A 99 Year Old Women Plays The NES Everyday, Oldest Gamer Ever?
Have you ever imagined your granparents playing the NES when the console released? What about today? Well one grandmother Umeji Narisawa, a 99 year old from Sendai could be in with claiming the title of being the oldest Bomberman gamer ever.
Japanese TV show Nanikore featured her Bomberman exploits on a recent episode.
She started playing Bomberman back when she was 63 years young after she saw her grandchildren playing it and thought it looked easy. 26 years down the line she keeps playing Bomberman everyday to keep her mind exercised.
Who’s the oldest person you know who games? Let us know via the comments or @PushStartMedia on Twitter!
Dungeon Keeper – Retro Review
Bullfrog Productions’ final game with Peter Molyneux at the helm was a fittingly brilliant title. Dungeon Keeper took the groundwork of classics like Theme Park and Syndicate and crafted a darkly comic take on the type of fantasy world Molyneux would go on to fully realise in the Fable series. Here the player remains underground, plotting the downfall of a beautiful and peaceful kingdom from beneath. Playing out as a combination of god game and real-time-strategy, Dungeon Keeper is similar to other Bullfrog games, and while some point to Populous or Syndicate as their best work, Dungeon Keeper certainly deserves some consideration.
What makes the game special is difficult to pin down. It has an unmistakable charm, solid mechanics and a brilliantly worked tutorial system which helps ensure the player is never overwhelmed. It oozes quality at every turn, yet never takes itself seriously. Molyneux has always allowed plenty of humour into his games, but Dungeon Keeper is relentless about it. The map screen, which begins as a pristine, colourful land and gradually turns black and red as you destroy each area, is where the darkly comic attitude of the game first becomes apparent, as the narrator says “EverSmile. Set in the realm of joy, the people of Eversmile are plagued only by aching facial muscles, and not anthrax as we had hoped. Eversmile is a disgusting land of good humour and polite frivolity.” After completing a level the narrator then tells of how the opposite is true, with his deadpan ever so slightly cracking with the joy of destruction and mayhem.
This comic style continues into the first level. Summoning an imp, the game’s most common monster – used to dig through walls, mine gold and generally do the dungeon housekeeping, is done by selecting a spell and clicking – leading to the ridiculous of ‘yippee’ as the imp celebrates its creation. It can then be slapped by right clicking, repeatedly, which is awfully sadistic, yet awfully funny at the same time. Once the more impressive monsters start to arrive this continues. A hatchery of tiny chickens is built to feed them and each monster has its own way of feeding. A particular favourite is the warlock, who zaps a chicken with magic, turning it into a roast chicken that looks like it came from an oven. Its attention to detail like this that makes a game rise above its competition, and in Dungeon Keeper these little comic moments are constant. Even the narrator’s lines have an appeal. Hearing his mock-outrage that ‘Your minions are under attack’ or ‘Your creatures are fighting amongst themselves’ remains an enduring memory of the game for many who played it in the late 90’s.
The aforementioned tutorial system is quite excellent. The early levels see a mere three or four room and monster types available, with a new one added each subsequent level. It takes quite a while for everything to become available, but there is a genuine sense of accomplishment in gaining a new room or creature, especially when you manage to start turning enemies into skeletons and vampires, or even getting them to turn to your side by sending them for a torture session with the Mistress, a leather-clad dominatrix who specialises in whipping enemy creatures. With new strategies and abilities unlocked steadily, the game remains manageable and it’s possible to learn exactly what to do in order to succeed without ever feeling bogged down in a tutorial, it feels akin to the progression of a classic FPS, in which new guns are found every few levels to match increasingly tough enemies. The game does seem quite easy until about ten levels in, when suddenly you are absolutely overwhelmed and overpowered by enemies, and new tactics have to be adopted. By then though, the game has given you enough training to do so.
Battles with the enemies come in two formats. The first is against the whiter than white forces of the Lord of the Land, who proclaims his intent to purge evil from the land upon entering your dungeon. He is usually dispatched quickly and easily, though later on can be quite a powerful foe. His dull, charisma-less heroics form the comedic counterpoint to a dungeon full of personalities like the Bile Demon, a red blob with giant horns essentially, who, fittingly, spits bile on his enemies in battle. The biggest challenge comes from the second type of enemy – the rival dungeon keeper. Early on his monsters seem to be capped at a low level (training monsters leads to them levelling up, RPG style) but later in the game they can be as strong as your own monsters, and it takes some cerebral play to outwit and ultimately defeat the AI. Traps, doors, sacrifices and many more tactics need to be used to create as strong a force of evil creatures as possible in order to win the day and ruin another idyllic village.
In the fourteen years since Dungeon Keeper first appeared the god game has almost completely disappeared from mainstream gaming, except in the form of ‘The Sims’. This probably helps a huge amount in making Dungeon Keeper still play extremely well, there is simply very little to compare it to today, no games have really advanced on the formula enough to make it seem dated and its humour is timeless. Evil is still more fun than good, but few games revel in it quite to this extent. The isometric view can be a tad jarring at first, but that really is the only element that seems out of place today, everything else could, with a little graphical upgrade, fit quite nicely into a modern title. The character designs are top notch, the setting and story a lot of fun and the gameplay is absolutely wonderful. A pity then, in many ways, that Molyneux has moved on to Fable and Bullfrog is no more, as more Dungeon Keeper, or even something along its lines would be more than welcome. Not enough games ask us to be just plain evil, and painfully few make it so much fun.
Dungeon Keeper is available from GOG.com, and playable on modern PCs, up to and including Windows 7.
Rare Genesis Game might literally cost you an arm and leg!
In the world of collectors items there is always the odd item that make you look twice, and this is especially the case with this rare signed copy of a Genesis (Mega Drive) title.
Recently popped up on eBay, the most unlikely game is selling for the most unlikely price. In this situation, I wouldn’t blame you if you looked twice, rinsed your eyes and took a walk around the block, before sitting back down at your computer and checking your bank account.
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Tetris is the game in question, but this is no ordinary copy!
Rumoured to be one of only 8 produced, this particular release has quite some history. This Japanese versions rarity came about after some legal issues between Nintendo and Sega which meant shortly after its release it was recalled. Signed by the creator of the legendary game himself ‘Alekséi Pázhitnov’, this is sure to be one item that many will be keeping an eye on.
Source – Yahoo Video Games
Reviewed: Star Fox 64 (Lylat Wars)
Do I really have to say anything? It would just feel like I’m repeating myself from what I’ve said in the video. Star Fox 64 (Lylat Wars) means a lot to me and you’ll find out why. Enjoy.
Pros: Excellent levels controls presentation replay and being bundeled with the rumble pak.
Cons: The update made to the Virtual Console version
Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil Code: Veronica X HD Japanese Trailer Reveaeld
Capcom Japan have just released a trailer for Resident Evil 4 and Code Veronica HD! No new details have been revealed yet but expect in the upcoming days some more info on Resident Evil 4 and Code Veronica HD soon. But for now, enjoy the Japanese trailer!
EA Sports FIFA 12 Launches Global Pre-Order Offer
Electronic Arts have announced today the biggest sports franchise’s FIFA 12 hits stores September 27 in North America and September 30 worldwide.
UK fans who pre-order FIFA 12: Ultimate Edition exclusively available from GAME or Gamestation on PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 video game will receive 24 FIFA 12 Ultimate Team Gold packs (4 per month for six months) to build their dream club in FIFA 12 Ultimate Team. UK fans who pre-order the FIFA 12: Special Edition from other UK retailers will receive 18 FIFA 12 Ultimate Team Gold packs (3 per month for six months). FIFA 12 UItimate Team will be available this October, and both editions will be available to pre-order until September 30, 2011.
Press Release
FIFA 12 Ultimate Team is a massive online community of fans building, managing and competing with their ultimate football team from the world’s best players in FIFA 12.
FIFA 12 brings to the pitch the game-changing new Player Impact Engine, a physics engine that delivers real-world physicality in every interaction on the pitch. Revolutionary gameplay innovations inspired by the real-world of football make FIFA 12 deeper and more engaging. All-new Precision Dribbling creates a higher fidelity of touch on the ball for better control in tight spaces, more time to make decisions in attack, and more control over the pace of the game. Innovations in attack are balanced by a re-designed defending mechanism.
Defending is now as strategic as attacking with all-new Tactical Defending, which fundamentally changes the approach to defending by placing equal importance on positioning, intercepting passes and tackling. Plus, CPU players have been infused with Pro Player Intelligence, the next generation of player intelligence and performance.
FIFA 12 will be available for the PlayStation3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC, PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo 3DS , PSP (PlayStation®Portable) system, iPhone , iPad , and iPod touch.
Cameron’s 10 Personal Favorite MarioParty Minigames
Mario Party 9 being announced really caught me off guard. I’ve been planning to do this list for a while, even before E3 2011 so I mean it when I say I had to rewrite the whole introduction of this top ten. With that stated again this list is about the minigames I remember having the most fun with and still enjoy playing to this very day. Remember it’s just a personal list so instead of asking where “so and so” minigame is you can leave a comment about your ten favorite MarioParty minigames. Enjoy.
Five of the Best – Tennis Games
Wimbledon has made its yearly appearance, so what better time to mention as many tennis clichés as possible, and maybe discuss a few tennis games. So grab some strawberries and cream while we serve up (I’m truly sorry for that one) some of the finest recreations of the sport for you to play when the rain stops proceedings and Tim Henman* starts losing.
*I might be a little out of touch with the tennis scene.
Jimmy Connor’s Pro Tennis Tour (SNES, 1993)
Realism was a word few used to describe games in the early 90’s, but Jimmy Connor’s Pro Tennis Tour managed to pull off a fairly accurate depiction of tennis, despite the limitations of graphics and control. Using a control method which could be simplified to allow the AI to move the player-character, JC focused on its shots, rather than the more popular Super Tennis, which was mainly based on player movement. Once the button was pressed to hit the ball, both power and direction could be applied in order to hit the perfect shot. Each face button offered a different type of shot and mastering the controls was critical to success. A rewarding system, then, which made the effort of working through the year-long season mode and attempting to become world number one all the more gratifying. It looks dated now, but still plays extremely well, once you get the hang of the controls. It’s a pity the only real player in the game is Connors himself, and the fake opponents lack personality, but they do play to their skill sets and that’s probably more important.
Wii Sports Tennis (Wii, 2006)
Wii Sports Tennis, despite being a small part of a game bundled with a console, is actually rather fun. It’s not much like actual tennis, but you might say it’s as close as you can get (not including EA’s disappointing Grand Slam Tennis) thanks to the motion controls. You do genuinely swing your racquet/wiimote for backhands, forehands and serves, and while a gentle flick of the wrist has much the same effect, buying into the game – especially in multiplayer, is immensely enjoyable. A room housing a Wii and some friends soon becomes quite raucous as shots fly, wiimotes hit other players, accusations of cheating abound and eventually, someone manages to out-air-swing their opponent. It’s clearly a long way from a tennis sim with motion controls, but as a fun alternative, particularly for those who don’t know their elbows from their Edbergs, it’s somewhat difficult to top.
Everybody’s Tennis (PSP, 2010)
Coming spectacularly late in the life of the PS2, many gamers missed out on Everybody’s Tennis, a spinoff of the superlative Everybody’s Golf series. It’s now improved and available for the PSP, and is well worth playing if you enjoyed the golf games. Taking the same graphical style of colourful environments and anime characters with oversized heads as its more sedate cousin, ET (not the alien) even retains the comedy sound effects. The progression system is different however, based on earning experience and working through a story mode, rather than just unlocking better characters (though this is still part of the game). It’s far more interesting, and the unusual approach to a sports game works, just about anyway. It may not be for everyone, but moving from school kid to tennis champ is fun in its own way, and unlocking new shots and skills along the path to glory is a great way to keep things fresh. The control system is close enough to Virtua Tennis so it’s familiar and obviously excellent. It lacks something intangible that Clap Hanz managed with their Golf games, a level of charm maybe, but that doesn’t make this a bad game, it’s a great PSP title and suits the portable system perfectly.
Mario Tennis (N64, 2000)
Typical of an N64 release, Mario Tennis is an absolute blast with four players. Choosing from a range of familiar faces such as Mario, Bowser and Wario is a staple of these games and Tennis is no different. It does include Boo though, who doesn’t get enough opportunities to star in games. Each character has different abilities, Mario is all-around as always, Bowser is powerful, you know the drill at this stage. The controls are simple, though explaining them makes them seem far more complex. A and B are the only buttons used for shots and different combinations produce different shots. Double tapping increases power, A then B for a lob. It’s a lot more intuitive than it sounds, I assure you. Surprisingly, for a game of this type, it plays a pretty accurate game of tennis. The court types are realistic in terms of response, the ball physics are brilliant and the range of shots is frankly astonishing, considering Donkey Kong is delivering them. It’s not too complex of course, but quite deep. It wouldn’t be a Mario game though, without power-ups. All the Mario Kart classics are here should you want to deviate from a more traditional game and as usual it’s quite a kick to send your opponent to the ground with a carefully placed shell. It’s perfect for multiplayer and the game’s mechanics are more than good enough to maintain a solid single-player mode. Mario has a real talent for sports and tennis might just be his best.
Virtua Tennis (Dreamcast, 2000)
Saving the best till last, then. Virtua Tennis is the crème de la crème of tennis games, a fluid, realistic title with arcade sensibilities, perfect for enthusiast and amateur alike. Starting life in arcades, it was the original home port of Virtua Tennis that really made waves, thanks to world circuit mode. This mode is basically a career or season, in which you improve your characters skills and attempt to rise through the world rankings. Training is possibly one of the most fun parts of VT, thanks to the brilliant mini-games which are now a series staple. Serving at bowling pins, trying to hit a bullseye, knocking down cans and many more absurd games are some of the most fun you could imagine having with a tennis game, using the subtle and phenomenal control system in order to make precision shots, which become more and more accurate as your character progresses. The actual tennis is just as good, thanks to that excellent control system. It’s simple enough to learn, but mastering placement of shots and movement takes a lot of practice, and knowing a little about the game helps in terms of where to play from when hitting volleys, or how to control a game. At the time the graphics were amazing, and they still stand up. In fact, there isn’t an enormous difference between VT on the Dreamcast and the PS3 and 360 versions of the game. As a sim it lacks technical accuracy thanks to the necessity of an arcade friendly approach, so it may not quite please those who want a perfectly accurate recreation of the sport (though it does have real-life players), but for the average gamer who’s had a game or two on an actual court it feel s like the real deal, without being overly complex.
Sony Giving PSN Users Another Free Game
With the PSN going back up online for Europe yesterday, with an error that took a few hours to disappear . Sony have no confirmed they will be giving us a pond to swim in.
System 3 who are the masterminds behind the game have teamed up with Sony to offer their PS1 title, James Pond 2: Codename Robocod. Free for Playstation Plus Members.
Wait… I’m not a PS Plus Member? Well you are for one month due to the PSN going down! So enjoy the the game for free!
System 3 had the following to say:
“Now that the PlayStation Store is back up we thought it would nice to give everyone something special. Think of it as a little present from us to you.”
So enjoy the Pond, James Pond…
Retro Review – Nintendo World Cup
The year was 1991, I was as big a football fan as I’d ever been after watching Ireland make their way to the Quarter Finals of Italia ’90, and the NES ruled my gaming world. I had already discovered the football game on the Amstrad CPC 464, it was Match Day II and it was good, but not great. It lacked a certain something, that fun factor that made the virtual version seem like the real thing. Nintendo World Cup had no such problems. Sitting on an uncomfortable wooden chair in my kitchen, staring at a 14 inch screen I took on the footballing powerhouses of the world, starting with Cameroon of course, all the way to World Cup glory. This was a frantic, fast paced version of football, where the tackles were hard and the shots physically impossible. Where players wore sunglasses before Edgar Davids became a household name in such classic (ahem) games as ‘The Mission’ (based on a Nike TV ad).
