The Great Retro Debate

So, are we calling it retro now or what?

Okay so...I'm not dead. Yay for living!! I've just been so wrapped up in my life lately that I didn't have much time to blog. 2016 turned out to be an eventful year for me. I feel rejuvenated and ready to write again.

This post is to highlight the great retro debate. You know, that awkward conversation where we gamers try and decide amongst ourselves which consoles are considered retro and which are not. If done correctly, it can spur some seriously good debate. If done incorrectly, well, it can turn into the equivalent of hitting someone with a red/blue shell or dropping an UNO draw four card on them. Simply, it can be a source of tension. Warning: this will be a LONG post.

For most people, some systems and concepts are easily defined as retro. For example, a lot of people consider the original Nintendo Entertainment System/Famicom retro. I mean, the NES made its initial appearance way back in 1983. That's nearly 34 years ago and coincidentally, it's even older than I am. It uses an 8-bit processor, cartridges, and many of the accessories simply look dated. They do hold up very well, though. That's a testament to their durability and overall feel, in my humble opinion. The NES is a part of the third generation of video games which is also known as the 8-bit era.

To put that into clearer perspective, there were two generations that preceded and overlapped the 8-bit era. The first generation of video game consoles began in 1972 with the Magnavox Odyssey. That generation lasted until 1980 and was followed by the second generation which overlapped the first beginning in 1976 with the Fairchild Channel F and Radofin Electronics' 1292 Advanced Programmable Video System and lasted until the discontinuation of the Atari 2600 on January 1, 1992 . The third generation began in 1983 and marked the end of the North American video game crash. The end of the third generation video games came as 8-bit consoles became obsolete in graphics and processing power compared to 16-bit consoles. It came to an official end in 2003. Still a bit confused since the generations overlapped? No problem.

There are quite a number of distinguishing characteristics of the first generation that include:

• Discrete transistor based digital game logic
• Games were native components of consoles instead of external or removable media 
• Entire game playfield occupied only one screen
• Players and objects consisted of basic lines, dots, or blocks
• Color graphics were basic
• Either single channel or no audio
• Lacked features of second gen consoles like microprocessor logic, ROM cartridges, flip screen playfields, sprite based and multi-color graphics

Think Pong

Okay, now for the second generation:

• Microprocessor game logic
• AI simulation of computer based opponents which allowed for single player gaming
• ROM cartridges that stored games and allowed any number of different games to be played on one console
• Game playfields were able to span multiple flip screen areas
• Blocky and simplistic looking sprites with a screen resolution of around 160 x 192 pixels
• Basic color graphics which were generally between 2-color (1 bit) and 16-color (4 bit)
• Up to three channel audio
• Lacked features of third gen consoles like scrolling tile based playfields

Pac-Man on the Atari 2600

And that brings us back around to the third generation in which my beloved NES resides:

• D-pad game controllers
• Screen modes with resolutions up to 256 x 240 or 320 x 200
• 25-32 colors on screen from a palette of 53-256 colors
• Tile based playfields with smooth multi-directional hardware scrolling
• Advanced hardware scrolling that included multi-directional, diagonal, and line scrolling
• 64-100 sprites on screen, each with 4-16 colors and 8 x 8 to 16 x 16 pixel sizes
• Up to five channel (primarily square wave) mono PSG audio

Die, Goomba! Super Mario Bros. 

Alright, so I just gave you guys a lot of information to work with. Let's let that digest for a moment.

So knowing what we know about those particular generations, can we comfortably call those consoles and games retro? Maybe, but it depends on who you ask. Like I stated earlier, the third generation of video game consoles ended in 2003. If we want to be technical and include all consoles released during that time, it would take us up to the GameCube, Playstation 2 and Xbox even though those consoles would be a part of the sixth generation or the 128-bit era.

Gets murky right there, huh? Remember, the generations tend to overlap.

So how can we determine what's retro and what's not? Do you base it on overall age or processing power? Or do you simply base it on what just looks retro? Do you create subcategories like retro vs classic vs vintage, etc.?

I personally use the rule of 20 (my rule). If it's been at least 20 years since the initial release, I'm going to call it retro. That's probably oversimplifying things, but I'm comfortable with it. Again, that's my preference and not a hard rule. Let's face it; the year 2020 will mark 30 years since 1990. Now if THAT doesn't make your head spin, I don't know what will. So yes, I call the first Playstation retro. I've run into people who are willing to consider the N64 retro but not the Playstation. Two sides of the same coin if you ask me.

And yet even with my own rule, I tend to still sub-categorize things. That's the beauty of this particular debate. You could break it down any number of ways and no one way would technically be wrong. Even though I presented a lot of hard facts, it still boils down to personal preference.

Since I've been gone for awhile, I had to come back with a bang. I hope this post gets the gears turning and sparks some debate either here, Twitter, or within your circle of friends. Let me know what you think.

Game on, my friends.

Beat 'Em Up Goodness (Streets of Rage 2 Spotlight)

Streets of Rage 2, I love you so much.

First of all, Happy New Year everyone!  I'm back and ready to make the best of 2016.

Now back to business.  I make no secret of being a Nintendo fan.  Nintendo made up the bulk of my childhood and is the reason I'm a full fledged gamer today, but I ventured off into Sega Land more than a few times.  One of the games that I absolutely adored on the Sega Genesis is Streets of Rage 2.  I could talk about Sonic all day and I will, but there's something special about Streets of Rage 2.  Streets of Rage and Streets of Rage 3 were good, but I hold a special place in my heart for the second game of the series.  I'll detail that love below.  Deep in my heart, I'm a beat 'em up fan.  Nothing better than punching everything on the screen and advancing to the right.  Follow me...

If this doesn't get you hyped to play, then you don't have a pulse.

Okay, I'll give a little background on Streets of Rage and the events that led to Streets of Rage 2.  Streets of Rage is side scrolling beat 'em up that was released in 1991 for the Sega Genesis.  The game featured three playable characters:  Adam Hunter (an accomplished boxer), Axel Stone (a skilled martial artist), and Blaze Fielding (a judo expert and my favorite character).  Their once peaceful city was overrun by a crime syndicate led by Mr. X who is conveniently featured in the video above.  Our three heroes are ex-cops that left the force in order to battle the syndicate.

Our heroes

After punching and kicking their way through eight rounds and six bosses, they get to do battle with Mr. X himself.  Depending on whether the game is played as one-player or a two-player co-op, and whether the player accepts Mr. X's invitation to whoop good guy butt with him and join his crime syndicate, a possible ending can unlock where the player assumes control of the new crime syndicate.  Otherwise, evil is defeated and the good guys win (I am massively simplifying this).

Enter Streets of Rage 2.

Streets of Rage 2 takes place one year after the events of Streets of Rage.  Our three heroes hang out and celebrate their win over Mr. X.  Axel and Blaze move out of the city, and Adam re-joins the police force and lives with his younger brother.  All is well until Axel receives a phone call from Eddie "Skate" Hunter, Adam's younger brother.  He tells Axel that Adam was kidnapped by none other than Mr. X.  So what's a little brother to do?  Kick some butt, of course.

Hooray for new characters!

In Streets of Rage 2, Axel and Blaze are joined by two new characters. One is the aforementioned Skate and the other is Max Thunder, a professional wrestler.

Crime has begun to overtake the city once again. Axel and Skate realize they will need some crime butt kicker help, so they inform Blaze of the situation and bring her back into the fold. Together, the quartet set out on a search and rescue mission for Adam.  Our heroes punch, kick, and throw their way through 8 levels that lead to a confrontation with Mr. X and his bodyguard Shiva.  Unlike Streets of Rage 2, there is only one ending.  This is the "good" ending where Mr. X is defeated, Adam is rescued, and our 5 heroes celebrate the defeat of evil.  They probably toasted their victory over Mr. X once again with cocktails, I don't know.  If so, Skate had a virgin drink, of course. All was well until the events of Streets of Rage 3 (which I am not going to detail).

The game itself has a simple plot, but the magic lies in the details.  The music, the sound effects, the difficulty being just right, and the simple controls all make for a satisfying gaming experience.  

Streets of Rage 2 was released on December 20, 1992 (yay for Christmas) for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis.  It was critically acclaimed upon release and has been considered one of the greatest games of all time.

The soundtrack of Streets of Rage 2 was composed by Yuzo Koshiro and featured contributions from Motohiro Kawashima.  It was composed using NEC PC-8801 hardware and an original programming language developed by Koshiro.  The soundtrack was heavily influenced by electronic dance music, specifically house, techno, hardcore techno, and breakbeat.  This led to a soundtrack widely praised for being ahead of its time.  My favorite track is Go Straight.  Check it out.

Ten minute version for your listening pleasure

Talk about an epic song to begin a gameplay!  Even now, this song still gets me hyped.

As I stated previously, this game went on to receive critical acclaim.  It received scores above 90% from most video game magazines at the time.  It has, in my opinion, survived the test of time.  So if you've never played this one, please do so.  It's a worthwhile addition to your "Played It" video game list and your collection.  

To prevent myself from rambling on about this game, I think I'll end it here.  Cheers to the beat 'em up goodness of Streets of Rage 2.

Let's share the love.

Game on, my friends.

This Gamer's Life

We keep spending most our lives living in the gamer's paradise.

(Toad has nothing to do with this post.  This pic is just so cute.  They're so happy about that star.)

I am a gamer.  If you've been reading my posts thus far, you already know that.  I'm certain that even if you didn't read them, you could deduce that from the name of my blog.  It's what I do.  Even still, I sometimes feel like a unicorn.  People either want to believe in my existence or try so hard to deny it.

For instance, my mother wonders why I love video games so much.  I've just always been drawn to them, but I can't convey that in a way that she'll ever understand.  In her mind, I should find some other way to be productive with my life.  Trust that I am and I play in my spare time, but she considers it a childish activity.  Or even worse, a BOY activity.  

Pffft.  Later for that nonsense. (I lied about Toad, and I'm going to use him to demonstrate emotion.)

A good chunk of my life revolves around acquiring and playing games, and there's nothing shameful about that.  If that's the worst habit in the world, I'll gladly accept it.  I'm tired of explaining why I play video games, so I actively befriend others who are into the culture.  I'm living in a gamer's paradise.

What do I mean by a gamer's paradise?  Simple.  In my life up to this point, playing video games is simply my greatest joy.  I don't have kids, so I dote on my games.  I love meeting with like minded individuals and sharing our mutual love for video games.  I love being a part of this culture.  It's special.

And don't think I'm only a pseudo gamer to impress anybody.  Please!  I couldn't care any less than I already don't about what people think about my habit.  Either accept that we're probably going to game when you come to visit me, or you can catch a turnip to the face.  Real talk (in my gangster voice). 

Seriously though, there is no age limit for this.  There are no racial or gender boundaries for this.  That's the beauty of it all.  We can all connect and share this common interest.  We are gamers.  For better or for worse, we're connected.  We don't grow out of it; we simply evolve with it.  I'm amazed when I think about how far we've come from the North American video game crash of 1983.  

Here's a fun graphic detailing and projecting global video game sales in 2014 and 2019.  Research!

I hope to continue to nurture and feed the need to game.  I don't want to live in a world where I can't shoot enemies, drive on the sidewalk, fast travel, battle dragons, fly, create weapons from junk, transform, or take bullets to the face and heal myself like it's nothing  And the fact that I can do it time and time again?  Paradise.

So to my fellow gamers out there, I got nothin' but love for ya.  We're a unique bunch.  In our world, we can be as serious or goofy as we want to be.  We can be competitive with one another, or we can work together.  Our common enemy is the tedium of everyday life that we escape when we power on our consoles and PCs.  I wouldn't have it any other way.

Oh, and I am proud to admit that my current obsession is Fallout 4.  I love that game!  Feel free to check out my previous blog post.  I started a short story that's inspired by Fallout.  I hope you guys are enjoying the new releases, as well.

Game on, my friends.

Out of the Vault, Into the Wastes (Fallout Inspired Short Story)

Are you a vault dweller or a wasteland wanderer?

In celebration of the release of Fallout 4, I decided to share a Fallout inspired shorty with you all.  I hope this post proves entertaining for you guys.  I know there isn't a Vault 117, but I needed a vault for the story.  For the sake of imagery, I mostly used images from Fallout 3.  Long post ahead so here we go...

There is no doubt about it, I was born special.  

My mother, Angela, always told me I was special, and I've always believed her.  She said I was destined for greatness.  I was born in Vault 117 on October 7, 2269, and I lived a relatively comfortable life.  Our leader, Overseer Milton, always seemed to have things under control.

Our cafeteria was well stocked with boxes of Cram, Sugar Bombs, BlamCo Mac & Cheese, YumYum Deviled Eggs (my favorites), Nuka-Cola, and lots of other items.  If you can think of it, we had it.

Vault 117 had a library that was stocked with different books and magazines.  I like to read, so I spent a fair amount of my free time hanging around there.  My favorites include the Big Book of Science, D.C. Journal of Internal Medicine, Dean's Electronics, and Tumblers Today.  Lying, Congressional Style and Tales of a Junktown Jerky Vendor also score points with me, too.

As for magazines, anything about repair, lock picking, or speech grabs my attention.  I love to put my knowledge to use.  I'm handy, so I love to tinker and hack.  People would call on me to make repairs, or to help them if they got locked out of something.  I liked to keep busy since living in a vault could be a little mundane sometimes.

We had a fully stocked clinic.  It was run by Doctor Williams who could heal or cure just about anything.  One thing we really prided ourselves on in Vault 117 was our health.

I had friends in the vault, too.  My two best friends were Kari and Dez.  From the time we were little, we were almost always together.  Womb to tomb, as we used to say.  We were all good kids, but we got into our share our trouble.  Never anything serious, but I was different from them.  They were content with life in the vault.  I always wanted to explore what was beyond the vault.  They thought I was crazy for wanting to leave safety and comfort, and I wished I could convince them to join me.

I miss them but once you get an idea stuck in your head, it becomes a deep itch that you're just dying to scratch.  Two weeks after my 18th birthday, I finally scratched it.

I remember I woke up that morning with a sense of determination.  I ate breakfast with my mom and asked if she had ever known life outside of the vault.

"Why are you asking me that?" my mom wondered.

"Mom, life here in the vault is secure, but there's really nothing to do.  It's all the same thing, over and over.  If you've never been outside, don't you wish you could see it at least once?"

"No.  I've never been outside the vault, and I'm not crazy about you being outside the vault.  As a parent, I want you to be safe."

"Even if it means keeping me locked up?" I challenged.

"I keep you safe, not locked up.  Besides, the vault is sealed.  There's no way out, and you know that."

"Mom, there's always a way to do what you want to do.  Besides, how do we get new supplies?  Someone has to go out at some point.  Not to mention we have a wasteland survival guide in the library.  Where did that come from?"

My mom looked at me and said, "Sweetie, please drop this idea.  You're a vault dweller.  You're safe here.  That's how it is."  I decided to drop it.  I didn't want to argue with my mom and I knew her heart was in the right place, but I couldn't take it anymore.  I finished breakfast, hugged her, and went out to find Kari and Dez.

I decided to head to the library in the hopes that I would run into them there, and I wasn't disappointed.  They were sitting together reading magazines.  Dez was deep into a Programmer's Digest, and Kari was skimming through an issue of Locksmith's Reader.  I pulled up a chair, and sat down to join them.

They didn't bother to look up because they already knew who I was.  "Guys, I've had enough.  I have to get out of here."  Dez looked up and asked, "Are you still on this wastelands stuff?"  Kari closed her magazine and studied me.  I pressed on.  "Yeah, I'm still on that wastelands stuff.  I've been thinking."

Kari smiled and said, "Oh, here we go."  I returned her smile and said, "I need your help.  Since I can't seem to convince you two to come with me, at least you can help me try to get out of here."

"What about your mom?" Dez asked.  Mom.  I really didn't want to leave her, but I knew there was no way she would entertain the idea of joining me outside of the vault.  She wasn't cut out for it.  She would be safer inside.  "I don't want to leave her behind, but I can't convince her to let me go if there's a way out or to even join me if I do get out.  I don't know what I'll do about that yet."  They looked at each other, and I saw the look of resignation pass between them.  Kari spoke up.  "Ok, what do you need?"

I thought it over carefully.  "Well, I need a copy of that wasteland survival guide, for one thing.  I need a weapon and some ammo, and I need to get into Overseer Milton's office.  I know the key for unlocking the vault has to be there."  Dez threw his hands up and said, "Whoa.  Bust into the overseer's office?  We could get into major trouble and even if you get out, we'd still have to face the music."  Kari agreed with him.

"You guys said you would help.  Now will you or won't you?  Either way, I'm leaving."

Dez sighed.  "Fine.  We'll help you.  Whatever you need."  Kari spoke up.  "The easiest thing is to get that wasteland survival guide for you.  Meet us in a couple of hours.  Rest.  We'll all need it."  My friends.  I loved them, still do, because they were true to the end.  I smiled.  "Great.  Meet me back here then."

We parted ways, and I went to my room.  Mom had gone to work, so I had the space to myself.  I couldn't rest; I was too wound up for that.  I thought about how I would break the news to Mom.  It wouldn't be without pain, but maybe I could make it swift and decisive.  I decided to leave her a holotape detailing my plan and assuring her of my love.  I hoped she would understand and forgive me.

A few hours passed, and I glanced at my Pip-Boy.  It was time to meet my friends.  I grabbed up the few caps I had and headed to the library.

Sure enough, they were both waiting for me.  Dez motioned for me to follow them, and we headed to a secluded corner.  Kari shoved the guide into my hand, and I quickly stuffed it into my vault suit.  Dez handed me a 10mm pistol, ammo, and a knife.  I secured the items and asked where he got them. He looked at me and shrugged.  I didn't ask anymore questions.  I was just grateful for the help.  Kari handed me five stimpaks, a purified water, and a box of Cram.  I thanked my buddies and felt set.

"Now for the hard part, getting me out of here," I said.  Dez gave me a look and said, "I think I know how to create a distraction.  Let's go."

That's it for now.

I plan to keep adding to the story.  I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read what I write.  Thank you.

Game on, my friends.

Retro Video Game Ads

How awesome were they?

I was thumbing through some of my old comics, and I was overcome with nostalgia.  I took two trips down memory lane for the cost of one.

I find retro video game ads fascinating.  Maybe I need to get a life, maybe, but they simply remind me of the awesome part of my life that was childhood.

So, I decided to snap a few pics of the ads in my comics.  I'm no photographer, but I just wanted to share these.  This is a picture heavy blog post.  I'm sorry they're not lined up all pretty.  I couldn't get them to act right.  It bugs me because I have OCD, but I hope it doesn't deter you from enjoying them.  

I realize the X-Men pic is of a video tape offer.  I included it anyway.  Pizza Hut used to have some awesome promotions.  It was an X-clusive (see what they did there).

I'm still working on my Fallout post.  I want it to be good, but it's coming.  Enjoy!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles handheld game

TurboGrafx-16

Nintendo Double Player

NBA All-Star Challenge 2

BurgerTime

Q*Bert

NFL Quarterback Club

Alien Vs. Predator

X-Men video offer with Pizza Hut

Spyro the Dragon

Atari Lynx

The Incredible Crash Dummies

Total Recall

Street Fighter II Turbo

Mortal Kombat

Doom Troopers: Mutant Chronicles

Spawn the Video Game

Krusty's Fun House, Krusty's Super Fun House

Mega Man 5

Alien 3

Dick Vitale's "Awesome Baby!" College Hoops

Wolverine Admantium Rage

NFL Quarterback Club

NBA Jam

Wizardry V

Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers

Level Up Your Life

I am level 31.

As you may have guessed, I look at life differently from most people.  I don't age up; I level up.  I'm a gamer, so I look at life as an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing game) or a life simulation game.  Every day is a chance for me to earn experience points towards my next level.

Okay now, hang in here with me.  I tend to have strange perspectives on things.

As I sit here, I think back on all the little ways I earned XP this past year.  Let's see:

• I haggled with various merchants throughout the land and my barter skill increased
• I acquired better armor (developed thicker skin)
• I devoted many hours to learning and became a certified surgical technologist
• I trained hard and lost 40 pounds
• I read lots of articles on Google, practiced, and became a better cook
• I decided to take a chance on myself and my writing  
• I made more attempts to be social and my charisma and speech skills increased

Cue the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 level up sound, please (it's so epic to me)

BAM!  I leveled up, and my story mode is progressing along quite nicely.

Now if I could find a nice gamer guy, I would be all set.  I guess I still need to acquire more charisma points before that happens.  Some speech points wouldn't hurt, either.  Let's add some perception points in there so I can see the bull bull a mile away.  I digress.

I'm a more experienced version of myself compared to last year, but I'm not done.  There is no level cap.  I strive to continuously earn XP and level up again.  As long as the game is being played (life), I'll keep earning it.

Even when bad things happen, they offer chances for me to grow and adapt.  Live, learn, and you'll level up in time.

So what about you?

Treat your life like an adventure game.  Go out and explore the world.  Accept various quests along the way, but don't let the side quests distract you from completing your main quest.  Don't be afraid to tackle new challenges head on even if you don't feel that you've leveled up enough for it.  You'll earn XP no matter how it goes.

Form alliances with other players and join guilds/clans that assist you on your path.

Strive to become good at a little bit of everything or become highly specialized in one area.  The choice is yours.  Life is meant to be customized.

Now that I think about it, is it just me or does it feel like we're in The Sims?  You know, some player controlling us while we think we have free will.  Just me?  Oh, okay.  Sorry, random gamer thought.  Anyway, back to my point.

Play the game of life, and play it well.

Live and level up your life.  A short and sweet message for you all.

Oh, and I can't wait to get my copy of Fallout 4.  Yeah!  I'm ready to level up like crazy on that.  Marathon gaming sessions for the win.  I'm working on a special blog post to celebrate that.  It'll probably be up in the next few days.

How have you leveled up your life?  Feel free to drop a comment below.

Game on, my friends.