Pop Chart Lab has created the family tree of video game controllers, from joysticks, paddles, gamepads, power glove to bongos and guitars!
Golden Axe: Swashbuckling Arcade Action
The powerhouse that was Sega in the late 1980’s indulged us in some awesome arcade hits. Towards the end of that decade, Sega released memorable arcade games: Crack Down, Dynamite Dux, ESWAT Cyber Police, Scramble Spirits and Power Drift. To keep up this pedigree of arcade hits, Sega unleashed Golden Axe in 1989. Once again, Sega proved that they were the king of the arcade hill.
The big rage back in the late 80’s was two player co-op, horizontal-scrolling fighting games, or in this case, slashing evil minions to pieces and getting to the final boss. The medieval theme of Golden Axe implements the hacking and slashing game play to perfection. The storyline is pretty much run of the mill – the evil Death Adder has kidnapped the King and Princess of Yuria and it is up to the protagonists to rescue them and also seek revenge on the evil that was done to their families.
To set off after Death Adder, the player controls one of three characters, Ax Battler (a Conan The Barbarian lookalike), Gilius Thunderhead, the viking dwarf, and Tyris Flare, the Amazonian goddess (my first female video game character crush – sorry Lara!). Even though Tyris is a great character to use, her long-sword is no match for the battle axe that Gilius Thunderhead wields.
Anyway, on with the adventure – there are lots of different enemies to slash and if things get tough on screen, each of the protagonists can call upon their unique magic power – Tyris Flare has the coolest magic, she uses fire to incinerate everything on screen. There is finite magic power, so the player will have to pick and choose when best to use it. But wait there is more – mounted enemies riding creatures can be knocked off and the players themselves can then hitch a ride on the creatures and use them as weapons (swiping with their tail). The other neat attack is to charge and ram Death Adder’s henchmen by double-tapping the joystick right or left.
The level design is simply awesome – from Turtle Village (which is on a shell of a turtle), to the back of a giant flying eagle. Last but not least, there is the castle where you must defeat Death Adder and reclaim the Golden Axe.
SPOILER ALERT: Once the game is beaten, the ending shows a view of an arcade where the characters “jump out” of the game, run out of the arcade and down the street.
I have always been a huge Sega arcade fan. Whatever they pumped out, it was an instant hit. Golden Axe was no exception.
| Graphics | Using the Sega System 16 board, this was the pinnacle in visuals at the time. Great sprites and awesome looking levels. |
87% |
| Sound | The background music and digitised effects and grunts add perfectly to the axe wielding and sword swooshing atmosphere. |
88% |
| Playability | Sega knew what they were doing when adding an Amazonian beauty to the mix. Golden Axe remains easy to get into, but its best played with a buddy. |
87% |
| Lastability | It is a run of the mill side scrolling hack and slash, but hey, there is nothing wrong with that. |
88% |
| Overall | In 1989, I pumped the equivalent of my body weight of coins into this game. It was also one of the reasons I bought a Mega Drive when it was released. Best played with a friend, Golden Axe has it covered – great graphics, awesome sound effects and great game play. |
89%
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Manufacturer: Sega
Year: 1989
Genre: Platform
Number of Simultaneous Players: 2
Maximum number of Players: 2
Gameplay: Collaborative
Control Panel Layout: Multi Player
Controls:
– Joystick: 8-way
– Buttons: 3 [Jump, Attack, Magic]
Sound: Amplified Mono (single channel)
Sonic Reaper: The Sega Pluto
Over at the forums on Assembler Games, an interesting thread caught my eye, ‘The Real Sega Pluto’ – posted by forum member and ex-Sega employee, Super Magnetic.
In the post, Super Magnetic unveils a deep dark secret from his days at Sega – the Pluto console, a Saturn with a Netlink built in. A great post accompanied by great photos of the prototype Sega hardware. I am glad this ‘inside information’ is available to us all in the public domain. Without this kind of sharing, we would have been blissfully unaware of Sega’s Pluto endeavour.
Game Over Dude
If you weren’t sick of seeing the inevitable ‘Game Over’ screen, here is a kind reminder of a few:
Source: dibujoanimado
The Thrill Of The Chase: Slaying the Vectrex
Finally, the great Vectrex has been hunted down and captured!
What has seemed like a life time of looking for the elusive (and in working condition) Vectrex, it is now in my grasp. The actual hunt was nothing too exciting.
Last Friday, as I laid in bed checking my phone one final time for that last tweet, I got a pop up message from eBay saying that I had new items to check out. To my astonishment, I saw that there was a boxed Vectrex which had just been listed (who lists a Vectrex at midnight!). I quickly saw the price and noted that the seller had offered a “make offer” option on the auction. I ran through the description to ensure it was in working condition and I then put in an offer $50 under the “buy it” now price. My heart rate went berserk once the offer was accepted and I received the “Congratulations” message, followed by the “Pay Now” button. With quivering hands, I had no hesitation to pay immediately.
To say I was thrilled would be a massive understatement. Another rare white tiger is crossed off the list. Next target, the Commodore SX64.
Top 5 Games Charts: August 1985
While Madonna’s “Into the groove” was rocking the number one spot on the music charts in August 1985, there were some awesomely great games in the charts of that month for the C64, Spectrum and Amstrad. Here is a hit of nostalgia:
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1) The Way Of The Exploding Fist (Melbourne House) |
| 2) Elite (Firebird) | |
| 3) Hyper Sports (Imagine) | |
| 4) Frankie Goes To Hollywood (Ocean) | |
| 5) Tour De France (Activision) |
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1) Dun Darach (Gargoyle Games) |
| 2) Beach Head (US Gold) | |
| 3) Red Moon (Level 9) | |
| 4) Alien 8 (Ultimate) | |
| 5) Knightlore (Ultimate) |
 |
1) Frank Bruno’s Boxing (Elite) |
| 2) Hyper Sports (Imagine) | |
| 3) Jet Set Willy 2 (Software Projects) | |
| 4) Spy Vs Spy (Beyond) | |
| 5) Glass (Quicksilva) |
Silicon Legends: Video Gaming Chips
Have you ever wondered what is ‘under the hood’ of your favourite video gaming system? I was curious and embarked on finding out just what kind of silicon was at the heart of our favourite systems – from home computers, consoles to handhelds. Some of this silicon horsepower has even become as famous as the systems they run. We pried open a few machines and checked in their engine bay.
| Chip: |
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| Systems: | CBM-II, Commodore 64 / 128 and Max |
| Function / Features: | The legendary sound chip created by MOS Technologies for Commodore’s home computers / systems. |
| Chip: |
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| Systems: | Commodore 64 / 128 |
| Function / Features: | The VIC-II graphics chip was created by MOS Technologies for Commodore’s highest selling home computer, the C64 and its bigger brother, the C128. The VIC-II could display a whopping 16 colours! |
| Chips: |
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| System: | Atari Jaguar |
| Function / Features: | The Jaguar’s infamous pair, Tom and Jerry (no, not the cartoon characters!) processors are responsible for the graphics and sound respectively. Tom also controls the Object and Blitter processing smarts, whereas joystick control is Jerry’s responsibility. |
| Chip: |
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| System: | Atari 2600 |
| Function / Features: | The Television Interface Adapter (TIA) is at the heart of the Atari 2600. It is responsible for creating the sights and sounds of your favourite (and not so favourite) games. |
| Chip: |
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| System: | Atari Lynx |
| Function / Features: | Mikey is the custom central processing unit (MOS 65C02 CPU) and sound engine of the Lynx. The luscious visuals on the Lynx are all due to Suzy, the graphics processor. |
Interview with a Digital Artist and Animator: Yangtian Li
At the recent Re:Play – Indie Development: Exploring the Fringe event, we had the pleasure to attend and listen in to a talented panel of indie artists and game developers discussing their work and their own plight in the ‘indie’ movement. One particular panel member, Yangtian Li (Tian to her friends) caught our attention. Once Tian’s work was displayed on the huge screen, we were instantly drawn (pardon the pun) into the beautiful and detailed artwork that was in front of us. We decided to track down this talented artist and ask her some hard hitting questions – and also showcase her amazing work.
Australian Retro Gamer: When I was young, I wanted to be an astronaut, but that dream never came to fruition. What did you want to be / or do when you were growing up (or did you always know you were going to be an artist)?
Yangtian Li: I think what you are doing is cooler than being an astronaut (ARG: we love compliments!)! Well, that’s just my personal opinion. I’ve always wanted to be an artist since I was very young! My parents were both artists so I guess there was definitely that influence. They didn’t actually want me to become an artist at first because they knew how hard it was being an artist. However, they knew I was determined and they have been very supportive. I guess I am kind of living the dream of the ‘little me’, but I think the ‘little me’ definitely didn’t have a clue of what it was really going to be like! I don’t think my current life is exactly what I really pictured in my mind back then, but I believe eventually I’ll be really “living the dream”!
ARG: Do you remember your first piece of art? What was it, and do you still have it in your collection?
YL: I don’t think I do remember the exact first one – it was probably when I was 2 or 3 years old. But what I do remember is that I drew a lot of rabbits and little houses when I was young. There was always a rabbit in a pink skirt, all the time. My parents might still keep it somewhere!
ARG: What inspired you to pursue being a digital artist and animator? Why did you choose Melbourne to pursue your studies in animation?
YL: I loved reading comics, playing games and watching animated films in my teens. I always thought I wanted to work in those fields. Digital art just seemed to be the most related media to these fields, and I am a nerd anyway (ARG: there is nothing wrong with being a nerd). I won’t say digital art is easier than any other art form, in the end it’s a tool and all the fundamentals are the same. However, there are tools that allow digital artists to be efficient as commercial artists. As for why I came to Melbourne, it’s a longgg story. Well, in short, I originally wanted to go to Canada, but the visa was very hard to get back then, so the international student agency suggested to go to Australia. Back then, the Australian game industry was booming (this was in 2007). Then, as soon as I started my course, everything kind of exploded *hands in air* I didn’t do anything!
ARG: Pardon my ignorance in ‘art’ speak – do you have a favourite theme, style or genre you use for your creativity?
YL: OH MY GOD, how dare you! I am so offended right now! LOL. Just kidding. My favourite drawing subject is definitely “pretty girls”. Quite obvious right? I always try to come up with different themes, but all in all I want to use illustrations to express a thought, tell a story or share a vision. I would probably define my style as a hybrid between “anime” and “traditional painting” styles – I guess it’s reflecting my background too – growing up in Asia then coming over to Australia.
ARG: You have worked on a few high profile games, one in particular which we all know, Train Conductor – tell us about that experience? Was it fun or was it all serious business?
YL: Working on Train conductor was really fun! When I got on board, the game was already out, so what I did was lots of graphic updates. I have literally touched every graphic of the series, especially Train Conductor Australia, because I repainted lots of graphics when we had to convert the SD version of the game into HD to adapt to the newer devices. The funny thing was, after spending weeks repainting a bunch of 480px*320px into 2048px*1536px images, I saw a comment on iTunes saying “the HD version is great! Graphics look so much sharper and nicer, thanks to the programmers!!” Could you imagine my rage! I was ready to spit fire like an angry dragon. Working on other’s design and coming up with your own twist was definitely an interesting experience for me and I did learn a lot. It forces you to work with something you are not familiar with, and by observing other’s Photoshop files, you can learn their painting process and discover some techniques. It was a bit like being a detective! There were the serious business bits too, in the end it is a company running a business, but all in all it was great fun working on the train conductor series.
ARG: Was going freelance / indie a tough decision? Why did you choose to go freelance?
YL: I don’t think it was a tough decision. Even though I was employed full-time, I still worked on freelancing projects at night/weekends. I already knew how it was being a freelancer before I became a full-time self-employed artist. However, it was very hard to go to my employer and tell them I wanted to be freelancing. Luckily, they understood, so thanks to them! There are quite a few reasons to go freelancing. A major one is that working as a freelancer, you can control what type of projects you want to work on. I did make some mistakes in taking projects that I didn’t really enjoy and I learned that it’s important for me to work on something I’m very passionate about. Being a freelancer also opens you to different clients and projects, and you are not necessarily stuck in one industry – so definitely more opportunities there. In the end, working as a freelancer means that you are working for yourself, and this idea is simply very attractive to me.
ARG: We noticed you are currently working on the 2D platformer, Gauntlet Quest (Soundplay Interactive). This is highly anticipated by us (we love our 2D platformers!). Can you tell us more about this project and your involvement in it?
YL: Yes, thank you for noticing that! It’s a very interesting project for me to work on. I’ve always wanted to work on a 2D platfomer! I’m responsible for all the graphics in this game as I am the only artist in the team – the others are some very talented programmers and designers. There are still plenty for us to work on, but it’s very exciting for me to be able to have a lot of control of the art in this game.
ARG: If you weren’t an artist, what else would you have pursued and why?
YL: Mmm, interesting! I can tell you this first, I’ll never be a programmer that’s for sure! XD Only one side of my brain actually works properly. I’d be interested to be a singer or an actor, it’s still “art” – but the entertainment industry is too complicated for me I think. Maybe a dessert chef? I love cooking and baking!
ARG: Do you have any suggestions or pointers for up and coming digital artists or animators getting into the games industry?
YL: No matter what industry it is, I think one of the most important things for a commercial artist/animator is being friendly and approachable. I mean, I’m quite approachable right? Hopefully? Or just cheeky? Oh well. A good portfolio is definitely important – but I’m not authorised to judge what a good portfolio is. However, Christopher Natsuume, art director at Boomzap, provides great portfolio advice.
ARG: Now to some hard hitting personal questions:
ARG: Tell us about Tian away from art – what extra curricula activities do you enjoy?
YL: Cooking! I consider it to be an art too. I am sorry that I didn’t really answer your question properly. I find cooking and art have a lot of similarities. When I have trouble explaining art to others, I use cooking analogies as an example to explain it, and people would generally understand it.
ARG: Do you have a favourite video game console?
YL: Mmm, the console I played most on was the PC. I played lots of RPG games when I was younger. I really did like playing on the DS (lots of Pokémon), but now, I play games on my iPad. I think I do enjoy PC games the most though, but unfortunately nowadays I don’t have that much time to play games.
ARG: Do you have a favourite video game or genre?
YL: RPG!!! RPGGGG!!!!!!! For me, it’s the experience and the story that can take me away from the real world – that really attracts me. I really enjoy spending a good time playing them and getting totally immersed. Not saying that I don’t like my daily life, I love it, but I also love to taste how it is like to live a different life. Some of my favourite RPGs are Dragon Age, Legend of Heroes Trails in The Sky, Skyrim (haven’t really got the time to finish it) and Pokémon!
ARG: If you had a choice between Atari, Sega or Nintendo, which would you choose?
YL: Nintendo! As mentioned above, one of my favourite games is Pokémon, haha!!
ARG: What is next for Tian? (what is on the horizion?)
YL: I am planning on moving to Singapore for work. Reason being, so far, I have only worked for indie game studios and worked as a freelancer. I would like to try working in a big studio under an art director. I think I can learn lots of things from this new experience, before I finally set up my own animation/game studio. Why Singapore? Because it’s in the middle of everything – I can fly to either Australia or China easily! My new map is about to get unlocked and I’m pretty excited for levelling up soon!
Thank you very much for your time Tian. It has been an absolute pleasure interviewing you and indulging in your creative work. We honestly cannot stop looking at your gallery of fine art. To see more of Tian’s artwork, please visit her site here.
Tempest 2000: Psychedelic Fun On The Jaguar
Format: Atari Jaguar
Release Date: April 13, 1994
Publisher: Atari
Developer: Llamasoft (Jeff Minter)
It has been a long time coming. Nineteen years to be exact. It took us nineteen years to finally take Jeff Minter’s game for a proper review spin.
Tempest 2000, the beefed-up remake of Dave Theurer’s 1981 arcade classic, was Atari’s killer game that helped it shift lots of Jaguar consoles upon its release in 1994. This game was never going to be a straight ‘pretty up’ by Jeff Minter. The great Yak added his usual quirkiness to this seminal favourite. What he produced was nigh on perfection.
You may ask, what is so damn good about Tempest 2000. Well, if you are patient for one second, we will let you know. Yak (Jeff Minter) took a first generation arcade game and injected crisp 3D polygon graphics, an awesome techno soundtrack and oodles of new enemy types and obstacles.
Don’t think that Tempest 2000 is just an audio visual enhancement to the original – Yak also added 100 varying webs (levels), new opponents, collectable power-ups like the particle-blaster/laser, jumps, and A.I. Droids who destroy anything that gets too close. Thrown in this awesome gaming mix was the new “Melt-O-Vision” transition effect – very psychedelic (very Jeff Minter) indeed. Add the different types of play options – two-player cooperative and competitive play modes, and you got yourself one awesomely gorgeous masterpiece.
No game, no matter how great it looks and sounds, is complete without a complimentary control system. There is only one way to play Tempest 2000, and that is with a rotary controller. You could use the standard Atari pad, but it just doesn’t do the game justice. The rotary control enhances the enjoyment of the game and it definitely helps in achieving those lucrative high scores.
Tempest 2000 is a an incredibly great title which was released on an incredibly obscure system. This game is the jewel in the Jaguar’s crown. If you haven’t played it, you are missing out big time!
| Graphics | Superbly crisp 3D polygons that only the Yak can produce. Yes, the Jaguar can handle it. |
90% |
| Sound | A perfect techno soundtrack. Light-synthesizer tunes throughout with very meaty sound effects. It is an awesome aural pleasure. Make sure you turn up the volume! |
95% |
| Playability | Getting into the game is quiet easy – spin around on the web and blast away the approaching enemies. To truly experience this game you must play it with a rotary controller. |
90% |
| Lastability | Considering there are 100 levels to complete, this game will last forever. |
91% |
| Overall | Jeff Minter can seriously do no wrong. The Yak knows how to produce brilliant games, and this one is no exception. Even Dave Theurer approves of it (Ed: we made that up)! Get it and play hard. |
91% |
The Thrill Of The Chase: NYC Style
If you are ever in the city that never sleeps, then you are in for a treat. Apart from the many great sights and sounds, you must head down to the gritty and cool East Village (Lower Manhattan) area – there, you will find two amazing retro gaming stores: ‘8Bit & Up’ and ‘Video Games NY’.
I was lucky to be in the Big Apple on my last US trip when a few kind Twitter friends passed on some inside tips on these two stores. I seized the opportunity, and I am glad that I did. For mine, ‘Video Games NY’ is the pick of the two – it oozes retro from floor to ceiling, literally! The hardest problem you will have is getting an increased luggage allowance to bring your retro haul back to your country of origin (or state).
Oh yeah, while you are in New York City, you must also visit the ‘Nintendo World’ store – you can read about it here.
Video Games NY: 202 E 6th St New York, NY 10003
8Bit & Up: 35 St. Marks Place #2 New York, 10003