.
VERDICT: 87% - Shining Force II set the standard for many classic titles that followed it, combining great gameplay with decent storytelling and compelling characters. A must own for RPG nuts.
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Strange you should say that - it's on my list, one of only two fighters on it. Heihachi is a beast haha
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