Blast Wind In-Depth: Hardcore Gaming 101

Everyone's favorite obsessive retro site recently published my review/analysis of Technosoft's Blast Wind. You can check it out here.

Some highlights:

• Blast Wind's arcade origins and the mysterious Inazuma Saber.
• Working Design's plans for Technosoft's Saturn library.
• Why Blast Wind never interested Thunder Force fans.
• How to play Blast Wind "properly".

Don't forget to listen to Tsukumo Hyakutaro's soundtrack while you read:

Rob Lord and Mark Bandola's Saturn-Exclusive Wipeout Tracks

I'm a big fan of the Wipeout franchise. The gameplay is addictive and the music kills - especially Tim "CoLD SToRAGE" Wright's work. One interesting bit of music-related trivia is that licensing issues forced the Sega Saturn version of the first Wipeout game to drop several of the tracks from the Playstation original. These tracks then got replaced with three Saturn-exclusive exclusive pieces composed by Mark Bandola of The Lucy Show and veteran jack-of-all-trades Rob Lord.

The exclusive tracks are on YouTube, but YouTube tracks aren't real music. Am I right? I couldn't find any "real" links online, so I just decided to rip them from my own copy. Here they are, in lossless FLAC and 320kb MP3. The host is MEGA.  If the links go down, hit me up. Otherwise, enjoy!

Warning: AGwolf2097 from YouTube has pointed out that Planet 9 has two loud pops in the left channel - one at 1:00 and another at 3:24. He's remastered his versions on YouTube to remove these artifacts, and I've uploaded his fixed MP3 below. That said, the FLAC lossless version will remain faithful to the source audio (blemishes and all) and will not be updated.

FLAC, ZIP (111 MB)

MP3, ZIP (36 MB)

Planet 9 (AGwolf2097 Remaster), MP3, (9MB)

Planet 9 @ 1m00s

Planet 9:
Gotta dig the jam on this one. Dives right into a rolling breakbeat, then layers in some crowd cheers for that future hovercraft racing vibe. Sticks in a tight box for the duration of the track - upbeat, energetic, and just plain groovy.

Brickbat:
This track kicks off with a retro Detroit Techno sound, snaps into a hip sampled guitar riff, then gutters its way to the end by remixing and recycling those two natty elements.

Poison:
Chill-out track - mellow jamming on the synthesizer provides an abstract lead-in to a earworm hook. Bumping bassline throughout, gets angry before the sixty second minute mark. Another Detroit Techno sound, very similar to Streets of Sim City, if you've ever played that game.

#0012 – Last Hope: Pink Bullets – 2009 – Dreamcast – NG:DEV.TEAM – Shmup

How does "in a few days" turn into an entire month?  When it's summer, that's how!  Too many games, too much work, too many projects!  Anyway, I've been able to put some playtime into all of NG:DEV.TEAM's games for the Sega Dreamcast, and this is the first of three mini-reviews.  No promises this time on when the others are coming.

Last Hope: Pink Bullets is technically an updated version of the original Last Hope, but it's kind of wrong to think of it that way.  It's not like this version is a bugfix release for major flaws or game-breaking glitches.  Really, it's more of a case where the original game was not very well received and the designers took a step back and tried to make their game more fun.  Specifically, the original Last Hope was perceived as being unreasonably difficult.  And when I say 'unreasonable' I mean cheap.  The list of new features in Pink Bullets include such things as higher ship speed, instant respawn, a more powerful protection unit, pink enemy bullets, and "overall less hard difficulty [sic]".  Most of those are alterations to general design choices rather than updates and fixes.

On the other hand, don't worry if you're wondering if Pink Bullets will be too easy for you.  It's not.  The game is still tough - R-Type tough - where success is based on level memorization and preemptive maneuvering rather than sheer reflexes.  I play a lot of shmups, but they're usually of the later, mid-90s style. Not quite bullet hell, but a lot twitchier than these sorts of games.  In other words, Pink Bullets hands me my butt on a silver platter.  A lot like DUX, but that's a different review.  I'll admit that this is wholly due to the lack of serious time I've put into the game so far, but I have to say it like it is.  Buyer be warned: Last Hope isn't really a pick up and play game.  If you want to get far on it without credit spamming, be prepared to replay the stages until you have the hazards and enemy patterns memorized.

The good thing is that Last Hope is a very enjoyable game to put time into if you're so inclined.  The prerendered sprite graphics are reminiscent of other Neo-Geo shmups like Pulstar and Blazing Star, with bright lighting glare patches and fluid animations.  The backgrounds sport a more hand-drawn, pixel art look, but the overall vibe is more coherent than you'd expect.  The music is especially good.  The game's OST is mellow and catchy.  If you were into '80s and '90s European PC games you know what to expect, but the execution is very slick and well produced.  If you've got a lot of money to spend, you wouldn't go wrong picking up the soundtrack album.

I'll leave it to you to check out videos of the gameplay for a better feel of how exactly Last Hope plays.  Or, as I said, you can just think of it as R-Type for your Dreamcast with some tweaked features and brighter colors.  I will say that using the protection unit didn't come easily to me, but I grew to love it after I realized that it makes you nigh-invincible to oncoming bullets as well as inflict huge damage to enemies.  The beam chain scoring multiplier definitely makes the game much more complex if you're going for score, but so far I can barely clear the stages - much less worry about racking up a big multiplier!

Pink Bullets is the definitive release of NG.DEV:TEAM's very first game, and it plays well on the Dreamcast with either a pad or a stick.  It works with VGA (and looks fantastic) and isn't that expensive anymore because of the recent reprint.  Unless you're specifically into R-Type style games or Euroshmups it's a little hard to recommend buying this one over the stable of Dreamcast (or, more generally, Saturn) shmups already available, but it's a solid approach to a subgenre of shmups that isn't very well explored on the system post-2001.  And if you already have most of the must-buy shmups for the platform, well...what are you waiting for?

NG:DEV.TEAM's Newcomer Bundle

NG:DEV.TEAM has been the premiere indie games company for both the Neo-Geo and the Dreamcast since their first release in 2006.  That's not quite as dramatic as it sounds, since they have no competition on the Neo-Geo and very little (recently) on the Dreamcast.  NG:DEV.TEAM's trilogy of action games are certainly flawed and highly controversial in certain communities, but there's no denying that they have a level of polish that outstrips other Dreamcast indie titles such as Cool Herders, Rush Rush Rally Racing, and even DUX.  This year will hopefully see the release of Duranik's stunning Sturmwind for Sega's "Console That Could", and maybe then NG:DEV.TEAM will get some competition.

Until then, we have the recent Dreamcast release of GunLord to celebrate, and how better to celebrate than with a series of reviews?  The Newcomer Bundle is a great way to pick up all of NG:DEV.TEAM's games for Dreamcast, and the pricing isn't bad, either.  With the package you get the best versions of all of the company's games: Last Hope: Pink Bullets, Fast Striker 1.5, and the aforementioned GunLord.  My copy arrived yesterday, and though I'd played burned CD-Rs of Last Hope and Fast Striker before, it was great to support the company and bag some legit copies to satisfy my inner collector.  I'll also be getting Redux: Dark Matters and Sturmwind later this year or early 2013 when they release, so look out for more Dreamcast indie reviews on this blog in the future.

My Newcomer Bundle arrived quite quickly from Germany via DHL Airmail, and in general I was pleased with the construction of the actual products.  GunLord suffered from a notably cheaper DVD case than the other two games, but these are all universal-sized inserts.  The first thing I did was switch out the box for a higher-quality commercial-grade case from an old DVD movie.  Fast Striker and Last Hope were fine as-is.  The CD art and manuals are glossy, offset printed, and full of great art.  The GunLord manual especially has some amazing boss art and a two-page spread with cherry blossoms and dragons (you can see a bit of it below).  I think I still prefer the Limited Edition art for the cover, but I didn't want to shell out for it.  C'est la vie.

I also recently got a Hori Sega Saturn stick modded with a Sanwa lever and buttons as well as an additional Playstation 1/2 plug, so playing these arcade-style games was a real treat.  Just use the Total Control 3 for Saturn -> Dreamcast controller compatibility or Total Control Plus for PS1/2 -> Dreamcast.  At any rate, I'll be posting a few reviews for these games in the coming days, so just keep an eye on this space.

Saturn Metal Slug: Another Look

Nazca's first Metal Slug game stands tall as an inherently pure experience.  The numerous sequels added on more and more 'stuff' - new Slug designs, new weapons, new enemies, and even new afflictions like Zombie and Fat modes.  The original game continues to impress even now with its sheer focus.  The levels are short and sweet, with a difficulty balanced so that even mere mortals can attempt 1cc runs.  It might not have as many bells and whistles, but it's clean arcade fun that never feels cheap or bloated.  I might be in a minority when I say this, but I'll take the first Metal Slug game over Metal Slug X or Metal Slug 3 every time.  Since I'm also a huge retro Sega fan and a ardent Saturn enthusiast, it should be no surprise that I've put more than my fair share of time into Metal Slug for Sega's 32-bit console.

You don't hear much about the Saturn port of Slug 1, but when you do you'll usually get a few people saying how it suffers from tremendous slowdown - "almost as bad as Metal Slug 2", they'll say.  I never quite agreed with them, but I could understand where they're coming from.  Anyone who's been introduced to Metal Slug through emulation or compilations on the PS2 or Wii probably doesn't realize how much slowdown there was on the original Neo-Geo hardware.  So when you see Metal Slug Saturn grinding into Matrix-style bullet time halfway through the first level - and you're comparing it to the silky emulation experience - then it can be a big downer.

Pictured above is the way that Metal Slug Saturn was meant to be played.  Thing is, very few people ever actually have!  Most people who are playing Metal Slug on their Sega Saturn are using one of the two expansion cartridges pictured below:

On the left is the official Sega 4MB RAM cart (HSS-0157), created at the request of Capcom late in the Saturn's lifespan.  It provides 4MB of additional memory space for the console to use with intensive arcade ports.  On the right is one of the many variants of perhaps the most popular Sega Saturn expansion cart - the unofficial Action Replay Plus from EMS.  This cart offers import support, cheats, backup save storage, as well as both 1MB and 4MB RAM modes.  Basically everything except burned/pirate game support, all in a single cartridge.  You'll notice that neither of these cartridges is the one that was intended for use with Metal Slug Saturn and displayed in this post's first picture, the HSS-0150 1MB RAM cart:

This cart is almost identical to the 4MB RAM cart pictured above, except that it was created at the request of SNK instead of Capcom, it predates the 4MB RAM cart by a few years, and it offers a fraction of the memory expansion.  Makes it sound like the 4MB cart is better, right?  Well, no.  You see, while most games that work with the 1MB RAM cart also work with the 4MB RAM cart, several games run into problems when they try to address the extra memory.  Some of the games have really obvious issues.  Samurai Spirits III and IV, as well as the Real Bout Fatal Fury games, have corrupted graphics.  You can't miss it.

The Action Replay Plus switches between 1MB and 4MB modes as needed by the game, and it seems to be the perfect solution.  1MB for your SNK games that need it, and 4MB for everything else.  The problem is that when it comes to Metal Slug Saturn, neither the Action Replay Plus nor the 4MB RAM cart work correctly.  Worse yet, the issue that Metal Slug has isn't nearly as obvious as corrupted graphics.  It's slowdown.  And now we come to the reason why Metal Slug Saturn has a worse rep online than it really deserves.

If you're playing Metal Slug Saturn with any cartridge other than the HSS-0150 1MB RAM cart, you're not doing it right.  Both the Action Replay Plus (I own the last revision released, with the dual 1MB/4MB modes and the fixes for Vampire Savior) and the HSS-0157 4MB RAM cart introduce additional slowdown despite seeming to work with the game just fine.  This is really obvious with some simple tests.  Load up the game with a 4MB cart or an Action Replay and check out the slowdown in two crucial areas: the Mission One boss and the section with the boats in Mission Two.  You'll notice how much slower it runs than when you use the official 1MB RAM cart meant for the game.  Here are the areas I'm talking about (click for bigger versions):


Hopefully this clears up some of the misconceptions about the Saturn port of Metal Slug.  It's really a great version, far better than the Playstation version (also on PSN) due to the 1MB RAM cart support and the Saturn's built in memory advantage.  In terms of slowdown, it's actually very close to the original arcade performance - once you stop using the wrong expansion cartridges.  With the AES version of this game selling for $3,000 or more when it appears, the Sega Saturn version of Metal Slug is about as good as it gets if you want a physical, standalone release.  This is especially handy since many retro gamers probably already own a Sega Saturn but might not own a Neo-Geo MVS or CD system.

It's probably important to note that Metal Slug only came out for the Sega Saturn in Japan, which means that running Metal Slug on a Sega Saturn using the intended 1MB RAM cart (as explained in this post) is going to require one of a few different routes:

1) A region modchip installed in a US or EU Saturn.
2) An actual JP region Saturn.
3) A properly region-patched ISO of the game used in conjunction with a backup modchip.

I'd recommend Racketboy.com (especially the forums) as a great starting point for any Saturn modding adventures.  A friend and I were able to install a switchless region mod in my US region Model 2 Saturn without too much sweat and blood, and it's definitely an awesome thing to have considering the strength of the JP Saturn library.

#0009 - Astra Superstars - 1998 - Sega Saturn - Sunsoft - Versus Fighter

So my wife was gone overnight to her sister's, which left me with some free time to pull out some games. Red Dead Redemption was obviously on the slate, but after about an hour I realized I wasn't exactly in the mood to spend ten minutes at a time riding across the landscape. I wanted something with instant gratification, something to pick up and play. Definitely something off the wall. I looked to Bayonetta but I wasn't in the mood for tons of completely obtuse cutscenes. I needed a one-on-one fighting game, the more obscure the better.

That was why I pulled out my album of Saturn games and found Astra Superstars, which fits all of those descriptions better than I had even hoped for. It made me realize just how long it had been since I'd played a game that was so...Japanese. The character designs are completely insane and feature mismatched names like "Lettuce"(???). But it works, of course, even with the singsong-y kids who introduce the fighters and the exuberantly expressive victory/loss poses. I don't know if its the fact that it's a Japanese game, a Saturn game, a '90s fighter, or all three - but again, it works.

I was also amazed at just how good the thing looks. For those of you who have an Action Replay 5-in-1 or a dedicated 4MB RAM cart, this game is one of the few that does support the technology in full for short load times and massive character sprites. What you get is a fighter that looks more like a Dreamcast game, which I guess just goes to show you how much life Sega's try-hard had left in it when it got the axe. Makes sense - I mean dang it, compare Legend of Mana on the Playstation to Dragon Quest VII or something and you'll see how much technology can progress on a single console system.

The last thing that Astra Superstars has going for it is that it's just so easy to play. Right off the bat it's unlike any other fighter I've seen - the characters are all witches and angels and stuff, so they float in the air and can 'jump' both up and down, so crouching is gone. And these jumps aren't the gravity-hobbled little bunny hops from Street Fighter II. These guys leap half the screen in a single bound, scaling bigger and smaller as they range out to the edges of the arena. It's great stuff, especially when you start chasing each other around the screen trying to land a hit.

The special moves are worth mentioning too. Since there's no crouch there's really no way to implement QCF and DP style inputs, so instead you get the ease of just smashing two buttons simultaneously: C+Z, B+Y, A+X. Each character has two offensive specials and a 'powerup' move that builds their meters. The specials are usually oriented along a left-right or up-down axis, and the big strategy is to stun your opponent with an attack and then follow up with a special from the right direction. It's great fun, and there's an added bonus if you make the other guy block too much: pinball mode.

Once you break down their guard bar, they start careening around the screen and smashing into everything, which is the perfect time to lay in extra damage. It is, of course, hysterical like the rest of Astra Superstars. Anyway, this is getting pretty long so I'll wrap it up. Suffice it to say that I had a ton of fun with Superstars, and it makes me want to check out Sunsoft's other fighters - Waku Waku 7 and Galaxy Fight. The biggest takeaway was just how ridiculously accessible the fighting mechanics were, and how friendly it was to button mashers. Last night at 2AM, it was exactly what I was looking for.

#0003 – Beyond Oasis – 1995 – Sega Genesis – Ancient Co. – Action RPG

The 16-bit era was a golden age for action games featuring fantasy settings and minimal RPG elements. The Genesis was actually well versed in this genre. In addition to the classic turn-based JRPGs, the Genesis was home to classics such as Crusader of Centy, Light Crusader, Landstalker, Beyond Oasis, and the Wonderboy games. Today's game, Beyond Oasis, has to be one of the best entries.

The first thing you notice is the stunner of an opening cutscene. The animation is so fluid and colorful that it rivals anime FMV intros on the Playstation 1, and the world it establishes is an instantly unique take on the classic Arabian Nights stories. You play as Prince Ali, a treasure-hunting teenager who stumbles across a magical Golden Armlet. This relic gave a long-dead wizard his power, and unfortunately you are informed by that same wizard’s spirit that the armlet’s evil counterpart has also been activated. Ali returns home to find that his father’s kingdom is being invaded by dark forces, and what starts out at a reconnaissance mission rapidly turns into a struggle for the future of the island of Oasis.

It’s a good premise, though plot is definitely on the back burner in this game. The focus is on exploration, combat, and puzzle solving, with the story and characters existing as a plausible foil for the action. And that’s okay, because those mechanics are deep and refined enough to make the six-hour playtime far too short. Ali has a range of weapons to use – bows, swords, bombs, a knife – and each has its own techniques, properties, and uses. The system is a blast to mess around with, and supporting your weapon set are four elemental spirits, one for each of the classic elements.

There’s a water sprite who can freeze enemies, pound them with waterspouts, and douse fire. There’s a flame genie that can crush heads and turn into a bomb. There’s a plant creature than can chew up gates and dig for treasure, and a mysterious ghost that can save you from falls and protect you from damage. It’s almost unbelievable that so much content and so many different distinct gameplay elements were in one game as far back as 1995 on the consoles, but it’s true, and it makes Oasis a strong sell, whether on the original hardware or the Wii VC. Back in high school I started an obsessive guide to the game, and if anyone wants to argue that Oasis is shallow, just go check it out. You can’t write a guide that fanatically long about a shallow game.

Incidentally, these mechanics are presented amidst some of the richest and visually striking 16-bit landscapes I’ve ever seen.  Does it sound ahead of its time? I think it was, and in many ways the game still hasn't been copied or improved upon. Its sequel/prequel, Legends of Oasis, tried hard but was ultimately mired in the folly of late 90s design fads (prerendered sprites) and the desire to one-up the original game (more stuff is not always better). Honestly I wish Ancient Co. would return to this IP. The modern company is essentially a fractured group of game mercenaries hiring themselves out a game at a time, but while they’re still around there’s hope. The digital distribution trend of recent years certainly opens up a new arena for a third Oasis game to do well. I would love to see a true sequel to Beyond Oasis on XBLA at PSN, but short of that I’ll keep retreading the original.

One thing that's worth noting is the amount of flak this game takes over its soundtrack. People's complaints range from it being boring to actually offensive to the ears; it's a gripe I just don't get. My guess is that the laid back orchestral OST is just not what people expect when they see Yuzo Koshiro in the credits. They expect, of course, rolling breakbeats a la Streets of Rage or neo-Asian synth rock a la Shinobi. But would those styles really fit in a world about magic and sorcery, daggers and monsters? Of course not. Still, I'll admit that the themes Koshiro used were mostly forgettable, especially as 16-bit tunes go or even compared to his work in ActRaiser. Take my word for it that they're better than what he put out for Legends of Oasis.

As my original cartridge disappeared a long time ago, I play this one on NeoGenesis v25 for the original Xbox. Madmab's done a great job with the skin on this one. Check out my Progear post for links that will take you to a download. Once you're done with the game, send Koshiro and company a letter. They seriously need to dig this one up.