The Rom Report X: 80s Cartoons and Video Games

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The idea for the 10th Edition of The ROM Report came to me when I was talking to a couple of my colleagues about 80s cartoon series. I remember being glued to the tube and being fed a diet of Thundercats, Transformers, Centurions, and Spiral Zone.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was also a favourite series of mine. I wouldn't really call them turtles, they are more like tortoises but like blondes, turtles seem to be more fun. The cartoon came out in 1987 and the NES game was release in 1989.

It's pretty fun to play, as you can see in the video I've taken earlier of the game.



On the otherhand, I didn't really watch Beetlejuice on TV. However, the video game, released for the NES is a little tough and presents a challenge. See for yourselves:



Now, if you think difficulty levels are over-rated, you have not seen Transformers: Convoy No Nazo. Yup, it's based on the Transformers cartoon series and stars Ultra Magnus.

The game is so tough that I can't even get pass the first level. Here's a video of my attempt:



All 80s inspired games featured in this article can be run on the Nintendo DS with the use of nesDS. Check out the rest of The ROM Report for more information on how to run older generation games on the Nintendo DS.

My Perennial Favourites: Video Games

In every video games console that I own, there are bound to be one or two titles that I constantly play, without ever getting bored. These are what I call the perennial favourites.

So what are they? On the PS2, the games would be Burnout: Revenge and SSX 3. Ramming into cars is a favourite (virtual) past time of mine, and the undulating snowy peaks provide a serene facade to what is a technically challenging, thrill of a ride.

Geometry Wars: Galaxies looks set to join Mario Kart DS as my perennial favourites on the Nintendo DS. Both games possess the "plays well anywhere, anytime" quality that never goes away, and this is particularly true with regards to MKDS. Time will tell on whether Geometry Wars truly has that, but it is in good standing.

As for the Gameboy, it would be the all-time-classic Super Marios Bros. Speaking of old school consoles, Super Mario Bros 3 is my perennial favourite on the NES, and the same spot for the SNES is occupied by Gradius III, just what is this about sequels and their third incarnations eh?

I haven't really play my Dreamcast much ever since purchasing it, so no favourites here.

Last but not least, the Personal Computer. Do you know what game I can't get enough off for the PC? That would be Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2. The campy cut scenes, the crazy gameplay, and throwing in the even crazier expansion set Yuri's Revenge, and you get one heck of a weekend waster.

So, these are my perennial favourites? What about you?

The Rom Report Part VIII - Earthbound Zero Edition

For brand new The ROM Report articles, head over to www.nineoverten.com.

Welcome back to The Rom Report, currently in Issue Eight. Here's where you'll find what retro games from the NES, SNES, Genesis, and Gameboy eras will work on a modern day device such as the Nintendo DS with the help of homebrew emulator software!

I came across this back-issue of Retro Gamer at a local magazine shop and I bought it for just RM 10 (3 USD). It is a pretty good read, better than some of the retro games websites that I usually visit online.

As such, this issue of The ROM Report is inspired by that magazine issue which featured the NES on the cover. Later on, you'll find a substantial number of NES games featured on this edition of The Rom Report.

As usual, I'm using the R4DS Slot-1 solution to run a variety of emulators required to run all these retro games on the Nintendo DS. The emulators are:

• SNEmulDS - For SNES Games
• nesDS - For NES Games
• Lameboy - For GameBoy Color Games
• jEnesisDS - For Sega Genesis Games

For a full list of emulators, please refer to The Rom Report Part VI.

Before I get on with the results, I'll need to re-iterate that emulators are not perfect, therefore even if a game might seem to run excellently on an emulator, I'll say that the game "runs okay". On the other hand, "not okay" is a catch-all phrase for games that cannot run on the emulator or are unplayable due to major glitches.

With that out of the way, here are the games that I've tried out:

• Adventures of Lolo (NES) - Runs OK. This is a puzzle game in the vein of Bomberman. You play as a rotund purple creature in a quest to rescue his princess (Lala). Curiously, Lolo and Lala appear as the bad guys in some Kirby games. Both games are developed by HAL Laboratory Inc.
  
  
• Balloon Fight (NES) - Runs OK. For all you retro gamers out there, this is a classic on the NES, along with Excitebike and Ice Climber.
  
  
• Castlevania III - Dracula's Curse - Runs OK. Looks prettier than Castlevania II but with graphical glitches on and off.
  
  
• Crystalis (Gameboy Color) - Runs OK. SNKs Zelda killer does in fact play a bit like the Zelda of old, but in a sci-fi setting.
  
  
• Crystalis (NES) - Runs OK. This is the same game which was ported to the Gameboy Color.
  
  
• Dragon's Lair (SNES) - Runs OK. Another platform hack and slash and like Rastan Saga II, I really like the graphics.
  
  
• Earthbound Zero (NES) - Not OK. This is a major disappointment as I couldn't get the Demiforce version of Earthbound Zero, which is the English version of Mother 1, to run on nesDS.
  
  
• Frogger (SNES) - Runs OK. I'm actually pleasantly surprised at what pretty graphics the SNES is capable of, and Frogger is a good example. Played on a smaller screen like that of the DS serves to accentuate the graphics even more.
  
  
• Ikari Warrios (NES) - Runs OK. SNK's offering on the NES feels like a pushover in the starting 30 seconds but quickly ramps up the difficulty. Apparently the game was inspired by Rambo.
  
  
• Maniac Mansion (NES) - Runs OK. Lucasfilm Games' (now LucasArts) "point and click" adventure game was heavily censored when ported over to the NES to conform to Nintendo's policy. For a list of what was left-out, read the Expurgation of Maniac Mansion. As for the "point and click" part, you use the d-pad to move a cursor on the screen.
  
  
• Popeye (NES) - Runs OK. An arcade conversion for the NES, it's pretty fun to play on the DS. I used to play this alot on the NES clone called Micro Genius.
  
  
• Rastan Saga II (Genesis) - Runs OK. A platform hack and slash, I actually liked this game, with its colourful pallete and rather fun gameplay. Best played on jEnesisDS and not PicoDriveDS.
  
  
• River City Ransom (NES) - Runs OK. A platform bash-em-up, I like the fact that you can throw weapons (chains, knuckle dusters) at opponents. The graphics remind of me of South Park.
  
  
• Startropics (NES) - Runs OK. Nothing much on this as I'm still adverse to RPGs with really crappy graphics or boring premise.
  
  
• Sweet Home (NES) - Runs OK. Feel's abit like Resident Evil with a haunted castle/mansion and a bunch of people looking for something.
  
  
• Wrecking Crew (NES) - Not OK.

Some of these retro games are available for purchase in their original or updated forms.

• Rastan Saga II is available on the PC-Engine and Sega Mega Drive.
  
  
• Ikari Warriors is available on the Famicom.
  
  
• Mother 1 and 2 (Earthbound Zero and Earthbound respectively) are available as a Japanese language bundle for the GBA.
  
  
• Akumajo Densetsu, the Japanese version of Castlevania III, is available on the Famicom.
  

Classic NES Series a.k.a Famicom Mini Series for the GBA

If you are not content with playing old NES roms on emulators and want a piece of history to call your own, there's the Famicom Mini Series for the Gameboy Advance.

The Famicom Mini Series are direct ports of Famicom/NES games in order that they run on the Gameboy Advance (GBA). Some of the games in this series are old favourites such Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Pacman, and Ice Climber.

The packaging is really cool and comes shape like a NES cartridge, sure to evoke nostalgia among NES fans. The entire list of Famicom Mini Series games for sale is available here.

Those of you who are content on playing with old SNES and NES ROMs on your emulators, especially on the Nintendo DS, stay tuned for Part 2 of the ROM Report. Part 1 is available here.

Old Wine in New Wine Skin - Mario Style

After the 3D handheld console experience which was Super Mario 64 DS, Mario returns to its old-school platformer gameplay with New Super Mario Bros. Essentially a 2D platformer with colourful graphics and nice 3D effects, New Super Mario Bros stands as a reminder to a new generation of gamers on the excellent gameplay of its former predecessor on the NES in which it is a remake of sorts.

Having said that, it is hard to fault the game (it is Super Mario Bros in a new skin after all). My only gripe is that I can't seem to save the game before I enter most of the levels.

If you didn't manage to get this game underneath the Christmas tree (I did!) you can get it over at Play-Asia (here)

If you are looking for the old-school Mario which is Super Mario Bros for the NES but you don't own the ancient console, don't fret as you can get a re-release of the game on the Gameboy Advance. Get your copy of the game here.