Old School/Classical Gaming Reviews.

[kenshin]

Its timed i reviewed the old school games. Yes, From Nintendo to the new Graphics that were the Arcade systems. For now, Il review one of my personal favorites...A game that retells an old Arthurian legend...



Gather round ye children of old and anew, i shall tell you the old Tale of King arthur and his Knights of the round.

Overview: If you've read about Arthur (not the cartoon) and the other stuff (Holy Grail, Excalibur, Lady of the lake and such) then you'll pretty much understand everything from here. Arthur, who had been training himself to be a great knight, pulled out the sacred sword Excalibur from the rock. After pulling it out, Arthur realized his destiny was to become the first King of the Britons. Merlin then sends Arthur and his two closest companions, Lancelot and Perceval, to overthrow the evil king Garibaldi and to unite England.

Ok, first off i know the Original Legend Didn't the lady of the Lake Give Arthur the sword? or did he really pull it out of a rock? you decide.



Gameplay: This is really your basic Beat'em up side (or actually, a Hack n' slash gamer) The Gameplay is simliar to Final Fight (another great Beat'em up from Capcom) There are 7 stages, each with a Number of enemies that need cleaving and slicing, and Bosses that need to be defeated. like all games it comes with a point system, and an additon to it. Believe it or not, This game Contains a level up system [Anybody wanna cue the Final Fantasy Battle Victory Music?] As you progress levels and collect points, your weapon and Armor change. you'll see in a bit as i post up the pictures. In Final fight The Enemies have a Variety of names, in this game though i only have one complaint. Couldn't they have come up with better names? i mean since we're ion the Midevil ages couldn't they name them "Dougless" or 'Frederick Von holt" or something?


Characters: There are 3 heroes to choose from, all have different attributes to Strenght and Speed. There are also allies on yourside...


Good Guys:


Arthur, the main character, is the Basic well balanced Character.

Lancelot is the Fast but Weak Character

And Perceval is the Strong but slow character,

Bad Guys [Oh Noes!1!1one]


[At left, two soldiers, One getting pwned as the other turns away.]
the easiest people to kill. They come in many color swipes, they sometimes appear wearing helmits (ooo Scary!) but they are formidable. they have a Dash attack.


[Right: two Swordmen.]
Yes, One of the members of the Personally claimed 'Man Family', Swordman. Im guessing his mother named him sword as a child, and felt that it was wise to join Garibaldis Army and weild big swords . these guys are slow, but because of his great sword - they can do a lot of damage


[Top: Fatman, Can you say 'Where ye be the Beef
?']
Armed with a pike, This little Gate Guardian can surprise you with Power and speed. [Wait...SPEED?!] And yes...by his NAME alone, he is a prominent member of the 'Man' family.


[Maskman: I Believe i can fly!]
This Athletic Member of the 'Man' Family is Maskman! He's the opposite of Lancelot. He is fast, Agile, And knows how to Slice you with his Rapier. He is known to Throw Knifes at you from afar. Did i mention he wears a mask? [His Counter Part is Skywalker].

[Birdman. Wait...why is he named after a Cartoon Hero?]
YES, We have a smart member of the 'Man' and his name shall be Birdman! He is armored, Battle Ready and Carries a small axe [Oh No!] And he has a Shield to Defend [DAMN! AI is getting Smarter!] He can perform a Dash as well. oddly when ever i hear his name i can hear Birdmans Cartoon picking up...[BIIIIIRRRD MAN!]

[Buster. He has a shield Too!?]

I know what your probably thinking, And No he is not an armored Fatman. This Strong, but slow Char is Buster (Ooo another clever name!) these guys are the worst. strong, intelligent, they can also ride a horse (Yes you aint the only one Lone Ranger!)

[Mad Tiger: BAD KITTY! No Kibbles n' Bits for you!]
when did we start Abusing Animals in games? im guessing the tigers got pissed off so bad that they decided to go primal on us. anyway, these guys are fierce, When you kill them they burst into flames [Ok im gonna call The Humane society now and report this...lol]

[Tallman/Scorn. Big guys carry bigger weapons in one hand. Testosterone hooooo!]

ANOTHER [Yes Another] Member of the 'Man' Family, Mr. Tallman. Originally, Tallman is Your first boss, Scorn. A skilled one, Weilding a lance, and can defend with the shoulders But be warned....Beware his/her/Shemale/It's Effeminate (or Gay) Laugh.


The Game Itself: this is a basic and elementary as ever, you move around, left, right up down, press the attack button and make combos, collect points, move ahead. But the fun thing is, I dont know if its the somewhat Mievil music im hearing, or the neat FF stlye level up system, or its simple Replay Value, But Knights of the round itself gives you that certain feeling. I can't Explain it myself, But whenever i play it, i feel young, and full of excitement for this Game.

Well thats it, I hope Ye enjoy the old Tale of sir Arthur and his knights. And never forget what Sir Arthur's words of Wisdom....

: Remember Kids! Stay in School, Eat your Veggies, And Don't talk to strange 'Mans'! Excalibur, Hooo!!!

Known Footage:

Knights of the Round (SNES Version)

Knights of the Round (Arcade Version)


Next Game: Double Dragon I [Arcade]


Final Scored: 4.5 Out of 5

Comments?

[Maverik]

For a review, I think you spent a little too much time talking about the enemies and not enough about the game itself. It's more like a manuel with a built in beastarie... Good attempt though.

[kenshin]

For my First plot was to review the game itself, and sort of..Focus on calling out and parodying the enemies and creating the not so knwon Man family. I mean basically whenj i played it, it sorta sycuk to me that Capcom Would Add a few enemies with the same last name. i just felt the need to exploit it alittle. As i review the Original DD, i get to go more in depth next time...

[Kira Karyuudo, Hikari]

Review...? Something strikes me as odd...that it's in the artwork/written work section.

Not that it's necessarily a bad thing...but it does seem pretty odd to me. It might be better suited for the OOC, if anything.

[taru]

i belive its art work due to all of the pictures ^_^

[Kazuki Akimoto]

taru said:

i belive its art work due to all of the pictures ^_^

Bull.

Sorry, artwork constitutes your OWN work, not someone elses.

[Kokaku Musha]

Yet I don't see this in OOC either... actually... why do we have reviews of games here at all? xD

[kenshin]

kazuki said:

taru said:

i belive its art work due to all of the pictures ^_^

Bull.

Sorry, artwork constitutes your OWN work, not someone elses.

And Liam gets a cookie for that. [As if i had time to make a game. Cause i don't really, nor do i have the skills.] Plus My Opinions are in these Reviews, so this is kind of my Written work [And not the pictures ]

Yet I don't see this in OOC either... actually... why do we have reviews of games here at all? xD

Cause there are many Gamers (possibly) on this board, some with Actual Consoles, and Some with Emulators, i will Review Games for both systems. And after all, since im writing Reviews for Games not many of you have probably heard of [DON'T LIE] its time i shed light on some games that actually have never made it to the west coast.

Plus my Review for double Dragon I [Arcade Version] is almost Done.

[Kokaku Musha]

I won't lie, never played the game... just expected stuff like this on either game forums or the like... not here... we have a lot of people who go out on saturdays, I don't see any reviews of good places to go out to either? xD

[taru]

newer games maybe. older ones not really.

[kenshin]

sjoerdje said:

I won't lie, never played the game... just expected stuff like this on either game forums or the like... not here... we have a lot of people who go out on saturdays, I don't see any reviews of good places to go out to either? xD

XD I know you probably havent, This is just something for people to read whenever they get the time. And its something i actually enjoy doing...

[Dain Gavyns]

I say cut the guy a break. He wants to put up gaming reviews, friggin' let him! He's writing the review, correct? It's his own thoughts and opinions with a little bit of exposition of the game... that's a 'written work' in my book.

Whilst it may be more of an "Overview" or a "Spotlight On..." in my eyes, I found it entertaining enough.

By the way, I used to play this game, it's awesome.

[Shamino Warhen Ph.D]

sjoerdje said:

I won't lie, never played the game... just expected stuff like this on either game forums or the like... not here... we have a lot of people who go out on saturdays, I don't see any reviews of good places to go out to either? xD

Why don't you stop being a dick and let the kid do this thing? xD

[kenshin]

dain said:

I say cut the guy a break. He wants to put up gaming reviews, friggin' let him! He's writing the review, correct? It's his own thoughts and opinions with a little bit of exposition of the game... that's a 'written work' in my book.

Whilst it may be more of an "Overview" or a "Spotlight On..." in my eyes, I found it entertaining enough.

By the way, I used to play this game, it's awesome.

For a minute there..i swear to god i thought i heard angels singing ;D

Why don't you stop being a dick and let the kid do this thing? xD

Wow thanks for that. See this Thread can also be a Debate forum as well. The Reason why i put up these reviews is cause, possibly in my opinion, we may have missed a generation of awesome Games. You know, Before Blu-ray and the CD and Nanomachines...[Wait nevermind that last part ] I mean i know some of you have played many games from the 90's (thats when i believed many of them flourished) there are even some that half of you never heard of. Thats why I, being young and full of memories of 8-bit and 32-bit memories decided to bring back the old Games that made Kids, Adults and even old people smile.

The Review for Double Dragon I [Arcade Version] is Completed! It shall be posted Later Today.

[Kokaku Musha]

shamino said:

sjoerdje said:

I won't lie, never played the game... just expected stuff like this on either game forums or the like... not here... we have a lot of people who go out on saturdays, I don't see any reviews of good places to go out to either? xD

Why don't you stop being a dick and let the kid do this thing? xD

I stopped being a dick by not responding to the thread any more... but I actually do take off my hat for you saying that... And got to love sarcasm though xD

Anyway, I have nothing against you posting this, but now I've seen Sedrix to the same in the OOC and I start to wonder whether we'll just have these threads be placed at random places or that a new forum part will be created for reviews and the like... ah well, should've brought that up during our 'chat' yesterday

[kenshin]

And Here it is!

Title: Double Dragon
Console: Arcade
Developer: Technos Japan Corp.
Publisher: Technos/Taito
Number of Players: 2
Release Date: 1987


Ah yes - the original arcade version of Double Dragon. Double Dragon was released in Japan by Technos themselves, but Taito (which had a pretty strong relationship with Technos) published the game worldwide. The Arcade Version lets you control one of two Martial Artists (Billy and Jimmy lee, or surprisingly Hammer ot Spike depending on the story)


[Ooo the Pinken group.]
Graphics: A

Back in 1987 the graphics were pretty good. This was a major upgrade over the Game Renegade (Technos Previous Beat'em up. Which also served as a starter Game for the Nekketsu Series since it starred Kunio) The Characters were well animated at the time. While there isn't a variety of enemies, since Williams and Roper appears 75% of the time, And Abobo Jeff and Linda make occasional appearances. they have multiple palettes to give the enemies a more colorful variety [oooo the Rainbow squad ]

Sound: A
The Music was composed by Techno's Kazunaka Yamane (Which is Awesome beyond anystandards. He is like the Nobuo Uematsu of Double Dragon.) The game opens with the classic Double Dragon theme and the City Slum theme. But as you progress through the sound quality goes down. But the later tracks get better. The sound effects were quite realistic for Grunts and yells.


[Looks it Jeff, The swap of Billy and Jimmy!]
Enemies: B+

Every gang has generic Bad Guys with Random names. We have Williams (some times called Will) Roper (Or Lopar) Linda and Abobo [Fuckin hate that giant bastard....]. Williams is the generic thug who punches Marian in the game's intro. Roper is another thug who wears spike in his shoulders [Seen actually in DDII: The Revenge on NES). Linda is a female dominatrix with blonde, puffy hair who likes to carry a whip. She's the weakest enemy in the game and doesn't appear often. Abobo is a giant who likes to throw his enemies around. He is the only enemy that can't be grabbed (in Double Dragon Advanced he can be though. PWNED!!!11!11one). There are 3 bosses. Bolo: [Basically Abobo with a Mohawk ] Jeff [ Some aruge that he is a former student of the Lee brothers) And Willy [The ass who fights with a gun]. while in 2p mode, if you beat the game, you get to have a contest that will be held to see who wins Marian, which is a nice bonus feature.



[Batter up!]
Weapons: B
There are three kinds of weapons in Double Dragon: conventional weapons, projectile weapons and large objects. There are two conventional weapons: baseball bats (carried by Roper and Williams) and Whips (carried only by Linda). Unfortunately, they aren't very effective in this version. Projectile weapons are also used by Williams and Roper. They consist of knives and explosives. Knives are the most useful weapon in the game because they can take away half of the enemies' health. Explosives are more damaging but less effective because they don't explode on contact. Large objects like oil drums, boxes and rocks are thrown by Abobo, Bolo and Roper. In the Arcade version, Weapons can be carried from one fight to the next! Sadly the NES doesn't...[boo hoo...]



[Go up billy! good boy!]
Controls and Moves: B
There are three buttons in Double Dragon: punch, kick and jump. Wiggling the joystick twice to the left or right will make your character do a head butt. Pressing jump punch will make Billy do the invisible elbow smash, while jump and kick will do a back-sidekick. Pressing punch in mid-air will do a jump kick to the right and pressing kick in mid-air jump kicks to the left, which doesn't make sense. Approaching your enemy while they're squatting will allow you to grab him or her by the head. Press kick and you'll hit your opponent with your knee and if you press punch you will throw them. It doesn't work with Abobo or Bolo [Even though it SHOULD!]

Modes: N/A [awe boo hoo again!]

Since this is an arcade game, there is not much in play modes besides choosing to go solo or with another player. However, if you own the machine, you adjust the number of lives, points for extra lives and difficulty level. As mentioned earlier, if two players manage to beat Willy, they must fight each other to see who wins Marian [Yay fighting!].



Conclusion/Overall: A
Il be brief with the versions:

Arcade: The Best A+
Nes: Not so bad B-
Genesis version: Sucked C-
Lynx version: F+

And theres the Review for Double Dragon for the Arcade.

Last Mission:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJwphXaZ-VA
--------------------------------------------------------

Reviews coming soon:

Splatter House 1 [Sleep with the lights on for this one]

King of Dragons

An Interview with Swordman [Lets get inside the mind of a unique enemy]

Night Slashers

Comments?

[Tiao Lei Shen]

Yeah, I played both those MoFos.

[kenshin]

When i get the Chance il Review Double Dragon III...and you will NOT be happy with The Arcade Version.

[kenshin]

I have several reasons why i have procrastinated the review of this game.

1. It scares the shit out of me.

2. I was busy as hell.

3. im lazy.

4. Did i mention this game scares the shit out of me?

Anyway, lets'a go!

Overview: West Mansion. A lonely, deserted mansion that used to belong to the famous parapsychologist, Dr. West. West disappeared many years ago - it was rumored that he was conducting strange experiments, creating monsters... no one knows for sure. Years after his mysterious disappearance, two parapsychology majors at the local university - Rick and Jennifer - are planning a term paper on West. They decide to go investigate West Mansion to see what they can find. As a terrible thunderstorm rages overhead, Rick and Jennifer enter West Mansion. Without warning, the door slams shut behind them, and total darkness fills the room. Rick hears Jennifer scream, then he feels something hit him at the base of his skull. He collapses, and then...

That's when the "Hell Mask" (more commonly known as the "Terror Mask" or just the Mask), an ancient Mayan sacrificial mask that West had been studying, appears. It floats in the air, then flies down and lands on Rick's head, and he awakens. Try as he might, he can't remove the Mask. As he stands up, he feels a wave of strength course through his body, thanks to the power that the Mask is giving him. Then he sets off into the depths of the mansion to find Jennifer...





My Overview: So yeah, This is like a starting plot for nearly half of the B movies. You and your girl go into an old abandoned house or mansion (Retarded) Your girl gets kidnapped by monsters (Even more Retarded), you die (like your supposed to) but suddenly get re-born with some hellish power beyond this world (Not so Retarded). There is a special connection to the game, lets see if youyou find it out before the end of this review.


[Chop Suey anyone?]
Graphics: A
Since this was an Arcade game, the Graphics were quite well done. The violence and blood itself was done very well, as if it were designed by Horror FX experts. If you look at the blood in the screen shot, you can see how well the texture and color is done very, almost artistically. Oh yes and it comes in different Varietys of colors. Rick is done very well too. The horror mask gives off an odd familiar feeling to people, as does his outfit as well .



[OOOooo look at me im floating in a purple background, so scary!]
Sound: B+
This game does have that B movie feeling. There are blood curdiling screams, Zombie moans, Blood gushing sounds, oh and that lovely sound you hear when a chainsaw is ran deep into your flesh, severing the bones and tissue in you. >:3

Music: A-
If you listen to the music while you play, its almost as if an actual B horror movie sound track is in the game! The ending theme is what sorta left me sleeping with the lights on


[Rick: Marco!/ Zombie 1 & 2: Polo!]
Enemies: A-
Zombies! Phantoms! Weird Head crab things! A giant head! and a poltergeist! These are some of the few enemies that will surprisingly scare the crap out of you. the AI is a bit advanced in this. They will pop up (Or in) different places. some will actually bomb Rush you. The last boss is what made me loose control of my bladder.


[Rick: Meet the "Board" Of Education!]
Weapons: B
Cleaver, Two-by-Four, Axe, Stone, Monkey Wrench, Spear and the Shotgun. Out of all the weapons of my choice, I'd choose between the Shotgun and Cleaver. But there is one thing that kinda ticks me off. WHERE'S MY CHAINSAWS?!


[Oh wait...there they are ]


[RUN RICK! It's the Purple Time Paradox of Death!]
Controls and Moves: B
The Gameplay is surprisingly alternating within levels. In some levels you'll have to jump alot. Some will require you to duck and climb. Its a kind of game that has you constantly testing your reflexs. And its really fun in my opinion. Plus, you see that purple haze coming towards you? Yeah see, if you touch it you will have to start the level over again. PURPLE PARADOX GO!!!!


[Come on honey! PUSH! PUSH!]
Modes: N/A
There isn't any known modes to the game. However, the game is SERIOUSLY challenging. The bosses are surprisingly hard, and you'll see yourself constantly burning quarters just to beat the last few bosses!



[Dr. West Head: I Feel pretty, oh so pretty! I feel pretty and witty and Gay!
Rick: ;;]
Conclusion/Overall: A-
If your a true fan of B horror movies, and Jason Vorhees Then this is the game for you. Its great to play on Halloween, or for your young sister to play with at night with the lights off. This is Kyle P. signing off....

:WOOOOOOoooooooo.