PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:
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source: PAX Online
The Pop-Culture E-Zine
Why, oh why do publishers change names of games for different regions of the world?
That is the million dollar question. They will give you all sorts of reasons and excuses, but it all boils down to the marketing teams and what they think will work in their segment.
We think these games would have an identity crisis if they were human. Actually, some games are known by more than two different names ! C’mon, that is absurd, no matter where you are from.
Here is a list of well known classic video games that are known by various names around the world. You be the judge of which region names you prefer. If you know of others that aren’t on the list, hit us up on Twitter or Facebook:
Game Name | Also Known As (AKA) |
Bare Knuckle | Streets of Rage |
Life Force | Salamander |
Contra | Gryzor, Probotector |
Bad Dudes | DragonNinja, Bad Dudes vs DragonNinja |
PC Kid | Bonk |
Jet Set Radio | Jet Grind Radio |
Devil Crash | Devil’s Crush, Dragon’s Fury, Devil Crash MD |
Another World | Out of this World, Other World |
Ninja Gaiden | Shadow Warriors |
Two Crude Dudes | Crude Buster |
Buggy Boy | Speed Buggy |
Green Beret | Rush’n Attack |
International Karate | World Karate Championship |
Stunt Car Racer | Stunt Track Racer |
Winter Olympiad 88 | Winter Challenge |
Slap Fight | Alcon |
International Karate + | Chop ‘n Drop Karate |
Microprose Soccer | Keith van Eron’s Pro Soccer |
Driller | Space Station Oblivion |
The Sentinel | The Sentry |
Nebulus | Tower Toppler |
Pipemania | Pipe Dream |
Rock ‘n Wrestle | Bop ‘n Wrestle |
“Lode Runner Legacy” Infiltrates Steam Greenlight
Classic platformer returns with fiendish new challenges
When Tozai Games announced that the classic platformer series Lode Runner was on Steam Greenlight, we had to take note! “Lode Runner Legacy” is the latest edition in the classic Lode Runner series, a masterpiece of action puzzle gaming first introduced in the U.S. in 1983 by creator Doug Smith. This new version features all of the high-adrenaline gameplay Lode Runner is known for with an updated Voxel visual style and powerful editors that let players create their own Runners and items. The Steam Greenlight campaign can be found here.
“Lode Runner endures because its combination of action and puzzle-solving never goes out of style,” says Scott Tsumura, co-founder of Tozai Games. “For this new edition, we’ve included a suite of game editors that allow players to customize to their hearts’ content and create their ‘one and only Lode Runner.’ We hope longtime fans and new players support this updated edition of ‘Lode Runner Legacy’ on Greenlight.”
In Lode Runner, players manipulate “Runner” to infiltrate the evil empire and recover stolen gold while avoiding enemies and minefields. The ingenious balance of puzzle and action gameplay from the original game is alive in “Lode Runner Legacy,” along with many new features that offer a fresh Lode Runner experience to both new players and returning fans alike.
Lode Runner’s frantic action takes place in static, maze-like levels, where a single player dodges enemies while running and climbing platforms to reach and claim stacks of gold. Jumping and shooting foes is forbidden, but blocks can be blasted to access lower platforms or trap pursuing enemies. Winding through ever-increasing levels of complexity is not for the faint of heart.
Key features of Lode Runner Legacy include:
New in this edition:
“Lode Runner Legacy” is expected to launch this summer. For more information, visit the Tozai blog.
source: Tozai Games
Our Atari Flashback 7 console giveaway was a huge success! We were inundated with heaps of drool-worthy retro entries, making picking the winners all that more difficult!
We congratulate the winners, Tim Barnett and Daniel Cook for their great retro photo entries. Hope both Tim and Daniel enjoy their Atari Flashback 7 console prize!
If you want to see the other awesome retro pic entries, head on over here.
Winner 1: Tim Barnett:
“This blanket took 400 squares and 5 months for my wife to crochet. That’s retro love!”
Winner 2: Daniel Cook
“The summer of 89/90 – the greatest summer of my life. Where me and my bro would stay up all night spending hours and hours on my newly acquired and much loved Commodore 64. Ahhhh… retro gaming heaven”
“Meanwhile back in the 80s…where a young boy (with his tragic retro haircut) would dream of killing rapidly descending aliens in his sleep” – Daniel Cook
Thanks to our great friends at Five Star Games for supplying the Atari Flashback 7 console prizes!
Have you always wanted to make your own mini arcade tabletop machine? Are you a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) hack just like me? If you answered yes to both questions, then the SuperGameCo Mini Arcade may be just what you are looking for.
Made from bamboo panels that snap together, the Mini Arcade is a breeze to setup – if you prefer (Ed: are too lazy), SuperGameCo also offer the Mini Arcade in fully assembled form.
At the heart of the Mini Arcade is a very speedy Raspberry Pi 2 Model B computer, running Emulation Station. This ensures that the emulators and games run nice and smooth. We didn’t experience any slowdown during play – which was great. The 9″ LCD screen provides great resolution, but the marquee protrudes a tad too much which tends to get in the way if you are not sitting down low.
The control deck is made up of an 8-way Sanwa/Seimitsu arcade stick and 6 concave arcade buttons. These are complimented with a single player select button and an insert coin (credit) button on the left side of the unit to provide an authentic arcade feel when playing games via MAME.
Audio on the Mini Arcade is pumped through the front facing speakers via a stereo amplifier. We did find that the sound wasn’t as beefy as we would have liked, which took away a bit from the experience when playing shoot’em ups with booming explosions.
We found the Mini Arcade to be a breeze to operate and play games. The assembly was nice and easy, and once you are all setup, it is pretty straight forward to select your favourite old game and get all nostalgic. If you are struggling to find a Christmas present for your retro gaming partner, then the Mini Arcade may be a viable option.
PROS:
– Clever snap-together kit (or you could opt for it to be fully assembled)
– Easy to get started playing games
– Latest Raspberry Pi 2 Model B internals
– Quality Sanwa/Seimitsu arcade joystick
– Inclusion of the Insert Coin button provides an authentic arcade feel
– Multiple interfaces (USB/RJ45) for additional connectivity
CONS:
– Marquee is obtrusive when playing on the 9″ LCD display
– Button layout felt a tad cramped
– Sound is reasonable, but it needs to be meatier
– Insert coin button stickiness (may have just been our unit)
– Power supply cord was too short
– Graphics on the bamboo panels would be nice
The Mini Arcade product variants and prices can be found at the SuperGameCo store here.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Hearts of Stone
Step again into the shoes of Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster slayer, this time hired to defeat a ruthless bandit captain, Olgierd von Everec. This expansion to “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” packs over 10 hours of new adventures, introducing new characters, powerful monsters, unique romance and a brand new storyline shaped by your choices.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Hearts of Stone launches on October 13, 2015!
For more information about The Witcher visit:
Buy now: http://buy.thewitcher.com
Facebook: https://www.fb.com/thewitcher
Twitter: https://twitter.com/witchergame
Homepage: http://thewitcher.com/witcher3
Instagram: https://instagram.com/cdpred
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