Every week I plan on taking a look at the classic games being uploaded on the
GameTap service. Regardless of whether it's part of their free or premium service,
GameTap offers a wide variety of old school games that is worth checking out. Here are the most recent games uploaded to their server, keep in mind that all of these games are free to play starting today:
1941: Counter Attack (Arcade) -
Released six years after 1942, 1941 is the brilliant sequel to one of Capcom's greatest shooters of all time. In a lot of ways 1941 plays just like the prequel, only this time there are more power-ups, amazing graphics, and some of the best bosses Capcom ever put in a 2D shooter. Better yet, there aren't a lot of shooters for 1941 to compete with this week, so there's no reason not to check out this amazing shooter. It may not be as culturally significant as the original, but 1941 is one game everybody should play.
Baseball Stars 2 (Neo Geo) -
The good news is that Baseball Stars 2 is a significantly better baseball game than Super Baseball 2020 (a game I panned three weeks ago). Unfortunately the game is still not up to the standard you want from an arcade baseball game. Baseball Stars 2 suffers from a lot of the same problems as Super Baseball 2020, such as a frustratingly slow camera and a general lack of things to do. On the flip side, this is a game you can actually have a lot of fun with if you play it against somebody else. This isn't a very good game, but it's better than a lot of baseball games currently available on GameTap.
Captain Commando (Arcade) -
Sometimes it's hard to tell what will be popular and what won't. When we think back at all of the great brawlers Capcom developed in their lifetime most people single in on Final Fight. Yet Captain Commando, released two years after Final Fight, is definitely a better game. In this science fiction brawler you have the opportunity to take three people into combat against some of the creepiest looking characters Capcom has ever come up with. This three-player game also features better graphics, more moves, and some really interesting weapons to pick up along the way. Both this and Final Fight have a reputation for being repetitive action games where all you do is mash buttons, but it's hard to deny the charm of Captain Commando.
Defender (Arcade) -
Defender is the arcade masterpiece from Eugene Jarvis, the man that brought us Robotron: 2084 and Crus'n USA. Released in 1980, Defender is fast action 2D shooter that lets you race back and forth killing enemies and picking up bonus items. In a lot of ways this game was a precursor for games like Gradius, R-Type and just about every other horizontal shooter. While the game definitely feels dated, this is yet another one of those games you should check out just so that you know the full history of video games.
Elevator Action (Arcade) -
Elevator Action is one of Taito's best loved games, an action game where you fight enemies on different floors of a large tower and use an elevator to go between levels. While the graphics don't look very good by today's standards, Elevator Action is both simple and fun. Best of all, this is the type of game you can pick up and play for only a few minutes or for hours at a time. It's no Halo 3, but Elevator Action still offers action and excitement around every corner.
Fatal Fury (Neo Geo) -
SNK's original Fatal Fury is a disaster. While there are a lot of people who claim to love this Neo Geo title, I simply can't get past the terrible controls and unresponsive special moves. It's also annoying that you only get to play the game with three characters, none of which are very interesting. I'm sorry guys, but the original Fatal Fury is one of the most overrated 2D fighters of all time.
Final Fight (Arcade) -
When people think back at the brawlers of the 1980s two games come to mind, Double Dragon and Final Fight. This is the story of Metro City, a gang-infested metropolis that features a Mayor who can really kick some butt. You play either Guy, Cody or the Mayor himself, Haggar. It's up to you three to beat up all of the city's gang members and save Haggar's daughter, even if that means that from time to time you're going to be strung up to a stick of dynamite and saved by a falling knife (don't ask). While the gameplay is a bit repetitive, Final Fight is still an exciting action game that you'll be into for the hour that it lasts. Still, if I had to choose between this and Captain Commando, I would go with the lesser known Captain if for no other reason than it is just a more fulfilling adventure.
Ghosts 'N Goblins (Arcade) -
If you've been reading this section for any length of time then you should already know that I love Capcom's Ghosts 'N Goblins series. While I tend to gravitate to the more recent entries (specifically Ghouls 'N Ghosts and Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts), I do still enjoy this old school version. Unfortunately going back and playing it now it's easy to see how limited the game is, you only have two weapons and the controls are not as responsive as you might like. It's fun to see where the series started, but this game just hasn't held up like I wanted it to.
King of Fighters '95 (Neo Geo) -
It would be easier to love the King of Fighters series if SNK hadn't insisted on ramming them down our throats once a year. This is the 1995 edition, or the second version of the game if you're paying attention. Like every other year, '95 features a nice selection of characters from Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting and other "popular" Neo Geo arcade games. The problem is that the controls aren't very responsive and none of the characters are all that interesting. SNK would eventually churn out some interesting King of Fighters games, but this early version just isn't one of them.
Last Blade (Neo Geo) -
When people aren't raving about Samurai Shodown II most of them are talking up the merits of SNK's other weapon based fighting game, Last Blade. With an amazing art style and great controls, Last Blade is easily one of the best games on the Neo Geo ... and by default one of the best games on GameTap. While everybody talks about King of Fighters, Fatal Fury and Samurai Shodown, Last Blade tends to be left in the corner and ignored by most gamers. If you're one of those people who has yet to discover the greatness that is Last Blade, then make sure you head on over to GameTap and try it out for free ... you'll thank me later.
Neo Turf Masters (Neo Geo) -
Neo Turf Masters is another one of those Neo Geo sports games that tries real hard but can't quite get it right. This is a golf game, a sport that is hard to translate to an arcade machine. While Neo Turf Masters manages to get the basics right, there's nothing here that sets this game apart from the rest of the crowd. If all you're looking for is a simplistic golf game from more than a decade ago then by all means check it out, but if you're a golfer who owns a more recent game, you might as well just stick with Tiger, Hot Shots or whatever other title you own.
Rainbow Island (Arcade) -
Rainbow Island is the sequel to Bubble Bobble, one of Taito's best known games. The problem with Rainbow Island is that it doesn't have the same heart as the original game and proves to be nothing more than a repetitive mess of colors and boring level designs. The biggest problem with this game is that it doesn't feature Bub and Bob, the two endearing dinosaur-like creatures from the original Bubble Bobble. If you've never played Rainbow Island before then you might as well give it a try, but chances are you'll be looking for another game soon after you've finished up with the first couple levels.
Street Fighter II: Champion Edition (Arcade) -
Champion Edition was the first "expansion" to Street Fighter II. This version rebalances the game and now allows you to fight as the four bosses (Vega, Balrog, Sagat and M. Bison). On top of this you are also able to play character vs. character, a mode unfortunately missing from the original Street Fighter II. Seeing as this is the only Street Fighter II game currently available for free you might as well check it out; after all, this is one of the greatest games ever made. But if you're a paying subscriber you should probably skip this version and head on over to the superior Street Fighter II Turbo or Super Street Fighter II Turbo, both of which have been available for paying subscribers for awhile now.
Shock Troopers (Neo Geo) -
While I'm a huge fan of the 1998 sequel, there's just something about the original that I can't get into. I think the problem is that it's not very adventurous, in a lot of ways it feels like SNK decided to just copy MERCS and call it a day. The problem is that MERCS (Capcom's 1990 overhead shooter) is a better game in every possible way, which means that this is nothing more than a pale imitation. If you have the opportunity to play through Shock Troopers 2 then by all means do so, but I would skip this boring shooter and focus on one of the countless better games released this week.
The New Zealand Story (Arcade) -
This is another one of those cute Taito platformers. This quirky 2D action game is similar to Liquid Kids, a game I gave a glowing recommendation to in last week's episode. Like Liquid Kids, The New Zealand Story is just very weird. But that won't keep you from having a good time checking it out. Unfortunately it probably won't keep your interest as long as some of Taito's other games, but it's still a lot more fun than doing nothing at all.
Twinkle Star Sprites (Neo Geo) -
Every now and then some crazy bastard decides to fuse two genres together and create something of genius. Twinkle Star Sprites combines the competitive puzzle nature of Puyo Puyo and the twitchiness of an overhead shooter to create one of the most original and fun games. Yes, it's another sickeningly cute game for the Neo Geo, but it's an original idea and a fun (albeit sickeningly cute) game! The good news is that this is one of those rare Neo Geo games that is super expensive to buy, so playing it for free is a bargain as far as I'm concerned.
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