Welcome to the latest issue of COIN UP! This is the review series where I go back in time and review those arcade games of the past that you probably remember or or have a memory vaguely playing at the local arcade- the game tucked away in a corner while you’re waiting for your turn at Space Ace. If you have a favorite game you would like to see in a review- let me know in the comments section below! We have our first sequel and it will be a part of our Shmup series!
If you didn’t read the last issue- WHAT ARE YOU DOING? go back and read the Coin Up review of Astro Fighter! If you have-great! You know its a shortened name for Shoot Em’ Up- a genre of game that involved a space fighter or jet moving in a direction (or all, as we’ll see later in this series!!!) Shooting enemies who move in a pattern (or random as well…) trying to shoot you down. My favorites tend to be space shmups (or space shooters!) And this one tops it’s predecessor in every way!!!! Continue reading →
Throughout video game history the final console for a company is barely ever mentioned or hardly given any kind of mainstream attention (like the semi-final Atari 7800 and later the Jaguar; or even the CD-i, although to be fair that latter console was the only one Philips ever did), but in the case of Sega their last hurrah as a console maker was one for the history books, and just as important was a console that helped add new innovations that are commonplace in the industry today.
That’s right Arcaders, I’m talking about none other than…
The Dreamcast!
And despite the behind-the-scenes drama that had been occurring in Sega of America at the time, they still managed to put out a system that was truly “ahead of its time”.
Although it was Sega’s last hurrah as a hardware maker, a great deal of positive things came out of the fallout, namely the end of the antagonistic rivalry between Sega and Nintendo. Once Sega became a third-party developer their mascot Sonic the Hedgehog ended up on Nintendo’s Gamecube as well as on the Game Boy Advance, to say nothing of Sega’s other titles making their way to the Playstation 2 and Xbox. While it is impressive seeing Sega’s games on Sony and Microsoft’s consoles, there is something about seeing Sega games on Nintendo’s systems – namely Sonic – that feel more natural. In many ways, it feels as if though while Sonic is third-party, he fits in with Nintendo’s own in-house characters as if though he was always a part of them, which he had been but on the opposite side. Now that isn’t the case anymore, and for those of us who remember, we can now have the best of both worlds, and with the Sonic & Mario Olympic games and of course the recent Super Smash Bros. titles – from Brawl to Ultimate – Sonic definitely has a place with Nintendo fans.
And of course, the online aspects – being able to play against other players across the internet as well as access other things related to the game company – was a novel concept that ended up becoming mainstream with all game systems today.
In all, Dreamcast did indeed leave one indelible mark on the game industry, and it was a mark that had incredible ramifications across the board.
So thank you Sega for giving us a console that, while it was a last hurrah, it did give you all one amazing send-off as a hardware maker and begin a new chapter as a third-party developer.
Hello and salutations gamers! My name is furphinatrix and I’m here to introduce you to a different type of gaming that maybe you have heard of but aren’t familiar with. These types of games don’t require a TV, monitor, gaming console, PC, or controllers, although some of the games have an electronic version also. You can use paper and pencil or a cell phone or tablet to keep track of your stats, depending on the game. I’m talking about tabletop games! (And I don’t mean Monopoly, Clue, or The Game of Life.) Tabletop games come in many shapes, sizes, genres, and difficulty. There are games for beginner, intermediate, and expert gamers, as well as games for children and adults.
My name is furphinatrix (or Shanna to the real world) and I have been playing video games and board games since I was a child. Some of the oldest memories I have of playing games are Candyland with my family, Pitfall on the Atari, and Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega Genesis. I have only been playing tabletop games for a couple of years, so it’s a relatively new adventure. I have some experience in RPG (role playing game) games like Pathfinder and Dungeons and Dragons. Here are a few popular tabletop games:
• Dungeons and Dragons
• Pathfinder
• Ticket to Ride
• Zombie Dice
• Star Wars X-Wing
• Sailor Moon Crystal Dice Challenge
• Settlers of Catan
• Warhammer
I’m usually the designated cleric healer of our group. Clerics are capable of physical combat and use divine magic to heal creatures and can use magic to attack.
I wanted to keep this article short as an introduction to tabletop games and myself. Be on the lookout for my next article hopefully next month!
Sonic the Hedgehog has always been my favorite video game character of all time. Both because of his games and also for personal reasons, most notably motivating me to draw. As of late though Sonic games have gotten a really bad rap. I not saying that those games don’t deserve it but it sad seeing you favorite fall from popularity.
One of the things that always confused me is why hasn’t Sega gone back to the original formula instead of consistently trying to reinvent Sonic. So I have stayed away from most of the newer Sonic games. And if I ever get the urge to play a new version of the classic Sonic games the only choices were to play Sonic Generations, Sonic Colors, or play Freedom Planet. All great choices but you do kinda miss the blue blur in a new adventure after a while.
This year marks Sonic 25th anniversary and for weeks now Sega has been teasing a new Sonic game, making me curious. Though I was not expecting what we got however: Sonic Mania. When I saw the trailer for Sonic Mania I almost cried tears of joy. Finally Sega is going back to Sonic’s roots and bringing back (or at least it seems) what made Sonic great. From what I’ve seen I like the classic Sonic gameplay feel even with a the few tweaks and even some new elements they have added like the new bounce dash. Plus only 3 playable characters Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. Not that I really have a problem with the other Sonic characters (except for Big the Cat but we won’t go into that here) but it gives it that classic feel.
Sonic Mania comes out spring of next year. So let’s hope that this will be a return to what makes Sonic the Hedgehog the blue blur we know and love.
Freedom Planet is a love letter to classic Sonic the Hedgehog games while giving you it’s own flavor. Check out the rest of my review and watch me play through of the first level in this video.
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If you’ve been around the site a while this might not come as a surprise to you but I am a huge Sonic the Hedgehog fan. I have been a fan since the original came out on the Genesis long ago. One of the best parts of any of the old school Sonic games (especially 2’s) is the soundtrack. Now most of the tracks in Sonic 2 are upbeat sometimes even happy or relaxing but that’s until you get to a zone called Mystic Cave Zone. This zone almost seems out of place in the game since most Sonic zones take place in the day time and this one takes place at night. It’s also filled with all kinds of deadly traps from secret spike walls to giant bushes trying to crush you. Not to mention the Badniks (Robotniks evil minions) which come out of nowhere and attack you. This of course is amplified by the equally spooky and mysterious music that plays in the background. This tune itself sounds more like it should have been used as a background tune for a haunted circus zone then a dark forest…inside a cave? Well, wherever this zone takes place it is still one of the levels that I wanted to get out of as fast as my red shoes would take me.
The images of Sonic and Miles “Tails” Prower are owned by Sega, please support the official release. The Tales From the Game Grid logo and all Tales From The Game Grid related images are copyright Joshua Jordan.
