A couple weeks ago, I hit a nice little milestone in my game collection: 500+ games. To the avid collector, 500 may sound a rather minuscule amount and frankly nothing to brag about, but for someone who just likes games, it's pretty impressive, especially considering that for many years, owning 30 or 40 games spread over roughly 4 or 5 platforms always seemed like a lot. But it brings to mind a conversation Sven and I had about collections in a broad sense where, to the collector, their collections will always appear lacking, but to an outsider they appear overwhelming. Yet, as I look through my shelves, even to me it appears a daunting selection of time-wasters. Huzzah!
Anyway, for managing this milestone while still retaining a few measly dollars in my bank account, I thought I'd sift through some of the more interesting titles I've gotten my hands on. I'm not looking to showcase so-called rarities, popular but hard to come by faves, or even hidden gems. Thought I'd just comment on a few quirky oddballs, some of which may be well known, some of which may not. I also decided I'd only choose one title from a given system and it must be a game I've yet to discuss here on Beat All Games. And finally, I decided I'd fall back on good ol' reliable number ten as my benchmark which means not every system in my collection will be represented. Sorry, WonderSwan Color, but Final Fantasy IV just isn't interesting (never mind my still residual scathing hatred for the game). And yes, I'm considering US and Japanese market platforms as unique systems despite the contrary. In my opinion, if I can't play a Famicom cart without modifying a Gyromite cart, buying a pin converter or other such nonsense, it's not the same system. Same goes for the various disc tricks on disc-based systems.
Game: Astro Robo Sasa
Platform: Nintendo Famicom
Notes: One of the first games I picked up for the Famicom, Astro Robo Sasa reminds me a lot of Balloon Fight, but has the weird floaty physics akin to that found in Sub-Terrania. Additionally, the overall control is awkward as you propel yourself reversely through the air and against gravity's pull using your blaster. It's a little wonky, but once you get the hang of it, it's kind of fun and strangely addicting. Maybe because it's a long string of single screen levels, but I've always found games like this to have a certain charm.
Game: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S: Quiz Taiketsu! Sailor Power Kesshuu
Platform: Bandai Playdia
Notes: After picking up a Playdia, my options for games were pretty sparse - not only because it has a small library, but some of the rarer Japanese-only consoles carry little to no weight in the US. Therefore, beyond importing, the pickings are pretty slim. Quiz Taiketsu is exactly as it sounds, a quiz game and since the Playdia was geared towards younger children, from what I can gather, it's all easy stuff. Of course, my assumptions are based solely on pictographic and numeric questions since, once again, I can't read Japanese.
Game: Cho Aniki: Bakuretsu Ranto Hen
Platform: Nintendo Super Famicom
Notes: While I had seen the name, Cho Aniki, thrown around a few times on the internet, I had no real insight into what it was all about. It wasn't until I went looking for some new backgrounds to rip for one of my various ROM hacking delights that I came across the game in the flesh. Hmm, maybe "flesh" is a bit too much on the money for this one. Essentially, the series revolves around homoerotic body builders, some of whom appear to be further enhanced by inappropriate cybernetics. Unfortunately, Bakuretsu Ranto Hen is a fighter unlike most of the other games in the series which are shooters. And even more unfortunate, it's a pretty balky fighter at that.
Game: Doko Demo Issyo
Platform: Sony PlayStation (NTSC-J)
Notes: Picked this game up, as well as it's sequel, solely based on the cover art. The creepy juxtaposition of Sony's animated mascot, Toro Inoue, walking down an empty street with a real life Japanese woman posed a plethora of questions. I had to track down a PocketStation in order to get beyond the identification screen since the game relies heavily on the peripheral. Essentially, the game is just a more involved Tamagotchi - hence the use of the PocketStation. Not my thing, but certainly a nice talking piece.
Game: Fast Food
Platform: Atari 2600
Notes: There's a lot of great games out there for the 2600, and there's also a lot of duds. Most of the games I've bought that I didn't originally own as a kid have turned out to be duds, but I think nostalgia has something to do with that as well. Fast Food, on the other hand, is something I've never even heard of until about a year ago and picked up on a whim, though with low expectations, especially based on it's cheesy cover art. Surprisingly, this is one of the most exciting, fast-paced games I've come across and it's incredibly addicting. While River Raid is still my all-time favorite 2600 game, Fast Food has placed itself in prime position for runner-up.
Game: Ghost Lion
Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System
Notes: I had never heard of this game when I picked it up. Honestly, I questioned it's authenticity as an officially licensed NES game and bought it with a cautious mind. Turns out, this is quite the interesting RPG. I wasn't able to glean much from the 10 or 15 minutes of test play when I got it home, but what I did experience seemed a bit surreal compared to the typical Final Fantasy style RPG. From what I can gather, the protagonist uses dreams and and can call upon spirits to battle as opposed to conventional spells and weaponry.
Game: Lawnmower Man
Platform: Nintendo Super Nintendo
Notes: I don't know if I've ever seen a game more diverse than this. Lawnmower Man is all over the place regarding level design and level types. Is it a platformer? Is it a brawler? Is it an FPS? Is it a virtual puzzle game? What the fuck is it!? Everything you need to know about this game can be ascertained from the demonstration sequence: a schizophrenic whorl into a nightmarish oblivion. Although, the demo also contains one of the finest tunes to ever grace the SNES.
Game: Limbo
Platform: Microsoft XBox Live Arcade
Notes: I know Limbo's not exactly an oddity, but the game is just way too amazing to ignore. I've been fascinated by this game ever since I first learned about it shortly after it came out. I've just somehow failed to add the game to my collection - yes, even thought it's nothing more than an XBLA title - until recently. Limbo is another one of those games that exudes atmosphere as well as relying on a relatively simple gimmick, yet using some real outside of the box thinking with said gimmick.
Game: Queen of Fighting 2000
Platform: GameBoy Color
Notes: If I remember correctly, QoF 2000 is a Taiwanese bootleg or unlicensed reinterpretation of SNK's Gals Fighters for the Neo Geo Pocket. I remember I had to pick up a GameBoy Advance SP in order to play the game as it wouldn't work on a Super GameBoy. Not a bad deal though considering the screen on my GameBoy Advance was beyond useless, so "having" to pick up an SP was well worth it. Anyway, there's nothing that particularly stands out about QoF 2000. In fact, from what I remember, the gameplay is rather clunky - almost having a lead foot feeling about it. It's more an interest in that it's the only unlicensed Taiwanese game in my collection.
Game: Shove It! The Warehouse Game
Platform: Sega Genesis
Notes: Yet another game that I bought on a whim. As far as puzzle games go, it's nothing special. In fact, it may even be considered a bottom of the barrel pick. However, what makes the game interesting is the premise: a warehouse drone working overtime pushing crates. It's simply ridiculous. Sure, it's easy to harangue the ideas behind typical shovel ware puzzle games, but in the age before shovel ware was a "thing," there's a strange sense to take these games more seriously and as such the premise becomes all the more ludicrous. Oh! Did I mention there's an edit mode? Ok, it doesn't actually add much value to the game, but edit modes are always a welcome idea. Now to make a hundred crate stack-up.
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