Vidya Game News – September 28, 2018
One day late, sorry! It is definitely not because Steve just forgot to press publish – definitely not.
- Philippe Leblanc shares how Superman 64 nearly ruined his life. We covered it on Episode 47.
- From Polygon and other sites, a new world record has been set for a Super Mario Bros. speedrun. Of course, we covered the game in our very special, very first episode.
- Also from Polygon – Fans are attempting a Doom 2 mod that adds in a battle royal mode, like new shooters. We played it for Episode 129.
- News Todd Brisket can use – DuckTales has already been renewed for a season three, even though season two hasn’t premiered yet. We reviewed it for Episode 3.
- Shmuplations has translated a 1997 interview with a developer of Mega Man X4. Give it the ole read here!
ON THIS DAY (OR CLOSE TO IT!) IN VIDEO GAME HISTORY…
- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was released in 1997. We covered it for Episode 127, the first one of SPOOPTOBER 2017.
- Fallout 2 is now 10 years old! While some people love the first two games in the series, they are definitely rugged to play as compared to the third installment and onward.
Video game history information comes from GameFAQs and Moby Games. When possible, we attempt to link to original sources for all reporting, and we don’t typically link to stupid multi-page galleries. And as always, if you’d like to support the show, do so via our Amazon link.
Vidya Game News – September 20, 2018
It is the weekly news roundup you can’t do without! Vidya Game News!
- Covered by pretty much every vidya game site this week, so why not us too? – The PlayStation Classic is coming out this December. It is billed as having 20 games, with the highlight being Final Fantasy VII, which we covered in Episode 124. The suggested retail price is $99.99.
- In other Classic System news, Sega is delaying its device to 2019, per Polygon and other sites. It is to allow for simultaneous release in all markets, but also likely because the emulation track record from the hardware company isn’t great. (But hey, a 50-game Sega collection is coming to Switch!)
- U.S. Gamer’s Jeremy Parish has an awesome long read about the development of Star Fox, indirectly, which had its roots in a 3D engine game… for the Game Boy. You can read it here. We covered the original and Star Fox 64 in Episode 7.
- Seth Rogen shared a lil tip that most people still don’t know – In Duck Hunt, you can control the duck by plugging in a second controller. We covered the game, and World Class Track Meet, for Episode 45.
- Nintendo Switch’s online classic games are now available… and they’ve already been hacked.
- Brian Fargo, formerly of Interplay, wants to buy the company back if Bard’s Tale 4 is a big success.
ON THIS DAY (OR CLOSE TO IT!) IN VIDEO GAME HISTORY…
- Mega Man 9, a retro revamp of the series, released 10 years ago. It was the first new game in the base series since the eighth installment came out in 1996, a gap of about 12 years. We covered the second installment with Friend of the Show Hawk in Episode 30. Also coming out 10 years ago – The Lego Batman series.
Video game history information comes from GameFAQs and Moby Games. When possible, we attempt to link to original sources for all reporting, and we don’t typically link to stupid multi-page galleries. And as always, if you’d like to support the show, do so via our Amazon link.
Vidya Game News – September 13, 2018
It is back to school time for the kiddos, but really, it is also a prime opportunity for y’all to read some vidya game news too.
- Going to be in Toyko anytime soon? From Nintendo Enthusiast’s John Dunphy, a new Kirby-themed cafe will be opening there. Read more here. And, we reviewed his initial Game Boy game for Episode 24. And hey, if you’re in Yakima, Washington, there is a new game-themed bar.
- From Polygon and other sites, classic fighting game series Samurai Showdown will be revived for the Playstation 4, and likely other systems. Read more here.
- A re-release of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is coming for the Switch and PS4, per Kotaku and other sites. No word yet on how they will do the gameplay. When it originally came out, it required four GBAs to do multiplayer, which went over about as well as you would think.
- Also from Kotaku and a bunch of other sites, the Switch port of Gone Home will have classic SNES cartridges in it.
- Sega Mega Drive shoot-em-up Steel Empire is now available for the PC / Steam, 25 years after its initial release. Read more over at PC Gamer.
- Mega Man 11 now has a playable demo out, per Polygon. We covered Mega Man 2 for Episode 30, and it was the first guest appearance for Friend of the Show Hawk!
- Game Informer has a good, long read on the upcoming Fallout 76, a game the SBBs are hyped for.
ON THIS DAY (OR CLOSE TO IT!) IN VIDEO GAME HISTORY…
- In 1992, the home console versions of Mortal Kombat came out. We reviewed the show for Episode 118.
- Rock Band 2 is now 10 years old! You can find plenty of copies of it, and the plastic instruments, for a variety of systems at pretty much any Goodwill or consignment store. Also from 10 years ago is the Dragon Quest / Warrior IV remake for the DS.
- Sweet Baby Boy favorite FTL: Faster Than Light turns 6 today. It is still a spunky, fun game, and it frequently retails for less than $10 now.
- Grand Theft Auto V came out 5 years ago, and amazingly, it is still incredibly popular thanks to its initial quality and because of the continued support Rockstar has provided it.
Video game history information comes from GameFAQs and Moby Games. When possible, we attempt to link to original sources for all reporting, and we don’t typically link to stupid multi-page galleries. And as always, if you’d like to support the show, do so via our Amazon link.
Vidya Game News – September 6, 2018
Another week, another roundup of news links!
- Attack of the Fan has a neat article on Micro Mages, a new game for the NES. It actually looks kind of neat! You can read more here.
- Ryan Smith of Chicago Reader has an article on Josh Tsui, one of the developers behind mid-1990s Midway games and Insert Coin, an upcoming documentary about the company.
- Mashable and The A.V. Club have a good bit of trivia about Bill & Ted – namely, that the first movie had Hitler in the first draft. We covered that bodacious game in, what else, Episode 69.
- Gizmodo reviews a conversion kit to make your SNES controllers wireless.
- Sony is finally ending support for the Playstation 2, per Kotaku.
ON THIS DAY (OR CLOSE TO IT!) IN VIDEO GAME HISTORY…
- Final Fantasy Tactics Advance came out 15 years ago. Some people love it, whereas others recognize it for the bizarre, subpar offshoot of a classic game that it really is. We reviewed the original game on Episode 144. Also, Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge came out the same week for the GBA. Check out our show on the proper game here.
- Spore came out for the PC 10 years ago. While it was a fun little lark, it wasn’t quite the gaming revolution that game designer Will Wright had billed it up to be. We covered SimCity in Episode 55.
Video game history information comes from GameFAQs and Moby Games. When possible, we attempt to link to original sources for all reporting, and we don’t typically link to stupid multi-page galleries. And as always, if you’d like to support the show, do so via our Amazon link.
Vidya Game News – August 30, 2018
Some of the biggest news we’ve heard in a while! From Polygon and a bunch of other sites, Streets of Rage is coming back with a fourth installment, featuring some pretty nifty visuals. Check it out here.- From Japanese Nintendo, a site I didn’t know existed but is wonderful, there will be a double pack of the Famicom and Super Famicom Classics available in Japan. It looks glooorrrrrious. Those systems always had way more style than their American counterparts. Read more here.
- The Verge has a good interview with Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii, in the week before the series’ 11th installment hits American shores. Early reviews have suggested that if you liked the previous games, you’ll like this one, but that it is unlikely to convert people who don’t love JRPGs already.
- Because of course they would be into that, Capcom developers said they’d be open to remaking the remake of Resident Evil. Them sweet boys love their remakes! Read more from Game Informer’s Ben Reeves here.
- Per Gematsu and the offifical Sega twitter, Switch ports of Sonic and Thunder Force IV have been delayed to September.
- Hey, who DOESN’T want a snazzy watch with Pac-Man?
- The creator of the indie game Owlboy did a mock-up trailer for a Chrono Trigger sequel and it looks wonderful. Look at it here, via TwinFinite, and then cry, because it’ll never happen.
ON THIS DAY (OR CLOSE TO IT!) IN VIDEO GAME HISTORY…
- Former show subjects Crash Bandicoot and DOOM (for the Super Nintendo) turn 22 and 23, respectively! Hopefully those two crazy kids go grab a beer together. You can find our DOOM episode here, and our Crash Bandicoot episode here. (And Crash finally got knocked off the top spot of the UK sales charts.)
Video game history information comes from GameFAQs and Moby Games. When possible, we attempt to link to original sources for all reporting, and we don’t typically link to stupid multi-page galleries. And as always, if you’d like to support the show, do so via our Amazon link.
Vidya Game News – August 23, 2018
A
nother week, another news roundup! Two in a row is one short of a streak! Huzzah!
- Thanks to Strictly Limited Games, Project Hardcore will see the light of day. The game was thought to be lost after being delayed for new systems in 1994, but it will now be released on the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita.
- A couple good, claysic RPGs will be released for the Switch in the next few months. According to Siliconera, a remaster for Grandia I and Grandia II will be coming out. Also, from Gematsu, Phantasy Star will come out in September. Kotaku has a longer piece on the upgrade work Sega is doing on this, and other games.
- Also coming to the Switch will be Vs. Excitebike, per Nintendo Life and Famitsu. Check out our past show on the game here!
- An old Texaco station in Kentucky has transformed into a classic vidya games bar. Nice! Read more about it here.
ON THIS DAY (OR CLOSE TO IT!) IN VIDEO GAME HISTORY…
- In 1993, Nintendo and Silicon Graphics announced a collaboration on 64-bit hardware, Project Reality, that would later become… The Nintendo 64. Read the original press release here.
- Moonwalker turns 28! Way, way older than the tykes featured in the game. Check out our previous episode, an awesome, loose conversation with Friend of the Show Backsack, here.
- In 2003, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness and SoulCalibur II were released. Both were popular in their respective genres, and holy hell, they’re both 15 years old at this point???
Video game history information comes from GameFAQs and Moby Games. When possible, we attempt to link to original sources for all reporting, and we don’t typically link to stupid multi-page galleries. And as always, if you’d like to support the show, do so via our Amazon link.
Vidya Game News – August 17, 2018
The weekly news, it went away for a while, but now… It’s back! For now, at least. Some clayysssiiicccc game headlines from around the web. If you have a tip, send it to parentsbasementpodcast@gmail.com!
- If you were into roms and what not, always deleting after 24 hours of evaluation like a good sweet baby boy, you were probably sad that EmuParadise closed last week. Owen S. Good of Polygon has a good, deep look at why it closed.
- Matt Gander of Games Asylum has an interesting tale on two incredibly late-in-life system releases: Primal Rage for the Sega Saturn, and a Smurfs game for the 32X. You can read his piece here.
- Den of Geek has a list from Matthew Byrd of 25 underrated video game soundtracks. There are some good ones in there, like Earthworm Jim and Earthbound.
- From Gamesindustry.biz and several other sites, surprisingly, the Crash Bandicoot re-release and update is #1 for a seventh consecutive week in the U.K.
- The Gamer has a list of 30 impossible Playstation cosplays, although honestly, half of them seem pretty doable to me. Past YPB “favorites” like Coco Bandicoot are included.
ON THIS DAY (OR CLOSE TO IT!) IN VIDEO GAME HISTORY…
- Electronic Arts acquired Westwood Studios, makers of the Command and Conquer series, in 1998. At the time, the purchase was reported as for $122.5 million. The company was shuttered in 2003 when later games didn’t meet sales expectations.
- In 1993, Dune II came out for the Sega Genesis. You can listen to our show on it here!
- In 1998, the first game of the Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six series came out.
Video game history information comes from GameFAQs and Moby Games. When possible, we attempt to link to original sources for all reporting, and we don’t typically link to stupid multi-page galleries. And as always, if you’d like to support the show, do so via our Amazon link.
Vidya Game News – February 9, 2017
– Netflix has confirmed that an animated Castlevania show will be hitting their service in 2017! You can read about it on GameSpot, and a bunch of other sites. Its creator has called it “R-rated as fuck,” and based on Castlevania 3. You can listen to our ‘vania 1 show here.
– Enshrined in Stuff’s Hall of Fame now: The Sega Mega Drive. Read more here!
– From Tristan Jurkovich at GameSpew, a good read on the “bizarre localization” of a fun adventure / platform action game, Power Blade.
– Sweet sassy molassy! Source codes for NBA Jam Extreme and Turok: The Dinosaur Hunter were found on some auctioned computers, according to this Kotaku article, which is based on the fine work of the folks at YouTube channel Silicon Classics.
– On Ars Technica, World of Warcraft gold can now be used on other Blizzard titles like Overwatch and Hearthstone. Also, by the way, we’ve covered a bunch of their games – the original Warcraft series, Starcraft and Diablo.
– A slew of Star Wars games are available in this week’s Humble Bundle, including Knights of the Old Republic and Shadows of the Empire. Check it out here! We haven’t covered those excellent games, but we have played and reviewed Rogue Squadron 3D (included in the bundle!) and Super Star Wars (not including, but you don’t wanna murder jawas anyway).
As always, if you’d like to support the show, do so via our Amazon link.
Vidya Game News – January 12, 2017
Hey, Steve missed a couple weeks of doing these! Womp, womp, wompppppp. It was mostly because he was looking for new apartments, and also dealing with a time crunch because of the holidays. Going forward, we’re mostly going to focus on the news items. This is because most of the anniversaries, unfortunately, were already starting to repeat themselves. And on that note, herrreeeee is the news!
– Ars Technica publicizes a hack of the NES Classic by Reddit’s NESClassicMods community, which allows you to add games to the system’s library.
– Kotaku, Polygon and other sites have this story about the closing of Asheron’s Call on Jan. 31, and how a 74-year-old dude is still playing the game.
– Also on Polygon, they publicize a trick published by the blog Super Mario Broth, for Super Mario World. Basically, Mario is invulnerable while sliding.
– From Gamasutra, a rowebut is learning how to play Mario Kart 64! You can read the story here, and by the way, our Kart episode is here.
– And hey, more Mario stuff, as Nerdist has stop animation Mare-E-Oh created with Rubik’s cubes. Listen to our Super Mario Bros. episode here!
– If you have Playstation Plus, you’re in luck this month! Day of the Tentacle Remastered, the sequel to Maniac Mansion, is free on the service in January. Check out our review of Maniac Mansion here!
– Shmuplations, of all places, has a cool translation of a Miyamoto interview about the development of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. You can read it here!
If you’d like to support the show, do so via our Amazon link!
Vidya Game News – December 1, 2016
– The new Pokemans games have sold 3.7 million copies in two weeks, making them the fastest sellers ever for Nintendo, according to press releases given to Polygon and other sites. You can listen to our Pokemans show here!
– In other Big N news: Although they announced a Japanese partnership with Universal for theme parks last year, the effort has spread to the U.S. now too, per Den of Geek and other sites.
– In other, other Big N news… The NES Classic Edition is still impossible to find, but ThinkGeek is doing a sweepstakes for some. They might also have some for sale this week. Huzzah!
ON THIS DAY (OR CLOSE TO IT!) IN VIDEO GAME HISTORY…
– November 30 is a popular day for PC releases. Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness came out in 1995, Diablo came out in 1996, and Baldur’s Gate and Starcraft: Brood War came out in 1998. You can listen to our shows on Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo here, here and here.
– November 30, 1999 was also popular for RPGs. Koudelka and Vandal Hearts II both came out on that day. They’re both considered cult classics, and Koudelka continued on via the Shadow Hearts series, which is for the PS2 and awesome.
– Quake III Arena came out on Dec. 2, 1999. While it wasn’t horrible, it was a bit of a misstep by id Software, as Unreal Tournament was generally more popular.
Video game history information comes from GameFAQs and Moby Games. And as always, if you’d like to support the show, do so via our Amazon link.
Your Parents Basement 