Hardcore Gaming 101 - Blog: July 2013

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

GC9X needs your feedback!

Do you have anything to say about GC9X, good, bad or neutral? Are you a capable audio engineer that would like to help us produce future podcasts? If so, please post in this thread on the official HG101 forums! GC9X is fast approaching the two year mark, so we'd like to know what our audience thinks of the podcast as a whole, specifically what you want to see from GC9X in the future.

We have a lot more in store for you before the summer is over, so stay tuned for future updates.

Friday, July 26, 2013

GC9X Dispatch - Episode 20 Did Actually Happen

Sorry about the delay, everyone. I can't believe we've done twenty of these.

This podcast features a mid-90s DOS game, plus regular guest-hosts Eksfaktr and Wildweasel. So you know there's gonna be a lot of interesting technical facts. Use them to amaze your friends and humble your enemies!

iTunes users: Go here and "SUBSCRIBE." If you subscribe, you'll always get the HG101 podcast as soon as it happens.

Everyone else, click here. And download it through your browser like the toothless hillbilly you are.

Also, did you know HG101 has non-GC9X podcasts? It's true! They're being remastered by our crack team of sound engineers as I write. (This means somebody is making them painfully loud.)

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Sorry about the delay, everyone. I can't believe we've done twenty of these. 
 
This podcast features a mid-90s DOS game, plus regular guest-hosts Eksfaktr and Wildweasel. So you know there's gonna be a lot of interesting technical facts. Use them to amaze your friends and humble your enemies! 
 
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hardcore-gaming-101/id594376523" target="_blank">iTunes users: Go here and "SUBSCRIBE."</a> If you subscribe, you'll always get the HG101 podcast as soon as it happens. 
 
<a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/gameclub199x/podcasts/GC9X_20_-_Terra_Nova.mp3" target="_blank">Everyone else, click here.</a> And download it through your browser like the toothless hillbilly you are. 
 
Also, did you know HG101 has non-GC9X podcasts? It's true! They're being remastered by our crack team of sound engineers as I write. (This means somebody is making them painfully loud.)

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

The Nintendo Power Retrospectives - Part 19

This episode we enter 1990 with Nintendo Power #10, featuring a whole boatload of Technos. Oh, and some game licensed from a movie nobody heard of.

Games Reviewed:
Double Dragon II
Clash at Demonhead
Batman (NES)
River City Ransom
Super Spike V'Ball
Shadowgate

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Time to get this party started...again! - GC9X Game's Nite Part Deux

That's right, we've got another Game's Nite lined up for you guys! The eponymous game this time is ToeJam & Earl for the Sega Genesis! A peculiar blend of roguelike, platforming and more traditional action elements, ToeJam & Earl beatboxed its way into our hearts in 1991, the same year that Sonic the Hedgehog debuted.

The Game's Nite begins Friday, July 26th! As always, join us on MAMEHub once the party has started.

Follow the break for more info, as well as some bonus content from last week's Fight Night.

If you're having difficulties setting up MAMEHub, here are some quick tips that should help you out:

1. Download and install the newest version of MAMEHub.
2. Set a port for MAMEHub. The default is 6806, but the port can be changed to anything you want.
3. Make an account. Alternatively, you can log in using your Google+ or Facebook account.
4. Start up a game and ask somebody to join you, or join a game with a free spot.
5. Feel free to join the GC9X cast over Skype!
6. If you have any further questions, be sure to stop by the relevant Game's Nite thread.

Finally, for those that missed last week's WWE 12 match between Snarboo and Bobinator, here it is in all its heavily compressed glory:

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jRpoW8L0W1RWLepSM_TpI2qoPZnWEr94V2ekTig4KNuXD2J9iFWL3hSBX-QFD7_BmJ10_0dSZUYhUs7XO19xPhCCyH5gZdpHvGKuoVqCEe908ZbxReMrtW_qkfhGWqWOB-opv-WTsCCi/s1600/tj&e.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jRpoW8L0W1RWLepSM_TpI2qoPZnWEr94V2ekTig4KNuXD2J9iFWL3hSBX-QFD7_BmJ10_0dSZUYhUs7XO19xPhCCyH5gZdpHvGKuoVqCEe908ZbxReMrtW_qkfhGWqWOB-opv-WTsCCi/s400/tj&e.png" /></a></div>
That's right, we've got another Game's Nite lined up for you guys! The eponymous game this time is ToeJam & Earl for the Sega Genesis! A peculiar blend of roguelike, platforming and more traditional action elements, ToeJam & Earl beatboxed its way into our hearts in 1991, the same year that Sonic the Hedgehog debuted.
 
 
The Game's Nite begins Friday, July 26th! As always, join us on <a href="http://www.mamehub.info/">MAMEHub</a> once the party has started.
 
 
Follow the break for more info, as well as some bonus content from last week's Fight Night.
 

 
 
If you're having difficulties setting up MAMEHub, here are some quick tips that should help you out:
 
 
1. Download and install <a href="http://www.mamehub.info/">the newest version of MAMEHub.</a> 
2. Set a port for MAMEHub. The default is 6806, but the port can be changed to anything you want. 
3. Make an account. Alternatively, you can log in using your Google+ or Facebook account. 
4. Start up a game and ask somebody to join you, or join a game with a free spot. 
5. Feel free to join the GC9X cast over Skype! 
6. If you have any further questions, be sure to stop by the <a href="http://hg101.proboards.com/thread/10519/introducing-power-party-games-night">relevant Game's Nite thread</a>. 
 
 
Finally, for those that missed last week's WWE 12 match between Snarboo and Bobinator, here it is in all its heavily compressed glory:
 
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="266" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4Hi1nr3Pf4U?feature=player_embedded" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div>

Monday, July 15, 2013

Y'all know Retronauts is back, right?

I would have posted this when the first episode went up, but life kinda decided to strike me to the ground, then proceeded kicking my stomach whenever I tried to get up. (Even though that description is somewhat overly pathos-filled, that was also the reason why all the more or less regular columns I'm in charge of went on quiet hiatus.)

Anyway, here's a reminder that the new, independent Retronauts has started two weeks ago. The first episode was a look 20 years back at the summer of 1983, which saw the release of three important gaming platforms in Japan. Every other week there's a "Retronauts Pocket" mini-episode, which was started rather bravely with a topic that's only tangentially related to video games (prog rock).

Today the second "full" episode went online, in which the Retronauts-Mainstays Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish and Ray Barnholt, along with special guest Kat Bailey talk for 90 minutes about the Wario Land series. The formula of the podcast hasn't changed that much (aside from the mini-episodes), so if you enjoyed listening in the past, you'll feel right at home here. So check it out if you somehow missed it thus far!

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYKGPEKuL-JPYxz7NqR9CKvcUruCsOCEPdXBh4tC1nBaRUMd-gaZD5Ie7VmQjRPw90LOoobPn8hnN_MxpTnXS5KLcR3IwhIXsX-u-zGw27WAIvzZ4ljepYM2-_OYBNWqKfU6fEBp2fG7I/s1600/Retronauts-2-cover-art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYKGPEKuL-JPYxz7NqR9CKvcUruCsOCEPdXBh4tC1nBaRUMd-gaZD5Ie7VmQjRPw90LOoobPn8hnN_MxpTnXS5KLcR3IwhIXsX-u-zGw27WAIvzZ4ljepYM2-_OYBNWqKfU6fEBp2fG7I/s320/Retronauts-2-cover-art.jpg" /></a></div>
I would have posted this when the first episode went up, but life kinda decided to strike me to the ground, then proceeded kicking my stomach whenever I tried to get up. (Even though that description is somewhat overly pathos-filled, that was also the reason why all the more or less regular columns I'm in charge of went on quiet hiatus.) 
 
Anyway, here's a reminder that the new, independent <a href="http://www.retronauts.com/">Retronauts</a> has started two weeks ago. The first episode was a look 20 years back at the summer of 1983, which saw the release of three important gaming platforms in Japan. Every other week there's a "Retronauts Pocket" mini-episode, which was started rather bravely with a topic that's only tangentially related to video games (prog rock). 
 
Today the second "full" episode went online, in which the Retronauts-Mainstays Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish and Ray Barnholt, along with special guest Kat Bailey talk for 90 minutes about the Wario Land series.

The formula of the podcast hasn't changed that much (aside from the mini-episodes), so if you enjoyed listening in the past, you'll feel right at home here. So check it out if you somehow missed it thus far!

Sunday, July 14, 2013

The Nintendo Power Retrospectives - Part 18

This week I'm taking a look at Nintendo Power #9 for November & December of 1989.

Be here for the first GC9X Fite and Game's Night 2000 (sic)!

The time is finally upon us! That's right, after making it to the end of GC9X Fight 3, hosts Snarboo and Bobinator are about to take it to the ring! But that's not all, folks. After the fisticuffs end, the festivities begin shortly thereafter with the first ever GC9X Power Party! Game's Nite 2000 (sic). The game: Battle Circuit. The place: MAMEHub.

Follow the break for more info.

The fun begins this Saturday, June 13th at 8:30 PM EST! The WWE 12 match between Bobinator and Snarboo will be streamed live by WildWeasel, and will be preceded by a mystery match starring four former GC9X game characters.

Afterwards, at around 9:00 PM EST, be sure to login to MAMEHub and join us for a rousing game of Battle Circuit, one of many awesome beat 'em up titles from Capcom. Feel free to start your own game, or join one of the hosts of GC9X in theirs. One of the games will be streamed live for those who can't join us, and who knows, you may be lucky and get to talk to the hosts of GC9X live!

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for future Game Nites, please stop by and post in the relevant Game's Nite (sic) thread.

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-Z6PJQdmer11U0QVdAtv2zJWO3eD752yRVh5g9y0JR0dBRJtPC7Arz4TGhBysuc_HLDGJGnXVuerG46v9FK7gFdEWnKxfZatp0mcuBxzkmDKObvgW9hGCH6qFKu5o25yeoBDHw75A1Pc/s1600/bob_vs_snarb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-Z6PJQdmer11U0QVdAtv2zJWO3eD752yRVh5g9y0JR0dBRJtPC7Arz4TGhBysuc_HLDGJGnXVuerG46v9FK7gFdEWnKxfZatp0mcuBxzkmDKObvgW9hGCH6qFKu5o25yeoBDHw75A1Pc/s1600/bob_vs_snarb.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
 
 
The time is finally upon us! That's right, after making it to the end of GC9X Fight 3, hosts Snarboo and Bobinator are about to take it to the ring! But that's not all, folks. After the fisticuffs end, the festivities begin shortly thereafter with the first ever <a href="http://hg101.proboards.com/thread/10519/introducing-power-party-games-night">GC9X Power Party! Game's Nite 2000 (sic)</a>. The game: Battle Circuit. The place: <a href="http://www.mamehub.info/">MAMEHub</a>.
 
 
Follow the break for more info.
 

 
The fun begins this Saturday, June 13th at 8:30 PM EST! The WWE 12 match between Bobinator and Snarboo will be streamed live by <a href="http://www.livestream.com/weaselplaysrandomstuff">WildWeasel</a>, and will be preceded by a mystery match starring four former GC9X game characters. 
 
 
Afterwards, at around 9:00 PM EST, be sure to login to <a href="http://www.mamehub.info/">MAMEHub</a> and join us for a rousing game of Battle Circuit, one of many awesome beat 'em up titles from Capcom. Feel free to start your own game, or join one of the hosts of GC9X in theirs. One of the games will be streamed live for those who can't join us, and who knows, you may be lucky and get to talk to the hosts of GC9X live!
 
 
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for future Game Nites, please stop by and post in the <a href="http://hg101.proboards.com/thread/10519/introducing-power-party-games-night">relevant Game's Nite (sic) thread</a>.

Monday, July 1, 2013

GC9X Post-Mortem - Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri

This podcast will probably be a tough act to follow after the epic (and epicly-delayed) treatise on Madden NFL '95, but that's not a slam against Terra Nova itself. It's a very well-built and solid game, but it's hard to think of much to comment upon it. The game itself is very self-explanatory, failure is a slap on the wrist considering how short most missions are, and even the full-motion cutscenes aren't totally embarrassing! The main villain is somewhat hammy and he engages in a bit of somewhat homoerotic dialogue with the hero Nikola after a spoiler-laden point in the game, but that's as silly as it gets before things quickly get serious.

My main thought with TN all throughout playing it was how underrated it and its developer were back in the nineties. While System Shock and Thief certainly had their fans, they didn't bring in enough money to keep Looking Glass afloat, and they disbanded at the beginning of the new millenium. Terra Nova was posted at a considerable loss for the company, but it's really a shame as it's one of the more unique FPS games I've played. Most definitely a fresh breath of air aside from all the Wolfenstein and Doom ripoffs from the early and mid-nineties, though it was released the same year as Quake which may have dogged its potential for success. For how underpromoted it was, I personally had a lot of fun with Terra Nova and I hope everyone else did as well. As for the month of July, we will see either Treasure Hunter G, Ogre Battle 64, or Master of Orion. If you want to add your vote, register or sign up and let your opinion be heard!

June's game was Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri, an underrated mid-90's PC mech shooter with tactical squad elements by Looking Glass Studios. While Terra Nova fell in between System Shock and Thief and faded into relative obscurity, those who have played it think the game is totally rad. Thirty-seven missions full of roasting pirates in mech suits and dismantling war machines, none of which take too long either. Playing a mission is like munching on a handful of kettle corn: Soft and sweet with MANY more kernels left in the bag to eat. It's not too tough a game either; most of the missions don't necessarily need you to command your squad. You can just get into close range and zap baddies with your laser, or at least that's the way I played it and won in 90% of the missions. But even if it got a bit formulaic, it was still danged fun every time.
 
 
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/EfwhArw.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/EfwhArw.png" /></a>
 

 
 
This podcast will probably be a tough act to follow after the epic (and epicly-delayed) treatise on Madden NFL '95, but that's not a slam against Terra Nova itself. It's a very well-built and solid game, but it's hard to think of much to comment upon it. The game itself is very self-explanatory, failure is a slap on the wrist considering how short most missions are, and even the full-motion cutscenes aren't totally embarrassing! The main villain is somewhat hammy and he engages in a bit of somewhat homoerotic dialogue with the hero Nikola after a spoiler-laden point in the game, but that's as silly as it gets before things quickly get serious.
 
 
My main thought with TN all throughout playing it was how underrated it and its developer were back in the nineties. While System Shock and Thief certainly had their fans, they didn't bring in enough money to keep Looking Glass afloat, and they disbanded at the beginning of the new millenium. Terra Nova was posted at a considerable loss for the company, but it's really a shame as it's one of the more unique FPS games I've played. Most definitely a fresh breath of air aside from all the Wolfenstein and Doom ripoffs from the early and mid-nineties, though it was released the same year as Quake which may have dogged its potential for success. For how underpromoted it was, I personally had a lot of fun with Terra Nova and I hope everyone else did as well. As for the month of July, we will see either Treasure Hunter G, Ogre Battle 64, or Master of Orion. If you want to add your vote, register or sign up and let your opinion be heard!

GC9X #21 - July is Strategy Month!

It's the start of a new month, and you know what that means: it's time for another GC9X vote! July is heralded by a trio of tactics focused titles. Follow the break for more info on this month's games.

Master of Orion (PC-DOS)

Master of Orion, or MOO for short, is a turn-based 4X space strategy game where the name of the game is galactic dominion - or galactic peace if you're into that sort of thing. The series is considered to be a classic of the genre, with the sequel, Master of Orion 2, being the most popular entry in the franchise. The first two games can be bought together on GOG.com.

Ogre Battle 64 (N64)

Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber is apparently the only entry in the series whose subtitle is not taken from a Queen song. How do I know this? Because wikipedia says so! In any case, Ogre Battle 64 is the third entry in Yasumi Matsuno's long running strategy RPG saga.

Treasure Hunter G (SNES)

Treasure Hunter G is a strategy RPG developed by Sting, who have their very own HG101 article chronicling a few of their more notable titles. While Treasure Hunter G came up for vote on a previous GC9X, it did not receive enough votes to win. It seems the randomizer has given it a second chance!

Voting will last until July 5th at 10:30 PM EST and is open to anyone with a HG101 forum's account. Box art images for this month's games courtesy of MobyGames.

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It's the start of a new month, and you know what that means: <a href="http://hg101.proboards.com/post/261676/thread">it's time for another GC9X vote</a>! July is heralded by a trio of tactics focused titles. Follow the break for more info on this month's games.
 

 
 
Master of Orion (PC-DOS)
 
<a href="http://imgur.com/HBPx5zx"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/HBPx5zxs.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /></a>
 
 
Master of Orion, or MOO for short, is a turn-based 4X space strategy game where the name of the game is galactic dominion - or galactic peace if you're into that sort of thing. The series is considered to be a classic of the genre, with the sequel, Master of Orion 2, being the most popular entry in the franchise. The first two games can be bought together on <a href="http://www.gog.com/gamecard/master_of_orion_1_2">GOG.com</a>.
 
 
 
Ogre Battle 64 (N64)
 
<a href="http://imgur.com/MblqDwS"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/MblqDwSs.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /></a> 
 
 
Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber is apparently the only entry in the series whose subtitle is not taken from a Queen song. How do I know this? <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogre_Battle_64">Because wikipedia says so!</a> In any case, Ogre Battle 64 is the third entry in Yasumi Matsuno's long running strategy RPG saga.
 
 
 
Treasure Hunter G (SNES)
 
<a href="http://imgur.com/bitA32v"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/bitA32vs.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;" /></a>
 
 
Treasure Hunter G is a strategy RPG developed by Sting, <a href="http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/sting/sting.htm">who have their very own HG101 article chronicling a few of their more notable titles</a>. While Treasure Hunter G came up for vote on a previous GC9X, it did not receive enough votes to win. It seems the randomizer has given it a second chance!
 
 
 
Voting will last until July 5th at 10:30 PM EST and is open to anyone with a HG101 forum's account. Box art images for this month's games courtesy of <a href="http://www.mobygames.com/">MobyGames</a>.