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Classic Gamer
Magazine
Vol. 3, Issue #1
Editor-in-Chief
Chris Cavanaugh
Managing Editors
Scott Marriott
Skyler Miller
Layout and Design
Skyler Miller
Contributors
Mark Androvich
Chris Brown
Jason Buchanan
Chris Cavanaugh
Scott Marriott
Skyler Miller
Evan Phelps
Kyle Snyder
Jonathan Sutyak
Brett Weiss
Contact Information
feedback@classic
gamer.com
Products, logos,
screenshots, etc. named
in these pages are
tradenames or
trademarks of their
respective companies.
Any use of copyrighted
material is covered
under the "fair use"
doctrine. Classic Gamer
Magazine and its staff
are not affiliated with the
companies or products
covered.
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contents
24 Cover Story:
The Pac-Man Legacy
4 Staff
5 Classic Gaming Expo 2010
6 Nintendo @ E3
7 Batter Up! A Visual History of NES Baseball
8 Super NES vs. Sega Genesis
13 Bringing the Past Back to Life
16 It's War! Classics vs. Remakes
18 Five Atari 2600 Games Worse Than E.T.
21 Podcast Review: RetroGaming Roundup
23 Revenge of the Birds
34 Shovelware Alert! Astro Invaders
35 Pixel Memories
39 Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
41 Arcade ... To Go
46 Another Trip Inside Haunted House
47 3D Dot Game Heroes Review
49 What's New in Arcades?
51 Words from the Weiss
54 Scott Pilgrim vs. CGM
56 Happy Birthday Pac-Man!
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staff
Mark Androvichhaswrittenover13videogamestrategyguides,
beenacontributortoHardcoreMagazine,reviewswriterandeditor
forPSE2Magazine,andthefirstU.S.editorforGameindustry.biz.
Christopher Brownlearnedtowriteatapproximatelythesame
timehelearnedtoplayvideogames,andhehasenjoyeddoingbothforthelast25years.Hereceived
abachelor'sdegreeinjournalismfromEasternMichiganUniversityin2002,andsince2007has
workedasafull-timewriterandeditoratAllgame.com,wherehehascontributedmorethan2,000
originalreviewsanddescriptions.BrownhasalsocontributedtoVideoGameCollectormagazine,
donefreelancetravelwriting,andwrittenforDetroit-areasportsmagazinesandblogs.
Jason Buchananisadie-hardhorrormoviegeekwhosefirstvideogamesystemwastheAtari
2600.He’samemberoftheDetroitFilmCriticsSociety,andafull-timewriterforAllmovie.comand
TVGuide.com.He'salsocontributednumerousreviewstoAllmusic.comandAllgame.com. In
additiontoworkinginfreelancetelevisionproductionforoveradecade,herecentlyfinishedhisfirst
independentfeatureentitledTrueExtremes. HelikesOvaltineonhisicecream,andhischildhood
friendswererepulsedbyhisloveforcreamedtunaandpeasontoast.
Chris CavanaughistheleadeditoratAllgame.comandthefounderofClassicGamerMagazine.
Hepreviouslyservedaseditor-in-chiefforVideoGameCollectorMagazine,haswrittenarticlesfor
GameSpy,TipsandTricksMagazine,contributedtoDigitalPress,andeditedLeonardHerman'sABC
totheVCS2ndEdition.
Scott MarriottworkedasAllgame.com'ssenioreditorandisanactivecontributortoG4Media'sX-
PlayandViacom'sGameTrailers.HehasalsowrittenforVideoGameCollectorMagazine.
Skyler MillerhaswrittenforGamespot,Salon.com,X-PlayandAllgame.com.
Evan PhelpsisafrequentcontributortoGameWorldNetworks,andhaswrittenforAllgame.com
andVideoGameCollectorMagazine.In2005,heworkedasafloorcorrespondentforG4television’s
E3coveragealongsideSpikeTV’sGeoffKeighleyandMicrosoft’sTinaWoodandLauraFoy.
Kyle Snyderbeganwritingaboutgamingcultureduringthemid‘90sinFrankPolosky’sVideo
Magicfanzine.HecurrentlywritesacolumnforGameRoomMagazinecalled“LostArcadeClassic.”
Kyleisalsoanavidarcadecollector,andowns14cabinetsincludingMs.Pac-Man,DonkeyKongJr.,
Mousetrap,Turbo,Millipede,GunsmokeandArkanoid2:RevengeofDoh.
Jonathan Sutyak graduatedArizonaStateUniversityin1998andshortlythereafterbecamea
regularcontributortoAllgame.com.HebegangamingontheIntellivisionandexperiencedmany
classicsforthefirsttimeatthebrilliantFunspotarcade.HeisalsoabigfanofSega's8-bitand16-bit
consoles.
Brett WeisshaswrittennumerousarticlesthathaveappearedinComicBuyer’sGuide,Fangoria
andAllgame.com.Brettrecentlyauthoredtwobooks:ClassicHomeVideoGames:1972-1984and
ClassicHomeVideoGames:1985-1988.
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Classic Gaming Expo
2 0 1 0
Itwas“Gameon!”oncemoreasClassicGaming
Expocelebratedits12thanniversaryinstyleatthe
freshlyremodeledTropicanaHotelinLasVegas.
Neitherbikergangsnorrollerderbygirlsnor
searingdesertheatcouldstopvintagegaming
enthusiastsfromenjoyingtwodaysofpixelated
bliss.Asidefromthealwaysentertainingpanel
discussionsfeaturingspeakersfromgaming’spast,
attendeeswerealsotreatedtoashowingofthe
movieJoysticksandthedocumentaryGetLamp.
Couldn’tattend?Neverfear.Plansareunderway
forClassicGamingExpo2k11.Visitwww.cgexpo
.comandwww.digitpress.comtostayupdated.
-ChrisCavanaugh
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Nintendo@E3
Despite revealing a next-generation portable system
with a 3D screen, Nintendo didn't forget its roots at E3.
Not only did the company announce new titles for long-
time favorites Donkey Kong and Kirby, but it also
reached back to the early days of the NES to revive a
certain mythologically inspired character.
KidIcarus:Uprising intoavarietyofusefulitemsand
vehicles,includingaparachute,
Oneofthebiggestsurprisesat submarine,andUFO.
Nintendo'sE3keynoteaddress,
outsideofthe3DSsystemitself,was GoldenEye007
thereturnofKidIcarus,nowa3D
actiontitlefeaturingbothaerialand Xbox360fansdespairasRare's
groundcombat.You'llguideangel belovedGoldenEyegetsamodern
PitinhisfightagainstMedusa's updateforWii.Developedby
sinisterarmy,usingalimitedability Eurocom(007:NightfireandN64’s
tofly(thepoweronlylastsfive TheWorldisNotEnough),
minutes)toreachbattlesonland. GoldenEyereplacesPierceBrosnan
Thehandheld'sslidermovesKid withDanielCraigandintroduces
Icarus,whilethetouchscreen multiplecontrolschemes,fromthe
controlsthecamera.Shooting WiiRemoteandNunchukcomboto
arrowsisaccomplishedbyholding theClassicController.Split-screen
downtheleftbumper.Designedby supportforuptofourplayersis
themanresponsibleforbothKirby onceagainavailable,thistimewith
andSuperSmashBros.,Uprisingis achoiceof40Bondcharacters.
thefirstKidIcarusgamesince1991. Shootitoutonfivemapsthatcan
betailoredover500waysbyusing
DonkeyKongCountryReturns 16modifiers.GoldenEyealso
featuresonlinesupportforupto
DonkeyandDiddyreturntorumble eightplayers.
inthejunglewiththisside-scrolling
follow-uptoRare'sDonkeyKong TheLegendofZelda:Ocarina
Countryseries.Bananaseekerscan ofTime3D
playsoloorteamupinco-opmode
tolocateKong’sstolenhoardwhile Link'smostcriticallyacclaimed
ridingminecars,swingingfrom gameisslatedtoappearon
vines,andground-slappingenemies Nintendo'snext-genhandheld,
outoftheway. alongwithseveralotherN64
favorites.GuideLinkinhisfirst3D
Kirby’sEpicYarn adventure,onethatallowshimto
musicallyaltertimebyblowinginto
Everyone’sfavoritepinkpuffball thetitularinstrument.Itisunclear
returnstoweaveanall-new whetherthegamewillbeastraight
platformingadventureonWii.Now portwithenhancedcontrolsorone
composedofyarn,Kirbycanchange featuringrevampedvisualsand
thefabricofhisenvironments addedbonuses.Eitherway,fansof
(literally!)bypullingloosethreads thesword-swinging,arrow-slinging
torevealhiddenlocationsand herowillwantto"listen!"carefully
neededobjects.Plusitjustwouldn’t forthegame'seventualreleasedate
beKirbyifhedidn’tmorphhimself announcement.
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Batter Up! A Visual History of NES Baseball
Sportsgameshavealwaysbeenanimportantpartofaconsole'slineup,andthiswasespeciallytrue
fortheNES.Fromthesimply-titled"Baseball"in1985to"BasesLoaded4"sevenyearslater,
Nintendo'sfirsthomesystemwasgracedwith20versionsoftheUSA'snationalpasttime.
Baseball,1985 BasesLoaded,1988 MajorLeagueBaseball,1988 R.B.IBaseball,1988
BaseballStars,1989 TecmoBaseball,1989 BasesLoadedII,1990 BaseballSimulator1.000,1990
BadNewsBaseball,1990 DustyDiamondAll-StarSoftball,1990 LittleLeagueBaseball,1990 R.B.I.Baseball2,1990
BaseWars,1991 BoJacksonBaseball,1991 R.B.I.Baseball3,1991 RogerClemensMVPBaseball,1991
BasesLoaded3,1991 BaseballStarsII,1992 LegendsoftheDiamond,1992 BasesLoaded4,1992
-7-
Super NES
Sega Genesis
By Scott Marriott
In an industry where originality is at a premium, it is not surprising to
see the same games appearing on as many platforms the market will
support. After all, companies need to be profitable and not every console
system has the user base to justify spending the added time and expense
associated with retooling an already existing game. So it is surprising
when two versions of a game — released by the same publisher — end up
being different.
Though cross-platform releases have been a part of the console industry since third-
party publishers like Activision, Parker Brothers, and Imagic welcomed the Atari VCS’
competition with open arms, the trend became increasingly popular during the 16-bit
era, where the two titans of the time, Sega and Nintendo, battled neck and neck for
the ultimate in bragging rights: the number-one selling console in the United States.
If history is any indication, there are two types of multiplatform releases. The
overwhelming majority are near-identical titles offering slight improvements on the
more technologically advanced system, which in the case of Sega versus Nintendo,
typically meant the game enjoyed more colorful graphics and more pleasing sound on
Super NES. Thus, by and large, most players would want the Nintendo version of the
same game.
Yet there are also those titles that cater to a specific platform, with the developers
changing key design features to accommodate a perceived difference in audiences or to
simply play up a system’s strengths. The latter approach is obviously of most interest to
classic gamers, since it means there is potentially a better title out there worth
experiencing.
The two main competing systems at the time (the third, NEC’s TurboGrafx-16, simply
didn’t have the third-party support to draw suitable comparisons) also presented unique
challenges to developers. The Super NES, in the hands of inexperienced programmers,
could suffer from bouts of slowdown, earning the system the derogatory nickname of
“sneeze” for its comparatively slower processor.
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TheGenesishadmoreproblems.Thoughithadafasterprocessor,itwashandicappedwitha
limitedcolorpalette,alackofwhiz-bangfeatureslikehardwarescaling,andaninferiorsound
chip.Anotherveryrealissuepublishershadtofacewasthecostdifferenceinmanufacturing
cartridges,withNintendoaskingforabiggercutofroyaltyfees.This,coupledwiththecompany’s
longstandingtraditionof“decency,”oftenledtosomeinterestingdecisionsand/orchanges.
Sowithoutfurtherado,ClassicGamerMagazinepresentstengamesthatofferdifferent
experiencesdependingonwhichsystemtheyappeared.Someareslight,somearesubstantial,and
somearejustsilly.Ofcourse,thislistisfarfromcomprehensive.Alsokeepinmindthattheseare
gamesreleasedbythesamepublisher,sosametitle/differentgameslike JurassicPark,Disney’s
Aladdin,andShadowrunwerenotconsideredforcomparison.
Shaq-Fu
1994, Electronic Arts
Whilemostwouldconsider subdueddeathgrip).The
thewinnerofthismatch-up Genesiscartalsoweighsinat
thelesseroftwoevils,there aShaqtastic24-megabits
arenonethelessdifferences (eightmorethanthe
worthmentioningbetweenthe Nintendogame),offeringfive
twocartridges.Thepackaging morecharactersandfive
isdifferent,withtheGenesis additionalenvironments.The
coverfeaturingan firstfightinggamefromthe
unintentionallyhilarious Frenchdevelopersof
imageofShaqwithhisteeth FlashbackandOutofthis
clenchedandhisoutstretched Worldwasalsobundledwith
handinsomesortofdeath aCDsamplerof Shaq-Fu:Da
grip(theSuperNESwentfora Return,butonlyinthe
moresolemnlookfromthe Genesisversion.
basketballstar,andamore
Mortal Kombat
1993, Arena/Acclaim Entertainment
The “Mortal Monday” would irritate enough
release of Mortal Kombat potential consumers that it
(September 13, 1993) was a helped changed Nintendo’s
pivotal one for Nintendo longstanding policy against
fans, as it showed a violence. No amount of
changing attitude in games sweat droplets could
that could no longer be disguise the fact that
ignored. Though the Super playing Mortal Kombat on
NES version has the edge in the Super NES was like
version, Nintendo refused
terms of visuals and sound, watching Pulp Fiction or
to make the same mistake
including more voice Scarface on network
twice, relaxing its stance on
samples, the drastic edits to television — what’s the
violence — at least for
the finishing moves and point? After Acclaim’s sales
third-party publishers —
absence of a blood code figures showed more people
with the release of Mortal
found in the Genesis game purchasing the Genesis
Kombat II.
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Earthworm Jim
1993, Arena/Acclaim Entertainment
One of the most critically treacherous path of gurgling
acclaimed games of its time, intestines (Intestinal
Earthworm Jim stars an Distress). While the Super
average worm who happens NES version has a few extra
upon a super-powered space visual effects, the control,
suit and uses it to exact his music, and sound lack the
revenge on those punch of the Genesis game,
responsible for killing his which was more a testament
dirt-dwelling family. There to great programming than
are even more offbeat things any advantage in hardware.
to see and do in the Genesis Things would even out in
version, however, with an the sequel, but this first
entirely new level that finds battle has the Genesis
the hero using his head as a version wiggling out in
propeller to negotiate a front.
The Pirates of Dark Water
1994, Sunsoft
Themostunusualreleaseon standardbeat-‘em-up bookandHanna-Barbera
thislist,sincebothversions reminiscentofFinalFight, animatedseries,the16-
arecompletelydifferent.The RivalTurfandothersinthe megabitSegagameisasolo-
SuperNESgameisa kick-and-punchgenre.The affaironly,withtheabilityto
Genesisversion,however, swapoutcharactersatthe
offersamixofplatforming, beginningofeachnewstage.
puzzles,lightrole-playing IguanaEntertainment,the
elements,andfastsword- teambehindAerothe
swingingaction.Whileboth Acrobat,developedthe
gamesfeaturethesame Genesisgame,whileSunsoft
threecharacters(Ren,Tula, handledthe8-megabit
andIoz)fromthecomic SuperNESgame.
Tecmo Super Bowl
1993, Tecmo
The 16-bit upgrades to names in the endzones,
the NES blockbuster hit which were inexplicably
were both equally absent from the Sega
underwhelming in terms title. Since neither
of presentation, though pushes the system to its
the Super NES version limits, it’s puzzling why
features some minor there are even
Mode-7 effects and team differences at all.
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