Game Week Day 3: Retro Games

Wednesday is highlighting Retro Games, or games from the late 1980s through the mid-1990s. The CVGA has a bunch of retro consoles to choose from, including the original Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo, the Sega Genesis, Atari and even an upright Arcade Legends game that has over a hundred arcade games. The CVGA has an assortment of awesome games for each of these systems. Below is just a sampling of what’s being stored in the archive, just waiting for you to come try them out:

Super Mario World (SNES):  Released in 1991, Mario World is the fourth game in the Super Mario series, but arguably the most fun. The plot of the game is for Mario and his brother Luigi, our intrepid Italian brother plumbers are on vacation in Dinosaur Island.  Bowser's kids are really fun mid-bosses. All the things you love about Mario remains in this game, but now you get to ride Yoshi!

Wario's Woods (SNES): Wario's Woods is a falling-block puzzle game.  Wario has infiltrated the Mushroom Kingdom and is filling the area with monsters and it's up to Toad to get rid of those monsters by blowing them up after they fall from the sky using bombs that match the monster's color. There are two ways to play this game. There is the standard one-player version, where the player races against the clock to clear the screen of monsters. The other way to play is to race against another player. The first to clear their screen wins.

Castlevania (NES): Even in the 1980s people loved vampire-themed media! Released in 1986, the popular game, Castlevania sets you up to play as Simon Belmont, the most recent in a long family line of vampire-hunters. Your mission: hunt vampires, obviously! The game is pretty basic, you go through each level and kill vampires and other assorted monsters with your magic whip. The best part is that  the final boss is Count Dracula himself. Big parts of this game are based on Bram Stoker's Dracula, so if you know the book, it adds something extra to the gameplay.

Legend of Zelda (NES): Originally released in the United States in 1988, this game remains popular for a reason. The action is really great, Link is a likeable character and the adventures are challenging. It is a simpler game than its sequels, but still stands the test of time. It's worth a few hours to see where the Legend of Zelda began. 

Bubble Bobble (Arcade Legends): One of many MANY games in this upright arcade system, Bubble bobble is deceptively simple. The dragons, Bub and Bob move along different platforms and try to burst the enemy’s bubbles with bubbles of their own. This can be either a one or two player game, so bring your friends! You will lose track of time so quickly playing this game!

BurgerTime (Arcade Legends): Another simply awesome game! The main character is Chef Pepper, and he’s making burgers. The player moved Pepper around so he can assemble burgers from the available ingredients. That’s not all! Chef Pepper must also fight Mr. Hotdog, Mr. Pickle and Mr. Egg by dropping ingredients on them. 

 

Pigs in Space (Atari): Released in 1983, this game is quite old, but offers a nostalgic look at both classic Atari 2600 games, and a very funny sketch from the old Muppet Show, also called, "Pigs in Space". Much like the format of the Muppet Show, Pigs in Space the game parodies popular Atari games and adds the Muppet flair. This game offers a lot of simple nostalgic fun and charming Muppet characters. 

Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis): This was originally released in 1991.  Sonic is   trying to prevent Dr. Robotnik (aka Dr. Eggman for those who play the Japanese version) from stealing chaos emeralds. You run through levels to collect golden rings and to catch up with Robotnik. Every so often, Sonic must battle Robotnik to move on to the next level. This is a beautiful game filled with bright colors and challenging gameplay. The CVGA has the Genesis game on the shelves, and is waiting to be played!

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? (PC): The CVGA has retro computer games as well. This game has had several re-releases through the 1980s and mid 1990s, and the archive has several of these games loaded on their PCs. Carmen Sandiego, a professional, and very stylish thief steals something from a particular country. You are an elite detective trying to catch Carmen. You gain clues by talking to local characters in each country. You must sort through these clues and catch up with Carmen before she can escape.  The game is aimed at kids trying to learn geography, but it is also a whole lot of fun. You lose yourself in the adventure and cheesy jokes!

*Fun Fact! Atari has put a bunch of their old games on their site (www.atari.com) that you can play for free! Now you have the choice of coming to the archive to play, or stay at home!*

*all images came from the game’s Wikipedia site.

Gaming Week Day 2: Board Games

Did you know that the CVGA has more than just video games? When we moved to our current location in January 2011, we added a small section of board and card games, as well as a couple of tables on which to play them. We now have 120 board and card games in the CVGA. Some of the most popular games are Dominion, Settlers of Catan, and 7 Wonders. Here are some other interesting board and card games in the CVGA that you may wish to try:

Cargo Noir - In this auction-style game, the players are 'merchants' in a 1950s noir setting, earning money by smuggling various goods. But the money you earn has to be laundered and turned into goods like yachts and vacation homes.

Chrononauts - In this card game, the players are time travelers from different timelines, who must alter the course of events to make history correspond to their home timeline in order to return home.

Cleopatra and the Society of Architects - Take on the role of a builder in ancient Egypt. You can get ahead of the other players by dealing with shady characters and shoddy materials, but at the end of the game the player with the most corruption loses!

Dominant Species - Players take on the role of one of six major species: mammal, reptile, bird, amphibian, arachnid or insect; and battle it out for ecological supremacy as the ice age approaches. The game can be long (3 hours or so) and complex, but the innovative board design is extremely helpful in guiding you through the game play.

Galaxy Trucker - Build a spaceship out of junk and spare parts, then race across the galaxy against the other players, competing for mining resources and battling pirates.

Kingsburg - An innovative dice game in which the players are Lords trying to secure the favor of the king's court to gain natural resources and protection from invading monsters. Rolling high helps, but also does the strategic placement of your dice.

Nuns on the Run - Most of the players are novices, sneaking through the abbey at night in order to fulfill their secret wish. The other player takes on the role of the Abbess & Prioress who are trying to catch the novices and return them to their rooms. The gameplay involves secret movement and genuine tension.

Revolution - In this secret bidding game, the players are revolutionaries in a enlightenment-era city, attempting to gain influence over the town guard, the printer, the bishop, and others through bribes, blackmail and force.

Tigris & Euphrates - In the ancient fertile crescent, whose kingdom will reign supreme? Players gain points in four areas: farming, trading, religion, and government; but it's the player whose smallest score in those four is the highest that wins, forcing players to approach the game with balance.

Come by the CVGA today to play these or other games, and meet other board game fans!

Gaming Week Day 1: Racing Games

Did you know that the CVGA has a vast array of racing games, as well as a racing wheel controller to go along with our popular Xbox 360 games? We now have over 50 racing games in the CVGA, ranging from arcade style to realistic driving games. Some of them (Forza, etc.) have even been used by students as a driving simulator in research involving texting while driving. A few of our other popular racing games include Mario Kart, Need for Speed, and Gran Turismo. Here are some other interesting racing game series in the CVGA that you may wish to try:

Excite Bots: Trick Racing (Wii) - Deviating from standard racing games, this series (which also includes Excite Truck, Excite Bike, etc.) involves a light-hearted, surreal side of racing, allowing the player to select from vehicles like frogs, bats and spiders, all of which can transform at various points in the game. There are also several fun mini-games, ranging from pie-throwing to bowling.

F-Zero (SNES, Gamecube, etc.) - Originating on the SNES, this series is known for fast and difficult gameplay, unique characters and music, and the original is notable for its "Mode 7 Scrolling" technique, which can successfully simulate an 3D environment. Since then, it has been remade on almost every Nintendo system.

Midnight Club (PlayStation 2 and 3) -  These games feature an open world urban environment in which you can increase your rep and gain upgrades by racing in a rich variety of vehicles. Choose from Midnight Club II, MC3, MC: Street Racing or MC: Los Angeles.

Motorstorm (PlayStation 3) - This game has held the Guinness World Record for the largest variety of vehicles to choose from, including cars, ATVs, bikes, big rigs, etc. Also notable for operating in real-time: if a vehicle loses a tire, for instance, that tire will remain where it fell for the rest of the race. Choose from Motorstorm or Motorstorm: Pacific Rift.

Pole Position (Atari) - An arcade game from 1982, this game was notable for being the first racing game to feature a real race track (the Fuji Speedway), and for accurately portraying forward movement, delivering colorful landscapes, and creating the realistic feel of driving a Formula 1 race car.

Project Gotham Racing (Xbox 360, Xbox) - Bearing no resemblance to Batman or Gotham City, this racer series differs from others in that winning doesn't necessarily involve finishing first; the player must also gain "kudos points," earned by performing complex stunts throughout the race.

Ridge Racer 64 (Nintendo 64, PlayStation, 3DS) - An arcade racer based in and around the fictional Ridge City, this game is known for the ability to "drift" around turns and corners of the track. Later games in the series allowed selection from a variety of vehicles that could drift in slightly different ways.

Star Wars Episode I Racer (Nintendo 64, Dreamcast) - Based on the pod race from Star Wars Episode I: Phantom Menace, this racer features tracks from several different worlds within the Star Wars setting, and a variety of playable characters from the series.

Wipeout (PlayStation, Nintendo 64, PSP, etc.) - This series involves a number of futuristic anti-gravity racing games, and tends to be associated with electronica and electronic dance music from several notable artists. After coming out with a launch title for the PlayStation Vita, they were rumored to be working on a title for the upcoming PlayStation 4 before their studio was closed in August 2012.



Come by the CVGA today to play these or other games, and meet other racing game fans!