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.
Here's a treat for you, this is the first game I ever bought.
Released in 1992, Tiny Toon Adventures Babs Big Break is part of a surprisingly high number of games from the Tiny Toons franchise. You play Buster, Plucky and Hamton as you battle to save the theatre so Babs can be a star.
Despite being in the title, Babs is not playable.
Pros
Fits in most of the cast.
Has some decent mini games.
Character switch is a nice touch.
Cons
Supposed to be Babs game yet she's not playable.
Easily get caught in a deadend if you don't know where to find helper characters.
Verdict
Won't be the last game I cover from the franchise.
This will be the last of the Gameboy selection.
Known as Pitman in Japan and released for Gameboy in 1990, Catrap is a puzzle game where either as Catboy or Catgirl you must shift around stone blocks, dig through dirt and climb ladders to defeat various ghouls. With 100 levels to play, you certainly get your money's worth. But what most people don't know, is this game features the first known use of time rewind mechanics, long before Prince of Persia popularised the concept.
Catrap was originally developed 5 years earlier for a home computer release.
Pros
A lot of levels for your money
Go back to any stage anytime
Nice sense of satisfaction in completing a stage without a guide
Create your own stages
Cons
No difference in who you pick as your character gameplay wise, sometimes you control both characters
Catgirl's theme is bad
Even with rewind, you can still get stuck.
Verdict
Catrap stands out as one of my very favourite Gameboy titles, there are even puzzle games today that do less than Catrap did 30 years ago.
I found out more than I expected with this next title, Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle.
Released in 1989, Crazy Castle wasn't originally supposed to be Bugs Bunny, it was actually supposed to be Roger Rabbit but to avoid conflict with a similar game using the same rights, they went with the Looney Tunes making Bugs Bunny the lead who has to navigate the castle avoiding his regular entourage of antagonists in order to escape.
Other properties to receive this treatment include Mickey Mouse, Garfield, Ghostbusters, Kid Klown and current Crazy Castle character Woody Woodpecker.
Pros
Considering the checkered history of Looney Tunes games this franchise was always the strongest.
Literally put any character in and it'll still play well.
Pretty straightforward.
Cons
Doesn't have a long playlife
Barely innovates between games
Has actually gotten worse over time.
Verdict
It's great for it's genre but a lack of innovation would never see this exit the 90s
If you've been gaming since childhood, chances are you've played a title that no one else has because back then you were yet to develop decent taste and thought any game would do, for me it was Mouse Trap Hotel.
Released in 1992 on the Gameboy, Mouse Trap Hotel is a platformer about Maxie the Mouse trying to navigate a multistorey hotel to see his girlfriend in the Penthouse. A largely mediocre title in which your primary function is attacking with your tail while avoiding obstacles all leading to an annoying door puzzle at the end.
Fun fact, this was intended to be the official Mouse Trap video game.
Pros
Music is not half bad
Nice Box Art
Functions okay
Cons
Bad hit boxes
That annoying door puzzle
Pretty forgettable
Verdict
It's no disaster but hardly worth the effort, you won't find a hidden gem out of this.
Join me throughout December as we look at a number of gaming classics from the bygone age starting with one of the first games I ever completed, Volleyfire.
Made in 1990, Volleyfire is a Space Invaders with a twist as it features battles between ships on a Space battlefield with ever increasing unfair odds, a relatively simple concept brought about by the hands of Toei Animation but sadly wasn't able to connect it to an existing franchise as the stages imply that this was going to be something bigger.
One last thing to note, the balls to the wall music keeping the adrenaline pumping.
Pros
Easy to learn
Damn good music
Good replay value
Cons
Doesn't hold an anime license despite looking like it should do
Said unfair odds become ever more ridiculous the further you go
Frequently on Illegal GameBoy flashcards
No two player
Verdict
Nice easy game to get ourselves going, a quick fun game with some awesome music.
End
