New Games on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg en-us Final Fight 3, known in Japan as Final Fight Tough, is the third game in the Final Fight series. Like Final Fight 2, Final Fight 3 was exclusively for home systems, and was not released in arcades. This game introduces two new characters; Lucia Morgan and Dean.

Following the Mad Gear gang's defeat in Final Fight 2, a gang war erupted in Metro City, with the Skull Cross gang eventually reigning supreme. Guy returns to Metro City following his training and meets with Mayor Haggar. The Skull Cross gang then detonates a bomb and incite a riot in downtown Metro City, freeing their leader, Black, from prison. Joined by Metro City Special Crimes Unit officer Lucia Morgan and a mysterious street fighter named Dean, Guy and Haggar fight to take down the Skull Cross gang.

The game's engine is greatly modified from that of its predecessors. Borrowing from Street Fighter series, special attacks and super moves were included. Running, running attacks and running leap attacks similar to those in Captain Commando were included. Players could also grab opponents from behind, much like rival series Streets of Rage. Players had weapon combos with their weapon of preference instead of a single power blow. However, if a player used any weapon other than their weapon of preference, it would be used with a single power blow. Additionally, the game's stages feature several multiple routes. All the players have an advantage in either speed or power, with Guy being the most balanced in both terms of speed and strength.

]]> 05 Apr 2007 12:19:15 Final Fight 2 is a 1993 beat 'em up for the Super NES and the second game in Capcom's Final Fight series. Unlike the original Final Fight, Final Fight 2 was not an arcade game, but was made specifically for the home market. The game features the return of Mike Haggar from the original game and introduces Maki Genryusai and Carlos Miyamoto.

Set sometime after the events of the original Final Fight, the Mad Gear gang has been revived under the leadership of a man named Retu in Japan. In retaliation for their early defeat, they had kidnapped Guy's fiancee, Rena and her father (Guy's master), Genryusai.

Two days after the abduction, Haggar receives a phone call from Maki (Rena's sister) informing him of the situation and tells him to meet up with her in Hong Kong. With Cody supposedly "on vacation with Jessica" (Cody would most likely be in jail by this time) and Guy away on a training mission, Haggar enlists the help of Carlos Miyamoto, a swordsman and boarder who is staying with Haggar. The two meet with Maki and decide to travel through various parts of Eurasia in search of Mad Gear's new hideout.

The game can be considered as an attempt by Capcom compensate for the earlier SNES version of Final Fight (as well as Final Fight Guy). The gameplay is not very different from the original game in terms of changes. However, the 2 player cooperative game mode that was missing from the first SNES is restored in the sequel and the game offers three playable characters (instead of two). Though neither Guy nor Cody are playable characters in this game, Maki and Carlos are essentially their replacements (this is further emphasized by the fact that Maki uses the same fighting style as Guy). The only returning enemy (besides the Andore family) is Rolento, a boss character from the original arcade game who was missing in the SNES version. The new enemies are also analogues to the ones from the first game, with virtually all of the new Mad Gear members (Elias, Eleck, Mary) having similar fighting styles to their counterparts from the first game (El Gado, G. Oriber, Poison).

Instead of an American city like Metro City, the game takes place primarily in various European and Asian cities and landmarks, thereby giving the game its own distinct look.

]]> 05 Apr 2007 12:11:02 Final Fight is a classic beat 'em up series from Capcom. It is considered to be Street Fighter's "cousin", and the two series are set in the same universe (characters like Guy, Hugo Andore, Rolento, Cody Travers and Poison have all appeared in later Street Fighter installments). Final Fight was originally released as an arcade game and was ported to several platforms, including the Super NES, Sega Mega-CD, Sharp X68000 and Game Boy Advance. It features former wrestler (as seen in Saturday Night Slam Masters), and mayor of Metro City (Capcom's fictitious city, modeled after New York City), Mike Haggar.

The story of Final Fight involves the abduction of Haggar's daughter, Jessica, because he would not work with Mad Gear to ensure their dominance of the streets. When the Mad Gear thug Damnd contacts Haggar and informs him, Haggar calls up his daughter's boyfriend Cody and his sparring partner Guy, and the three vigilantes head into the streets to bust Mad Gear's skulls, fighting their way through the hordes of goons littering the city (including the Rastafarian thug Damnd, the "Japanophile" Sodom, former Red Beret and militia leader Rolento, corrupt cop Edi. E, and the ill-tempered Abigail), to get to Mad Gear's boss, Belger.

Final Fight, whilst following in the footsteps of Double Dragon, was an innovative and balanced game. Unlike several beat 'em ups before it, Final Fight featured very large and detailed sprites for its day, and the controls were quite fluid and simple. Beginners could take to the game quickly, yet the game was balanced and difficult enough to ensure even experts could always expect a challenge for every new play. The game also began the strength-based, speed-based, and average character variety that countless other beat 'em up and other genres derived, as one controls Haggar (very powerful yet very slow and vulnerable to attack), Guy (very agile and can use hit-and-run, yet has weak offensive power), or Cody (who balances strength and speed, being an excellent choice for beginners). It also featured very long levels and various powerful enemies that could easily crowd the screen and had several fighting tactics against the player. It was not uncommon to hear people talk of how crowds would gather to watch whoever was playing the machine at the time.

]]> 05 Apr 2007 11:59:05 Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow, also known as Donald Starring in Maui Mallard in Europe, is a platform game, released in 1996 for the PC, Game Boy, Super NES(SNES) and Mega Drive/Genesis consoles. The game was developed by Eurocom and released by Disney Interactive. The game was one of the first games to be released under Disney Interactive.

Maui Mallard (played by Donald Duck) is a medium-boiled detective visiting a tropical island when the mysterious Shabum Shabum idol goes missing. Shabum Shabum is considered the island's native guardian spirit, and unless the idol is recovered, the whole island will explode. Maui is put on the case, and his investigations lead him through a creepy mansion to a native village, where Maui is sacrificed and thrown into a volcano as a sacrifice to the native gods. Maui survives the volcano, and the islanders put him through the "test of duckhood", which Maui passes, gaining the natives' trust. The natives tell Maui that the only one who knows where Shabum Shabum is has died long since, and Maui goes through the land of the dead to escort his soul into rest.

Besides typical platform game gameplay (running around, jumping from platform to platform), one of the game's most distinctive gameplay features is allowing to switch the player character's form to suit one's needs. The player begins the game as Maui, whose only mean of self-defence is an insect-launching pistol that can launch several forms of bugs, some of them combined for greater effect. However, once the player reaches the second level, Maui transforms into Cold Shadow, his ninja alter ego, who defends himself with short-range attacks using a staff. Cold Shadow's staff is also primarily used to explore the level further, such as climbing a narrow tunnel. After the second level, the player can switch back and forth between Maui and Cold Shadow at will, provided he has enough ninja tokens for the transformation. The amount of ninja tokens Maui or Cold Shadow holds determines Cold Shadow's strength when played as him. Some levels of the game, however, prevent Maui from transforming at all, as Cold Shadow cannot bungee jump on vines, for example, which forces the player to use Maui throughout the level.

]]> 02 Mar 2007 07:45:23 Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure is a video game released in 1994 for the Super NES and Mega Drive/Genesis by Activision. It was ported to the Sega Mega-CD (1994), Sega 32X (1995), the Atari Jaguar (1995), PC (1995), and the Game Boy Advance (2001), with the last one ported by Majesco. Pitfall: TMA was also the first commercial game released for Windows 95.

In this game, the player takes the role of Pitfall Harry Jr., son of the hero of the original game, who has to find his kidnapped father.

An extra feature in all versions is the ability to play the original Pitfall! (the Atari 2600 version) after finding a secret doorway. The doorway can be found by looking for something that seems out of place. The Mega-CD, 32X and Windows ports contained extra (and expanded) levels and other enhancements over the earlier versions.

]]> 02 Mar 2007 06:57:03 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters is a fighting game, for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super NES and Mega Drive/Genesis by Konami. While the title is the same, the game is different for each console. Like many competitive fighting games of the era, Tournament Fighters borrowed heavily from elements contained in the Street Fighter II video game. The Japanese Super Famicom version of the game was retitled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Warriors, whereas the Japanese Mega Drive version retained its North American title. The NES version was the only one not released in Japan.

In the Super Nintendo version, a tournament has been organized and many fighters have entered, Shredder being one of them. The turtles decide to participate in order to stop their nemesis as well as proving their strength in the tournament.

This game, instead of following a 6-button attack control like most of Capcom's fighters, uses a 4-button scheme (weak and strong attacks) like most SNK fighting games. A particular feature is the possibility to use a super special attack. In order to achieve this, the player must fill a green bar under the life bar, by hitting their opponents. Once full, the player must press the two strong attack buttons simultaneously.

There is also the option of enhancing the speed of the game, making the fights more intense but also harder to follow.

In addition to the main and versus modes, there is a story mode in which to turtles must rescue April O'Neil and Splinter. Only the four of them can be playable whereas the other characters (as well as a turtle clone) are the bosses. There is also a watch mode, which basically makes the computer control the characters. There are ten characters available, and two bosses.

In the NES version, the turtles (Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo) have been challenged by Shredder, but in order to confront him, they decided to have a tournament between themselves in order to see who is fit for the encounter. There are seven characters. Aside from the turtles, Casey Jones, Hothead (a samurai dragon from the original toy line, based on the Warrior Dragon character from the Archie comics. Nintendo Power magazine once cited his Archie origin, where he was a fireman who later mutated into a dragon like creature) and Shredder. It is the final game made by Konami for this console and the last game made by a third party developer as well. It is also one of the very few versus fighters made for the NES.

In the Genesis version, Splinter has been kidnapped by four purple turtles. When the real turtles realized this, Krang appeared and says that he keeps Splinter with him and that the only way to get him back is that the turtles must go to Dimension X and meet Krang. The player must fight the clones of all the playable characters (see below) as well as the bosses - Triceraton, Krang and Karai.

Besides the turtles, the player can also choose between April O'Neil, Casey Jones, Ray Fillet, and Sisyphus.

This game uses a 3-three button scheme. Two of these are used for standard attacks (in order to do a stronger attack, they have to be pressed along with the d-pad). It doesn't take advantage of the 6-button controller. Because of this, it is considered that this version pales in comparison of the Super NES version.

The game also features (somewhat) destructible environments on a couple of stages where you can fall through the floor.

]]> 02 Mar 2007 05:59:37 Wolverine: Adamantium Rage is a 16-bit platform-action game released for both the Super NES and the Sega Mega Drive in 1994. The Genesis version was published by Acclaim and developed by Teeny Tiny games, while the Super Nintendo version had LJN as the publisher, and Bits Corporation as the development studio. Both versions of the title differed from one another in some key areas, but their story and gameplay remain largely similar.

The SNES version follows Wolverine as he receives a mysterious transmission via computer; someone or something has information about his past and arranges for them to meet at a undisclosed location in Canada. It's here where the game's first stage begins; a laboratory teeming with armed guards and sentry robots.

The Genesis version had a narrative that was a little more vague in its presentation. Wolverine is shown holding what looks like a crumpled newspaper, and expresses his desire for revenge. He then recounts the procedure that he underwent which bonded Adamantium to his bones. It's at this point where the same laboratory level begins without much explanation as to why, or how Wolverine got there.

The rest of both games see Wolverine chasing down details to his past while meeting and battling several villains and arch-enemies along the way.

Both versions share similarities with Nintendo's Metroid franchise, as Wolverine jumps and attacks through large multi-floored levels, attacking doors to give him access to new areas. It's also here were both versions have some major differences as well. The SNES version requires a set amount of enemies to be destroyed before entry to the next area is granted. The Genesis version however, has a countdown timer that expires if the player takes too long, where upon the Wolverine comic character Elsie Dee automatically finds Wolverine and kills him, wasting one of his 5 lives. Both games give Wolverine a percentage of his available health, always starting at 100%. Upon taking damage, his energy will recover overtime thanks to his mutant healing factor. The SNES version has this being a slower process, but the player can wait as long as they want to regain 100% health. Genesis users however don't have that luxury as the previously mentioned count down timer will keep them moving.

Wolverine also has different move sets based on what version the game is being played on. The SNES for example, has Wolverine being able to climb on any wall or ceiling with his claws, and is able to make springing leaps. The Genesis version has Wolverine being able to roll up into a ball and travel short distances, much like the Metroid heroine, Samus Aran.

Each stage is usually ended with a boss confrontation, and these differ from level to level between each version as well. The Genesis game also places more emphasis on basic puzzle solving, and not level navigation and enemy destruction like the SNES version does.

]]> 02 Mar 2007 05:35:54 Earthworm Jim 2 is a platform video game released in 1995. It is a sequel to the original Earthworm Jim.

Earthworm Jim 2 follows the exploits of annelid superhero Jim and his new sidekick Snott as they try to rescue Jim's beloved Princess What's-Her-Name from a forced marriage to the nefarious Psy-Crow. While chasing them across the universe, Jim comes across the summer homes of a number of villains from the first game, including Evil the Cat and Bob the Killer Goldfish.

The game originally appeared on the Mega Drive/Genesis, Super NES and PC, with enhanced versions later released on the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. It was also ported to the Game Boy Advance.

Like the original game, Earthworm Jim 2 contains a lot of irreverent, random humor. It also features more diverse gameplay than the original, with each stage having a different style and mission, as well as various new weapons.

]]> 02 Mar 2007 05:09:24 X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse is a 1994 Super Nintendo fighting game by Capcom in which the X-Men must rescue mutants from captivity in the Genosha island complex. Each X-Man has a specific mission he or she must accomplish. Professor X issues an order which the X-Men must complete to finish their missions, but the levels may be played in any order. After that, Apocalypse (and later, Magneto) appears with the intention of destroying Genosha. In this case, the missions are shared by all characters (not specific) and the player can choose which X-Man suits better for the current mission.

]]> 02 Mar 2007 04:46:34 Batman Forever is a beat 'em up game based on the movie of the same name. The Super NES, Sega Mega Drive, and Game Boy versions were developed by Acclaim Studios London and published by Acclaim Entertainment the Sega Game Gear and PC versions were developed by Probe Entertainment. The player plays as either Batman or Robin. There is also a fighting game mode called "training mode" where the player can play as Batman, Robin, or any of the enemies found throughout the game against either a computer-controlled opponent, against a second player, or cooperatively against two computer opponents.

Unlike most beat 'em up games, Batman Forever's controls are largely based on move lists and key sequences more common in fighting games. Some gadget moves involve moving away from the enemy right before pressing a punch or kick button, which creates problems since the game only keeps the players facing enemies if they're close enough to each other. Those moves would often just turn the player around and cause the move to not execute at all, and while most are close-range abilities anyway, this presents a more major problem with Robin's Heat Gun, which would appear to be intended as a long-range projectile attack to complement Batman's Electric Pellet.

The gadget list is selected by the player each level, with three standard gadgets for each character and two gadgets selected from a list. There are also four hidden "blueprint" gadgets.

The Super NES and Genesis/Mega Drive versions of the game present very glaring differences. The two most prominent ones are the constant load screens (where the game will display "HOLD ON") on the Super NES version, and the much more forgiving controls on the Genesis version. Many reviewers cite such difficulty with the Super NES controls that they couldn't even figure out how to use the gadgets, even with the move list in the manual. The PC version is the same as the SNES and Genesis versions but has superior graphics.

]]> 02 Mar 2007 04:25:01 The Adventures of Batman & Robin for the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis is an action game based on the animated tv series.

The Super Nintendo version is an action-adventure platformer in which the player only controls Batman, and follows him to the end of each stage, where a villain is set to appear. However, the style and design of the stages themselves are different between each other, which gives notable diversity to the game.

Some of the more common features in the game is the possibility to equip with different gadgets, such as bombs, x-ray lenses and so on. Some of the gadgets are in some cases essential to complete some stage. There is also the possibility of returning to the Batcave in order to re-equip the gadgets and restart an entire stage with all the lives the players has accumulated to that point (in case the player had lost lives).

The game features passwords, which leaves the player in the last played stage. The passwords also takes count of the numbers of lives remaining and the continues used. These cannot be obtained in the Hard difficulty, which means that the game must be completed from the beginning.

The Genesis version, published by Sega, is an action-adventure platformer where both Batman and Robin must stop Mr. Freeze, who plans to freeze Gotham City. In order to keep the duo busy, he also frees The Joker, Mad Hatter and Two-Face, each one with their own agenda.

The game can be played by two players simultaneouslty, one player with Batman and the other one with Robin. Both characters are identical in terms of playability, and both uses batarangs in long-range attacks, while they use melee atacks in short range.

There are four levels, each one consisting of a straight left-to-right tranverse to the end where the boss awaits. In some levels the game switches to a horizontal shooter, in which the players must control Batwings.

]]> 02 Mar 2007 04:03:32 Mega Man X3 was released in 1995 by Capcom. It was the third game in the Mega Man X sub-franchise and the last to appear on the Super Nintendo. An enhanced version was also released on the Sega Saturn, PlayStation, and PC in Japan and Europe in 1996, and the PC version arrived in North America in 1998; the enhanced version included remixed music and anime-style cutscenes. It is currently available in the anthology collection Mega Man X Collection, which includes the first six Mega Man X games and Mega Man Battle & Chase. The PlayStation version of X3, not the SNES version, appears in the X collection. Mega Man X Collection was released for the GameCube and PlayStation 2 on January 10th, 2006.

Like its predecessor, Mega Man X2, Capcom included the C4 chip to allow for some limited 3D graphics and transparency effects. Mega Man X3 was the first game in which Zero is a playable character in addition to X.

Mega Man X3 is an action game where the player is given a selection screen of stages to begin. When selected, the player uses Mega Man X to blast various enemies throughout the level and reach the boss character, where defeating it wins the stage and earns a new weapon for the player to utilize.

The story of Mega Man X3 revolves around a Reploid scientist named Dr. Doppler. In the year 21XX, the threat of the Mavericks had been neutralized thanks to Doppler's technology, which prevented the Mavericks from going berserk. The reformed Reploids had formed an utopia near their new mentor called Doppler Town. It seemed that all was well, until the former Maverick Reploids suddenly reverted and once again began causing trouble. Dr. Doppler was held accountable, and X and Zero were sent out to contain the new threat. They were soon after called back to Maverick HQ, which was under attack by Doppler's forces.

However, the two did not realize that while Doppler was indeed behind the new Maverick threat, someone else was pulling his strings. As if that wasn't bad enough, one of X and Zero's old enemies is back from the dead, ready to take them down.

]]> 02 Mar 2007 02:48:09 Mega Man X2 was released in 1994 by Capcom and is the second game in the Mega Man X sub-franchise. It used the same graphics engine from the first installment of the series, but Capcom included an in-cartridge enhancement known as the C4 chip to improve semitransparencies and allow for some 3D graphics in the game. Mega Man X3 was the only other game to ever use this chip. Like the first game, it's praised for having an excellent soundtrack.

Mega Man X2 is an action game, where the player is given a selection screen of stages to begin, When selected, the player uses Mega Man X to blast various enemies throughout the level and reach the boss character, where defeating it wins the stage and earns a new weapon to utilize for the player.

]]> 02 Mar 2007 02:30:06 Mega Man X, released in 1993 by Capcom, is the first game in the Mega Man X series. The first subseries of the popular Mega Man series, it was made primarily as a stepping stone between the NES and SNES incarnations of the original series. In Japan, it is titled Rock Man X. It was released on the SNES first, then ported to the PC in 1995. The game was remade in 2006 as Mega Man Maverick Hunter X (Irregular Hunter X in Japan), for the PlayStation Portable.

The Mega Man series has always been an action game that focuses on "run-and-gun" gameplay. The player takes control of Mega Man X ("X" for short), a Maverick Hunter who seeks to stop Sigma's rebellion against humans. After an introductory stage, the player is presented with a stage selection screen that depicts eight Maverick boss characters.

After the player selects a Maverick to battle, X is teleported into the Maverick's base of operations. The player must dodge obstacles, destroy enemies and other hazards, and keep their life bar as high as possible. Defeating a stage and its boss Maverick rewards X with the boss's weapon, which can be used in a rock-paper-scissors fashion to defeat other boss characters. This mechanic is carried over from the Mega Man Classic series; Capcom maintained the tradition throughout the new series, with a few twists. In the X series, completing a stage may affect the environment of other stages, possibly making them easier or more hazardous.

]]> 02 Mar 2007 02:12:59 Released in 1991, Wing Commander 2 is a sci-fi space simulation that is a continuation of the storyline that was told in the original Wing Commander.






"Ten years ago, you were the Hero of Vega Sector, idol of millions - the starfighter pilot who single-handedly turned the tide of a major Kilrathi invasion. Then something went wrong.


You were disgraced, court-martialed and transferred to a backwater outpost. For years, your lightning-quick reflexes and instinctive dogfighting tactics went to waste while the Kilrathi killed your closest friends on the front lines.


But Mankind still needs a hero, now more than ever before. And you're still the best pilot in the Galaxy. You've got just one chance to prove yourself, just one chance to keep the Terran homeworlds from falling to the massed armada of the Empire of Kilrah."



Think you can handle it, flyboy?"





Again most of the game is spent flying missions in space for the Confederation in the continuing war effort against the fearsome Kilrathi Empire. When not flying missions, the player is also able to explore the "TCS Concordia" and talk to fellow crew-mates. A greater emphasis has been placed on storytelling, which gives the player a greater scope on the people fighting this war. The mood is darker than the original, mainly due to the fact that the Humans are in fact losing the war.


Wing Commander 2 bettered the original in every regard, from the updated graphics engine to the detailed script. It is considered an all-time classic within the gaming world.








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]]> 18 Feb 2007 11:05:29 Set in the year 2654, Wing Commander tells a tale of mankind's struggle for survival in a ferocious war between the Human Confederation and the warmongering Kilrathi Empire, a fierce bi-pedal feline race.





"You're a starfighter pilot, the best of the best, but nothing in your training prepared you for action this hot. Deep space dogfights against Kilrathi aces are deadly, and the future of humanity is on the line each time you fly!


Wing Commander puts you in the middle of the most intense starship action you've ever experienced outside of a movie theatre. But in Wing Commander, you're the star!"





The majority of the game takes place within the cockpit of various space fighters. Depending on how well one performs while in action, the player may find themselves on the winning or losing path thus altering the plot accordingly. Medals and the respect of your wingmen are gained if performance is exemplary, in turn leading to a more effective attack wing. In between space-flight missions the player is free to roam the legendary carrier "TCS Tiger's Claw" and have conversations with their fellow crew mates, learning more about the horrors and triumphs of the bloody war that is now being fought.


When Wing Commander was released in 1990, the in-game graphics and space-combat engine were a step above all other products during that period. The game was even one of the first to use the new Sound Blaster for PC's, adding to the already cinematic feel of the game.


The strong script and characters which has been a staple through out the series are the primary reason why the Wing Commander has gained such a strong following over the years. That combined with movie-like presentation and strong gameplay has made the venerable Wing Commander a classic among gamers and critics.





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]]> 11 Feb 2007 07:47:45