Why I love: Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Master System)

Image source: allaboutsymbian.com

I know what you're thinking, "Scott, why are you not talking about the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis one?". Well, everybody knows how great that game was and still is. I decided that I want to talk about its overlooked 8-bit cousin instead. This is Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Master System.

It was released by Sega (obviously) in June 1991, the same month as its 16-bit counterpart. The Master System version was developed by Ancient. It has also been ported to Sega's handheld, the Game Gear, in December of that same year.

The premise of the game is basically the same as its 16-bit cousin, where you get Sonic through the levels (or stages as Sega likes to call them) and collect as many rings as you can.

Even though that might sound similar, the Sega Master System isn't completely the same to the much superior Mega Drive/Genesis classic. Sonic doesn't run as fast like he usually does, but that's not entirely a bad thing. Visually, it doesn't look as great as the 16-bit game, but it does still look lovely.

I think the Sega Master System version is a nice slice of 8-bit goodness, so why not grab the game from the Wii's Virtual Console service today for just 500 points? It may not be as good as the more familar Sega Mega Drive/Genesis version (which is also available to download on the Wii for 800 points), but it's still a nice little game to play.

Why I love: Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii)

Image source: nintendoeverything.com

Despite the fact that the Wii is supposed to be aimed at families with its casual titles (which it is), but there's some great games that are aimed to an audience like mine. This is one of these great games.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade is a 2D action role-playing game (or ARPG for short), developed by Vanillaware. It was released in 2009 by Marvelous Entertainment in Japan, Ignition Entertainment in North America, and Rising Star Games in Europe.

You play as one of the two characters, Kisuke and Momohime. You use swords to fight and defeat the enemies. The swords are split into two categories: Blade, and High Blade. Overuse of the swords will eventually break the blades, so you have to swap them from time to time.

What I absolutely love about this game is how gorgeous it looks with its ancient Japanese art style. I also like how intuitive the controls are. You can use the Wii Remote (with Nunchuk), the Classic Controller (which I use to play the game), and also the GameCube controller.

The game should be cheap enough to buy now, so why not try this gem from the Nintendo Wii today?

My E3 2012 preview

Image source: pastemagazine.com

We're only a month or so away from this year's E3 show in Los Angeles, I thought I would put together a little taster of what we could expect.

First, let's have a look at the first-party companies:

Sony:
- God of War: Ascension (PS3) - A prequel to the God of War franchise, with added multiplayer.

Image source: gameinformer.com
- Sly Cooper: Theives in Time (PS3/Vita) - We haven't a lot from this game, but fans of the original games on the PS2 should still be excited about this one.

Image source: shacknews.com
- PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (PS3) - It's basically Sony's equivalent of Super Smash Bros.

Image source: g4tv.com
- LittleBigPlanet Karting (PS3)

Image source: shacknews.com
- The Last of Us (PS3) - The next game from Naughty Dog, the creators of Uncharted.

Image source: t3.com
- New PlayStation Vita games

Microsoft:
- Halo 4 (360) - There's a lot of anticipation for this one. It's the first one in Xbox's popular shooting series to not be developed by its original creators Bungie. Out in November.

Image source: gamezone.com
- Fable: The Journey - A lot of people criticised this game when it was first revealed at last year's E3, but this could be one of the first proper games for Kinect. It's due to be released in September.

Image source: gamesindustry.biz
- Forza Horizon - This isn't actually a screenshot from the game because there hasn't been any released yet. It's going to be an arcade-style spin-off of Microsoft's racing simulation series.

Image source: gametestlab.com

Nintendo:
- Animal Crossing (3DS)

Image source: 3dsbuzz.com
- Luigi's Mansion 2 (3DS) - The sequel to the GameCube classic.

Image source: gamerant.com
- Paper Mario (3DS)

Image source: destructoid.com
- Pikmin 3 (Wii U)

Image source: wii.ign.com
- New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS)

Image source: geeksugar.com
- Wii U

Image source: techrader.com

That was the first-party stuff, but I also want to mention games from third-party companies:

2K:
- BioShock Infinite (PS3/360/PC)
- Borderlands 2 (PS3/360/PC)
- Spec Ops: The Line (PS3/360/PC)
- XCOM (PS3/360/PC)
- XCOM: Enemy Unknown (PS3/360/PC) - A re-imagining of a classic strategy game

Activision:
- 007 Legends (PS3/360)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (PS3/360/PC)
- Skylanders: Giants (PS3/360/Wii/3DS)
- The Amazing Spider-Man (PS3/360/Wii/3DS/DS/PC)
- Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (PS3/360)

Bethesda Softworks:
- Dishonored (PS3/360/PC)
- Prey 2 (PS3/360/PC)

Capcom:
- DmC: Devil May Cry (PS3/360)
- Lost Planet 3 (PS3/360/PC)
- Resident Evil 6 (PS3/360)

Codemasters:
- F1 2012 (PS3/360/PC)

Disney Interactive Studios:
- Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (Wii/PS3/360) - The sequel to the 2010 Wii exclusive game.
- Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion (3DS) - Companion game for Epic Mickey 2. It's very reminiscent of the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis classic, Castle of Illusion.

EA:
- Command & Conquer: Generals 2 (PC)
- Crysis 3 (PS3/360/PC)
- FIFA 13 (PS3/360/PC/Mac)
- Madden NFL 13 (PS3/360/PC)
- Medal of Honor: Warfighter (PS3/360/PC)
- NBA Live 13 (PS3/360/PC)
- Overstrike (PS3/360) - The first multi-platform title from Insomniac Games.
- SimCity (PC)
- The next Need for Speed game

Konami:
- Metal Gear Rising: Revengence (PS3/360)
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 (PS3/360)

Namco Bandai:
- Ni No Kuni (PS3)
- Star Trek (PS3/360/PC)
- Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (PS3/360)

Sega:
- Aliens: Colonial Marines (PS3/360/Wii U/PC)
- Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (PS3/360/3DS/Vita/PC)

Square Enix:
- Heroes of Ruin (3DS)
- Hitman Absolution (PS3/360/PC) - The fifth game in IO Interactive's stealth game series.
- Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (3DS)
- Quantum Conundrum (PSN/XBLA/Steam)
- Sleeping Dogs (PS3/360/PC)
- Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (3DS)
- Tomb Raider (PS3/360/PC/Mac) - The reboot of the series with a younger Lara Croft.

Rockstar Games:
- Grand Theft Auto V (PS3/360/PC)

Tecmo Koei:
- Dead or Alive 5 (PS3/360)

THQ:
- Darksiders 2 (PS3/360/Wii U)
- Insane (PS3/360/PC)
- Homefront 2 (PS3/360/PC)
- Metro: Last Light (PS3/360/PC)
- South Park: The Stick of Truth (PS3/360/PC)
- WWE '13 (PS3/360)

Ubisoft:
- Assassin's Creed 3 (PS3/360/Wii U/PC)
- Far Cry 3 (PS3/360/PC)
- Killer Freaks from Outer Space (Wii U)
- Rayman Legends (Wii U)
- Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Online (Wii U)
- Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Patriots (PS3/360/PC)

Why I love: Jet Set Radio Future (Xbox)

Source: thegamingonline.com

I was having a look at the some of the games in a shop called Cash Converters just recently. When I was looking at some of the games for the original Xbox, I found a copy of a game that I've been wanting to try for a little while. That game is called Jet Set Radio Future.

I've just started playing it, and I already love it. I now realise that this year actually marks the 10th anniversary of the game. So this is why I decided to talk about this cult classic from the original Xbox's back catalogue today.

Jet Set Radio Future was published by Sega and developed by Smilebit. It was first released for the original Xbox in 2002. It is the sequel to the original Dreamcast game that first came out in 2000. Both the sequel and its predecessor were revolutionary for using cel-shaded graphics. Without the Jet Set Radio series, games like Borderlands could've looked different visually.

Here's a little fact for you: the development team behind the Jet Set Radio games later went on to develop the Mario & Sonic games for the Wii. Quite a departure for the team, isn't it? The team is now known as Sega Sports R&D.

The basic premise of Jet Set Radio Future is that you have to rollerskate around a futuristic Tokyo and graffiti certain parts of the city. The controls are really pick up and play, which makes the game really enjoyable to play.

This game is compatible on the Xbox 360. Why not try and find a copy of this amazing Sega classic today?

Some of my favourite PlayStation Minis

I go onto the PlayStation Store every Wednesday (or Tuesdays for those who live in the US) to see what's new. My favourite thing is the PlayStation Minis. Here's three of my favourites:

Pix'n Love Rush
Publisher: Sanuk Games
Developer: BulkyPix


Source: joystiq.com

It's a port of a popular iPhone game where you play as a cat-like character and you have to jump platforms and collect circles with '+' in them. This is more of a love letter to retro gaming with different graphic styles like Game Boy, Virtual Boy, Game and Watch, and others. It's more of a high score game instead of a proper one. It's still worth getting on either iPhone or PlayStation.

Shift Extended
Publisher: Zallag
Developer: Fishing Cactus


Source: gamereactor.eu

A clever puzzler where you have to flip the monochrome environment in order to get to the end of the level.

Pinball Dreams
Publisher: Cowboy Rodeo
Developer: Digital Illusions CE (original), Cowboy Rodeo (port)


Source: pspminis.com

A solid port of a classic pinball game, which was originally released for the Amiga in 1992. This is a game that I just love to play now and again.

That was my little list of my favourite PlayStation Minis. You can play these games on both PS3 and PSP.

A history of British gaming TV shows

Wouldn't you believe it? This year marks the 20th anniversary of the television series GamesMaster. To celebrate, I'll give you a history of the gaming-related TV shows that have aired in the UK from 1992 to the present day.


Source: tv-ark.org.uk

It was 7th January 1992 when GamesMaster made its debut on Channel 4. At the time, the rest of the TV channels didn't have a show like it. A show completely dedicated to gaming. If it wasn't for GamesMaster, we might never had the shows that came after it (and I probably wouldn't have posted this). Not only the show had reviews and previews, but the majority of the series had challenges. This was where celebrities (who were popular at the time) took part in playing various games, either against each other or a member of the public.


Source: techdigest.tv

The show was mainly presented by Dominik Diamond (which isn't his real name), but the face of the show was the GamesMaster, played by Sir Patrick Moore (who you can now see presenting The Sky at Night for the BBC). While Dominik presented the first two series, he was suddenly replaced by Dexter Fletcher for the third series. This was criticised by the viewers, so Dominik came back to present the last four series.

GamesMaster (sadly) came to an end on 3rd February 1998, after seven series. Surprisingly, the digital TV channel Challenge repeated the first series in 2003. However, the repeats didn't last because Challenge stopped airing it in 2004. The channel said it was "too dated".


Source: badinfluence.co.uk
A good several months after GamesMaster made its debut, ITV had a gaming show for children. It was called Bad Influence. It ran for four series from 1992 to 1996. Violet Berlin was one of the hosts, who later went on to do a different kids show called The Big Bang.


Source: whizzbang.tv

Violet later became the host of Game Pad, which aired on Bravo from 2001 to 2004. When Game Pad was finished, Dominik Diamond returned to our screens with a new series. This was called When Games Attack. It didn't follow a similar format like its predecessors. However, an element of GamesMaster was (sort of) brought over, where they had football players taking in a tournament of Pro Evolution Soccer. Caroline Flack (who later went to present the Saturday morning kids show TMI) had a brief segment, where she traveled to Japan. Sadly, the show only lasted one series.

Bravo then had a more traditional gaming show called Gamer TV. It had reviews, previews, news and features. Gamer TV spawned two spin-off series: "Gamer's Guide to..." and Gamer TV Extra. Gamer TV Extra featured more about the games they were shown in the main programme. After 283 episodes, Gamer TV ended on April 26th 2008. It was only a week later, on May 3rd, that it got replaced by its successor, Playr. Playr's format was done the same way as its predecessor.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Playr also had two similar sister shows: Playr 2 and Playr Guide. On April 25th 2009, it ceased airing on Bravo. Thankfully, it made its return to our screens on Film24 on September 5th. Only one of its spin-offs was brought over, and that was Playr Guide. After the 22nd May 2010 episode aired, the show was forced off the air due to Film24 going into liquidation.

On June 5th 2011, Playr found its new home on obscure channel Showcase TV. I call Showcase TV obscure because hardly anyone watches it. Playr Guide was also brought over to the channel. I'm actually surprised that the show is still running today.



Source: kotaku.com

Over on Playr's original home, Bravo, two of Ginx TV's gaming shows were launched in 2009. Those were called GameFace, and Ginx Files. It was the first time in a few years where we got to see the presenter on-screen. The presenter of GameFace was Julia Hardy, who was previously presenting on a short-lived music channel called Rockworld TV. When the channel Bravo got the axe on New Year's Day 2011, GameFace and Ginx Files had no home on TV. Not long after Bravo was gone, both of Ginx TV's shows found a new home on Challenge.


Source: ggsgamer.com

A good few months after GameFace and Ginx Files settled in on Challenge, they were replaced by a new 1 hour-long show called The Blurb. Julia Hardy reprised her role as the host. The Blurb was (more or less) the same as its predecessors, but it had a plain white studio. When Julia presented the predecessor GameFace, she was just in front of a green screen. Obviously, the viewers at home saw some graphics running in the background instead of the green screen.

Just as The Blurb was getting really good, Ginx TV's deal with Challenge sadly ended on 27th August when one last episode of The Blurb aired. After the show's run on television ended, Ginx TV kept making episodes and putting them out on YouTube. I think the big problem for both The Blurb and its predecessors was the fact that it aired on Challenge in pretty bad slots. It originally aired at 11pm on Saturday nights, but later it was moved to a midnight slot. That's probably why The Blurb didn't have much of a success on Challenge. It's really a shame because it deserved a much better slot.

There you have it folks, that was the history of British gaming shows on television.

Since The Blurb disappeared from Challenge, there hasn't been another gaming show to take its place on the channel. I think it would be great if Challenge could start its own gaming show. It would fit perfectly with the viewing demographic who watch shows like TNA Wrestling (that includes me!). Challenge did say they were going to "research into it more". I've got my fingers crossed that we do get to see a new gaming show on Challenge pretty soon.

Why I love: Metroid (NES)

Source: inintendo.net

Ah Metroid, probably one of Nintendo's best game franchises besides Mario and Zelda. I was going to talk about the history of the Metroid series for this blog post, but there's plenty of those retrospectives on the internet anyway. Instead, I'm going to talk about the very first game in the series and why I love it.

Metroid was released for the NES (Famicom as it was known as in Japan) on August 6, 1986 in Japan, a year later in North America, and finally on January 15, 1988 in Europe. The game was later remade for the Game Boy Advance, under the title Zero Mission, in 2004. The original game was also ported to the Game Boy Advance in 2004/5.

It was published by Nintendo (obviously) and co-developed by their R&D1 and Intelligent Systems teams. At the time they were making Metorid, they were also developing another game for the NES/Famicom called Kid Icarus.

Here's an interesting fact. When the game was translated for North American and European audiences, the name of the planet was Zebeth, instead of Zebes. They obviously corrected the error in Metroid games that were released after the original.

You play as Samus Aran. What shocked a lot of players when the game was originally released was the fact that the character you play as turned out to be a woman. So this was the first game to use a female protagonist as the main character. If it wasn't for Samus, then we might never have characters like Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider series.

Metroid was heavily influenced from the Alien film series, particularly the original one from 1979. No wonder why Samus Aran's arch-enemy was named after the director Ridley Scott.

A big part of Metroid is the exploration. This made it the first game where you're able to go back. In games like Super Mario Bros., you couldn't do that. You had to keep going right. I think the exploration element is, without a shadow of a doubt, the main reason why I love the original Metroid.

As with any game, it does have some flaws. One of those flaws are that you can only shoot left, right, and up. Thankfully, this was fixed in the original Metroid's successors.

What I find a bit odd is that the sequel was released for the Game Boy. Home console owners had to wait till 1994 for their next fix of Metroid on the SNES.

You can get the original Metroid game on both the Wii and 3DS's Virtual Console services. It costs 500 points on the Wii, and £4.50/$4.99 on the 3DS. Why not try it? You might be surprised...