Dr. K

Game Corner: Duke Nukem Forever (Xbox 360)

05/09/202019/10/2024Dr. K3 Comments

Released: 10 June 2011
Developer: 3D Realms
Also Available For: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox One (Backwards Compatible)

The Background:
Man, I was a big, big fan of Duke Nukem 3D (ibid, 1996) back in the day; I spent hours playing deathmatches on PC at a friend’s house and, so great was my love for the alien-blasting, ultra-macho first-person shooter (FPS) that I even bought the Nintendo 64 version in order to continue the carnage at home. Given that I didn’t really have a decent PC back then, I never really experienced Doom (id Software, 1993) and I got ribbed to hell and back for owning Quake 64 (ibid/Midway Games, 1998), Duke Nukem 3D basically was my exposure to the FPS genre…at least until GoldenEye 007 (Rare, 1997) dominated the majority of my social life. So suffice it to say that I was eagerly awaiting the next instalment of the Duke’s ass-kicking series; yet, as we all know, Duke Nukem Forever had a…tumultuous history, to say the least.

DukeNukemForeverDevelopment — Duke Nukem Forever *had a long and troubled development period.*

Originally announced in 1997 and targeting a release between then and 1998, the game was constantly delayed and reworked as the staff and developers came and went, jumped from game engine to game engine, and constantly found themselves lagging behind more recent FPS games and shooters like Doom 3 (id Software, 2004), Halo: Combat Evolved (Bungie, 2001), and Gears of War (Epic Games, 2006). Rather than simply going back to Duke Nukem 3D, staying the course, and releasing an FPS title that harkened back to that classic style of gameplay, the developers scrambled to compete with modern shooters, cramming Duke Nukem Forever with a multitude of unnecessary additional gameplay mechanics and, ironically, rushing the game out to a release some fourteen years after its first announcement. Upon release, Duke Nukem Forever was pretty much universally lambasted; I originally, very briefly, played the demo version for PlayStation 3 and wasn’t exactly impressed and soon forgot about it once Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition (3D Realms, 2015) was released. Recently, however, I picked the game up (dirt cheap, obviously) and decided to rush through it to nab some easy Achievements and I would be remiss if I didn’t share my thoughts on the game as a whole.

The Plot:
Twelve years after the events of Duke Nukem 3D, Duke Nukem has become a worldwide icon and celebrity and, against the wishes of the President of the United States, returns to action when the rebuilt Cycloid Emperor leads an alien invasion upon the Earth in an attempt to extract a modicum of revenge against the Duke.

Gameplay:
Ostensibly, Duke Nukem Forever is a first-person shooter that once again casts the player in the massive boots of Duke Nukem, a heavily-muscular, one-liner-spewing archetypal 1980s/1990s action hero modelled after the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Campbell, and Bruce Willis. Duke is a throwback to a far less politically correct time in the world, and in gaming, when games regularly featured an abundance of violence, tits, abusive and coarse language, and toilet humour…and, as a kid back ten, I loved it! Duke was the best parts of all your favourite action heroes rolled into one: charismatic, sharp-witted, and an all-action hero. Not for everyone, of course, and he probably doesn’t fly in today’s social and political climate, but I’ll always have a soft spot for this big, roided-up bastard. Duke Nukem Forever starts off relatively promising as Duke recreates the ending of Duke Nukem 3D, allowing players to once again equip the Devastator (a rapid-firing rocket launcher) and blast the Cycloid Emperor to smithereens in a football stadium. The moment this is revealed to simply be a game within a game, Duke Nukem Forever begins its slow decline into mediocrity; the aliens are back, as is Duke’s trademark wit but, unfortunately, he didn’t exactly bring along his A-game for this instalment.

DukeNukemForeverExecute — *Blood and gore is plentiful thanks to Duke’s ability to execute his alien foes.*

Initially, Duke is forced to make use of his fists but he soon acquires a firearm and this is one of the game’s first disappointments; unlike in the previous game, Duke can only hold two weapons at a time so, when you come across another weapon, you’re forced to drop one if you want to switch to it. With a press of the B button, you can execute a melee attack to save ammunition and you can also acquire trip mines and pipe bombs to blow aliens to pieces but it’s honestly quite boring to only be holding two weapons at any one time. Luckily, when you come up against tougher enemies or bosses, the game usually leaves a fitting weapon and an infinitely-replenishing ammo crate nearby so you usually always have the right weapon for the right situation but it’s still a bit of a needless handicap. Thankfully, you can use your weapons to blow limbs off of the alien scum you’ll come up against and there’s plenty of blood and gore splattering all over the game’s otherwise bland environments. Additionally, you’ll often find enemies collapsing to their knees and leaving themselves a prime target for Duke to “execute” them with a stiff uppercut, which is a nice little touch.

DukeNukemForeverEgo — *Interact with your environment to boost your maximum health.*

Unlike in the last game, Duke’s health is represented by an “Ego” bar; the bar drains as Duke takes damage but will automatically refill when Duke escapes from incoming fire, as is the style in many shooters these days. You can duck or hide behind cover scattered throughout the environment but most of these are highly destructible so you won’t be hiding behind pillars for too long before you’re forced to come out all guns blazing. Executing aliens will instantly fill your Ego bar and you can extend its length by interacting with certain parts of the environment and defeating bosses. These intractable elements are a fun distraction fitting of Duke Nukem; you can drink beer, eat chocolate bars, admire your reflection, play arcade and pub games, take a piss, and interact with strippers. All of these, and more, will reward you with an Ego boost so you can take more damage but, even with an extended Ego bar, you’ll still find Duke far more fragile than in previous games; get caught in a crossfire or run head-first into the game’s more formidable enemies and you’ll find your health drained in seconds, forcing you to sit through a good two minutes of load screens as the game struggles to reload your last checkpoint.

DukeNukemForeverEnvironments — Duke Nukem Forever‘s environments can be varied but are split up by long load times.

These loading times really drag the game down; the game’s missions see you exploring a variety of locations and environments, ranging from alien nests clearing inspired by the Alien (Various, 1979 to present) franchise to stretches of desert and alien-infested cities. These maps are broken up into sections and, when you clear one, the game fades out to a loading screen to load up the next map; then, when you die, you have to sit through another round of loading screens, which makes dying far more frustrating than it needs to be as it takes forever (pun intended) to jump back into the action and try different tactics.

DukeNukemForeverShrunk — *Duke spends too long being shrunk down or needlessly jumping to small platforms.*

You’ll also find yourself shrunken down to a tiny form, as in Duke Nukem 3D but, while the platforming sections were brief and cursory in that game, the shrunken sections extended in Duke Nukem Forever. Entire sections of missions will see you reduced to the size of a mouse, which is a exasperating experience and, if you’re really lucky, you’ll find yourself faced with the prospect of being tiny and jumping across platforms above an electrified floor that will kill you in seconds. This is not my idea of fun; it’s more like torture as these sections drag on and on with seemingly no end. At various times, you’ll also hop into a monster truck or a radio-controlled car and take part in some of the most janky driving sections I’ve ever experienced. Duke barrels ahead at full-speed, using rocket-powered jumps to clear gaps and flattening enemies beneath the massive tyres of his truck…that is until you happen to collide with the environment. It doesn’t take much to get Duke stuck against buildings and other obstacles, forcing you to try and back up and go around the obstruction in a wide arc, and just clipping walls and objects can send Duke spinning end over end, either ejecting you from the vehicle or forcing you to flip it around to carry on.

DukeNukemForeverTurret — *The auto-firing sections can be a lot of fun.*

Luckily, the auto-firing sections are a lot more fun; quite often, you can jump behind a gun turret and blast away at enemies, bosses, and enemy ships. You can’t hold the trigger down for too long, though, as the turret with overheat but it’s still quite enjoyable to gun down waves of enemies and blow them to pieces by targeting explosive barrels. Duke can also grab and throw a multitude of objects at his enemies (including barrels (normal and explosive), rats, turds, weights, and priceless vases); all of these, and others can help stem the tide against your enemies and you’re often encouraged to make use of the environment to keep your enemies at bay.

DukeNukemForeverPuzzles — *Puzzles and mazes dog you at every turn.*

Also helpful is the fact that Duke spends very little time underwater this time around; the final mission of the game is where you’ll find yourself submerged for large periods of time, forced to find air bubbles to replenish your oxygen supply before you drown and struggling to blast the aliens that join you in the dark depths. Unfortunately, though, Duke Nukem Forever not only lacks a map (even a basic wireframe map would have been helpful!), it also has a large number of puzzles scattered throughout its locations. In Duke Nukem 3D, the most you really had to contend with was flipping certain switches or finding coloured keys to progress further but, here, you’ll be jamming large fans with tool boxes, driving forklifts, ripping open doors, and desperately trying to navigate the maze-like environments without a map or a clear indication where you’re supposed to go or what you’re meant to do.

Graphics and Sound:
Considering its troublesome development history, Duke Nukem Forever doesn’t actually look that bad; weapons and enemies are rendered in big, bombastic glory and environments are generally quite detailed and large in scope (even though the maps are split into separately-loading sections). The game also runs relatively well; it can stutter at times, generally when large numbers of enemies are on screen or the game is preparing to load into the next section, but it was smooth sailing, for the most part.

*The game’s graphics hold up quite well…when they’re not trying to render human characters.*

Where the game fails, however, is in the rendering of its human characters, who all look like lifeless plastic toys. I guess this is actually quite fitting as the game (and the Duke Nukem franchise) is literally akin to a boy smashing his best toys into one another and it’s not unexpected considering the time the game was created and the troubles the developers went through just to produce the title. Duke Nukem Forever doesn’t feature any cutscenes or cinematics; all of the story (such as it is) is told using the in-game engine while the game loads up the next wave of enemies, boss battle, or section to play through. The game is also punctuated by a fitting heavy metal, hard rocking soundtrack that remixes many of the classic tunes from Duke Nukem 3D and adds to the fast-paced, hard hitting action of the game’s inconsistent high points.

Enemies and Bosses:
Duke Nukem Forever brings pretty much every enemy from Duke Nukem 3D back in all their disgusting glory and gives them a nice gloss of paint, updating their designs for a more modern audience, Duke will battle the likes of teleporting, jetpack-wearing alien scum, shotgun-toting Pigcops, and missile-firing Enforcers, each of which takes the time to reload their weapons, can toss pipe bombs at Duke’s head when he’s out of firing range, and include a melee attack for close quarters combat. Duke will also come up against alien eggs, which spew face-hugging Pregnators, and other smaller enemies that are best crushed under Duke’s mighty boot. Easily the game’s most annoying enemy, though, are the Octabrains; these floating, octopus-like aliens hover around your head sucking up items and spitting them back at you and can blast Duke when an energy shot that will kill him in one or two hits. To make matters worse, these bastards also suck up your missiles and pipe bombs, meaning its best to detonate a pipe bomb right as the aliens swallow them and pepper them with the Ripper.

DukeNukemForeverBosses — Duke Nukem Forever‘s bosses are large and require some heavy artillery to put down.

Duke will also come up against some familiar bosses during his adventure; the rocket-spewing Battlelord goes on a rampage on top of the Hoover Dam, the Octaking slowly destroys the small platform you’re standing on as it tries to fry your brains, and the Enforcer poses a significant threat when Duke is shrunk to a small size. Each of the game’s bosses are gigantic, with different phases and attack patterns, and a high point of the game’s action; as bosses are only damaged by explosives and turrets, you’ll generally have to employ different strategies to taking them down while also having to fend off swarms of regular enemies at the same time.

DukeNukemForeverQueen — *The Alien Queen is easily the game’s most annoying boss.*

Easily the game’s most annoying boss battle is against the three-tittied Alien Queen; this bitch shields herself with her huge arms, forcing you to toss pipe bombs at bouncy pads to get her to lower her guard so you can blast her with rockets. This alone is an annoying aspect of this boss battle but it’s made even more maddening as the Queen not only blasts you on your ass, slams into you with its claws, and spits Pregnators onto the field, she also protects itself with Octobrains for her final stage, which can reduce your health to nothing in seconds. Additionally, if you take too long to initiate the quick-time events needed to humiliate and finish off this boss (and others), she’ll regenerate a portion of her health and the battle will continue on until you get it right.

DukeNukemForeverEmperor — *The Cycloid Emperor looks more threatening than it actually is.*

The game’s big bad is, of course, the Cycloid Emperor; in the recreation of the finale of Duke Nukem 3D, all you really have to do is strafe circles around the Emperor, blasting away at it with rockets until it goes down and, while this strategy continues to work wonders in the game’s final battle, it’s made far more tiresome by the presence of regular enemies on the field. You’ll need to kill these to grab the RPG, Enforcer Gun, Devastator, and pipe bombs in order to damage the Emperor but, compared to some of the game’s previous bosses, this gigantic monstrosity looks far more threatening than it actually is.

Power-Ups and Bonuses:
Duke has access to a small, but effective, variety of familiar weaponry in Duke Nukem Forever; he can use his fists to pound enemies into bloody mush, grab a simple pistol, or load up with a shotgun. As the shotgun takes time to reload, you might want to grab the Ripper to cut through enemies with a spray of bullets, though you’ll run the clip out quite quickly, or the Railgun to blow enemies away in one targeted hit. You can also grab the RPG, Enforcer Gun, and Devastator to fire rockets at enemies; these are best saved for bosses, as they’re the only weapons besides turrets that’ll do any damage, but you’ll find aiming and directing these weapons troublesome, at best.

DukeNukemForeverWeapons — *All of Duke’s signature weapons make a welcome return.*

You can also grab a Shrink Ray and a Freeze Ray to reduce enemies in size or encase them in ice, respectively, leaving them wide open for an execution, and even acquire alien lasers from down Assault Troopers to mix things up a bit. Duke can also acquire a few helpful items to tip the balance in his favour; he can see in the dark with his trademark night vision sunglasses, distract enemies with a hologram of himself, swallow some steroid pills to go on a super-powered melee rampage, and drink beer to increase his resistance to injury. Unfortunately, however, you can’t use a jetpack this time around (at least, not in the single player story), and Duke Nukem Forever also, inexplicably, mixes up its FPS gameplay with a variety of different playstyles. The first, and most frustrating, is the abundance of platforming sections in the game; Duke could jump and fly around levels in Duke Nukem 3D but Duke Nukem Forever takes the piss with the platforming sometimes, asking players to awkwardly jump to small platforms or pipes and navigate narrow platforms with the game’s janky, slippery controls.

Additional Features:
Honestly, there’s not a lot on offer in the base game of Duke Nukem Forever; you can play the game on four different difficulty modes for an increased challenge and revisit each chapter to find any Ego boosts or secrets you missed in order to earn every Achievement in the game but, beyond that, there’s not much reason to go back to the game. Once you complete it (on “Let’s Rock” at the very least), you’ll gain access to some additional options that let you turn on helpful cheats like invincibility and infinite ammo; however, you won’t earn any Achievements with these activated, which renders them largely pointless.

DukeNukemForeverMiniGames — *Sadly, the game’s controls make these mini games more of a chore than anything else.*

At one point in the game, you visit a strip club and are tasked with tracking down some popcorn, a vibrator, and a condom for a stripper; this little side quest also gives you the option of playing a few mini games, including a pinball machine, air hockey, whack-a-mole, mini basketball, and pool. While you’ll get an Ego boost for winning at each of these and there are even some Achievements tied to some of them, the game’s controls don’t really make playing these mini games fun or interesting in any way. Just potting all the balls on the pool table took me about half an hour as there’s no way to judge the power, direction, or spin of your shot and, while I was able to win at air hockey, the janky, floaty, slippery controls mean winning seven to nothing and earning that coveted Achievement is more likely to see you tearing your damn hair out than anything else.

DukeNukemForeverAdditional — Duke Nukem Forever *includes multiplayer and even some DLC.*

There is a multiplayer component included with the game but my Xbox Live subscription has lapsed so I never explored the options available here. Considering how poorly the game was received, and sold, there is also some downloadable content (DLC) on offer for the game that adds extra modes, Avatar costumes, additional multiplayer maps and modes, and a whole new mission to the single-player campaign. Unfortunately, this DLC costs more than I played for the base game and that, in addition to how dreadful my experience with Duke Nukem Forever was, means I won’t be shelling out to play this DLC any time soon.

The Summary:
There’s a word to describe Duke Nukem Forever and that word is: disappointment. Honestly, though, it’s nowhere near as bad as reviews and word of mouth had me believe; the basic aspects that made Duke Nukem 3D are still there and, when the game is focused on mowing down alien scumbags and indulging in is crude, crass sense of humour, it really excels and you get the faint glimmer that the game could have lived up to the hype of its predecessor.

DukeNukemForeverConclusion — *This image sums up how it feels to hold* Duke Nukem Forever…

Unfortunately, it’s just too bogged down with unnecessarily long and difficult platforming and driving sections, annoying puzzles, and frustratingly long loading times. Limiting Duke’s arsenal also hurts the game as you’re constantly having to drop weapons and switch to different ones; enemies are way too tough at times as well, soaking up entire clips and blasting your health to shreds as you frantically try to reload or find tenuous cover, and the levels are largely bland, uninspired, or too cliché to really stand out. It’s a shame because there is clearly a lot of potential in Duke Nukem Forever’s concept and, had it released in more like the early-to-mid-2000s and been more like Doom 3 than this hodgepodge of disconnected ideas, it might have actually been really good rather than just disappointingly mediocre.

My Rating:

Terrible

What did you think about Duke Nukem Forever? Do you think it fails to lives up to its hype or did you find it to be an inoffensive distraction? What do you think of Duke Nukem as a character, especially in our current political and social climate? Do you think he’s a relic from the past or is there room for his brand of humour and action in today’s world? Would you like to see a new Duke Nukem game or do you think it’s best to pull the plug on this once-fruitful FPS franchise? What is your favourite FPS game? Whatever you think, drop a comment below.

Back Issues [Turtle Tuesday]: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4

01/09/202021/02/2023Dr. K2 Comments

TMNTComicLogo — **Week Five: Issue Four**

I’ve recently been going back through the first few issues of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics every Tuesday, hence the term “Turtle Tuesday” for the next few weeks. Eastman and Laird’s original versions of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) are far darker and more serious than their later, more comedic and family-friendly interpretations; they all wear the same red bandanas, use their weapons to slice and even kill their opponents, and usually come out of most battles all bloody and cut up. After avenging the death of their master Splinter’s master in the first issue, the TMNT returned home from fighting Baxter Stockman and his robotic Mousers to find their lair ransacked and Splinter missing, presumed injured or dead. With nowhere else to go, the TMNT have moved in with their human ally, April O’Neil, while they regroup and try to come up with a plan of action.

TMNTComic4Foot — *The TMNT don’t hesitate to kill the Foot during their fight.*

Issue four kicks off with the TMNT taking to the rooftops of New York City at night for some exercise and to clear their heads; it’s been a week since Splinter went missing and tensions are still high but no mention is made of Raphael’s solo adventures (as covered last week) or his encounter with Casey Jones. Catching a breather on a rooftop, the TMNT are randomly attacked by the venge-seeking Foot Clan; in the bloody, violent battle, Foot are thrown from the roof to their deaths and beaten (presumably to death) by the TMNT’s weapons.

TMNTComic4Injured — *Mike is injured by the Foot, driving Raphael into a rage.*

Raphael takes a spill off the roof, crashing through the window of a nearby civilian apartment and once again exposing himself to a family of New Yorkers, and summarily murders one of the Foot when he injures “Michaelangelo”’s wrist. I guess the Foot are still indiscriminately worthy of capital punishment, despite Raphael’s lectures to Casey about dishing out capital punishment in Raphael: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. With the Foot defeated, the TMNT suddenly realise that they are right across the street from the T.C.R.I. building. Yeah, apparently, the TMNT never spotted this giant, glass-and-steel building with “T.C.R.I.” emblazoned upon it in giant letters. Go figure. Anyway, with the sun rising, they head back to April’s and recap her (and the reader) on the specifics of their origins to explain the significance of T.C.R.I. to them (the company name is stamped on the canister that contained the mutagenic ooze responsible for the TMNT’s existence).

TMNTComic4Splinter2 — *Splinter is alive but held in suspended animation.*

Curious about T.C.R.I. and their origins, the TMNT choose to suspend their search for Splinter and check out the T.C.R.I. building; April offers to help but, as their actions are illegal, the TMNT convince her to stay behind. With no visible entrances, the TMNT head up to a nearby rooftop and cross over to the T.C.R.I. building using a rope; Donatello then borrows the old “place a photograph in front of the camera” trick to allow them to slip past the security cameras and enter the building. Exploring their surroundings, they find the building has a strange layout (such as a reception area three floors from ground level) and pick up a mysterious security card that features some strange, alien writing on it. Eventually, after randomly trying a bunch of doors, they use the card to access a chamber and find Splinter being held in captivity. Enraged, and believing their father-figure to be dead, Raphael wants to trash the entire place but is stopped by Donatello, who reveals that Splinter is alive but held in suspended animation and that trashing the room could kill their master.

TMNTComic4Affected — *The TMNT are too emotionally unstable to see that the T.C.R.I.’s aren’t a real threat.*

The TMNT are suddenly confronted by Splinter’s captors; alien, sentient brains stuck inside robotic endoskeletons. On edge and understandably upset, the TMNT don’t stop to think or listen to reason; instead, they attack full force but are forced to beat a hasty retreat due to the robots’ sheer numbers, dexterity, and sheer firepower (though they don’t seem to twig that their enemies are blasting them with stun rays). Fleeing to another room with a huge piece of machinery in it, the TMNT prepare to make their last stand, confidant that the odds are in their favour as their foes don’t want to risk damaging the “translocation device”. However, while trying to cause a distraction so his brothers can escape, Mike’s injured wrist gives out on him and causes him to destroy the machine’s control panel and, in a flash of light, the TMNT suddenly vanish from sight. This issue continues the ongoing story arc revolving around Splinter’s disappearance and the impact this has on the TMNT. We already saw how deeply it has affected Raphael (he got a whole one-shot comic to explore his rage at the loss of his master) but, here, it’s clearly affected each of the TMNT as they don’t even hesitate to fly at the cybernetic T.C.R.I.’s at full force. Clearly, seeing their father-figure held in captivity is skewing the TMNT’s usual stoic focus and, in their rage, it causes them to be caught in the translocation machine’s teleportation beam.

TMNTComic4Hurt — *Mike’s injury actually factors into the plot.*

Eastman and Laird continue to keep the truth about the T.C.R.I.’s under wraps; we really don’t know anything about them except that they are aliens, scientifically curious, and have no intention on actually hurting or killing the TMNT or Splinter. It’s difficult to consolidate this in retrospect considering that these creatures served as the basis for the one of the TMNT’s most enduring villains, Krang, but, in their initial appearance, they more like scientists than anything else. I also liked that Mikey’s injury actually factored into the issue’s plot; so many times in comics, characters will be injured and get patched up and it’s either never addressed again or disappears between panels but, here, it’s directly responsible for the TMNT’s trip to parts unknown. If you missed Raphael’s one-shot, this issue also reinforces his friendship with Mike but, while Donatello’s knowledge of machines factors into the TMNT’s exploration of the T.C.R.I. building, I’m still waiting for “Michaelangelo” to actually stand out from his brothers in some way other than the unique weapon he wields.

My Rating:

Pretty Good

What did you think about the T.C.R.I. aliens? Do you still find it jarring to see the TMNT getting cut and hurt or are you getting used to it now that we’re a few issues in? Do you think the TMNT were right to leave April behind or should they have brought her along, or called on Casey for help? Feel free to share your thoughts on the TMNT below and pop back for next week’s instalment of Turtle Tuesday in which the TMNT are left stranded on an alien spaceship!

Game Corner: Resident Evil (2002; Xbox One)

28/08/202003/07/2024Dr. K16 Comments

Released: 2015
Originally Released: March 2002
Developer: Capcom
Original Developer: Capcom Production Studio 4
Also Available For: GameCube, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Wii, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Xbox 360

The Background:
I mean…you’ve heard of Resident Evil (Capcom, 1996), right? It was one of the seminal titles for Sony’s burgeoning PlayStation and, through its atmospheric horror and stringent emphasis on conserving resources, practically invented (if not massively popularised) the “survival-horror” subgenre. Yet, for everything the game does right, it can’t be denied that the original Resident Evil has seen better days; graphics that were once groundbreaking and innovative have since become embarrassingly blocky and clunky, to say nothing of the dodgy, B-/porn-movie level voice acting peppered through the original release. Thus, in 2002, Capcom developed a complete remake of their iconic horror title as part of a deal to release new Resident Evil titles exclusively on the GameCube. This remake overhauled the graphics and voice acting considerably but also added a whole bunch of new areas to explore and enemies to encounter. Yet, despite improving on its predecessor (and many of its sequels) in almost every way, being one of the most atmospheric and terrifying entries in the series, and being critically praised upon its release, the Resident Evil remake sold comparatively poorly and was one of the many reasons why Capcom would go on to adopt a more action-orientated approach to their popular franchise. I never owned a PlayStation back in the day, though I do recall playing the original Resident Evil here and there, so my first real exposure to the franchise was the amazing port of Resident Evil 2 (Capcom, 1998) for the Nintendo 64. After opting for a GameCube over the PlayStation 2, I went out of my way to pick up the Resident Evil remake and loved it but, at the time, couldn’t really give it the focus and attention such an immersive game required. However, sometime before I reviewed pretty much every single Resident Evil title for the Xbox One, I was gifted the Resident Evil: Origins Collection (ibid, 2016) and put a lot of time into this under-rated remake. I recently returned to the game to sweep up some missing Achievements and decided to make up for not posting a review of it then.

The Plot:
When a series of mysterious and violent deaths occur in the Arklay Mountains outside of Raccoon City, the Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.) Bravo team are dispatched to investigate. However, when all contact with Bravo team is lost, Alpha team heads in to find them, only to be attacked by mutated dogs and driven into a sinister mansion where they are soon separated and attacked by hoards of flesh-eating zombies!

Gameplay:
Resident Evil is a traditional survival-horror videogame that sees players choosing between two playable characters: Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield. While both ostensibly play the same, they do have specific strengths and weaknesses (Jill can carry more items but Chris can take more damage, for example; Jill can also open certain doors and drawers with her lock pick while Chris always carries a lighter to solve certain puzzles) and encounter different characters and use different weapons over the course of the game.

REmakeCamera — *Your controls and perspective are limited for increased tension.*

Like all mainline Resident Evil titles at the time, Resident Evil employs a restrictive control scheme; however, the “tank controls” of the original game have, thankfully, been tweaked so that characters can freely explore their fully-rendered surroundings with far more freedom of movement. Your perspective is still limited by a series of dynamic and atmospheric camera angles, meaning that you won’t see any two areas from the same viewpoint; this is great for building tension and enabling the game’s jump scares but somewhat intrusive when, in the heat of desperately trying to escape from an enemy, the camera perspective suddenly switches on you and your controls become effectively reversed, meaning that it’s always best to plan ahead for a possible escape route.

REmakeInventory — *Inventory management is key to your survival.*

This foresight is most emphasised in the game’s stringent inventory system; as was the standard for Resident Evil titles at the time, characters can only carry a certain number of items before their inventory is maxed out and learning how best to manage your inventory is the key to your survival. Many items (herbs, mostly) can be combined together to take up less inventory space while others must be examined to find another item (usually an elaborate key of some kind). If your inventory is full, you can deposit your items into one of the many fourth-dimensional Item Boxes scattered throughout the game’s many locations to be retrieved at a later date. To help you navigate the game’s maze-like areas, you can also find a series of maps that helpfully display locked doors, whether areas have any items you need, and where typewriters and Item Boxes are located. You can also pick-up defensive items (daggers, tasers, and flash grenades) that will either instantly kill or severely incapacitate any zombie that tries to take a bite out of you and also use your fuel canteen and lighter to ignite corpses and stop them returning as Crimson Heads. Story is a huge part of Resident Evil; as you progress, cutscenes will reveal more of the mysteries behind the mansion and Umbrella but you’ll also pick up files and documents as you play that further flesh out the story, the history of the mansion, the specifics of Umbrella’s bizarre experiments, and even provide hints towards the game’s puzzles.

REmakeCombat — *Combat is often a case of fight or flight.*

Combat in the remake is smoother than in the original but still far chunkier and restrictive compared to the Capcom’s more action-orientated titles, primarily because tackling foes head on is generally discouraged even if you do have ample supplies of ammo. Zombies (and the other Bio-Organic Weapons (BOWs) created by the malevolent Umbrella Corporation) absorb your bullets like a sponge and, even if they do go down for the count, will return after a certain amount of in-game time has elapsed faster and stronger than ever. Even if this doesn’t happen, they are largely replaced by the deadly Hunters later in the game that will require more than your standard pistol ammo to put down so conserving your resources is paramount to your ability to survive. When attacked, your character’s health and current status is displayed through an EKG-like display. When it turns yellow or red, falling into “Caution” or “Danger” status, or a blue-purple for the “Poisoned” status, your odds of survival will decrease dramatically; your character will begin to limp and hobble around, severely reducing your mobility, and it is highly advised that you make use of the herbs and first-aid sprays to replenish your health and return your status to “Fine”. In keeping with the style of the series at the time, your progress can only be saved by using an Ink Ribbon at one of the many typewriters you’ll find across the game’s locations; if you die, you’ll have to re-load your last save point and try again but be warned because your final score takes into consideration how many saves you make across a playthrough so, if you want the best results, it’s encouraged that you limit your saves.

REmakeTraps — *You may need help escaping the game’s many death traps.*

Some enemies deal more damage than others, some are even capable of killing you in one swipe of their claws, and the game’s many environments are also filled with instant-death traps that require you to solve puzzles in a certain way or make certain choices so that you can be saved by one of the game’s supporting characters. These characters will also provide you with better weapons and helpful items; one, Rebecca Chambers, even becomes playable at a key moment to help Chris synthesis concoctions that normally only Jill can produce. Rebecca, and Barry Burton, also help out by solving puzzles and defeating certain bosses for you if you make the right decisions, which can be extremely useful for conserving your resources and aiding a speedrun. Resident Evil is chock full of puzzles, traps, and elaborate areas to explore; the bulk of your game time is spent exploring the disturbing Spencer Mansion, whose doors are locked behind themed keys and rooms are filled with ornate statues and lavish decorations, but you’ll also explore a neighbouring graveyard, an underwater passageway, an Aqua Ring, and, of course, a high-tech laboratory filled with Umbrella’s bizarre experiments. In each area, you’ll have to solve puzzles either by interacting with them or bringing items with you; these may be a key, or a battery to power a lift, or intricate medallions to access hidden walkways, meaning that no item you find will ever be completely useless.

Graphics and Sound:
Even now, some twenty years after it was originally released for the GameCube, the Resident Evil remake holds up fantastically well; while the original became dated very quickly, the remake still looks gorgeous and up to the standards of even Capcom’s recent efforts. Environments are fully-rendered and bathed in a variety of lighting; most areas are swamped in shadow or lit only by the suitably dramatic lightning from outside the mansion, while others are fully lit so you can bask in the ornate decorations and Gothic aesthetic of your surroundings.

REmakeGraphics — Resident Evil‘s various Gothic and twisted locations are all rendered beautifully.

As you explore further, you’ll venture out into the wind- and rain-swept areas outside of the mansion, explore a creepy, dilapidated cabin and a disgusting semi-flooded passageway beneath it, and even a dank tomb reminiscent of something out of a Bram Stoker novel. These elaborate locations are offset by the more clinical, high-tech areas created by Umbrella; the Aqua Ring and laboratory have been wrecked by the corporation’s experiments, juxtaposing Umbrella’s fiendish modern technology with the lavish, almost supernatural qualities of the mansion and its surroundings.

REmakeCutscenes — *The cutscenes propel the game’s elaborate narrative forward.*

Unlike the original, which spliced cringe-worthy live-action sequences in with its equally cringey dialogue, the remake opts for fully-rendered computer-generated cutscenes to tell its story (which, thankfully, is just as over-the-top as ever). The script has been entirely overhauled, meaning that the game makes far more sense and the narrative is played far more seriously this time around, which only adds to the feeling of dread inspired as you skulk around the dark, tight, winding corridors of the mansion. Music is sparse and used (or omitted) to create tension or inform the player that they are in a safe (or dangerous) area; subdued and melancholy, you’re far more likely to hear the rustling of footsteps, the chattering shrieks of some unseen creature, or the soft moans of a zombie waiting just off-screen than anything else. When the jump-scares happen, they are often punctuated by the sudden introduction of a heart-pounding tune that keeps you constantly on edge even when revisiting areas you know have been cleared of enemies.

Enemies and Bosses:
The main obstacle you’ll encounter in your desperate fight to survive will be the many zombies that populate your surroundings; the most common enemy, zombies will slowly shuffle towards you, moaning and groaning, and will try to take a bite out of you at any opportunity. A few well-placed shots will put them down but, to destroy them for good, it’s best to whip out the shotgun and tilt your aim towards their heads, blow them to pieces with the grenade launcher, or hope that your pistol gets a lucky headshot. You’ll also encounter one of the most annoying reoccurring enemies in the entire franchise, the zombified dogs known as Cerberus. These little bastards are fast and agile, leaping at you, pinning you down, and chomping at your arm and are always a bastard to get a good shot at. Ravenous crows can also be found in certain areas but these will generally just sit there, cawing ominously, and won’t attack you unless provoked. To mix things up a bit in the remake and add even more tension to your gameplay, the developers introduced a mechanic whereby any zombie that hasn’t had its head blown off or burned to a charred corpse will return to undead life as a faster, far more vicious and deadly Crimson Head after enough time has passed. This adds another layer to the game as you must choose between dodging the slower, weaker zombies or taking the time to burn up their corpses rather than risking your health and ammo on their supped-up evolution.

REmakeHunterSpider — *Spiders may poison you but the Hunters will rip your head off!*

As you venture outside of the mansion, you’ll also have to contend with snakes dropping on you and hissing at your feet, giant spiders that can poison you, and voracious mutated sharks just waiting to chomp you in two. Once you return from this side quest, most of the zombies in the mansion will have been replaced with the ferocious Hunters; these dangerous frog-like creatures leap and run at you, swiping with their claws, can kill you in one hit, and you’ll even encounter a sturdier variant that can also poison you. Once you delve into Umbrella’s secret laboratory, you’ll also have to battle the nightmarish Chimera creatures, weird little human/insect hybrids that skitter along the floors and ceilings just waiting to take your head off!

REmakeBosses — *Umbrella’s experiments have mutated animals to monstrous sizes!*

Umbrella’s experiments also give birth to some gigantic and horrific bosses; you’ll encounter the giant snake, Yawn, a couple of times, a monstrous tarantula, a colossal acid-spewing plant, and the prototype of the Crimson Heads down in a tomb. Interestingly, a lot of these bosses can either be avoided entirely or destroyed by solving a puzzle or the intervention of a supporting character. Plant 42, for example, can be destroyed by mixing a chemical compound to kill its roots; the aforementioned giant tarantula can be avoided entirely and you destroy the massive shark in the Aqua Ring by electrocuting it with a nearby control panel. The remake introduces a new recurring boss to the story as well, the immortal and unkillable Lisa Trevor. As the prototype for many of Umbrella’s later, more monstrous experiments, Lisa is a deformed, shambling mess who is completely resistant to all forms of gunfire. When you hear the rattling of hear chains and the low, despairing moans, all you can do is run and desperately try to avoid her incredibly powerful blows. Unlike Mr. X or Nemesis, Lisa doesn’t stalk you around the mansion, which is helpful, and your encounters with her pretty much all take place in an area that allows you to easily dodge past her and stay out of her reach. When the time comes to finally confront her, Barry or Albert Wesker will provide cover fire, allowing you to push four stones down a pit, uncovering the corpse of Lisa’s mother and driving the poor girl to leap to her death.

REmakeTyrant2 — *Hold out long enough and you’ll get the chance to put the Tyrant down for good.*

After exploring the length and breadth of Umbrella’s hidden laboratory, Wesker, your commander in chief, reveals himself to be a traitor and unleashes Umbrella’s most powerful BOW: the grotesque Tyrant, which quickly skewers Wesker and seemingly ending his threat forever. You’re then left to deal with the Tyrant yourself, which can be tricky given the creature’s massive reach and damage-inducing claws but, thanks to the layout of the laboratory, you can easily run circles around it, shooting at it whenever you can, and putting it down through a mixture of perseverance and patience. Depending on how you played the game and which characters have survived, you may have to battle the Tyrant once more as the now-obligatory self-destruct countdown takes place and you wait to be rescued from a helipad. This time, the Tyrant is much faster, dashing at you from afar and stabbing and slashing at you with its claws but, after enough damage has been dealt and/or time has past, you’ll soon acquire a rocket launcher to blow the creature to smithereens and make your dramatic escape.

Power-Ups and Bonuses:
Unlike later Resident Evil titles, there’s no way for you to increase your inventory capacity or upgrade your weapons or ammo with add-ons and elaborate combinations. However, as you explore your surroundings, you will find better and more powerful weapons, some of which are exclusive to each character; Chris, for example, gets his hands on a good, old-fashioned shotgun while Jill opts for a grenade launcher. To get the game’s most powerful weapons, though, you’ll need to solve certain puzzles, meet certain criteria, or beat the game within a certain time limit on different difficulty settings. Bring a certain medallion with you on the way to Lisa’s cabin or allow Barry to die at Lisa’s hands, for example, and you can acquire a super-powerful Magnum and the way that you handle fellow S.T.A.R.S. agent Richard Aiken can net you a powerful assault shotgun.

Additional Features:
As you might expect, the Xbox One version of the game has quite a few Achievements linked to it that you can get. Most of these are story-based and therefore unmissable but others test your skills in increasingly challenging ways; there’s Achievements tied to saving (or not saving) your fellow S.T.A.R.S. team mates, one for finding 100% of the items across the game’s many locations, two tied to speed runs, one for acquiring every weapon, and even one that asks you to beat the game using only a knife to kill enemies and bosses.

REmakeWeapons2 — *Beat the game fast enough and you’ll earn infinite weapons.*

Beating the game allows you to option to replay it on one of four difficulties, ranging from “Very Easy” to “Hard”, each of which places different items, amounts of ammo and Ink Ribbons, and even enemies across the game. As is the style of Resident Evil titles, you are rewarded for how fast you complete the game, how many saves and deaths you have, and for finishing the game on higher difficulty levels. Beating the game quickly enough or “Normal” or higher can net you the Samurai Edge or even the infinite rocket launcher, both of which will make subsequent playthroughs and absolute breeze. You can also unlock different costumes for your characters, allowing you to play using skins from later Resident Evil titles, and even a couple of new game modes. “Real Survival” is basically Hard mode but you can no longer access all of your items from every Item Box, “Invisible Enemy” mode turns all of the game’s enemies invisible, and beating the game with both characters on “Normal” finds you hounded throughout every subsequent playthrough by one dangerous zombie strapped with game-ending grenades!

The Summary:
The Resident Evil remake is still a fantastic gaming experience; it took everything that worked from its blocky, cringe-inducing original and ramped it up to eleven. Arguably, Resident Evil has never looked better thanks to the game’s gorgeously-rendered environments, atmospheric use of lighting, and impressive in-game cutscenes and this remake still stands as the last true example of a traditional survival-horror Resident Evil title thanks to the way it incorporates the restrictive controls and camera angles of the franchise’s early days but tweaks and refines them with a more modern finish. Honestly, back when this game came out, I fully expected Capcom to use the same engine to remake Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (ibid, 1999) and I would have perfectly happy with that given how well this worked for not only the remake but also Resident Evil Zero (ibid, 2002). They didn’t, of course, and the closest we’ve gotten to something akin to the Resident Evil remake was Resident Evil 5’s (ibid, 2009) “Lost in Nightmares” downloadable content. As much as I like the remakes Capcom have produced and the way the franchise is heading back towards creepy, atmospheric, almost claustrophobic horror, I can’t help but be saddened that they don’t continue to tweak and refine the game engine they crafted for this remake as it really does deliver the definitive version of Resident Evil.

My Rating:

Fantastic

What did you think of the Resident Evil remake? How do you think it compares to the remakes Capcom have recently produced, or even to the original? Do you prefer the original over the remake? Would you have liked to see more Resident Evil titles adopt the game engine used here or do you prefer the more action-orientated style of even the recent remakes? Either way, feel free to share your thoughts and comments below.

Back Issues [Turtle Tuesday]: Raphael: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

25/08/202021/02/2023Dr. K9 Comments

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the last few weeks of “Turtle Tuesday” it’s that, of all the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT), it is Raphael that has stood out the most in even just the first three issues of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s initial run of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics. Sure, we’ve seen that Leonardo is the de facto leader; he’s been the voice of reason after Splinter’s disappearance and gives directions and strategy during the TMNT’s many bloody battles. Donatello has tinkered with some machines and hinted at his familiarity with computers, which was a significant aspect of issue two but has yet to be properly focused on, and “Michaelangelo” has been…there as well… But every issue has made a point to emphasise Raphael’s individuality from his brothers. Hell, the very first issue dedicated a whole side plot to Raphael that gave him his own inner monologue and he was the only one of the TMNT to fly off the handle after their lair was ransacked and Splinter went missing so is it any wonder that, of the four TMNT, it was Raphael who got his very first spin-off comic during this time?

TMNTRaphComicRage — *Raphael loses it during raining and nearly kills Mikey.*

Raphael: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle continues with the TMNT still hiding out at April O’Neil’s apartment after the disappearance of Splinter. Tensions are high and, as he spars with “Michaelangelo”, Raphael flies into a rage when his brother gets the better of him. Enraged, Raphael grabs a wrench and is moments away from bashing his brother’s brains in before Leonardo intervenes and admonishes him for his emotional state. Right away, this opening sequence establishes two things: one is that Raphael has one hell of a temper and has been pushed to breaking point by the disappearance of his father-figure and the second is that “Michaelangelo” is actually a competent and formidable fighter in his own right. How often do we see Michelangelo portrayed as not only a proficient and skilled fighter but also capable enough of not only holding his own with Raphael but actually besting him? Here, Mikey counters each of Raph’s moves and comments upon his brother’s technique and ability with a knowledge and wisdom far beyond his usual characterisation as a lackadaisical surfer-dude. Clearly, Raph’s anger is getting the better of him and causing him to make mistakes in this battle but Mikey’s commentary reveals that he’s no pushover when it comes to fighting and using an enemy’s skills against them; it’s not massively surprising considering all of the TMNT are far more focused and capable than their animated counterparts but it is interesting as, at this point, all we really know about Mikey is that he’s a ninja turtle with nunchaku.

TMNTRaphComicCasey — *Casey Jones is inspired to become a vigilante and to dish out capital punishment.*

Raphael: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle also establishes that “Michaelangelo” is Raphael’s best friend; as he takes to the rooftops, desperate to clear his head and wallowing in shame and regret, Raphael laments his actions and what his rage nearly made him do to his “best pal”, emphasising that Raphael’s bloodlust in battle leads him to not only make mistakes but also drives him to a frenzy where he can’t tell friend from foe. The story then switches to my second-favourite TMNT character, Casey Jones; sat before a television in his squalid apartment, Casey is randomly inspired by what sounds like either a clichéd cop show or a clichéd cop movie to take to the streets with a hockey mask and a bag full of sports equipment to teach criminal scum the lesson he feels they sorely deserve. Within a few hours, he spots Raphael beating up a couple of street punks when they try to steal a woman’s handbag but is incensed when Raph lets the scumbags escape and drops in to finish the job.

TMNTRaphComicInterrupt — *Raph is determined to keep Casey from killing indiscriminately.*

Alarmed that Casey is about to kill the punks, Raphael steps in and fight ensues, with Casey managing to catch Raphael off-guard by feigning defeat and then knocking him out with a golf club. After coming to, Raphael is determined to track Casey down and put a stop to his vigilante ways before he goes too far and kills someone but has no idea where the masked vigilante ran off to. New York City is rife with crime on this night, however, as Casey soon stumbles upon a couple of guys stealing a car radio and dishes out his own brand of justice by bashing them with a couple of baseball bats, even breaking one of the perpetrator’s legs. Right as Casey is about to deliver the killing blow, Raphael steps in, incensed that Casey believes that every crime is deserving of capital punishment.

TMNTRaphComicFight — *Raph and Casey beat each other senseless.*

Ignoring Splinter’s training and Leonardo’s words of caution, Raphael dashes across a busy street and engages in a long, bloody fight with Casey in Central Park; the two are evenly matched in their ability to both give out and take punishment and, before long, they’re both absolutely exhausted and bloodied up from their scuffle. In the end, the two reach a compromise and a degree of understanding as Casey recognises that Raphael is not above killing those when they deserve it and Raphael advises that Casey needs to keep his temper under control so that he doesn’t needlessly kill for the most minor of crimes and, begrudgingly, the two agree to race to the aid of a nearby citizen in peril.

TMNTRaphComicLessons — *Raphael sees a kindred sprit in Casey.*

Raphael: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle more than makes up for the last issue’s lack of TMNT action; nearly every panel of this one-shot is dedicated to Raphael and some classic TMNT action. Not only that but it introduces one of the TMNT’s most enduring human allies in Casey Jones, a hockey mask and sports-gear-wielding vigilante who is more than happy to beat street punks to death. Very little is revealed about Casey’s background; we have no idea why he feels so strongly about engaging in vigilante justice and it seems he’s meant to be a commentary (or parody) of the influence violent television can have on the mentally unstable. And Casey definitely seems to be a bit off his rocker as he relishes in dishing out violent retribution for the most minor of crimes and Raphael agrees to tag along with him mainly to ensure that he does not go too far with his vigilante ways. This serves to help Raphael come to a realisation about his own violent actions and his temper; well aware that he went too far during his training with his brother, Raphael knows that his anger is an issue and that he needs to try harder to maintain his focus in battle but Casey represents what he could become if he doesn’t work to keep his temper in check. While this works as a character arc, of sorts, for Raphael, the issue ends with him only hoping to do better and it’s a little jarring seeing Raphael suddenly being so against killing as he and his brothers didn’t hesitate to kill in their debut issue.

TMNTRaphComicBanner — *My two favourite TMNTs characters together for the first time.*

While you can make an argument that the Purple Dragons and the Foot Clan were deserving of this punishment, there was nothing in the first issue to indicate that this was the case. The Foot were considered as evil and dishonourable as their master, the Shredder, who was unequivocally stated as deserving of death for murdering Splinter’s master, but were they really? Maybe they were disillusioned youths like in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Barron, 1990) live-action movie, or new recruits who hadn’t done anything more than the street punks Raphael is so quick to defend in this issue. It seems like Raphael only admonishes Casey for wanting to kill indiscriminately because it fits the theme and message of not only this one-shot but also Raphael’s character as depicted here. Don’t get me wrong; he’s right to say that capital punishment isn’t always necessary but, up until this point, he and the TMNT certainly seemed to think that it was so, while it works as a lesson for Raphael to learn, it does seem a little contradictory to what we’ve seen of the TMNT so far.

My Rating:

Pretty Good

What did you think about this one-shot TMNT comic? Do you think Raphael deserved to be the first of the TMNT to get his own spin-off or would you have preferred to see a different character get that honour? Do you like Casey Jones? If not, which of the TMNT’s human allies is your favourite? Whatever you think about this issue, or the TMNT in general, feel free to leave a comment below and come back next week as the TMNT continue their search for their master in the next instalment of Turtle Tuesday.

Game Corner: Jet Force Gemini (Xbox One)

21/08/202026/01/2026Dr. K1 Comment

Released: August 2015
Originally Released: October 1999
Developer: Rare
Also Available For: Nintendo 64

The Background:
You wouldn’t really know it now but Rare were a big deal back in the nineties. They were responsible for the excellent Donkey Kong Country series (ibid, 1994 to 1996) on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) before taking home console gaming by storm with the renowned GoldenEye 007 (ibid, 1997), one of the few licensed videogames to not only be good but also one of the greatest first-person shooters (FPS) ever made thanks to its highly enjoyable split screen multiplayer. Following this, Rare ventured into the 3D action/platformer genre with Banjo-Kazooie (ibid, 1998), a whimsical collectathon that secured Rare’s places as one of Nintendo’s premier third-party developers. During their time developing for the Nintendo 64, Rare were generally known for producing videogames that were either bright, colourful fantasy adventures. Conker’s Bad Fur Day (ibid, 2001) later turned this expectation on its head with its graphic violence and crude sense of humour but, before that, Rare deviated from this norm through Perfect Dark (ibid, 2000), GoldenEye 007’s spiritual successor, and Jet Force Gemini, both of which were darker, far moodier titles that veered into science-fiction and futuristic technology. Given how much I enjoyed Rare’s titles back in the day, I spent quite a bit of time with Jet Force Gemini on the Nintendo 64, either borrowing it from a friend or actually owning a copy for a brief period of time. One of the main reasons I chose the Xbox One over the PlayStation 4 was that console had the exclusive title Rare Replay (ibid, 2015), a compilation of thirty of Rare’s greatest hits over their many years, which contained, among many other gems, Jet Force Gemini. As I had never finished the game, and often struggled with it at certain points, this seemed like the perfect time to return to the game and put that loose end to rest once and for all.

The Plot:
After their fleet is wiped out by the insectoid armies of the villainous Mizar, the remaining members of the intergalactic law enforcement team Jet Force Gemini split up to infiltrate Mizar’s warships. The team discover that Mizar has enslaved the bear-like Tribals and resolve to defeat the alien’s forces.

Gameplay:
Jet Force Gemini is a third-person action/adventure shooter with a heavy emphasis on exploration, backtracking, and some light (if frustrating) platforming and puzzle solving. When you start the game, you’re put in control of Juno, the male member of the titular team but soon rescue his female partner, Vela, and their mascot, the semi-cybernetic pooch Lupus. Functionally, each character controls the same, running and jumping around their environment and various weapons to blast away any insects that get in their way. When you play Jet Force Gemini, the very first thing you should do is opt to switch to the new control scheme implemented into Rare Replay. Without this, you may struggle to control your character, aiming reticule, and co-ordinate your inventory. I don’t remember this being a problem on the Nintendo 64 version but, in the absence of that system’s C-buttons, the default controls for Jet Force Gemini map the strafe and weapon selection to the right analogue stick, meaning you’ll often switch weapons when trying to strafe. This control scheme also makes precision aiming a tedious and pixel-perfect operation but both of these issues are largely remedied by switching to the duel analogue control scheme offered by the Xbox One version. This doesn’t correct some of the other control issues, though. As you explore, you’ll do so from a third-person perspective, which is where the controls become relatively tight and responsive but the camera is obsessed with staying locked behind your back, somewhat skewing your view when you’re trying to make difficult jumps. When enemies appear onscreen, the view switches to a pseudo-first-person perspective; at the press of the left bumper, your character become translucent, an aiming reticule appears onscreen, and you’re tasked with strafing behind cover and around your foes as you mow down enemies. The new control scheme makes this far more enjoyable but I still found this shift in perspective to be jarring every time it happens and that the game’s base controls don’t necessarily make moving and shooting the easiest task.

JetForceGeminiCharacters — *Each character can explore their environments in different ways.*

For one thing, your characters control in a variation of the classic “tank controls” of early PlayStation and survival-horror videogames. You can travel in all eight directions and it seems as smooth as the controls in Banjo-Kazooie but this is a deception. For example, you’ll be running ahead at full speed and suddenly have to either make a right turn or turn around; your character then skids to a halt, sliding along the floor as they go, and either makes the turn in a wide arc or you’re forced to reverse backwards like a truck! The slipperiness of the characters is a major flaw; it’s great that Juno and Vela can grab onto ledges, which often saves you from plummeting to your death, but often you’ll fly right off an edge or a platform simply because the characters slip and slide all over the place. The camera really doesn’t help matters; it’s completely out of your control unless you hold down the left bumper and entire the quasi-first-person mode, meaning you don’t have full 360⁰ control of the camera like in Banjo-Kazooie. As the camera is always seemingly zoomed in just a little bit too much and permanently lodged behind your character, this makes jumping across gaps or to floating platforms a massively annoying task as there’s never a good camera angle to judge your jump and there’s a significant delay in the characters’ jumps (not to mention the slipperiness and the way they kind of freak out a bit when they land from a jump). Each of the three characters explores the environments a little differently and has access to different abilities: Juno can run through magma without issue, Vela can swim deep underwater (and, thankfully, has no need for air during these sections), and Lupus can hover for brief periods of time. Lupus can’t grab edges or duck but all three characters have a super jump (activated by simply holding down the jump button) and are able to find and use new weapons as they explore their surroundings. To progress through stages, you’ll generally have to unlock doors either by destroying all enemies in an area or using a coloured key. You’ll also encounter a number of non-playable characters (NPCs) who offer you additional items but only after you bring them something in return, forcing you to go off on a side quest to another world and run around in desperate circles as each of the characters trying to find what you need as, again, there’s no map or indication of where to go or what to do, forcing you to experiment with the three characters, different routes, or to consult a guide.

JetForceGeminiAmmo — *Ammo is plentiful, which is good as you’ll burn through it pretty fast.*

As for the weapons, you’ll be relieved to hear that there’s no need to reload in this game; ammo packs are in plentiful supply and often dropped by enemies, though you’ll be burning through some of your more effective ammunition as you mow down your enemies. This wouldn’t be so bad if the standard pistol had infinite ammo but it’s doesn’t. It also comes hampered with a power meter, of sorts, that keeps you from spamming the fire trigger over and over as the speed and power of your shots will decline the more you fire the gun until the bar refills. Each character’s health is represented by a glowing band in the bottom left of the screen; the band surrounds the logo of the team and drains as you take damage. You can replenish your health by collecting Gemini gems and expand your health by finding the appropriate items but, while you effectively have up to four health bars, you’ll find your health whittled away to nothing in short time when you’re ambushed by large groups of enemies if you don’t find cover or beat a hasty (if clunky) retreat. When you begin a stage, you’re given two continues; you can’t earn any additional continues but, if you exhaust them all, you do continue playing from the last auto-save point (and you can also manually save the game from the menu), which seems to make the continue system utterly redundant as you can just keep continuing as often as you need to. Jet Force Gemini begins in a very linear fashion; you can switch to Vela and Lupus after rescuing them from Mizar’s forces and each one makes their way through three different worlds before meeting up with their teammates at Mizar’s Palace. Once you fulfil this objective, the game opens up into a free play mode, of sorts, allowing any character to visit any world or location at any time. Unfortunately, you can’t switch to a character on the fly; when you select your character, the game forces you to sit through an unskippable cutscene of the character arriving and landing or docking at their location and you must begin the stage from the beginning.

JetForceGeminiExplore — *It’s tough to properly explore the game’s vast worlds without an onscreen map.*

Switching to a new location is easily done from the map screen in the game’s menu but, when you select a location, you’re forced to start from the beginning of the stage rather than jumping to one of the other points of the stage. Also, when you’re exploring a stage, there is no onscreen map or menu-accessible way to help guide you through and this becomes incredibly frustrating during the game’s later stages as a lot of areas in the game’s generally diverse stages look the same and it’s easy to get turned around, lost, or simply struggle to progress as you have no real idea of where you should be going. This becomes even more annoying when you’re forced to backtrack to every location with each character and hunt high and low for the missing spaceship parts you need to reach the final confrontation with Mizar; Rare never liked to hold your hand when it came to exploration but omitting a stage map was a real boneheaded move and makes the game more tedious and annoying than it needs to be. During the free play portion of the game, you’ll have to revisit each location at least three times, once as each character, in order to locate new weapons, upgrades, story-progressing items and, of course, rescue all of the Tribals. As you explore stages, you’ll find these cute little critters scattered around, usually in your line of fire; touching them teleports them to safety and you must rescue every last one of them in order to complete the game. If a Tribal dies, you can continue playing and “simply” replay the stage to rescue them the next time around but, here’s the kicker; even if you’ve rescued Tribals, they still appear in the stage when you return, meaning that you never really feel as though you’re actually progressing with rescuing the little koalas. You can track your progress from the menu screen but, honestly, it isn’t very clear and I would have much preferred it if Tribals disappeared from the stages once they were rescued.

Graphics and Sound:
Jet Force Gemini has a very distinct visual style; ostensibly a sci-fi adventure, the game is filled with large, open areas, futuristic technology, and alien creatures. There’s a mish-mash of all kinds of scenery and styles in this game; one minute, you’ll be exploring a swamp-like world, the next you’ll be trapped in the large vertical halls of a spaceship, then you’ll be dropped into a vast desert or a desolate, metallic prison. Each world and location has its own look and feel though the gameplay mechanics are, largely, the same for each location; even on worlds filled with magma, Vela can find pools to dive into and Lupus will find gaps only he can cross, for example, and most locations task you with making some awkward jumps to desperately trying to navigate maze-like hallways and locations. While I am largely impressed with the size and scale of each of the game’s worlds, in many ways they are too big; a similar issue plagued Banjo-Tooie (ibid, 2000), which featured a large interconnected map that seemed both empty and full of life at the same time. The individual locations of Jet Force Gemini are more akin to somewhere between the size of Banjo-Kazooie’s stages and those of Banjo-Tooie, made even larger by the alternate paths the different characters can take, but some can feel far too monotonous thanks to all the areas looking the same and seeming far too big.

JetForceGeminiCutscenes — *Sporadic cutscenes progress the game’s basic plot.*

The game features a far more operatic and dramatic soundtrack compared to Rare’s other titles; a mixture of bombastic heroic themes, ominous, foreboding ambient sounds, and heart-pounding boss music all work really well to set the tone of the game but it feels a little more generic compared to the likes of Banjo-Kazooie. Jet Force Gemini also features a few unskippable cutscenes, many of which seem to be masking the game’s loading times; every time to return to an area, you have to sit through the same cutscene of your ship flying in and landing, which gets very annoying after a while. Cutscenes feature no voice acting, relying on text boxes to convey the story, and only a handful of characters speaking in the charming gibberish seen in the Banjo videogames, which is disappointing. The game’s presentation is bombastic and over-the-top (enemies explode in a shower of goo and limbs) but the plot is generally played entirely straight, with only the game’s wackier NPCs showcasing some of that quirky Rare humour.

Enemies and Bosses:
For all the diversity of its worlds and locations, Jet Force Gemini drops the ball a bit when it comes to enemy variety. No matter which location you visit, you’ll encounter the same enemies, with only slight variations depending on the stage you visit or the path you take. Mostly, you’ll come up against the generic blue drones who run around in a blind panic, blasting at you from behind cover and dropping in just a few hits, but you’ll also encounter a couple of variants on this enemy.

JetForceGeminiEnemies — *Enemies aren’t especially varied but can have a lot of personality.*

One of the more annoying variants are the shield-wielding drones, who constantly hide behind impenetrable shields and force you to either fight with the game’s controls and chase them down or strafe around them or use one of your more powerful weapons. Green drones usually adopt a sniper position to whittle your health down from up high and afar and the large, purple beetle-like enemies will either blast at you with rapid fire or explosive shells, and the red drones are far tougher and smarter. Despite the lack of variety, the enemies are surprisingly smart, ducking behind cover and running from your fire, and have a shocking amount of personality; sometimes, they’ll throw their weapons down and surrender, you can blast their weapons out of their claws and sending them into a panic, some drones will resort to tossing a grenade at you (often committing suicide in the process) or rushing at you head-first, and, if you land a headshot, you can blow their heads off and collect them to unlock bonus features. Alongside these drones, you’ll also exchange fire with variety of flying, or floating, robots. These little bastards will float around in groups of anywhere from three to, like, thirty, either hovering in a swaying formation or swooping around in predictable, but annoying, attack patterns. Usually, you’ll fun head-first into ambushes of these robots, which can whittle your health away in a flurry of laser fire in no time at all, forcing you to back up or find cover and hope that you have enough machine gun ammo to blow the little bastards out of the sky.

JetForceGeminiBosses — *Bosses can be hard to hit thanks to the game’s janky controls.*

As unfortunate as it is that Jet Force Gemini is lacking in enemy variety, it’s equally unfortunate that there aren’t many bosses on offer here. Luckily, the five bosses we get are gigantic and impressive in their scale but, regrettably, they’re generally more annoying than fun. To battle these bosses, you’re locked into a static area, able only to jump and strafe left and right to avoid incoming fire and their explosive (often cluster-based explosives) shots; the lack of cover and health in these battles is annoying and difficult enough but actually dealing damage to the bosses can be an issue in and of itself.

JetForceGeminiBosses2 — *These two assholes can go fuck themselves!*

Easily the most annoying boss in the game are the Mechantids, two gigantic cybernetic praying mantises (Mantii? …Whatever) who dance around in the background and can only be attacked when they leap onto a platform closer to Lupus. When battling this boss, and the game’s other bosses, you’re given a very small window of opportunity to actually deal some damage; miss it, and your shot will either do nothing or careen off into the void and you’ll either take damage or have to try your luck in the next window. Given how slippery and awkward the game’s aiming mechanics are, this happens more often than not; seriously, I had this same issue in the poorly-implemented shooting sections of Banjo-Tooie and Conker’s Bad Fur Day and I still can’t understand how Rare, the guys who made GoldenEye 007, struggled so much to incorporate shooting and aiming mechanics into their later games or why they ever thought it’d be a good idea to put them into 3D action/platformers and it really makes these boss battles far more frustrating than they need to be.

JetForceGeminiBosses3 — *Mizar is easily the game’s toughest boss battle.*

You’ll do battle with the game’s big bad, Mizar, twice in the course of the game; the first battle is more intimidating than it actually seems and can be easily won by simply blasting Mizar in the face with your tri-rocket launcher when he leaves his head exposed. Once you finally rescue all the Tribals and repair their ship, you’ll battle him again in the game’s toughest battle yet; the final boss battle has four phases, each made all the more difficult by the sheer number, power, and frequency of Mizar’s attacks and the lack of health, ammo, cover, and checkpoints. Oddly, considering the game is so focused on have three distinct characters, you only ever battle Mizar with Juno, which is super annoying as it would make this final battle much more bearable if you could switch between team members. Mizar’s only weak point in this final battle is a small piece of machinery fixed to his back; you have to weather a slew of asteroids that home in on you, dodge his claw attack, and then struggle to get your homing missiles locked in on this impossibly small target to get a few shots in, before desperately dodging his eye lasers, freezing breath, and damnable lightning attacks. Each time you deal damage to Mizar, these attacks increase in frequency until finally, he loses his wings and arms and starts blasting at you indiscriminately. Luckily, in this final phase, all you have to do is unload your tri-rockets and best weapons into his exposed head but that is very much dependant on you having enough health to survive to that point.

Power-Ups and Bonuses:
As you explore Jet Force Gemini’s many locations, you’ll come across a number of collectables and upgrades; these aren’t quite as numerous as in some of Rare’s other titles and collectathons but they are still quite varied, for the most part. You’ll find glowing crates that contain new weapons, keys, or story-progressing items, Gemini gems and ammo crates are scattered across the locations alongside capacity-increasing backpacks and health-increasing power-ups, and you’ll also pick up Mizar Tokens to spend on replenishing your health or ammo at certain automated stations. The game features a wide variety of additional weapons to choose from: there’s the rapid-firing machine gun, the tri-rocket launcher, grenades, cluster bombs, shurikens, homing missiles, a chargeable plasma shotgun, and a sniper rifle, among others. Generally, though, I found myself relying on the basic pistol, machine gun, or tri-rocket launcher as the sniper rifle doesn’t mesh well with the game’s janky, slippery controls, the plasma shotgun is all-but-useless (even when fully charge), and the homing missiles are disappointingly weak. Also, I found I was more likely to toss a grenade right in my face due to the overly exuberant way they bounce around the areas, making them more of a liability than a viable weapon. It doesn’t help that your weapons only really do damage when the aiming reticule emits a lock-on beep, meaning you can literally toss grenades or fire rockets dead-on at enemies and have them do no damage at all because you didn’t get a direct lock on to the enemy.

JetForceGeminiMultiplayer — *Mini games and multiplayer options are available, however ill-fitting.*

Once the three protagonists rendezvous at Mizar’s Palace, the Tribals upgrade their armour; while this doesn’t give them additional health and doesn’t seem to increase their durability, it not only places Lupus into a cute little tank but also allows them each to charge up a jetpack at fuel pads so they can reach new areas. Unfortunately, this can only be done at certain points, though, so you won’t be flying across entire gaps and stages with this mechanic. The game’s action/shooting elements are offset by the inclusion of some racing mini games, none of which control anywhere near as well as Diddy Kong Racing (ibid, 1997), and a split screen multiplayer that is clunky and awkward and the furthest thing from GoldenEye 007’s generation-defining action. You also assemble a little robotic companion, Floyd, who can be controlled by a second player to help take out any enemies; this is super useful for when ammo is tight but I would have liked an auto-fire setting for those (long and lonely) times when you don’t have a friend around. Search hard enough and you’ll find Floyd pads that task you with flying and blasting through tight tunnels from a first-person perspective collecting items under a tight time limit as the cute little robot, earning medals, story-progressing items, and unlocking multiplayer options.

Additional Features:
As you explore your surroundings, you’ll collect Mizar Tokens, drone heads, and find hidden totem poles that, when activated, unlock additional skins for the game’s multiplayer mode. This is largely similar to the mode seen in Conker’s Bad Fur Day, offering a traditional deathmatch, king of the hill, and capture the flag style shooting arenas that ape those seen in GoldenEye 007. You can also take part in target shooting games and race against your friends but none of these multiplayer modes offer the same level of depth or fun as those seen in Rare’s earlier titles. Honestly, Rare should have focused more on the co-operative aspects of the game. Floyd is great for a younger or inexperienced player but the game really should have been expanded to a full-on split screen co-op mode. The game is about team work, after all, and I imagine it would have been much more fun to explore stages as two of the three characters at the same time, uncovering secrets and rescuing Tribals that much faster. Playing the Xbox One version on Rare Replay also allows you to earn some of the most annoying Achievements ever, all for only 20 or 30G apiece. Some aren’t too bad; it’s likely you’ll acquire over 300 ant heads without too much issue as long as you remember to collect the severed heads when they fly off and you’ll easily mow down over a thousand enemies but rescuing every Tribal just to earn 20G is a bit of a piss-take. It’s honestly a shame that Rare didn’t put in a patch to address the Tribal issue; they patched in a new control scheme, after all, and it would have been nice to scrap the need to rescue every single Tribal. I mean, keep the Achievement for an added challenge but keeping this mechanic just drags the entire second half of the game down and ruins the lasting appeal of the game.

The Summary:
Jet Force Gemini has a lot going for it; visually, it’s quite impressive, with a lot happening onscreen at once and some large, layered areas to explore. Unfortunately, it does feel like the game engine is taxing what the Nintendo 64 is capable of; the Xbox One version seems to run better but there’s still a lot of slowdown at times, obvious loading, and some graphical distortion at work. I could live with this if it wasn’t for the game’s dreadful controls and camera; similar issues dragged Banjo-Tooie and Conker’s Bad Fur Day down for me and it’s hard to really hold Jet Force Gemini in as high regard as Banjo-Kazooie when I’m constantly fighting with the slippery controls, taking ridiculous fall damage from the slightest of drops, and desperately trying to get the aiming reticule to go where I want it. It feels like, after seeing success with FPS and action/platformers, Rare decided to mash those two styles together for the majority of their subsequent releases and Jet Force Gemini was the first sign that Rare were planning on bogging down Banjo-Tooie, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, and even Donkey Kong 64 (ibid, 1999) with unnecessary FPS and multiplayer elements. Jet Force Gemini’s controls just don’t really mesh well with these features and aspects; they struggle in the core single-player story until you finally get to grips with them and the game would have been much more enjoyable with a two-player, split screen co-op mode rather than awkwardly shoe-horning in traditional deathmatch multiplayer options. Yet, while it’s far from the quality of Banjo-Kazooie, GoldenEye 007, or even Perfect Dark, there is something about Jet Force Gemini that is appealing. When the game veers more into Rare’s trademark quirky humour, it’s a lot of fun; perhaps it would have been better to have the three playable characters have one distinct playstyle (Juno plays like an FPS, Vela as a 3D action/platformer, and Lupus is a racer/shooter) rather than trying to mash everything together. Unfortunately, it’s not like Rare really learned from this experience as they continued to mash other elements into their games and, generally, they just serve to distract from the more enjoyable elements of their titles.

My Rating:

Great Stuff

What did you think of Jet Force Gemini? Did you also struggle with the controls or did you not have as much of an issue as I did? What did you think of the game’s more mandatory issues, like rescuing the Tribals and finding all the ship parts? Where do you rate Jet Force Gemini on the list of top Nintendo 64 and/or Rare titles? Whatever you think, feel free to leave a comment below.

Back Issues [Turtle Tuesday]: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3

18/08/202021/02/2023Dr. K7 Comments

Tuesday’s are “Turtle Tuesday” for the next few weeks as I use this time to look back on the first few issues of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which painted a far darker and serious picture of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) than their later animated interpretations. After avenging the death of their master Splinter’s master in the first issue, the TMNT made a new friend in issue two when they saved April O’Neil from Baxter Stockman’s robotic Mousers. Not only did issue two start to distinguish the TMNT by more than just their weapons, it also began a storyline that would continue not just in this next issue but over the next few issues as well, showing that Eastman and Laird were fully capable of plotting out ongoing story arcs even this early into their fledgling publication.

TMNTComic3Raphael — *Raphael is inconsolable and determined to find Splinter right away.*

Issue three begins with the TMNT and April finally escaping from Stockman’s laboratory; indebted to the TMNT for their help, April leaves them her number as they head back to their sewer hideout…only for them to discover that their beloved master and father-figure, Splinter, is missing. Not only that, their lair has been ransacked and there are smashed up Mousers and blood all over the place. Enraged and fearful for his master’s safety, Raphael is inconsolable; despite Leonardo’s efforts to calm him and assign him a task to help compartmentalise the problem, Raphael flees into the night, determined to find Splinter sooner rather than later. While we saw a glimpse of his headstrong Raphael was in issue one, this is the first real indication that he is, by far, the more hot-headed and emotional of the TMNT; interestingly, Raphael and Leonardo don’t come to blows over the issue, which is a nice change of pace. Instead, Raphael simply allows his emotions to get the better of him and to ignore Leonardo’s more measured approach to the situation and, even more surprisingly, when Raphael returns to the group, he even admits that he was wrong to rush off alone and apologises for his actions. Reunited, but still unsure of how to proceed, the TMNT call April and she immediately comes over to pick them up in her van.

TMNTComic3Chase — *The chase causes chaos in Central Park.*

Unfortunately, as April drives the TMNT back to her place, they attract the attention of the police, who mistakenly believe the van to be the same one involved in a robbery, unaware of this, and desperate to not be caught or discovered, a high-speed pursuit ensues that takes the TMNT, April, and the cops through Central Park and causes a great deal of damage and disruption. Thankfully (luckily), no one seems to be seriously hurt from the pursuit and, quite coincidentally, the TMNT catch a break when they just happen to pass the real perpetrators of the crime and finally lose the police pursuit (resulting in an amusing full-page spread of New York’s finest spouting every cop cliché line in the book while holding the thieves at gun point). Arriving back at April’s place, the TMNT have a brief moment where they bond with her before falling asleep from the stress and exhaustion of the last few days. For anyone familiar with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Barron, 1990) live-action movie, a lot of this issue will ring a bell as the TMNT also returned to their lair to find Splinter missing and took shelter at April’s apartment; April even lives alone above a junk shop, just like in the movie, showing just how faithful that initial film was to Eastman and Laird’s original vision of the TMNT.

TMNTComic3Splinter — *Splinter’s rescuers are hiding a strange secret…*

Compared to the last two issues, though, issue three is far less action-packed; the chase sequence amounts to the entirety of the issue’s action and, instead, we see a different side to the usually stoic and action-orientated TMNT. Confronted with a situation where their ninja skills and weapons cannot help them, the TMNT are somewhat clueless as to how to proceed, turning to April as they have nowhere else to go. As with the other issues, though, it is mainly Leonardo and Raphael who have the strongest, most distinct reactions to Splinter’s disappearance, with Raphael reacting in angered haste and Leonardo not only trying to hold his brothers together but remaining steadfast that they will recover their master and father-figure. The issue ends with an extended epilogue that reveals to the read the specifics of what happened to Splinter; caught off-guard by a sudden Mouser attack, Splinter is wounded and barely manages to escape with his life. Discovered by a couple of mysterious, strange-sounding men, Splinter is taken to the T.C.R.I. building for medical care but, when he awakens, Splinter discovers that his rescuers are actually sentient brains inside robotic shells, ending the issue on another cliffhanger that will be continued in next week’s instalment of Turtle Tuesday!

My Rating:

Pretty Good

Game Corner: Injustice 3 Roster Wish List

14/08/202014/10/2025Dr. K1 Comment

To say that I was disappointed with Injustice 2 (NetherRealm Studios, 2017) would be an understatement; I really enjoyed the first game, Injustice: Gods Among Us (ibid, 2013), which actually blended the characters of DC Comics with the nuanced, hyper violent fighting of NetherRealm’s recent Mortal Kombat (ibid, 2011 to present) videogames in a way the dismal Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (Midway Games, 2008) failed to do. While still lacking in the over-the-top gore and Fatalities of NetherRealm’s infamous franchise and having a few wonky mechanics (such as the rock/paper/scissors-style “Clash” mechanic), Injustice was an enjoyable experience with a wide roster of characters, skins, and additional gameplay options to choose from. While I enjoyed Injustice 2’s story mode and roster for the most part, the game was really let down by the “Gear” system. The randomness of acquiring new Gear for your favourite characters was annoying, the fact that the game basically forced you to pay real money for the best Gear and Premium skins really irked me, and the fact that I couldn’t customise characters exactly as I wanted meant I sold the game soon after completing it. With the release and success of Mortal Kombat 11 (NetherRealm Studios, 2019) and subsequent downloadable characters and content (DLC), and the fact that NetherRealm is owned by Warner Bros., it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that we’ll be seeing an Injustice 3 at some point in the near future. However, if that is to be the case, I figured I’d take the time to talk about some options I’d like to see implemented into the game’s roster, similar to my thoughts regarding guest characters for Mortal Kombat 11. I should mention, though, that I can’t guarantee that I’ll take the time to purchase Injustice 3 even if all of these were implemented as NetherRealm would need to make a lot of gameplay changes to make up for the poor experience I had with Injustice 2 but it’s always fun to speculate so let’s get to it.

Injustice3WishLogo — **Roster Wish List**

Injustice3WishBatman — **Less Bat-Characters**

If it’s one thing I’ve disliked about the Injustice series since the first game, it’s their reliance on Batman and Bat-related characters. Don’t get me wrong, I love Batman; I am a massive Batman fan and I totally get that he’s DC’s most popular and financially successful and bankable character. He’s always at the forefront of any comics, cartoons, movies, and videogames they produce and, as a fan, that’s great to see but Injustice 2 really took the piss with their dependence on Batman, his allies, and his rogues.

Injustice3WishScarecrow — *I liked Scarecrow’s design I just wonder if Parallax or Nekron would’ve been a better fit.*

I kind of got behind Doctor Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow; he was voiced by the always sinister Robert Englund and had a monstrous redesign in Injustice 2 but that’s also part of the problem. Although he’s boasted about his “Crane style” of fighting in the past, the Scarecrow is not a character I traditionally associate as being a physical threat to anyone, much less Batman, and I can’t help but wonder if another fear-based character like Parallax might have been a better fit, or even the Spectre or Nekron, whose design is eerily reminiscent of Scarecrow’s in Injustice 2. Similarly, Red Hood was included as a DLC character and, while I quite liked his design and the way he played, did we really need to go back to the Bat-Family for such a character? I mean Grifter is right there and would have helped diversify the scope of the roster a bit more and they still could have used Red Hood as a Premium skin or something similar to how Black Lightning and Power Girl were slapped on to Raiden and Supergirl, respectively.

Injustice3WishBatman2 — *DC has plenty of heroes and villains to choose from who aren’t associated with Batman.*

Injustice 2 also brought back Bane, who had a pretty terrible redesign this time around. I get that Bane is popular and one of Batman’s top-tier foes but NetherRealm could have used the likes of Orion or even Big Barda instead if they wanted another power character on the roster. I like Bane but, when your roster includes Poison Ivy and Scarecrow, some Bat-fat needs to be trimmed. Speaking of Poison Ivy, could we not have gotten Golden Glider instead, maybe? The Flash got a surprising amount of representation in Injustice 2 with both Gorilla Grodd and Reverse-Flash being on the roster but could we not have brought back Killer Frost instead? Or even used Silver Swan so that Wonder Woman had another adversary to butt heads with? It’s a tricky thing and I totally get it; you want the Joker and Harley Quinn in the game because they’re popular, mainstream Bat-villains but DC has such a wide assortment of villains who would be just as suitable and allow the roster to be diverse and inclusive at the same time. It just feels like characters like Aquaman and Green Lantern and Wonder Woman get the shaft a bit because they don’t have as interesting of well-known allies or villains to include but, if NetherRealm add too many more Bat-characters, they may as well just rebrand the series as Batman: The Fighter or something.

Injustice3WishObscure — **More Obscure Roster**

Speaking of obscure, I was really hoping for Injustice 2 to bust out John Constantine as a DLC character and, certainly, including Swamp Thing definitely seemed to be lending some credibility towards that, or Constantine being included in the sequel. Bring back Matt Ryan to voice the character and have the Keanu Reeves version be a separate skin and we could be on to a winner; unlike the likes of Doctor Fate or Zatanna (who I’ll get to later), I feel Constantine should fight mainly through the use of familiars and summoned demons rather than traditional magic or physical attacks, which would help keep him unique amongst his other peers.

Injustice3WishPlasticMan — *Plastic Man is at the top of my list for* Injustice 3‘s roster.

While I’m on the subject of unique characters, NetherRealm would seriously be missing a trick if they don’t include Plastic Man in Injustice 3. Plastic Man could be such a diverse and wacky fighter thanks to being able to stretch and contort and transform into all sorts of wild and crazy shapes and forms; he could add some comedy relief to the proceedings and you could even have the Elongated Man (terrible name, by the way) and Offspring as optional skins. I’d also like to see Ragman make an appearance; I don’t know what it is about this guy but I really feel like he’s an under-rated and under-exposed DC character. Ragman could take on a wraith like appearance and play like a cross between Spawn and Noob Saibot from Mortal Kombat 11, teleporting across the field, unleashing demonic tentacles and shadows from his cloak, and wrapping opponents up in his rags.

Injustice3WishRagDeadman — *Ragman and Deadman would be great, unique additions to the roster.*

Sticking with the supernatural characters, NetherRealm could also bring in Deadman; Deadman could possess other fighters, kind of like Quan Chi would do, or make himself intangible, and again opens the door for some comedy relief in the game’s usually bleak and dire story mode. Finally, as mentioned before, NetherRealm really needs to expand on the roster for the villains they use; I like Black Adam but why not bring in Dr. Sivanna in a multi-purpose mech? He could even have Mister Mind with him or, if NetherRealm wanted to get really wacky, Mister Mind could be a playable character! Some characters are criminally under-rated with their villains and allies as well; Black Manta needs to stay, for example, but Ocean Master should probably be included too. Why not include the likes of Onomatopoeia, Eclipso, or Starbreaker? I’m somewhat expecting Injustice 3 to top the threat of Brainiac with the Anti-Monitor so maybe we’ll also see more characters from across the Multiverse make an appearance, like Doctor Manhattan and Rorschach.

Injustice3WishDiversity — **More Diverse Roster**

These days, more than ever, diversity is a big deal in media and, being as it’s been quite a big deal in comics for some time, it’s only fair that NetherRealm try to lean into it for Injustice 3. That means bringing back Zatanna, for one thing, maybe bringing in Katana as well for some slice-and-dice sword-based combat and upgrading Black Lightning from a Premier skin to a main roster character.

Injustice3WishDiversity2 — *DC has plenty of diverse alternatives to popular characters.*

NetherRealm have some other options they can use these days as well; why reuse Hal Jordan when you could bring in Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz, either separately or as a tag team character? I’d love to suggest Huntress as well but that kind of violates my call for less Bat-characters but perhaps if she was used in place of Robin or Nightwing it could work. Similarly, I’d quite like to see Connor Hawke used as Green Arrow rather than Oliver Queen; again, there’s nothing stopping NetherRealm having Ollie and Hal and these other characters as skins but push the diversity first rather than burying Black Lightning behind the likes of Raiden.

Injustice3WishGuestFighters — **Guest Characters**

NetherRealm has gone from strength to strength with their guest characters since the 2011 Mortal Kombat and Injustice 2 had some really good guest fighters: Hellboy and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were surprisingly fun additions and Starfire and Enchantress should definitely be upgraded to main roster status for the third game.

Injustice3WishGuestFighters2 — *DC has had a lot of crossovers in the past that NetherRealm could draw from.*

NetherRealm have made a habit of including a popular Mortal Kombat character in the Injustice games so far and, while Liu Kang or Johnny Cage would be good choices for Injustice 3, I’d quite like to see Jax make the cut. I reckon his straight-talking, no-nonsense style could lead to some fun interactions with the DC characters and it’d be a less obvious choice. For the other guest fighters, NetherRealm should look into DC’s long history of inter-company crossovers and bring in the likes of the Shadow, the Mask, and even Judge Dredd. I would have loved to see Spawn mix it up with Batman again but NetherRealm don’t reuse guest fighters so, in his absence, bringing in some unexpected guest fighters would be the best way to go; Dredd could borrow a lot of RoboCop’s move set, the Shadow could borrow from Erron Black (maybe even have him as a skin), and ideally the Mask could replace the likes of the Joker but I don’t see that happening any time soon.

Injustice3WishReturnFighters — **Returning Characters**

I’ve touched on this a bit above but if it’s one thing that’s disappointed me about NetherRealm’s games it’s that they don’t tend to carry fighters over from one game or another; if a character is a DLC fighter in one game, for example, they don’t tend to be promoted to a main roster fighter in the next game and that’s a shame as it means we have to miss out on obscure characters like Tremor or one of my personal favourites, Rain, not making the main roster.

*I missed some of these fighters in* Injustice 2.

Injustice has been the same so far, meaning the Martian Manhunter was sorely missing in Injustice 2 when he really could have added to the game’s roster. I’m also a little biased in that I’d much rather see Deathstroke rather than Deadshot but that’s because I find Deathstroke to be the more versatile, popular, and interesting character as he’s not just a guy with a gun. This also meant that neither General Zod or Lobo showed up in Injustice 2, a game where Superman could really do with another villain other than Lex Luthor. I get that NetherRealm want to keep the rosters fresh and showcase more of the DC cast of characters but when you have Hawkgirl in one game and Poison Ivy in the other, you’re limiting the scope of your world to just Bat-characters.

What are some things you’d like to see added or tweaked in Injustice 3? Which characters would you like to see return, dropped, or debut? Who are your picks for Injustice 3’s guest fighters? Do you think NetherRealm could pull off another Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe title now that they’ve done such a good job with the solo efforts? Whatever you think about Injustice and Mortal Kombat, feel free to drop a comment below.

Back Issues [Turtle Tuesday]: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2

11/08/202021/02/2023Dr. K7 Comments

Last week, I announced that, for the next few weeks, Tuesday’s would be “Turtle Tuesday” as I take a look back at the first few issues of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. After debuting the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) in a one-shot comic, Eastman and Laird advertised their property through a media kit and advertisements so that interest in the TMNT grew, justifying not only the release of a second issue but also, in time, a spin-off comic book series, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 to 2010). The TMNT weren’t quite the multimedia juggernaut they would become, however, meaning that the original Mirage Comics run continued to be decidedly darker and more violent than its eventual animated incarnations, with the turtles still sporting the same red colour schemes and using their ninja weapons to maim and even kill their foes.

TMNTComic1Influence — *The TMNT used their training to avenge their master’s master.*

Last week, I looked at the TMNT’s seminal first issue in which Eastman and Laird first introduced this ridiculous concept to the world. Parodying the works of Frank Miller and inspired by the likes of Daredevil, the New Mutants, Ronin (Miller, et al, 1983 to 1984), and Cerebus (Sim and Gerhard, 1977 to 2004), the TMNT were grim, stoic turtles mutated by radioactive ooze and trained in the ways of the ninja by their aged mentor Splinter, a mutated rat. After being told of their origins, the TMNT set out to avenge the death of Splinter’s master by confronting his killer, the Shredder, and his Foot Clan of ninja criminals; after a bloody battle, the TMNT emerged victorious and, with the Shredder dead, returned home to the sewers…

Issue two opens with Leonardo reprimanding Raphael and “Michaelangelo” for sparring so loudly that Splinter can’t hear the television; immediately in these first few panels we see a few glimpses of the personalities that will, in time, come to define the TMNT: Leonardo is the stern voice of reason and authority, Raphael is focused only on fighting and training, and Donatello is tinkering with a piece of machinery. The only odd one out is “Michaelangelo” who still exhibits none of his now-characteristic lackadaisical, surfer-dude attitude and is, instead, just as keen to fight and train as his traditionally hot-headed brother.

TMNTComic2Baxter — *Turns out Baxter is out of his mind and plans to hold the city to ransom with his Mousers.*

The TMNT are distracted from their activities by a news report in which Doctor Baxter Stockman reveals his proposed solution to New York City’s rat problem: the robotic Mousers which, when set to task, devour up to five rats at a time. Naturally, this has our heroes deeply troubled considering their mentor and father-figure, Splinter, is a rat but it seems like quite the leap in logic for them to consider Stockman’s machines a threat at this point when it seems they’re only programmed (and capable) of hunting regularly-sized rats. After several weeks, Baxter’s assistant, April O’Neil, voices her concerns about a series of robberies throughout the city and suggests that the Mousers have gone rogue, somehow, and are responsible. Baxter then decides to show April the full extent of his work: a veritable army of Mousers with which he has successfully robbed several banks and also plans to use to hold the city to ransom for a cool $20 million.

TMNTComic2Ransom — *Baxter destroys a building to legitimise his threat to the city.*

It turns out that Baxter is literally out of his mind, willing to destroy several buildings (including the World Trade Center) and cause the deaths of countless innocents simply because it would be more fun than legally becoming a millionaire through his research. Escaping Baxter’s clutches, April is nonetheless close to being devoured by his Mousers when she is promptly rescued by the TMNT and faints upon seeing them in all their mutated glory. Awakening in their lair, April is briefed on the origins of Splinter and the TMNT (thankfully, unlike the vast majority of comic books at the time, Eastman and Laird simply direct readers to the first issue for the full story rather than wasting pages recounting the origin once again). After that, Baxter makes his demands, destroying the “Retxab” building (which totally isn’t the Fantastic Four’s famous Baxter Building) to show that he’s serious in his demands.

TMNTComic2Victory — *The Mousers are deactivated right at the last minute.*

As she knows Baxter’s systems and security measures, April accompanies the TMNT as they move to confront and stop Baxter; however, despite taking the mad doctor out with little effort, the TMNT soon find that they’re trapped in the building with the entirety of Baxter’s army now reprogrammed to destroy the entire structure (and, obviously, them as well). While Leonardo, Raphael, and “Michaelangelo” desperately fight off the Mousers, Donatello (who is “familiar with some computer systems”) stays behind in Baxter’s office with April to try and find some way of shutting the Mousers down. With the Mousers closing in and close to devouring them all, Donatello is able to shut down the radio transmitter and render the Mousers harmless just in the nick of time.

TMNTComic2April — *April is Baxter’s assistant rather than a reporter.*

Obviously, the most memorable thing about this second issue is that it introduces the TMNT’s human ally, April, to the canon for the first time; rather than being a yellow-raincoat-clad reporter, however, April is Baxter Stockman’s assistant and quite knowledgeable when it comes to computers and machines. While those skills don’t really factor in to the story at all (it is Donatello who does all the computer work which April merely advises), it is interesting to see this character who is usually so synonymous with being a hard-hitting reporter be portrayed so differently. Also introduced in this story is, of course, Baxter Stockman and his Mousers, both of whom would go on to be recurring foes of the TMNT in cartoons, videogames, and other media. Rather than being a comical, Caucasian scientist, Stockman is, instead, a bat-shit crazy African American, which finally saw the light of day (for better or worse) in his madcap appearance in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (Green, 2016). It’s also worth noting that elements of this issue were incorporated into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Barron, 1990) live-action movie (specifically the way the TMNT meet April) and the cartoons, though Baxter doesn’t undergo his own metamorphosis in this issue.

TMNTComic2Splinter — *The TMNT, and even Splinter, gets to show a little more personality in this issue.*

This is also the first time the TMNT refer to each other by shortened versions of their names, which makes it much easier to identify which turtle is which when you can’t see their weapons as “Leo” takes up far less space than “Leonardo”. Not only do the TMNT also display a bit more of their individualities in this issue, even Splinter is given a bit more characterisation than just being the wise old master: he enjoys his television, despairs of his sons’ rough-housing, and even is a little snarky to April. Unlike the last issue, the TMNT get far less roughed up here; as they’re primarily fighting the robotic Mousers, there’s less “real” on-page violence (thought he Mousers do still seem to bleed when they’re cut) and the writing whole is far less serious than in the first issue. Instead, largely thanks to Baxter’s kooky dialogue and clichéd monologues, the story is far more whimsical than its darker predecessor. The TMNT are still mostly played completely straight but issue two establishes that their world has the potential to be even more ridiculous than just featured talking, ninja turtles, something which would be dialled up to eleven in the next issue.

My Rating:

Great Stuff

What do you think about these original versions of the TMNT? Did you read this first issues when they were originally published or, like me, did you discover it after the TMNT took the world by storm? Did you know that April O’Neil was originally introduced as Baxter Stockman’s assistant rather than being a reporter? What is your favourite iteration of the TMNT or your favourite piece of TMNT merchandise? Whatever your thoughts and memories of the TMNT, feel free to leave a comment below and come back for next week’s instalment of Turtle Tuesday in which the TMNT’s beloved master Splinter is mysterious rat-napped right from their lair!

Game Corner: Vasara Collection (Xbox One)

07/08/202026/01/2022Dr. KLeave a comment

Released: August 2019
Developer: QUByte Interactive
Also Available For: Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4

The Background:
If there’s two things I can really get behind it’s a good, no-nonsense, old fashioned shoot-‘em-up and high quality arcade games. The best thing about shoot-‘em-ups is how simple they are to play and yet how much skill they require to you master in order to have the perfect run; generally, I am more familiar with sidescrolling space shooters like R-Type (Irem, 1987) but, thanks to arcade titles and mobile gaming apps, you’re never short of a few vertical shooters. Vasara Collection brings together Vasara (Visco, 2000) and Vasara 2 (ibid, 2001) for the first time outside of Japan. Originally developed by Visco Corporation, the Vasara games are a great example of fast, frenetic “bullet hell” vertical scrollers that get a new little re-release in this package, which also contains a new arcade style mode that allows up to four players to take part in the hectic shooting action.

The Plot:
The Vasara games take place in an alternative version of feudal Japan in which battles against a sadistic Shogun are fought not with swords or spears but with futuristic mech bikes, laser beams, and using a variety of ships, mechs, and other advanced technology.

Gameplay:
Functionally speaking, both Vasara and Vasara 2 play very similarly; you and one friend can select between a variety of characters, each with their own different movement speeds, attack power, and special moves, and drop straight into a vertical shooter that mostly takes place in the skies and over the warring lands of feudal Japan.

VasaraCollectionAttacks — *These vertical scrollers will put your reflexes to the test.*

As you drift all around the screen, either pressing or holding down the trigger to automatically unleash a maelstrom of laser blasts against your seemingly endless array of foes, you’ll be tasked with using your reflexes and quick wits to dodge an assortment of projectiles. If you happen to bash into an enemy craft, you’ll simply bounce off rather than exploding, which is a nice reprieve as you’ll have a hard enough time trying not to get blasted to smithereens by the sheer amount of projectiles onscreen. Luckily, you can hold down the fire button to charge up a special melee attack that will deal additional damage and bounce back certain projectiles to your foes.

VasaraCollectionFreePlay — *I’d highly recommend setting the games to “Free Play” mode.*

It pays to keep your reflexes sharp, however, as your ship will be destroyed in one shot and you’ll burn through your continues if you simply charge ahead blindly. Luckily, the Vasara Collection allows you to activate “Free Play” mode in the options menu but, even with that providing you will unlimited continues, you’ll be forced to replay each game’s final stage from the beginning if you lose all your lives rather than jumping right back into the action as with other stages.

VasaraCollectionSpecial — *You’ll want to charge your “Vasara Meter” as quickly as possible!*

Every time you destroy an enemy, you’ll earn points, bonuses, power-ups, and collect gems to build up your character’s “Vasara Meter”, and smart bombs. Smart bombs are only available in Vasara and come in a limited supply; however, Vasara 2 offers more characters to choose from and extends the “Vasara Meter” mechanic. There are a couple of other differences between the two games as well; Vasara features six stages filled with waves of enemies but Vasara 2 lets you pick between a six-stage and a twelve-stage mode, with the twelve-stage mode repeating the first six stages but with tougher enemies and culminating in an extended battle against the game’s true final boss.

VasaraCollectionTimeless — *“Timeless” mode allows for frantic four-player action across a widescreen space!*

Otherwise, the games are functionally similar except for the types of special moves you can perform, the amount of stages you fly through, and the amount of characters you can pick from. If the classic, arcade shooting isn’t enough for you, the game also offers a four-player “Timeless” mode. This is, essentially, a never-ending gauntlet that allows you to pick from characters from both games and shoot down as many enemies, mini bosses, and bosses as you can, earning points and flying through stages that are randomised, repeat over and over, and increase in difficulty as you progress. This mode is probably the game’s most entertaining feature, though, as it allows more players to take part in the frenetic action, takes places over a widescreen area (thus making it far easier to navigate around the screen), adds a dodge mechanic that renders you momentarily immune to damage, and effectively adds a high definition coat of paint to the original games.

VasaraCollectionTimeless2 — *“Timeless” mode is the collection’s best feature.*

This tightens up the controls and the options available for you, allowing you to move faster, more precisely, and with more options. In Vasara and Vasara 2, you’re a little limited by the vertical format of the screen during gameplay, which can make things a little claustrophobic at times. In all three modes, you may find it difficult to make out projectiles against certain backgrounds as they blend in with the colours, enemy ships, and other pickups but, honestly, this is more about maintaining your focus and attention with the sheer amount of chaos being thrown at you. If you struggle with processing massive amounts of colours, movements, and information, then you may struggle with the Vasara games as it gets very intense at times, with projectiles literally filling the entire screen as you progress.

Graphics and Sound:
Vasara and Vasara 2 are as crisp and gorgeous as any top quality arcade title; ships are large and easy to spot, projectiles come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, and power-ups and gems bounce around the screen to catch your attention. Backgrounds are quite generic but generally act as a simple backdrop to the fast-paced action; some feature destructible elements that will yield gold and other gems, which is a nice touch, and there’s no cheap deaths coming from running into mountains or buildings or getting stuck behind objects, which is a nice change of pace.

VasaraCollectionCutscenes — Anime-style cutscenes provide some context to the frenetic action.

Eventually, you’ll come up against mini bosses and the end of stage bosses; these are rendered as massive mech suits or multi-formed robots and feature a high level of detail and character to help each stand out from the other. When encountering these, you’ll be treated to short little anime-style cutscenes with some dialogue between the characters; similar cutscenes frame the game’s story and ending and add a little context to the action and it all adds to the game’s over-the-top nature thanks to some laughably bad subtitles All of these are given a nice HD coat of paint in the “Timeless” mode, which trades the traditional 2D sprites for a 2.5D aesthetic, adding further depth and layers to the backgrounds and giving all the graphics a bit more oomph.

VasaraCollectionGraphics — *Each game looks and sounds fantastic.*

Each stage is punctuated by some catchy, rocking tunes that are a mixture of traditional Japanese-style tracks and energetic, metal melodies that keep the intensity in stages high and act as a welcome reprieve from the onscreen chaos. The games are also filled with some rudimentary voice acting (all in Japanese, of course) and some explosive, meaty sound effects that ensure you always know when you’ve fired a shot, picked up an item, and vanquished an enemy.

Enemies and Bosses:
For the most part, you’ll be mowing down a variety of largely generic enemy ships, most of which are based on some kind of insect or animal. Each has a different attack pattern and fires a different type of projectile; some fire in a spread, some in a wave, some pulse out blasts at an angle, and memorising which enemies do what is key to navigating through the bedlam of projectiles.

VasaraCollectionEnemies — *There are a variety of mechs and enemies to blow to bits.*

In addition to the enemy ships, you’ll also come up against ground-based enemies; boats, ships, and crab- and spider-like tanks blast at you and drop gold to increase your score and a variety of turrets help to fill the screen with projectiles. Some are small and easily disposed of, others change their attacks after you dish out some damage, and others are giant Samurai heads that blast out streams of bullets and soak up your blasts.

VasaraCollectionCommanders — *Destroy enemy commanders to increase your score and earn extra lives.*

Some enemies also carry little flags and, when destroyed, a splash of Japanese text will flash up onscreen to let you know that you destroyed an enemy commander. You get a similar notification when you destroy a mini boss or boss and, after clearing a stage, get a different ranking depending on how many you destroyed, adding an incentive to make an effort to destroy every enemy you come up against.

VasaraCollectionMiniBoss — *Mini bosses will try to block your progress in every stage.*

Mini bosses show up mid-way through most stages to block your progress; the best of these are giant Samurai-style mechs who not only send out a flurry of projectiles but also dash at you with a giant sword. While these can absorb a huge amount of punishment, and you can simply dodge them and avoid engaging with them, it’s worth your while taking the time to eliminate them as you’ll get more points and it make it far easier to progress upwards, especially in the original Vasara and Vasara 2 games where the small screen space is easily cluttered by enemies and projectiles.

VasaraCollectionBosses — *Giant mechs are the order of the day for the* Vasara series’ bosses.

This holds true of the end of stage bosses, too; if you can somehow stay away from their spreads of projectiles and screen-filling lasers, they will eventually fly off-screen without issue. However, this is much easier said than done and it takes less time to destroy the boss than try to outlast it; despite their size and different forms (generally splitting into different phases as you blast parts of them off), bosses all have a specific attack pattern that you must battle through with quick reflexes and a stockpile of special moves and/or smart bombs.

VasaraCollectionFinalBosses — *The final bosses see the screen filled with projectiles.*

Each game’s final boss, however, presents a far greater challenge not just because of their multiple forms but also because, if you lose all your lives (and you most likely will), you have to restart the final stage from the beginning, which can be frustrating as it can be hard enough reaching the final boss with all your lives and specials intact much less survive long enough to slip through the impossibly small gaps between their projectiles. This is where playing with a friend really comes in handy as, as long as you’re not both out of lives and on the continue screen at the same time, you can continue battling until the boss is defeated. For Vasara 2, though, you’ll have to endure the twelve-stage mode to face the true final boss, which takes place in a trippy, cosmic-style environment and sees the boss filling the screen with projectiles while also being a far smaller target than you’re used to up until that point.

Power-Ups and Bonuses:
Every time you destroy an enemy, you’ll earn some points; destroyed enemies also drop gold (for even more points), 1-Ups (on very rare occasions), and coloured gems to build up your character’s “Vasara Meter”, and smart bombs. Exclusive to Vasara and Vasara characters in “Timeless” mode, smart bombs produce a blast that not only damages or destroys enemies but also reflects all orange projectiles back at your enemies to deal additional damage, giving you a reprieve from damage and helping to clear the screen or chip away at a boss’s health.

VasaraCollectionBombSpecial — *Use bombs and specials to deflect projectiles and deal major damage.*

Though these are absent in Vasara 2, the sequel offers more options through the “Vasara Meter”. In Vasara, you build up one meter that, when full, you can expend in one huge, screen-clearing special move (though you can unleash your special before that for a far less impressive special move). However, in Vasara 2, each character has three smaller meters that are built up as you collect gems and, once each is full, you can unleash a massive special attack.

VasaraCollectionPowerUp — *Grab power-ups to increase the range and power of your shot.*

As you destroy certain enemies, you’ll also pick up power-up items that increase the length, power, and effectiveness of your blasts; this is essential to clear the screen of enemies as quickly and efficiently as possible and each character has different attacks in their arsenal (some shoot out fans, other toss out daggers or spears, for example) that translates to their special attack as well. This is best emphasised in “Timeless” mode, which clearly shows the speed and power of each character; the strongest characters may not have the best special attack compared to the faster, weaker characters, meaning each character plays a little differently and requires a different strategy. When you lose a life, your power-ups will bounce around the screen for a while and it’s highly advised that you make the effort to re-acquire them as you’ll need all your power-ups and weapons for the boss battles.

Additional Features:
There are a myriad of options available for each game in the Vasara Collection; each of the arcade titles allows you to set the game to “Free Play” mode for infinite continues (highly recommended), set the amount of lives and the length and strength of your “Vasara Meter”, set display and control styles, and place borders around the screen. Be aware, though, that if you change any of these options mid-game, the game resets to the title screen so it’s best to get yourself setup before you get five stages into the games.

VasaraCollectionExtras — *The* Vasara Collection offers a lot of options and different modes.

Perhaps the most entertaining part of the collection is the four-player “Timeless” mode; here, you can select every character from each of the two arcade titles, with each having their own strengths and weaknesses, and take part in a never-ending gauntlet in remixed stages from the original games. What’s more, if you clear Vasara 2’s twelve-stage mode, you’ll unlock an additional character for this mode (who has the best overall stats but his special is a bit haphazard as it bounces you around the screen a lot); this mode also adds a dash for each character and is where you’ll earn the bulk of the collection’s Achievements. You can also view artwork, concept art, and the like in the game’s “Gallery”, if you like that sort of thing. Honestly, the only thing this collection is missing is a save state or stage select feature; it’d be nice to be able to jump into the harder, later stages of “Timeless” mode once you reach them, for example, just to get a bit more practice at these tougher stages.

The Summary:
I do enjoy a good, old fashioned vertical shooter and the Vasara Collection has you well covered in this regard. There’s not much depth here, and the concept is as ridiculous as the subtitles, but each game in the collection is tremendous, old school arcade fun. It can be frustrating, at times, when you’re taken out by a stray projectile because of the sheer amount of chaos onscreen but, honestly, it’s a question of skill, memorisation, and paying attention to your surroundings; it isn’t easy to do that sometimes but the games give you all the tools to do this. Honestly, I probably would have been happy with just the “Timeless” mode but the fact that the collection features the original games as well is just the icing on the cake; it’s a lot of fun to just jump into “Timeless” mode, either alone or with a friend, and see how far you can get, stockpiling lives, specials, and smart bombs as you work to beat your high score, earn a “Perfect” ranking, and survive each stage as best as you can.

My Rating:

Great Stuff

Have you played the Vasara Collection? What is your favourite vertical shooter? Which shoot-‘em-up is your go-to in the genre? Perhaps you dislike shoot-‘em-ups and prefer a different type of videogame; if so, why and what is it? Can you think of any other arcade games that were exclusive to Japan and deserve a re-release like this? Feel free to leave a comment, whatever your thoughts are.

Back Issues [Turtle Tuesday]: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1

04/08/202020/06/2025Dr. K22 Comments

I’ve mentioned it a couple of times before but the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) really were an absolute phenomenon back in the day; kids in playgrounds all over the country were watching the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon (1987 to 1996), collecting the various action figures, or proudly wearing any piece of TMNT merchandise they could get their hands on (or convince their parents to buy). Growing up in the United Kingdom, I was obviously exposed to the more censored “Hero” Turtles but the mania the TMNT inspired in kids was infectious nevertheless. It wasn’t until the release of the amazing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Barron, 1990) live-action movie that the majority of us kids were exposed to a darker, more violent version of the TMNT; I actually saw the under-rated sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (Pressman, 1991) first and, for the longest time, actually preferred it over the far darker first movie. In time, I’ve come to hold both in high regard as each showed a more serious, far lass neutered portrayal of the TMNT than the original animated series.

TMNTComicFade — *The TMNT are almost indistinguishable in their first appearance.*

It was some time before I found out just how dark and violent the original TMNT were. Created and self-published by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird back in 1984, the TMNT were initially inspired by the works of Frank Miller and comic book heroes both mainstream (like Matt Murdock/Daredevil and the New Mutants) and obscure, such as Ronin (Miller, et al, 1983 to 1984) and Cerebus (Sim and Gerhard, 1977 to 2004). As such, the four mutated ninjas were rendered in striking black and white and exposited their stoic, stilted dialogue (largely through text boxes) in a clear pastiche of Miller’s trademark art and writing style. Since then, the TMNT have gone on to be an enduring multimedia franchise, spawning numerous cartoons, movies (both live-action and animated), toys, videogames, and merchandise but, even when the TMNT were at their family-friendly peak, Eastman and Laird’s original, far more violent and serious comic book continued to be published until the rights to the TMNT were purchased by Nickelodeon in 2009. Back when I was a kid, in addition to the toys and cartoon and movies, I was mostly reading the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures (1988 to 1995) comic book published by Archie Comics and it would be some years before I finally read the original Mirage Studios issues. Having recently purchased the first Color Classics (2018) volume of the original TMNT comic, I figured I would rechristen Tuesdays as “Turtle Tuesday” for the next few weeks to talk about Eastman and Laird’s first few issues and revisit this cult classic that became a worldwide cultural phenomenon.

Issue one opens with the four titular turtles (Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michaelangelo [sic]) backed up against the wall in an alleyway by the Purple Dragons (“the toughest street gang on the east side”). Despite the gang’s youth, they’re not only “street tough” but also armed to the teeth; luckily, as their name may suggest, the TMNT are well-trained in the art of ninjitsu [sic] and make short work of the street punks. When the police arrive, the turtles scatter, retreating to a nearby sewer and returning both to their underground home within the storm drains of New York City but also their mentor and father-figure, Splinter, a wise and aged mutated rat. Interestingly, it is Michaelangelo who reports on their great victory rather than Leonardo; as we’ll see in these early issues, it took some time for the turtles’ distinct personalities and unique characteristics to help separate them from each other. Until then, and especially in this first issue, it can be tricky to tell the turtles apart as they all wear the same coloured bandanas and are separated only by their weapons, meaning that you don’t always know who is who unless you can see their weapon or the dialogue mentions their names. Nonetheless, pleased with their debut, Splinter finally decides that it is time to relate to his students and sons the details of their origin and the purpose for which he has trained them in the arts of “ninjitsu”. Splinter relates that, about twenty years ago, he was simply the pet rat of the martial artist Hamato Yoshi, the greatest shadow warrior of his clan, the Foot, the most feared warriors and assassins in all of Japan. Though merely a rat at the time, Splinter was still intelligent and dexterous enough to learn and understand his master’s moves and teachings and quickly became as adept in the ninja ways as Yoshi.

TMNTComic1Shredder — *Nagi’s younger brother, Saki, becomes the Shredder and kills Yoshi.*

Yoshi’s rival in all things was Oroku Nagi; the two even fought for the love of Tang Shen, but she loved only Yoshi. In a jealous rage, Nagi beat Shen to within an inch of her life and, overcome with bloodlust, Yoshi killed him. Disgraced, Yoshi fled Japan with both Splinter and Shen, relocating to New York to begin their lives anew. However, Nagi’s younger brother, Oroku Saki, swore vengeance for the death of his brother and, within a short time, became the Foot’s most cunning assassin. For his accolades, he was chosen to travel to America and establish the New York branch of the Foot. Rechristening himself the Shredder and donning razor sharp armour, Saki’s Foot become a burgeoning criminal enterprise and, when the time was right, he finally struck against Yoshi.

TMNTComic1Origins — *♪ Splinter taught them to…kill the Shredder… ♪*

After the deaths of his keepers, Splinter roamed the streets half starved and wallowing in grief until, one fateful day, a young boy saved an old man from being hit by a truck and was struck by a canister of glowing, radioactive ooze. For those paying attention, yes, this is clearly meant to be a reference to Matt Murdock, the blind boy who would grow up to become Daredevil, heavily implying that the TMNT exist in the same world as the Marvel superheroes. The canister then goes on to smash a glass jar and the four baby turtles contained within are swept into the sewers, where Splinter rescued and cared for them. After only one day, both the turtles and Splinter had grown; Splinter’s intellect, especially, increased thanks to his contact with the ooze and, soon, the turtles were standing upright, copying Splinter’s movements, and even capable of speech. Seizing the opportunity, Splinter named each of the turtles after renaissance artists and spent the next thirteen years training the turtles in the ways of the ninja with one goal in mind: to avenge his fallen master by killing the Shredder.

TMNTComic1Injured — *It’s definitely surreal to see the TMNT all cut up and bloody from battle.*

Raphael is sent to deliver an ultimatum to the Shredder to meet with the turtles in a duel to the death for honour and glory. Of all the turtles in this first issue, it is Raphael who gets the chance to stand out the most thanks to this solo mission; he relishes the outside world in a way his brothers do not and is only too eager to deliver Splinter’s message, indiscriminately killing some of Shredder’s men and disrupting a crucial meeting between Shredder and some potential clients as he does so. Enraged at the insult and the challenge, Saki gears up and confronts the turtles on a rooftop; Shredder is no fool, however, and brings his best men along to soften up the turtles. A bloody battle ensues and, while the TMNT emerge victorious, they are covered in scratches, cuts, bruises, and blood; it’s absolutely mind-boggling to see the TMNT not only cutting their enemies down with their weapons but also bloody and cut up. Back when I was a kid, I always wondered why the TMNT never (or, at least, rarely ever) used their weapons offensively in battle and the only explanation ever offered was that they were for defence only so it’s refreshing to see them skewer their enemies without a second’s hesitation.

TMNTComic1Finale — *The battle is bloody and hard-fought and Saki remains defiant even in defeat…*

However, the turtles are initially no match for the Shredder; that is, of course, until they fight as a unit and keep their distance, throwing Shredder off balance enough for Leonardo to deliver a mortal wound with one of his katana. Bleeding and defeated, the turtles offer Saki one last chance to commit suicide and die with honour; Shredder, defiant and arrogant to the end, angrily refuses and produces a thermite grenade, threatening to blow them all to kingdom come. Thanks to the timely intervention of Donatello, however, Shredder is knocked from the roof and perishes alone in the blast. Wounded and weary, the turtles head back home, nonchalantly tossing away a piece of the Shredder’s blasted armour as they fade away into the night. The TMNT has always been a ridiculous premise: four mutated turtles with the mindset of teenagers and the training of ninjas fighting the forces of evil. It’s ridiculous in the best way possible and this first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is no exception to that rule. In fact, thanks to its stoic dialogue and overly dramatic tone and art style, it’s perhaps even more ridiculous but not in a slapstick, goofy kind of way like the original cartoon and more as a parody of the dark, brooding, gritty noir-style adopted by the likes of Frank Miller.

*There’s very little to distinguish the different turtles from each other.*

While it helped no end when the TMNT took on their individual, iconic colours, there’s something very bold about seeing all four in red here; you know, just from a glance, that these are the tough, no-nonsense, serious TMNT rather than the surfer-dude, pizza-loving fools they are often portrayed as. There are glimmers of their personalities but they’re far less defined here than they would be in later issues and other merchandise: Leonardo is generally assumed to be the leader, Raphael seems to relish being in the outside world more than his brothers and is slightly brasher (he is the first to take on Shredder in the climax), but Donatello and “Michaelangelo” don’t really get to showcase much that separates them other than the fact that they wield different weapons. Indeed, all four turtles even “sound” the same; there’s no distinctive dialogue to separate them and they are a uniformed whole in a way that they’ve never (or, at least, rarely ever) been portrayed since. Each of the turtles has the same grim, stoic mindset and commitment to honour and the teachings of their master and is as dedicated to the idea of avenging Yoshi’s death as the other. In a sense, they’re all comprised of Leonardo and Raphael’s later mentalities, with neither Donatello’s intelligence or the lackadaisical attitude of “Michaelangelo”s being present in this first issue. Yet, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles works because it’s so ridiculous; it takes a ludicrous premise and plays it completely straight, as though it’s perfectly normal for these mutated turtles to be walking, talking, and kicking ass and, because of that, it’s very enjoyable to read. I can totally see how this self-published, independent one-shot of a comic would have turned heads and inspired a line of toys and subsequent issues but it’s crazy to see the Shredder be so casually killed off in this first issue considering that he would be the TMNT’s most enduring foe by far over the years and across all media. Eastman and Laird would refine the concept in subsequent issues and when the TMNT became a licensed commodity and, for those whose only exposure to the TMNT is the more watered down, family friendly iterations, this first issue is a shocking glimpse into the TMNT’s more darker origins and is all the better for it. Probably the best indication of how crucial and influential this first issue is to the TMNT is the fact that it served as the basis for the 1990 live-action movie, which faithfully recreated the TMNT’s origins and their battle with the Shredder almost exactly as it appears here and it has been returned to again and again over the years as the TMNT have been reimagined time and time again.

My Rating:

Great Stuff

What are your thoughts on the original, more violent versions of the TMNT? Did you read this first issue when it first came out or, like me, did you discover it after the TMNT took the world by storm? Do you also find it amusing that Eastman and Laird killed the Turtles’ most enduring villain, the Shredder, off in the first issue considering how influential he became to the larger franchise? What is your favourite iteration of the TMNT or your favourite piece of TMNT merchandise? Whatever your thoughts and memories of the TMNT, feel free to leave a comment below and come back for next week’s instalment of Turtle Tuesday as the TMNT meet their most recognisable ally and battle an army of robotic mice!

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