tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59586305199867838312024-03-05T02:11:04.546-06:00Downwards Compatible - Video Games and Pop CultureIn-depth discussion and analysis of video games, sports, music and anything else that crosses our desk. Look for our NES Replay articles every week!Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.comBlogger656125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-64211833256081532142022-12-26T12:35:00.001-06:002022-12-26T12:35:06.704-06:00The Microsoft/Activision Merger Is A Terrible Idea. Here's Why.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Yp_LW27NoqlSVFsfNdCMHYm9xDTo40WqdiMbLRWtABhEi7LWmIaaJ9_wizZzeCsiRi-gVHgwU5c6g04sei944lnvmpameQiBLbMCHP9PZ4SHMNYWYZP3-jVBkaeO6ICsOG7f2M5PiW3k4jHFWMANgjV-84p5AXeE6QXzPO8k8AZmJpyXrWIxP-9Y3w/s3840/Activision-Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="3840" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Yp_LW27NoqlSVFsfNdCMHYm9xDTo40WqdiMbLRWtABhEi7LWmIaaJ9_wizZzeCsiRi-gVHgwU5c6g04sei944lnvmpameQiBLbMCHP9PZ4SHMNYWYZP3-jVBkaeO6ICsOG7f2M5PiW3k4jHFWMANgjV-84p5AXeE6QXzPO8k8AZmJpyXrWIxP-9Y3w/s320/Activision-Logo.png" width="320"></a></div>A few weeks ago, I stopped into my local game store. The manager of the store, a very nice and knowledgeable guy named Drew, asked me this question: “What do you think about the Microsoft and Activision merger?”<br><br>To that point, I hadn’t really given a lot of thought to it. I have a reflexive, knee-jerk reaction to big corporate mergers about them being anticompetitive, but without giving a lot of thought, I mumbled out an answer and took my leave when the store got a little too crowded.<br><br>After some reflection, I’ve come to the conclusion that not only is this merger a bad idea, it could be the single worst idea to hit gaming in a long time, almost on par with “let’s make a game based on ET.”<span></span><a href="http://www.downwardscompatible.com/2022/12/the-microsoftactivision-merger-is.html#more">Read more</a>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-428202550752977412022-12-26T09:00:00.058-06:002022-12-26T09:00:00.219-06:00NES Replay: Metroid<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKP1YChvLgOa6aJHlknAa785jCphUTmale_EgeHTBX5o7u0QmYzo5ewYWwhulrHG6MqqNnF5-LjdOOHwU0hsp7t7J_e94fzfB8OX4JdOz1DWN_e6nOsxvVUUawX0FN6SsuOuYDXMsp9_tidJ5n7XouT7DFdBl9B6jfVxT5veZDLuOB6aP_mJLhgvh_6w/s1302/Metroid-221225-222802.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="997" data-original-width="1302" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKP1YChvLgOa6aJHlknAa785jCphUTmale_EgeHTBX5o7u0QmYzo5ewYWwhulrHG6MqqNnF5-LjdOOHwU0hsp7t7J_e94fzfB8OX4JdOz1DWN_e6nOsxvVUUawX0FN6SsuOuYDXMsp9_tidJ5n7XouT7DFdBl9B6jfVxT5veZDLuOB6aP_mJLhgvh_6w/s320/Metroid-221225-222802.png" width="320"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Developer: Nintendo<br>Publisher: Nintendo<br>Released: August 1986</span><br></td></tr></tbody></table>I hate the momiker "Metroidvania."<br><br>I mean no disrespect to latter-day Castlevania, but <i>Metroid</i> came out in 1986, <i>Metroid 2</i> in 1991 and <i>Super Metroid</i> in 1994. The first Castlevania that a similar structure to the Metroid series came out in 1997. This isn't to say that the early Castlevania games were bad. Far from it! They're great! However, they are not "metroidvanias" and didn't join the same genre for 11 years.<br><br>But if you don't call the genre "metroidvania" what do you call it? "Action-Exploring?" Too wordy. "Metroids?" Nah, that's generic. I argue that the only reason that the name "metroidvania" has stuck is because it's catchy.<br><br><i>Metroid</i> is much more notable for where it ended up than where it started. <i>Super Metroid</i> is undoubtedly one of the best games of all time. It has a tremendous sense of place, along with ominous music and some truly creepy bosses. When your sequel is one of the best
games of all time, it's hard to go backwards. When you've seen Kraid
expand from taking up one full screen to two full screens, then firing
pieces of his body at you, it's hard to go back and fight a Kraid that's
the same size as you, you know?<span></span></p><a href="http://www.downwardscompatible.com/2022/12/nes-replay-metroid.html#more">Read more</a>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-57389277514878119902022-12-19T09:00:00.073-06:002022-12-19T09:00:00.236-06:00NES Replay: The Legend of Kage<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nfg6JhPx928E8rtyaExg9fmb12xa1UXNCsH2aoe_2doMGPFfZfVPAXykXaCUTvdb_TuN867y1xutuIOGZ24lF27_U8BPKHlEJH1iKEQNMmd8oNnjKut3MHXQtMv--WDgMfOXuGor2Wiod3708jw1TPOXOnd54JNbiCYo0NGBB-GtYtvx-moZr5_FcA/s1411/Legend%20of%20Kage,%20The-221218-080414.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1411" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nfg6JhPx928E8rtyaExg9fmb12xa1UXNCsH2aoe_2doMGPFfZfVPAXykXaCUTvdb_TuN867y1xutuIOGZ24lF27_U8BPKHlEJH1iKEQNMmd8oNnjKut3MHXQtMv--WDgMfOXuGor2Wiod3708jw1TPOXOnd54JNbiCYo0NGBB-GtYtvx-moZr5_FcA/s320/Legend%20of%20Kage,%20The-221218-080414.png" width="320"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Developer: Taito<br>Publisher: Taito<br>Released: August 1985</span><br></td></tr></tbody></table>With a few notable exceptions, most early games had you locked in a pitched battle against the controls. Developers cared about stealing your quarters while providing the illusion of fun, and so their to-do list for most games was:</p><p>1) <span> </span>Find a way to take money from players.<br>2) <span> </span>Make a cute mascot or something.<br>(...)<br>99)<span> </span>Make movement fun.<br></p><p>Enter <i>The Legend of Kage</i> (pronounced “kah-gay”). Our friends at Taito had once again cracked a code: people wanted to play games that felt fun to play. Imagine that! </p><p>Released in 1985 for the arcade, The <i>Legend of Kage</i> had you playing a ninja named Kage who’s attempting to rescue a princess. The movement is so fluid that it's the closest thing to a kung-fu video game released to this point. Taito really wanted to make you feel like a ninja. The titular legendary character can leap the entire length of the screen, climb a temple just by jumping, and land on tree branches, all the while firing shurikens at the plentiful ninja who oppose his path. <span></span></p><a href="http://www.downwardscompatible.com/2022/12/nes-replay-legend-of-kage.html#more">Read more</a>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-47668527357560475392022-12-14T21:36:00.006-06:002022-12-14T21:36:56.106-06:00What the Minx is HBO Max Doing?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7PGLG0OdGaLukHx1cs3rKI-pFUFMtDLtW05kuHkPWLK-RFpko5JP-m3vXcInv3z7uCaZQdcSSvw709jGTjesqEZTXFN3uhd_5SAJUXo9g0bDJUZBVv4n_lyZEYcT66Ebg9gQlVEEsNVDHN4eI8qu_8VGmSsSy2WEPJYQqGIqJdmYtkvuG8K7Oy7Vmg/s726/minx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="726" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7PGLG0OdGaLukHx1cs3rKI-pFUFMtDLtW05kuHkPWLK-RFpko5JP-m3vXcInv3z7uCaZQdcSSvw709jGTjesqEZTXFN3uhd_5SAJUXo9g0bDJUZBVv4n_lyZEYcT66Ebg9gQlVEEsNVDHN4eI8qu_8VGmSsSy2WEPJYQqGIqJdmYtkvuG8K7Oy7Vmg/s320/minx.jpg" width="320"></a></div>I really liked the show <i>Minx</i>.<br><br><i>Minx</i> was set at a fictional male porn mag in '70s LA. It alternated between raunchy sex romp, let's-put-on-a-show enthusiasm, workplace comedy, and romance while being funny the whole time. It's the kind of show that could have run for seasons without outstaying it's welcome.<p></p><p>It ran on HBO Max. If you don’t know anything about HBO Max, you should know that it’s becoming a tire fire now that it's under the aegis of Warner Bros Discovery, a merger of equals between Warner Brothers and… well, Discovery. Yes, Discovery, the network full of reality TV shows somehow merited equal footing with Warner Brothers. Don’t ask me how.</p><p><span></span></p><a href="http://www.downwardscompatible.com/2022/12/what-minx-is-hbo-max-doing.html#more">Read more</a>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-62897591410174348632022-12-12T09:00:00.069-06:002022-12-12T09:00:00.209-06:00NES Replay: Elevator Action<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrsHqHhmAw8Pj7JGEllLSgSMgEQ4MnV0yT1x1oeXq0KAct301-OGWU47xEWk3G7ppOTSPuCADwer-F9dD78Odr63iGLTChQUtameA0MB1AR2Gdt5Uyfwk27DhfC8bN3s4_3P4mbyGQtfvX5bEIla0tmyRxtIL4DS_AFsl03EAq2gM2ZCCYrNEILiRj7A/s1411/Elevator%20Action-221207-214859.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1411" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrsHqHhmAw8Pj7JGEllLSgSMgEQ4MnV0yT1x1oeXq0KAct301-OGWU47xEWk3G7ppOTSPuCADwer-F9dD78Odr63iGLTChQUtameA0MB1AR2Gdt5Uyfwk27DhfC8bN3s4_3P4mbyGQtfvX5bEIla0tmyRxtIL4DS_AFsl03EAq2gM2ZCCYrNEILiRj7A/s320/Elevator%20Action-221207-214859.png" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Developer: Taito<br>Publisher: Taito<br>Released: August 1986 </span><br></td></tr></tbody></table>Taito has an interesting story. Like a lot of the early companies, Taito didn't start with video games. In Taito's case, it started because a small-time hustler kept trying and failing to start profitable companies.</p><p>Michael Kogan was born to Jewish parents in Odessa in 1920, and his family fled Russia to avoid the Revolution. (While Odessa is now part of Ukraine, at the time it was part of the Russian State.) They settled in Manchuria, which was occupied by Japan at the time but had a large Jewish population. He moved to Tokyo in 1939, which is a wild time to move to Tokyo. He stayed for most of the war, and then moved to Tianjin in China in 1944.</p><p>In 1944, he formed a business called Taitung. Taitung is a city in Taiwan, and I can't find any specifics that would indicate any relation to Kogan. Anyway, Taitung made wigs, floor coverings and hog bristles. I mean, why not diversify a bit? In 1950, Kogan fled China ahead of the Communist Revolution and settled in Tokyo.</p><p>In Japan, the name of his company, Taitung, was translated to "Taito." He tried to turn Taito into a clothing distributor, but it didn't pan out. By 1953, he had shuttered the clothing distributor and started a new company called Taito Trading Company. They started distilling vodka and importing vending machines.</p><p><span></span></p><a href="http://www.downwardscompatible.com/2022/12/nes-replay-elevator-action.html#more">Read more</a>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-85341354403243148952022-11-29T20:16:00.003-06:002022-11-29T20:16:25.873-06:00The Americans: "Pilot" (S01E01)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZXQAYLth1ZzESxCDgzlQ4IY65HVPh8ZEigFGh9tLjD0oOh5k8PwWA0r0_e9FeLP0eE-RDVXW3oNHXcK6vnfCE120upFaMvp9VqNznOY7EuO8neb5ZxM358g5AxBtGJsFSwuOr_GoBltoD6nSP9Dn3FhKHFDYxw4Z5cn4OFeJAADxfV1zSZ_z0lkfrA/s384/americans.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="384" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZXQAYLth1ZzESxCDgzlQ4IY65HVPh8ZEigFGh9tLjD0oOh5k8PwWA0r0_e9FeLP0eE-RDVXW3oNHXcK6vnfCE120upFaMvp9VqNznOY7EuO8neb5ZxM358g5AxBtGJsFSwuOr_GoBltoD6nSP9Dn3FhKHFDYxw4Z5cn4OFeJAADxfV1zSZ_z0lkfrA/s320/americans.png" width="320"></a></div><br>And THAT is how you start a TV show.<br><br>I've never watched <i>The Americans</i>, even though I've always wanted to. During its first run, I didn't have cable and after that you could only watch it on Amazon Prime. Since it just started streaming on Hulu, I thought I'd see what all the fuss is about and holy crap.<br><br>It's funny to look back at the reactions to the pilot. Early reviews were like, "It's good, I guess. It shows some promise." Now that it's widely viewed as one of the greats, you're clearly able to see all the elements of the show and how they're going to produce conflict. I'm really excited for this.<p></p><p>In case you haven't watched the show, here's the setup: Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys) and his wife Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell) are deep, deep, deep cover KGB agents who live a normal life in America with their two children. Their life looks perfect: Beautiful house, picturesque surroundings, a seemingly happy marriage. Not all is well.<span></span></p><a href="http://www.downwardscompatible.com/2022/11/the-americans-pilot-s01e01.html#more">Read more</a>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-67777850307794574972022-11-28T20:27:00.003-06:002022-11-29T15:35:43.029-06:00Being Silly in a Serious World<p>I woke up this morning thinking about the song "Stewball" by Lonnie Donegan.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RS9AkExHZKg" width="320" youtube-src-id="RS9AkExHZKg"></iframe></div><br>"Stewball" is a very old song. In most versions, the song is about a guy who's thinking about a really nice horse and wishing he'd bet on it. However, the Donegan version I've linked above is instead about a guy who's telling you about an iron grey mare named Stewball who blew in from a storm. The race hasn't happened yet, and the chorus is him telling you to "Bet on Stewball, and you might win."<span></span><a href="http://www.downwardscompatible.com/2022/11/being-silly-in-serious-world.html#more">Read more</a>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-50391765189194619522021-03-22T13:16:00.008-05:002021-03-22T13:16:52.725-05:00Mario Game Tier List<p>Feel free to disagree with my tier list, except I'm right, so you'll just have to deal with it.</p><p> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGB3OUoooKBlDMRUyWSzY1TC00xw-eyofskxD26QTqD7ahiEvOCpxxzHQUr2HdJRQzwl7vBTHBGhMv8fld5qSEYKpFSWJOCvgB6FPh9AcbzCO9-MDpu5CjIdnGzidExsGCjHIGpPa15mGq/s1064/my-image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="1064" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGB3OUoooKBlDMRUyWSzY1TC00xw-eyofskxD26QTqD7ahiEvOCpxxzHQUr2HdJRQzwl7vBTHBGhMv8fld5qSEYKpFSWJOCvgB6FPh9AcbzCO9-MDpu5CjIdnGzidExsGCjHIGpPa15mGq/w400-h218/my-image.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-28132760903261049332020-07-27T09:00:00.003-05:002020-07-27T09:28:28.080-05:00NES Replay: Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYP1gj4QWOQIMAFVGZYBl5LxYXwGSpy-WKuGYT0xmG3ULGcVI7s69OZALPBX7GJCluZ8U9RV-5oQe86DRh3tUEs4WbP7o3kuWhenZsvBzTYG-NYP4yeFVZNXWSwS6GU68tAHnv37IYtj0/s512/YumeKojoTitleScreen.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="512" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYP1gj4QWOQIMAFVGZYBl5LxYXwGSpy-WKuGYT0xmG3ULGcVI7s69OZALPBX7GJCluZ8U9RV-5oQe86DRh3tUEs4WbP7o3kuWhenZsvBzTYG-NYP4yeFVZNXWSwS6GU68tAHnv37IYtj0/w200-h181/YumeKojoTitleScreen.gif" width="200"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Developer: Nintendo<br>Publisher: Nintendo<br>Released: July 1987</td></tr></tbody></table>Most people agree that <i>Super Mario Bros. 2</i> is a weird outlier. It doesn’t play at all like a Mario game. There are no Mario enemies and no powerups. The boss is some guy named Wart. Half of the stuff in the game never showed up in a Mario game again. It’s all strange.<br><br>If you follow video game history, you likely know that Mario 2 was originally released in Japan as a different game entirely. Today we’re going to spend some time today learning about that game: <i>Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic</i>.<br><br>Normally when we discuss a game, we talk about how it plays. Today we won’t. The fact of the matter is, if you’ve played <i>Mario 2</i>, you’ve played Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic. The music is a little different in some minor places and the graphics are different, but the levels and enemies are all the same. What’s interesting isn’t how <i>Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic</i> plays, but where it came from in the first place.<br><br><span></span><a href="http://www.downwardscompatible.com/2020/07/most-people-agree-that-super-mario-bros.html#more">Read more</a>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-52586688653848539432020-07-20T08:00:00.006-05:002020-07-20T12:41:05.778-05:00NES Replay: Solomon's Key<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tXY4c1Qkrcn0QcIH_3-4qa8WV02wOJtb7JtQSEJ70w78lKNAgCL_lbTeM7Ec0ibw5PdR-G2tsjI8KQukZflOrjIkrQsQNgXPgQab3VY3jT3yBmsVHZ-Qm96bSbm3sg3q6Wu48IWFgn0X/s256/SolomonsKeyTitle.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tXY4c1Qkrcn0QcIH_3-4qa8WV02wOJtb7JtQSEJ70w78lKNAgCL_lbTeM7Ec0ibw5PdR-G2tsjI8KQukZflOrjIkrQsQNgXPgQab3VY3jT3yBmsVHZ-Qm96bSbm3sg3q6Wu48IWFgn0X/s0/SolomonsKeyTitle.png"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Developer: Tecmo<br>Publisher: Tecmo<br>Released: July 1987<br></td></tr></tbody></table>So anyway, as I was saying.<br><br>Tecmo was one of the first third-party developers for the NES. and they were actually innovating pretty heavily. In contrast to companies like Data East or Capcom, they weren’t content to just transfer their arcade hits wholesale onto a console, either.<br><br><i>Solomon’s Key</i> is probably the closest thing they did to an arcade-to-console port in those days. It’s also the kind of game that makes you want to rip your hair out in wet chunks. I’ll explain why shortly.<br><br>First, puzzle games have an interesting history. They weren’t very common early on. Remember, the history of video games began in the arcades, where the whole goal was to separate a player from his money as often as possible. You certainly couldn’t have someone being smarter than the puzzle game and playing indefinitely on a machine. <span></span><a href="http://www.downwardscompatible.com/2020/07/nes-replay-solomons-key.html#more">Read more</a>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-71386431321688833112020-07-12T15:01:00.001-05:002020-07-20T12:42:36.923-05:00On Conspiracy Theories<div>I'm tired of conspiracy theories, I really am.<br><br>I thought of this because of the latest faux scandal involving some company and child trafficking. I'm not going to get too in-depth on the conspiracy itself because I'm not interested in giving it more credence than it deserves. Suffice to say, people have seized upon typos and prices and concocted an elaborate fantasy land where a company is involved in terrible, terrible things.<br><br>What gets me about this specific conspiracy is that companies do bad things all the time. Union Carbide killed thousands of people in Bhopal, India. Nestle steals drinking water from people and has led directly to deaths of newborns by pushing formula on unsuspecting mothers who don't have access to clean drinking water.<br><br><div>Those aren't the things people fixate on. They're not interested in these very real, very documented problems. They'd rather think about basements of pizza places and shadowy cabals who cover up evil misdoings. It's become more concerning as of late. Conspiracies abound, especially since Facebook is the WORST and allows just about anyone to propagate a conspiracy, whether it's about COVID, or 5G, or masks.<span></span></div></div><a href="http://www.downwardscompatible.com/2020/07/on-conspiracy-theories.html#more">Read more</a>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-19240757626016687052020-07-10T11:14:00.000-05:002020-07-20T12:42:55.550-05:00Some Thoughts On Hamilton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUqiFqnTTKYkmSjPl9DmgwRBkeY4buF_fevoewwNFvrayn8N2d6vTCYKOo5O6IFSDfumlXvuw8w8P7tEcuHWWKtg6q5z55bmBlh9nlTwO4gZSvZS1lLX9BdzfoP2U9gJVw0IqVw1pb8qJ/s307/220px-Hamilton-poster.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUqiFqnTTKYkmSjPl9DmgwRBkeY4buF_fevoewwNFvrayn8N2d6vTCYKOo5O6IFSDfumlXvuw8w8P7tEcuHWWKtg6q5z55bmBlh9nlTwO4gZSvZS1lLX9BdzfoP2U9gJVw0IqVw1pb8qJ/s0/220px-Hamilton-poster.webp"></a></div>I've been grappling with <i>Hamilton </i>over the last few days.<br><br>Back in 2016 during Hamilton Fever, two performances of the Broadway smash were filmed with the original cast. There were plans to show it with a theatrical release, but since the world is now a living nightmare from which we will never awaken, those plans had to be postponed indefinitely. Instead, our friendly corporate overlords have beamed it into our homes via Disney+.<br><br>There's a good reason why <i>Hamilton</i> received all the awards. It's very, very good. For someone like myself who listened to the cast album frequently, I didn't expect to be surprised by the play, but I was. There are so many small touches that I really appreciate, and seeing the original cast perform it is an absolute joy.<br><br><div>There are a few legitimate criticisms that can be leveled at <i>Hamilton</i>. For example, it touches on slavery but doesn't really dig into the fact that the founding fathers tacitly approved of it and wrote it into the founding documents. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote a few songs about it, but wasn't able to squeeze them into the play. <br></div><div><br></div><div>That's not what's bothering me, though. I'm bothered by the tiny complaints that I see from people who don't understand what they're watching.<span></span></div><a href="http://www.downwardscompatible.com/2020/07/some-thoughts-on-hamilton.html#more">Read more</a>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-75260521528982313792019-11-17T13:14:00.001-06:002020-07-20T12:41:12.292-05:00Parasite is Great: Massive Spoilers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VZH2uTU35NZanQkjGeM8O8xEgbyQZsv8yPW8srgob7-i-IifNBZ6XoSlOKoJxE4QjhG9KPZa1drSxtA4Yl_LSyOOc3SmbIq3wv44pw0Zur7ZXvcG7uWdTUSbHZJQH_KR-ihvIus4kexS/s1600/parasite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1201" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VZH2uTU35NZanQkjGeM8O8xEgbyQZsv8yPW8srgob7-i-IifNBZ6XoSlOKoJxE4QjhG9KPZa1drSxtA4Yl_LSyOOc3SmbIq3wv44pw0Zur7ZXvcG7uWdTUSbHZJQH_KR-ihvIus4kexS/s320/parasite.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE “PARASITE” FOLLOW.<br />
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It’s been said that human civilization is only nine meals away from anarchy. That sounds like a thesis statement for Parasite.<br />
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Parasite is ostensibly the story of how a poor family gloms onto a rich family, and in one reading of the story, bleeds them dry. There’s another family that’s living in the rich family’s house, and this family too bleeds the rich family dry, right? The poor are the parasites, QED.<br />
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Except that’s not what really happens. Bong Joon-ho doesn’t seem to like capitalism or the ultra-wealthy, and he draws a very clear distinction between normal, everyday people and the ultra-wealthy.<br />
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The Park family has a beautiful home, seemingly happy family, and servants to meet their needs. It’s not that they’re more hardworking than other families, as the wife does nothing. The daughter doesn’t get good grades. The son is a wild child. They’re nothing special, but because the husband has a company, they have a lot of money and can live a life of complete leisure.<br />
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The son’s big “trauma,” for example, is that he saw a ghost when he was small and then had a seizure. The daughter’s big problem is that she’s not good at English. These are not big problems. Everyday people run into these problems all the time, but they have very little in the way of support to solve them.<br />
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The Park family, however, has money for drivers and money for tutors and limitless resources for art therapy. Even with two families under their roof, they never worry about not having enough food or wonder why their electric bill is so high.<br />
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Meanwhile, the Kim family actually does work hard. The daughter is an accomplished artist who’s so good that she can forge documents and teach art therapy without being licensed. The son is smart enough to pass as a university student and English teacher. The mother is gifted enough to throw together a meal on eight minutes notice that she’s never heard of. The father is skilled enough as a driver to look at a BMW at a dealership and understand how it works. He knows the roads and can corner with ease.<br />
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Meanwhile, the previous driver and housekeeper all have skills of their own. They’re respectful and good at their jobs. They’re the kind of hard worker you would be proud of. Even the housekeeper’s husband who’s trapped in the basement of the home works, acting as the “sensor” that turns the lights on and off for the house.<br />
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Yet, they’re all fighting over scraps. They’re fighting over the same couple of jobs, the same food resources and even the same living space while the Parks have an overabundance.<br />
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For the Kims and the housekeeper, just one chance to momentarily bask in having a nice house and a moment of peace in the sun is a moment they’ll cherish. For the Parks, it’s just another day.<br />
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Much will be made of the shocking ending of Parasite, with its bloody, horrifying end, but we see that for the home, nothing really changes. Another ultra-wealthy family moves in, the world keeps turning, and the poor are still on the rim, hoping for a big break.<br />
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Especially heartbreaking is the end. The father sends a letter out, hoping that his son will see it. If we recall, the last time he saw his son he was lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. The father’s gesture is so futile-seeming that it’s a miracle the son has seen it. The letter he writes back will never reach his father. He will never be able to buy that house and rescue his father. For people on the bottom, class mobility is fleeting and comes at great sacrifice.<br />
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For the Park family, they’ll be fine. Yes, the father is dead, but they have money. They have power. They have the ability to get better and move past this awful, awful tragedy. They’ll never understand what they did to these people because they simply can’t. This is just what they do, and they can’t understand why people would be upset.<br />
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A parasite is something that comes to a host, draining its resources of every drop of strength that it has, then moves on to the next host and repeats the process. They’re not evil, they just are.<br />
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Bong’s argument isn’t that the poor are the parasite, it’s that the wealthy are. They take the resources that could go towards making things better. They have so, so much and the people on the bottom live in shit-covered basement apartments. The wealthy use those people, spit them out and find another few bottom-dwellers to use. Rinse and repeat.Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-89998636588832243152019-02-22T22:30:00.001-06:002019-02-22T22:30:19.640-06:00Five YearsIt's been five years since I last wrote anything on this site.<br />
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It's time to get moving again.Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-5758041114297132732014-12-01T21:55:00.001-06:002014-12-01T21:55:32.046-06:00NES Replay: Section Z<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0U5mG94OpZPlnrIoMCPeDCBE9AJ1MK05atGlwhFbGUvrpxZeiN_nHk84gr_Vsag-XlCYgBJnC713_A52109ICwH44IfE6tDrVWtShNlBnzJKpMK6NpCf6CxTbhhzVf2_R5Z7yqB09MoKG/s1600/SectionZTitle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0U5mG94OpZPlnrIoMCPeDCBE9AJ1MK05atGlwhFbGUvrpxZeiN_nHk84gr_Vsag-XlCYgBJnC713_A52109ICwH44IfE6tDrVWtShNlBnzJKpMK6NpCf6CxTbhhzVf2_R5Z7yqB09MoKG/s1600/SectionZTitle.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Developer: Capcom<br>Publisher: Capcom<br>Released: July 1987</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Side-scrolling shooters were plentiful in the early years of gaming, so much that they were starting to become passe. By 1985, developers were already thinking about new ways of presenting them. Of course, Capcom was right there too, thinking of new ideas. One of their ideas was simple, but effective: Maybe you could make a nonlinear shooter. What if you moved from section to section of a spaceship, moving deeper into it, but you could skip certain parts if you picked the right paths to move forward?<br><br>
Thus was <i>Section Z</i> born. They tried this out first in the arcades, and it was fun. For the NES port, they decided to expand on it a little bit and try some extra stuff out. It ended up mildly successful, but not for the reasons you’d think.<br><br>In the NES port of <i>Section Z</i>, the B button has your player shoot to the left and the A button shoots to the right, giving the game the feel of a twin-stick shooter. As in most shooters, you can pick up powerups that will increase your strength, give you a shield, etc. etc. The gameplay itself is pretty stock stuff for shooters of its time.<br>
<a href="http://www.downwardscompatible.com/2014/12/nes-replay-section-z.html#more">Read more</a>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-87118006450901946852014-11-18T20:33:00.003-06:002014-11-18T20:33:39.383-06:00NES Replay: Rygar<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqJ-qqnPTcbzFTp9eRfBCWwrqF8Ojrj5tNIBXotlhAxIrKIpSbLTGHS3kZVHphoJeCgSnyKbbY9Jwy7CKDU5J-I5VyZxOX4tN4JcRNhwgWbsG9jka6X0iHuQbPqcQ_wocW45DJJSke1DLd/s1600/RygarTitle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqJ-qqnPTcbzFTp9eRfBCWwrqF8Ojrj5tNIBXotlhAxIrKIpSbLTGHS3kZVHphoJeCgSnyKbbY9Jwy7CKDU5J-I5VyZxOX4tN4JcRNhwgWbsG9jka6X0iHuQbPqcQ_wocW45DJJSke1DLd/s1600/RygarTitle.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Developer: Tecmo<br>
Publisher: Tecmo<br>
Released: July 1987<i><br></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Imagine that you work for Tecmo. Your team has made an arcade game called <i>Rygar</i>. It’s OK, I guess. It’s really repetitive. The main character, Rygar, basically moves from left to right, jumps over barriers and hits enemies while picking up powerups. That’s all you do throughout the entire arcade game, and it doesn’t exactly set the world on fire.<br>
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It’s time to port this game to the NES. You’ve got two choices: Port the arcade game exactly as it is and hope for the best, or maybe, just maybe, try something a little different. How different? Well, someone on your team has got a crazy idea: What if you copied some of the ideas from the game, except Rygar got experience points for killing enemies, and Rygar could pick up different powers throughout the game, which would open up new areas? Wouldn’t that be neat?<br>
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If that description sounds a little familiar, that’s because it’s what we call today a “Metroidvania” game. “Metroidvania” is a portmanteau of the two prime examples of this time of game, <i>Metroid</i> and modern Castlevania games. Most people view <i>Metroid</i> as the first example of this style, but did you notice that we haven’t discussed <i>Metroid</i> yet? That’s because<i> Rygar </i>for the NES beat it to market by a month. Yes, <i>Rygar</i> was <i>Metroid</i> before <i>Metroid</i> was <i>Metroid</i>.<br>
<a href="http://www.downwardscompatible.com/2014/11/nes-replay-rygar.html#more">Read more</a>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-33808324302655609442014-11-09T07:35:00.002-06:002014-11-09T07:35:59.358-06:00NES Replay: The Legend of Zelda<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZkMhoN0fsfmCgdgeIaS2qp10oeWx5_4kUXcvwN5TAjw6wrixHHRf_QCuJMhk6Z_XSHkUNyhbdPtcMM8hsETnyhqWNohpX2UL6KyFJGtypxuyqDp06Usm2N3RgzFYSisq9g7G41Mul1Twv/s1600/TheLegendOfZeldaTitle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZkMhoN0fsfmCgdgeIaS2qp10oeWx5_4kUXcvwN5TAjw6wrixHHRf_QCuJMhk6Z_XSHkUNyhbdPtcMM8hsETnyhqWNohpX2UL6KyFJGtypxuyqDp06Usm2N3RgzFYSisq9g7G41Mul1Twv/s1600/TheLegendOfZeldaTitle.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Developer: Nintendo<br>Publisher: Nintendo<br>Released: July 1987</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Of all the games Nintendo made for the NES, there were two great, towering achievements that stand above them all. The first was <i>Super Mario Bros</i>. The second was <i>The Legend of Zelda</i>. <i>Super Mario Bros</i>. was a demonstration of pure game design at its most distilled. <i>Zelda</i>, however, was pure technical prowess. And, oh, the gameplay was pretty amazing too.<br>
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<i>The Legend of Zelda</i> featured one of the most expansive worlds that had ever been put on a console. Here, <a href="http://www.nesmaps.com/maps/Zelda/ZeldaOverworldQ1.html">look at this overworld map</a> and compare it anything else at the time. When looking at that overworld map, just remember that there were also nine dungeons and a completely hidden second quest. How did they fit so much into such a tiny cartridge? After all, the NES had a very, very limited amount of working memory to work with. How did they do it?<br>
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Nintendo had quickly hit the limits of what their NES could do by 1987, so they started having to come up with workarounds to give the system more memory. The had a breakthrough with a memory management controller (MMC), which could go into the individual cartridges. An MMC would swap out chunks of memory from the cartridge to the NES as the game was being played, giving the NES more to work with. That led to bigger and bigger games.<br>
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<a href="http://www.downwardscompatible.com/2014/11/nes-replay-legend-of-zelda.html#more">Read more</a>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-73632473543051757912014-10-24T09:00:00.000-05:002014-11-04T15:24:25.024-06:00NES Replay: Kid Icarus<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEOdSZCvkUE47gA8xTtE9AyxsL4MDIidBFIT-RxIQb4ojS2_8d6mk41ZnnaU3upunFs5GiKUnBAdWLT8u8kD015MH7AOVSwodlqwWhQKGnTOWT_sWFhq6k-b7bG3reIiWIEYm4cQFut7x/s1600/KidIcarusTitle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEOdSZCvkUE47gA8xTtE9AyxsL4MDIidBFIT-RxIQb4ojS2_8d6mk41ZnnaU3upunFs5GiKUnBAdWLT8u8kD015MH7AOVSwodlqwWhQKGnTOWT_sWFhq6k-b7bG3reIiWIEYm4cQFut7x/s1600/KidIcarusTitle.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Developer: Nintendo<br>
Publisher: Nintendo<br>
Released: July 1987</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>Kid Icarus</i> is one of the more difficult games to write about, for one big reason: It’s easy to appreciate <i>Kid Icarus</i>, but hard to like.<br>
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We’ll back up a moment. The development of <i>Kid Icarus</i> was troubled. Initially, Nintendo was trying to make a side-scrolling action game with role-playing elements. There were delays and problems during development, so they had to change directors just to get the game out of the door. The new director, Yoshio Sakamoto, had just come off of <i>Metroid</i>, a completely different type of game. In order to get the game in the can, large chunks of <i>Kid Icarus</i> had to be scrapped or rewritten.<br>
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This made <i>Kid Icarus</i> a little more disjointed than it could have been. You can see pieces of the platformer-RPG that it was intended to be. Your arrows get stronger, your health bar can grow, and there are rooms that you can enter into to buy items to help you on your quest, among other things. However, each of those pieces is a problem on its own.<br>
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We’re going to spend a lot of time ragging on this game in the early going of this review, so you might think that this is a totally negative review. However, we’re tearing apart <i>Kid Icarus</i>, not because it's bad, but because <i>Kid Icarus</i> almost touches greatness in so many ways. Unfortunately, the individual pieces are so flawed that they can’t congeal into a cohesive and satisfying whole.<br>
<a href="http://www.downwardscompatible.com/2014/10/nes-replay-kid-icarus.html#more">Read more</a>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-62190394160961105202014-10-10T17:04:00.000-05:002014-11-04T21:11:51.328-06:00NES Replay: Devil World<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgME69bmV187AywkVAvJs18qqo_2z_j-RWfahpmVPAslzhK1kNPi6XdNJSglaAuPX_VriFyfVRVkEs-IREC3Xd4uzP_MKsHjg1fmlaTJ__L1ahV2wl2ZyOQqLbZhClXfNzkc9NhBHe7eGje/s1600/DevilWorldTitle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgME69bmV187AywkVAvJs18qqo_2z_j-RWfahpmVPAslzhK1kNPi6XdNJSglaAuPX_VriFyfVRVkEs-IREC3Xd4uzP_MKsHjg1fmlaTJ__L1ahV2wl2ZyOQqLbZhClXfNzkc9NhBHe7eGje/s1600/DevilWorldTitle.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Developer: Nintendo<br>
Publisher: Nintendo<br>
Released: July 1987</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Shigeru Miyamoto has made a lot of his games in his storied career, and the most amazing thing about his career is how consistent his games are. He’s arguably only ever had one unmitigated stinker (Stunt Race FX), and every other game has some redeeming quality to it. We’re lucky he’s still around, and we should hope that he's around for a long, long time.<br>
<br>
However, there’s one Miyamoto game that those of us who live in the United States have never had a chance to play. Why didn't it get to our shores? Was it too hard to translate? Was it too complicated for audiences in the US? Was it just not cost-effective to bring it here?<br>
<br>
Well, try this one on for size: The game that never made it over here was called <i>Devil World</i>. It was a
game where the main character picked up crosses to shoot enemies and
pick up pellets, and picked up bibles to close up portals where demons
would come out of. A demon at the top of the screen directed the
gameplay.<br>
<a href="http://www.downwardscompatible.com/2014/10/nes-replay-devil-world.html#more">Read more</a>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-34711523458566894212014-09-27T11:28:00.003-05:002014-09-27T11:28:41.826-05:00NES Replay: Side Pocket<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5DRPsgT2tWkbWHtK99y9ZCQlJfHxO8FZLx388F-FCdq8KuAvLJ9RIMB8BaRHwqGy6Ed9FbUMKIFf2HXqFg8wBdfDArQh3B_0LtUYN7rKKCakGCF4sT2mplS-K6wjVC6JuUK4h9FTt_okG/s1600/SidePocketTitle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5DRPsgT2tWkbWHtK99y9ZCQlJfHxO8FZLx388F-FCdq8KuAvLJ9RIMB8BaRHwqGy6Ed9FbUMKIFf2HXqFg8wBdfDArQh3B_0LtUYN7rKKCakGCF4sT2mplS-K6wjVC6JuUK4h9FTt_okG/s1600/SidePocketTitle.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Developer: Data East<br>
Publisher: G-Mode<br>
Released: June 1987</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Like many other mildly physical activities, I enjoy playing billiards even though I’m not good at it. While this is a running theme among pretty any much any sport that exists, I’ve spent enough time playing billiards to know that <i>Side Pocket</i> is a really, really good interpretation of it. While there are a few minor quibbles, there are a few things that Data East absolutely nailed.<br>
<br>
Before we talk about <i>Side Pocket</i>, let’s do a quick run-through of the history of video game billiards. As near as I can tell, the first video game to attempt billiards was <i>Video Hustler</i>, which sounds like it should be something else. Anyway, it was released as an arcade game in 1981, and it was competent, if nothing special. After that, there was silence until <i>Lunar Pool</i> was released in 1985, then <i>Side Pocket</i> in 1987.<br>
<br>
Some sports, like baseball or soccer, had lots of video games right from the start. So why weren’t there a lot of games about billiards? Most arcade machines were purchased by bars in the early days, and let’s face it: If you were going to play billiards in an arcade, chances are the arcade had its own billiards table. What would be the point of playing a billiards arcade machine when there was a table right there?<br>
<a href="http://www.downwardscompatible.com/2014/09/nes-replay-side-pocket.html#more">Read more</a>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-85948727594099810412014-09-22T22:19:00.001-05:002014-09-22T22:19:16.853-05:00NES Replay: Mighty Bomb Jack<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1GPN1N6djHZUg1OeMlVEYo2WqVpnfxM58_YXhSZdj8v6lzK8yW-SXdLY_QaSoYuL3Qjp53e5OcIZlT0_44zYZS4JWq36rBi72oCUK7xOZk67Ae52zrRwW6696aVYSEnZZO2IEjT555Me/s1600/MightyBombJackTitle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1GPN1N6djHZUg1OeMlVEYo2WqVpnfxM58_YXhSZdj8v6lzK8yW-SXdLY_QaSoYuL3Qjp53e5OcIZlT0_44zYZS4JWq36rBi72oCUK7xOZk67Ae52zrRwW6696aVYSEnZZO2IEjT555Me/s1600/MightyBombJackTitle.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Developer: Tecmo<br>
Publisher: Tecmo<br>
Released: May 1987</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A good-sounding name can get you pretty far.<br>
<br>
Like, say you have a name like <a href="https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/5208744960/h1AB87AC8/">Max Fightmaster</a>. With a name like that, you could walk into any security agency or dojo and immediately have a job, or at least lackeys. With a more nebbishy name, like, say, Lee Evans, you’re lucky if you can get people to read articles you’ve written about NES games.<br>
<br>
<i>Mighty Bomb Jack</i> is a great name for a game. I mean, just say that name out loud! It rolls off the tongue, and it sounds like excitement personified. A game with bombs! Mighty ones, at that! How could it be anything but awesome?<br>
<br>
Tecmo has been profiting off that name for years. Every time Nintendo opens up one of their Virtual Console services on a new console, <i>Mighty Bomb Jack</i> is one of the first games for sale. Someone has to be buying it, and I’ve almost been tempted a couple of times just because the name is so cool. That's the power of a good name.<br>
<a href="http://www.downwardscompatible.com/2014/09/nes-replay-mighty-bomb-jack.html#more">Read more</a>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-31651195192944930432014-09-19T19:48:00.002-05:002014-09-19T19:48:55.206-05:00NES Replay: Ikari Warriors<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-5VrY3SSHijj1hD5dgjIF5bleIV5qp1ELXgP3UkL9ftgWOn05dwynXRWWklO4hlVKHkjlC_nGVgAURLxGzv20_xoGMjMiMSWM2wXudpI6X156sc199JhWTNe9hr8osuIgZdKiglurhGSV/s1600/IkariWarriorsTitle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-5VrY3SSHijj1hD5dgjIF5bleIV5qp1ELXgP3UkL9ftgWOn05dwynXRWWklO4hlVKHkjlC_nGVgAURLxGzv20_xoGMjMiMSWM2wXudpI6X156sc199JhWTNe9hr8osuIgZdKiglurhGSV/s1600/IkariWarriorsTitle.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Developer: SNK<br>Publisher: SNK<br>Released: May 1987</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The NES port of <i>Ikari Warriors</i> starts out with a couple of strikes against it.<br>
<br>
Strike one? It’s one of SNK’s first arcade ports. As we will see, SNK’s first couple of outings on the NES were problematic, as SNK struggled to get their frenetic pacing that worked so well in the arcades to translate to the NES. Strike two? <i>Ikari Warriors</i> wasn’t a very good game in the arcades to begin with. There were other games that were doing what <i>Ikari Warriors</i> did, and better.<br>
<br>
So, could the NES port of <i>Ikari Warriors</i> overcome those two strikes? The answer may surprise you.<br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.downwardscompatible.com/2014/09/nes-replay-ikari-warriors.html#more">Read more</a>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-54100748329741254742014-09-13T09:10:00.003-05:002014-11-04T21:10:30.768-06:00NES Replay: Castlevania<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqDcrST5U0vlWeFcvTATjAxgF81LfH1cvt-eA7E-Rmm0bdjf66ArebMZcb-BuiPWWNgwihKr4hjn3h0RcO69VwlVImS6wXEw2-7XDI__WOJ9HtCLEnvHMETz7bK2rOGFQTdmmbWSJUmAS/s1600/CastlevaniaTitle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqDcrST5U0vlWeFcvTATjAxgF81LfH1cvt-eA7E-Rmm0bdjf66ArebMZcb-BuiPWWNgwihKr4hjn3h0RcO69VwlVImS6wXEw2-7XDI__WOJ9HtCLEnvHMETz7bK2rOGFQTdmmbWSJUmAS/s1600/CastlevaniaTitle.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Developer: Konami<br>
Publisher: Konami<br>
Released: May 1987</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The NES was marketed to children out of necessity. We've discussed this before: By marketing the system to children, they could get into toy stores, which enabled Nintendo to bypass the taboo against video game systems that existed after the Crash of 1983.<br>
<br>
Due to this fact, most NES games, at least on the surface, looked like colorful children's games. They had plumbers stepping on turtles, colorful characters floating with balloons, and goofy wrestling characters. Even the darker games, like <i>Ghosts N' Goblins</i>, had the main character running around in his underwear if he got hit.<br>
<br>
<i>Castlevania</i> was different. It was <i>cool</i>. No goofy colors, no happy enemies with smiles on their faces, just you and a trusty whip against the whole of Dracula's castle.<br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.downwardscompatible.com/2014/09/nes-replay-castlevania.html#more">Read more</a>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-39964364164784353082014-09-06T10:55:00.002-05:002014-09-06T10:55:24.727-05:00How I Spent My Summer VacationIt's been four months since my last NES review, and some astute readers may be wondering what happened. No, I didn't die, and no, I didn't give up the reviews. I just went through the most monumental change I've ever had in my life, and I thought I'd share, briefly, what's happened.<br>
<a href="http://www.downwardscompatible.com/2014/09/how-i-spent-my-summer-vacation.html#more">Read more</a>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5958630519986783831.post-1706555929664052922014-05-26T09:00:00.000-05:002014-11-04T21:09:54.584-06:00NES Replay: BurgerTime<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXUyT5qGTcUxLwqlO0duWmpIUhE2CXXDtBJBUhykEje5kj80ZEK7CQyfFdG0qTxKOjnjcWg_uBIWmiKgl59OBwUO4BnA7To8d51du-dPNBHKF6tyET4REQYq_37INlBF7YJ_LdZhl_FaM/s1600/BurgerTimeTitle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXUyT5qGTcUxLwqlO0duWmpIUhE2CXXDtBJBUhykEje5kj80ZEK7CQyfFdG0qTxKOjnjcWg_uBIWmiKgl59OBwUO4BnA7To8d51du-dPNBHKF6tyET4REQYq_37INlBF7YJ_LdZhl_FaM/s1600/BurgerTimeTitle.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Developer: Data East<br>
Publisher: Data East<br>
Released: May 1987</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kurt Vonnegut, the late, great famous author, told a story about his brief time at Sports Illustrated. His first day at the magazine, he was assigned to write a story about a horse that jumped a fence and tried to run away. He stared at the paper for about a half an hour before finally typing, "The horse jumped over the fucking fence," then left.<br>
<br>
That's how I felt while I was trying to write about <i>BurgerTime</i>. "The cook walked over the fucking burger."<br>
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In <i>BurgerTime</i>, you play a little cook that has to walk over pieces of a hamburger, which drops them down to the lower levels of the screen. Completed burgers earn you points. Meanwhile, food items are following you around the level and trying to kill you, and attacking or killing them only stops them for a second or two before they respawn. It's like Guy Fieri's fever dreams come to life.<br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.downwardscompatible.com/2014/05/nes-replay-burgertime.html#more">Read more</a>Lee Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16318611726967198747noreply@blogger.com0