Plumbers Don't Wear Ties: A Video Walkthrough
We'd like to welcome our readers to a very special event. For the first time ever, we will be presenting a full video walkthrough of a game, the 3DO title Plumbers Don't Wear Ties. PDWT was billed as an "adult choose your own adventure story" in which you try to help a poor down on his luck plumber named John score with an attractive girl.
There is little actual gameplay to be found in Plumbers. All the player does is watch a "scene" consisting of a series of still photos accompanied with some elementary-school-play-level dialogue and then chooses the main character's next move at the end of the action. Think of this game as Leisure Suit Larry meets Dragon's Lair, only less advanced.
If you think you're ready for this kind of intense action, send the kids off to bed, put on some Barry White, pour yourself a stiff drink and join our hosts, Pinky and Jumpman, as they dive into the world of Plumbers Don't Wear Ties!
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Impact of the Virtual Console on the Indie Game Store
Ever wondered how dem new fangled online game marketplaces like the Virtual Console are impacting small indie game stores like Pink Godzilla? Wiicast.com is conducting a series of interviews with indie game stores around the country to gauge the impact of how VC, XBLA, etc are impacting retro sales. We won't spoil the fun so head over and give it a read.
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Virtual Boy-1995
Number of Models Released : One- Virtual Boy
Number of Units Sold : Approximately 770,000 units in Japan and North America
Life Cycle: 1995 through 1996
Flagship Titles: Mario Clash, Mario Tennis, Red Alarm, Wario Land
Import Alert: Umihara Kawase
With the recently announced Umihara Kawase Portable, PG dusted off a copy of Umihara Kawase for the Super Famicom and gave this great classic game the full treatment. Umihara Kawase is one of the sleeper hits on the Super Famicom; although known for its level design and physics, the game has much more to offer. Take a peek after the jump for the full scoop, moving pictures included!
Project RS - The Pinnacle of Shooters
Back in 1998, when the Sega Saturn was on life-support, Treasure released Radiant Silvergun. Lauded as one of the greatest shooters of all time, nearly ten years after its release Radiant Silvergun still fetches a premium price in the collectors market. What many people don't realize, however, is that Radiant Silvergun was just the first game in a trilogy of epic shoot'em ups. In 2001, Treasure released the sequel titled Ikaruga. And while the third game is not yet even in development, there is an honorary member to the Project RS family - Judgement Silversword for the Wonderswan Color, of all systems.
Continue reading for a retrospect on Radiant Silvergun, Ikaruga and Judgement Silversword - three of the greatest shooters ever made.
Pioneer LaserActive - 1993
Life Cycle: Released in 1993.
Number of Models Released: One with three different PACs for playing Mega Drive and PC Engine games as well as singing karaoke.
Number of Units Sold: Estimated at around 10,000.
Flagship Titles: All PC Engine and Mega Drive titles
Number of Games Released: Close to 1500 games can be played on the LaserActive.
Mega Drive - 1988
Life Cycle: 1988 through 1998.
Number of Models Released: Eight - Mega Drive, Mega Drive 2, Sega Multi-Mega, Wonder Mega, Sega Mega Jet, Tera-Drive, Aiwa Mega CD, and the Pioneer LaserActive.
Number of Units Sold: Estimated at 4 to 6 million units in Japan.
Flagship Titles: Sonic the Hedgehog, Bare Knuckle and Phantasy Star.
Number of Games Released: Approximately 700.
King Koopa's Kool Kartoons
Bowser Koopa: Evil King of a vicious turtle tribe, world famous villain, video game icon, local TV kids show host? That's right, for a short few months back in the 80's, Bowser went from a big time criminal mastermind to a small time after-school TV emcee.
We've all done a few things back in the 80's that we regret, but what could have possibly happened to such a powerful villain to put him in such an embarrassing situation. Join us below the fold for the story.
Nintendo Color TV Game Systems - 1977
Life Cycle: 1977 through 1980.
Number of Models Released: Five - Color TV Game 6, Color TV Game 15, Color TV Racing 112, Block Kuzushi and Othello.
Number of Units Sold: Over 2.5 million units in Japan.
Flagship Titles: None.
Number of Games Released: None as the games were built into the console.
PC Engine - 1987
Life Cycle: Released in 1987, software produced through 1999.
Number of Models Released: At least fifteen. Continue reading for the complete list.
Number of Units Sold: Approximately 7 million units in Japan.
Flagship Titles: PC Genjin, Dracula X, Bomberman and Y's I & II.
Number of Games Released: Approximately 650 Hu Card and CD ROM games.
The Games Of Tron. Starring Tron Guy!
Any self respecting connoisseur of the 80's no doubt remembers the masterpiece that is Tron. With its slick futuristic computer generated graphics and surprisingly realistic depictions of what goes on inside of a network, Tron became an instant cult classic.
Like many classic 80's icons, Tron was quickly given the video game treatment. It was barely out of theaters when games based on the movie started popping up in arcades across the country.
Today we'll take a look at some popular games based on Tron, but we won't be alone. Also starring in this retrospective will be the expert on all things Tron, the inimitable Tron Guy!.
Super Famicom - 1990
Life Cycle: Released in 1990 and production ceased in 2003.
Number of Models Released: Three - Super Famicom, Super Famicom Jr. and Sharp's SF1.
Number of Units Sold: 17 million in Japan; 49 million worldwide.
Flagship Titles: Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past, Super Mario World, Super Mario RPG, Final Fantasy VI, Mother 2, Seiken Densetsu 2 & 3, Super Donkey Kong, Star Fox, Super Metroid and F-Zero.
Number of Games Released: 1388 licensed games not including limited edition gold carts and label/box variants.
Broadcast Satellaview-X - 1995
Ever heard of the Satellaview? No? Well, look no further! Pink Godzilla's got all the latest info on the hottest thing ever to have hit the shores of Japan--for at least five years. PG Analysts have been hard at work unraveling the mysteries of this mysterious system. Keep reading to see what we managed to come up with.
The Rarest Game Ever? PowerFest 1994!
There are a lot of so called "Holy Grail" games in existence. Extremely rare titles of which only a small handful of copies exist. Air Raid for the Atari 2600, Summer Carnival '92 for the Famicom, and the NES World Championship cart come to mind.
These games pale in comparison to the the rarest of the rare, a game with only one copy in existence! A Powerfest 1994 game cartridge, which was used during a nationwide gaming competition, has recently surfaced after it was previously thought to be lost forever.
Join us below the fold for the story of the PowerFest competition and the one of a kind (literally) collectible that it spawned.
PG Behind the Mascot: Disk-kun
Through a series of anonymous sources Pink Godzilla has managed to piece together the sad story of Disk-kun, the Famicom Disk System mascot of the late 1980's. Never heard of Disk-kun? How could you ever forget the infamous trial of Disk-kun v. Master Chief?
Prepare yourself. For you are about to go behind the mascot.
Famicom Disk System - 1986
Life Cycle: Released in 1986 and production ceased in 2003.
Number of Models Released: Only two - Famicom Disk System, which must be attached to a Famicom to play, and the Twin Famicom from Sharp.
Number of Units Sold: 4.5 million.
Flagship Titles: Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros. 2
Number of Games Released: 184 not including all the Gold Disk variants.
Sports Sunday: The First Ever Video Game Competition!
These days, you can't turn around without running into a video gaming competition. Recently, the World Cyber Games held their 6th annual World Championships of gaming at Qwest Field, just a few blocks away from PG Headquarters. Pink Godzilla even got into the act with our Pinkathon contest at this year's PAX.
Competitive gaming got it's start in the early 80's with arcade and pinball high score tournaments. Many of these competitions were hosted by Twin Galaxies, which now operates an online gaming record database. For decades, champions of the competitive gaming scene have had their names enshrined in the annuls of gaming fame.
A crack team of PG researchers have dug into the archives and found what we believe to be the very first recorded video gaming competition. Join us as we look back at this contest and discover the very first champions of competitive video games.
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Simply NES's Guide To FDS Belt Repair
Are you a proud of a Famicom Disk System only to have the little guy stop working while fighting the Eggplant Wizards in Parutena no Kagami or Kid Icarus as it's known in the US. The most likely culprit is the drive belt, which follows the Nintendo rule of five: five-year life expectancy for battery saves; five years between Super Mario home console game releases; and five-year life expectancy for drive belts.
Thankfully, an avid NES collector over at simplynes.com has posted a step-by-step tutorial for replacing those pesky drive belts.
Famicom - 1983
Life Cycle: Released in 1983 for the red & white model and 1993 for the AV Famicom. Production ceased in 2003.
Number of Models Released: At least six - Square Button, Round Button, AV Famicom, Sharp Titler, Twin Famicom, My Computer TV C1.
Number of Units Sold: 19.23 million in Japan; 62 million worldwide if you include the NES.
Flagship Title: Super Mario Bros.
Number of Games Released: 670 not including Disk System games.
Steel Battalion: Bringing the Arcade Home
Every once in a while a game is released that bridges the gap between arcade and console games by joining the best parts of both worlds; the advanced custom controller of an arcade game and the comfort of home. The games that bridge this gap bring a new experience to gamers who don’t have arcade games at their disposal.
More after the jump.
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PG Presents: Inside Pac-Man!
Have you ever walked past an arcade game and wondered, what is inside that monolith of gaming history, the mysterious cabinet that sits in pizza parlors, bowling alleys, super markets, and upon occasion, an arcade?
Fear not, video game philosopher. We have the technology and an all access pass to go inside an original arcade machine, the iconic symbol of the 80’s arcade, Pac-Man.
PG's Behind The Music: Ulala
Dancing aliens? Angry techno artists? Feminine hygiene commercials? Michael Jackson in space?
This is the story of the long, strange trip of Ulala, the heroine of Sega's Space Channel 5 series. For a short time, she was one of gaming's most recognizable stars, but fame was fleeting for the Dreamcast icon. Today we look back at Ulala's 15 minutes of fame and find out how one of the brightest stars in the Sega universe burned out so quickly.
PG's Guide To Gaming Like It's 1979!
Gamers today have it so easy. These days, when you get ready to hook up your fancy new Next-Gen console, it's a simple matter of plugging in the power cord and hooking the A/V cables up to the TV. But back in the old days, trying to set up that new Atari involved a welder, a chest full of tools, and a master's degree in electrical engineering from MIT. Videogame commercials from the era always reminded their young viewers that "your parents help you hook it up."
Today, the PG Engineering Team will attempt to recreate an authentic console setup from the earliest days of home videogaming. Join Pinky G and Jumpman as they try to go back in time and discover how the first generation of gamers enjoyed their favorite hobby.
Take Me Out To The Ballgame With The Vectrex.
A few weeks ago at CGE in Las Vegas, Pitcher's Duel, a super-rare, never before released baseball game for the Vectrex was unearthed for the very first time. PG was lucky enough to snag one of the only 100 special editions of Pitcher's Duel and put it to the test on our brand new Vectrex system.
Is Pitcher's Duel the ultimate early 80's baseball experience?
Read on for the story behind this rare title.
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Biomiracle Bokutte Upa: Hottest Famicom BGM Bombtrack Ever?
Is there a better famicom (or NES) BGM track out there than Biomiracle Boku tte Upa? (Translation: Biomiracle My Name is Upa) When we got a copy of the uber rare Famicom cartridge version of Biomiracle Bokutte Upa in last week, we were reminded of just how catchy that Upa jingle is. If this song doesn’t make you wanna inflate some little pigs and ride them like skateboards, nothing will. (Nothing that you can find at PG…) Jump to the break for hot pig inflating action music.
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The History Of Light Guns. Part 1:Penny Arcade Shooters
Time for a Pop Quiz, gamers. Do you know when the very first light gun games were invented?
Was it during the mid 80's with the release of the NES Zapper and the Sega Master System's Light Phaser? Nope, the 8-bit console shooters may have popularized the light gun but they weren't the first to use that technology.
Was it during the late 70's at the dawn of the home gaming era with the Coleco Telstar Marksman? It might have been the first home console to let you blast electrons at your living room TV, but it wasn't the first time light guns had been used in games.
To find the answer to this question, join PG's archaeologists as we take the Wayback Machine to the prehistoric arcades of the 1930's and 40's. There we will discover the very earliest light gun games and how they've evolved over the decades into the modern home shooters that we all know and love.
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The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the CD-I
The Legend of Zelda for the Philips CD-I. For years, these words have inspired fear and terror in the hearts of gamers. Dark tales of the infamous crossover titles have been passed down from generation to generation, warning young gamers of the danger that awaits them if they dare to play the forbidden games.
The Zelda CD-I series has been the subject of nearly universal derision and ridicule, but are these games really as bad as popular opinion says. Today we'll take a closer look at these famous titles and see for ourselves how bad they really are.
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I'm Not Boy - An Homage To The Neo Geo Pocket
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The Original Console War: Atari vs. Mattel!
With the PS3 finally launching in Europe, all three new-generation systems will be available worldwide and the latest version of the Console Wars will begin in earnest. The PS3/Wii/XBox360 contest is the latest in a long and bloody history of battles for dominance of the home gaming market.
Today we look back through the mists of time, to the very first console war. The forgotten struggle between two titans of the ancient gaming world. The Atari VCS vs. the Mattel Intellivision.
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Bad Dudes: Whatcha Gonna Do?
"The President has been kidnapped by ninjas. Are you a Bad enough Dude to save the President?" Words that inspired an entire generation. Today we look back at the NES and arcade hit Bad Dudes and the real-life events that inspired this classic game.
A tribute to Working Designs.
We recently passed a sad anniversary in the gaming world. A little more than one year ago, on December 12th, 2005, legendary game publisher Working Designs announced it would close up shop for good. Today, even as we celebrate a holiday bounty of hot new consoles and great new games, let's take a moment to look back at the life and times of one of the great companies in gaming history, Working Designs.
Mega Man - The Early Years Part II
Yes folks, the one we know as Mega Man started his career as Dr. Light's personal assistant. Designed to do simple household tasks like clean the toilets, balance Dr. Light's checkbook, and give the Doctor his nightly spongebath, Rock was happy with his simple life. But after Dr. Wily ran off with all of his Master Robot friends, he knew that somebody had to do something to stop them. Rock volunteered to be outfitted as a warrior robot to save the world. Dr. Light created a sharp new suit of armor for Rock and added a retractable cannon to one of his arms. Rock was transformed into Mega Man.
Mega Man - The Early Years Part I
Did you know that next year Mega Man will celebrate his 20th birthday? It seems like only yesterday that the Little Blue Robot Boy That Could burst onto the scene in a blaze of glory. The Blue Bomber has been through a lot during the years. There have been good times (the X games for the SNES), the bad times (the NT series), and the downright ugly times (ever see the box art for Mega Man 1?). But through it all, Mega Man has persevered with his trademark thumbs up (and his low-yield nuclear bomb power up that he just aquired from Fallout Man).
Let's take a ride with Number Johnny Five and go back in time to take a look at the early years of Mega Man.
A Raging Storm On Your Famicom: Summer Carnival `92
For every system, there are gold standard titles for which all others of that genre are judged. NES platformers are held against Super Mario Brothers. 2D fighters in the arcade against Street Fighter II. RPG's against the Final Fantasy series for Famicom and Super Famicom.
And then there is Summer Carnival `92 - RECCA - the Radiant Silvergun of the Famicom.
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Ahoy, Me Matees! There Be Famicom Carts A Yonder!
In the late 80's and early 90's, the NES/Famicom was king and top tier publishers like Vistar, Redant, NTDEC and Supervision released classic 8-bit titles like Fancy Bros, Super Kid 2 and Grading.. all conveniently packaged into 1 cart!
Wait a minute...
Welcome to the world of pirate multicarts.
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8 Reasons To Own Radiant Silvergun
Treasure has always been a great partner for Sega, as games like Gunstar Heroes for the Mega Drive/Genesis, Bangaioh for the Dreamcast and the recent Bleach DS can attest to. Nearly every title Treasure has developed is a classic.
And one of their finest on the Saturn? Radiant Silvergun.
The Pinky G Sega CD Super Threesome
The Pinky G Sega CD Super Threesome. What Sega CD games do collectors most often inquire about when they come to PG BAM? Well, thanks to the power of a series of interconnected tubes that feeds directly to a 'YouTube' where a powerful Tube Minder named JAMMAPARTS dwells, we can show you...
View after the fold!
Gaming Gone Wrong: A Look At Operation Secret Storm
Regulars to Pink Godzilla know it as a mecca of gaming goodness. The best and most collectible, from Ouendan to Radiant Silvergun, Pop N Music to Downtown Nekketsu Koushinkyoku Soreyuke Daiundoukai, all crammed into a tiny pink space. So one could be forgiven for never knowing about the dark side of gaming.
No, we're not talking about the XBOX 360, but the Color Dreams NES game: Operation Secret Storm.
Continue reading "Gaming Gone Wrong: A Look At Operation Secret Storm" »
Mutant League Hockey - Sega Genesis
You think you know hardcore sports games? Consider yourself an extreme gamer? NFL Blitz, NHL Hitz and Soccer Slam have nothing on the classic mutant league titles for the Sega Genesis. Teams made up of robots, skeletons and ogres are the norm. Coaches threaten to slaughter their team if they lose. Weapons and body parts litter the field, and you’ll bribe the ref as often as you’ll kill him.
This is extreme sports right here.
Don't suffer from Cartridge Blowing Syndrome. A Generation NEX review.
As 1983 came and millions of Atari 2600 cartridges of E.T. made friends with a Nevada landfill, Nintendo released a revolutionary new system in Japan. Bringing game play and worlds never before experienced, the Famicom single-handedly revived the video game industry. In 1985, the phenomenon was brought to our shores as the Nintendo Entertainment System and American gamers have been in love ever since.
Fast-forward 20 years, and Messiah Entertainment brings us the world's first dual slot NES/Famicom machine; the Generation NEX. Dust off your collection because now you're playing with power!
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Fabio takes on Earth, Wind and Fire on the NES (Water is in there somewhere)
After seeking out and defeating the four elementals (not the sweet soundin' soul and funk group from the 70's, although that could make for an interesting sequel made for the Wii....), the adventures of Kuros continues in the second part of the Wizards and Warriors triology with Ironsword for the NES.
Make sure to check out the awesome CM at the end of the review.
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Classic Famicom CMs...Those were the Days
Around these parts, we love us some classic Nintendo. From the NES to the DS, Nintendo has been making commercials (CMs as they say in Japan) for most of their systems, games, and accessories. Here we bring you three of the best classic CMs for the Famicom! Enjoy the CMs, everyone.
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Toe Jam & Earl for Sega Genesis
Best buds Toejam (the pimpin’ playa’) and Earl (the not so pimpin’ playa’) were ridin’ on fo-fo’s in their tricked out spaceship on their way to visit Pink Godzilla, when Earl wrecks the ship and the dastardly duo crash on Earth. To regain their grand pimpiness, Toejam and Earl must explore Earth to recover the pieces of their ship (gotta find those spinners!) while avoiding all them crazy Earthlings.
Guardian Heroes For Sega Saturn
We can safely say the brawler genre is dead. Most attempts to bring it into the 3D realm were massive failures (except for Power Stone on the Dreamcast), and the last truly popular games were the Streets of Rage titles for the Genesis. So, it’s even more of a shame that one of the best in the genre was on the troubled Sega Saturn, where it went virtually unnoticed. But anybody looking for a little bloody knuckle action or a fun party game should consider this classic gem.
Takeshi's Castle for Famicom ...aka MXC on Spike TV
Do names like Cheese Squeezers, Runaway Stump, or Sinkers and Floaters ring a bell? These challenges are part of a 1980's gameshow in Japan called Takeshi's Castle (Fuun Takeshi Jou), or MXC on Spike TV, which pits teams against each oth