Gaming Hearts Collection 1990's Gaming, 2D gaming, 3D, 3d gaming, 64-bit, Article, Electronics, Entertainment, Fun, Game, Gaming, Gaming Industry, Gaming Life, Gaming World, Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Retro Gaming, Single Player, Single Player Mode, Super Famicom, Super Nintendo, Technology, Uncategorized, Video Games

Did the most memorable Donkey Kong games come from the 90’s?

As many people know Donkey Kong is one of the most iconic names within the gaming world. Ever since the very first Donkey Kong arcade game from ‘81 Nintendo has produced numerous titles within the series that were considered to be classics as it pertained to the platform genre of gaming. However, many people would argue that some of the most successful and high profile games within the entire series came due the 90’s within the SNES/N64 era of gaming. As far as 16-bit platformers are concerned games such as the Donkey Kong: Country trilogy from ‘94-‘96 were considered some of the best titles that Nintendo had produced for SNES. In fact, the Donkey Kong trilogy had reached roughly under million copies worldwide in terms of sales; while each game could give the likes of Super Mario World or any of the three Sonic the Hedgehog games for the Sega Genesis a run for their money. Also, we got to see Donkey Kong 64 for the Nintendo 64 a game that was also successful since it reached over 5.2 million copies in sales since its release in 1999. The success of Donkey Kong 64 was followed after the release of Diddy Kong Racing from ‘97; not only was it the first racing game within the DK set but it too also ended up becoming one of the best selling games for the N64 overall.

Diddy Kong racing reached roughly under five million in sales before the N64 was ultimately discontinued in retail back in 2001. It should also be noted that the Donkey Kong title from ‘94 for Game Boy reaches over three million in sales and is a memorable classic that retro gamers enjoyed as well. If anything the DK series may have reached its peat in popularity during 90’s mainly because the platform genre of gaming declined following that decade. While games like Donkey Kong Country Returns & Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze were attractions on the Wii/Wii-U console during the 10’s decade the series itself was not nearly as popular as it was during the 80’s & 90’s. While everyone has their own respective opinion on which DK games were among the very best many would definitely argue that the most memorable titles within the series came out during 90’s.

Gaming Hearts Collection 00's, 00's Gaming, 1990's Gaming, 2000's, 2000's Gaming, 2D gaming, Article, Electronics, Entertainment, Fun, Game, Gaming, Gaming Industry, Gaming Life, Gaming World, Single Player, Single Player Mode, Technology, Uncategorized, Video Games

Would the MegaMan Zero series have been more successful during the 90’s?

As many people know the MegaMan series is considered to be legendary within the gaming world. The most popular installments within the MegaMan series came between the mid 80’s-mid to late 90’s time period with the release of the first three NES games along with the MMX series which started on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993. By the time we got to the 00’s decade the 2D side-scrolling run n gun genre of gaming had declined in popularity. However, hardcore fans of the MegaMan series still enjoyed the MegaMan Zero series which began on the Game Boy Advance back in 2002. While the storylines for the MegaMan Zero games from ‘02-‘07 were impressive and had nostalgic 32-bit gameplay there are many who feel that the series was not quite on the same level as the first three or four MegaMan X games from the 90’s. It makes some people wonder how popular the MegaMan Zero series would have been on consoles such as the SNES especially since the first three games within the series shined significantly on the 16-bit console back in the day.

Despite, the Game Boy Advance being a more successful game system than the SNES reaching over 81 million units in sales within nine years; the SNES was a more iconic game system in general which arguably had better 2D graphics and sprites overall. Also, games such as Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire from ‘02-‘03 ended up becoming the main attraction for the Game Boy Advance by reaching over 16 million copies in sales considering how big the series was in general at the time. On top of that we got to see high profile Mario & Zelda titles on the Game Boy Advance during the 00’s along with the beginning of the Sonic Advance series. There is no question that the MegaMan Zero series could have been every bit as popular as the first three or four MMX games during the 90’s especially since 3D gaming was still at a base level before it started to evolve dramatically during the 00’s.

Gaming Hearts Collection 00's, 00's Gaming, 2000's, 2000's Gaming, 2D gaming, Article, Electronics, Entertainment, Fun, Game, Gaming, Gaming Industry, Gaming Life, Gaming World, Single Player, Single Player Mode, Technology, Uncategorized, Video Games

Retro Gaming 00’s- MegaMan X6: (2001)

As far as action games from the 00’s are concerned there are many people who might remember Capcom’s MegaMan X6 game from 2001. MegaMan X6 was released during a time period where the series was starting to decline but it still managed to gain the interest of those who were long time fans of the X series since 1993. MegaMan X6 has a very interesting plot that followed the events from MegaMan X5 which saw the introduction of a new villain known as Zero Nightmare. After the Eurasia space colony incident from X5 players can control either X or Zero in order to stop Zero Nightmare and depending on their actions they can unlock multiple endings. While the storyline was pretty dramatic some might argue that it was not as exciting as some of the earlier games where Sigma was the main villain. The graphics and gameplay for Megaman X6 were just as great as every other game within the series and it could have possibly have been more popular than it was during the mid to late 90’s. By the early 00’s the 2D action platform genre of gaming had declined greatly and 3D gaming started to become more mainstream.

Even though, MegaMan X6 came out for the PS1 it may have been a bigger attraction as a PS2 exclusive during the early 00’s since the 32-bit console was around seven years old by 2001. The storyline and multiple endings along with the soundtrack of MegaMan X6 were solid but not the best that we got to see within the X series. While some critics praised the nightmare system and the length of the game itself others would go on record and argue that MegaMan X6 had its share of shortcomings. However, the replay value of MegaMan X6 was still pretty high and the game is still considered to be an action-platform classic for the PS1 that many people probably never got a chance to play.

Gaming Hearts Collection 2D gaming, 90s, 90s Gaming, Article, Electronics, Entertainment, Fun, Game, Gaming Industry, Gaming Life, Gaming World, Sega, Sega Genesis, Single Player, Single Player Mode, Technology, Uncategorized, Video Games

Retro Gaming 90’s-Battletoads/Double Dragon: (1993)

When we think about underrated beat em up classics from the early 90’s one of the few titles that instantly comes to mind is the crossover game involving Battletoads & Double Dragon from 1993. The Battletoads/Double Dragon best em up game was released for the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo along with game with all versions including multiplayer gameplay with the exception of the handheld version. Both the Battletoads & Double Dragon series started back in the 80’s and by the early 90’s they had arguably declined in popularity. A crossover game between Double Dragon & Battletoads captured the interest of many people and for the most part it received many favorable reviews by critics and gaming publications following its release in ’93. The plot for Battletoads/Double Dragon saw the main antagonists from both series Dark Queen and the Shadow Warriors attempting to rule the galaxy. The storyline sees the Battletoads working with both Billy & Jimmy two of the main protagonists from the Double Dragon series in order to stop the threat to Earth created by a spaceship known as the Colossus. This game features five playable characters along with having an interesting feature regarding its gameplay.

During multiplayer gameplay players were able to advance forward to different levels along with their partner despite perishing within a certain stage. While the beat em up gameplay was pretty standard the concept of a Battletoads/Double Dragon crossover game blew everyone’s mind back in the early 90’s While it might be debatable which version of Battletoads/Double Dragon was the best many people were surprised that a NES port was released. The NES was about ten years old by ’93 and the Super NES had been in retail since 1990. Also, the Sega Genesis port of Battletoads/Double Dragon had impressive visuals that rivaled the SNES version of the game following its release. Even though, Battletoads/Double Dragon is not talked about much nowadays retro gamers who grew up in the 90’s would probably consider this game an underrated beat em up classic.

Gaming Hearts Collection 1990's Gaming, 2D gaming, Article, Electronics, Entertainment, Fun, Game, Gaming, Gaming Industry, Gaming Life, Gaming World, Single Player, Single Player Mode, Technology, Uncategorized, Video Games

Retro Gaming 90’s- Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse: (1990)

When it comes down to platform classics for the Sega Genesis one of the few games that instantly comes to mind is Castle Of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse from 1990. Castle was arguably one of the first major platformers to have appeared on the Sega Genesis/Master System before Sonic the Hedgehog blew up in popularity from ’91 onwards. Castle Of Illusion was a platformer with a basic plot that involved Mickey Mouse attempting to rescue Minnie Mouse from a wicked witch by the name of Mizrabel. In order defeat the wicked witch Mickey is required to collect the Seven Gems Of The Rainbow from various levels throughout the game which are considered illusions. In order to complete his quest along with rescuing Minnie Mouse players must deal with various foes throughout the game including the Masters Of Illusion and other strange creatures in the game. The cool thing about Castle Of Illusion is the fact that it felt somewhat similar to a Sonic game for the series even began.

The concept of collecting seven gems similar to how Sonic the Hedgehog collects seven Chaos Emeralds was pretty cool. Also the idea of saving Minnie Mouse In Castle Of Illusion was somewhat similar to how Sonic the Hedgehog had to save Amy Rose in Sonic CD a game that did not come out until ’93 for the Sega CD. While the 16-bit graphics for Castle Of Illusion was a strong positive for this 90’s platformer some criticized the game for being to much like Super Mario in terms of gameplay. In order to defeat enemies players were general required to bounce off of them while being able to toss items such as marbles and apples at them. While Castle Of Illusion was not as complex in terms of gameplay as other platformers from the 90’s it still managed to be a huge attraction for the Sega Genesis. Mickey Mouse as been a pop icon since the 1930’s and was a familiar face that almost everyone knew about; seeing him on the 16-bit Genesis console back then was pretty epic. Castle Of Illusion was so popular to a point where it received a remake which eventually appeared on the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade along with Microsoft Windows back in 2013. While Castle Of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse May not have been the number one platformer for the Sega Genesis; but it was a game that was mainly critically acclaimed back in the 16-bit era that people still talk about to this day.

Gaming Hearts Collection 1990's Gaming, 2D gaming, 90s, 90s Gaming, Article, Electronics, Entertainment, Fun, Game, Gaming, Gaming Industry, Gaming Life, Gaming World, Single Player, Single Player Mode, Technology, Uncategorized, Video Games

Retro Gaming 90’s- Jurassic Park: (1993)

As people know the original Jurassic Park movie was directed by Stephen Spielberg is considered to be legendary following its release back in 1993. The first Jurassic Park movie had a budget of at least $63 million and was considered to be a massive box office success following its release. The movie became so popular to point where Jurassic Park had received its own video game for the Sega Genesis in ’93 as well. The Jurassic Park game that we got for the Sega Genesis was developed by BlueSky Software and published by Sega and was a side-scrolling action-adventure title that only allowed single-player gameplay. The Jurassic Park game for the Sega Genesis allowed players to control Dr. Alan Grant the main protagonist for the movie along with a Velociraptor as they try to complete various levels within the game itself. Players were mainly given three lives to complete the entire game while players had to defend themselves against various adversaries & threats in the form of dinosaurs throughout the game. As Dr. Alan Grant weapons such as stun guns, has guns, tranquilizer guns and more were used to help players achieve their main objective in moving on to the next level.

While Dr. Grant’s main goal for each level is to stay alive when facing the dinosaurs the Velociraptor must deal with opposition from security guards. While controlling as the Velociraptor for certain levels players have to evade or destroy the security guards who have multiple weapons at their disposal. Players can use the Velociraptor to destroy its enemies by attempting to eat the security guards and doing what ever it takes to complete each stage. Even though, some people thought that the Genesis version from ’93 was cool others were fans of the SNES version of the game because of its graphics and its top-down perspective in terms of gameplay. While more people may have been fans of Ocean Software’s Jurassic Park game for the Super NES the the Genesis version from ’93 may have been one of the better action-adventure titles to have appeared on Sega’s 16-bit console during the early 90’s.

Gaming Hearts Collection 2D gaming, Article, Electronics, Entertainment, Fun, Game, Gaming, Gaming Industry, Gaming Life, Gaming World, Single Player, Single Player Mode, Technology, Uncategorized, Video Games

Upcoming Games- Chained Echoes: (2021)

There are many games that the world is looking forward to seeing this upcoming year and one of them so happens to be a 16-bit RPG Chained Echoes. For those who do not know Chained Echoes is game created by video game developer Matthias Linda who began working on it about two and a half years ago. Chained Echoes will be published by Deck 13 the same video game company that worked on titles such as Crosscode from ’18 along with the Surge set from 2017 onwards. One of the coolest things about Chained Echoes are the graphics especially considering the fact that it looks very similar to something you would see on the SNES back in the early 90’s. It’s also been said that the soundtrack for Chained Echoes is inspired by music scores from popular RPG’s that appeared on 32-bit PSX from the mid to late 90’s. Chained Echoes will be a fantasy based RPG that will feature turn-based battles against enemies within real-time along with a robust skill & equipment system. Players can also engage in other activities such as customizing their own airship in addition to looting & crafting discovered items as they progress throughout the game.

As it currently stands Chained Echoes is expected to appear on multiple game systems including the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows and MacOS. The official release date for Chained Echoes has yet to be revealed but it has been confirmed that it will be sometime in September 2021. Chained Echoes seems like a more fast-paced RPG than popular titles from the early 90’s affiliated with that genre which will definitely contribute to the game’s overall appeal. Also, despite turn-based RPG’s not being quite as popular as action role playing games Chained Echoes still has the potential to be a huge attraction within its genre during 2021. The inclusion of mini-games and world maps to help navigate travel are also interesting features within Chained Echoes that will add to overall gaming experience. Even though, players are expected to gain anywhere between 20-25 hours of gameplay out of Chained Echoes it still looks like a very enjoyable 16-bit JRPG in general.

Gaming Hearts Collection 2D gaming, Article, Electronics, Entertainment, Fun, Game, Gaming, Gaming Industry, Gaming Life, Gaming World, PlayStation 4, PS4, Single Player, Single Player Mode, Technology, Uncategorized, Video Games

Upcoming Games- Bushiden: (2021)

When it comes down to upcoming indie games for next year one of the few titles that some people are talking about includes an futuristic action platformer called Bushiden. For those who do not know Bushiden will be a game developed and published by an indie company known as Pixel Arc Studios. This upcoming indie does not yet have an official release date and is expected to appear on the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch along with Microsoft Windows in 2021. Originally, Bushiden was expected to be released this upcoming Summer in August 2020; but its possible that its been postponed due to its lack of completion along with everything in the world slowing down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding for this 2D ninja platformer began through a kickstarter campaign began back in Fall 2018 and since then many people have been anticipating the official release of the game itself. Based on what we know Bushiden will be more of a metroidvania like platformer in which the game has a basic plot which features a main protagonist controlled by the player.

Also, players must utilized the unnamed protagonist to stop the main antagonist named Gaoh following his resurrection. Not only do players have to deal with Gaoh but players must also stop his cybernetic army that has also been brought back to life as well. The graphics and visuals for Bushiden looks pretty cool especially since it looks like something from 16-bit Genesis/Megadrive era of gaming from the late 80’s-early 90’s. As an indie title Bushiden has the ability to be one of the best 2D action-platformers of 2021. If Bushiden is popular enough and has a successful sales record following its upcoming release it could possibly have its own sequel sometime later in the 20’s decade.

Gaming Hearts Collection 2D gaming, Article, Electronics, Entertainment, First Person Shooter, Game, Gaming, Gaming Industry, Gaming Life, Gaming World, Single Player, Single Player Mode, Technology, Uncategorized, Video Games

Nintendo’s Most Successful Game System Of The 90’s?

When retro gamers think about some of the top game consoles of the 90’s systems such as Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, PS1 and Nintendo 64 are all big names that instantly come to mind. Nintendo’s Super NES console had so many high profile gamers which sold millions and became cult classics such as Super Mario World, The Legend Of Zelda: Link To The Past, Super Mario Kart, Star Fox, Super Metroid and others. As far as sales are concerned the SNES console released in 1990 was more successful than the N64 which came out in ’96. While the Super NES managed to reach over 49 million in sales the Nintendo 64 sold close to 33 million. While both the Super NES along with the N64 were both successful in their own right the handheld Game Boy line which started back in ’89 had bigger numbers than both in terms of sales. Since its inception the Game Boy line along with Game Boy Color from ’98 had reached over 118 million units in worldwide sales before it was ultimately discontinued in March 2003. To be fair the Game Boy line did have a longer time span in retail than both the Super NES and the Nintendo 64.

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System was released in ’90 and was not discontinued in countries such as America and Europe until ’98-’99. The Nintendo 64 had a shorter lifespan in retail as the console was ultimately discontinued in Spring 2002 since its release in ’96. The Game Boy line had only grew in popularity as the 90’s progressed into the early 00’s especially with the Pokemon series being one of the main attractions for Nintendo’s handheld game systems. Pokemon Red & Blue from ’96 managed to reach over 31 million in sales while Gold & Silver from late ’99 had reached somewhere along the lines of 23 million right before the end of the 00’s decade. There were also classics such as Super Mario Land 2, Zelda: Link’s Awakening along with Metroid II which were all critically acclaimed classics that appeared exclusively on Game Boy between ’91-’93 as well. Back the 90’s Nintendo’s handheld Game Boy system was revolutionary and while rival companies such as Sega and Neo Geo tried to compete they eventually fell short in process. Nintendo’s Game Boy system felt like a handheld version of the NES which heavily contributed to its appeal along with having its share memorable games which were best sellers in retail within countries like America, Japan and Europe. While its debatable which Nintendo based game system was the most popular back in the 90’s there is no denying that Game Boy was the most successful overall from a sales standpoint.

Gaming Hearts Collection 2D gaming, Article, Electronics, Entertainment, Fun, Game, Gaming, Gaming Industry, Gaming Life, Gaming World, Single Player, Single Player Mode, Technology, Uncategorized, Video Games

Retro Gaming 10’s- King Of Fighters XIII: (2010)

SNK’s King Of Fighters XIII was one of the few high profile fighting games to have been released back in 2013. As good as KOF XIII May have been overshadowed by various other fighting games that were also released 2013; that year we saw the release of titles such as: Killer Instinct, Injustice: God’s Among Us, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 and Jo Jo’s Bizzare Adventures: All-Star Battle. KOF: XIII was the direct sequel to its predecessor King Of Fighters VII which was released in ’09 and received an arcade release exclusively in Japan back July 2010. King Of Fighters XIII did not appear on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 until the fourth quarter of 2011 in countries like Japan, Europe and America. As far as visuals were concerned King Of Fighters XIII saw a unique improvement as the game presented players with sharper character sprites in comparison to its prequel. King Of Fighters XIII was also the game that concluded the Ash Crimson arc which began following the release of KOF ’03. Ash Crimson was a very unique character mainly because of his anti-hero persona stemming from his villainous antics. Ash had managed to steal power from descendants of clan members who sealed the notorious Orochi way almost two millenniums prior to the setting of game.

Along with having a very intriguing plot KOF: XIII saw the return of many popular characters within the set including Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Mai Shiranui, Lori Yagami, Yuri Sakazaki and others. KOF: XIII consisted of ten different teams including Art Of Fighting, Women’s, Psycho Soldier, Fatal Fury, Japan and Ikari Warriors while giving players the option to download EX characters such as Mr. Karate who a boss character in older games from the Neo Geo era in the early 90’s. The gameplay seen in KOF: XIII was unique considering the fact that SNK decided to bring back features such as the multi-bar power gauge popular from KOF ’97. Also, the inclusion of EX Mode in KOF XIII that allowed players to perform EX Super Specials along with EX Special Moves depending on how many bars they had; served as a suitable replacement for the absence of gameplay features included in KOF: XII. The features that were emphasized in KOF XII included fighting mechanics such as Guard Attack, Critical Counter along with a Clash System which were not present in KOF: XIII. Instead, we got to see the addition of other fighting mechanics including Hyper Drive mode along which allowed players to perform endless Drive Cancels until their gauge runs out. The improved gameplay included in KOF: XIII was refreshing to see especially since SNK managed to make essential improvements that have players a slightly different experience than what they got in KOF: XIII. Since its release KOF: XIII has been seen as one of the best 2D fighting games that SNK has produced within the 10’s decade alongside the critically acclaimed KOF XIV from 2016.