The Coop

E is for...

All your Z are belong to...

X is for...

T is for...

P is for...

N is for...

Yeah, it didn't do anything for me. It wasn't a fun pinball game like Dragon's Fury, nor was it a fun Sonic game. It just felt like an interesting idea that didn't get fully developed... one that also suffered from odd amounts of technical issues (from the terrible amounts of slowdown, to rather spotty hit detection in areas). I own it, so it's not like I didn't give it a real try... several times actually. It just didn't mesh well in my opinion.

Another Sonic game, another split in the audience. I'm not sure what to think about Sonic anymore. The Genesis games (save for the horrid "Spinball", aka Sonic's Slowdown-Riddled Ride of Meh) are classics from start to finish. Even "3D Blast" was a lot of fun to me, even if it did alter the formula a bit. But after all the ups and downs of the 3D games, promises and hype that fell flat, and major deviations from what made the original games so memorable, I find it hard to believe that a return to 2D is going to work. I want it to. I really do. I'd love to see a new 2D game that had the feel, gameplay and music of the 16bit games. But my heart's just not in it after seeing Sonic go werehog, swinging swords and sucking face with human princesses (no, that's not a furry slam). It just question if Sega even knows what made the 16bit games so good anymore. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

It's not that hard once you get into the rhythm. I mean, look at the monstrous 'Twas poems I made at times. It just gets into your system, you cruise for a while, and then you fix and trim it so it keeps a reasonably steady beat in the end. It does stick with you for a bit once you're done though Or, to put it another way... Keeping up such rhyming schemes, is not as hard as it seems. You just get a groove, as your fingers move. Then the beat haunts all your dreams.

I sat and watched his review, simply for something to do. I laugh several times, listening to his rhymes. So know that I liked it too.

The Damned- The thing to remember, is that a game system can have a fan base. Like any band, author, movie maker, stand up comic, comic book, and scores of other things, people celebrate the things that give them enjoyment. It's not being a fanboy, a fangirl, a geek, nostalgic, or anything other than someone who got pleasure from it. As I'm sure you know, dates have always been a part of our culture. We celebrate birthdays, holidays, the founding of something, the release of a movie, book, game or CD... and really, the release date of a console fits right in with them. We go nuts when a system is first released, and when a decade passes, or two decades, it shouldn't be that surprising that it's commemorated in some fashion by those who were fans of it. Is someone creepy for still liking and listening to a band, even after they've broke up? Are they odd for continuing to like a comic book when its run has come to an end? We both know the answer to these questions is a blatant "no". It's also not bizarre when major moments in the life span of those things is celebrated or remembered by their fans on the anniversary of its happening. So why is it so strange that people will celebrate the release a game system that gave them years of fun and good times long after its death on the market?

The Genesis had it's 20th anniversary last month, and it was celebrated in places on The Web.

It's Sega made games/characters going up against Nintendo made games/characters. Have them thumb wrestle, fight, bowl, have a hot dog eating contest, put on a talent show, measure bra cup sizes... whatever floats your boat. As long as one side is trying to best the other in some form or fashion.

Don't forget Eternal Doom. Big, BIG levels, and it's made by Team TNT (the folks behind Final Doom... or at least some of the folks behind it).

"Badass chicks"? Sorry I missed that one. I could have drawn up Fran. Though I think that would have been more like "nice assed chicks". Anyway... Here's what I don't understand, friendlyHunter... how was this franchise so limiting? With a broad topic like "badass chicks" (no pun... well, maybe intended), it allows everyone to go to where they feel most comfortable artistically by just going right to their favorite characters. Same thing with Marvel vs Capcom. I wanted to get people to step outside that comfort zone a bit by narrowing the scope, and see what people would come up with when what was offered was a continuous single world where all the events in the franchise took place (as opposed to something that could have things pulled out from all over different worlds). With the PD franchise, I figured it would allow the character artists, landscape artists, creature artists and so forth to all come in and find something to their liking. With five games, it seemed like a good combination of scope and focus, with a lot of play room for those who weren't interested in beasts and monsters. Seems I was wrong. Keep in mind, my intentions aren't to put anyone down here. I know people have different tastes and interests, and I'm not belittling anyone for theirs. It's just... well, after years of seeing people say "I'm not listening to this remix because I don't know/haven't played the game" over and over here and on VGMix, and wondering why some found unfamiliarity to be such a hard thing to get through, it was disheartening to see that same basic mentality creep into the visual arts (something near and dear to me) here as well. So, my apologies for beating this into the ground. I don't want to turn this into a bitchfest or drive anyone away, so I'll shut up now. Thanks for the compliments on my piece, and thanks to the folks who took part, as well as those who tried to. I'll pick something either later tonight, or some time tomorrow, and I'll try to make it more appealing to everyone. friendlyHunter- The dragon and girl are from Panzer Dragoon Orta (they're the main characters), and the big dirigible-like ships are warships from the first game (I liked their design more). The storm background was inspired by the first stage in "Orta" where you can see lightning in the distance. piendry- Not bad. Shame you couldn't have gotten it done for the contest. It's a great start.

Before I put any thought into what game/series to go with next, I have to ask... What happened? With all the settings (lands and locales), creatures, characters, story aspects, ancient technologies, monsters, vehicles, and so forth, where the hell did everyone go? I can't believe that with all the things this franchise offered for potential inspirational directions, that hardly anyone got inspired by what they saw or read. I'm honestly disappointed, and a bit disheartened. A franchise with the visual flare and story telling of the PD series didn't inspire you guys on any level? I don't mean to sound like an ass. I really don't. I'm just completely dumbfounded at how few people took part.

Yeah, I didn't think it would be after the lawsuit and everything back in the day. Shame really, considering it absolutely trounces the Nintendo-made version in pretty much every way.

Hopefully at least some of these are on the VC... Batman (Action Platformer) Batman: Return of the Joker (Action) Bionic Commando (Action) Blaster Master (Action) Burai Fighter (Shmup) Casltevania (Action Platformer) Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (Action Platformer/RPG) Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (Action Platformer) Contra (Run 'N Gun) Dragon Warrior (RPG) Dragon Warrior II (RPG) Dragon Warrior III (RPG) Dragon Warrior IV (RPG) Dr. Mario (Puzzle) Galaga (Shmup) Gargoyle's Quest II (Action RPG) Guardian Legend (Shmup) Gun Nac (Shmup) Heavy Barrel (Run 'N Gun) LifeForce (Shmup) Metal Gear (Action Stealth) Metal Storm (Action) Metroid (Action Platformer) MegaMan 1-6 (Platformer) Ninja Gaiden (Action Platformer) Ninja Gaiden II (Action Platformer) Ninja Gaiden III (Action Platformer) Silk Worm (Shmup) Super C (Run 'N Gun) Tetris (Tengen version) (Puzzle) TMNT II: The Arcade Game (Action) TMNT III: The Manhattan Project (Action) Zanac (Shmup)

Neither of these are 80s, but they fit the bill in many ways because they have an early 80s feel and sound to them... Don't Bring Me Down - Electric Light Orchestra