Vidya Game News – May 19, 2016
– As Kotaku’s Luke Plunkett types in his write-up, Sega’s game testing training videos were peak 1990s, right down to Soundgarden and Nine Inch Nails background music.
– From Polygon’s Allegra Frank, a remake of cult classic Wild Guns is coming out for the PS4!
– In unnecessary video game movie adaptation news… A Tetris movie is in the pipeline, according to Deadline. And not a documentary about the game’s interested and tangled history, but a science fiction game. A discount film studio has picked up the rights to Atari’s Missile Command and Centipede, also per Deadline. Also, confirming long-standing rumors, Nintendo said it would look to re-enter the ole Hollywood business.
– What was the code name for the biggest heroin bust in Delaware’s history? Operation Duck Hunt, of course. Read more via The Sussex County Post.
– Nintendo Player has an awesome long read on the recently-unearthed Happily Ever After, a Snow White-based NES game from the early 1990s. The game itself is a generic, Nintendo Hard affair, but the story behind it is fascinating. Plus, the ROM has been made available for free online!
– From several sites, a retro 8-bit version of Monopoly, featuring Super Mario Bros., now has a sale slug on Amazon.
– Per Gamasutra and several other sites that got the press release, mod support for older Sega games caused them to sell 350,000 copies on Steam since April 28. For the details, click here.
– For James and Mike Mondays, the guys play Doom 64, which Steve remembers somewhat fondly from his childhood! If you didn’t have a high-powered PC back in the day, it was a fairly easy way to play the ole game. Also from that site this week, Mike and Bootsy play Pinball for the NES!
ON THIS DAY IN VIDEO GAME HISTORY…
– In 1997, Eurocom released the Midway arcade game War Gods for the N64. Because the system was so starved for games at various points, it was hyped for months in Nintendo Power, but it ultimately was just a mediocre fighting game.
– New Super Mario Bros. now isn’t, as it celebrated its 10th year on May 15. (Note: It’s still an awesome platformer for the DS, though.)
– For a brief history in time, people thought they’d get in shape via vidya games. On May 21, 2008, Nintendo came out with Wii Fit and the Wii balance board. Both the balance board and the Wii are now probably in your closet.
– The year after Wii Fit, Next Level Games dropped a remake of Punch-Out!! for the Wii. While it was well-received, it wasn’t the iconic game that the original was.
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.
Episode 045 – Duck Hunt (1985) and World Class Track Meet (1988)
Episode 045 – Duck Hunt (1985) and World Class Track Meet (1988)
This week in Your Parents Basement, we are focusing on two pack-in games for the ole NES! From 1985, we’re playing Duck Hunt with the NES Zapper, and from 1988, we’re playing World Class Track Meet, both developed in part by Nintendo.
You can manually download this week’s gimmicky podcast here or subscribe to the show via the iTunes store. To manually subscribe, use this link in the device / podcast player of choice. You can also follow us on Twitter, or ‘like’ us on Facebook.
As always, if you like the show, support us by buying from Amazon! You can use this link to go to Amazon, and any purchase you make will kick a couple bucks to the show, with no extra cost to you. It’s a win-win!
Want to have an email or comment read on the air? Send us a message on the ole Twitter or Facebook, or, shoot that mail to parentsbasementpodcast@gmail.com.
TIMESTAMPS
- 0:00 – Intro, which features the title theme from World Class Track Meet.
- 39:00 – Emails! A special friend wants to guest on the show, and the return of a length emailer.
- 1:06:45 – Snifferoo. Next week, we’re playing a fun, esoteric game that makes Jurassic Park look cheap. (Well, not really. But it’s a fun game with a great soundtrack!)
SHOW NOTES
– According to Price Charting, loose carts of Duck Hunt are super cheap, and only cost $3.35. The same thing goes for the combo packs with Super Mario Bros. and World Class Track Meet. However, the Duck Hunt box adds another $100 on to the price, because it’s so rare. (I can’t remember ever seeing JUST Duck Hunt for sale in a store…) World Class Track Meet seemingly didn’t have a proper release, and it’s not really for sale on eBay as a result.
– Stadium Events, the game that World Class Track Meet was repurposed from, goes for an insane amount of money now. GameSpot has a good article on the latest $35,100 auction here.
– From YouTube, modern day teenagers try to play Duck Hunt. Hilarity ensues!
Episode 030 – Mega Man 2 (1989)
Episode 030 – Mega Man 2 (1989)
This week in Your Parents Basement, we are using our mega busters and mostly the metal blade to defeat evil robot masters! From 1989, we are playing Capcom’s Mega Man 2. We are also joined by special guest, friend of the show and one-time letter writer, Hawk Man 5000, a.k.a. Dave! He’s a master of the series, apparently being one of the five people left that owns a cartridge version.
You can manually download this week’s podcast that wiles your eardrums here or subscribe to the show via the iTunes store. To manually subscribe, use this link in the device / podcast player of choice. You can also follow us on Twitter, or ‘like’ us on Facebook.
As always, if you like the show, support us by buying from Amazon! You can use this link to go to Amazon, and any purchase you make will kick a couple bucks to the show, with no extra cost to you. It’s a win-win! Want to have an email or comment read on the air? Send us a message on the ole Twitter or Facebook, or, shoot that mail to parentsbasementpodcast@gmail.com.
TIMESTAMPS
- 0:00 – Intro, which is the buildup and classic crescendo of the Mega Man 2 main theme.
- 55:15 – Emails. The boys talk about their favorite games from 30 years ago, dinosaur-based games and the lack of emails in Todd’s box.
- 1:09:30 – Todd gets something off his chest.
- 1:13:45 – Snifferoo. Between this and the Mega Man 2 theme, we are sorry that 8-bit theme songs will haunt your dreams.
SHOW NOTES
– According to Price Charting, pretty much all of the NES Mega Man games are now worth some decent money, whether you have the box or not. Thanks to their popularity and scarcity, loose cart prices range from $20 for the third up to $96 for the fifth. Boxed prices range from $180 to $1,800. Even the press kit for the ninth installment, which is a sort of faux-NES game for modern systems, is $275 to $300.
– We picked Mega Man 2 because it is a bit more modern and easier than the first game, but really, any game of the main series or the X-series is worth playing. There are various collections and games available for purchase on pretty much every system and online stores.
– The good Den of Geek story on the fall of Capcom and Mega Man is by Ryan Lambie, and you can read it here. Mighty No. 9, the spiritual successor by series creator Keiji Inafune, is due out February 2016.
Your Parents Basement 