thegamingjunkie-blog - Tumblr blog

[thegamingjunkie-blog]

Sonic Mania Review

So it's been about three weeks since the release of Mania on consoles, and with the PC version finally out, I've decided to finally set down and write my own review of the long, highly anticipated game called Sonic Mania! I must apologize for not writing something on my blog in a while, and I've decided to write a review on a game from my own personal favorite gaming franchise. I must warn you, if you haven't played the game yet and don't want to get spoiled, I suggest you don't read my review.

Tuesday August 15th, I woke up excited to be able to finally play Sonic Mania! Ever since the announcement trailer last year, I've been eagerly waiting to play such a gorgeous looking Sonic game! So at 9:59, I fired up my Xbox One and waited that one minute to finally be able to launch the game! That minute was one of the longest minutes of my life, and I truly do feel sorry for those who had to wait even longer for the PC release. Once I launched the game, I was greeted with that familiar "SEGA!!" chant that many of us have heard many times growing up, that is if you grew up with the Genesis (or Mega Drive if you live outside North America) titles. I smirked upon seeing the Sega logo, and hearing that all too familiar sound. Then came the awesome title screen, which was previously shown to us about a year or so ago. It was just amazing to finally be able to see that in person, with my own two eyes! I didn't press any button as the title screen stated, instead I waited for the intro to play, as I didn't watch it when the official Sonic the Hedgehog channel on Youtube uploaded it just a day prior to release.

The intro was gorgeous! The music, made by Hyper Potions, the group behind the promotional trailer music, was beautiful and catchy at the same time! The cutscenes were animated well, and reminded me of the cutscenes from Sonic CD, though in better quality of course! Seeing Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in their classic styles made me feel like a kid again, and I almost teared up. It was awesome seeing the three run through different zones, each which of course appeared in the game itself. (See that's why I didn't want to watch the trailer, I didn't want to get spoiled myself!) Once the cutscene was done, it was finally time to play Sonic Mania!

The game starts you off at a familiar place, on the Tornado, if you play as Sonic and or Tails, and they're on their way to Angel Island Zone. As Knuckles, you're just chilling and relaxing like the intro in Sonic and Knuckles. (Though he's chilling in Angel Island of course, not Mushroom Hill. Which btw, that level doesn't appear in this game.) Both run into Dr. Eggman with some Egg Robos, who dig up a purple emerald, which is called the "Phantom Ruby", that warps the enemies and players to a revised Green Hill Zone. The egg robos from Angel Island have also been affected by the Phantom Ruby, and now take on the form of the "Hard-Boiled Heavies"! From there, the player can finally start their adventure in Sonic Mania! Green Hill Zone was one of the three levels shown very early in development. Honestly, I wasn't too thrilled to see Green Hill Zone yet again but it's the most iconic Sonic level. When someone mentions Sonic, the other person most likely will remember running through Green Hill Zone in the first game. I can see why the level was included in the game. Now it's not identical to the original Green Hill we all know, of course every level that returned in Mania has different graphics and gimmicks that make it a new experience for the player. Plus playing as Knuckles will start you off in a different area than playing as Sonic and or Tails, which changes up the level. Not to mention that there's water in certain parts of the level, like in the 8-bit version of Sonic 1! The mini boss is pretty easy, especially if you grab a invincibility power-up not too far from the boss arena. Dr. Eggman's final machine from Sonic 2 16-bit also makes a reappearance as the main boss in Act 2. (Though he's not as much as a pain in the ass this time around. xD) So once the boss is defeated you're greeted with another cutscene, this time it shows Dr. Eggman and enemies known as "The Hard-Boiled Heavies". Once again some of his creations ends up betraying him and steals the phantom ruby from their creator. This then warps everyone to the next level in the game which is Chemical Plant Zone!

I knew CPZ was making a return, as it's one of the levels that was announced towards the end of the game's development cycle. Again, I wasn't too happy to see CPZ return, as just like GHZ they both were in Generations. Alas, it's probably one of the more known Sonic 2 16-bit levels, which is why they picked it to return. However the main new gimmick in the level really makes Mania's CPZ way better than Sonic 2's! It's a combination of Wacky Workbench from Sonic CD, and some of the later levels from the Aspect 8-bit Sonic games. As seen in the reveal trailer, there are two different chemicals that make the mega mack mimic the bounce pads from Wacky Workbench. A darker blue chemical allows the player to bounce a little above the ground, whereas the green chemical makes the player bounce just like in Wacky Workbench! As for the gimmick from the 8-bit titles, the tubes allow the player to control where to go. In Sonic 2's CPZ, it didn't allow you to choose which path to go, instead it was controlled by the timer if memory serves me correctly. (Please let me know if this information is incorrect.) There's also platforms that the characters stick to, which allow you to reach higher platforms. Interestingly enough, Sonic's sprites are based off a unused wall climbing sprite found in a Knuckles Chaotix prototype. (Thanks goes to Rlan of the Sonic Retro forums for that information!) The mini-boss here resembles the mini-boss found in Ice Cap Zone of Sonic 3, though it uses the mega mack to shield itself rather than ice cubes of course. Now Eggman's fight is one of the moments in which I had to pause the game to really take in what was happening. The boss is a Mean Bean/Puyo-Puyo puzzle! I actually lost the first time I made it here, because of how excited I was! This alone made me somewhat happy to see CPZ return. Once you destroy the egg capsule, you're taken to the next level which is Studiopolis!

Now this is one of the few brand new zones in the game. It's also one of the earliest zones shown in the launch trailer and the very first level made. Studiopolis is a huge tv station, there's screens showcasing "Egg TV", some badniks resemble giant lights, there's reels that the trio can spin on to reach new parts of the level, and the music in both acts are beautiful. Everything in this level just screams 90's! There are some pretty cool easter eggs in this zone, one being a node to the Game Gear! The biggest and best easter egg IMO is the SegaSonic The Hedgehog Popcorn Maker, which is a obscure popcorn machine that was actually released in a "playable" state around the time Mania was first announced. Not to mention the streets of rage references too! Studiopolis has the most easter eggs out of all the levels in the game, with even references from other Sonic and Sega games besides SOR! This level also marks the first time that the trio is up against one of the Hard-Boiled Heavies, which one you ask? Heavy Gunner, and he's got some fellow Egg-Robos under his command. This boss honestly gave me some trouble the very first time I played through Mania, Gunner shoots three missiles and only the blue ones can damage him. You jump on the blue ones to  make them bounce, and it takes down one of his egg-robo buddies. Destroy all three egg-robos, to hit Gunner himself and that's pretty much the boss fight. However you must jump over the red missiles, as they do damage to the player. I love Eggman's boss fight however. He controls a weather machine, and there's a Cluckoid who tells you what type of weather is about to happen. There are three different patterns, one is a thunderstorm which causes clouds and lightning bolts to appear above the player's head, one blows strong winds that can knock the  player up into spikes along the celling if they don't hold on to the bars that appear on each side of the boss arena, and one is a heat wave that makes beams of heat damage the player  if they're not directly under Eggman. This also causes Eggman's ship to move closer to the player, making it easier to land hits. Once Eggman is defeated, the tv that contained the weather forecast will cut out and a buzzing sound can be heard, which funny enough was the annoying buzzing from the 25th anniversary party live stream that happened on 7/26/2016. (And that date can be seen bellow the tv monitor too! The anniversary party was how Mania and Forces were both announced.) You sly bastards! xD I honestly didn't notice that until I heard it a second time while playing the game as Knuckles. From there a breaking news report shows that Flying Battery Zone is back, and on the screen you can see the player jump on the ship, and it's on to Flying Battery Zone!

Yet again it's another rehashed level, this time though it's a rehash of my second favorite level from Sonic and Knuckles! Flying Battery Zone has plenty of new and old gimmicks that really make the level more of a challenge than in Sonic and Knuckles. This is a good thing from my perspective, seeing how I've been playing the classics since I was four years old. However I did get some game overs a few times the first time I played through the game... Anyways let's talk about those gimmicks. First off, there's tons of old broken monitors, signposts,badniks, and other scrap metal that appear on the new FBZ, which is a nice little touch. You'll even notice that there's a unused badnik from Sonic 1 that appears in the scrap, but we'll go into that during the next portion of the review. (You'll see soon enough why. ;) ) Some enemies from Wing Fortress Zone in Sonic 2 16-bit appear in the level, as well as the electric fields from Wacky Workbench Zone. You can even destroy the Mushroom Hill badniks that pilot the FB, which I thought was amusing. The level also reminds me a bit of Sky Base Zone from Sonic 1 8-bit, and Sky High Zone Act 2 from Sonic 2 8-bit. (During some portions of the level you're in a thunderstorm, kind of like in Sky High 2. Thankfully there's no hang-glider though!) The magnets return, but this time the trio can be pulled up alongside the metal platforms if they have a lightning shield, which I thought was a cool gimmick. The mini-boss is a node to the short Eggman boss that encloses you between two energy beams, while a laser draws those beams closer and closer to you. This time though, you're dropped into a machine that crushes scrap metal while a laser shoots. It's a bit tricky to beat, but a badnik spawns which allows you to jump and hit the laser beam if you're not in super form. Now Act 2's boss gave me some trouble at first. You have to use the poles to knock Eggman into some spikes, and even then his hit box is a pain to get used to. One random fun fact, act 2's boss is actually foreshadowed before you're dropped down into the boss arena during Act 1's mini-boss. You can see a blue print in the background right before Eggman drops you down. Honestly, FBZ was better in S&K IMO... Anyways once you defeat Eggman, you're taken to the next level with sadly no cutscene, and it's another original level known as Press Garden!

Press Garden Zone is by far my favorite level in Mania! You run through an old printing press in act 1 and end up outside during the winter time in a Japan-like setting in Act 2. This level contains some new gimmicks never seen in a classic Sonic title before. Honestly it feels more like a mega man level to me, which isn't a bad thing! Maybe the music has something to do with that, which by the way Act 2's is one of my favorite tracks in the game! Remember also how I mentioned that there's some scrap metal that contains a unused badnik from Sonic 1? Well it's name is Splats, and it appears in Press Garden Act 1! These guys pop out of glass jars that contain ink, fitting the level's theme perfectly! Act 2 of the level really makes up for Mania not containing Ice Cap Zone, which I really wanted to see in this game. There's tons of Shinobi references in this level as well, too. Act 1's mini-boss is a random Eggman robot that uses a saw to damage the player. Hiding behind crates will break off the saw, allowing the player to get in some hits. I didn't get this at first, so I lost quite a bit of rings. Act 2's gimmicks are pretty cool, no pun intended. There's parts of the level that the trio must get frozen solid to make it pass certain barriers, some blocks of ice contain power-ups and even springs made of ice, which break after using them once. The main boss is yet another Hard-Boiled Heavy, simply known as "Heavy Shinobi" with yep you guessed it, ninja-like attacks and even the sound effects are taken from the Revenge of Shinobi on the Genesis! Also the stars he throws are those annoying badniks from Metropolis Zone. You may be asking why I love this level so much, despite it having lots of platforming sections. I really dig the aesthetics of both acts, the first act reminds me of old abandoned buildings, which I adore while the second act takes you out into a winter wonderland in Japan. Having two different tropes added to just one zone makes it amazing IMO. I just wish there was a transition from FBZ to PGZ... Anyways once Heavy Shinobi is defeated, you see Eggman sending coordinates to Metal Sonic to return to Little Planet and Stardust Speedway.

Stardust Speedway is my favorite level in Sonic CD. However in Mania... it's not. While there are some parts of the level layout that gives you enough speed, I feel that it's one of the slower levels. I'll probably get some hate for saying that, as Press Garden Zone really isn't all about speed all the time and it's my favorite original level found in Mania. However, the level was much faster in Sonic CD, which is a slower paced game than Mania is. Not to mention that the music in act 1 really wasn't on par with other remixes in the game, up to this point. I'll admit it has grown a bit on me since it was revealed before the game was released, but Act 2's track really does a better job at remixing the track. Act 1's boss is a giant firefly badnik, which is pretty easy to beat. However, I may not have liked the remixed level all too much but Act 2's boss had me freaking out. At first I thought I was going to have to race Metal Sonic yet again, but to my surprise you fight him. And this fight was a special treat for someone who wasn't expecting any more nodes to the 8-bit titles, Silver Sonic from Sonic 2 8-bit appears as a badnik in the boss fight, and you have to spin dash into him while he's spindashing in order to damage Metal Sonic! I had to pause the game to soak in what was happening, and I even freaked my girlfriend out a bit because she heard me freaking out over this moment! Not to mention that the machine that Metal Sonic was hooked up to resembles his fight from Knuckles Chaotix, which is pretty cool! After destroying that machine, you have to damage Metal Sonic himself and avoid running into a wall full of spikes that's chasing after you. Once he's defeated, and you destroy the egg capsule it's time to go to the next level which is Hydrocity.

This level really didn't give me that wow factor, well up until the bosses that is! Anyways Hydrocity Zone really wasn't one of my favorites in Sonic 3, so I wasn't too excited to see it return in Mania. I do like the boat gimmick they've added to the level, and best of all the giant bubble gimmick from Aqua Lake Zone from Sonic 2 8-bit. I seriously can't get over all the 8-bit references! Honestly though, it feels as if this level was rushed. Act 2's layout is almost a exact replica of the original zone, and the bosses aren't original. (Well aside from the first Eggman phase.) I really got a kick out of the mini boss, it's nice to use one of Eggman's own weapons against him and best of all it's his weapon from the original Hydrocity Zone! Act 2's boss is act 1's mini-boss from the original zone, but as stated above the first phase has Sonic and his friends being chased by Eggman. Since the bosses aren't original, that factor also seems to back up my theory that Hydrocity was rushed. There's not really much to say about Hydrocity, it could have been better but in my opinion the original really wasn't one of my favorites. The next level is another original zone, and one that was also revealed long before the game came out. That level is Mirage Saloon!

Now this is one of the coolest levels in the game. Sonic and Tails' Act 1 plays exactly like Sky Chase Zone from Sonic 2 16-bit. I know many people don't care for that level, but personally it was one of my favorites from Sonic 2, so I was happy to see it return in some fashion. Knuckles has a completely different layout and level, and not to mention mini-boss, but we'll get into that shortly. I think many fans prefer Knuckles' Act 1 to Sonic's and Tails', since it's the typical Sonic zone. Mirage Saloon's graphics are based off the scrapped level called "Desert Dazzle", a level that originally was supposed to be included in the Sonic CD remasters, but was cut. It's also based around Dust Hill, a scrapped level from Sonic 2. It's a western zone that takes place in a bar like setting, but out in the middle of a desert. The level gimmicks are pretty cool, but the best part of the level are the bosses. Remember how I mentioned that Knuckles has a completely different mini-boss than Sonic and Tails? His is actually the Gigalopolis/Gigapolis boss from Sonic Chaos! That blew me away when I first played the game as Knuckles! Sonic and Tails' is based on the catakiller badniks found in Sonic 3D on the Genesis/Mega Drive. Act 2's boss blew me away as well! Once again you're up against one of the Hard-Boiled Heavies, this time Heavy Magician. She actually transforms into some lost but familiar characters to long time fans. Specifically she transforms into Fang the Sniper (or Nack the Weasel), Bean, and Bark! Not only that, but the sound effect that plays when she transforms is directly taken from the 8-bit titles, and is actually the ring loss sound effect! This was another moment where I had to pause the game and fan out a little bit! Once Heavy Magician is defeated, we actually get a level transition, the trio jump into a giant gun and is thrown into the next level, which happens to be Oil Ocean!

Oh how I despise Oil Ocean. It's always been one, if not my least favorite zone from Sonic 2. Not only that, but combined with my least favorite zone in Sonic and Knuckles, it really makes me despise the level even more. I will say that I do like the oil burning effect that happens if you have a fire shield, it makes logical sense for fire to be igniting oil. I will admit that I do enjoy Mania's OOZ a tad bit more than Sonic 2's. However it's not really by much. I also do like the new submarine gimmick that the mania crew added, it works really well. I think the Act 2 gimmick of the level getting hotter and hotter after defeating the Act 1 mini boss is creative as well, but that mini-boss can be a pain in the ass if you don't defeat it quick enough. Act 2's boss was a absolute nightmare, especially as Knuckles. I found myself losing most of my lives here, but really you just need to take it slow to beat it without losing a life. I did find myself dying because the pillars rose and I was slightly facing them, causing me to get crushed a few times. (Which the crushing hazards being a bigger pain in the ass in this game than in the classics means you'll probably die a few times by getting crushed, even if you're not directly in a spot to get crushed.) That's really all I have to say about this zone. It's a shame that there's no level transition to my all time favorite level from Sonic and Knuckles, which is Lava Reef Zone!

This is the only zone I got spoiled on. I wasn't happy that I got spoiled, but what can you do? Anyways Lava Reef Zone is just as amazing as ever, but I love how they added the conveyor belts from Quartz Quadrant Zone in the level and even added some loops that resemble the loops from Endless Mine Zone from Sonic 3. Another gimmick they added from Sonic CD are the giant weight like platforms that move when you jump on one at a time, they're from Tidal Tempest if memory serves me correctly. Act 1's boss pays homage to Mystic Cave Zone's boss, which is pretty cool. Act 2's boss is very special to those who are or were a member at Sonic Retro at some point. You fight another hard-boiled heavy, Heavy Rider, but she rides on a Motobug named Jimmy. For those not aware of this easter egg, it's a rather depressing one. There was once a Tech Member on Sonic Retro know as Polygon Jim. He was quite well known at Retro, his mods of the Sonic games were hilarious, but one particular mod was a hack of Sonic 1 known as "Motobug in Sonic the Hedgehog." Yeah you got to play as a motobug, who was slow as hell, but the mod was hilarious. In memory of him Christian Whitehead named the Motobug that Heavy Rider joyrides on, and the sprite is based around the sprite in his hack. This is one of the best parts of Mania, and shows a better part of the Sonic fandom, one that always gets overlooked because of all the negativity.

Well I've went over the majority of the levels in Sonic Mania. I think I'll wrap this review up, and let you experience the last few levels the game has to offer. But before I do end this review, there's still another part of the game I'll go over, something that always appears in the classic titles. The special stages that is! Well they don't actually appear in Sonic 2 8-bit, and other spin off titles, but the Genesis games have them and of course Mania is no exception. The special stages are in 3D! They look as they would have if this game was a Sega Saturn game. In order to collect all 7 chaos emeralds and get the good ending, you have to chase after a UFO while dodging bombs and mines. There's also blue spheres that help the trio pick up enough speed to be able to catch the UFO, before time runs out. Rings replenish the timer, and running into bombs and mines makes you lose 10 rings. You can even fall off some levels if you're not careful, but almost all stages start you off at a position that has bumpers alongside the stage, preventing you from falling off. The backgrounds are absolutely gorgeous, and the special stages are a blast to play once you get the hang of them. The game also has local two player versus mode that resembles Sonic 2's split screen competition mode.

Overall I had a blast playing Sonic Mania! I've been playing the game almost every day, and I've personally bought it on the Xbox One as well as on Bundled Stars. Being a huge fan of the classic Sonic games, I was amazed with how much love and dedication was put into this project and it was definitely worth the wait. It even gave the Sonic franchise a better outlook from various gaming websites who recently had nothing but negative things to say about the franchise. It's just a shame that Sega of Europe had to delay the PC version to include DRM to the game, and one that doesn't even do what it was programmed to do. Another thing that I wish the game had was more original levels, but I can't complain too much about the rehashed levels as it was stated numerous times that it was going to have more rehashed levels than new, and even then those rehashed levels had new elements that made those rehashed levels different from their original counterparts. I give Mania a very positive 9 out of 10. It may not be as good as Sonic 3 and Knuckles or CD, but it's definitely my second favorite game in the franchise. Give it a try if you haven't yet!

[thegamingjunkie-blog]

A Quick Ramble About Sonic Forces

Yeah so I was meaning to write this up yesterday after finding out about the new information given to us about Sonic Forces. So now fans can make their own original characters in the game, and be able to play as them. I can see why many people are either laughing their asses off, or cringing at this idea but is it really that bad? After I first watched the trailer, I said out loud: *chuckles* Are you kidding me? They seriously added a oc maker in a Sonic game? But 20 minutes passed and I thought about it, and the longer I thought the more I kind of liked it? I don’t have a Sonic oc, and never once have I thought about creating one but the fact that Sonic Team are pleasing another part of the fan base for once kind of actually makes me feel happy for those younger fans. Because that’s who they’re targeting with this feature, not the long term older fans but the younger ones who love making fan characters for a franchise they like. (I know there are some older fans who do have fan characters, that they made years ago and they’ve hung on to them. Or maybe they roleplay, whatever makes them happy, it doesn’t bother me.) For those who hate the idea, but are getting the game anyways it’s a small portion of the game, not the main portion. You’re still going to be able to play as both Classic and Modern Sonic, and you could just make a character that looks exactly like an official character and just say that they’re in the game. Anyways what I’m getting at is, it’s pretty dumb to get all worked up over something so small. So I say good for Sega, doing something that for once hasn’t been done in a Sonic title. Am I getting Forces? Oh hell yeah, I love Sonic! But am I looking forward to Mania more? Yep, sure am! As I type this up I’m wearing my limited edition Sonic Mania shirt with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles on front, and the Sonic Mania logo on back. Anyways, that’s just a little ramble about Sonic Forces.

[thegamingjunkie-blog]

Before there was metal, there was this guy! 

The artwork for Silver Sonic from the Game Gear version of Sonic 2.

[Sonic The Hedgeblog] [Support us on Patreon]

[thegamingjunkie-blog]

Just some z80 code, taken from Sonic 1 on the Sega Master System. The comments describes exactly what this bit of code does.

[thegamingjunkie-blog]

Obscure And Forgotten, The Fairchild Channel F

Many gamers may not know about the very first home console that introduced cartridges. You may be thinking that the Atari 2600 was the first home console that used media other than what was on the board itself. Well you'd be wrong in this case, however I can't really blame you for not knowing that fact. Instead the first home console that had cartridges was the Fairchild Channel F! Let's go into the history of this interesting console that introduced a huge step in video game history.

This obscure console only sold 250,000 units during it's lifespan and the Atari 2600 sold way more units than the Fairchild Channel F. It was also never sold in Europe, it was only available in Japan and North America. Even though the unit itself isn't too well known, it helped shape the video game industry into what it is today. If this console never saw the light of day, we may have never had more advanced units and we might still be stuck going to arcades. (Which isn't a bad thing! But in a sense, it's way more convenient just to be able to play games at home!) Brace yourself, we're going to be diving into some technical stuff in this next part!

The unit itself is powered by a pair of chips, known as the Fairchild F8. This chip was very complex for it's time, it was able to input and output more instructions than contemporary chips. Therefore, they needed more pins in order to perform more operations and thus needed to use a pair of chips rather than one main chip. This also allowed programmers to create computer opponents which was brand new as well at the time. Previous consoles only allowed for two human players to compete against each other. It's technically inferior to the Atari 2600, so in the eyes of a gamer nowadays, it's extremely primitive. Keep in mind though the unit was released in 1976, so back then it looked amazing! The Channel F is only able to use one plane of graphics and one of four background colors per line, only three plot colors to choose from (red, green, and blue) that turned into white if the background is set to black. A resolution of 128 × 64 with approximately 102 × 58 pixels visible and help from only 64 bytes of system RAM, half the amount of the Atari 2600. There are a few buttons on the unit that would allow the player to pause a game as well as set the speed of a game too. Earlier models have a built in speaker that produces sound, later models played sound through the television's speakers via the RF cable. Also later models were actually released in the UK, to try and compete against the Atari 2600, but ultimately it was a failure. Bellow are the technical specs of the original unit, taken from the Wikipedia article:

CPU microprocessor: Fairchild F8 (8-bit)operating at 1.79 MHz (NTSC) (PAL gen. 1: 2.00 MHz, PAL gen. 2: 1.77 MHz) RAM: 2 KB (128×64×2 bits) for the framebuffer plus the 64 bytes of scratchpad memory Resolution: 128×64 pixels, approximately 102×58 pixels visible depending on TV Refresh rate: 60 Hz Colors: 8 colors (either black/white or four color max. per line) Sprites: variable sprite sizes including 8×8 and 4×5 Sprite pixels: 1.79 MHz clock cycles (60 Hz refresh), 29,833 pixels per frame (525 NTSC scanlines), 56 sprite pixels per scanline Audio: 120 Hz, 500 Hz and 1 kHz beeps (can be modulated to produce different tones) Input: two custom game controllers, hardwired to the console (original release) or removable (Channel F System II) Output: RF modulated composite video signal, cord hardwired to console

The controllers are a joystick without a base; the main body is a large hand grip with a triangular "cap" on top, the top being the portion that actually moved for eight-way directional control. It could be used as both a joystick and paddle (twist), and not only could it be pushed down to operate as a fire button it could be pulled up as well. There were only a total of 26 cartridges released for the unit itself, since it was commercially a failure. At the time the cartridges were called "video carts", and they usually went for $19.95. The last game released for the console was called Alien Invasion, and was released on December 31, 1981.

So that's pretty much a brief history of a huge part of the gaming world. Emulators do exist for the Fairchild Channel F, so if you wish to try out some of the games you can.   There's a homebrew community as well, back in 2009 Pacman was actually ported over to the Fairchild Channel F which is pretty awesome! I have just recently found out about this console, and I figured that since I haven't posted any content on this blog in a while that I'd come back with something obscure and not well known. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this article!

[thegamingjunkie-blog]

Remember back in my Legend of Legaia review I mentioned this song? Here it is! I love this track!

[thegamingjunkie-blog]

This song is so chill, I love the Sega Saturn soundtrack.

[thegamingjunkie-blog]

Sonic Chaos/Sonic & Tails Review

Back in the year 1993 Sega's own blue mascot was a big hit. With his debut in the year 1991, Sega needed to release some new Sonic games for the '93 holiday season. While the biggest title of the year 1993 was Sonic CD, Sega needed to also release a new title for their color handheld known as the Game Gear. Since Sega had released a 8-bit game for their Master System in Brazil, they had Aspect port the game to the handheld to be released worldwide. So let's take a look at one of Sonic's 8-bit titles!

This game isn't the first 8-bit title released in the Sonic franchise of course. There was Sonic 1 and even Sonic 2, which I'll go over in other future reviews. So what makes this game different from the two other prior games? Well first off Sonic Chaos runs on a modified Sonic 2 engine, known as the "Aspect Engine", while Sonic 1 runs on a completely different engine made by Ancient. Next, you can play as Sonic or Tails and both of them have their own gameplay style. Sonic can now spindash, and Tails can fly which he wasn't able to do so in Sonic 2 on the Mega Drive. Sonic also has his signature new move known as the Strike Dash, or otherwise known as the Super Peel-Out in Sonic CD. However, he can become invincible if the player holds down the up button on the game pad. He is also invulnerable if you release the up button for a few seconds. Tails can fly as I mentioned above, however instead of double jumping to perform the move the player must hold up and then press either button 1 or 2. With the addition of the new moves, you can now enter special stages as you would in the 16-bit titles to collect the chaos emeralds, however unfortunately only if you play as Sonic and not Tails. In order to enter Special Stages, you'll need to collect 100 rings and you're automatically granted access as well as a extra life. Prior builds have been shown that Tails was at one point able to enter Special Stages, but was most likely cut since they wanted to showcase another new power-up for Sonic. What is that power up you may be asking? It's the Rocket Shoes! These allow him to glide in the air for a short period of time, and they are monitor power-ups that show up in normal stages as well as Special Stages. Because these monitors don't show up for Tails, and the fact that he flies slower than Sonic glides with the shoes means that Tails wouldn't be able to collect the first chaos emerald, because the first special stage is designed for the Rocket Shoes. It is indeed possible for Tails to appear in Special Stages if one was to edit the line of code that checks to see if the player is playing as Tails, but you'll run out of time before you're able to collect the first chaos emerald... This is a bit of a let down, but Tails is meant to be the "easy" mode of the game. He also starts with 5 lives as oppose to 3 like Sonic does. However the game is pretty short and easy even if you play as Sonic, which is a little bit of a let down.

There's not much of a story to the game itself. Like in Sonic 2, most of the bosses you fight are Dr. Eggman's creations and once you are able to make it to Electric Egg Zone you take on the Dr. himself rather than one of his creations. The game has a intro that shows Sonic chasing after Dr. Eggman with Tails trailing behind. Interesting enough though Tails only walks in the intro, there are some unused running sprites that can be found in VRAM for the intro. So at some point he was to be able to keep up with Sonic, but perhaps due to the fact that he wasn't a playable character in Sonic 2 8-bit they wanted to keep his inclusion in the game a bit of a secret? Anyways just like most Sonic games you traverse through a few different levels and in order to get the good ending you need to collect all the chaos emeralds. You automatically get a good ending if you play as Tails.

The music is my favorite part of the game. The game gear version has some slightly different song arrangements, and Gigalopolis (known as Gigapolis in the Game Gear version) has a completely different track in the Game Gear version as opposed to the Master System version. (I personally prefer the Master System version track over the Game Gear.) Some songs such as Sleeping Egg and Aqua Planet have slightly different arrangements, but overall uses the same melody. The tunes are very catchy in both versions, definitely the best out of all the 8-bit titles in my own personal opinion. There's some hidden unused tracks in the Game Gear version as well, Sunset Park Act 3 from Triple Trouble, another 8-bit title actually can be found in the game, though arranged in the Sonic Chaos style. I find the chaos arrangement to be much better than the triple trouble arrangement. If you love catchy chiptunes, this game has it.

Overall Sonic Chaos is pretty short, and easy for a Sonic game. That doesn't mean it's a terrible game, I highly recommend it to those who seem to find the Mega Drive titles or Sonic 2 8-bit to be difficult to give this game a go. With it's catchy soundtrack, you'll be humming the tunes for years to come. I personally think the game is more entertaining than the other 8-bit titles, and I feel it to be a underrated gem on the Game Gear as well as Master System. This was the game that helped the 8-bit titles to mimic the 16-bit titles for the first time in Sonic history. With some cool new abilities for Sonic, and the ability to fly as Tails for the first time Sonic Chaos is a fun game. I only wish it was a bit more difficult than it is, being a veteran Sonic player. I can see why the game was easy, coming after the 8-bit Sonic 2 which many people found difficult to complete perhaps it was Sega's own idea to tell Aspect to sort of dumb down the game play. Anyways I give the game a 6 out of 10.

[thegamingjunkie-blog]

Legend of Legaia Review

The year was 1999, Final Fantasy 8 had just been released on the Playstation and many gamers wanted to play it. They loved 7, and a new title in the Final Fantasy series always makes gamers happy. However this isn't a review for that game, yet a review for another RPG that was released around the same time that FF8 was. This RPG stars a blue headed 14 year old that goes by the name of Vahn, and is accompanied by two other companions named Noa and Gala who are set to rid the world of the mist. Is it a RPG worth playing or one that should be forgotten? Continue reading to find out!

Before we get into the gameplay I'll need to go over the story briefly so that the gameplay portion of the review will be a bit more understanding to you if you've never played this game before. 10 years prior to the beginning of the game, two cities named Conkram and Sol were in a heated battle. The war had been going on for a while, with countless people perishing in the war. The Prince of Conkram's named Cort had created a new weapon that was to defeat Sol. This was called the mist. Now in the world of Legaia there are these creatures known as Seru. These creatures were used as tools, but once they came into contact with the mist they became even stronger and were used as a weapon in war. However things got out of hand quickly, and the mist continued to spread throughout Legaia, causing chaos. At the time it all started Vahn was only four years old. Now at the age of 14 he's able to go outside his village and hunt, but the night before he was to venture out with the other hunters the village gets attacked by Zeto, one of the mist henchmen. That same night Vahn gets Meta, the fire ra-seru. Unlike normal seru, ra-seru are so powerful that the power of the mist don't even effect them! After saving his village Vahn ventures out to rid the world of the mist. That's the story in a nutshell. It's very easy to follow, so it's perfect for someone who's new to Japanese RPGs. The game definitely has a strong storyline, which is a crucial element for any RPG.

What's a game without good gameplay? Well it's not much of a game is it? Anyways this segment will go over the gameplay mechanics of Legend of Legaia. It's a turned based RPG that has a bit of a twist to it. You're able to add commands such as up, down, left, or right. Doing so will allow the character you are commanding to either kick or punch. Imputing the correct commands will allow the character to perform an art. There are four different types of arts that your character can learn. The standard normal art, super arts, hyper arts, and finally miracle arts. However your character's AP or "art points" must allow the action gauge to increase in order to add more commands. Also hyper arts can only be performed if you find a specific book that teaches the ra-seru that the character has. Ra-Seru can also absorb and summon certain other Seru monsters. The only monsters that are allowed to be summoned are indicated with a element symbol next to their name. Certain Seru monsters are a bit more difficult to absorb than others, and it's all up to the random number generator coded in the game. Half of me wishes that there were more than just three characters, but in a way it makes it a tad bit easier for newcomers to help raise their characters. Though there's a lack of variety during most of the game. Later on you're able to find and obtain other Ra-Seru, and you can equip them to your characters which does grant your characters new elements to use. Also the lack of moves that your seru know is a bit disappointing. Your seru monsters only know one move, and they're different moves than what they can use against you.

Now in the music department oh man this is one of the best soundtracks I have ever heard. In fact, my favorite piece of video game music comes from this very game. Cort's first battle theme is the most beautiful battle theme I have ever heard coming from any game that I have ever played. So I'm probably biased with this portion of the review, but it's hard not to be when I still have the song ingrained into my brain. Funny thing is there's a hidden sound test in the game and there's two tracks from other games hidden inside this game. One of the tracks is the normal battle theme from Wild Arms, which is pretty catchy. There's also unused tracks of other songs as well too. The soundtrack and sound effects as well as voice acting are all amazing. I have nothing negative to say about them honestly.

Overall Legend of Legaia is one of my favorite RPGs of all time. With it's interesting battle system, catchy soundtrack, and great story line it's perfect for anyone who loves turned based RPGs. It's definitely worth getting or just playing via emulator. In fact, Legend of Legaia dot net is encouraging people to play the game on Sunday May 7th! Why not give it a go on that day? Stream it on Twitch, post videos on Youtube or just take screenshots and share them if you wish! Anyways Legend of Legaia gets a 7 out of 10 from me.

[thegamingjunkie-blog]

Pokemon Generation 1 Review

It was the year 1998, a new fad had just been released in the US. Pokemon fever took it's toll on everyone throughout the entire country, both young and old. What started off as a RPG for the Game Boy in Japan had become a huge success in the US with the release of the Anime. When news broke about various merchandise coming out shortly after the first episode aired, young fans asked and begged their parents to get the first set of Pokemon games which were known as "Pokemon Blue and Red versions." At the time the games were initially released, I was without a Game Boy. That all changed about a year later when my best friend gave me his old brick game boy since he just got a Game Boy Color and a Copy of Red and Yellow for his birthday. Without his parents permission, he even gave me his copy of Yellow version too which didn't go over so well, since I had to return it back to him a few days after getting it from him... But my uncle was kind enough to get me a copy of Blue version used. Sure it was different from Yellow in some ways, but I was just happy to get a copy of a Pokemon game. I chose Squirtle as my first starter, and started my journey as a Pokemon Trainer. Now in the year 2017, I'm still a huge fan of the franchise. I used to watch the anime whenever I got the chance, and I even have a collection of cards too. But that's besides the point of this review right? Let's get down to the nitty gritty. The first element I'm going to look at is the story line, because what good is a RPG without a story? Ah yes the story line of Pokemon (or Pocket Monsters as it's known in Japan.) You start off your journey as a 10 year old from Pallet Town. Your rival, which also happens to be Professor Oak's grand son lives next to you. The two of you are sent off on a journey to become "Pokemon Masters." According to Oak, in order to become a master you must catch all 151* Pokemon and collect all 8 Gym Badges to take on the Elite Four. Once you succesfully defeat all the gym leaders and the elite four, your next goal is to complete the Pokedex. The storyline is pretty weak for a standard RPG. Basically all it's based around is a young child trying to become the best. That's it really, well except for when you encounter Team Rocket. Who exactly is Team Rocket? They are a criminal group who are hell bent on stealing other trainer's Pokemon, and their leader Giovanni wants to control Pokemon to do his evil bidding. So throughout your journey you encounter the thugs and stop their plans in a few different towns. So you do have your standard bad guys just like in every RPG. But looking at it from a different angle, it's a pretty weak story compared to other RPGs. *(Nintendo wanted to trick us into thinking that there were only 150 Pokemon, and that Mew was the 151th Pokemon. We were supposed to only be able to get it from a event, but there's a exploit that I will get into later that allows you to obtain it.) Next we'll look at the gameplay mechanics. It's a turned based RPG, so if you don't like turned based RPGs you won't like the main Pokemon games. Players compete with other trainers coded in the game, to help raise their Pokemon. You can only have up to six Pokemon with you at a time, which is pretty cool seeing how more standard RPGs only allow you to have up to three characters in your party at a time. You also can compete with real life players, by using a link cable. From there you can trade and battle friends who also own a copy of the games. This is crucial if you're wanting to complete your Pokedex, however it doesn't effect the main storyline at all. Now in Pokemon you don't get items to equip your team with. However you can use items that can increase your Pokemon stats such as Carbos and the like. There are different elements in the game. They are Grass, Fire, Water, Fighting, Flying, Psychic, Ground, Rock, Normal, Ghost, Dragon, Ice, and Electric. Learning the type advantages will help you win in battle. Some types such as Ghost cannot be effected by physical moves so keep that in mind. The game play mechanics are basically what makes Pokemon stand out above some other RPGs. I'll take the time to talk about the music and graphics in this next paragraph. The music is very catchy for 8-bit chiptunes. The composers did a great job using the limited space and instruments available for use on the Gameboy. I still listen to the soundtrack from time to time and the songs get stuck in my head. The graphics aren't too bad either. The sprite work done in the game is pretty decent, but was improved from Blue/Red in Yellow. Japanese Green and Red have some of the ugliest sprites, but thankfully those were changed in our versions of Blue and Red. Another advantage that Yellow version has over Blue/Red is that the game takes advantage of the extra vram found in the Game Boy Color, so the game itself plays in color. Blue and Red are monochrome Gameboy games, so they only show up as a few shades of color while played on a Game Boy Color. However they do have Super Game Boy palettes, so it shows up in color, only more washed out than in Yellow version. Let's take a look at the major cons of the first generation of Pokemon. The main con with these games is how broken they are. These games are riddled with glitches, and some were recently discovered. For one example, there is a glitched item known as 8F that can allow the player to write their own code from within the game that can cause damage to the save file or other player's save files. The generation 1 Pokemon games are the most broken games I have ever played. But honestly they can only be exploited if you know what you're doing. Final verdict: Overall the first generation of Pokemon games are decent at best. This is how the franchise started in Japan, and usually things get better as they progress. While the game play mechanics are pretty nifty, the story line is rather bland while compared to other RPGs. These games are also broken, and exploiting certain common glitches can make the game too easy to complete. Honestly the game itself is easy to beat with just one Pokemon used in battle. The generation 1 games get a 5 out of 10 from me. Yet I like to rate the gen 1 games as my third favorite generation of Pokemon. But as a standard RPG, it gets a mediocre score from me. Play the newer games if you are new to Pokemon. There are new types, lots of new creatures, and new game mechanics that are so much better than what's in the gen 1 games.