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Super Smash TV (N64)
by MonsoonBaby
Originally released as an arcade game in 1990, Smash TV has since been ported onto the SNES, Playstation, Xbox and Xbox 360.
The game borrowed heavily from the themes in the film Running Man, and involves players competing in a heavily violent game show, set in the then future of 1999. Players make their way through a variety ... of rooms, where they must defeat a swarm of enemies in each room before they are allowed to progress. New weapons, power up items and bonus prizes drop throughout, which the player must try to collect at the same time as defeating enemies from each side of the room.
Boss fights crop up after a set amount of levels, which can all be defeated by simply firing constantly at them. Smash TV's gameplay is actually extremely challenging. Enemies come in the form of frantic hordes which can easily smother you if you do not keep the quota down in due time. The original version of the game, and the SNES port does not allow for continues, so expect to see yourself dying and re-trying from the beginning of the game an awful lot. The later ports are much more forgiving, and allow for either a set amount of lives, or an unlimited amount. This makes the game far less challenging, but the enjoyment factor is definitely still there.
Smash TV is a highly entertaining but very challenging game. The enemy types are varied and add a new challenge (eg. one enemy type explodes, spreading shrapnel in all directions), but the gameplay is pretty much the same throughout. Each level reminds you to avoid shrapnel,bombs and enemy attacks, whilst gunning down the substantial amount of enemies. Progress to the end, beat a boss, and claim your cash prize!
"Good luck...you'll need it!"
Smash TV allowed for a multi-player gaming experience, and this is where the fun most definitely comes in. Going in with another player helps to prevent you from dying so much. Players can co-operate on each level, in the sense that they are lightening the enemy load between them, but the competition lies in how many bonus items they can pick up, and ultimately, how many enemies they shoot down.
The games graphics are very impressive, and I feel that they still hold up in today. The game show setting is vibrant and grand-looking, and the developers have really created some intriguing looking boss characters. One thing I distinctly remember about Smash TV is the music. The tv show theme music is catchy, and really adds to the exciting atmosphere created in the TV studio design. The dialogue borrows lines from the 1987 film RoboCop, thus acting as some sort of slight homage to this popular movie. My only criticism is that looking back on this game now, the music and dialogue seem a little muffled in comparison to the sound effects. However, this is only a minor observation, and does not dampen the games enjoyment.
Overall, Smash TV is a hugely memorable game. The game has a very high difficulty, which was probably done to not only give some sort of challenge to more experienced gamers, but I guess to encourage them to keep pumping coins into the arcade machine. Smash TV is much more enjoyable when played with a second player, as competing against another player for the highest winnings seems, at least to myself, more fulfilling than shooting through it solo. Smash TV is definitely a classic that I still like to play through. With a wingman, that is.
-Also on Ciao under "MonsoonBaby88" and on 8-Bitgirl.blogspot.com
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The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina Of Time (N64)
by ROMEHEREWECOME
The Plot
Waking up in Kokiri Village Link has largely accepted that he is the same as all the other children that live in the Kokiri Forest, forever protected by the Great Deku Tree. However unlike the other children he does not have a fairy guardian like everyone else. Upon late both Link and the Great Deku Tree have been ... having dark dreams about the destruction of Hyrule. This is the land in which the little forest resides.
To be more specific Link is dreaming of Ganondorf a large evil looking man who came from the desert, in this dream the Princess of Hyrule, Zelda a young girl around the same age as Link is being chased by the menacing Ganondorf. This dream is a portrayal of future events.
The Great Deku Tree then summons a fairy guardian for Link and explains to Link that he must collect the 3 spiritual stones which reside all around the land, one in the forest, one inside a mountain and one inside a whale. Only then can Link save Hyrule from Ganondorf and return peace and normality to the land. However like most plots this isn't as easy as it seems and even once the stones are collected Ganondorf still manages to take over the land sending Link seven years into the future. He then has to deal with Ganondorf in adult form after rescuing more people in the form of sages and collecting more items of spiritual value in the form of medallions. This reminded me a little of samurai Jack which was released on cartoon network around the same time as the game, I think there was some influence by this game to create a great time travelling action cartoon.
Gameplay
The game is a one player 3D plat former game with elements of puzzle and adventure as you must explore a medieval world and fight off evil creatures. Initially you start off with nothing and have to build up your arsenal with swords and shields each with their own qualities for different environments. You also collect bombs, bows, arrows, magic spells, extra heart pieces which add addition hit points, masks, bottles for holding potion and rupees which are the worlds currency.
The game play is during both day and night and different things occur during these two time zones, for instance skeletons appear in Hyrule field at night and shops close.
You must play through dungeons which I find vary gradually in difficulty as you play through the game. In order to complete later dungeons however you must travel back and forth through time as some of the items you collect as a child do not work in your adult form.
In order to collect information you must also communicate with the characters around you which vary greatly from your everyday human beings to Zora who are half human half fish, Goron who are essentially rock eating golems and the Gerudo tribe whom are the female pirates who spawned Ganondorf. I really enjoyed the variety of characters in this and the fact that they all come together despite their differences to achieve the one goal of defeating evil, I think it's a really great representation even if it's only in a microcosm how if people put aside their differences and worked together to achieve a better world then they can achieve it. Maybe we could learn from this game.
Visuals
The visuals aren't exactly HD but they are still very charming in my opinion and if you don't think they are up to scratch any longer then you can always play this game on the 3DS where the visuals are almost immaculate. In my opinion however remaking it just to make it look nicer spoils it a bit for me I enjoyed the original even if it isn't as sharp or smooth in comparison to other games released today.
The landscapes are vast and varying, if you are playing a game like this one for the first time then it will seem like quite a large world to explore from markets and farms to giant lakes and lands were only the dead roam you won't get tired of looking at this game and playing through the different areas.
Audio
The music is orchestrated beautifully, I am pretty sure you can purchase the original soundtrack for this game online as it is that pleasant to listen too. The characters don't really speak as such put communicate through text boxes and simply grunt or make little happy or surprised noises. The only sound in this game that grates on your nerves is your fairy who is constantly shouting "hey!" Or "Listen". If you're straying off your immediate quest she will shout at you and remind you where you should be, which is annoying if you want to do a side quest first and gain more magical power or hit points before starting a new dungeon and she does not just shut up about it either which is a little frustrating, I am pretty sure this was amended with the sequel Majora's mask.
The animals all make regular and accurate animal noises though and I think any vocals made by animal or humanoid are pretty spot on and they don't feel out of place. A rooster even crows at sun up and a wolf howls at sundown.
Availability
I really doubt the original N64 version is available any longer; however you can get it for the GameCube which also plays on the Wii for around £20 or get the new 3D version for the 3DS for between £30-£40. If you really liked this game I would seriously encourage you to get Majora's mask which is a lot more challenging with less dungeons and more side quests or the Twilight princess which feels like a more direct lead on in terms of the gameplay and world.
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