Retro Treasures - Spiderman the Videogame (Arcade)

Our third treasure comes straight from Arcades, a game made by Sega with one of the most popular Marvel characters. I'm sure many here have ever seen or played it in the 90s!

Spiderman: The Videogame

Year: 1991

System: Arcade

Players: Up to 4

By: SEGA  

For many years I kept an image in mind: a  spiderman game  where  there were more 3 characters and was a street fighting. Until I figure out MAME and find the hidden game on the internets!

Spiderman is not a bizarre videogame and wonderful at the same time without reasons: first, it was made by SEGA, Sega our nostalgic past, the company, which touched turned to gold. Second, a fighting game with the spiderman, the buddy neighborhood, sharing space with 3 more colleagues to put the Kingpin, Venom and his cronies to run out of the city. Third, is a fighting game with big characters on screen and that mixes parts of side-scrolling platform too!

For these reasons, the project was a success at the time, but was soon overtaken by other arcades of success too, and unfortunately he fell into obscurity. UNTIL NOW!

We can play with 4 characters: Spider, Namor, Black Cat and Archer. Each of them .... does the same thing than the other! Yeah, there are few differences , but I noticed that the Black Cat is a bit faster for combing than the others. Are just 2 buttons: one to jump and one to beat . Using the two together , your character gives a special power , which obviously consumes energy. That this energy is counted by points , not by a bar .

The game follows the outline of the existing beat'n ups : Follow beating everyone by streets , alleys , BUILDINGS , AIRSHIPS , MOUNTAINS, PARKS .... is the variety of scenery here is truly enormous .

The enemies are varied , especially the chiefs , ranging from the obvious Venom to  Doctor Doom among others .

Graphics that resemble the comics give charm to the game , with good music and decent sound effects. It's a rare game to find, but thanks to the current emulation, at any  worth site you can find the rom . And even though it exists : if you try to play an arcade there , take a lot of money , because the game is fucking hard !

Not only talking about of fighting stages, but the steps in scroll  involve jumps and synchronized attacks to avoid the losing of precious lives.

Anyway, it's a WHORE rox arcade  with Spider that many people even know about, or if you know, just forgetting over time.

                                                                                                                      

Retro Treasures - Master of Darkness (Master System)

Our second game of Retro Treasures section, will talk about a game that perhaps some even know or consider to be similar to its source of inspiration: Castlevania for NES.

The game suffered the same ill of other relics: little publicity, which meant that many people even know about this game...

Master of Darkness

Genre: Plataform

Year: 1992 

System: Master System 

By: SEGA 

Players: 1

Master of Darkness can easily be considered the Castlevania of Master System for obvious reasons. Besides having a protagonist who uses several types of weapons, we have a final boss identical to the Konami series: Count Dracula.

                                                              stabbing a poor passer

In this game, we control Dr.Social. Maybe he has that name to have many friends, or not. The important thing is that Dr Social's mission is to solve the mystery that surrounding the city of London: strange deaths are happening and nobody knows why. Dead bodies appear almost no drop of blood, almost every morning. Then, comes into play an undercover cop, who will try all ways to end these deaths KILLING the main culprit. Beautiful, no? : D!

The game starts mild: Social runs to any port city, at night, which gives up to feel the cold wind and cloudy weather of place. Your only weapon is the beginning is a simple knife that will serve well to find other, like a hammer, swords and even guns. In case firearms here serve as a secondary item, increasing its capacity when found more often (aka knives, axes, holy water in Castlevania).

Incidentally, speaking of items, we have several here that are reference in the Konami game:

• diamond: serves to clean the screen, our beloved and famous button AUTOMATIC-FUCK;

• potion: usually found inside walls, has the function of chicken in Castlevania;
• weapons: are inside of floating masks, similar to the torches / lamps shades of Castlevania games;

So, for all of these "coincidences" Master of Darkness can call a mere poorly clone of Castlevania ? NO!

The game may even have copied a straight face (almost all) elements, but, in my opinion and a lot of people too, is the best Castlevania ''clone'' ever made.

The only thing you can not really understand is why cocks Sega did not continue this game in Master or Genesis, as it goes very well technically. Sega would have been under pressure from Konami?

wraiths are part of cast

Master of Darkness in the technical sector is nearly flawless: it is easy to control your character, attack, turn, jump and shoot. Enemies are well varied and the stages are also pretty cool, with great graphics and a good soundtrack , which further fuels my question about a continuation of the game.

Well, as never existed continuation, then we have a rare gem, which blatantly copied Castlevania and brought to Master System owners a beautiful plaything in the land of Dracula.

You must see!

Retro Treasures - Crystalis (NES)

Today debut a new section, designed to show and disseminate unknown games (or almost) of the gaming world.

Are rare gems, those generally makes the player think, "hey, as I've never heard of this game?". Obviously, nowadays many already know most of these, but even so, for those who do not know, , is it worth digging up these true relics and show that in the past many treasures remain buried. For those who already know, is like reviewing a great friend that no longer appeared.

So, good read!

Crystalis

Genre: RPG

Year: 1990 (NES) / 2000 (GBC)

By: SNK

Players: 1

Inaugurating our new section, an RPG for the NES, but unfortunately, it was quite forgotten and few people are aware of its existence: Crystalis.

Contrary to what many think, this RPG was not made by Square and yes, by newcomer in the area (SNK), famous soft experienced in fighting games. Crystalis may be considered a rare jewel for this more reason.

The story of Crystalis is simple:

The story continues showing a computer screen where the player needs a name ... of him, a being  of pink hair leaves (on the cover looks like a woman) and so the game begins.

The beginning is that discovery: the locals are surprised you have "waked", but it seems that everyone has waited for this, because the first house I entered the guy gave me a buck saying that Zebus had left there, if I woke up.

From then on, the player will discover the secrets and the plot unfolds.

Crystalis, before anything else, is an action RPG, similar to Zelda and Golvellius. You control the main character in maps, often huge and cities too.

The fights take place in real time, as in the aforementioned Zelda and Golvellius. But, in Crystalis, the thing is very well neater, at least graphically.

getting the first sword

To start, your character moves diagonally, giving more freedom of movement. While Kelesis and Link only move in 4 directions, Crystalis is possible to exit diagonally and even more repeatedly attacking enemies.

And killing enemies usually gives money, the coins jump when them they die.

The maps are themed, and, at first, is very similar to Golvellius, with undergrowths, some trees and rocks.

The vegetation can also disrupt, since it possible to enter them. When in the woods, your character moves more slowly and the enemies are partially hidden too.

There are many passages in the game: from the outset, in the cave to the left, a man in the end of it gives a hint to be able to continue the game.  There are many minutiae for the player to go discovered over time.

In addition, the game features a whole RPG face: accessories, weapons, armor and items that can be equipped in a proper menu, which also differs from the other two games already mentioned.

One thing that Golvellius can take advantage over Crystalis is the variety of gameplay:  maps,  side-scrolling, shooter. In Crystalis, the whole game is from the perspective of air, but he makes up for it with more diverse areas to explore, such as cities, towns, houses, and so on.

If you want to know a different RPG, but at the same time remember the good times of Zelda or Golvellius, take a chance to Crystalis.

A forgotten game, but that should not giving anything to others of the same genre.