Though I usually focus on retro games on this blog, here's two brand new ones: The Evil Within 2 and Doom, both for the Playstation 4. The Evil Within was a game I enjoyed a lot when it came out in 2014, so I was looking forward to a sequel for a while now. Having played through it and just finished it yesterday, I have a lot of thoughts on it that just may fill a review at some point in the near future. However, for now, suffice it to say that it was pretty cool. Both the story and characters were all kinds of cliché and lackluster compared to the first, but the gameplay really made up for it. Again, I'll save the commentary for a longer review. As for Doom, I haven't played it yet but will definitely start it soon. I was a bit skeptical about it when I first saw trailers, since I'm very wary of "reboots" and thought it looked a little dumb. However, I've heard nothing but positive things about it since it's been released, so I'm willing to give it a try and judge for myself.
Back to retro, we have two Sonic The Hedgehog games for the Sega Saturn: Sonic Jam and Sonic R. Having already owned Sonic 3D Blast on the Saturn for a long time now, these two games complete the "trilogy" of Sonic games released for the Saturn in the mid-90s. Sonic Jam is probably the best of the three, but only because it's a compilation of games from back when Sonic games were actually still good (-Author's note: Sonic Mania is probably good, I haven't played it yet. Soon.). It contains the classic four of the Genesis era: Sonic 1, 2, 3, and Sonic & Knuckles. It even simulates the "lock on" ability of Sonic & Knuckles with 2 and 3, which is pretty cool.
Sonic R, however, is not a good game. I have a certain nostalgic sentimentality toward it since I played it a lot when I was kid, but having played it for about an hour as an adult...yeah, no, it's really bad. I think it wouldn't nearly be as bad if it weren't for the god-awful controls. Oh. My. They're terrible. Your character will just fly all over the place, repeatedly slam into walls, fall into water and other hazards, and constantly careen out of control as you struggle to just finish a race, let alone win it. This came out the same year as Mario Kart 64 (in fact, 10 months after it), so there's absolutely no excuse for being as bad as it is. But you want to know the worst thing about Sonic R? It's the only original Sonic The Hedgehog game that came out on the Saturn! As I just mentioned, Sonic Jam is just a compilation game and Sonic 3D Blast is a lame port of an even lamer Sega Genesis game. For Sega's next-generation console at the time, that was pathetic. It's really no wonder the Saturn did so poorly in the U.S. After the debacle that was the Sega 32X, one would think that Sega of America would do a better job with its next console, and while the Saturn does have some quality games of its own, the lack of a definitive game for its primary mascot was pretty sad. Looking back, it's pretty easy to see why Sega eventually pulled out of the home console market for good.
HOWEVER...just a few years prior, Sega did have a golden age of sorts with the Genesis. Here's two games to help prove that point: Fatal Labyrinth and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Hyperstone Heist. First off, Fatal Labyrinth is a really fun and original dungeon explorer/RPG that is still really fun to play. I first tried it on a compilation of Genesis games on the Xbox 360 called "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection", and always wanted to play it some more. Again, I think I might have a longer review of it coming soon, but it's a really great original game for the Genesis, I think. Hyperstone Heist is an interesting specimen- it's the Genesis version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time (which I also own), which was released one year prior, which in itself is the home console version of an arcade game of the same title. Still with me? I've never played it, but from what I understand it's a watered down version of the SNES game, though it's still a fantastic beat 'em up. I'd love to compare the two side by side one day and judge the merits of both simultaneously.
Last but not least, we end on an accessory, if not only for the ridiculous story I have about buying it. So, in short, I am a moron. I had been on the lookout for a Nintendo Gamecube Broadband Adapter, a very rare accessory that regularly sells for $80 or more on eBay. I'm mainly interested in this little piece of hardware for its ability to connect two Gamecube consoles to one another, which one could theoretically use to play a massive 8-man game of Mario Kart: Double Dash or Kirby's Air Ride (assuming you'll also be able to acquire not only a second adapter but two Gamecubes, two copies of the game, eight controllers, two TVs, and seven other people willing to play it with you). Anyway, when this popped up on my eBay feed one day for $40, I thought I had a steal on my hands and jumped on it as fast as I could. However...I didn't look very closely at the label. Yeah, that's not the Broadband Adapter, it's the Modem Adapter, which looks nearly identical to the Broadband Adapter, if not for a shinier label and text which distinguishes it from its counterpart.
What was it used for? Apparently, for connecting your Gamecube to a dial-up modem (remember those?) to play a very few select games online. In fact, the only game I know of that this could be used for is the RPG Phantasy Star Online. Anyway, I had no idea there was even such a thing and didn't read the description very carefully- I just saw a picture of it, assumed it was the Broadband Adapter and purchased it immediately, thinking I'd just gotten a pretty good deal. Well that, boys and girls, is a perfect example of why you should always read the descriptions carefully, lest you end up with a small piece of plastic that's worth no more than interesting an historical footnote in the graveyard of obsolete online-connectivity technology. Thanks for reading.
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