NFOpocalypse

Superior Epic [ Legendary ]

When you talk about graphic adventure games, people have a lot of questions, not least of which is “What’s a graphic adventure game?”  It’s baffling that such a fantastic genre with exemplary titles has disappeared from gaming, and if for no other reason than to encourage a revival, today’s ROMiniscing is about Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle.  This game is easily one of my favorites of all time for reasons too numerous to fit into one post, but I’ll give it a shot anyway.

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[ Superior ] Epic Legendary

There are only so many variations to the Platforming model, but when the market was saturated with this genre, we gamers were treated to every possible iteration. Whether they were inserting RPG elements like in E.V.O. or pushing the model to its limit like in Kid Chameleon, developers built some amazing experiences from the “Platformer” scaffolding. One game that demonstrates this particularly well is Enix’s Hack-and-slash platformer\City-building Sim ActRaiser. And so, let’s ROMinisce.

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Superior [ Epic ] Legendary

Final Fantasy Tactics and Disgaea brought the Tactical RPG to non-Japanese gamers, but the genre obviously predates these landmarks.  With Fire Emblem establishing the genre only years prior, Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen had a virtually blank slate to work with.  Like the band whose songs the series’ titles pay homage to, this classic is both enduring and incomparably brilliant.

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Superior [ Epic ] Legendary

Naturally, Atari games set the standards for every style of video game we’ve come to love.  Pitfall! is many people’s first Platformer and River Raid their first console shmup, but even these icons can’t claim as many “firsts” in gaming as the subject of today’s ROMiniscing: Adventure.

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Superior [ Epic ] Legendary

Before we resorted to classifying games in the megahybrid genre of “Action,” there was “Action-Adventure” and its sub-category - the iconic “Platformer.”  These games were the mainstay of the industry through two decades of evolution, and the trademarks of this genre are ubiquitous in gaming as a whole.  From Pitfall! to LittleBigPlanet, the best Platformers have always pushed us to the jump-landing, ledge-grabbing, death-defying limits.  Since you and I both have a masochist deep down inside, let’s ROMinisce about a Genesis gem: Kid Chameleon.

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Superior [ Epic ] Legendary

Rockstar Games might mean “hookers, killing sprees, and Hot Coffee” to Jack Thompson, but back when they were DMA Design they were better known for a quirky puzzle-solver called Lemmings.  A slightly lesser-known but equally goofy and enjoyable game, Uniracers (Unirally in PAL regions), is the subject of this week’s ROMiniscing.

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[ Superior ] Epic Legendary

The genre-bending epics of contemporary games certainly have their place, but the success of Viewtiful Joe and similar games shows that side-scrolling action isn’t dead.  Indeed, there’s something special about a side-scrolling, mook-stomping, “story irrelevant” adventure.  This week’s ROMiniscing hearkens back to the earlier days of the genre: Rare(ware)’s Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team.

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Superior Epic [ Legendary ]

We might be used to the idea that SquareSoft can take something like the Disney universe and make a full-fledged role-playing experience out of it, but Kingdom Hearts does not come without precedent.  Before Paper Mario, before Kingdom Hearts, and before Rare unhitched its wagon from Nintendo, there was today’s ROMiniscing feature: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.

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[ Superior ] Epic Legendary

Any SNES\Genesis\TG-16\Neo Geo gamer can opine about the long list of games that never made it to the North American and PAL region markets, but how many can name one that never made it into the Japanese?  And with Action RPGs having their origins in Japan, wouldn’t you be surprised if this game fit that bill too?   Well then get surprised, because today we ROMinisce about exactly that: Secret of Evermore.

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Superior [ Epic ] Legendary

Being a creative medium, a fresh idea like Spore is well-received in the game industry (even if it’s tantamount to a five-part minigame).  Long before YouTube was flooded with “Creature Creator” penis-monsters, evolution was the focus of a now obscure 1993 title published by Enix known as E.V.O.: Search for Eden.  Combining Platforming with Role-Playing, creationism with evolution, and science with mythology, this classic game remains distinct and downright fun.

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