SuperTuxKart accepted in GSoC2013!

Google's Summer of Code, is an annual sponsorship of programmers to improve selected open-source programs (or games :D ).
This year, quite a few interesting FOSS game projects got accepted (again) and one being our very own friends of the SuperTuxKart project.

Read more about their role as a mentoring organization here. So how about applying as a participant yourself and helping out this great FOSS game?

You can also browse other accepted mentoring projects here, if SuperTuxKart isn't your thing. Other notable FOSS game (engine) projects accepted are:

• Battle for Wesnoth
• WorldForge (Hosting also Ryzom Core & CEGUI)
• Crystal Space
• OGRE3D
• Blender 3D

Nice summer of coding ahead :)

Nathan vs His Game Collection: Day 2 - ADVENTURE

Day 2 is all about adventure. Adventure. FREAKING ADVENTURE!!!
So let's cut to the chase and get on with the...adventure. 

Abadox: The Deadly Inner War

A little background

Abadox was released by Milton Bradley in March of 1990, but was designed by Natsume, who is on my mind since I recently bought a copy of Lufia 2. It's "another damn NES shmup," but with the twist being its grotesque visuals and hard-as-balls gameplay. A fun fact: the music was written by Kiyohiro Sada, who also wrote the music for Contra and Rush'n Attack. 

Also, is it just me, or is the whole "Deadly Inner War" subtitle for the cover only? It doesn't show up on the title screen. 

First impressions last forever

I died in like the first couple of seconds in this game and it starts you completely over. Not cool.

But what really struck me is how awesomely gross this game looks. From the pulsating red ground beneath that looks like twisting intestines to the creepy mouth-biting enemies (that I swear Super Meat Boy took inspiration from) and the fact that the second half of the first level has you flying over a giant slobbering tongue, Abadox makes it clear that it's going to be as gross as possible. It's like Lifeforce, only instead of weirdness it's parts of the body. It's easily the "goriest" NES game I've played. 

But damn! It's hard! I made it to the first boss barely and couldn't beat him and had to run a continue. Hard!

But as I played further...

I found out that through memorization you can actually get some pretty cool power-ups, including a spread shot, laser shot, and orbiting bullet deflectors. Get three of these, and the game becomes pretty cake...at least for the first level.

Level two mixes it up with it being vertical instead of horizontal, except you are going down. That's new, right? Unfortunately, it's also absurdly tough, and when I died just once by touching a wall I lost all my power-ups and was back to the pea-shooter. I managed to make it to the second half of the second stage before my lack of firepower (and an insane number of homing wall-turret-pustules combined with skinny passageways) caused me to rage quit. Also, slowdown. Slowdown everywhere. 

Also, I have an NES four-score, so you bet your butt I turned on turbo for that. It isn't as helpful as you'd think, but at least then I didn't have to mash the button. 

So what's the conclusion? 

Abadox isn't bad, but it isn't great either. It's just...really, unfairly hard. It lures you into thinking you can beat it on its first level, giving you confidence as you memorize power-up locations, enemy spawns, and precise timing of tiny, almost invisible projectiles. Then it tosses you into level two and beats the everloving balls out of you. People weren't kidding: this game is hella hard.
I still think it's a decent enough game for "another damn NES shmup," but hardly a definitive one like Lifeforce or Gradius. This one I'd advise only if you are really into these types of NES games, or can get it for cheap. I do think the visuals make this game an experience that is worth it, but you'll need to have either mad skills, tons of patience, or a Game Genie to see the entire game. Copies are pretty plentiful, and usually run between $5-10.

(Hudson's) Adventure Island

A little background

Hudson Soft (may they rest in peace) had already made a name for themselves with the now-sensational Bomberman game before charting off into Mario's territory with Adventure Island in September of 1988. Starring a caveman-on-the-box, vacationer-in-flip-flops older man named Master Higgens (which is an awesome name), the game ended up spawning a franchise that made it all the way up to the SNES days before dropping off the face of the planet. 

First impressions last forever

This game looks dated. You know those old NES games, like Kid Niki, where everything looks weirdly flat because people hadn't learned how to shade or use black-outlines yet? Adventure Island's all over that. The graphics are still super charming though, with the bright island visuals being very appealing, and the enemies (usually a bunch of unique animal types like snails, bouncing octopi, and tiny obnoxious frogs) are actually kind of cute. Also the music is awesome. 

The game has pretty tough, though. I died once from hunger, and a single touch of an enemy will kill you. That first snake is so obnoxious; he fires a projectile just as you are about to hit him, which your axe bounces off of and you die instantly.

But hey, skateboarding on clouds. 

But as I played further...

There's one rather massive problem with this game that prevents me from enjoying it: no continues. There technically is a way to continue if you find the secret Hudson Bee that shows up only once in the game, and then enter a combo password on the title screen, but who would have known that in 1988? NOBODY. 

So without the continue option (if you miss the bee or just don't know the secret), you're looking at a rather long game with only three lives, one hit deaths, and that's it. Sorry, but as much as I think this game is charming, beating the first boss took way too many rounds of intense level memorization, and after that I died on the first world and had to start all over. No thanks. 

So what's the conclusion? 

I really hate to diss this game, but it really is another one where its punishing game development really hurts the overall product. You thought Demon's Souls was bad? At least that game lets you continue! Try beating Adventure Island without continuing or Game Genie. Not possible. Unless you're all those guys on YouTube who did it. I hate you guys!
Anyway, the point is that while Adventure Island really makes me want to love it (so much so I gave it a positive review on the ol' main blog), unless you're a big fan of looking up how to continue, don't even bother. Like "another damn NES shmup," there's a truckload of platformers on the NES, and most of them (including this game's sequels), completely outclass this dated game. Sorry, Adventure Island, but your admittance into my library was for nostalgia only.
Copies usually roll around $8-15, though I've seen them go for less.

Adventure Island II

A little background

First off: nice shadow in the picture, Nathan. You'd think you could just re-take it since you used your phone anyway. But, to show my commitment to quality, I didn't. So there you go. Awesome.

There's a three year gap between the first Adventure Island and this sequel, which showed up in the US in February of 1991. Mario 2 had come out but not Mario 3 yet, so I'd imagine people were getting a but hungry for a true Mario sequel. Instead, you get Adventure Island II here, where Higgens is back and hungry as ever. 

First impressions last forever

Ok, first off? This game looks loads better than the first one. Sprites have black outlines, the backgrounds look phenomenal, and and...is that a world map? Before Mario 3? It doesn't have the paths like in Mario 3 (making it look like Higgens is just wandering around these islands without rhyme or reason), but hey...it gives context and that sense of progression, right? Damn right!

Second off: DINOSAURS. Yes, in addition to the skateboard, Higgens now rides freaking awesome dinosaurs. And, if you want, you can store power-ups you keep to the end of the level in eggs for future use, which is also frikken sweet.

But the best first impression difference? That big "Continue" on the title screen, now next to "New Game." Thank you, Hudson Soft. Thank you so much. 

But as I played further...

...I loved the game more and more. The levels are very short, but I actually like that because it kept the flow of the game moving forward quickly. There's a lot of secrets to find, including more food, power-ups, and even warps to later islands. There's a wide variety of dinosaurs to ride from fire-breathing ones, one that slaps rocks with its tail, and even a swimming one for the underwater levels. Higgens still is armed with his trusty axes (and still dies in one hit), but the enemies aren't nearly as cheap and the ample number of dinosaurs around gives him one extra hit. It's a pretty good indication I enjoyed a game when I had problems quitting playing to come write this review. 

So what's the conclusion? 

It makes me wish I owned Adventure Island III, which is a bit out of my price range. Adventure Island II is everything Adventure Island wishes it was. It retains the island motif and the cute visuals, but combines it with a lot of new features and some genuinely fun platforming. While one could argue the level design isn't exactly inspired, I will repeat myself and say I like that the levels are short and quick, with some being quite challenging. Everything from the great graphics, music, and design just feels solid, with that wonky "Higgens Momentum" still going on in full force. It's not Mario, but it's still pretty dang good.
Copies are a little harder to find compared to the first game, usually rolling in at around $15-20.

(Disney's) Adventures in The Magic Kingdom

A little background

Ah, Capcom Disney games. Truly a legacy. With the recent announcement of the DuckTales reboot, I think it's safe to say people are nostalgia tripping over good times during that golden era of Disney NES  games(and SNES games; those Capcom versions of Aladdin and Goof Troop are phenomenal). Adventures in The Magic Kingdom (heretofor called AMK) came out four days before the famous DuckTales, and was technically the first Capcom developed Disney game in the US (they published Mickey Mousecapades, but that was made by Hudson, who also made Adventure Island). 

AMK promised all the magic and adventure of visiting Disneyland...or maybe World? Pretty sure Land...I grew up in Cali and it follows that park layout pretty close. Anyway, it doesn't matter. It was hoping to both captivate kids into experiencing Disneyland at  home and also get them to scream at their parents until they took them to the actual park. Not such a bad marketing idea; I gotta hand it to 'em. 

First impressions last forever

The game looks good, like most Capcom games, with sharp looking graphics and decent enough music. I dont' know why my main character is wearing a massive fedora (shouldn't they have had him wearing those Mickey ear hats? You know, for further advertisement?) and the park is pretty much empty except for one other person, but it gets the general gist. It was then I discovered this isn't an actual full game, per say, but a collection of five mini-games and a quiz. What are the odds that one of them is "another damn NES shmup?"

But as I played further...

No shmups; instead just a bunch of really dumpy minigames. Two are platformers (Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion) and aren't that awful, even though in Pirates you don't get a weapon. The issue is you only have three hits and one try or else the game starts completely over. Jumping and moving feels solid enough (again, it's a Capcom joint) and the music and graphics are actually pretty great. It's just punishing and, honestly, not all that fun when compared to all the other NES platforms.

Space Mountain is the birth of all QTE games, beating Asura's Wrath to the punch by over two decades. All it does is put button prompts in your "navigator" and you press them until getting far enough to beat the level. The graphics look pretty cool, like you're driving through space, and I wish the real Space Mountain ride were this long (wait in line for two hours for a minute and a half of fun. Yay!), but screw up three times and you start the whole thing over.

Autotopia is a racing game, sort of. You are supposed to be trying to pass guys, but they really just spawn as obstacles, not opponents (ala Rad Racer). Certain situations require you to take precise jumps, and if you fall out of the track or get pushed off an edge you start all over. Again, there's better versions of this same idea out there (Spy Hunter comes to mind).

But the absolute worst is Big Thunder Mountain. One of my absolute favorite rides, ruined. You're basically careening down the mountain trying to get to the end without hitting a dead-end or crashing three times. The problem is, every intersection is too far back to actually see what is ahead, so you'll make split-second decisions without actually knowing which decision is right. You can brake for some things like toll booths and rocks, but in the end it's dumb luck. I made it all the way to the end of the track, but at the last second chose one exit over another. Guess what? It was the wrong exit, even though I couldn't see it until after I'd made my choice. Burn in hell, Big Thunder Mountain. 

Oh yeah, the last "game" is just answering old Disney trivia and walking around the park. Wee!

So what's the conclusion? 

Don't be tricked like me by the Capcom logo on this game and the Disney tie-ins: this is a bad game. While I'll admit there's a charm to the platforming levels (I really do think the Haunted Mansion had something good going for it) and the game doesn't look or sound bad, it's not up to the quality of many other Capcom releases. If you're a nut and want all the Disney games on the NES, I guess you have to buy it, but compared to all the rest this one is a total stinker.
You can get it for around $5-10.

Nathan vs His Game Collection: Day 1 - The Saga Begins

For the first day, I'm burning through all my NES games that start with numbers. So let's cut the chatter and get it on!

10-Yard Fight

A little background

Released in October of 1985, 10-Yard Fight is one of many "Black Box" NES games, the original North American release lineup for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Weirdly enough, it's actually a port/remaining of an arcade game of the same name. It's the first American football games for the system, and copies are pretty easy to come by ($2-$5). 

First impressions last forever

Ugh, this game does not impress upon first boot. Same boring title screen as most early NES games (just text on a black background), and the game has no music and very limited sound effects. The field of play is vertical instead of horizontal, which is a decent idea, but when you run the ball there's no sense of speed; it feels like they're just inching along. Not to mention it takes forever for your receiver to run down the line. I usually just hiked immediately to save time. 

But as I played further...

I've already reviewed this game, but I will admit after replaying it for a while I started to get in the "groove" of 10-Yard Fight. It was still super tedious and, frankly, a really dull experience overall, but once I figured out how to best pass, run, and tackle (using a silly "Superman" pounce that covers like five yards in a single jump), the game started to feel a bit better. Not a lot better, but I did finish one full game at least, even if it took twenty minutes. 

So what's the conclusion? 

There are so many sports games on the NES, you have plenty of option when it comes down to them. And since everybody knows about Tecmo Bowl and Tecmo Super Bowl, there's no reason to ever pick up 10-Yard Fight if you want football on your NES. While people who want to own all the black box NES games (like me) will probably snag a copy, if you're a casual collector you can pass on it. It's just too dated and dull to be a good time these days, not to mention the awful graphics and sound effects. 

1943 - The Battle of Midway

A little background

1943 came out in October 1988, a sequel to 1942 (which I don't own). It dumped multiplayer for a single player aspect, and was meant to emulate the arcade games of the same name. I'll admit, my experience with this series started with 19XX in arcades, and it began an obsession with shmups that continues to this day. I still suck at shmups, too. 

First impressions last forever

This game is a bit confusing at first. Unlike most other shmups, you actually have a "life bar," or set of numbers, that is your Energy. Using special attacks, getting hit, or just flying slowly drains it. Once you run out, you die. 

The game looks ok, but what impressed me most was the fact there is no slowdown or sprite flicker at all. Plus it controls very well. 

But as I played further...

1943 has like a trillion levels to it, and they all look the same. This isn't a bad thing (I mean, it's the battle for Midway, which was over the Pacific ocean), but it does get a level of "samey" after you play the fifteenth level. The bosses are cool and difficult, the shooting is fun, and considering there's a bajillion shmups on the NES, this one is a good one! Shooting your powerups to change which ones you want is also cool, and the secret "level up" areas that can permanently give you a power boost to your ship is also really neat. 

But that "your energy is low!" looping music cue? It can die. Seriously, if you thought the "beeping siren" sound when your health was low in Zelda was bad, this is like putting sandpaper to your ears.

So what's the conclusion? 

1943 is a very solid NES shooter, though it does seem to lack the personality presented in other shooters (Abadox, Lifeforce, etc.). If you want a game that's solid but not too flashy, it's certainly one of the better shmups on the NES. It won't ever reach the level of the arcade games, but it's still a fun game. And again, it has a trillion levels, and the password system is really short (so thankful for that), so if that sounds like your thing, get on it!

Just be aware it is only single player. I didn't realize this and my wife was put out that she couldn't play. Copies usually run between $5-10. 

3-D World Runner

A little background

Released in September of 1987 (just one month before Rad Racer, which was built on the same engine), 3-D World Runner was one of Square's early games, and also one of the first with a soundtrack penned by the now world-famous Nobuo Uematsu. It was published by Akklaim, and I'd imagine didn't sell all that well, because Square was in a financial rut until they ripped off Dragon Warrior in May of 1990 and Final Fantasy came out. You can play it in actual 3D if you own red/blue glasses!

First impressions last forever

It's well known that I love this game, but I still remember first playing it at a fellow dorm-dweller's place freshman year of college. I was surprised at how good the visuals were, and how difficult the game could be until you mastered the timing on jumps. The music is unbelievably catchy from the second you boot it up, and the whole package just looks good. 

But as I played further...

Despite my love for 3D World Runner, I'm willing to admit fault. The game is pretty much just the same thing over and over with some very minor changes (read: new obstacles), but it doesn't really do anything that you haven't seen in the first level. The game also has a crazy difficulty curve, with Level 3 being notorious at destroying casual attempters. The checkpoints sometimes are so far between each other that dying becomes massively obnoxious (though I must commend the game for having checkpoints; this is the NES era, remember). And how to get power ups? Ram into poles. Seriously, you think they're just obstacles, but no: you have to slam your body into them and then the reward pops out. Not to mention the most useless invincibility powerup in any game over; it only lasts long enough for you to get up to speed then ends. 

Still, this game puts its hooks into you. Just replaying it for this review I sunk a hefty amount of time in the game, the "one more try at that jump!" mentality grabbing me fast. 

So what's the conclusion? 

I love this game. It's one of my favorite NES games. While it is simple and doesn't really do much with its ideas (not to mention is an obvious ripoff of Space Harrier), that simplicity is kind of the joy of it. It's easy to pick up but hard to master, with jumps getting tricker as the game goes along, and while few people will ever beat it, just know you're pretty good if you can beat level 3. 

I'd consider this game an overlooked gem, and if you see it at a game store you should certainly consider picking it up! Copies are usually around $3-5, making it an easy impulse buy. It probably costs more to get 3D glasses than this game itself. 

8 Eyes

A little background

8 Eyes (or 8 Eye's if the title screen is to be believed), is a Taxan joint (and I have no idea what else they made) released in January of 1990. It's important to note that this is after Castlevania and Castlevania 2 came out. It has box art that looks exactly like Shining Force on the Genesis, if that's a claim to fame. It also supports two players, where one person plays as the pet bird while the other guy plays the warrior. If you don't play two players, you have to try to control the bird with one controller. Spoiler alert: it doesn't work very well. 

First impressions last forever

I really like the cover art for this, and my copy's label looks sweet. It did take a while to boot up though, despite being clean, so it loses points for that. 

This game looks a lot like Castlevania 2, even from the get go. Dark, with thick black outlines on everything, and every level starting with you opening a door and walking in it (much like Simon walking into the castle at the beginning of Castlevania). The stairs? Straight outta Castlevania. Sub-weapons? That's a Castlevania joint. I swear the axe knights are even ripped wholesale. 

It also has a stage select that is very Mega Man esque. But hey, mixing two of my favorite NES franchises can't go wrong, right? 

But as I played further...

This game is unfairly difficult and poorly balanced and will cause immense frustration for anyone who plays it. I'm usually one for a challenge (NES Castlevania 3 is one of my favorite games), but 8 Eyes just doesn't give you the tools to beat it. Your sword's range is shorter than any enemy's attack (including the melee characters) so you'll always get hit when attacking, turning every battle into a war of attrition. Subweapons are handy but the game never gives you enough magic to use them, and when you do get enough magic, certain subweapons only work on certain enemies. How do you find that out? By trial and error with your limited magic supply, of course! Brilliant.

While you can pick your stages, you have to play them in order or else you'll never beat the game, because bosses are only weak to other boss's weapons (except the first boss, in Spain). The power-ups you get from the bosses (again, Mega Man-esque) are useless except against other bosses, which makes them pretty much a moot point. 

I still like the graphics and the sound, and the idea of a two-player Castlevania is an enticing one, but strip aside all the good ideas (most of which done badly) and all that's left is an exercise in elevating my blood pressure. 

So what's the conclusion? 

8 Eyes really wants to be Castlevania. Castlevania graphics, Castlevania stairs, Castlevania health bar and power ups...the list goes on. But it isn't Castlevania. It's crappy.

While some may have nostalgia for it (and I still like the box art) and it does have a decent first impression, the game is too flawed to recommend to anybody. If you're a fan of Castlevania, play that instead. There's a reason those games are so revered: they have strong level design and the limitations placed on your character are there to challenge you, not frustrate you. I'd rather play Simon's Quest than 8 Eyes, and that's saying something. At least I can beat Simon's Quest. 

8 Eyes usually rolls for around $8-10, but you shouldn't be getting it anyway. 

Nathan vs His Game Collection

Readers, one and all! It's time for something new!

If you've been following my blog ( http://nathanvsvideogames.com ) or reading my reviews on Giant Bomb, you'll know I'm on a quest to review every game I've ever played. You'll also notice the reviews have slowed down substantially over the past couple of months.

But fear not! For we have a new feature in the works. One that will be helpful for you retro collectors, and for me, who owns way too many games and now is trying to review them.

It's our new focus of the blog: Nathan vs His Game Collection.

What is this, you ask? Well, it's me going, in alphabetical order, through every single game in my library, starting with my NES games and moving on to more modern systems. These are just games I currently own, so no old crap I haven't played in twenty years. The reasoning for this is two part:

- To let other collectors know which games have still held up, or maybe find some new awesome games you've never heard of and can pick up for your collection.

- So I'll finally play through all these damn games I buy.

The review format will be a little different, too. These reviews will be a lot shorter, and also there will be no review score. Don't need none of that nonsense! Instead, I'll be focusing, in brief, on background of the game, my first impressions, my impressions as I go deeper into the game, and my final conclusion on the game's quality and nostalgia factor. Hopefully, this'll help you to find some cool new games (or feel vindicated when I love your classic), avoid some garbage (which I didn't), and have a good read out of it as well!

I will be cross-posting these between my review blog and Giant Bomb's user blog. The current goal is 2-5 reviews a day (yeah, I'm nuts) so I can quickly burn through my NES collection. I will also replay every game before I review it, though not necessarily to completion. There's no way I'm going to beat Dragon Quest IV again in one night. But, again, I'll play a game enough to get the feel for it and give a fair assessment.

This is also a more personal, opinionated approach than my reviews have been (though that isn't to say my reviews aren't full of me having an opinion. See the Fable III rage review), but these will be more casual. Also, I will be re-reviewing games I've reviewed before in this old format. Get used to it.

As just an intro post, this isn't very exciting. But see the first bit on my grand new adventure into playing games I bought with never any real intent to play starting tonight! See you there!

Some idTech4 games progress

Great news from the people behind the idTech4 powered stealth FPS The Dark Mod: They are making great steps to leave their Doom3 mod legacy behind and a standalone version should not be all that far from now.

New The Dark Mod replacement artwork

You can follow the progress here on their forums, and maybe you can also give them an helping hand.

Interestingly there are two other recently updated Doom3 mods, that could easily fit in as The Dark Mod mods, e.g. going stand alone with The Dark Mod's help.

The first one is a Hexen remake, called Hexen: Edge of Chaos:



And the other one is a prequel to the Arx: Fatalis (engine also FOSS, btw.) game, called Arx: End of Sun:



Sadly both of them use proprietary themes (and one could even argue that The Dark Mod is borderline infringing on one too), but I am still looking forward to try out these nice community creations once they become stand-alone!

Bushido Blocks: Slicing Puzzle

Bushido Blocks is a puzzle game for Android under GPL license,  inspired by block-bashing games such as Bejeweled, Diamond Dash and Tap Blox.

Bushido Blocks Screenshots

Tap matches of three or more blocks to slice them with your katana. The more blocks you can slice in one go, the more time you gain on the clock. Special blocks eliminate whole rows of blocks but don't give you any extra time, so use them wisely.

Links:

• GitHub project
• Bushido Blocks on Google Play
• Music (CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Code License: GPL

Content License: Unknown

2x0ng: Procedural Puzzle-Action Adventure

Retro and art-game fans will love this.

2x0ng is a challenging action/puzzle game with procedurally generated levels. It is pronounced "TWO-zong", and is the sequel to David O'Toole's 2009 PC puzzler Xong.

2x0ng framebuffer examples

At its core, this game is a mashup. 2x0ng's design is a nonlinear combination of several different late 70s/early 80s home video games, combining related aspects of each into something new. In 2x0ng, you move a guy around the screen and shoot at enemies in all directions, as in Berzerk. The ball you throw ricochets and comes back to you, like in Tron Deadly Discs. You break colored bricks with the ball, like in Breakout. You transfer colors from one place to another in order to complete the level, similar to Revenge Of The Beefsteak Tomatoes. 

To reach the next level, you must successively unlock new areas by opening color-coded gates in the correct order. The levels are procedurally generated, so the game experience is different each time. Later levels are much larger than the screen, and feature substantially more moving/colliding objects than would have been possible in a real home video game from that era.

Downloads:

• 2x0ng 1.0rc1 for Linux
• 2x0ng 1.0rc1 for Mac OSX
• 2x0ng 1.0rc1 for Windows (32-bit) 
• 2x0ng 1.0rc1c for Windows (64-bit) 

More links:

• 2x0ng homepage
• Soundtrack

Code License: GPLv3

Content License: CC-BY-SA 3.0