Jeremy Parish Presents: Retronauts Video Works (Chronological Retrospective Series)

Nerdkiller · Sep 30, 2020

More Atari. Yay.

Atari 7800 1986 (1 of 3): Pole Position II / Dig Dug / Ms. Pac-Man / Joust | NES Works Gaiden #12

Before I dive into NES Works 1988 in earnest, it's time to set right a historic wrong of sorts. NES Works/Game Boy Works/et al. have focused primarily on Nintendo's legacy, but that has always been more a function of my personal time and resource limitations than any slight to Nintendo's peers in the console space. Now that I've launched my long-overdue Lynx and Game Gear retrospectives, there's no getting around the fact that the core console space deserves the same treatment as handheld gaming. And so, we rewind time about 18 months to mid-1986 this week to begin looking at the early days of the Atari 7800, the first console out of the gates to compete with Nintendo's NES in the U.S. It had a slow start, to say the least—it will only take three episodes of this length to bring these 7800 retrospectives to January 1988 in line with the current NES chronology!

It's hard to see this early 7800 lineup as serious competition to the NES—these few games feel very much like relics of an earlier era. That's because they are, of course. They're the games that would have launched alongside the 7800 in 1984 had Jack Tramiel not put the console on ice for two years. Viewed through that lens, however, the 7800's initial offerings were fairly impressive, and even in 1986 these were the best home ports available for all four of these arcade classics. Was that really the most compelling sales pitch for kids who were already immersed in Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt? Absolutely not! But even if timing and market realities tripped it up right off the starting blocks, the 7800 deserves respect.

Special thanks goes to Kevin Bunch of @Atari Archive for the hard work he's invested into sorting out the actual chronology of 7800 releases by researching magazines and newspapers of the late '80s, allowing us to pinpoint game launches to the month. His works is far more precise than the internet's existing 7800 release info, which is generally no more specific than by year... and often the wrong year at that.

Nerdkiller · Oct 7, 2020

Atari 7800 1986 (2 of 3): Asteroids / Food Fight / Robotron 2084 / Galaga | NES Works Gaiden #13

Our second look at the Atari 7800's release chronology takes us through the initial launch lineup and to its first post-launch title. On the whole, though, this set of games shares a lot in common with the previous episodes: Very good renditions of pre-crash arcade classics, dropped upon the world a little after their sell-by date. Don't let the unfortunate circumstances of the 7800's birth distract you, though; these are some excellent arcade conversions. A couple of them, most notably Food Fight, are arguably best-in-class caliber adaptations.

You may notice some changes in how this video is edited and presented compared to other videos. I've steadily been tweaking my approach over the past few months, and I was fortunate enough to have a free weekend to burn through tinkering with a few different concepts. It's coming along nicely, though as always, it could still use a bit more fine-tuning.

Surprised you didn't go with Game Gear this week, considering the 30th anniversary just game and went.

Nerdkiller · Oct 14, 2020

Atari 7800 1986/87 (3 of 3): Xevious / Choplifter! / Karateka / One-on-One | NES Works Gaiden #14

While this isn't the end of our side excursions into the Atari 7800 chronology, it's the last for the time being. These four releases bring the console's lineup in line with the current state of NES Works (January 1988), and it would be a while before more games followed. Thankfully for the Atari faithful, the console's lineup with fatten up significantly in 1988 and '89, but there's no getting around the fact that its slow start really hurt the system.

Also of note this episode: The final classic Namco conversion for 7800, and the first batch of (highly faithful) classic computer game adaptations.

I'm starting to think with the new format, you should cite which scenes you get so we know, well...where we find them. Not all of us were born and raised in the '80s, afterall.

Nerdkiller · Oct 22, 2020

Vampire Killer / Haunted Castle / Castlevania IV / X68000: Another Castles | NES Works Gaiden #15

Halloween season is here once again, and you know what that means: Time for more Castlevania-themed NES Works videos. It's the Pumpkin Spice of retrogaming YouTube videos.

This year, we're looking at the OTHER Castlevanias—that is, the other games that relay the exact same story as the original Castlevania (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nealF...), tracking Simon Belmon's trek through Dracula's castle. All of these games cover the same narrative and gameplay beats.

Vampire Killer for MSX is in some ways the game most like Castlevania—it was produced in tandem with the NES game, using many of the same gameplay assets—yet also the least like it. So contradictory!

Haunted Castle feels like the mutant version of the NES game. Not the kind of mutation that leads to super powers like the X-Men. The kind like when that guy falls in the toxic sludge in RoboCop.

Super Castlevania IV—well, no need to belabor the point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eXtQ...

And finally, Castlevania Chronicles, the final (and arguably) greatest exploration of Simon's journey. Mercilessly difficult, but so artfully crafted and filled with inventive moments that you can't help but want to keep dashing yourself helplessly against its proverbial rocks.

Ahhh, Star Trek IV, I see.

JeremyParish · Oct 29, 2020

The 7800 series isn't done! The next entry will be in a few months, right after City Connection for NES (May 1988).

I notice Nerdkiller didn't update with the latest video, presumably because he's stumped about the "contemporary media" snippet. It's:

1987 OAV Black Magic M-66, based on the Masamune Shirow manga.

Nerdkiller · Nov 5, 2020

Power Racer & Painter Momopie retrospective: Leaders of the Pac | Game Boy Works #121

A pair of games that share more in common than they might appear to at first glance. Power Racer traces its history back more than a decade: It's a portable conversion of an arcade dot-gobbler that predates Pac-Man by a year. That might not seem to have much to do with the Japan-only Painter Momopie, a game about a witch with a paint roller, but ultimately both these Game Boy releases belong to the same genre and do a great job of demonstrating the difference a decade made in how a specific type of game concept could be interpreted. These aren't the most beloved or best-known games on the system, but they're worth a look regardless.

Nerdkiller · Nov 11, 2020

Elite retrospective: Space odyssey | NES Works Gaiden #16

By patron request of Jon, it's our first (of likely a fair few) full look at a European exclusive for NES: Imagineer's impressive conversion of British microcomputer classic Elite. I won't even pretend to show off the full depth of the game here; it's a complex and intricate game that requires extensive play to master, whereas I struggle with not dying at the hands of marauders the instant I come out of warp in a system local to the game's starting point.

I may not be adept at this particular simulation, but I can recognize how impressive a conversion this is... even if the hardware REALLY wasn't designed for it.

What an oddity...a Space Oddity, you might say.

Nerdkiller · Nov 18, 2020

PHENOMENAL GAMING POWERRRRRRS...

The Aladdin Deck Enhancer retrospective: Itty-bitty cartridge space | NES Works Gaiden #17

This episode brings the recent run of NES Works Gaiden episodes to a head by being both massive, sprawling, and focused on a European creation. Whew.

The Aladdin Deck Enhancer is one of those NES tidbits that people have probably heard of but most likely only know through second-hand sources, such as The Angry Video Game Nerd. I don't know that I have much to add to the conversation, especially since the Aladdin has low compatibility with FPGA-based clone hardware, but by god, this was a patron request (from Joseph Wawzonek), and I am determined to give Video Works patrons their money's worth.

Honestly, this episode was a lot of fun to put together, despite its technical issues. A few of the games were definitely on the dicey side, but most were solid, and a few are good enough that I want to play them again sometime when I'm not simultaneously freebasing a dozen different unfamiliar games for an episode of a weekly video series.

Nerdkiller · Nov 25, 2020

Gun.Smoke retrospective: Wild gunmen | NES Works #073

Another Capcom creation this week. It's not quite up there with the company's best work, but you can see their collective spirit in action here—Gun.Smoke hits on a lot of popular Capcom beats all at once. It's a vertically scrolling shooter, themed around American pop culture (in this case, Western movies), whose home port contains a number of embellishments over the coin-op title to make it better suited for the NES. Despite the compromises it suffered in coming home, Gun.Smoke plays well on NES and makes a lasting impression, making it yet another top-flight creation for a valuable NES third party

Special thanks to Steve Lin of the Video Game History Foundation for providing a look at the game's alternate packaging!

TATE is pronounced "ta-tay"? My life is a lie.

Next week...

Nerdkiller · Dec 2, 2020

Game Gear 1990 (2 of 3): Zan Gear / Mahjong Haopai / Revenge of Drancon | Game Boy Works Gaiden #10

Moving beyond the three launch-day Japanese releases for Sega's Game Gear, we venture into November 1990 with three more titles that continue checking off the obligatory boxes for a new game platform: Strategy, mahjong, and platformer. Two of these games never made it to the U.S., continuing the precedent set by Pengo: Ultimately, a sizable percentage of Game Gear's library would fail to reach the States.

Not that American kids were necessarily clamoring for a dense strategy title set in the Warring States era of Japan, or for a conversion of a tabletop game typically enjoyed by the elderly. They probably WERE clamoring for a great conversion of Wonder Boy, though! Too bad some of them never realized it was available right from the console's beginnings due to Sega of America's bizarre decision to rename Wonder Boy "Revenge of Drancon." Not to belabor a point, but... what?

Still, another convincing case for Game Gear's merits versus the competition as it hits on some nuts-and-bolts titles that demonstrate both capable technical performance and appealing visuals.

Special thanks to Stone Age Gamer for helping to make this series possible with their EverDrive-GG X7: https://stoneagegamer.com/everdrive-g...

I guess "Revenge of Drancon, what is the secret of your power?" doesn't roll off the tongue as easily.

Nerdkiller · Dec 13, 2020

Final Fantasy Legend II retrospective: Gift of the MAGI | Game Boy Works #122

The second entry in the Final Fantasy Legend series—or SaGa, if you prefer—amped up the features, narrative, mechanics, and overall design sensibilities of the groundbreaking first game. With new races, an elaborate cosmology, inventive dungeon design, an unconventional death mechanic, and all kinds of poorly explained gameplay systems to grapple with, Final Fantasy Legend II is in some respects a high point of the SaGa series. And with both a SaGa Game Boy compilation and remaster of SaGa Frontier for PlayStation due out in the near future, there's no better time to get acquainted with this sometimes-baffling role-playing series that is well and truly here to stay... whether you like it or not.

Nerdkiller · Dec 16, 2020

Contra retrospective: Alien Predator vs. Commandos | NES Works #074

Konami knocks it out of the park yet again with one of the greatest arcade conversions ever to hit the NES: Cooperative platform shooter Contra. It's a rare example of a coin-op title being ported faithfully to NES and somehow improving on the source material despite the move to inferior hardware. With its tight level design, inventive bosses, impressive weapons, and slightly combative cooperative gameplay, Contra is a true NES classic that continues to be a great time more than 30 years later.

Special thanks to Steve Lin of the Video Game History Foundation for letting me photograph his very shiny and crisp Contra box!

Nerdkiller · Dec 23, 2020

R.C. Pro-Am and T&C Surf Designs retrospective: Grody to the NES Max | NES Works #075

Wishing you a Meli Kalikimaka this week, despite my rage over a bad game about wood and water. Thankfully, we have Rare to infuse a little holiday gratitude into the season with a very good, very fun, and very inventive take on racing: R.C. Pro-Am. It doesn't erase the nothing of a game that is T&C Surf Designs: Wood & Water Rage from existence, but it does at least provide balance in the Force or whatever.

Also this week: The mysterious NES Max. What could it be??

Special thanks to Steve Lin of the Video Game History Foundation (https://gamehistory.org) for lending use of the game packaging, and to Numskull Designs for the seasonal apparel (http://www.numskull.com/products/stre...).

Really dreading the incoming games, Jeremy.

Nerdkiller · Dec 30, 2020

Game Gear 1990 (3 of 3): G-LOC / Soukoban / Dragon Crystal / Shanghai II | Game Boy Works Gaiden #11

This episode brings the Game Gear launch window, as it were, to a finish by wrapping up the final few Japanese releases of 1990. There are a few old favorites ("favorites") here, a compromised arcade port, and a first-of-its-kind release that admittedly hasn't aged especially well. An interesting combination of titles, though, and a pretty good conclusion for a well-rounded introduction for Sega's portable platform.

Special thanks to Stone Age Gamer for helping to make this series possible with their EverDrive-GG X7: https://stoneagegamer.com/everdrive-g...

Nerdkiller · Jan 10, 2021

The Misadventures of Tron Bonne retrospective: Bonne temps | Game Boy Works Gaiden #12

By patron request of Jon, here's a follow-up to the Mega Man Legends episode from several months back: Its wonderful prequel, the Misadventures of Tron Bonne. No, it's not a Game Boy game. It's fine. You'll be fine.

Misadventures is a weird little game, a shoestring-budget spinoff of a spinoff of a series whose sales figures were already beginning to flag. I have no idea how it was greenlit, how it was localized, and most of all how it turned out so well. But it did! It's a breezy, whimsical game packed with variety and tons of heart. It admittedly doesn't maintain its energy and confidence throughout the entire adventure, but with so many activities and so much optional depth on offer, the weaker moments never bog down the experience—in fact, you can skip them altogether. A truly one-of-a-kind creation from the end of a different era of video game publishing.

Nerdkiller · Jan 13, 2021

Dragon Power & Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road retrospective: Monkey's paw | NES Works #076

This week demonstrates the danger inherent in covering two games per episode as fate lands a one-two punch of mediocrity from two of the console's most dire creative combos: TOSE and Bandai, and Micronics and SNK. The results are about what you'd expect. That is to say, not so great.

Dragon Power, of course, is another halfhearted attempt by Bandai to bring a Japanese game based on a manga or anime license to the U.S. without making the effort to license or localize the original work. Where Dragon Power differs from the likes of Chubby Cherub is in the fact that its source material—Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball—would go on to become one of the most successful and beloved Japanese properties in the entire world rather than just a local phenomenon. This makes Dragon Power's superficial changes all the more conspicuous in hindsight.

As for Ikari Warriors II, it's just as crummy as its predecessor. But way more interesting, as developer Micronics made a real effort here to spruce up the NES port with some new mechanics. It wasn't a successful effort by any means, but you have to respect the hustle.

Nerdkiller · Jan 20, 2021

Ice Hockey & MLB retrospective: Sports memorabilia | NES Works #077

A pair of old-school sports games this week—one whose quality and playability transcends its visuals, and ones whose quality and playability... do not. Nintendo's Ice Hockey, developed in collaboration with NES Volleyball creators Pax Softnica, distills the essence of the sport into a take whose simplistic style makes possible some truly accessible, fast-paced gameplay that transcends its genre. It's a remarkable game in many respects!

Major League Baseball is a mediocre Famista clone whose sales pitch consists entirely of, "We have real team names." Your mileage will vary, greatly.

Nerdkiller · Jan 27, 2021

City Connection & Freedom Force retrospective: Gun it! | NES Works #078

Echoing last week's episode, this week we see a decidedly dated-looking game (City Connection) that nevertheless manages to be entertaining enough to transcend its relative age and sit comfortably in the 1988 NES lineup. On the other hand, Freedom Force is anything but dated, with some of the most stylish visuals seen to this point on NES. I'd rather play City Connection, but there's no denying the primal visual appeal of Freedom Force's attract mode....

Also, a bit of housekeeping: The host segments will be a little unusual for the next few episodes as my office space is currently unavailable for filming, forcing me to tape next to my portable photo box for the time being. Also, I realized while reviewing this episode that I made a point unclearly—I said Freedom Force is the first example on NES of a Japanese and American studio collaborating, which obviously isn't true. It's the first example I can name of the Japanese and American branches *of a single studio* collaborating on a project.

Nerdkiller · Feb 3, 2021

Rambo retrospective: Stallone in the dark | NES Works #079

In the year 198X, an elite American ex-soldier traveled into the jungle for a stealth mission that ended in a showdown with a Soviet HIND-D helicopter. Sound familiar? No, this isn't Metal Gear (that's next episode), but instead a game based on a film that very clearly has served as a primary text for Hideo Kojima through the years: Rambo, aka First Blood Part II.

Rambo for NES is widely reviled as one of the worst games ever released for the platform. Not only is this a factually incorrect perspective, it grievously sells short the actual ambition behind this game—not to mention the many ways in which it actually pushed the envelope of NES releases (thanks in large part to the lengthy delays that its own inspirations, Zelda II and Castlevania II, suffered en route to their U.S. localizations). Rambo is a long way from being a great game, but it's a game that makes a sincere effort to do something interesting with a licensed property. It trips over its combat-bootlaces more often than not, but you definitely have to respect the hustle... especially within the context of its original release window. And "context" is what this video series is all about.

Nerdkiller · Feb 10, 2021

Sega SG-1000 retrospective: The real family computer | Segaiden #003

The road to NES Works begins here!

It's difficult to know what the year 2021 has in store for us, but you can at least look forward to one constant (fingers crossed): This comprehensive deep dive into the Sega 8-bit catalog. Beginning this week, most of my effort for much of 2021 will be focused on exploring the history of the Sega SG-1000 before rolling into the American Master System launch, bringing these compact Sega overviews into line with NES Works 1988 (which we'll still be checking in on from time to time!). I'll also be producing extremely brief summaries of the Famicom games released in Japan in parallel to these SG-1000 titles throughout 1984 and '85, all the way through the American NES launch.

This episode kicks things off with an overview of the Sega SG-1000's launch, which happened to fall on the same day as the debut of Nintendo Famicom, and the hardware itself.

Special thanks for this series to: Omar Cornut, segaretro.org, and Analogue Co.

Segaidan...

Nerdkiller · Feb 18, 2021

Famicom Disk System retrospective: Error 35 | NES Works Gaiden #18

35 years ago this week, Nintendo launched the Disk System expansion for Family Computer—one of the most important (and one of the few successful) console add-ons ever. Boosting the power, capabilities, and storage capacity of the Famicom, the Disk System helped usher in a new generation of console games... and then, console games caught up with the Disk System, rendering it obsolete. Nevertheless, in its brief lifetime, the FDS gave us major franchises like Zelda, Metroid, and Castlevania, while also changing the way players interacted with their television games. This episode pays tribute to the Disk System and its impressive legacy.

Nerdkiller · Feb 24, 2021

Borderline / Safari Hunting / N-Sub retrospective: Opening salvo | Segaiden #004

Our first dive into the SG-1000 catalog covers the three games that the internet seems convinced comprised the console's day-one releases. It's difficult to say when SG-1000 titles actually debuted, as Sega hasn't been especially granular with its published historic information. But these three carts are the first three items in the SG-1000 catalog (Borderline, Safari Hunting, and N-Sub are G-1001, G-1002, and G-1003, respectively), so that seems like a good basis for an argument here.

These games share a few details in common. They're all three conversions from the VIC-Dual arcade hardware Sega and Gremlin designed in the late '70s, which was very similar in terms of components and capabilities to the SG-1000; and they all three appear to have been developed by a newly formed studio called "Compile." I don't know, maybe you've heard of them?

Special thanks for this series go to Omar Cornut, segaretro.org, and Analogue Co.

Nerdkiller · Mar 10, 2021

OH MY, did I forget about last week? Well, guess I better put a stop to this unintentional delay, starting with last week's...

Mahjong / Champion Golf / Tsumeshogi / Congo Bongo retrospective: Kong done wrong | Segaiden #005

Beyond the initial trio of Compile-developed shooting games for SG-1000, we have the next four titles in the platform's library, all released on some indeterminate date in 1983. While they do help diversify the system's lineup to include something beyond shooting and combat, none of these releases manage to be particularly inspiring nearly four decades later—and one game in particular, which should have been this week's big triumph, misses the mark so badly it's best forgotten about. I promise things will get better from here, though!

Special thanks for this series go to Omar Cornut, the Game Developers Research Institute, segaretro.org, and Analogue Co.

Nerdkiller · Mar 10, 2021

And this week's.

Yamato / Champion Tennis / Star Jacker / Champion Baseball retrospective: Jacked up | Segaiden #006

A few more Sega arcade conversions this week, featuring—unbelievably enough!—shooters and sports games. You sense a theme taking shape here, maybe?

Yamato covers a lot of the same ground (so to speak) as SG-1000's earlier ocean warfare shooter, N-Sub, though it mixes things up slightly by focusing on surface warfare. Meanwhile, Star Jacker is a scrolling shooter that plays a little more smoothly than Borderline, though its bizarre central premise and mechanic make for a curious inverted gameplay difficulty curve.

On the sports side, Champion Tennis and Champion Baseball maintain the vibe of Champion Golf: Console ports of someone else's game, decent enough for 1983 but lacking in hindsight due to the massive upheavals and improvements those sports genres had lurking in the wings of history.

All in all, not the most inspiring set of games ever... but definitely better than last episode's.

This series has been made possible in part by the work of Omar Cornut, the Game Developers Research Institute, segaretro.org, iFixRetro, and Analogue Co.

Nerdkiller · Mar 17, 2021

Sindbad Mystery & Monaco GP retrospective: Bringing home the gold | Segaiden #007

Only two games feature in this week's episode, because both are interesting enough (and contain a rich enough history) to merit a more in-depth discussion. First, Sindbad Mystery brings the maze chase genre to SG-1000 by adopting a number of elements seen in early games from the genre—ranging from Heiankyo Alien to Crush Roller—but approaching these concepts in a fresh and entertaining way. And then, of course, there's Monaco GP, one of the real heavy-hitters for this console. While more constrained by technology than its arcade forebear, this SG-1000 racer acquits itself nicely with a great sense of speed and a variety of on-track hazards to manage.

Disappointed that Sindbad doesn't inexplicably look like Bluto.

Nerdkiller · Mar 26, 2021

Sega Flipper / Pop Flamer / Pacar / Sega-Galaga retrospective: Arcade cavalcade | Segaiden #008

Sega has always been an arcade powerhouse—even now, they run arcades in Japan. They've become fan destinations for more than just playing games; I bought taiyaki in the shape of the Sega logo at their Akihabara location a year ago. And this episode showcases just how heavily Sega plowed the arcade-to-home conversion furrow from the very start, with four games based heavily on arcade properties or concepts:

• Sega Flipper, arguably the first true arcade-style video console pinball game;
• Pop Flamer, a port of a weird Jaleco coin-op;
• Pacar, a sequel in all but name to Head On; and
• Sega-Galaga... which is just Galaga, but for Sega.

They're not all winners, but they're mostly good! Just pretend Pop Flamer never happened. That game could never live up to its delirious box art, anyway.

Nerdkiller · Apr 5, 2021

Space Slalom / Zippy Race / Pachinko / Exerion retrospective: Priced to hell | Segaiden #009

This week we hit on the two most expensive games for the SG-1000. Every console's gotta have at least one of them, right? The ultra-rare collector's chase piece that hits the brakes on any reasonable dream of ever owning a complete set? In this case, those disasterpieces are Space Slalom, a mere slip of an almost-racing game, and Pachinko, the pachinko sim so busted they recalled it. Yes, the great console gaming tradition of incredibly expensive games also being incredibly undesirable for gameplay purposes really begins here, with the SG-1000.

On the plus side, there's also Zippy Race, a pretty good conversion of a minor Irem arcade hit, and Exerion, a Jaleco arcade port that tries really hard, bless its heart. And that wraps it up for 1983! Next up: 1984, surprisingly enough.

Nerdkiller · Apr 12, 2021

Famicom 1984, Pt. 1: From Tennis to Nuts & Milk (Feb.-July 1984) | NES Works Gaiden #19

Now that we've seen both Nintendo and Sega's offerings for 1983, we move along to 1984 and the first wave of Famicom releases. All but one of these titles have already put in an appearance on NES Works proper as entries in the 1985 and '86 Black Box NES launch rollout catalog, so the first half of this episode is simple a recap and reminder to give a sense of these games' place in the context of their 1984 debut in Japan.

The second half, however, downshifts into low gear to take a leisurely cruise through a game that is generally regarded as a joke (thanks to its title) outside of Japan, when it's regarded at all: Hudson's Nuts & Milk. My hope is that after viewing this episode, you'll have a better appreciation for the place Nuts & Milk holds in video game history—not simply for how it represents a key change for Nintendo's business model, but also for how radically Hudson reinvented it to appeal to Famicom consumers. (You may, of course, continue to chuckle at its name. Titter, even.)

Games this episode:

• Tennis
• Pinball
• Wild Gunman
• Duck Hunt
• Golf
• Hogan's Alley
• Donkey Kong 3
• Nuts & Milk

Nerdkiller · Apr 19, 2021

Pachinko II / Golgo 13 / Orguss / Home Mahjong retrospective: All your redux in a row | Segaiden 010

A couple of follow-ups to 1983 releases this week, as well as a couple of games that appear to have been held over from 1983. Yes, SG-1000 begins 1984 with a hangover.

Pachinko II is the affordable and expanded follow-up to Pachinko.

Golgo 13 is not a sequel, despite the number in the title. It's a tie-in with a long-running manga and anime series, presumably tied to a big theatrical release.

Orguss is another anime property, this one related to Macross and its ilk. You know what that means: Transforming robots.

Home Mahjong brings multiplayer competition to the console mahjong space, using a fascinating physical accessory to make such a thing possible on a single television.

Nerdkiller · Apr 28, 2021

Hold on, just catching up.

Lode Runner / Galaxian / Devil World retrospective: Famicom '84 some more | NES Works Gaiden #020

Another step along the Road to NES Works this week as we look again at the next round of software releases for Nintendo Famicom. Unlike last time, only one of these games made its way to the U.S. on NES, the other two (Galaxian and Devil World) seemingly being skipped over due to datedness and, uh, satanism? What was this, 2021?

Nerdkiller · Apr 28, 2021

Lode Runner/Safari Race/Champion Boxing/Champion Soccer retrospective: Lock 'n Lode | Segaiden #011

Yet another look at a Lode Runner game? Yes, that's right. It was a pretty big deal back in the early '80s. The upside to this repetition is that the SG-1000 version of the game makes possible a direct comparison against its contemporary release, providing a clear picture of what the two platforms were all about.

Also this episode, Sega finally starts to push beyond the innate limits of the hardware with another racing game and two more Champion sports titles, all of which employ graphical tricks that help make the console look a little more competitive against the competition at Nintendo.

Nerdkiller · May 9, 2021

Hustle Chumy / Flicky / Girl's Garden retrospective: Ladies' night | Segaiden #012

Sega embraces its feminine side as 1984 comes to a close, with not one but two games starring a female protagonist, and the result is the single strongest set of games we've seen to date on SG-1000. And there are only three titles this week instead of four, because there was so much to say about each of them!

1984 was a bit of a soft year for SG-1000 (for reasons I speculate on in this episode), but it certainly ends on a strong note. The stage is set for the console to finally come into its own in 1985 as the platform evolves into the Mark III/Master System. I know this series of videos got off to a pretty painful start with some iffy releases, and it didn't help that my video capture setup didn't reproduce the system's colors accurately. But from this point on, the games will be much stronger... and I'm capturing from original hardware now, so everything will look great, too.

This episode's games:

Hustle Chumy would have been a high point in any other episode so far, but here it's a distant third. Just to calibrate your expectations for the other games.

Flicky is a Mappy-inspired arcade platformer converted to SG-1000 quite convincingly. The background color is a little pukey, and it drops the iguana enemies, but it plays great.

Girl's Garden isn't quite as durable as Flicky, but it's a technically impressive game that gave a legendary developer his start.

Nerdkiller · May 12, 2021

4 Nin Uchi Mahjong / F1 Race / Pac-Man / Xevious retrospective: Pac'n heat | NES Works Gaiden #021

Two Nintendo games and two Namco (Namcot??) titles this week to bring Famicom's 1984 lineup streaking toward its finale. I'm not sure any of these games will set anyone's heart on fire here in 2021, due to (1) the kinda mundane nature of Nintendo's releases and (2) overexposure to Namco's games. But pretend you are a small child in 1984! In that context, these games are pretty great. Except Mahjong. No child wants that.

Nerdkiller · May 25, 2021

Mappy /Urban Champion/Clu Clu Land/Excitebike retrospective: Never sleep | NES Works Gaiden #22

1984 comes to an end for the Famicom with a trio of releases that American fans will recognize from the Black Box launch era of the NES. Arriving singly in 1984 rather than en masse a year or two later amidst dozens of other games with a similar visual vibe, benighted NES releases Urban Champion and Clu Clu Land stand up a bit better here. (Excitebike, of course, rules no matter what the context.)

Also this episode, Namco's Mappy brings the company's most uninspired mascot of the early '80s to Famicom in another respectable home adaptation that flatters the Famicom hardware when held up against contemporary conversions. And that's it for Nintendo and Sega's '84 offerings!

When NES Works Gaiden resumes later this year, we'll be in the heady days of 1985.

Nerdkiller · May 29, 2021

Knightmare and Metal Gear (MSX) retrospective: Konami kombo | Metroidvania Works #014

I haven't forgotten my other child. Metroidvania Works has reached a weird place in its chronology, where it's kind of entangled and overlapping with NES Works—as you can see from the fact that this episode's back-up feature covers the next title that will appear on that series. Of course, the main event here is a game that never reached the U.S., so it's worth looking at here—especially given how influential it was on at least one major metroidvania work that appeared nearly two decades later.

I've been on a bit of a Metal Gear kick as of late, so it's nice to see you cover the games.

Also, Indy's Willie on the Knightmare box art.

Nerdkiller · Jun 7, 2021

Ballblazer & Winter Games retrospective: '88 dawns for the 78 (hundred) | NES Works Gaiden #023

You'll notice a change in the hosting segments this week, as I've begun broadcasting them from the year 1994—I'm taking a sort of "man on the scene" approach from now on, except in terms of time rather than space. Apologies about the visual fidelity, but we didn't have high-definition digital cameras back then. Or in fact consumer-grade digital cameras, period.

Before we continue with the Sega and Nintendo stuff, Atari deserves a brief stopover to see what the 7800 was up to for the first half of 1988. As it turns out, the answer is "not a whole heck of a lot." Happily, the one game to ship during this period—Lucasfilm Games' Ballblazer—has more than enough history and content behind it to support most of this episode before we jump into summer '88 and, ironically, Winter Games from Epyx.

And yes, I made some generalizations about the relationship between Atari 5200 and Atari 8-bit computers, but I'll be going into more detail on that one of these days, when I tackle the XEGS (which technically counts as a console that debuted post-crash, sort of, making it arguably eligible for inclusion in Video Works).

Nerdkiller · Jun 14, 2021

Summer Games & Desert Falcon retrospective: Struggling for the bronze | NES Works Gaiden #024

The other two mid-'88 releases for Atari 7800 consist of yet another computer port and—wow!—the console's first original creation. Although this original creation ended up being ported to several other Atari systems, which rather undermines its exclusive appeal. Still, it's good to see a game on 7800 that hadn't already shown up in arcades and on computers four or five years earlier, you know?

Summer AMPERSAND Games? Come on, Jeremy.

Nerdkiller · Jun 24, 2021

Now, where have I been?

Othello Multivision retrospective pt. 1: A seriously @!#?@! footnote in Sega history | Segaiden #13

While Segaiden has covered every SG-1000 release through the end of 1984 at this point, there's technically still a set of games for the system that need to be touched on. Eight (or technically nine) unique releases for SG-1000 appeared in 1983 and '84, under a non-Sega publisher, branded for release on a different console. Nevertheless, they're a part of SG-1000 history, as each of them runs on the system with no fuss.

Yes, this episode we look at the SG-1000's semi-official clone, the Tsukuda Original Othello Multivision. With eight unique carts and one built-in ROM, it's worth exploring... but only barely. These games are generally of MUCH lower quality than Sega's own releases. In this episode, we explore:

• Othello
• Q*Bert
• Guzzler
• Space Mountain

Buckle in. It's a pretty bumpy ride.

Video Works is funded via Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/gamespite) — support the show and get access to every episode up to two weeks in advance of its YouTube debut!

Special thanks to Omar Cornut for his assistance with this and the next episode!

Nerdkiller · Jun 24, 2021

Othello Multivision retrospective pt. 2: Shaken (not stirred) | Segaiden #014

Well, I survived. I made it all the way through the Othello Multivision's library. If you thought the first four games were unimpressive, that's only because you had no idea what Tsukuda Original had up its sleeve for 1984: Yet another mahjong game, a glacial Xevious clone, and Video Works' very first (of many...) horse race-betting sim. But at least there's a somewhat inventive golf title and a solid conversion of a beloved (albeit crazy difficult) James Bond game. This version fixes a titling error from the previous upload.

This episode's titles:

• San Nin Mahjong
• Challenge Derby
• Okamoto Ayako no Match Play Golf
• Space Armor
• James Bond 007

Video Works is funded via Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/gamespite) — support the show and get access to every episode up to two weeks in advance of its YouTube debut!

Special thanks to Omar Cornut for his assistance with this episode!

Nerdkiller · Jul 13, 2021

Datach Joint ROM System retrospective: Barf-code battler | NES Works Gaiden #025

By patron request, this week's video shifts up the temporal alignment of the NES Works Gaiden series to leap forward from the end of 1984 for Famicom to the end of 1992?! Yes, that's right, we spring forward in time here to look at the Japanese equivalent of the Aladdin Deck Enhancer, except one reliant on an even bigger gimmick than simply packing in universal game chips in order to accept smaller, less expensive sub-cartridges. Bandai dared to push the bleeding edge of what the market would bear here by forcing players to make use of collector cards emblazoned with bar codes in order to be able to play their video game at all. It's a bold innovation! And a terrible one! Learn all about it here.

Nerdkiller · Jul 13, 2021

A Brief History of the NES on a Chip: Betcha byte a chip | NES Works Gaiden #026

By request of Joseph Adams, I've attempted this episode to explore the history of (and explain the concept of) devices powered by NES-on-a-chip tech. I'll admit up front that this is by no means a definitive or comprehensive history, as a considerable portion of this topic falls into poorly documented spaces: Unauthorized clone consoles, piracy-focused devices, and ventures in territories veiled behind other languages and cultures (not to mention less methodical documentation than you see for mainstream Western/Japanese consoles like the NES itself). Hopefully I've still assembled an accurate and interesting enough narrative to justify the time and research involved...

Nerdkiller · Aug 9, 2021

Nazo no Murasame-jou retrospective: Feudal floppy | NES Works Gaiden #027

By request of Peter LaPrade, this week brings us another look at a Famicom Disk System exclusive that ended up being stranded in Japan until fairly recently: Nintendo's own Nazo no Murasame-jou. A brisk, challenge action title with a structure loosely patterned after The Legend of Zelda, Nazo no Murasame-jou seems like the kind of thing that probably would have done fairly well for itself had Nintendo localized it alongside their other FDS titles (Zelda, Metroid, Kid Icarus, and Volleyball) in mid-1987. Instead, it languished in Japan for decades, though it has exerted a small presence on modern games like Smash Bros., meaning you could be more familiar with this game than you realize.

Nerdkiller · Aug 9, 2021

Kung' Fu Master & Kininkou Maroku ONI retrospective: I'm yōkai, you're yōkai | Game Boy Works #123

Game Boy turns its focus to the far east this episode, with an action game based on Chinese martial arts and an RPG centered on battling (and being) Japanese yōkai. Neither one is particularly world-shaking, though Kung' Fu Master does have a direct line to the early days of the NES, and ONI kicks off the Game Boy's most prolific exclusive game franchise that I'm aware of (there's probably some pachinko or mahjong franchise I'm overlooking) as the first of five adventures created exclusively for the platform. Of course, none of those ever reached the U.S. Americans? Playing RPGs!? What a strange notion.

Nerdkiller · Aug 18, 2021

Nail'n Scale & Pri Pri: Primitive Princess retrospective: A puzzling platform | Game Boy Works #124

Puzzle platformers are in their Game Boy; all's right with the world.

Yes, this episode brings us not one but two—two!—puzzle action games for Game Boy. As if we'd have it any other way. As often happens, one of these is far more fun and playable than the other in hindsight, reflecting poorly on the lesser of the two. For once, the better game received a U.S. release while the merely-OK one remained stranded overseas.

Nail'n Scale from Data East offers much: Two-player simultaneous action, fluid and friendly jump mechanics, and a fun platforming gimmick that also doubles as the key to the puzzle-like level designs. Pri Pri: Primitive Princess... doesn't have these things. It's not terrible, but its plodding pace does not pair well with its unforgiving, trial-and-error design. Weirdly, this one's from Sunsoft, whom you'd expect to have presented a more respectable showing than Data East... but there are no rules on Game Boy! Nothing makes sense!

Nerdkiller · Aug 18, 2021

Klax / Klax / Ginga retrospective: Double draggin' | Game Boy Works #125

A curious case here on Game Boy Works: A game that is somehow two games. While Klax on Game Boy plays about the same as the Klax we've already seen on Atari Lynx, it takes two very different approaches to its presentation depending on the region you bought it from. The American release from Mindscape, which actually shipped in 1991, has the same vanishing perspective seen in other versions of the game. The Japanese cart from Hudson, on the other hand, looks like no other rendition of Klax to be found on competing platforms. It's two separate takes on the same property by two different studios. Ah, but which fares better on Game Boy?

As for Ginga, the game's full title is Card & Puzzle Collection: Ginga, and that's exactly what it is. It's a video version of all the disused traditional games your grandparents kept in a storage bin in their basement. But you can call it Tornado Appetizer, if you're nasty.

And while we're here...

Nerdkiller · Aug 18, 2021

Super Nintendo Entertainment System retrospective: 30 years of power | Super NES Works #000

n a 30th-birthday-celebration kind of mood? Instead of a cake, celebrate with a copy of Super NES Works Vol. I!

Hardcover Edition: https://limitedrungames.com/collectio...

Collector's Edition: https://limitedrungames.com/collectio...

It has been three decades since Nintendo launched its first next-generation console in the U.S.: The Super Nintendo Entertainment System. On the occasion of its 30th anniversary, Super NES Works returns for a limited-time engagement to wrap up this look at the system's launch window by looking at the system itself. What did the Super NES represent to fans, parents, developers, and Nintendo itself when it arrived in the midst of a burgeoning games market whose revival had been precipitated by the Super NES's own predecessor and opened the door to some ferocious competition?

Also, this episode I finally got my VHS playback looking coherent rather than like a pile of butt.

Well, switching from Extended Play to Standard Play on your camcorder works wonders.

Also, sorry Dekuman, but I'm the king of the thread here. Even though lately I've been uhhh...a few weeks late.

Nerdkiller · Aug 18, 2021

Metal Gear retrospective: Metal Gear?! It can't be! (But it is.) | NES Works #080

One of the most beloved franchises of all time makes its debut on NES, though not its actual debut; the Metal Gear Nintendo fans knew and enjoyed back in the 8-bit era was in fact a port of a minor hit for MSX/2 home computers that had shipped about a year earlier in Japan. Although Metal Gear gets the broad strokes right on NES, it trips up over a lot of minor details. And some major ones, too. Still, if a compromised take on a classic is the one that a million former NES owners knew and enjoyed back in the '80s, there's something to be said even for that clumsier rendition of the game.

Also worth noting this episode: The debut of a brand new publisher! Well, sort of.

And with that, I'm all caught up.

Nerdkiller · Aug 26, 2021

Well, I guess since people are talking about the episode right now...

Double Dragon retrospective: A singular creation | NES Works #081

Technos (by way of freshman NES publisher Tradewest) follows up on Renegade with a home conversion of a massive arcade hit that plays extremely fast and loose with the meaning of the phrase "home conversion." Double Dragon on NES may as well be a completely different game than the coin-op smash, as it adds several new mechanics, expands the game environments, introduces platforming sequences, helps invent the one-on-one fighting genre, and—whoops—loses the cooperative gameplay feature that gave the game its name in the first place. The end result is a game that doesn't sit well with those who demand absolute fidelity in their arcade ports, but that nevertheless stands out as one of the most ambitious, polished, and attractive games yet seen on the platform.

From this point on, arcade-to-NES adaptations will lean heavily on the "adaptations" angle, and (along with Rygar and Punch-Out!!), Double Dragon is one of the first works to truly define what NES coin-on conversion would look like in the coming years.

Nerdkiller · Oct 12, 2021

I'M HERE! DON'T FIRE ME!

Defender II & Iron Tank retrospective: Let's Punch-Out!! some Nazis | NES Works #082

A pair of arcade shooter adaptations leads us into the second half of 1988 for NES Works, both of which deserve attention for entirely different reasons.

Defender II sees the publishing debut of HAL Labs (via HAL America), a well-deserved turn of events for a studio that was so essential to the early success of this platform. And this conversion stretches all the way back to those early days, speaking once again to the close relationship HAL and Nintendo shared as the latter made its way into the world of selling game consoles—including a bit of borrowed audio that raises the question of who pilfered from whom? Come for the footage, stay for the educated speculation.

Meanwhile, Iron Tank transforms T.N.K. III into a fairly ambitious (if not entirely refined) combat adventure with branching paths, a progressive power-up system, and even some narrative. Finally, we begin to see a glimpse of the quality that fans have come to associate with the name SNK.

Nerdkiller · Oct 12, 2021

Zaxxon & Champion Pro Wrestling retrospective: Grappling with the third dimension | Segaiden #15

Sega enters 1985 with the hottest game of 1982, and the good news is that Zaxxon looks and plays far more convincingly than its sibling release Congo Bongo did back in 1983. This adaptation of the arcade hit makes some curious tweaks to the game's flow and design, and it adds a bit of background music, which sets it apart from other conversions of the game. But in a good way, mostly.

Champion Pro Wrestling fares less impressively, especially in hindsight. Apparently we have Sega to blame for how Tag Team Wrestling turned out on NES, with the sluggishness and the menus and the whatnot. Stupid Champion Pro Wrestling.

Video Works is funded via Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/gamespite) — support the show and get access to every episode up to two weeks in advance of its YouTube debut! Plus, exclusive podcasts, eBooks, and more!

Production note: Footage in this episode was captured from a combination of Sega SG-1000 II (RGB amp mod by @iFixRetro) and @Analogue Mega Sg with card adapter and DAC. Video upscaled to 720 with xRGB Mini Framemeister and @Retro Tink 5X.

Jeremy Parish Presents: Retronauts Video Works (Chronological Retrospective Series)

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Nazo no Murasame-jou retrospective: Feudal floppy | NES Works Gaiden #027

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Kung' Fu Master & Kininkou Maroku ONI retrospective: I'm yōkai, you're yōkai | Game Boy Works #123

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Nail'n Scale & Pri Pri: Primitive Princess retrospective: A puzzling platform | Game Boy Works #124

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Klax / Klax / Ginga retrospective: Double draggin' | Game Boy Works #125

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Super Nintendo Entertainment System retrospective: 30 years of power | Super NES Works #000

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Metal Gear retrospective: Metal Gear?! It can't be! (But it is.) | NES Works #080

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Double Dragon retrospective: A singular creation | NES Works #081

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Defender II & Iron Tank retrospective: Let's Punch-Out!! some Nazis | NES Works #082

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Zaxxon & Champion Pro Wrestling retrospective: Grappling with the third dimension | Segaiden #15