Hi, I'm Dranzerstorm
Welcome to the Video Game & Music Lounge
This world is dedicated to Video Games and Music as I'll be showcasing the following.
Video Game Reviews set to the same tones as Retro Retrospective's Anime Reviews
Music reviews of Anime Openings & Closings
Western Cartoon music
Vocaloid Classics.
We may even have some Top Tens
I hope this World entertains you.
Today's subject is another reminder of how mad Sega can get.
Released originally as an arcade title in 1998 before going to the Dreamcast, Dynamite Cop is an insane 3D beat em up that sees you control one of 3 special forces soldiers to free a hijacked cruise liner from pirates by any means necessary meaning that any weapon including missiles is game.
Is actually a sequel to Die Hard Arcade but became a franchise of Sega's own making when the license ran out.
Pros
Still the best arcade traditional beat em up in 3D.
Sheer insanity gameplay.
Not restricted playing the same route.
Cons
Graphics worse than I remember.
Criminally short averaging between 30-40 minutes.
Nightmarish graphic glitches.
Verdict
For all the fun it does offer it's the least graphically appealing game on the Dreamcast.
There have been games that question morality, here's one that did it first.
Released in 1993, Cannon Fodder is a top down tactical shooter built on the same engine as Sensible Soccer. You sortie with a small selection of troops and battle through missions. Although the tagline is "War has never been so much fun" all your troops can perma death on one shot and as the replacement troops line up for battle you will see the graves of the fallen on the hill, it even goes through a memorial each time you lose troops on a mission. You will feel how bad war is with the dark and twisted humour.
The opening uses Reggae style music
Pros
Quite a deep strategy game.
Genuinely makes war look bad.
A lot of missions for your money.
Good music.
Cons
Some ports are dreadful.
The controls are nothing but point and click.
Very hard game to finish.
Verdict
It's pretty difficult but the experience is well worth it, just try playing Call of Duty after a long session of this and you'll start feeling awful.
The Amiga doesn't get much love but it produced some fantastic games.
Chaos Engine released in 1993 is a top down shooter set in Victorian Age Steampunk era in which you control two of six mercenaries for literal hire (you have to pay your in game money to use them) in order to stop the creations of the dreaded Chaos Engine. You achieve this either as two player Co-op or single player with CPU Co-op
It was known as Soldiers of Fortune in the States which sounds less epic than Chaos Engine.
Pros
Works it's Co-op mechanics well.
Works in effective puzzle mechanics.
Great setting.
All round good shooting game.
Cons
Money becomes an issue when working with a crap teammate.
In game money system means game over if you run out.
FOR THE LOVE THAT ALL THAT IS HOLY, NEVER RELEASE THIS AS A MOBILE GAME!!!!
Verdict
The in game money system is probably the earliest example of pay to win without actual money so you can see why this would be a disastrous mobile game, the original however is a fantastic game worth playing with your friends.
One of the things I miss about gaming in the 90s is that everything felt fresh and what you saw is what you got, just like today's subject.
Released as a sequel to the original Skidmarks in 1995, Super Skidmarks is a crazy isometric top down racer in which you drive everything from Minis to Buggys to Cows on Wheels. The game was packed with wacky content and game modes that you'll never be bored.
One of the first games to ever be produced in New Zealand.
Pros
The Amiga version offered up to 8 player multiplayer practically unheard of in that era.
So many possible cars, tracks and mode combinations.
Somehow makes towing caravans/trailers fun.
Cons
Isometric view is not easy to control at high speeds.
Some tracks are very confusing.
The Megadrive/Genesis version lost some of the features the Amiga had.
Verdict
Definitely worth your time if you own a working Amiga and still a decent play on the Megadrive/Genesis.
If you were to pinpoint the beginning of the FPS craze, you'd have to go back to your Doom's and Counterstrike but I argue this title was better at showcasing the future.
Released in 1999, Quake 3 Arena took everything it learned from it's previous games and turned it into a multiplayer deathmatch experience, like any good deathmatch it's all about the weapons, the environment and the gameplay balance which this game achieves well.
It's still required playing at Quakecon
Pros
All the modern FPS tricks came from this game.
More accessible than most modern games of equal genre.
Without this game, the modern FPS would not dominate the market
Cons
Poor colour palette
No story plot.
Has been surpassed by everything that followed it.
Verdict
The problem with being one of the originals is that you won't be remembered when a Halo or Call of Duty comeout. Still a game that holds up today.
