31 Days of Monster Mania: Day 6: Dr. Chaos (NES)

Written by Stu Cooper

It's Day 6 of Monster Mania and I've decided to take a different route today. Today I will be talking about a horror video game called "Dr.Chaos" for the Nintendo Entertainment System. This was of course a decade before South Park made it's debut, so unfortunately you do not take the role of Butters, but I assure you it's almost as cool. "Dr.Chaos" was released for the original NES in November of 1988. In Japan the game was known was "Dr.Chaos: Hell's Gate". So it's obvious right off the bat, this is probably a horror game. The cover art is also some of the coolest cover art I've ever seen on a game, but as veteran gamers know, great cover art does not equal great game-play.

"Dr.Chaos" is the story of two brothers trying to reunite after a catastrophic event takes place. One of the brothers is a mad scientist named Dr.Ginn Chaos and he has come up with the brilliant idea to create a device that can open up a gateway to other dimensions. This idea immediately backfires on the scientist and he is sucked into another dimension. Now the gates between dimensions are open and monsters are coming in and out of them. You take the role of the mad scientist's younger saner brother Michael. Michael is on a journey to find out what happened to his brother, and retrieve him from whatever hellish dimension he is stuck in. This game certainly has an interesting story, and it's one that may sound familiar to you. H.P. Lovecraft wrote a story called "From Beyond" that was about almost the exact same thing. A man creates a device that allows people to see and visit other dimensions, he tries the device himself and ends up losing control of it. This results in scary entities traveling between dimensions. For a story written in the 1920's, that is quite imaginative and petrifying. Lovecraft was kind of good at that sort of thing!

Now that we know the story is pretty cool, what about the gameplay? Well unfortunately the gameplay is not on par with the story. You start out the game as Michael, wondering around a haunted house, trying to find places to warp into other dimensions, which basically serve as the levels. The only problem is that the game gives you very little in the way of guidance and you could find yourself wondering around the house for an hour trying to figure out what the hell you're suppose to do. Not only that but you have a series of re-spawning bats and rats constantly coming towards you, slowly draining your life.

In order to advance through the game, you enter doors in the haunted house. This is when the game switches to a first person perspective. While in the first person perspective you navigate different rooms, gathering items and ammo. This part of the game can also be confusing because what the gamer doesn't know is that in order to advance to stages, you must punch random parts of the walls in these rooms, and you will find random portals that suck you into levels. The levels you get sucked into are much cooler than the haunted house, and thankfully more fun. But if you don't have the instruction manual or any access to the internet, it may take you ages to figure all of this out. One cool thing about going into all these random rooms is that sometimes the room are full of boogey men! You will run into some pretty freakish looking creatures, ranging from Slimer looking demons, to giant incarnations of Frankenstein.

Once you figure out what you're suppose to do, you progress through a series of dimensions and fight a boss at the end of each dimension. After defeating a boss, you are given some type of device that will assist you in the game. Once you gather every device you need, you get a laser which you can use, and then of course you find your brother. In terms of weaponry I will say the variety is pretty nice. You get access to a knife, handgun, machine gun, grenades, and a laser! You also get power ups like rocket boots. So there is certainly a lot of depth to this game, it's just an incredibly confusing game.

I would compare it to something like "Goonies 2" for the NES if you have ever played that. A lot of trial and error, and a lot wondering through random rooms. I do give the game credit for also trying to add depth by making it a side scroller AND a first person perspective, so it gives you a sense of really being the character of Michael, at least it did in 1988. The game also features some pretty decent music with some halloweenish effects. The opening title screen is also something that will give you nightmares. For a children's console, this game could be considered rather scary. It's actually scarier than the "Nightmare on Elm Street" game that was put out, but not quite as fun as the "Friday the 13th" game. If you want a retro game to play during the Halloween season, this one might not be a bad choice. My only warning is that you must have a lot of patience, and you may have to take some time to figure out what to do. That's a common problem with some retro games, but thank god for the internet. If you see this game, you should pick it up. It only cost me about 8 bucks, and I'd say it was worth it.

Dreamcast Anniversary: Top 10 Dreamcast Games

Written by Stu Cooper

Today marks the Anniversary of the Sega Dreamcast launch and I thought I'd take the time to think back on this wonderful system. The Sega Dreamcast was a true underdog console that actually revolutionized gaming in several different ways. The console was released September 9th, 1999 which was just a few months before the Playstation 2 release. The Dreamcast had some stiff competition ahead of them not only with Playstation but Xbox and the Gamecube. With that said, I won't be focusing on why the system failed, I want today to be about the positive things the console left behind.

The console featured the ability to get online which enabled owners the ability to surf the web and play games online. I remember playing around on the internet at a friends and having my mind blown because it wasn't AOL! When the console was first released Sega created the Dreamcast logo and decided to put that logo on all the boxes instead of the Sega logo. This was because of the huge commercial failures Sega had with the 32x and Saturn. Sega attempted to disassociate themselves with those consoles and wanted a fresh start with the Dreamcast. The system was very user friendly, and was very compact. The size is nice when compared to systems like the Playstation 2 and original XBOX which are extremely bulky and heavy in comparison. Almost immediately after the launch developers started releasing some pretty fun games. Some of the games like Crazy Taxi and WWF Royal Rumble were direct Arcade ports, while other games started with the Dreamcast and eventually moved to the PS2 or Xbox. Let's run down some of those remarkable games. I will be counting down what I consider to be the best Dreamcast games out there. There are quite a few gems, so choosing just 10 proved to be difficult.

10. Sonic Adventure

If there is one character that every Sega fan is familiar with, it's Sonic. In Sonic's Adventure you got to play as Sonic but you also get to play as 5 other characters throughout the game. The game was one of the first fully 3-D Sonic games and that provided some pretty intense chase sequences, even one with a giant killer whale. That level makes you feel like you are in Indiana Jones and you're running away from the giant ball! Of course the main enemy of the game is Dr.Robotnik...why won't he just die?! The game breathed new life into the Sonic character and opened the box for more 3D sequels.

9. Power Stone 2

Power Stone 2 was 4 player fighting game that was ported from the Arcade to the Dreamcast, like several other titles. The game featured the ability to have 4 people fighting on screen at once as opposed to the normal 2 characters. The game also featured the ability to pick up items and use them on your opponent. You could pick up chairs, tables, rocks, etc. The game also features the ability to interact with stages, like hopping into cannons that you can use to fire on your opponent. To add more chaos to the mayhem, you can also pick up weapons like a hammer,axe, and flame thrower! With four people playing at once this game is some good ole fashioned arcade fighting fun.

8. Jet Set Radio (Jet Grind Radio)

Jet Set Radio is a beautifully fun skating game with a twist. In the game you play a young punk who is part of a gang in Tokyo. Instead of unleashing gang violence you skate around town and tag parts of the city with graffiti! You will encounter rival gangs, police, and bosses throughout your journey. The game is strangely addictive and kind of feels like an anime version of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. The art style is absolutely unique and I think that's a big part of what makes this game so memorable. This is a must have for any Dreamcast owner. In fact, most people I knew that had the system, owned this game as well.

7. Ready 2 Rumble Boxing

Ready 2 Rumble was an over the top boxing game developed by Midway. It was an arcade style boxing game like Punchout, but instead of being one single character, you are able to pick from a variety of personalities created for the game. The more memorable ones were guys like Afro Thunder, Boris the Bear, and secret characters like Michael Jackson! The game also featured the voice and appearance of world famous announcer Michael Buffer, which gives it a cool official vibe. Each player would have a special move they could use whenever their rumble meter was full. They were often unrealistic crazy movies, almost fatality level. It was a great game and a lot of fun if you have a buddy over.

6. Resident Evil Code Veronica

The fourth game in the Resident Evil series saw a slightly different approach. The completely 3-D backgrounds made for a crisp and beautiful experience. Some actually consider this one of the better looking games in the series. The game focused on Claire Redfield who was the main character in Resident Evil 2. This game was remembered for it's intense difficulty and badass villains. The villain that gets the most attention is a creepy terminator-esque Tyrant man named Wesker. If you can some how make it to him in the game, I suggest playing him with the lights out! If you want a good zombie survival experience on this console, you can't beat Code Veronica.

5. Typing of the Dead

Speaking of awesome Zombie related things, this game is an absolute gem. "House of the Dead" is a very popular arcade series where you shoot zombies with a light gun as fast as possible. Well "Typing Of The Dead" was a sequel that used a keyboard instead of a light gun. Sounds weird right? Well It was actually a blast! You would have to type words to defeat enemies and sometimes even full sentences. The further you got into the game, the more awkward the words get. Boss fights are especially rewarding because you have to type as fast as you can, and the AI will throw some bizarre sentences at you. I highly recommend picking this one up. It's an odd and addicting game.

4. Soul Calibur

Soul Calibur is the second in the now famous Soul series. The game was developed by Project Soul but produced by Namco. It started out as an arcade exclusive but then it was ported to the Sega Dreamcast with updated graphics and a bigger roster. The game was basically a 3-D weapon fighting game. It was like Tekken with weapons. The game featured many interesting characters that would later become iconic as the series continued. My personal favorite would have to be the boss of the game "Cervantes". The story is kind of hard to pick up on in the game, but it apparently is all about possessing the "Soul Edge" sword, which is held by Cervantes and eventually turns another character into "Nightmare". The gameplay was almost identical to Tekken except for the inclusion of weapons. The weapons would provide a deeper element to the moves. This game is about as fun as it gets and if you grew up going to Pizza Hut, you probably played this in their lobby at some point. You can't go wrong with a "Soul" game.

3. Crazy Taxi

In the game Crazy Taxi you play a taxi driver who likes to play things close to the edge. You are basically in some type of cartoon world where you can drive like a maniac, get outrageous speed and high jumps, and above all else you get to pick up random people. You will be tasked with delivering certain people to certain places in a short span. This is what causes you to amp things up. Not only is the driving a blast, but the world you play in is also a lot of fun. The range of people you pick up are endless. It's quite funny when the passenger comments on your driving skills, or in some cases their brush with death. Another big highlight of this game would have to be the soundtrack! It's mostly a bunch of Offspring songs that mesh PERFECTLY with the tone and pace of the game. The main track is stuck in my head as I type this.

2. Shenmue

Perhaps one of the most beautiful titles of it's time, Shenmue was a game that many instantly fell in love with. It was an action adventure game that featured nonlinear gameplay that would allow you to walk and do whatever you wanted. This was executed beautifully in the game, but it would come at a cost. The game was one of the most expensive in history! It cost 47 million dollars to produce, which is about 65 million adjusting for inflation. Unfortunately while there was a sequel, the game creators never got to complete the trilogy, most likely due to financial losses on the game. I had heard somewhere that almost every dreamcast owner would have to buy 2 copies of Shenmue for them to make their money back. It's quite sad because it really was a remarkable game that opened the door to many other games like it. I think it was really before it's time.

The gameplay revolved around a young guy named Ryo who is trying to solve the death of this father. You escalate the story by traveling around the city and finding different items. In terms of combat it has a nice 3-D RPG feel to it, as you fight the Yakuza and street thugs, then eventually you solve the mystery. It was a very deep game for it's time and it was very easy to get immersed in it. Fans of the game are still hoping and praying that someday we will finally see the completion of the series.

1. Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes

Now I know this may be a controversial pick for number one, but I just had to do it. I've dumped countless hours into this game, and I've got the thumb blisters to prove it! This game is possibly one of the best sequels in gaming history. The original Marvel vs. Capcom was your basic 2-D fighter but featured comic book characters squaring off against characters owned by Capcom. It was quite a cool idea and it allowed fans to live out dream matches. The sequel took this idea and increased the roster ten fold. You get to pick a team of 3 characters and you battle your way through some pretty epic combinations of characters.

The game became famous on the arcades and was eventually ported to the Dreamcast, then later on other consoles. Many consider the Dreamcast version to be the definitive version and the one that reminds people the most of the arcade. Not only was the gameplay an absolute blast, but the competition was also very steep. The game became so popular that it spawned a series of gaming tournaments, where the best face off. I never was one for playing against strangers in the arcade, plus if they know combos you're probably going to lose anyways. To top the game off, it features an extremely catchy menu select song which I'll post below. All of these things combined with the adrenaline rush of fighting as fast as you can, make for the perfect Dreamcast experience!

Honorable Mentions:

Well folks that wraps up our list for today, but please comment and tell me what were some of your favorite Dreamcast games? Do you agree with my list?

Monster Mania Day 27: The Addams Family Presents Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt

Written By Stu Cooper

This will be a quick review because there isn't a whole lot to say about this game, but I just got it in and had to give it a go, especially considering the time of year. Now when I was younger I remember renting one of the "Addams Family" games and having a pretty hard time with it, and from that point on I never really tried any of the other games. I'm not sure which game that was, but it wasn't this one because I had a blast playing this. In "Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt" you play the cartoon version of Pugsley who accepts a scavenger hunt challenge from his sister Wednesday. You play as Pugsley for the entire game and I'm alright with that. You get into all sorts of mischief and you can actually choose which levels you want to play by entering certain doors in the Addams Family house. The controls are pretty crisp and easy to get the hang of, tho attacking can be defeat at times and you have to be quick. The real highlight would be the music. It has the Addams Family theme at the beginning but the soundtrack throughout the game is pretty catchy and fun. It's just overall a fun little side scroller. If you're looking to play something with a Halloween feel and looking to interact with the Addams Family, this game is a good bet. Be sure not to confuse it with "Fester's Quest".

Retro Game Review: Ecco The Dolphin (Genesis)

Written by: Jenny Foxx

Easily one of my favorite games from the Genesis generation, Ecco the Dolphin stands the test of time. I played this little side-scroller so much as a teenager, that I had no trouble remembering the ins and outs of its sometimes daunting puzzles when I put the cartridge in and gave the dolphin a run for his money this afternoon. Being that I’m not a first timer, I had her shut down after a mere 3.5 hours of gameplay, but it is no easy task. Ecco boasts some of the more frustrating enemies and levels I have ever encountered in games of similar nature.

The game follows a dolphin named Ecco (as the title suggests) who has lost his pod to a mysterious wind in the sky. Ecco fights his way through the ocean to uncover the secrets behind the disappearance of his family. Along the way, he gets help from crystal glyphs, whose cryptic, albeit helpful, messages guide you through the plot and help to unveil the evil Vortex –an alien race from a distant planet who feed on the sea life of Earth once every 500 years. As Ecco, you must traverse the ocean, and time, to find and defeat the Vortex queen and return your pod to safe waters. Ecco runs into a variety of ocean favorites in his travels, including orca whales and giant octopi. Some are friendly, and some are downright a pain in the ass. Ecco is fairly easy to maneuver, though there are some jumps that do require a modicum of patience to achieve. The health mechanics of the game are built around the necessity for air, and schools of fish that you can dash into and eat to revive your dying dolphin. The game is broken down into six environments, each with between two and four levels, and each with varying degrees of difficulty. To put it nicely, the easy levels are amazingly simple puzzles or mazes, with plenty of air pockets and fish to replenish you along the way. The medium levels are just slightly more challenging. They added a few more enemies and longer stretches without air, but not made them any more troublesome to solve. The hardest levels however, will unquestionably make you want to pull your hair out. There are virtually no air pockets, frustrating currents, and a heavy smattering of nuisance enemies to knock your life down when you need it the least. Oh, and no to mention the fish are all scared of these levels too. They are nowhere to be seen. There are no checkpoints, so with every death you will start the level over. This becomes increasingly frustrating during some of the more challenging areas. Ecco also does not offer lives or continues, instead working on the level password system, allowing you to return to the start of the level you last played, you know, for the times when you feel like shooting someone in the face.

I can’t really offer much commentary in the ways of graphics, given that this gem was released in 1992. I don’t recall if I was amazed by it back then, or whether I thought it of no importance. I will say that the areas are rich in color and offer vibrant renditions of life on the sea floor, but most of the time you are looking at rock and water. In the Atlantis areas there are more distinct and detailed backgrounds, which makes up for the completely bland ice zones that are nothing but chunks of white all over the screen. I feel I can offer, however, a valid opinion on some of the sound. The level tracks themselves are genuinely catchy. In certain areas, they are almost strategically relaxing. I find them all to be a solid fit for the environments and goings on of the levels they are featured in. My favorite among them all happens in the Jurassic levels. It reminds me of a percussion ensemble; precise and rhythmical, yet delicate. That aside, this is one game where I would kill for a volume option and the ability to filter out sound effects. Ecco makes some of the most obnoxious sounds when he is hurt, it almost forces me to play with the sound off completely. Overall, you will hear me say that this is one of my favorites when I talk about classic games, but what you should hear is that this is a game I can play once every few years. I love it on the outside, but it doesn’t take long before I remember why this game gets set down easily. It is definitely one of the games people are referring to when they say things like “do you remember when games were hard?” Cause it is. Incredibly so, at times.

Jenny’s Bottom Line:

Story: Interesting concept. Dolphins v. Aliens. Who would have thought?

Graphics: Often times you get lost in the water/rock combo and lose your sense of direction. Appears as though some levels got more attention than others.

Sound: Super music, horrible effects. For best results, unleash the ipod.

Mechanics: There is really only one memorable spot where you will curse the dolphin rather than the baddies. And believe me, you’ll do that a lot.

Replay: It’s good for nostalgia, but the ever frustrating death count leaves much to be desired. Hooray for cheat codes!

Score: 8.5/10