BUZZKILLER'S DOMAIN

Final Fight: Double Impact (Capcom, Proper Games, 800 Microsoft Points)

Final Fight: Double Impact is an arcade two-pack that includes the side scrolling brawler Final Fight along with the hack-n-slash side scroller Magic Sword. While this collection really targets the older generation of gamers, the younger generations will also find the game enjoyable, and begin to appreciate what games were like back in the day instead of criticizing them.

CLICK HERE for the full review.

Are you ready for some old school football? Well Tecmo has something special for all the football fans out there who are anxiously awaiting the start of a new season. Tecmo has announced the release of an old classic…Tecmo Bowl! I’m sure we all remember that game. Well now the classic has been given a whole new look and it’s coming to Xbox Live Arcade next week! Football is back my rowdy friends with Tecmo Bowl Throwback. Time for some big plays and some big hits both offline and online.

Tecmo Bowl Throwback kicks off a new season on April 28. No word yet on the pricing details, but you can bet your bottom dollar that this game is a must download. Check out the new trailer.

The NBA Playoffs are finally here! In this week’s edition of Retro Flashbacks, I decided to take a look back into one of my favorite games on the Sega Genesis that featured only NBA playoff teams. Another reason why this game was my favorite was because it was the first time that my team, the Miami Heat, was featured in the game. It’s time to take you back to when the NBA was “Fan-tastic!” A time before there was a game called NBA Jam. This is Bulls vs Blazers and the NBA Playoffs from EA Sports.

Released in 1992 on the Super NES and the Sega Genesis, Bulls vs Blazers was the third game in a series of NBA titles from EA Sports that featured only the playoff teams going for the NBA title during the 1991-1992 season. This was an era that included some of the greatest players in the NBA before there ever was Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Lebron James, and Dwayne Wade. This era was dominated by players like Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockton, and Clyde Drexler.

Bulls vs Blazers was all about taking your favorite team to the championship. Sure the Bulls won it all that year, but how much fun would if you took the Utah Jazz or even the Miami Heat to the title? The game allowed you to play in exhibition matches as well as the playoffs itself. Sim games were at their infancy at the time so Bulls vs Blazers felt like a hybrid between arcade and sim play. Each player had specific stats based upon how they played while player management was a big factor in the game with fouls and fatigue taking it’s toll. Keep a player out on the floor too long without giving them a breather meant that you would see them slow down and miss shots. Michael Jordan is the greatest player in NBA history, but he’s no Superman so you couldn’t play him for all 48 minutes.

Unlike the previous two titles (Lakers vs Celtics, Bulls vs Lakers) Bulls vs Blazers had some unique features that separated itself from the others. One feature was the addition of signature moves from some of the players including Karl Malone’s “In Your Face” Jam, Shawn Kemp’s “Off-the-Glass” Jam, Tim Hardaway’s “No-Look Pass and Layup” and many more. These signature moves really gave the game a sense of realism by making the virtual players more like their real world counterparts. Another feature was the ability to create you own fantasy teams. You could have a collection of all-stars, or if you wish a team of all the same player. Imagine a team with 12 Michael Jordans! The possibilities were endless which gave the game endless replay value.

I have many fond memories of Bulls vs Blazers as I would play as each team just to see if I could beat the legendary Chicago Bulls. I eventually was able to take my beloved Miami Heat to the championship game and knock off the Portland Trailblazers. A team that had players like Rony Seikaly, Glen Rice, Steve Smith, and Jon Salley celebrating the moment of winning the championship and see the championship banner in the background. Oh and I won’t forget about those long passwords I needed to write down as I worked my way through the playoff brackets. It was 16-bit fun on my Genesis that had me busy for hours and hours.

Bulls vs Blazers marked the last game where EA Sports only used playoff teams in the game. That next year they released NBA Showdown which featured all of teams and allowed for both regular season play as well as the playoffs. The series would eventually get renamed to it’s current yearly title of NBA Live. Even with today’s high-def graphics and simulation style gameplay of NBA Live, you can still see some of the same ideas being carried on from games like Bulls vs Blazers.

Not able to attend PAX East this year like me? well then I have a special treat for you. Last year at PAX, I had a chance to check out Twisted Pixel’s latest game Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley. While the teaser was pretty cool and funny, this new video contains actual gameplay footage of Captain Smiley and Star in action against the evil Dr. Winklemeyer and Brad. So far the platform gaming action looks pretty good and the humor is well done.

No word yet on a release date for Comic Jumper on Xbox Live Arcade, but I’ll keep you posted on all the latest details as they arrive. Until then…enjoy the video!

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (Sega, Sumo Digital, $49.99)

Sega characters…Start Your Engines! Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing is an arcade kart racing game that represents everything that is Sega. While some of you out there would want to call it a Mario Kart ripoff, let me assure you that this game stands out on it’s own with plenty of fun to be had by all both online and offline. If your a diehard Sega fan, Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing should definitely be in your collection.

CLICK HERE for the full review.

Asylum (Silver Dollar Games, 80 Microsoft Points)

Asylum works as a reverse tower defense game with the goal of getting the monsters to escape their captivity in the asylum by reaching the exit on each level. The only things that stand in the way of freedom and certain death is a variety of towers out to shoot them.

CLICK HERE for the full review.

Celebrating it’s 30th anniversary this year, Atari’s Missile Command is considered by many as one of the greatest games of all time. The game is so popular that you can find it in any video arcade even today with people still inserting tokens to play it. There was just something special about a game that had you defending cities and shooting missiles out of the sky. The U.S. Military even played Missile Command for real during the first Gulf War shooting SCUDs out of the skies with Patriot missiles. I guess you can say that this classic game sure has an effect on today’s culture.

Released in 1980 during the height of the “Cold War” between the United States and the former Soviet Union, Missile Command had you defending six cities from total annihilation from a nuclear attack. These missile were considered MIRVs due to the fact that they can separate into split into multiple missiles to destroy multiple targets. Of course there’s also planes shooting missiles and the occasional smart bomb which is tough to destroy as well. Of course every world has it’s own defense system. Standing in the way of the nuclear holocaust were three turrets armed with a stockpile of missiles. Your mission was to destroy any missile that was raining down on you while defending the cities. If all six cities were destroyed, it was game over. This was represented by a big explosion and the words “The End” flashing on the screen.

Missile Command is a game where your high score was the only thing that was relevant. Scoring was determined by incoming missiles destroyed. The end of each level gave you bonuses based on the cities that were still standing, and missiles you had left. Bonus cities were also awarded based on your overall score. During my gameplay, my scores were in the 100,000 range which made me happy. World records on the other hand are made in the millions of points range. The current world record is 80,364,995 points set by Victor Ali in 1982. It’s safe to assume that I don’t think I’m going to beat that score anytime soon. Then again I don’t think that anyone else will either.

The arcade version of Missile Command was very unique. Since quick timing and accuracy was important for destroying the incoming missiles, a simple joystick just wasn’t going to get the job done. Instead what you had was a trackball which was able to move the cursor on the screen quickly. The game also had three buttons each controlling a tower. The arcade controls were perfect to me because I can get the cursor anywhere on the screen and fire my missiles. Home versions starting with the Atari 2600 unfortunately had you using the joystick which was adequate. Future versions of the arcade game could be found on practically any console using analog controls which were much better than the average joystick.

Missile Command had a quite an impact on popular culture throughout its 30 year history. It’s been mentioned in television shows, it’s been played in movies like Terminator 2: Judgment Day with Edward Furlong as John Connor playing it in an arcade and in 1982’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High where the infamous “The End” message was displayed. There is also plans to make a big budget Hollywood movie based on the classic game. Let’s just cross our fingers and hope that Uwe Boll is not attached to the project.

I’ve always had fond memories of playing Missile Command in the arcade and the Atari 2600. To me it led to hours and hours of gaming goodness. These days I still play the game on my Xbox 360 with the Xbox Live Arcade version which features not only the original game, but also a high-def makeover as well. Sure the new HD look is great, but I still end up playing the original version more. Call me retro, but I still think that there’s nothing better than an original.

When I was at PAX 2009, there was no bigger buzz then with Klei Entertainment’s Shank. Everyone at the show wanted to get their hands on the game because of just how cool it was. When I asked about what console this game was coming to, they replied with they didn’t know. Well now we do. Klei has teamed up with EA to bring the 2D side-scrolling bloody story of betrayal and revenge to Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, and PC this summer. Trust me when I tell you that this game is awesome and a day one must buy. Thousands of PAX attendees can’t be wrong can they?

Shank is also a finalist for “Excellence in Visual Art” at this year’s Independent Games Festival and will be featured at the IGF Pavilion during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco next week.

Here’s the trailer for the game as well from PAX 2009.

Shoot 1UP (Mommy’s Best Games, 80 Microsoft Points)

I bet that screenshot got your attention! Shoot 1UP is a shmup that allows you to have up to 30 ships (60 in multiplayer) on screen at the same time blasting away at enemies, huge bosses, and a chick with large mechanical breasts. All of this for only a dollar! What’s not to like about this game? Download it now!

CLICK HERE for the full review

Press Start Studio has announced a major DLC announcement for their hit game Twin Blades on Xbox Live Indie Games and on the iPhone/ iPod Touch. The new DLC, which will be FREE by the way, will include an immersive storyline, new slash combos, mini maps, all new environments, day and night cycles, and badass bosses. Of course the game will still have all the awesome zombie slaying action as you hack, slash, and shoot the undead while upgrading your abilities.

Like what you hear so far? Well check out the trailer below. The new DLC will be out before the end of this month. Enjoy!