No. Really. That was my reaction.

While I was/am a huge Sega fan, I never bought a Dreamcast and instead stayed with my Sega until Sony released the Playstation at which time I jumped ship. I went on to get the PS2 and I’ve since moved on to the PS3 and haven’t looked back…until now.

I headed over to the blog for Hypertension [the forthcoming Dreamcast title] and expected to be underwhelmed by a YouTube video or two.

What I got really surprised me. What I got was a kindred spirit.

When developers get obsessed with having the best and brightest with regards to graphics, they seem to lose site of what really matters – the story and the inherent fun that is gaming. Correction: the inherent fun that should be gaming.

Now, I’m not saying that all modern games are crap because that’s just not true and do I really want to go back to playing games on my NES or Sega? No.

But do I agree with Corbin that a lot of modern games just aren’t as much fun as older titles? You betcha.

This does a great job of summing up why TDGMods is coming out with a Dreamcast game some 10 years after the release of the console:

This game will not appeal to new gamer’s – period, unless they are into the retro gaming era. It’s strictly for the ones who grew up, like myself, on sprite based graphics and ludicrous storylines/gameplay, etc. Kudos to any 14 year old kid who plays the game and enjoys it, but we already knew we were targeting a specific demographic when we released that first teaser in the beginning of this year.

I won’t be getting Hypertension.

I still don’t own a Dreamcast [though you can get a Dreamcast on Ebay for $60]. But I will say that I think it’s awesome that TDGMods is doing this for themselves and other like-minded folks out there who want to get another taste of what gaming used to be like.

Image|Amazon

Post from: EveryJoe

Dreamcast Game Brings It Back Old School

EA is coming out with G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and I, for one, can’t quit singing, “GI JOE! REAL AMERICAN HERO!”. Who’s with me?!

*crickets chirping*

You guys are no fun.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is a new game being brought to all of you [and me] retro-loving, Cobra Commander hating game players by EA. If you’re a good little soldier, you can even unlock “behind the scenes at the game’s production, including unlockable concept art and character renders, while those in the mood for a bit of nostalgia can uncover four of the classic G.I. JOE PSA’s from the original 80’s cartoon series”.

If you’ve bought a gaming system in the past ten years then chances are good that you’ll be able to play G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra as it’s set to release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, PSP AND cellphones. The game hits in August.

And now, for the pictures which are a big ole grouping of DS shots, unlockables and some PS3 screens.

Images|EA

Post from: EveryJoe

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Come to think of it, these piggy bank arcade game machines don’t just force you to save but you can probably make them pay for themselves by allowing others to play Tetris and Breakout on them. Hey, at USD 40.74 per piggy bank, that’s not such a bad idea.

Check out the product brochure at Strapya. Oh, and watch this video:

Post from: EveryJoe

Play Tetris and Breakout on a piggy bank

If you don’t have time to go through the video, you can check out Filmgecko’s writeup on the G.I. Joe movie cast.

Of course, since this blog is about classic and retro games, I’ve opted to, at least for the meantime, stick to the topic and give you a review of what is probably the first G.I. Joe video game, G.I. Joe: Cobra Strike for the Atari 2600.

Here’s a two-word review for the game: IT SUCKS!

Well, G.I. Joe: Cobra Strike might have been cool back in the 1980s, especially with that good rendition of a giant cobra swishing back and forth in an attempt to obliterate the Joes, but in retrospect, I find it more fun moving a small dot that represents the Millennium Falcon around a large dot that represents the Death Star. Yes, I’m talking about the classic Star Wars video game, Return of the Jedi: Death Star Battle.

Going back to G.I. Joe: Cobra Strike, the player controls a G.I. Joe training camp on the bottom of the screen protected by a barrier and armed with two laser cannons. In this mode, the goal is to keep the giant cobra-operated robot snake from destroying the shield and thus the training camp by hitting it eight times. The Cobra robot shoots (surprise, surprise) venom and laser beams.

In the cooperative mode, the training camp is split between two players as they work to destroy the Cobra robot. There is also a competition mode in which one player plays Cobra and the other takes the role of G.I. Joe, of course.

Find it interesting? Well I don’t, except for the fact that it’s a G.I. Joe video game. I’m not the only one. Check out this video by Classic Game Room where the guy who did the voiceover talked less about the video game and more about the cartoon and comic book series.

Post from: EveryJoe

G.I. Joe: Cobra Strike for Atari 2600. Ewwww!

Kohler\\\\\\\’s first book, Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life, was published by BradyGAMES in September 2004. Kohler completed the research for Power-Up as a Fulbright scholar to Kyoto, Japan. He graduated summa cum laude with highest thesis honors from Tufts University. He has contributed to books such as Gaming Hacks for O\\\\\\\’Reilly and High Score! Second Edition for McGraw-Hill.\\\\r\\\\n\\\\r\\\\nAll that aside, he would most like to be remembered as having starred as the first guard after Vulcan Raven in the Easy mode of Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes for Nintendo GameCube.

\\\\r\\\\n\\\\r\\\\nNow, who wouldn\\\\\\\’t be interested in taking a gander at Retro Gaming Hacks? It\\\\\\\’s chockful of retro gaming goodies, such as guides on how to buy and run old consoles like the Atari 2600 and the Nintendo Entertainment System, and how to play classic games on contemporary consoles and platforms, like from Arcade to PC and Macintosh.\\\\r\\\\n\\\\r\\\\nLet me just shut up and give you a summary of the book in a few paragraphs:\\\\r\\\\n\\\\r\\\\n

Maybe it was the recent Atari 2600 milestone anniversary that fueled nostalgia for the golden days of computer and console gaming. Every Game Boy must ponder his roots from time to time. But whatever is driving the current retro gaming craze, one thing is certain: classic games are back for a big second act, and they\\\\\\\’re being played in both old and new ways.\\\\r\\\\n\\\\r\\\\nWhether you\\\\\\\’ve just been attacked by Space Invaders for the first time or you\\\\\\\’ve been a Pong junkie since puberty, Chris Kohler\\\\\\\’s Retro Gaming Hacks is the indispensable new guide to playing and hacking classic games. Kohler has complied tons of how-to information on retro gaming that used to take days or weeks of web surfing to track down and sort through, and he presents it in the popular and highly readable Hacks style.\\\\r\\\\n\\\\r\\\\nRetro Gaming Hacks serves up 85 hard-nosed hacks for reviving the classic games. Want to game on an original system? Kohler shows you how to hack ancient hardware, and includes a primer for home-brewing classic software. Rather adapt today\\\\\\\’s equipment to run retro games? Kohler provides emulation techniques, complete with instructions for hacking a classic joystick that\\\\\\\’s compatible with a contemporary computer. This book also teaches readers to revive old machines for the original gaming experience: hook up an Apple II or a Commodore 64, for example, and play it like you played before.

\\\\r\\\\n\\\\r\\\\nWhat are you waiting for? Go grab the book and enjoy 502 pages of pure retro gaming goodness.

Post from: EveryJoe

Retro Gaming Hacks by Chris Kohler: Highly recommended