A blog containing games that I feel deserve a spotlight, import games, magazines and ads that I collect, and memories of a game collector to look back on years down the line.
When it comes to playing games, one thing I'm always looking for are unique experiences. Most games now take on the challenge of uniqueness in their characters, story, visuals, presentation and more, but a lot of games don't have the opportunity to branch outside of the limitations of their toolset. In video game's case, its the console/computer and controller. As a developer, you don't have the chance to tweak things very often. With the Playdate, it gives developers a new and fun tool to mess around with in the crank on the side of the handheld. A lot of games use the crank well, and one game that I've been enjoying recently that utilizes the crank is a game called Orbo made by thermay.io.
Orbo is a simple, yet addictive shooter and the concept of the game is simple. You control one of the only analog space satellites and proceed to destroy space junk and other AI satellites that are causing issues within Earth's orbit. Your analog satellite is positioned in the center of the screen, and to rotate your satellite and shoot down the opposition you use the Playdate’s crank. Shooting happens automatically as you're turning, so there's no need to worry about pressing any additional buttons. As a game, with a concept and gameplay so easy to understand, you have to nail the basics which thankfully Orbo does. Shooting down the enemy satellites is satisfying, and because you’re in space enemies fly at you in unique ways based on your gravity. It's also easy in arcade style games to feel like death or mistakes are the game's fault, but with the control on offer with the Playdate's crank being so precise, every time I die I know it's my fault. The game offers the option to recalibrate your crank in order to line up with the satellite a little better, but I honestly have never needed to calibrate. The presentation again while simple, really shows well on the Playdate's LCD screen. Another thing you can run the risk of with a game so simple is repetitiveness and lack of replay value. Thankfully the gameplay switches up with pseudo power ups getting introduced as you score higher, and global ranking to see where you stack against other players.
In summary, Orbo is a easy to understand game that takes advantage of being on a unique platform and ends up creating an experience that's both fun, relaxing and satisfying to enjoy. Whether played in ten minute spurts, or longer play sessions to get a high score, Orbo is a great time, and if you have a Playdate its an easy recommendation from me. As I was writing this, I got the urge to play some Orbo and got a new high score which you'll see below. Hopefully I can get another hundred or so points to rank in the top ten globally! As always, the link to the game will be below, and thank you for taking the time to read!
All screenshots are taken from a Playdate handheld
Welcome the latest edition of the Teeezy game console collection, the Neo Geo CD. As a fan of arcade action, beautiful sprite work, and obscurity/history, the SNK and Neo Geo brand has always interested me. So much of the gaming experiences in the 1990's was bringing the arcade experience home, whether it was actual ports of games, improving technology, or even control schemes. So what did SNK do? Literally bring the arcade technology home! The Neo Geo AES was released in 1990 and had the same hardware framework as their arcade cabinet counterpart, the MVS. Those same games were brought home from the MVS to the AES playing exactly the same as their arcade counterpart. Being ahead of the home competition allowed SNK to support the MVS well into the 2000's well after the PS2 and Xbox had released, despite the architecture not being comparable to those systems. So what's the catch? The cost! The system originally released for $650 with games costing around the $200-300 dollar mark. Just as a reminder, that's 1990 $650. Adjusting for inflation, that puts the AES at $1553.30 in 2024. Needless to say the AES was a boujee console for a boujee consumer. A status symbol if you were lucky enough to own one as a kid. Because of this, SNK wanted to make their games more accessible to a larger audience, and with the revolution of CD-ROM technology they had a solution.
Enter the Neo Geo CD. Released in 1994, the Neo Geo CD was created to capture that larger audience by appealing to a more reasonable price point. Instead of placing the games on a large cartridge, SNK opted to place their games on a CD-ROM to charge around $40-$60 dollars for a game. In addition to the cost change, the larger storage capacity of CD's allowed for clearer red book audio, and added bonus content like concept art or exclusive content. This sounds like a dream scenario, but if you research the console or read reviews/coverage of the console in its heyday one common point of contention comes up, and that's the loading. The reduced memory and the nature of CD-ROM technology means that the larger your games, the more loading is required for a particular game. This works fine for smaller, earlier Neo Geo releases, where loading either happens all at the start or are comparable to other games of the time. As games got larger however, the loading times grow exponentially, especially with fighting games, the Neo Geo's bread and butter. On larger games like King of Fighters '98 or The Last Blade, loading happens sometimes after only seconds of gameplay followed by almost a minute of loading. SNK realized this issue, and in Japan actually released the Neo Geo CDZ featuring a double speed CD-ROM drive which helps load games faster, but it was too little too late. It is unavoidable if you're playing on original hardware, you will feel it. Nowadays, Neo Geo games are regularly available across multiple platforms or on original hardware with multi-carts, so is there any reason for playing on a Neo Geo CD today? Well for one, how can you ignore this fun little boot screen?
Charm aside, there were a few other reasons I was looking out for the console. There are a handful of console exclusives released that caught my eye, like Crossed Swords II a action RPG played from a pseudo 1st person perspective. As a fan of Saturn and PlayStation I also appreciate the packaging of NGCD games. They look good on a shelf together, and I might have a slight obsession with spine cards... Additionally, after playing lesser ports of Neo Geo games on consoles released in the same generation, you get a closer experience to the original on the CD because its built off the same hardware as the AES, just with a different mechanism to load the games. Personally, those loading times aren't something that I've been concerned with, as I play on a lot of other CD-based systems and deal with loading all the time. Some of the larger games I probably wouldn't look to play on the NGCD, but as another console to collect for, the library itself is very well balanced and doesn't have a lot of filler/shovelware. A perfect example of something that I would have no interest in on other consoles, but I've been enjoying on the NGCD is a soccer game.
Super Sidekicks 2 is that soccer game, and was released the same year as the CD console. The game itself isn't very deep, but instead offers fast paced action with fun presentation. You play as the country of your choice, and go through a world tournament until you eventually become the world champ. The game is easy to pick up with a 3 button setup for both offense and defense, and the game gives you a brief tutorial before starting each session. Personally, the defense doesn't work as well as the offense with slide kicks and shoulder checks being difficult to hit, so I don't bother with it outside of some desperation plays. I wouldn't be talking about this game without its presentation. When you score a goal you get a fun cutscene of your player celebrating, or the opposing goalie punching the ground in anger. After halftime or at the start of a game you can hear the crowd chanting "Oleeee Ole Ole Oleee!". The best is when someone gets fouled, which shows both the player that got fouled and the player that committed the foul's reactions. It can turn into the player going super saiyan if you get fouled, and the computer player getting so pissed he screams and runs off the field. Outside of the main single player game, there is an exhibition mode if you want to play a single match or a 2-player game, and even the option to view the arcade attract mode which is fun. Not many sports games grab my attention outside of racing games or the occasional golf game, but this is the first soccer game that I can appreciate and for that I applaud the Neo Geo CD.
Thanks for reading! I don't think I'll be prioritizing my collecting efforts for the Neo Geo CD, but any stand out experiences I play on the console I'm sure I'll talk about here. In the meantime, I'll be plugging away on a larger group of posts releasing later this year, with other content ideas in the meantime. I also really appreciate any feedback, so let me know if this kind of thing is interesting or if I should focus more on other content!
Donut Dodo is a modern arcade game done in the style of games from the golden age of arcade games. Similar to other single screen platforming games like Popeye or Donkey Kong Jr., Donut Dodo sees you play as a baker who gets his days worth of donuts stolen by a giant dodo, and you have to get them back. You chase this dodo over 5 different stages before they loop, and they have great level design. My personal favorite is the 4th where you're in a large candy shop and the dodo attacks you by rattling gumball machines. One major difference between this game and its inspirations are in its smooth controls. Often when going back to arcade games like Donkey Kong, especially on original hardware, it can be a little stiff in its controls because of the limitations of the joystick, and not being able to influence your direction in mid-air. Donut Dodo takes after more modern conventions and let you have full control over the short hop that the chef can do, which really lets you run through stages at what feel like a fast clip. Just because you have more control compared to older games however, doesn't mean that it gives up in the difficulty department. Far from it. In order to unlock different difficulty levels you have to run through 2 full cycles of the 5 stages with the 2nd loop getting more difficult, and I got stuck for about an hour or so just trying to get further. Thankfully this isn't 1982, and a new try doesn't cost 50 cents. Scoring also is comparable to its older counterparts, where you can try to complete the stage as quickly as possible for a bigger bonus, or complete the stage in a certain way by grabbing the flashing donuts that have a multiplier attached to them. I appreciate that Donut Dodo gives you the option for a fast-paced or more methodical approach and still let you get a decent score either way. Lastly is the presentation, which shows appreciation to older games with some lovely modern flairs. The pixel art is well animated, lively even though they limit the game to a 16-color palette. The game also has an overlay by default with artwork and how many points each donut and bonus fruit gives, and looks like it fits right in with an 80's arcade. The standout in the presentation is the soundtrack by Sean "CosmicGem" Bialo, which is energetic and catchy. Of the short soundtrack list, I'd have to say the final dodo battle and construction chaos stages are my personal choices when going back and listening. I don't have any major complaints with this game outside of wanting more of the experience, but for 5 bucks I think Donut Dodo more than delivers. If you're looking for an arcade challenge, a great chiptune soundtrack, or something to pick up and play in short bursts, Donut Dodo is worth your time.
Donut Dodo is available on Steam and Nintendo Switch with store links provided below
Any Nintendo fan that grew up with the NES, or who experienced the virtual console on the Wii, 3DS, Wii U or on the Switch will most likely know Excitebike. One of the OG 35 releases in the states for the NES in the "programmable series" of black box games, Excitebike is an all-time classic and in my opinion has stood the test of time and a testament as a game where just because a game is simple, doesn't mean it's not fun.
The game itself is fairly simple. Select from a handful of courses between "selection a" and "selection b" which just meant do you want to race alone on the track, or race against other racers on the track. The goal is to race your bike on a horizontal 2D plane over the course of 2 laps, trying to get a top 3 time to move onto the next stage.
The real charm comes from the presentation. Early era Famicom/NES visuals scratch a very specific itch that many indie games have tried to replicate, but don't realize how simple some of the visuals are. The soundtrack, similar to many other of the games from that era, is minimal and oozes with charm. The preparation of selecting a track jingle along with your little avatar standing on the podium hopping along to the victory tune after you win a race is peak video games. The default courses all have their own challenges to them, with varied hills and bumps to go over, with a learning curve that wants you to keep coming back for more. Excitebike also has potentially one of the first major instances of resource management in a game, let alone a racing game. Making sure you don't over heat can be one of the difference makers from a good Excitebike player, and a great one. The course customization is awesome as well. Getting to create courses for friends and family to enjoy, or just to push to the limits what you can accomplish on a course while your console is still on.
Long-story short, I love Excitebike. There's not much to the game, but there doesn't really need to be! Simple yet effective gameplay that keeps you coming back for short sessions was the king of home games in the early-mid 80's and Excitebike is one of the best to do so. If you haven't played it already, give it shot!
