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Cover Art: Gradius III (SNES)

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Apr 282013

Welcome to Cover Art! A section of the site where we look at a retro video game’s box cover art and briefly discuss it’s gameplay and legacy.

Gradius III is a shmup (shoot-em-up) developed by Konami, originally for arcades and later, for the SNES. It was a US Super Nintendo launch released in August of 1991.

Considered by many to be one of the hardest games of all time, Gradius III pits you in outer space combat against the Bacterion Empire. None of that matters as the brutal difficulty of Gradius III is what makes it stand out. It’s gameplay is notably unique from other shooters in the genre since Gradius uses a power up system which lets you decide which upgrades you’ll get progressively. Furthermore, Gradius III features one of the most memorable game soundtracks on the SNES. If you couldn’t tell, I really love Gradius III. The SNES version available for Nintendo’s Wii Virtual Console and the arcade version was released on the PS2 and PSP.

Gradius III Wiki

OG developer Llamasoft creating a Tempest game for the PS Vita

Gaming, Mobile, Retro Games, SHMUPS, Video No Responses »

Apr 242013

If you’re a fan of the classic arcade games, then we’ve got some good news for you. Llamasoft is developing a brand new game that will serve as a follow up to the Atari Jaguar classic, Tempest 2000 (T2K). The title? TxK.

Llamasoft is developing TxK for the Playstation Vita with the original designer of Tempest 2000. The latest game will utilize the PS Vita to create a graphically modern, enhanced and new version of the classic Tempest gameplay formula. Llamasoft games date back to 1982, when the company was founded and in recent history, they’ve made a series of quirky mobile games including Super Ox Wars, Goat Up 2, and Minotaur Rescue. The titles are quality retro gaming made by a company that pretty much defines retro gaming.

Check out this video of Llamasoft founder Jeff Minter demonstrating their game Minotaur Rescue to get a feel for Llamasoft…

Long story short, if you love 80′s arcade shooters, get hype because Llamasoft is coming on your Vita.

Llamasoft official site

source

Cover Art: Hyper Zone (SNES)

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Mar 162013

Welcome to Cover Art! A section of the site where we look at a retro video game’s box cover art and briefly discuss it’s gameplay and legacy.

Hyper Zone is rail shooter developed by HAL Laboratory. It was released for the Super Nintendo in 1991. Although it’s considered a shallow derivative title, I came to appreciate it thanks to an old friend.

To the average Nintendo gamer, Hyper Zone will probably remind them of F-Zero thanks to the game’s liberal use of the Mode 7 effect. But it is not a racing game; rather you must navigate through an obstacle course whilst shooting down oncoming enemies. Another similarity it shares with Nintendo’s F-Zero is that it has recharge zones which recovers your ships armor. The shooting in the game is also reminiscent of the Sega arcade game, Space Harrier.

Hyper Zone Wiki

Hands On with Suda 51′s Liberation Maiden out now on iOS

Gaming, Mobile, SHMUPS No Responses »

Mar 132013

Suda 51 and his company Grasshopper Manufacture collaborated with Level 5 on Liberation Maiden. It’s a fast paced 3D shoot’em up originally released on the Nintendo 3DS and now on the iOS, including iPhone and iPad. Having played a few levels of Liberation Maiden, I am confident to say it’s a really good conversion and moreover, it’s a really good game. Especially for the iOS; especially considering it’s not an overly simplified platformer.

Liberation Maiden brings in some heavy weight Japanese talent for the game. Featuring things like anime cut scenes created by Bones (Fullmetal Alchemist animation studio) and music by Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill). Even the title graphic was created by the guy who made the 1988 anime classic, Akira’s title graphic, Hiroshi Hirata. The combination of these various talents and more give you a high quality experience on the touchscreen. Now as you may already know, I’m not a fan of touch screens for gaming, although when it’s designed correctly, it can be an engaging experience. This is indeed one of those situations. The graphics are clear and vibrant. The stages change up as you progress through the game, so it doesn’t feel boring. Liberation Maiden is a very Japanese game, and by that I mean there are mecha, a beautiful anime girl, and a lightly political sub plot. That’s part of this game’s charm. If you’re a Japan fan and love arcade shooters, then Liberation Maiden will make you quite happy.

Check out our Liberation Maiden screenshot gallery…