At the start of Spring Break I was camping near Globe, Arizona. There I picked up three NES games: The Legend of Zelda, The Adventure of Link, and Kirby's Adventure. Lately I've been playing Kirby.
The game is a Super Mario Bros. style side-scrolling platform game where you can inhale enemies and absorb their powers. For example, if you eat a porcupine, you get spike powers. More difficult foes yield better powers. Another nice feature of Kirby is that you can press UP on the D-pad and float around in the levels... but there are hazards in the air too! Just as in Super Mario Bros., there are secret spots in the levels that can unlock things like mini-games or "Hyper" powerups (much like the star in Super Mario).
Though this game is heavily influenced by Super Mario, I think it has some definite interesting, original things going for it. The ability to float opens a lot of opportunities for cool level designs and challenges. There are a LOT of powers you can acquire, and there are new ones to be found in every new world (set of levels) of the game.
My favorite aspect of Kirby's Adventure is that you can save the game (it autosaves for you in a selected file 1-4). I always felt like there shoould have been a save feature in Super Mario Bros. Interestingly, one of the other games I picked up, The Legend of Zelda, was the first NES to have a save feature.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Emulation Ethics
For those who don't already know, there are free video game console "emulators" available for your computer. Emulators mimic the programming of old consoles such as the NES, Game Boy, Dreamcast, or even the XBox 360. They allow you to play any console game you download (called ROM's). The newer they are, the more illegal they are and harder to find. By now almost every published game for the "first wave" home gaming console is available to download legally or virtually legally online. This means Atari 2600, Coleco, etc. NES games and emulators are also pretty easy to get a hold of. This is usually because most of the copyrights have either expired or so much time has passed that the publisher no longer cares to take legal action.
This raises the question- is it ethical to use emulators? I say- as long as the game is out of print, the hardware is no longer supported, and the game is more than 10 years old, why not? Also, it is important to make sure the games aren't being SOLD by a third party. If the publisher is no longer making a profit, the people who still enjoy the old games should be able to play them. Now, I completely understand the argument that they are intellectual property. But what harm is done by a gamer playing an old game? Developers should be flattered to know their dated works are still being played. That's the way I would feel as a game developer, anyhow.
If you're interested in Atari, Coleco, NES, Commadore 64, and such emulators, check out this site called www.theoldcomputer.com
This raises the question- is it ethical to use emulators? I say- as long as the game is out of print, the hardware is no longer supported, and the game is more than 10 years old, why not? Also, it is important to make sure the games aren't being SOLD by a third party. If the publisher is no longer making a profit, the people who still enjoy the old games should be able to play them. Now, I completely understand the argument that they are intellectual property. But what harm is done by a gamer playing an old game? Developers should be flattered to know their dated works are still being played. That's the way I would feel as a game developer, anyhow.
If you're interested in Atari, Coleco, NES, Commadore 64, and such emulators, check out this site called www.theoldcomputer.com
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Super Mario Bros. Restrospective
Staring video gaming's most beloved character, Super Mario Bros. is an essential for any gamer's collection. Released in 1985 for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super Mario Bros. set the precedent for the multitude of platform games to come. It is the best selling video game of all time (though some argue this point because it came as a package deal with many NES consoles) and set Nintendo on the path to become the biggest name in gaming.
Why was Super Mario Bros. so successful? To start, it was the first ever smooth-scrolling platform game. It featured colorful, changing scenery and a good variety of items, enemies, and obstacles. What is most overlooked, however, is the excellent use of "the element of surprise." Bricks labeled with question marks can contain a coin or a power-up. Certain unlabeled bricks can reveal a coin, multiple coins, power-ups, or even an extra life (1-up mushroom). The various large tubes found in the world of Mario (officially called "The Mushroom Kingdom") can sometimes house enemies or serve as passages into secret areas.
What it all comes down to is a terrific balance of original concept, level-design, lastingness, and artwork. It featured some groovy 8-bit music too! So dust off your old Nintendo, grab a controller, and press start. Someone has to save the princess.
Why was Super Mario Bros. so successful? To start, it was the first ever smooth-scrolling platform game. It featured colorful, changing scenery and a good variety of items, enemies, and obstacles. What is most overlooked, however, is the excellent use of "the element of surprise." Bricks labeled with question marks can contain a coin or a power-up. Certain unlabeled bricks can reveal a coin, multiple coins, power-ups, or even an extra life (1-up mushroom). The various large tubes found in the world of Mario (officially called "The Mushroom Kingdom") can sometimes house enemies or serve as passages into secret areas.
What it all comes down to is a terrific balance of original concept, level-design, lastingness, and artwork. It featured some groovy 8-bit music too! So dust off your old Nintendo, grab a controller, and press start. Someone has to save the princess.
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