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Flashback: Contra (NES)
May 14, 2009, 1:24 AM by ROB
Posted in FLASHBACK, GAMING | 2091 views
This is the third episode in the weekly Flashback series, in which we bring you a new old-school favorite with each installment. Last week, we took a look at Apogee Software's Duke Nukem. Got an idea? Catch me on Twitter @RobLaughter!
ZOMGZ. Since I've posted on the Konami Code love on Facebook and ESPN.com, close to 50% of my free time has been spent in front of my 32" LCD TV playing NES ROMs on my laptop. Contra, of course, is responsible for the bulk of my procrastination.
If you haven't played Contra for the NES, you haven't truly lived. The plot is simple: aliens are taking over the world and you need to stop the evil jerk who is responsible for it all. Players fight through hordes of baddies, dodge showers of bullets, and defeat epic bosses after each side-scrolling level. Between levels, players work their way through faux-3D corridors (impressive for its time) to get to the next stage.
The game itself is extremely challenging; players start with three lives and it takes just one bullet to kill your character. Even with two players, the game is downright difficult, so many players (myself included) resorted to the now-sacred Konami Code (up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start) to start the game with thirty lives. In my recent foray into the game, my friend Kevin and I only managed to get to the third stage before losing all thirty lives. Yeah—we suck.
Contra is near-perfect in graphics, music, and gameplay. When you're ready to play, go buy a vintage NES—there's no other way to play it. If you're hard up on cash (or just lazy), grab an NES emulator and download the ROM. Note: ROMs are copyrighted code; unless you own the original cartridge, downloading a ROM for any other purpose than immediately deleting it is illegal. Don't be naughty.
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Flashback: Duke Nukem
May 07, 2009, 2:43 AM by ROB
Posted in FLASHBACK, GAMING | 547 views
This is the second episode in the weekly Flashback series, in which we bring you a new old-school favorite with each installment. Last week, we took a look at text-based classic Zork. Got an idea? Catch me on Twitter @RobLaughter!
In honor of the rumored shutdown of Duke Nukem developer 3D Realms, I decided to take a look at an old-school favorite of mine: Duke Nukem.
The original Duke Nukem was released in 1991 as a side-scrolling platform game by Apogee Software. Set in the "near future" (1997), the player's goal was to stop madman Dr. Proton from taking over the world. Through three episodes, Duke follows Dr. Proton from Los Angeles, to the moon, and to the future.
Most objects in the gameplay can be interacted with in some way—cameras can be destroyed, powerups can be discovered, and secrets abound.
My absolute favorite part of this game is the wide range of options you have for how you play it. Nearly every level is circular in some way, busting the Super Mario-style linear approach to platformers. If you're just interested in completing the game, you can easily work your way through it by simply grabbing the key to the level and finding the exit. If you're like me, however, you can obsessively scour the levels for any and every powerup you can find, boosting your score and getting some sweet upgrades.
  
Ready to play? Grab the shareware episode of the game here. Note: if you're using some configurations of Windows Vista or Windows 7, you will need to install a DOS emulator. I recommend DOSBox.
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Flaskback: The Zork Trilogy
April 29, 2009, 5:33 PM by ROB
Posted in FLASHBACK, SOFTWARE, GAMING | 443 views
This is the first in the weekly Flashback series, in which we bring you a new old-school favorite with each installment. Got an idea? Catch me on Twitter @RobLaughter!
I'm what some would call a young'n—I'm 22 years old. I didn't get a computer until I was 14, but when I did get one it came tricked out with a 15-inch CRT monitor, 386 processor, 8MB of RAM, a 120MB hard disk drive, and 3-1/2 and 5-1/4 inch floppy drives. The floppy drives, might I add, were clutch; they made upgrading from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95 a snap with the 24-disk installation set. They also, however, let me install the most bad-ass text-based adventure of all time, Zork.
Zork, developed in the late-seventies, was a one of the first interactive fantasy computer games. Totally text-based, players had to remember their positions through the game (or map them out on paper like I tried to do) as they collected objects, battled trolls, and avoided the dreaded grues. The game revolved around finding objects, collecting treasures, and solving puzzles in a vast textual world. Some of the highlights: Flood Control Dam #3, the thief, and—my favorite—the witty easter eggs from the cheeky, taunting narrator. Check out the screenie above for an example I found in a moment of frustration.
I sadly never completed the game (though there are strategy guides and walkthroughs out the wazoo if I were interested in trying.
Get in on the action (and check out a ton of other abandonware games) at sites like XTC Abandonware.
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