The Stupid Gamer

January gave us a chance to play through all the goodies we picked up during the holiday rush or to catch up on backlog titles that have been waiting a long time to get some play in our rotation. Here are the games I completed in January, most of which were for the first time, others just for nostalgic reasons.

Bayonetta (Xbox 360) – This was a game I reviewed for Kombo and one I was beyond excited to get my hands on after getting a few short minutes with it back at E3 last year. The game turned out to be what I was hoping to be and I had an absolute blast with it from start to finish. With fluid controls, an excellent combat/combo system, and a wacky presentation, Bayonetta will more than likely be in my top games of 2010.

Assassin’s Creed (Xbox 360) – Yeah, it took me until early 2010 to finally finish Assassin’s Creed. Like many I became a bit fatigued by the repetitive nature of the missions, so when other releases started coming out that interested me I set the game aside. With the release of Assassin’s Creed 2, I needed to go back and wrap this one up for storyline continuity sake. In the end I enjoyed the game, but I’ll always be quick to point out that it has its fair share of issues.

Duck Tales (NES) – One of my favorite games ever made (look for an upcoming Best Game Ever feature on this), I will come back to this one for a few speed runs or high score challenges. Never do I put this game into my NES and feel like I’m only enjoying it for the nostalgia effect. This game is a timeless winner from Capcom and Disney.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3) – Simply a fantastic game that deserved the many awards it picked up in all the game of the year voting for 2009. The action, story, presentation, and overall experience all combine to make Uncharted 2 a must play for all PS3 owners. The behind the scenes content on the disc is pretty fun to watch as well (you can also find the videos on YouTube).

Castlevania (NES) – Another game I commonly go back to for a quick play, Castlevania is a challenging title that tests my ability to stay sharp when it comes to retro gaming. Much like Ninja Gaiden on the  NES, these old action games really keep the enemies coming nonstop and have very basic but solid level designs. This is definitely not the last time I’ll be playing through Castlevania.

King’s Quest VI (PC) – Ah, the Sierra On-Line classic. I was a big fan of the King’s Quest, Space Quest, Quest for Glory, and Police Quest games and I tend to play through one or two of them every couple of months. They’re great to have on your laptop to play on the go or to casually experience while watching TV. King’s Quest VI was probably my favorite in the KQ series, though they’re all pretty fantastic if you don’t recognize King’s Quest VIII (it NEVER happened).

So here’s what I’m working on in February so far, and I’m hoping to get to Dragon Age: Origins, BioShock 2, and Mass Effect (yeah, the first one) by the end of the month.

Assassin’s Creed 2 (Xbox 360) – Wow, what an improvement over the first iteration in the series. I put this disc in almost immediately after finishing the first game and right away I could tell they had upgraded the graphical engine. The first game looked nice, this one looks fantastic. The free running feels more accurate and the mission variety is way better. More importantly, the game really does a great job at urging you to explore the landscape, but there are also plenty of helps to make it an easy going experience rather than a frustrating one.

Retro Game Challenge (DS) – A funky little game that came out a few months ago, this is one I’m glad I didn’t pass on. It’s hard to explain this one in a few words, but basically you’re playing retro style games to meet specific challenges laid out for you such as a high score to beat or to achieve a number of kills in a certain manner or time period. The game has tons of nods to classic games, magazines, and industry professionals. It’s just a great package overall.

Star Control II (PC) – I come back to this game a lot. A lot.

That’s right, suckers, Enduro Racer is coming to the VC this week! For the lamers not in the know, Enduro Racer was basically Sega’s version of Excitebike on the Master System. The main difference is that Enduro Racer allowed you to build up your bike and race on a variety of tracks with an isometric view. Ok, so the games are extremely different when you really think about it, but Enduro Racer was a must-own for Master System owners.

Dust off your Wiis and download this gem, retro fans. This was a pretty cool take on a genre that typically didn’t translate very well from the arcade to the home consoles.

It’s pretty awesome seeing ultra rare and collectable stuff show up for sale, and this one is a true gem. Earlier today, an Atari 2700 prototype sold on eBay for over $5,000. It sounds crazy that someone would bid that much, but the winning bidder is definitely going to be in possession of something they don’t have to worry about finding over at their buddy’s house any time soon. The seller apparently was a game developer from Atari and was given the 2700 as a gift from Leonard Tramiel himself. The auction can be seen here: eBay auction.

Oh, and yes, those are wireless controllers. For something that’s 25 years old, it’s pretty cool technology. To find out more about the 2700, check the Wikipedia page: Atari Remote Control VCS at Wikipedia.

Originally reported by Joystiq, Nintendo of Canada is auctioning off a ton of new and sealed games for the NES, SNES, and GameBoy. These are all in perfect collector’s condition, so they’re going at a high price. All the proceeds are being donated to charity, so feel free to indulge. There’s a good mix of both 1st and 3rd party offerings, as well.

Here’s the link: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZnocl604

No, there’s not a new version of the Vectrex being released, and no, a successor isn’t in the works. What is happening is that I picked up a Vectrex along with 8 games, and it’s on its way right now to my humble little home. The Vectrex will take up residency in the arcade room, right between Donkey Kong and Ms. Pac-Man on a table (which also has a Virtual Boy fighting for attention).

I’ve always loved the vector games and how impressive they look in person. I’ve never owned a Vectrex, so this is going to be quite the treat for me. Ever since I added Asteroids to my arcade, I’ve been itching to get more vector-based games. While the Vectrex isn’t exactly an arcade machine, it’s pretty close.

Now if I can just get my hands on that Star Wars arcade game I’ve been chasing around…

The first of many Neo-Geo MVS titles arrived in my mailbox today and I was all giddy as I hefted the carts and checked them out. While I still don’t have a cabinet to play the games in, I’m working on resolving that very soon. I’ve always been a big Neo-Geo/SNK fan, but I’ve never owned either an AES or MVS system. My exposure to SNK had been through console ports or within the arcades themselves. So for me, it’s all very exciting. I already have more games on the way, and I have a good line on a cabinet source, so here’s hoping it all comes together soon.

Oh, here are the two games that showed up:

Ninja Combat

Samurai Showdown II

Oh, and here’s some awesome SNK-inspired art. Enjoy!

Retrotastic! Check out these YouTube videos that showcase 100 games in 10 minutes each for a specific system. I almost forget just how great some of the libraries were on these gaming platforms. Enjoy!

100 Commodore 64 games in 10 minutes!

100 Amiga games in 10 minutes!

100 NES games in 10 minutes!

100 SNES games in 10 minutes!

Thanks to FoxHimself for the find.

There is a pretty amazing photoset up on flickr showing an arcade back when the coin-op machines ruled the gaming world. Some of the images are pretty amazing, and they can all be found here: Retro Arcade on flickr.

Here are a handful of my favorite shots:

There are now 100 Virtual Console games available. Within the list, there are some gems, some good games, some decent games, and some stinkers. I’m going to give my opinion on which games you should definitely buy (the bolded titles), should try if you never have before (italicized), and those that are up to your own discretion (no special markings). So, without further ado, here are my VC picks:

NES

Donkey Kong
Legend of Zelda
Mario Bros.
Pinball
Soccer
Solomon’s Key
Wario’s Woods
Donkey Kong Jr.
Ice Hockey
Tennis
Super Mario Bros.
Baseball
Urban Champion
Gradius
Xevious
Ice Climber
Kid Icarus
Kirby’s Adventure
Legend of Kage
Elevator Action
Tecmo Bowl
Excitebike
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Galaga
Punch-Out!!
Castlevania
Mighty Bomb Jack
Ninja Gaiden
Pac-Man
Milon’s Secret Castle
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

SNES

F-Zero
SimCity
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior
Super Castlevania IV
R-Type III: The Third Lightning
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Contra III: The Alien Wars
Super Mario World
Donkey Kong Country
Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts
Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV: Wall of Fire
Gradius III
Legend of the Mystical Ninja
Final Fight
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest
ActRaiser

Nintendo 64

Super Mario 64
Mario Kart 64
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Star Fox 64

Sega Genesis

Altered Beast
Sonic The Hedgehog
Ecco the Dolphin
Golden Axe
Columns
Ristar
Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
Gunstar Heroes
Space Harrier II
ToeJam & Earl
Bonanza Bros.
Comix Zone
Gain Ground
Streets of Rage
Bio-Hazard Battle
Sword of Vermilion
Sonic Spinball
Beyond Oasis
Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
Virtua Fighter 2
Wonder Boy in Monster World
Streets of Rage 2
Kid Chameleon
ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron

TurboGrafx-16

Bomberman ‘93
Bonk’s Adventure
Super Star Soldier
Victory Run
Alien Crush
Military Madness
R-Type
Dungeon Explorer
Soldier Blade
Moto Roader
Vigilante
New Adventure Island
Chew Man Fu
Double Dungeons
Splatterhouse
Dragon’s Curse
Bravoman
Bonk’s Revenge
Battle Lode Runner
Shockman
Ordyne
Ninja Spirit
Blazing Lazers
J.J. & Jeff
Dead Moon

For anybody that got their start gaming when the Commodore 64 was in its prime, you definitely know about the Epyx developed classic, Impossible Mission. The gameplay is a bit difficult to describe, but it was one of the first games to use randomly generated item placement (as far as key items needed to progress in the game). If this comes to the Wii Virtual Console, I’ll be one happy camper. My Commodore 64 kicked the bucket just a few short years ago, and this is a title I dearly miss.

Check out the best opening sound clip ever here: Dr. Elvin Atombender’s famous intro voice