Tag Archives: brawler

The MoeGamer Awards 2018: The Evergreen Award

The MoeGamer Awards are a series of “alternative” awards that I’ve devised in collaboration with the community as an excuse to celebrate the games, experiences and fanbases that have left a particular impression on me in 2018. Find out more and leave a suggestion here!

If you’re a gamer on a budget or simply going through a lean month or two, it’s always a good idea to have one or two “evergreen” games on your shelf.

The concept of an “evergreen” game is simple: it’s a game that you can always return to at any time and have an enjoyable experience with. It’s a game you can set aside for weeks or months at a time before returning to when you feel like it, able to pick right back up where you left off.

Evergreen games can involve narrative, but the best ones place a strong focus on mechanics, providing them a pick-up-and play quality coupled with extensive — potentially infinite — longevity. One game that I covered in 2018 definitely fits that bill more than pretty much any other.

And the winner is…

Continue reading The MoeGamer Awards 2018: The Evergreen Award

Warriors Wednesday: Rocket-Launcher Spear – Warriors Orochi #16

It’s time to start a new campaign in Warriors Orochi!

Yes, this week we leave behind the Samurai Warriors in favour of the Wu campaign, although we get to keep all the abilities and whatnot we unlocked over the course of our Samurai adventure.

Wu, it seems, is in cahoots with Orochi — though not by choice. How will Sun Ce and his comrades get out of this one? Hit the jump to find out.

Continue reading Warriors Wednesday: Rocket-Launcher Spear – Warriors Orochi #16

Warriors Wednesday: Samurai Warriors vs Orochi 2 – Electric Lu Bu-Galoo – Warriors Orochi #15

Did you think we were done with the adventures of the Samurai Warriors? Well, nope, we weren’t quite finished…

Today we tackle the final side mission of the Samurai campaign in Warriors Orochi, which culminates in another tough battle against King Snek himself.

Who will prevail? I mean, you know it’s me eventually, but hit the jump anyway and see how this final final battle actually went…

Continue reading Warriors Wednesday: Samurai Warriors vs Orochi 2 – Electric Lu Bu-Galoo – Warriors Orochi #15

Warriors Wednesday: Samurai Warriors vs Orochi – Warriors Orochi #14

We’ve made it! The final battle… for this campaign, anyway.

Yes, today we reach the climactic final showdown of the Samurai campaign in Warriors Orochi and face the snake god himself in single combat.

Well, okay, we bring along all our friends and pound on him so much he can’t fight back. Even the great warriors of history weren’t above using schoolyard tactics.

Continue reading Warriors Wednesday: Samurai Warriors vs Orochi – Warriors Orochi #14

Warriors Wednesday: The Solid Whack You Can Deliver with Wood – Warriors Orochi #12

Things are getting noticeably more difficult as we approach the conclusion of the Samurai campaign in Warriors Orochi.

Today’s mission sees our intrepid heroes facing off against a selection of powerful foes, including “wild man” Keiji Maeda, who threatens to break Xiao Qiao in half (“but who will put me back together again?!”). But help is at hand in the form of “God of War” Kenshin Uesugi and his longstanding rival, Shingen Takeda’s formidable moustache. And the warrior attached to it, I guess.

How do things go? Hmm… take a look.

Continue reading Warriors Wednesday: The Solid Whack You Can Deliver with Wood – Warriors Orochi #12

Warriors Wednesday: Mistakes Were Made – Warriors Orochi #11

Ahhh… I knew it wouldn’t last.

After last week’s joyful celebrations of clearing a mission first time… today we more than make up for that good performance with a series of unfortunate and crushing defeats.

But still, as long as we learn from our mistakes, it’s okay to mess up once or twice, right…?

Continue reading Warriors Wednesday: Mistakes Were Made – Warriors Orochi #11

Warriors Wednesday: First-Time Clear – Warriors Orochi #10

I did it! For the first time in quite a while… I cleared a Warriors Orochi battle without messing it up even once.

This is surely cause for celebration… at least partly because it almost certainly won’t happen again, as the challenge factor continues to ramp up with each new mission.

Hit the jump for the latest video and admire my… skills?

Continue reading Warriors Wednesday: First-Time Clear – Warriors Orochi #10

Atari ST A to Z: Double Dragon II – The Revenge

Today’s Atari ST title is a good example of the general standard of arcade conversions during the 16-bit home computer era.

Technos Japan’s Double Dragon II is a classic of the beat ’em up genre with good reason, and the Atari ST port wasn’t awful — compare it to footage of the arcade original and you’ll see that graphically, at least, it’s surprisingly close.

Like many arcade conversions of the era, though, it was missing a few features… like the background music from the original game. There are many possible reasons this might have been the case — most likely it was either the fact that the ST’s sound chip was never really up to the job of doing sound effects and music simultaneously, or that many of these Western-developed home computer ports of the era were put together from scratch rather than being able to make use of the arcade machine’s original code and audio-visual assets.

Either way, it’s far from an amazing game from the Atari ST, but it’s a good time if you’re looking for some brawler action, or just to experience what an arcade conversion of the era was like.

Follow Atari A to Z on its own dedicated site here!

Warriors Wednesday: Cavalry’s ‘Ere, Luv – Warriors Orochi #9

Yes, it’s that time again, and today it’s Lu Xun’s time to shine, having been left somewhat on the sidelines for the last couple of missions.

Today the Samurai Warriors and friends take on the Battle of Nagashino and attempt to obtain some cavalry support while assaulting an Orochi stronghold.

Unfortunately said cavalry doesn’t appear to understand the concept of “strength in numbers”…

Continue reading Warriors Wednesday: Cavalry’s ‘Ere, Luv – Warriors Orochi #9

Warriors Wednesday: Most Definitely Sorcery Bullshit – Warriors Orochi #8

It’s once again time for the Samurai Warriors and friends to continue their adventure through the otherworldly realm of Orochi.

The difficulty level is starting to ramp up noticeably now — today’s mission takes a few attempts to get just right, but we get there in the end!

We’re well past the halfway point of the Samurai Warriors scenario now… where will things end up next?

Continue reading Warriors Wednesday: Most Definitely Sorcery Bullshit – Warriors Orochi #8