Tag Archives: retro games

Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy Marathon, Videos

Final Fantasy Marathon: This Might Take a While – Final Fantasy I #21

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Two more Soul of Chaos dungeons to go, plus the Labyrinth of Time… and then we’re done! With the first game. Out of lots.

Yes, the Final Fantasy Marathon is going to take quite a while to get through at this rate, and, hell, the dungeon we start today is going to take two full episodes to get through… but I’m having a good time and I hope you are too.

Today we delve into the Lifespring Grotto, a 20-floor dungeon full of mazes, Final Fantasy V references and assorted weirdness. Watch out for that Atomos, he’s got quite a mouth on ‘im…

Atari A to Z, Videos

Atari ST A to Z: Hard Drivin’

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We’ve got it pretty good these days. Even if we haven’t quite mastered true photorealism as yet, we’re getting pretty close, and a lot of game developers have really figured out what is and isn’t fun for the player.

Back in Hard Drivin’s day, though, all sorts of things were still new, exciting and unproven. 3D polygonal graphics, analogue controls, simulation-style handling… all of these things still had to be figured out properly. But Atari Games had a good old crack at it, and actually came out with a decent — if somewhat limited — driving experience.

And, moreover, we actually got a fairly authentic port to Atari ST, too — albeit without all the fancy specialist hardware of the arcade version. But, again, it was a more than valiant effort…

Find a full archive of all the Atari A to Z videos on the official site.

Waifu Wednesday

Waifu Wednesday: Rio Rollins Tachibana

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With Rio stepping into the spotlight for today’s episode of Warriors Wednesday, it’s only fitting that we take a look at where she came from and why she’s included in the Warriors All-Stars cast.

She’s not an especially well known character here in the West, since most of her prior appearances have been confined to Japan-only popular media, but she’s had a fairly long and eventful career on her native soil.

So let’s take a look at this feisty young casino dealer and see what makes her tick!

Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Rio Rollins Tachibana →

Podcast

The MoeGamer Podcast: Episode 31 – Everything Old is New Again

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Howdy, howdy, howdy and a warm welcome once again to The MoeGamer Podcast, featuring me and my good friend Chris Caskie of MrGilderPixels.

The MoeGamer Podcast is available in several places. You can subscribe to my channel on YouTube to stay up to date with both the video versions of the podcast and my weekly videos (including the Atari A to Z retro gaming series); you can follow on Soundcloud for the audio-only version of the podcast; you can subscribe via RSS to get the audio-only version of the podcast in your favourite podcast app; or you can subscribe via iTunes and listen on Spotify. Please do at least one of these if you can; it really helps us out!

Or you can just hit the jump to watch or listen to today’s episode right here on MoeGamer.

Continue reading The MoeGamer Podcast: Episode 31 – Everything Old is New Again →

Atari A to Z, Videos

Atari A to Z Flashback: Basic Math

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You know how much people judge a new gaming system by its launch lineup these days? Well, the Atari 2600 had a game called Basic Math among its initial titles. It is exactly what it sounds like. Be grateful for what you get today!

To be fair, we’re talking about the late ’70s here, where interactive entertainment you could connect to your TV was still new, exciting and a little scary to some people — so the prospect of having something educational to use on the system was probably quite appealing to concerned parents of the era.

It’s just a shame they really took that “Basic” part of the title to heart perhaps a little too much…

Find a full archive of all the Atari A to Z videos on the official site.

Announcements, Community

I Want Your Help With the MoeGamer 2019 Awards!

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For the last couple of years, I’ve devoted December to a series of “alternative awards” based on things I’ve experienced and written about over the course of the last year.

The MoeGamer Awards provides both me and you with an opportunity to review what we’ve seen in the last year here on MoeGamer, to revisit some things that I feel are worth looking at again, and to highlight some things that I don’t feel got enough attention first time around.

A big part of the fun of this event is getting suggestions from you lot as to what I should write about, so I am once again soliciting suggestions from you, yes, you, dear reader. Hit the jump to find out more!

Continue reading I Want Your Help With the MoeGamer 2019 Awards! →

Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy Marathon, Videos

Final Fantasy Marathon: The Fires of Hell – Final Fantasy I #20

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We’re well into the endgame of the PSP incarnation of Final Fantasy now; today we delve into the second of four “Soul of Chaos” dungeons.

Hellfire Chasm features 10 floors arranged in a random order, with a choice of two Final Fantasy IV bosses to fight on both the 5th and 10th. In order to fill out your Bestiary completely, you’ll need to run the dungeon at least twice to smack ’em all down.

Bring plenty of supplies; today’s a long trip, but we’re just getting started!

Videos

Atari ST A to Z: Go-Moku/Renju

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Computers make good opponents for classic tabletop games, and have done since the earliest days of the 2600.

They get on with their turns rather than checking their phones or talking about the football (although 2600 board games on the hardest difficulty warn they may take up to 20 minutes to make a decision about their next move, which is almost as bad as my friend Sam deciding whether or not he wants to build the Well in Agricola) and they’re able to provide a reasonable challenge for both beginners and masters in a variety of disciplines.

Today, then, we look at an entry in Atari’s “Mindgames” range for ST: it’s Go-Moku/Renju, two very similar “five in a row” games very loosely based on classic Chinese game Go.

Find a full archive of all the Atari A to Z videos on the official site.

Waifu Wednesday

Waifu Wednesday: Pokégirls, Vol. 2

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Pokémon Sword and Shield are out this coming Friday, and you can look forward to some in-depth coverage here on MoeGamer once we’re done with Bullet Girls Phantasia.

I’ve not been huge on Pokémon over the years, but one thing I’ve always appreciated about it is its character designs. And particularly the wide variety of very lovely female characters who appear in the various installments, both as player avatars and characters that you encounter in your various adventures.

So, then, following on from Pokégirls Vol. 1, I present to you a second collection of Pokémon cuties, as selected by friends and acquaintances who know more about this sort of thing than I do!

Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Pokégirls, Vol. 2 →

One-Shots, Switch

Kero Blaster: Amphibious Assault

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Daisuke “Pixel” Amaya is an extremely talented developer with a keen eye for what made older games truly enduring.

His most well-known work Cave Story is quite rightly held up as a shining example of the open-structure 2D platformer done right — and thanks to its numerous rereleases over the years, can be played on a wide variety of systems.

But don’t sleep on Kero Blaster, a very different but equally magnificent love letter to classic old-school gameplay that, like Cave Story, can now be enjoyed on a variety of different platforms, including Windows PC, iOS devices, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.

Continue reading Kero Blaster: Amphibious Assault →