Tubey's Retro Gaming Thread
- Thread starter Tubey
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These two stand out for me.
I patiently await Mr Tubers retro review of Chrono Trigger. Thanks.
I patiently await Mr Tubers retro review of Chrono Trigger. Thanks.
SIDE POCKET
Release Date: 1992
Available: Most retro shops (Mega Drive version is common) and via emulation.
Console: Sega Mega Drive/SNES and others.
DISCLAIMER: I DO own this game, however it’s in a bin bag in the loft somewhere since moving. Photo to follow when I find it!
Ahhh Side Pocket. It’s strange that we’re living in 2014 and this for me remains by far and away the most complete pool/snooker/billiards/whatever game ever made. And it’s simply because of the 1990s cheese of its presentation and an incredible Trick Shot mode which had me tearing out my hair.
To describe the presentation… well, imagine Streets of Rage meeting a 1920s speakeasy, and there you have it. It’s made by a company called Data East, which is hard to forget as a sultry male voice tells you so every time you load the game up. Classy looking pixelated women pop up every now and again, while an amazed female voice will say “Nice!” when you make a shot. The game just oozes cheese from every pore, but a good cheese. A camembert or something.
So, the gameplay itself. It’s, well, pool basically. You line up a shot using the guidelines on the table, add spin to the ball by aligning the crosshair where you’d like to hit the ball and adjust the power before letting rip.
But this isn’t a simulation game. It’s as arcade as arcade can be. You get additional points for hitting it in a “starred” corner, combo points, limited available shots and so on, aiming to beat a certain score to progress to the next stage. It sounds simple, but it’s not. Contrary to the relaxed ambience of this game, it can be devilishly difficult. You’ll pull your hair out as you miss a simple shot moments after bagging a ridiculously two cushion effort. Not that there’s anything wrong whatsoever with the physics of the game, but it requires you to concentrate and understand the angles to work it best.
Whilst the main mode of the game is great, what really makes it, as I said, was the Trick Shot mode. Just incredible. Wine glasses prevent your easiest path to the pocket and you have to figure out the best way to avoid them to make the shot. There’s a raft of different trick shots and it’ll take you days, if not weeks, to figure out some of the harder tables. It’s a magnificent mechanic and one that few pool games have done as well since.
Due to the way the game is played, this is suitable for emulation. I’m not expecting you all to run out and grab a Sega Megadrive and raid eBay for this (but it’s worth doing given the wonderful titles on offer on the Megadrive in general). But, trust me, if you’re looking for a relaxing yet challenging gaming experience, Side Pocket is the cheesiest yet most satisfying option available, even in 2014.
VERDICT: 85% - It sounds horrid, but Side Pocket really is a fantastic title that delivers everything you’d want from a pool game, and keeps you coming back for more.
Release Date: 1992
Available: Most retro shops (Mega Drive version is common) and via emulation.
Console: Sega Mega Drive/SNES and others.
DISCLAIMER: I DO own this game, however it’s in a bin bag in the loft somewhere since moving. Photo to follow when I find it!
Ahhh Side Pocket. It’s strange that we’re living in 2014 and this for me remains by far and away the most complete pool/snooker/billiards/whatever game ever made. And it’s simply because of the 1990s cheese of its presentation and an incredible Trick Shot mode which had me tearing out my hair.
To describe the presentation… well, imagine Streets of Rage meeting a 1920s speakeasy, and there you have it. It’s made by a company called Data East, which is hard to forget as a sultry male voice tells you so every time you load the game up. Classy looking pixelated women pop up every now and again, while an amazed female voice will say “Nice!” when you make a shot. The game just oozes cheese from every pore, but a good cheese. A camembert or something.
So, the gameplay itself. It’s, well, pool basically. You line up a shot using the guidelines on the table, add spin to the ball by aligning the crosshair where you’d like to hit the ball and adjust the power before letting rip.
But this isn’t a simulation game. It’s as arcade as arcade can be. You get additional points for hitting it in a “starred” corner, combo points, limited available shots and so on, aiming to beat a certain score to progress to the next stage. It sounds simple, but it’s not. Contrary to the relaxed ambience of this game, it can be devilishly difficult. You’ll pull your hair out as you miss a simple shot moments after bagging a ridiculously two cushion effort. Not that there’s anything wrong whatsoever with the physics of the game, but it requires you to concentrate and understand the angles to work it best.
Whilst the main mode of the game is great, what really makes it, as I said, was the Trick Shot mode. Just incredible. Wine glasses prevent your easiest path to the pocket and you have to figure out the best way to avoid them to make the shot. There’s a raft of different trick shots and it’ll take you days, if not weeks, to figure out some of the harder tables. It’s a magnificent mechanic and one that few pool games have done as well since.
Due to the way the game is played, this is suitable for emulation. I’m not expecting you all to run out and grab a Sega Megadrive and raid eBay for this (but it’s worth doing given the wonderful titles on offer on the Megadrive in general). But, trust me, if you’re looking for a relaxing yet challenging gaming experience, Side Pocket is the cheesiest yet most satisfying option available, even in 2014.
VERDICT: 85% - It sounds horrid, but Side Pocket really is a fantastic title that delivers everything you’d want from a pool game, and keeps you coming back for more.
Last edited:
tsubaki
Player Valuation: £90m
These two stand out for me.
I patiently await Mr Tubers retro review of Chrono Trigger. Thanks.
SW would have been a great game in its own right, but compared to the original it was quite bad. That said, compared to the recent "remake" it was absolutely amazing.
@heatmeiser
A little snapshot of my GOG shelf:
Don't want to spoiler too much but Trigger makes the list obviously. I have the DS version.
A little snapshot of my GOG shelf:
Don't want to spoiler too much but Trigger makes the list obviously. I have the DS version.
Yeah, so everyone kept telling me, but for some reason I played SW to death.
I completely avoided the remake, looked utter dump.
tsubaki
Player Valuation: £90m
it is a bit mad that a game that on its release was at most 3mb in size is now 389 mb
ijjysmith
Calm
YES
YOU'RE A GOAL SCORING SUPERSTAR HERO AND EVERY GOAL (GOAL GOAL) SAYS YOUR THE BEST IN THE WORLD
DUNGEON KEEPER 2
Release Date: 1999
Available: GOG.com is the only viable source. Physical copies struggle to run on Windows with frequent crashes, GOG version is patched and works fine.
People like to talk about originality in games. Whilst it’s something that is good to aspire to, it’s not something easily attained. Of those developers in the 1990s who frequently strived for originality in his creations was Peter Molyneux, famed for his involvement at Bullfrog, the company responsible for Theme Park, Syndicate, Populous and, later, the hit and miss AAA title that was Black & White. Pretty much every time he applied himself to a project, he attempted to reinvent the wheel, and had a remarkable degree of success – except for Fable 3, which pretty much ruined my view of the guy. Awful.
Anyhoos, before that travesty occurred, in 1999 he released an absolute monster of a game in every sense of the word. The original Dungeon Keeper was a very good title, but has aged badly and can be inaccessible due to its grimy graphics and lacklustre navigation. Dungeon Keeper 2, however, is an absolute gem of a title, and is to this day probably the finest real time strategy game you can get your hands on. It’s that good.
Speaking of originality, Dungeon Keeper 2 oozes it. You play the bad guy, an evil dungeon master who controls the legion of evil as it attempts to take over and corrupt the fairytale lands of the overworld. As such, the game takes place in the depths of the earth as you start off with a dungeon heart and several imps for each level and build rooms, train minions and create a force capable of taking a magic gem off the opposition – or destroying rival Keepers.
Annoyingly, the game screenshots do not do this game justice. Like the premise, this is a unique graphic style – dark, grungy, murky, but beautiful all the same, helping to create the atmosphere. It is just as playable now as it was 15 years ago. The sound effects are just wonderful, from the ambient music, to the sudden dark chorus as battle commences, to the creaks and groans of you dungeon, to the smallest imp or biggest bile demon, everything is immersive.
The game offers so much more than a standard RTS. You can possess your minions and take control of them in a first person perspective, taking part in battles. Indeed, some missions necessitate this feature as you take control of a Dark Elf and snipe at enemy guards in otherwise unreachable areas. Minions can be slapped by your hand cursor to make them work faster or train harder. Each unit is unique – trolls make traps in your workshop, warlocks research spells, fireflies scout lava-clad terrain with ease… you can sacrifice creatures to entice stronger creatures, or lay your slain foes in the graveyard to arise as vampires, or leave your prisoners to rot in prison to create a skeleton army, or torture them to turn to your side etc. etc. etc. etc.
There’s so much to do it’s quite incredible. The depth of the game knows no bounds, and the only downside in the modern age is finding someone to play multiplayer – which is a massive shame as this is a unique multiplayer experience.
The game is not without faults – AI can be cumbersome and navigation a downright pain in the arse until you get used to it, but it pales in comparison to the sheer scope and brilliance of the game in every other area.
Oh, and a special mention to the narrator/advisor here – just wonderful. The game is worth the price of admission alone for his voice acting.
There are plenty of lauded RTS games, such as the Command & Conquer series (particularly Red Alert), Dune etc. but they all follow the same tune – Dungeon Keeper 2 is the king solely because nobody has done anything like it before or since. Indeed, a direct sequel is on the way as a result of a Kickstarter campaign by fans clamouring for more, and I for one will be keeping a close eye on War for the Overworld to see if it can measure up in any way to it’s brilliant inspiration.
VERDICT: 95% - As the tagline says, it’s good to be bad. So very, very good. Dungeon Keeper is a game you’ll keep coming back to time and again for another fix of unique RTS brilliance.
Release Date: 1999
Available: GOG.com is the only viable source. Physical copies struggle to run on Windows with frequent crashes, GOG version is patched and works fine.
People like to talk about originality in games. Whilst it’s something that is good to aspire to, it’s not something easily attained. Of those developers in the 1990s who frequently strived for originality in his creations was Peter Molyneux, famed for his involvement at Bullfrog, the company responsible for Theme Park, Syndicate, Populous and, later, the hit and miss AAA title that was Black & White. Pretty much every time he applied himself to a project, he attempted to reinvent the wheel, and had a remarkable degree of success – except for Fable 3, which pretty much ruined my view of the guy. Awful.
Anyhoos, before that travesty occurred, in 1999 he released an absolute monster of a game in every sense of the word. The original Dungeon Keeper was a very good title, but has aged badly and can be inaccessible due to its grimy graphics and lacklustre navigation. Dungeon Keeper 2, however, is an absolute gem of a title, and is to this day probably the finest real time strategy game you can get your hands on. It’s that good.
Speaking of originality, Dungeon Keeper 2 oozes it. You play the bad guy, an evil dungeon master who controls the legion of evil as it attempts to take over and corrupt the fairytale lands of the overworld. As such, the game takes place in the depths of the earth as you start off with a dungeon heart and several imps for each level and build rooms, train minions and create a force capable of taking a magic gem off the opposition – or destroying rival Keepers.
Annoyingly, the game screenshots do not do this game justice. Like the premise, this is a unique graphic style – dark, grungy, murky, but beautiful all the same, helping to create the atmosphere. It is just as playable now as it was 15 years ago. The sound effects are just wonderful, from the ambient music, to the sudden dark chorus as battle commences, to the creaks and groans of you dungeon, to the smallest imp or biggest bile demon, everything is immersive.
The game offers so much more than a standard RTS. You can possess your minions and take control of them in a first person perspective, taking part in battles. Indeed, some missions necessitate this feature as you take control of a Dark Elf and snipe at enemy guards in otherwise unreachable areas. Minions can be slapped by your hand cursor to make them work faster or train harder. Each unit is unique – trolls make traps in your workshop, warlocks research spells, fireflies scout lava-clad terrain with ease… you can sacrifice creatures to entice stronger creatures, or lay your slain foes in the graveyard to arise as vampires, or leave your prisoners to rot in prison to create a skeleton army, or torture them to turn to your side etc. etc. etc. etc.
There’s so much to do it’s quite incredible. The depth of the game knows no bounds, and the only downside in the modern age is finding someone to play multiplayer – which is a massive shame as this is a unique multiplayer experience.
The game is not without faults – AI can be cumbersome and navigation a downright pain in the arse until you get used to it, but it pales in comparison to the sheer scope and brilliance of the game in every other area.
Oh, and a special mention to the narrator/advisor here – just wonderful. The game is worth the price of admission alone for his voice acting.
There are plenty of lauded RTS games, such as the Command & Conquer series (particularly Red Alert), Dune etc. but they all follow the same tune – Dungeon Keeper 2 is the king solely because nobody has done anything like it before or since. Indeed, a direct sequel is on the way as a result of a Kickstarter campaign by fans clamouring for more, and I for one will be keeping a close eye on War for the Overworld to see if it can measure up in any way to it’s brilliant inspiration.
VERDICT: 95% - As the tagline says, it’s good to be bad. So very, very good. Dungeon Keeper is a game you’ll keep coming back to time and again for another fix of unique RTS brilliance.
Last edited:
Is Project Gotham Racing old enough to be 'retro'?
Definitely IMO - two generations of consoles out.
I'd say about 10 years is the marker.
Crazy Taxi should definitely be in here then.
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