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special
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in-depth features developer access behind the scenes

first
 Welcome to

Discovering great videogames can be something of a minefield.

There have been literally thousands of games released since the
Seventies, so how on earth do you focus on the ones which are
worth playing? Fortunately for you, we have the answer. Originally
compiled for Retro Gamer by its own readers, the following tome
contains the 100 games that you really should experience before
you die. The games in question cover a wide range of genres, from
platformers to racing games and range from 8-bit hits such as
Pac-Man and Manic Miner to more recent classics like the excellent
Skyrim. In short there’s something in this book that should appeal
to everyone, whether you’re a fan of Shenmue or Super Mario
Kart. But that’s only part of the story. Once you’ve discovered the
next 100 games you should be playing through (hopefully you’ll
have completed some of them already) you’ll also be able to read
in-depth articles on some of the biggest games featured inside,
including the entire top ten. Enjoy.
 Future PLC Richmond House, 33 Richmond Hill,
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100 Games to Play Before You Die
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Part of the

book series
Contents 174

140 100 104

8  00 Games To Play

1 90 
The making of Final Fight
Before You Die Y oshiki Okamoto reveals how he made one of the
 ur huge 42-page feature not only features 100
O most popular scrolling fighters of the Eighties
essential games to experience but also plenty
of great developer insight from the people that
made them 94 T
 he making of
Speedball II: Brutal Deluxe
50 The making of Pac-Man Many consider Speedball II to be the Amiga’s best
sports game. Sensible Software’s Jon Hare shows
 amco’s popular maze game became a worldwide
N us how it came to be
phenomenon. Here, Toru Iwatani tells us how he
created his iconic character
100 T
 he making of The Secret 56
56 The making of Defender Of Monkey Island
Eugene Jarvis goes behind the scenes of his hectic
Cocreator, Ron Gilbert reveals how his team at 128 T
 he Making of The Legend
shoot-’em-up for William Electronics LucasArts crafted its excellent point-and-click Of Zelda: A Link To The Past
pirate adventure Takashi Tezuka and Kensuke Tanabe reveal how
they pushed boundaries to create their stunning
62 The making of Manic Miner SNES adventure
104 T
 he big feature:
 atthew Smith plays through every level of his
M
classic videogame and reveals the thought process Street Fighter II
behind each stage Discover why Capcom’s one-on-one fighter has 136 T
 he making of
beaten off all newcomers to stand as the definitive
fighting game Sensible Soccer
68 The making of Paradroid Learn how Sensible Software created its
miniature-sized take on the beautiful game for the
Join Andrew Braybrook as he explains the intricate
mechanics behind his popular 8-bit shooter 114 T
 he making of Sonic 16-bit systems
The Hedgehog
 onic Team’s Yuji Naka explains how Super Mario
S 140 Ultimate Guide: DooM
74 The making of Tetris Bros influenced him to make his sensational
Everything you need to know about id Software’s
 lexey Pajitnov’s puzzle game is widely considered
A Mega Drive hit stunning first-person shooter, including its best
to be the greatest example of the genre. Here he home conversions
tells us how it all happened
118 T
 he making of Super
Castlevania IV 146 T
 he making of
80 The making of Elite Director Masahiro Ueno divulges how he looked Command & ConqueR
 avid Braben details how the power of the
D to the original NES Castlevania in order to create Louis Castle discusses the intricacies of making a
BBC Micro enabled him to create his epic his epic sequel real-time strategy game for home computers
space-trading adventure
124 T
 he making of 152 U
 ltimate Guide:
84 Ultimate Guide: Mega Man 2 Streets Of Rage Super Mario 64
 e walk you through everything you need to know
W We take a look at how Sega aimed to take on Mario’s first fully-3D platformer changed gaming
about Capcom’s fantastic NES game, including how Capcom’s Final Fight with its very own stylish as we knew it forever. Now learn the intricacies of
to best its many bosses Mega Drive scrolling fighter Nintendo’s masterpiece with this guide

6 | Nintendo Archives
 180
62

136 50
80 158

158 T
 he making of Final 188 The making of Shenmue 202
Fantasy VII  ith a HD remake on the way it’s the perfect time
W
Few RPGs left as big an impression as this epic to revisit Sega’s amazingly ambitious RPG
PlayStation game. Yoshinori Kitase guides you
through its creation
194 T
 he making Of
168 T
 he making of Halo: Combat Evolved
Discover how Bungie moved away from working
GoldenEye 007 on the Mac to create one of the Xbox’s most
T he team behind the hit James Bond-themed important franchises
Nintendo 64 first-person shooter illustrates how it
crafted the 8 million seller
198 The making of
174 u
 ltimate guide: Resident Evil 4
Learn how Capcom reinvented both its
Metal Gear Solid long-running franchise and the entire survival
Everything you need to know about Hideo
horror genre
Kojima’s stunning 3D stealth adventure

180 T
 he big feature: The Legend 202 ultimate
 guide: Elder
Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Scrolls V: Skyrim
Our exhaustive in-depth feature reveals why  rom mods to its many conversions, we
F
embarking on Nintendo’s epic adventure is a investigate the greatest game in the long-running
journey worth making Elder Scrolls series

100 games to play before you die | 7

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

8 | 100 games to play before you die

 100 games to play before you die

You’re only on this planet for a

short time, so you need to cram
in as many games as possible.
Readers Our reader vote reveals the many
choice ’ classics that you really must play

E
veryone loves a good list and Retro Gamer readers are
no exception. All the way back in issue 150 we asked
readers what the greatest games of all time were and
we were amazed at the feedback. Of course, readers
who have been with Retro Gamer since its inception will realise that
a similar list first appeared in issue 8 – a staggering 175 issues ago
now. That’s over 13 years ago, which is an insane amount of time in
videogames. When your original list appeared, the Xbox, PS2 and
GameCube were all current-generation systems, now they’re two
generations old, with many readers considering them to be retro too.
We had thousands of votes from readers, covering all sorts of
games, from Pong to newer releases like Grand Theft Auto V and Dark
Souls, and we decided to create the ultimate
list and we’re now enhancing it for this
brand new book. The original list in 2004
had readers voting for over 700 individual
games across over 30 different formats.
This time around that impressive record
R was smashed with over 1400 games
being voted for. Keeping with the stats,
61 games from the original list remain
too, so we’ve shown you their previous
positions so you can see how far they’ve
climbed and dropped over the years. And
remember, this is your list, made possible
by your many, votes. You’ve only
got a short time on this planet, so
if you’re going to only be able to
play a certain amount of games
then please make sure you play
these first.

Do these classics
make your final
list? Read the
feature in order
to find out

100 games to play before you die | 9

 The Gold standard
in Pokémon
100
■
Pokémon Gold & Silver
Year: 1999 Platform: GBC Previous position: N/E
■ ■ s

Whether you love or hate the innumerable console and handheld titles, cartoon
and movie spin-offs or cuddly plush toys, there’s no denying that Nintendo’s
Pokémon phenomenon has a significant place in videogaming history. Starting with
Pocket Monsters Red And Green for the original Game Boy in 1996, the series has
captured the imaginations of generations of gamers with its mix of role-playing, Turn to
monster-hunting, training, battling and trading. With the second generation of page 56 for
Pokémon titles, Gold And Silver, released for the Game Boy in 1999, fans were our full making
able to get their hands on a new range of one hundred monsters, bringing the of feature on
number of trainable Pokémon to over 250. Gold And Silver took place in a new Defender
location called Johto with players tasked with battling to become the region’s new
Pokémon Master. New features included a real-time day and night system, with
some monsters only appearing at certain times, two new Pokémon types (Dark
and Steel) and a much improved interface and inventory system. Another new Eugene Jarvis
mechanic was the ability to breed Pokémon from eggs, with the offspring inheriting
qualities and battle techniques from its parents. Pokémon Gold And Silver were the
games that began the transformation of the series into a multi-billion dollar franchise
gets nostalgic
for Nintendo, one that continues to this day.
99
■
Defender
Year: 1981 Platform: Arcade
■ ■ Previous position: N/E s

With Defender I wanted to do a game that broke

new ground, to create the ultimate experience
I craved as a gamer. The expanded universe of
multiple scrolling screens provided both depth of
gameplay, plus it was a real adrenaline rush to fly
around the planet at insane speeds, rescuing and
protecting the astronauts on the ground from the
enemy assault. The elements of trajectory and
collision, life and death, are very basic, challenging player’s instincts in
an intuitive way. A key element of the design, in addition to the violence,
explosions, and killer graphics, was presenting the player with multiple
goals and threats at all times. So not only do you have to engage
the twitch centres of your brain but also a higher level of decision-
making. This created the Total Brain Rush (TBR) that players craved!
I remember when we launched the game people didn’t know
what to make of it because it had so many buttons. But I think
that’s what added to its long term appeal… In the hands of a
Defender virtuoso the game can be amazing to experience. In the
hands of a novice it is a nightmare of complexity!

98 Civilization IV 97 Metal Gear Solid 3: 96 Portal 2

■ Year: 2005 ■ Platform: Various
■ Previous position: New Entry P
Snake Eater ■
■
Year: 2011 ■ Platform: Various
Previous position: New Entry P
■ Year: 2004 Platform: PS2
■
A brilliant reimagining ■ Previous position: New Entry P Featuring the welcome
of the classic historical return of GLaDOS, one
turn-based strategy game After Sons Of Liberty, this sequel returned to what of gaming’s greatest
for modern platforms, made the series great, antagonists, this post-
Civ IV made Sid Meier’s immersing players in a apocalyptic return to the
masterpiece more Cold War setting which Aperture Science Labs
accessible than ever saw Snake stalking raised the bar in terms
before, incorporating an all-new 3D engine and through jungles relying of graphics, environments and often hilarious
adding new features like fully promotable units, on his wits, camo and his dialogue courtesy of Stephen Merchant as
religions and a hugely enjoyable multiplayer mode. combat prowess. paranoid robotic companion Wheatley.

10 | 100 games to play before you die

 100 games to play before you die

95 Final Fantasy IX
■ Year: 2000 ■ Platform: PSone
■ Previous position: New Entry P
Squaresoft pleased long-
term FF fans with this
last outing on the PSone,
discarding the futurism
of VIII and reverting to a
medieval setting harking back to its much-
loved classics on the Nintendo consoles. war by numbers
94 Super Castlevania IV
■ Year: 1991 ■ Platform: SNES
90
■
World Of Warcraft
Year: 2004 Platform: PC Previous position: New Entry
■ ■ s
■ Previous position: New Entry P

Still one of the finest It might not have been the first MMO, but it is arguably the most influential, leaving behind a legacy that has been
entries in Konami’s copied by virtually everything in its wake. You’ll never forget your first trip to Azeroth and one visit is never enough.
vampire-slaying franchise,
Castlevania IV was an
■ World Of Warcraft was the ■ The realm of Azeroth in which ■ Five expansions have
excellent showcase for the Turn to page
fourth released game set in the the game is set is approximately 80 been released for the game to
SNES with its epic whip-flailing 118 for our full
fantasy Warcraft universe. square miles, about four times the date, with a sixth, Legion, to come
boss fights, fiendish level design making of Super
size of Manhattan Island. in mid-2016.
■ It is officially the highest
and brilliant soundtrack. Castlevania IV
grossing videogame of all time, ■ The Hunter and Death Knight are ■ One of the rarest mounts in
making in excess of ten billion US the most commonly used character the game is the Heavenly Onyx
93 Advance Wars dollars by July 2012. classes in the game, both netting Cloud Serpent, with a drop
■ Year: 2001 ■ Platform: GBA around 11 per cent of users. chance of just 0.03 per cent.
■ Previous position: New Entry P ■ Developer Blizzard Entertainment
The perfect pocket-sized still earns roughly one billion US ■ The most popular profession in ■ With over 100,000 pages,

strategy game, Advance dollars yearly with the game. Azeroth is mining, with 35.8 per WOWWiki is the largest
Wars was an essential cent of players choosing community-run website of any
■ Over 12 million physical boxed to don a helmet and seek videogame on the internet.
purchase for GBA owners,
and showed publishers copies of the game have been sold wealth underground.
that it wasn’t just Japanese gamers that since its launch in 2004.
■ One in every five World Of
loved turn-based tactics.
■ In January 2014 Blizzard Warcraft players is female.

926Alex Kidd in announced that over 100 million

user accounts had been generated According to Blizzard’s Frank
Miracle World
■
in the game’s lifetime. Pearce the game is constructed
■ Year: 1986 ■ Platform: Master System from 5.5 million lines of code.
■ Previous position: New Entry P ■ Roughly 48 per cent of the
Before Sonic, lovable game’s subscriber-base is in Asia. ■ In 2009 the game already
monkey-boy Alex Kidd The second biggest player base is contained 70,000 spells and nearly
was Sega’s unofficial the USA with around 22 per cent. 40,000 non-player characters.
mascot, and in many ways
his colourful platform
game debut is an even more impressive
achievement than Super Mario Bros..

91 Ico
■ Year: 2001 ■ Platform: PS2
■ Previous position: New Entry P
A haunting and supremely stylish puzzle-
platform adventure, Ico remains one of
the most creative and touching fantasy
game experiences of the past few decades,
influencing the design of recent classics
like Dark Souls.

100 games to play before you die | 11

 89 Streets Of Rage how Sega made its
iconic shooteR
■ Year:1991 ■ Platform: Mega Drive Turn
■ Previous position: New Entry P to page 124
for our full making
Mega Drive owners might
not have had Final Fight,
but they didn’t need it –
of Mega Drive
classic, Streets
Of Rage
84 Rez
Sega’s unashamed clone
■ Year: 2001 ■ Platform: Dreamcast ■ Previous position: New Entry P
was every bit as good,
thanks to tight gameplay and an How did you decide on Rez ’s The wireframe look was born! We
amazing soundtrack. abstract wireframe look? had been through many major look

88 Quake
Jake Kazdal: I was out clubbing changes, so I wasn’t sure this one was
in Tokyo and on the wall a VJ was going to stick, either, but the team
■ Year: 1996 ■ Platform: PC playing one of the early Winamp quickly took a liking to it.
■ Previous position: New Entry P plug-ins, with the wireframe mesh
Doom was a tough act to being distorted by the music and Rez ’s boss battles were epic
follow, but id Software pulsing different shapes and colours. multi-stage encounters. How were
managed it by creating I was awestruck, so I took video of it these designed?
a full-3D first-person with my friend’s camera, and showed Osamu Kodera: The boss encounters
shooter that became a it to [Shuji] Utsumi-San (now the were the result of a collaboration of
leading light of the online CEO of Q Entertainment, but then the boss artist and myself. First he
multiplayer scene. head of Sega R&D) and Mizuguchi- would create a simple storyboard,
san the next Monday, and it stuck. sort of like a four-frame comic strip.
87 The Legend
Of Zelda
■ Year: 1986 ■ Platform: NES
■ Previous position: New Entry P
In an age of simple arcade
action games, Zelda stood
out by offering players an
absorbing quest across
a wide-open map. Plus,
who could forget the oft-
revisited musical accompaniment?

86 Final Fight Turn to page

90 where we talk
■ Year: 1989 ■ Platform: Arcade to director, Yoshiki
■ Previous position: New Entry P Okamoto about
Mike Haggar’s quite direct, isn’t he? Final Fight
Most mayors start a
scheme to combat crime
– Capcom’s favourite
politician walks down the
street punching criminals
right in the face.

85 Grand Theft Your guide to

Auto: San Andreas
■ Year: 2004 ■ Platform: PS2
■ Previous position: New Entry P
Rez’s last area
The final GTA of its generation took ■ The level ■ As you
the series to the early-Nineties LA, starts off even move through
and added mechanics that allowed less structured than each area, Katsumi
protagonist CJ to improve his fitness, most, and unusually has ■ Attacks come Yokota’s poem about
appearance and more. a light background – this far faster and more evolution fills you in on
is clearly something ferociously than in the theme of the
different. other stages, including stage.
an assault from this
gigantic… well,
thing.

12 | 100 games to play before you die

 100 games to play before you die

The artist and myself would then about the evolution of life. The
How capcom
perfected
discuss the details and workflow. I’d backgrounds in each area were
then create a rough prototype, and if designed based on this text. I wrote
it seemed to work we’d continue our this text as homage to the birth of
progress, but if it didn’t work, we’d
go back to step one. The biggest
challenge was to incorporate and
life, the repeated process of mass
extinctions, and the unending chain
of life that creates such weird and
a classic
condense a variety of ideas into a
short boss battle experience. All of
wonderful lifeforms.
83 Resident Evil
the bosses were reconstructed at Looking back at Rez, how do you
■ Year: 2002 ■ Platform: GameCube ■ Previous position: New Entry P
least three times. feel about the game?
Tetsuya Mizuguchi: Creatively ■ It extensively redesigned puzzles and a new mansion layout means that your
Area 5 is a memorable final stage speaking I was very happy, but experience of the original game won’t help you.
which differs noticeably from the from a business point of view I felt ■ The new re-reanimated Crimson Head Zombies provide a nasty surprise for all
earlier stages. What inspired it? a little bit sad. I didn’t expect too players, and fundamentally alter your approach to enemies.
Katsumi Yokota: Area 5 differs from much at the time, but many people ■ New defensive items give you more combat options when you’re in a bind, and
the other stages as it has a message expected much bigger sales, like provide some uniquely gory enemy deaths.
incorporated into the design. Looking marketing people and business ■ The indestructible test subject Lisa Trevor gave the game a brand new impact
back now, I am a little embarrassed people. My feeling is that the moment to close out the first disc.
by the text that appears every time reaction to Rez is bigger now than ■ Fully redrawn visuals made the game look phenomenal in 2002, and held up
there is an area change. This was it was. I’m happy and surprised that superbly well in the 2015 HD re-release.
taken from a sort of poem that I wrote people continue to talk about Rez.

The Perfect Game?

82 Super Mario Galaxy 2
■ Year: 2010 ■ Platform: Wii ■ Previous position: New Entry P
Nintendo’s sequel did that rare thing – it improved on its predecessor in every

0
possible way. SMG 2 remains a stunning platformer that we never tire of.

100% awarded a full 100%

Number of other
games we’ve

The score we gave it in issue 79

■ There’s a
boss rush which
unnervingly questions 49 Galaxies to visit
1 6,720,000
Number of years
development was
meant to take
Number of copies sold

242

97
■ You your purpose in continuing,
follow humanity before the final boss –
into space, taking on which we won’t spoil
what appears to be an for you. Stars to
abstract phoenix of collect
some sort.

The game’s score

2.5
Number of years
on Metacritic development
actually took

100 games to play before you die | 13

 Bringing the excitement of
81 Turrican II the cinema to your console
■
■
Year: 1991 ■ Platform: Various
Previous position: 76 t 77 Uncharted 2 ■ Year: 2009 ■ Platform: PS3 ■ Previous position: New Entry
P

This is as close as strong opening

Dolph Lungren is Few developers understand the importance of a
rted 2 ’s
ever going to get to quite like Naughty Dog clearly did in creating Uncha
narrative allowe d the team to open with the
a ‘Greatest Games prologue. Non-linear
kingly climb
Ever’ feature – the stunning set-piece that sees an injured Drake painsta
proper via a
Universal Soldier dangling train carriages, before starting the game
the original
movie tie-in reskin may not have flashback that puts everything in perspective. While
stands up primar ily as a solid proof-o f-conc ept, the sequel
made the list, but the amazing release
and it’s
scrolling shooter on which it was remains one of the greatest action games ever made
of its quality that even Tomb Raider – a franch ise which itself
based did. Good work, people. telling
referring back to
helped shape the likes of Uncharted – finds itself
80 Command & this gaming touchstone. Set-pieces are on point
guff that kicks in later perhaps notwithstanding),
(the supernatural
platforming and
Conquer gunplay are more than tight enough to carry the
game but it’s the
■ Year: 1995 ■ Platform: PC cinematic nature of Uncharted 2 that scores it a
place in the history
■ Previous position: New Entry P books, blurring the lines between Hollyw ood and Silicon Valley
action gamin g experi ence that is arguab ly still to be
As if this seminal RTS in an
Turn
matched in terms of impac t.
was going to miss to page
out on the action. 146 where we
A console release discuss the creation
(with mouse support
on PSone, no less)
of Command &
Conquer
10 for 10
76 Final
won’t have hurt its
chances, and the live action cut-

Fantasy X
scenes have somehow managed
to age worse than the game itself.
■Year: 1996 Platform: PS2
■

79 Silent Hill 2 ■ Previous position: N/E P

Year: 2001 ■ Platform: PS2
Sega’s Mascot
■
■ It was the first FF to be fully voiced... if
■ Previous position: New Entry P
perhaps not all that well.

Sees Red
At a time where
jump scares ruled, ■ The Sphere Grid offered unparalleled
Konami managed customisation of your chosen party.
to make a horror
game which for
psychological
■ Shifting to full-3D environments gave a
real sense of exploration and discovery.
75
■
Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Year: 1994 Platform: Mega Drive Previous position: N/E
■ ■ P
oppression. Perfect design and
world-building mean this list ■ Blitzball remains one of the single
It’s no surprise to see make Sonic & Knuckles make the list here in some
would be worse were it not for the greatest mini-games of all time.
form – with its plug-through cartridge allowing for previous games to be
involvement of Harry Mason. modified as well as the main adventure as well, it’s effectively four games in
■ The laughing scene is supposed to
one. Well, assuming you count the ability to play the bonus stage by using

78 Kevin Bayliss be awful. It’s all about Tidus and Yuna’s

a cart other than Sonic 2 or Sonic 3 as a separate game, anyway. With the
main Sonic & Knuckles game showing a shift towards the slower pace and
on Donkey Kong awkwardness, after all.
exploration focus that later games like Sonic CD would take further still,

Country ■ Seymour’s hair is as inexplicable today

it’s also no surprise that most votes for this came for Sonic 3 & Knuckles
– both Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 had a noticeably faster pace and better flow
■ Year: 1994 ■ Platform: SNES as it was at launch. It looks like antlers but
to stages, plus the ability to glide and climb as Knuckles gives players the
■ Previous position: New Entry P apparently, it isn’t.
option for additional freedom and exploration as well. It’s the best of both
It’s simply so ■ Otherworld actually evolved into a
worlds, really. Even though Sonic & Knuckles itself may have been a more
memorable; the game great piece of music when recorded by
richly detailed game visually, going back to the older games via its novel
played so well, and it Uematsu’s band, The Black Mages.
plug-through option never felt like a step back and even today, those older
was a perfect way to games retain the same character and charm thanks largely to the excellent
reintroduce Donkey ■ Speaking of which, FFX is the last
(if decidedly Nineties) art style.
Kong. The technique mainline game where Uematsu was the
we used to create the 3D-looking primary tunesmith.
sprites worked amazingly and it
breathed new life into the SNES. ■ Post-game secrets like the Dark Aeons
I’ll always be proud of the game afforded the game even more longevity.
and what we achieved.
■ Making Kimarhi such as waste of
space made it much easier to decide on
a solid party.

14 | 100 games to play before you die

 100 games to play before you die

Mark Pacini and Kensuke Tanabe

discuss the creation of Retro Studios’
hit GameCube game
74 Metroid Prime ■ Year: 2002 ■ Platform: GameCube ■ Previous position: New Entry P
Why shift Metroid into a a first-
person adventure game? » [GameCube] Ridley once again returns but this time
he’s cybernetically enhanced.
MP: When Metroid Prime was
released, no one else was
concentrating on the exploration and
platforming elements in a first-person
game. We were dubbed as an FPA
(first-person adventure), which to
us meant that the core gameplay
was not about shooting enemies » Mark Pacini
but rather the immersive experience
of being Samus and exploring the
environment. We were able to
differentiate our game by focusing on
those aspects, and I think people felt it
to be unique.
5 things
that define
Is it true Shigeru Miyamoto was
involved with Metroid Prime? » Kensuke Tanabe
MP: Mr Miyamoto came to us with
the idea of playing a Metroid game Metroid
from the first-person perspective.
He felt that the best way to play a 3D
The player was able to Prime
game where the character had a gun
was from a first-person viewpoint.
play the entire game without Use of 3D
■ The move to 3D
At first, we were not seeing his vision
and we knew the fans would have the
a break in the action was just as assured
as Nintendo’s earlier
Mark Pacini
same initial reaction. However, as we franchises jumping to
started down this path, many unique Metroid Prime, we asked Retro has played less of a 3D on the N64.
gameplay opportunities came to light Studios to incorporate a visor system role, but we still find
and we began to get very excited into the game in order to make it it is very useful in Scanning
about the possibilities. If we were clearly new and differentiated from terms of giving the ■ Scanning pretty
excited, Metroid fans probably first-person shooter games. We player hints and much everything
would be as well. set up the ‘Scan Visor’, which was information. proved to be a clever
a visor that the player used to scan way of delving into
What were your inspirations? necessary information, as one of What do you feel that specifically Prime’s backstory.
MP: Our main inspiration was Super plural visors, we thought this feature made Metroid Prime such an
Metroid. That’s all you need. We also would help users who wanted to immersive experience? Environment
tried to preserve the essence of the know more information about the MP: Probably the feature that really effects
Metroid experience in its move to 3D. setting by actively utilising, for helped immerse the player was the ■ Steam, lightning
It couldn’t just be a 3D game starring example, a Pirate Log. absence of loading screens. The strikes and other
Samus. It had to be Metroid. That was MC: The main reason for scanning player was able to play the entire elements all display on
probably the most difficult part of the was to give more motivation for the game without a break in the action. Samus’ visor.
whole development process. player to look around and explore the
environment. It also helped remind Were you concerned Metroid Prime Map
What can you tell us about the the player to use their different visors might be too difficult? ■ The map for Metroid
scanning mechanics? throughout the game. As the series KT: These days, such games that a Prime was not only
KT: During the process of developing has continued, the scanning feature player can complete by just spending unique to the series, but
time playing without deeply thinking was also a joy to use
may tend to be welcomed more. and incredibly helpful.
From that perspective, Metroid
Prime can be seen as a very tough Bosses
game. However, Nintendo’s game ■ While some of the
philosophy is that we hope users feel bosses are a little
accomplishment and are impressed familiar, they’re still
by thinking while playing the game. immensely challenging
» [GameCube] The area around Samus’ ship » [GameCube] Some enemies had obvious weak We also want players to feel their to battle against.
serves as a central hub, other areas branch off from it. spots, others you’d have to scan to find out. skills are improving.

100 games to play before you die | 15

 73 The Elder 71 Red Dead 70 Secret
Scrolls IV: Oblivion 72 Mario Kart 64 Redemption Of Mana
■ Year: 2006 ■ Platform: Various ■ Year: 1996 ■ Platform: N64 ■ Year: 2010 ■ Platform: Various ■ Year: 1993 ■ Platform: SNES
■ Previous position: New Entry P ■ Previous position: 80 s ■ Previous position: New Entry P ■ Previous position: 74 P
You don’t realise how claustrophobic The second game in the series saw Essentially it’s just GTA on a horse, Square’s Mana series came of age on
the opening of Oblivion is until you it move into party territory, due to but look past those similarities and the SNES, building upon the Game
step out into an open wilderness the open tracks and the introduction you’ll find RDR to be an assured Boy adventure games to deliver a
that’s full of possibilities and exciting of the spiny shell. While it’s not our open world game. The story and truly gripping adventure. While the
quests. It’s a living, breathing personal favourite Mario Kart game, characters are a cut above their GTA combat is simple, the unique NPCS,
world that just begs to be explored, there’s no denying that the large counterparts and it’s supported assisting characters and fantastical
while the plot number of tracks by Undead setting keeps your
itself is a huge and fantastic Nightmare, one attention. Little
improvement over multiplayer of the best pieces wonder it now
the earlier games constantly kept of DLC in recent fetches insane
in the series. you playing. memory. prices on eBay.

Why this zelda

is different
to the rest
69 The Legend Of Zelda:
Majora’s Mask
Year: 2000 ■ Platform: N64 ■ Previous position: N/E P
Capcom’s mega sequel
68 Mega Man 2
■

Three days… Turn to

Having to complete the game in just
■ Year: 1988 ■ Platform: NES ■ Previous position: New Entry P
page 84 for our
three days was radically different to past ultimate guide to
Zelda games and divides fans to this day. If ever one Mega Man was going to make your list it was going to Capcom’s Mega
be Capcom’s sequel to the original. It not only massively improves Man 2
Masks on the numerous imbalances found in the first game, but sets the
There are 24 different masks, which template for many later Mega Man games, too. It’s still a painfully
give Link a range of unique abilities tough game in places, but the level design feels far tighter and fairer
that include getting animals to follow than the original Mega Man. It dumps the score system of the
him and attracting stray fairies. original game, gives you eight and not six bosses to fight (a trope that
would remain for later games) and adds a useful password system.
Darkness It’s the best-selling game in the series and for good reason.
Its alternate universe allowed
Nintendo to make a game that
was much darker in tone to
previous games.

Expansion Pak
The N64 expansion pack was
critical, allowing Nintendo to improve
the game’s aesthetics, draw distance

Game Over, Yeah!

and add more in-game characters.

Complex narrative
Majora’s Mask features an interesting,
engaging story that revolves around time 67 Sega Rally Championship 5 Sega

travel. As a result it’s far more structured ■ Year: 1994 ■ Platform: Arcade ■ Previous position: New Entry P
than earlier games.
Sega Rally can be beaten in full, with all the
secrets seen, in less than five minutes. However, 1 Namco
the three (or four) tracks you’ll play in that brief
Your favourite
time are so well-designed that every turn
driving games,
becomes seared into your memory, as you fight 1 Sumo
by developer:
the terrain to achieve the fastest possible time. Digital
You’ll expect to play for five minutes and end up
playing for years. 3 Nintendo

16 | 100 games to play before you die

 100 games to play before you die

Andrew Braybrook
goes over the rainbow
66 Rainbow Islands
■ Year: 1988 ■ Platform: NES ■ Previous position: 30 t
All of Graftgold's Rainbow Islands How challenging was it to recreate the power of of getting the gem colour that you want, it's so
ports were impressive. Which is arcade games on 8 and 16-bit computers? obvious when you know how.  
your personal favourite and why? We were chasing the arcade in terms of colours
My favourite actually might have and number of sprites. Rainbow Islands only What are your thoughts on Rainbow Island 's
been the Sega Saturn version in had one layer of 8x8 pixel backgrounds, but play mechanics?
enhanced graphics mode. We got then used another one for the sea rising. We had I learned a lot from how the bonuses worked, and
to use a bit of semi-transparency to be a bit inventive with simulating that. The how the meanies all did or didn't interact with the
on the rainbows, and added an sprites had more and different colours than the background. Presentation is excellent, the ‘GOAL
extra back-layer of graphics, so we could be a bit backgrounds, I reckon they had maybe 16 palettes IN!’ sequence, for example, is all very grand and
creative. Taito quite liked what we did, and let us of 16 colours available. We had to resolve that well thought out. We had enough documentation
continue, whereas I believe it vetoed the Bubble down to one palette of 16 colours on 16-bit, and to make our conversions very accurate in terms of
Bobble equivalent. Our graphics artist Colin less on the 8-bits.  how they played, the look would vary depending on
Seaman, led the graphics in just the right way the hardware. There’re also three different endings.
to do a splendid job in keeping with the original Why do you think Rainbow Islands proved to be so We thought there were only two, but we had some
style. Can't praise his contribution highly enough. I popular with gamers? graphics we hadn't seen, and imagine our surprise
believe we got everything running at the proper 50 A lot of design time had gone into the game at when we discovered the three islands that popped
frames-per-second, which even the mighty Amiga Taito, we could see that from the massive folder of up. Nobody knew they were there and we had
was unable to do. documentation we received. It looked like up to two quoted for seven islands. The extra three islands
In terms of achievement, Gary Foreman years of design work. Some of it had changed over lead to the third ending but are as big as the first
did a great job on the C64 as there was a lot of the project so we couldn't always tell what made it seven and we had less graphics supplied. It would
movement going on, and despite colour attribute into the final game. There's a lot in the bonuses and have taken us a lot more time. Even when we got
difficulties the Spectrum version also coped better upgrades that isn't immediately obvious, but can the job for the Saturn, PlayStation and PC versions
than we thought it would. be determined over time. Even the simplicity we were only asked to convert the first seven.

Uf-whoa! Platform heaven

65 UFO: Enemy Unknown 64 Banjo-Kazooie
■ Year: 1994 ■ Platform: PC ■ Previous position: New Entry P ■ Year: 1998 ■ Platform: N64 ■ Previous position: New Entry P

The isometric viewpoint of UFO: Enemy We’re not surprised to see Banjo chart so high.
Unknown should make you feel less Alongside Super Mario 64, it rates as not only
connected to your troops. Well, it doesn’t one of the best platformers upon the system, but
– we’re still torn up whenever we lose a also the genre too. Rare created an imaginative,
veteran to a tactical slip-up and a lucky wonderous world and tied it to two ridiculously
alien shot. Turn-based strategy is rarely lovable characters. Little wonder there’s so much
better than this. interest in spiritual follow-up Yooka-Laylee.

100 games to play before you die | 17

 63 Star Wars 62 Civilization 61 Portal
■ Year: 1983 ■ Platform: Arcade ■ Year: 1991 ■ Platform: PC ■ Year: 2007 ■ Platform: PC
■ Previous position: 87 s ■ Previous position: 29 t ■ Previous position: New Entry P
Be Luke Skywalker? Are you up to the This highly innovative
Check. Use the power of challenge of building first-person puzzle game
the force? Sure, you got it. an empire upon which challenges you to think
Blow up the Death Star? the sun never sets? in full 3D, thanks to its
But of course! Atari’s Sid Meier’s turn-based innovative multi-purpose
classic vector coin-op strategy game was gun. With singing AIs,
perfectly captured the as influential as it was companion cubes and the
X-wing fantasies of just about every human being enjoyable, thanks to the challenge of taking your promise of cake, this short adventure lingers in the
on the planet in 1983, and it still does. empire from 4000 BC to the near future. memory for years after completion.

Play’s Luke Albigés puts

everything on the line
60 Mass Effect 2 Turn to page
■ Year: 2010 ■ Platform: Various ■ Previous position: New Entry P 68 for our full
making of feature
How did Bioware improve on Mass Effect? on Paradroid
To be honest, I think the original actually did a better job than Mass
Effect 2 in terms of lore-building... but that’s only because the second
game barely had to worry about that side of things. BioWare did such a
good job of creating a sci-fi universe with the series opener that Mass
Influencer 001
Effect 2 had far more space and freedom to grow as a game, something
it absolutely did by pushing every other aspect to new heights.
Reporting
Why is it considered the best game in the series?
59 Paradroid
Of the three, it strikes by far the best balance between narrative and
■ Year: 1985 ■ Platform: Various
action. The first game’s aforementioned emphasis on lore made it feel
■ Previous position: 23 t
more like an introduction than a game after having played the sequel,
while Mass Effect 3 ’s action bent and ludicrous conclusion felt like a Andrew Braybrook’s stunning shoot-’em-
waste of all that hard work. To this day, I still can’t believe it actually gave up remains one of the best games on the
players the option to forgo story altogether... Commodore 64. It’s perfectly balanced, has
clever, deliberate gameplay and features a host of
Was losing the Mako a good idea? different robots to attack and master.
Absolutely. Surface exploration was underdeveloped and getting it right

001 999
would have required a significant redistribution of the resources Mass
Effect 2 clearly put to better use elsewhere. I certainly didn’t miss it at all.

What made Mass Effect 2 ’s climax so good?

It’s a combination of things, really. The so-called ‘Suicide Mission’ was The number of Controlling this
expertly set up to feel like a last resort, one final push from which some the Influence unstable droid
(or all) of the crew might not return. Pair that with the fact that it comes Devices you is the ultimate
after spending hours building relationships with those characters and control achievement

97%
8
their potential expendability becomes all the more powerful. Even when
you were in control, clever design left a lingering fear that something
could still go wrong at any turn.
The
The score number
Zzap!64 awarded of ships in

#1 50%
the game the game

Its position in The speed increase

our Top 25 C64 to Paradroid
Games feature Competition Edition

18 | 100 games to play before you die

 vvv
100 games to play before you die

57 Bioshock
■ Year:2007 ■ Platform: Various
■ Previous position: New Entry P
This FPS featured one of
gaming’s greatest worlds
in the underwater city
of Rapture, and offered

Ken Sugimori and Junichi memorable gameplay

too thanks to terrifying Big Daddy

Masuda talk pokEmon… encounters and plasmid powers.

56 Dungeon Master
It’s super effective! Pokémon
■
■
Year: 1987 ■ Platform: Atari ST
Previous position: 34 t

58 Pokémon Red & Blue Red And Blue is

one of just two games
which originated on the
Real-time exploration
made the corridors
of Dungeon Master a
■ Year: 1996 ■ Platform: Game Boy ■ Previous position: New Entry P
monochrome Game dangerous place to be –
Pokémon spent quite a long time in but still play together with friends at the same Boy to make this safe places were rare
development – why was that? time and all have fun. That was the basic idea list! indeed. Other developers took years to
Sugimori: It took about six years from the I had in my mind when working on this game. catch up with this phenomenal RPG.
start of the concept to execution. We started You can battle together and trade with friends
the project right after Quinty was released
and initially, we were aiming to have about
and family – you could even take your game to
a store, find someone you never met and ask
55 Jet Set Willy
fifty Pokémon. But every year, the technology them to trade Pokémon or play together.
■ Year: 1984 ■ Platform: Various
■ Previous position: 7 t
improved so while it started at 50, by the end of
about the fourth year we realised that we could Why do you feel that Pokémon remains so It might have needed
Ken Sugimori
do about 150 Pokémon. In that sense, I successful after so many years? a couple of pokes and
suppose we didn’t really have a set target Sugimori: At its simplest, it boils down to a Quirkafleeg to make
number – it just depended on the technology the fact that it’s easy to understand and it has it work properly, but
we had at the time. incredible diversity. The characters used today in the stunning sequel to
the TV show or in the movies are based on the Manic Miner is one of the most iconic
Why include different Pokémon types? ones we create for the games and through its platformers of the 8-bit era.
Sugimori: By adding even one more type, features, its abilities and its shape, you can quite
it definitely makes the gameplay more easily get an idea of what kind of Pokémon it 54 Dark Souls
complicated. So when we did that we had to is. There’s a great mix of cool and cute ■ Year: 2011 ■ Platform: Various
really look into the battle balance – with new monsters, making it easy for Junichi ■ Previous position: New Entry P
moves, there’s an almost infinite combination. If the audience to pick their Masuda
If you think that modern
we can solve that problem, we can always add own favourite. videogames are a bit soft,
more types – it’s not impossible. you owe it to yourself to
play Dark Souls. From
The series' most distinguishing feature is Software’s brutal RPG is
its emphasis on multiplayer gaming, a compelling experience, blending
which is unusual for RPGs. Why did strong design with an unrelenting –
you focus on this? but rewarding – difficulty curve.
Masuda: People say that when you play
videogames, you’re usually playing on
your own, so we wanted to create an
53 Shadow Of
experience where you can play the game The Colossus
■ Year: 2005 ■ Platform: PS2
Previous position: New Entry P
to
■

siv e Essentially a series of battles against

Exclu
colossal bosses, this action-adventure game
on Blue
ed Pokém hrew
maintains a solemn atmosphere thanks to its
R on Sands h
Pokém Ekans
barren setting and its plot. Victory has never
an ds las been quite so bittersweet.
S
Arbok Vulp ix
h les
Oddis Nineta
Gloom Me o w th
me n
Vileplu y Persia
Manke e lls p rout
B
a p e bell
Prim e
e Wee in ll
p
th eb e
Growli Victre
rca n ine g m ar
A
r Ma
Scythe Pinsir
bu zz
Electa

100 games to play before you die | 19

 strong the force is
with Greg Zeschuk
52 Star Wars:
Knights Of The Old Republic
■ Year: 2003 ■ Platform: Xbox ■ Previous position: New Entry P

How much freedom learned that players didn’t deal well with being
did you have when presented with too many choices, and that
creating KOTOR? choices in playable characters caused particular
We had a great relationship consternation so we preferred to slowly
with LucasArts, so that introduce characters and also give them a logical
was the foundation of reason for being. We also made sure it was
the freedom we had with clear that each character had personal stories to
KOTOR. There was a lot explore so players had motivation to play them.
of mutual trust. We also decided to pursue the
period thousands of years prior to the movies as What was the biggest technical
the setting for the game because we knew that challenge you faced?
any games set around the movies had a lot more On the Xbox version we were extremely
scrutiny. We had the choice of that period, or the aggressive in the streaming of content in real-
time just after Episode V. In the development time over the disc drive. We discovered that the
of the game itself we had a lot of freedom in game ran smoothly on some Xbox consoles,
deciding what to create and how it would be and not on others. When we inquired about it
made. We worked with the production team at Microsoft reluctantly admitted there were many
LucasArts and ran everything past them, but we different drives used in Xbox consoles along
took the lead on the development. with different performance profiles, so it was
clear we were pushing the data streaming past a
How important was it to move away from safe limit. That was a harsh one to learn a couple
the earlier films? months before release... It would have been nice
We wanted to be unique and special, as well as if Microsoft was up-front about that variability!
having good development flexibility, so it was
very important to be separate from the movies. Why do you think KOTOR remains so well
Thus the Old Republic period choice. We regarded by RPG fans?
wanted to create an environment for KOTOR I’d say KOTOR was a hit for a variety of reasons.
that was still reminiscent of the movies, but also Technically it was right at the forefront of games,
fit well into a period thousands of years before and a big advance over what we did previously
them. Ship and character designs should have and what other folks were doing at the time.
some similarity, but be clear precursors to what The RPG systems were solid, and had a nice
people are familiar with from the films. However balance of customization and flexibility. These
they still had to stand alone without being just a elements were important, but it was the story
few tweaks on the later designs. and experience of being at the core of a Star
Wars adventure that made the game special.
Why did you slowly introduce new We made the player feel unique and core to the
playable characters? world, especially at the big twist, but also as
We had a few common tactics that we have though he or she was experiencing a Star Wars
built upon over the years at BioWare. We movie from the inside.

Turn
to page 136

Goooooooal! for our making of

feature on
Sensible Soccer

51 Sensible Soccer
■ Year: 1992 ■ Platform: Various ■ Previous position: 8 t
If you loved football in the Nineties, you’re likely to remember some very
distinctive oddities: ludicrous banana shots, vowel-switched players like
‘Peul Gescoigne’ and a match-up screen which mysteriously featured the
same two players no matter which countries were playing. Yes, Sensible
Soccer was a little bit odd, but by pulling back the viewpoint and making
passing more intuitive, it captured the hearts of a public previously
enthralled by the likes of Kick Off 2.

20 | 100 games to play before you die

 100 games to play before you die

50 Doom II
■ Year: 1994 ■ Platform: PC
■ Previous position: New Entry P
Doom II is a sequel that plays it
straight, delivering bigger levels,
better multiplayer, more monsters
and a Super Shotgun for good
measure. Given how good Doom
was, that’s no bad thing – everyone

Jon Stoodley The

else was still catching up, after all.

Perfect Player Turn to page

50 for our full

47 Pac-Man making of feature

on Pac-Man
■ Year: 1980 Platform: Arcade ■ Previous position: 10 t
■

When did Pac-Man first Why do you think Pac-Man is so

49 Deus Ex get your attention?  popular with high scorers?
■ Year: 2000 ■ Platform: Various I was a devoted Berzerk I think the ‘split-screen’ and the ‘perfect
■ Previous position: New Entry P player in my local game’ of Pac-Man will always be a huge
At the turn of the century, Ion arcade, Las Vegas draw for high score interest. The myth
Storm’s classic was at the in Liverpool. It was of the split-screen and unlike more
forefront of PC gaming thanks to early-1981 when it had commonly known ‘kill screens’, Pac-Man
an incredible blend of RPG and a delivery whilst I was allows you to play your lives out.
first-person shooting gameplay. playing, and two huge machines were Perfect Pac-Man sometimes takes in
Two sequels have come along, but wheeled onto the arcade floor. They were excess of six hours. Never losing a life,
neither has had the lasting impact twin screen Pac-Man cabs and everyone never missing a blue ghost or bonus
of the original. looked in amazement, including me! It and never making a mistake makes the
wasn’t until later on that year that I would achievement of ‘perfect Pac-Man’ unique
accompany my brother Peter (who by then in classic gaming. It’s a fantastically simple
was a 100k player) to a game of ‘doubles’ game on the surface, but underneath that
and it just clicked. Within a few weeks I had surface it’s incredibly tough with many
a six-figure score. layers of gameplay.

What is it about Pac-Man that makes it What’s your favourite aspect of Pac-Man’s
such a great game? game mechanics?
Without doubt its diversity. It seems to I’m amazed at what the designers did with
appeal to absolutely everyone, regardless such little memory (in modern terms).
of age or sex. Even if you don’t particularly Pac-Man has great AI and although the
48 Robotron 2084 score big at Pac-Man, the game play is ghosts are not completely random in their
■ Year: 1982 ■ Platform: Arcade both very addictive and full of character. movements, they did a great job, though.
■ Previous position: New Entry P He was, after all, the first real character in I play freehand for the first 20 boards and
How many Xbox Live Arcade a videogame and instead of just being a manipulate the ghosts to do what I want.
games pinched their twin-stick ‘ship’ in a shoot-’em-up, you were a virtual Thing is, even the best players get caught
controls from Robotron? Quite Pac-Man being hunted by ghosts. I guess out by an occasional and completely
a few, but with good reason – he also responsible for spawning the random movement which amazes me
Eugene Jarvis and Larry DeMar phrase, ‘I’m on my last man.’ even today. Ghosts in the machine…
created one of the finest twitch
shoot-’em-up experiences
known to mankind.

100 games to play before you die | 21

 46 Lemmings Cheesy Cutscenes
■ We’re pretty confident that
■ Year: 1991 ■ Platform: Various Capcom didn’t intend for its
■ Previous position: 21 t ‘dramatic’ cutscenes in Resident
Mike Dailly is over the Evil to be hilarious but that’s
moon that Lemmings what happened. It works well,
made your list: “It’s great though, giving the series a
that many gamers love lovely B-Movie vibe.
Lemmings. I’d love Sony
to do more with them. We believe
the characters could be used in more
than the current
style, they’re
full of character
and are ripe
for different
genres.”

45 Speedball 2:
Brutal Deluxe
■ Year: 1990 ■ Platform: Various
Previous position: 43 t How capcom reinvented
the survival horror genre
■

It was hard not to be excited by

Speedball 2. Like the best sequels
it drastically improved on the
mechanics of the previous game, but
in this case it came at a high price.
43 Resident Evil ■ Year: 1996 ■ Platform:PSone ■ Previous position: New Entry P
Let’s bow our heads and take a brief
moment to remember Cinematic Tricks Item Storage Multiple characters
all the joysticks Turn to ■ Capcom made Resident Evil feel like a film ■ It infuriated many, but item storage became ■ Unlike early survival horror games, Resident
that fell to The page 94 for our by borrowing all sorts of useful tropes from a crucial part of making it out of Spencer Evil gave you the choice of playing two
Bitmap Brothers’ making of feature the movies, including smart panning shots, Mansion alive. You’d need to constantly juggle characters, Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield.
gruelling futuristic on Speedball 2 seeing your character from the monster’s view resources and have a good memory to ensure Both campaigns are notably different too,
sports game… and, of course, traditional jump scares. you always had what you needed. meaning plenty of replay value.

44 jon hare
on Sensible
world of
soccer
■ Year: 1994 ■ Platform: Various
■ Previous position: 56 s
I am delighted to see
SWOS placed so highly,
considering how many
great games have been it’s all about
the gravity
made over the years. My
intention with SWOS
was to make a kind of computerised
version of Subbuteo with the whole
world of football at your fingertips
and always someone there to play
42
■
Super Mario Galaxy
Year: 2007 Platform: Wii Previous position: New Entry
■ ■ P
it with you, the computer if not
your friends. The fact that it was Nintendo is amazing at making things feel new.
inaugurated by Stanford University When Mario first ran through World 1-1 of Super
as one of the ten most influential Mario Bros. it was fresh and exciting. Nintendo
games of all time is my greatest achieved the same effect when you first saw Mario
achievement to date and that people appear in Super Mario 64 and it pulled off the same
still love and play SWOS today, over trick yet again with Super Mario Galaxy. The first
20 years later, is amazing. time you run around a planet and start leaping around
while you’re upside down is the moment you realise
that Mario is the master of the platform genre. It’s no
surprise that so many of his games have gone on to
appear in your final list.

22 | 100 games to play before you die

 100 games to play before you die

Kazuma Kujo on creating one of

the arcade’s most iconic shooters
41 R-Type ■ Year: 1987 ■ Platform: Arcade ■ Previous position: 32 t
How did R-Type’s considering the players’ achievement
distinctive design – based on how far somebody
How To Demolish
R-Type’s first boss
originate? could get on a single credit [100
We thought it would yen]. We also paid close attention
be hard to invoke a to the changes that occur between
big scale atmosphere each stage. The colours and themes
with a biological change rapidly rather than gradually.
expression. This is why we settled on
the biomechanical design. I also think Tell us about the R-9 Fighter’s design.
by implanting machines into living In the beginning we considered
things, the game became interesting.

Where did the inspiration for the

a robot that could transform into
a combat plane, but as the game
developed, this idea gradually
1 Ignore the eyes, as
they are nothing but
a cheap distraction.
2 Focus all your firepower
on the stomach and
watch out for the small alien.
3 Detatch the ‘Force’ so it
rests in the stomach for
maximum damage.
bosses come from? changed into the ‘Force’ and
With regard to the design of disappeared. At the early stage of the
Dobkeratops, the original model was R-9’s planning, we wanted the ship to
actually one that our lead designer shoot up and down as well as front
had since joining Irem, and was to back. Initially, the ship could turn
used without any changes. With the around and shoot backwards as it
bosses we made a lot of effort to
create unique characters – something
that nobody had ever conceived,
transformed into the robot, but the
concept didn’t work very well. It was
then we realised that we could solve
4 If you take too long it’ll
move towards you.
Resist the urge to panic and
5 Sigh with
relief.

attacked or seen before. the problem using the ‘Force’. concentrate on that head.

What can you tell us about the iconic What was the ‘Force’ inspired by?
Stage 3 boss? The ‘Force’ was inspired by the ball-
The ship was originally intended to rolling Dung Beetle. Initially, it could
be the final boss, and was designed be added to the top and underbelly of
as the ‘moving base’ of Bydo. We the ship – not just back and front, but
were keen to have players destroy the we found the concept difficult to use,
surface of this giant ship but at the so we removed it. We were seeing
same time we also wanted all players so many shoot-’em-ups appearing
to enjoy this unique character, so the from other publishers, we wanted
decision was made to bring it forward to incorporate a unique power-up
to Stage 3. I think Stage 5’s boss, system into our game. We spent a lot
Bellmate, is the most interesting. It of time refining the specifications of
appears with so many masses of the ship and the look of the enemies
cells around it, which fly toward the at the beginning of the game.
player’s ship one after another, and its
attack pattern is unique. The player Why do you think R-Type remains
has to charge their shot to destroy it, so popular?
and I also like the rhythm of its attack. Some of the functions must’ve felt
fresh. The control over the ‘Force’
How did you balance R-Type? might look difficult but it becomes
Because the game was originally interesting once you get used to
developed for the arcade, we using it. Maybe the fun of learning the
made the balance of the difficulty formation of the attacks, the game’s
setting, creature designs, and so on
helped. I think the reason why this
game is appealing is because its
uniqueness never gets old.

100 games to play before you die | 23

 The hard
Mario’s developers on facts of
creating World 1-1 (half)life
40 Super Mario Bros. 39 Half-Life
■ Year: 1985 ■ Platform: NES ■ Previous position: 24 t ■ Year: 1998 ■ Platform: PC
■ Previous position: 38 t
World 1:1 does a great job of teaching the player the game and for the rest of it be able to generally enjoy
what to fear and what to avoid. How much the game. Even when our testing team was playing ■ Its opening intro of Gordon heading to work has
planning went into that design? the game I would stand behind them to see if what I been copied by countless other games.
Takashi Tezuka: I really think Miyamoto-san put a lot simulated or what I thought is happening or not.
of thought into the first course. Even if you look at the ■ It’s one of the first first-person shooters to tell its
draft documents as we drew it out we really simulated Takashi Tezuka: Sometimes you forget what a story through scripted sequences.
what a first-time player would do and experience. first-time player experiences or goes through as you
Emotionally too; if you saw a Goomba coming maybe continue to design games. It’s interesting to go back ■ Unlike other examples of the genre it throws in a
they would want to jump onto the platform on top. So and refresh what it takes, because just the game surprising amount of puzzles for Gordon to tackle.
we really looked at the details and simulated the player’s control of using your left and right hands very
experience and thought process, designing the course differently in itself could be a new experience for a ■ Characters will continually help Gordon on his
based on that. first-time game player. From that point of view it’s quest, adding to Half-Life’s atmospheric world.
really important and good to continue refreshing your
Shigeru Miyamoto: I don’t want people to think that memory of what that experience is. ■ While Gordon can utilise numerous weapons,
I’m a manipulator, necessarily, based on that comment. his reliance on a humble crowbar separates
It’s really about my intention of wanting players to really Half-Life from its peers.
understand the game mechanic, so just on the first and

shoot
second stages we want the player to fully understand

the core
38 Tomb Raider
■ Year: 1996 ■ Platform: Various
■ Previous position: 19 t

Everything seemed aligned for

the birth of Lara Croft. 3D gaming
was an exciting new medium that
developers were experimenting
with, while media from all corners
focused on Tomb Raider ’s leading
lady. While Core Design is no longer
with us, the legacy it left with Tomb
Raider is unquestionable. Lara’s first
adventure not only helped redefine
the adventure genre, but also began
a series of games that has spanned
two decades. It’s telling that even
with the high acclaim that the
reboots have received in recent
years it’s Lara’s original quest
that makes it into your final list.

24 | 100 games to play before you die

 100 games to play before you die

35 Monkey Island 2:
three steps to LeChuck’s Revenge
RPG Heaven
■ Year:1991 ■ Platform: Various
■ Previous position: New Entry P
It takes skill to approach

37 Final Fantasy VI a sequel to one of the

greatest adventures of all
■ Year: 1994 ■ Platform: SNES ■ Previous position: N/E P time and improve upon
it, but with smoother
Kefka A changing Deep interactions, greater production values
■ Final Fantasy world customisation and an even more humorous storyline
games had always had ■ Halfway through the ■ One of the things fans LeChuck’s Revenge managed just that.
villains, but none were game is a dramatic love about Final Fantasy is
quite as memorable as scene that alters the its varied RPG systems, 34 Bubble Bobble
the cackling, almost- layout of the world an element that FFVI ■ Year: 1986 ■ Platform: Arcade
comical bad guy Kefka. and acted as a displays beautifully with ■ Previous position: 12 t
powerful moment for its highly customisable Bubble Bobble‘s inclusion
the story, a facet that Magicite system. of a brilliant co-op mode
has since remained is likely to be the reason
a series staple. why so many remember it
so fondly. The game itself
was utterly replayable –
not least thanks to its multiple endings.

33 Chrono Trigger
■ Year: 1995 ■ Platform: SNES
■ ■ Previous position: New Entry P
Riding the wave of Final
Fantasy is one thing, but
Square felt it needed to
prove its status as king
of RPGs. A fascinating,
179th - storyline, a unique
The Leg
end Of Z combat system and a brilliant cast
Twilight elda:
405th T Princes made Chrono Trigger truly stand out.
he Lege s
Oracle O nd Of Zelda:
391th T f Sea
he Lege sons
32 Resident Evil 2
A Link B nd Of Z
elda:
■ Year: 1998 ■ Platform: PSone
483th Z etw Previous position: 97 s
elda II: T een Worlds
■

888th T h e A dventure
he Lege Of Link While it might not be quite
n
Skyward d Of Zelda: as breakthrough as the
Sword original, Resi 2 took what
made its predecessor so

How link went from

well-loved and improved
on it. It’s perhaps the

zero to hyrule hero

perfect Resi experience, thanks to its
amazing atmosphere and characters.

31 Grand Theft
36 The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker Auto V
■ Year: 2003 ■ Platform: GameCube ■ Previous position: N/E P ■ Year: 2013 ■ Platform: Various
■ Previous position: New Entry P
A cheeky chap Have some fun! Welcome to Ageless While GTA V might not be as
■ There’s something about this ■ As great as Ocarina Of GameCube originality groundbreaking as GTA III, a vast
youthful and cartoonish Link Time and Majora’s Mask are, ■ For many the, cel-shaded ■ This aesthetic hadn’t been world with an original three-character
that just makes him all that they’re just a tad too serious adventures of Wind Waker popularised at this point, but story makes it the definitive modern-
more charming to play as. He’s at times. Wind Waker, by helped signal just what the more than anything it’s helped day Rockstar game.
got a bit more of a naughtiness comparison, was a much more GameCube was about. While make Wind Waker one of
about him that you never really jovial experience, with talking the industry was onward the few games of the era to
felt in the more mature Zelda boats, friendly pirates and a towards a permanent, grit- withstand the test of time It
games, perhaps making a bit more comfortable setting for infused shade of brown, Wind means its originality can still
more sense for him to destroy comical – and, frankly, bizzare Waker proved there could still shine through, even if you were
everyone’s vases. – character Tingle. be fun in the industry. to play it today.

100 games to play before you die | 25

 matthew smith’s
greatest achievement
30 Manic Miner ■ Year: 1983 ■ Platform: ZX Spectrum ■ Previous position: 3 t
Retro Gamer received flak in the past for going
Turn to overboard with its coverage of the Miner Willy
page 62 for games. That criticism was probably warranted
our full making in the early issues, but as the latest survey
of feature on results show, the games are hugely popular with
Manic Miner readers. Manic Miner is the highest-charting
Spectrum original, and is the third-placed 8-bit
computer game overall behind Elite and Tetris.
And, being released in 1983, it also happens to be
» Certain screens were
the oldest game in the top 30. inspired by the popular
It’s not hard to see why the game retains its arcade games Matt
appeal after all these years. The initial impact enjoyed at the time.
was impressive at the time – imaginative and
colourful sprites, in-game music and sound
effects (on the Spectrum, no less) – but it’s the
perfect platforming challenge that has elevated
the game to classic status. Many of its 20 caverns
are exceptionally well-designed, and the game
rewards dedicated players by saving the very
best screens until late in the game. If you’re one
of those intrepid souls who’s made it through to
the final cavern and grabbed the cryptic items
at the end then you’ll know that the game’s
reputation is fully deserved. Manic Miner is
Matthew Smith’s masterwork and will always be
one the greatest games of the 8-bit era.

Derrick Rowson
Coder of Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy for the
Amstrad CPC (with Steve Wetherill)
Manic Miner feels more complete than Jet Set Willy. You do
a task and then progress. Jet Set Willy, on the other hand,
allows several tasks to be bypassed and other routes to be
taken. If I then attempt the missed task, and lose my lives,
I feel it was a wasted journey. Manic Miner seems to teach
skill as each level is passed. The more it is played the easier
it becomes. Jet Set Willy somehow does not feel this way.
I never had access to Matthew’s source code, but having someone else’s
code is sometimes not all that helpful. Matthew could code as the normal
person talked. He used to challenge people to write code quicker than he did. I
would bet that most of his code was written in one attempt – he would think of
something then just write the code. No flowcharts, no bit-by-bit writing to test
out his logic – just type it out and see if it worked. Which most of the time it did.

26 | 100 games to play before you die

 100 games to play before you die

Chris Lancaster
Coder of Manic Miner for the Commodore 64
Software Projects got in touch and
discussed the possibility of me writing
the C64 version of Manic Miner. I was
in the Royal Air Force at the time, so
any software development had to be
done in my spare time, but Alan Maton
was happy with that and bought me a
Spectrum so I could see how Manic Miner played. Five and
a half weeks of sleepless nights later and the C64 version
was ready, just in time to get it into the shops for when they
opened after Christmas.
To me, the simple gameplay of Manic Miner was the
key to its success. It’s a game that takes seconds to learn
the controls to play it, but can provide hours of amusement.
Programmatically, the basic game is not very complex,
but Matthew did a really good job of getting half decent
sound out of a Spectrum. The graphics were original and I
particularly liked the large head of Eugene.

Roy Coates
Coder of Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy
for the Dragon 32/64
Alan Maton from Software Projects showed me a
Spectrum running Manic Miner. This was the first
time I’d ever seen the game. He said, “We want
you to write that – for the Dragon.” The game
looked so simple, I was sure that I could knock
it out in a very short time. I was wrong. Three
months of hard graft later it was done.
There’s a certain something about Manic Miner. It seems to be
both mysterious and familiar at the same time. Although we looked
at every game we could get our hands on back then, none had the
same charisma that Manic Miner had. I still love it today.
I did add some extra screens for my own amusement. I’d
forgotten all about it until after the launch when Software Projects
» The Warehouse, with its
unstable floors, was called me and gave me a good ticking-off for not telling them.
one of the trickiest They were pleased, of course, since it generated more publicity.
rooms in the game.
It also allowed Dragon owners to gloat to their Spectrum-owning
pals. For once, the Dragon had more.

100 games to play before you die | 27

 Bethesda’s
Fallout 3 was the How war changed
second attempt at making
it – the original version 29 Fallout 3
was scrapped in 2003 when ■ Year: 2008 ■ Platform: Various ■ Previous position: New Entry P
Interplay closed Black
Isle Studios. ■ Full-3D environments gave a vastly heightened sense of immersion, drawing
players into the Capital Wasteland.
■ High-profile voice acting from the likes of Liam Neeson, Ron Perlman and
Malcolm McDowell lent the game a big-budget feel.
■ A renewed focus on the story and the downplaying of self-referential
humour kept the fourth wall firmly intact, in contrast to its predecessors.
■ Bringing the game to consoles took the series from cult hit to mainstream
success, bringing millions of additional players into the fold.
■ Not everyone was thrilled with it – the game attracted controversy in
Australia, India and Japan due to its themes and content.

Sega Of It nearly ended

America initially up on home computers
rejected Sonic Sonic’s exclusivity was a key
Despite having been designed to selling point for Sega consoles, but
appeal to the West, Sega Of America it nearly wasn’t exclusive. US Gold
initially branded Sonic as a complete announced that it had acquired the
disaster – in fact, it was so convinced rights to convert Sonic to the C64,
that the project was unsalvageable Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST
that it contacted a designer to and Amiga, with news stories
create a replacement appearing in ACE and Turn to
character. C&VG. page 114 for our
making of feature

The Speedster’s
on Sonic The
Hedgehog

many Secrets The ‘real’ credits

Sonic didn’t
originally fight robots
Early concepts featured Sonic
28 Sonic The Hedgehog are hidden in the game
The Team had to use
■ Year: 1991 ■ Platform: Mega Drive ■ Previous position: 11 t pseudonyms, but there’s a hidden
fighting a more traditional-looking screen with the team’s real names.
bunch of monsters. He also had When Sonic The Hedgehog hit the Mega Drive, it looked and To see it, play the game on a Japanese
a girlfriend named Madonna, but sounded like nothing else around – pop composer Masato Mega Drive and press C, C, C, C, C, C,
the damsel in distress concept Nakamura composed a catchy soundtrack and the graphics Up, Down, Down, Down, Left, Right
was dropped pretty early on to weren’t just well-drawn, they shifted about at an incredible pace. on the title screen. When the
differentiate the game from Or at least, they could. Sonic was never just about speed, and some demo starts, hold A, B, C,
Mario and Princess excellent level design challenged players to perform precision and Down.
Peach. platforming as well the odd daredevil stunt. Coupled with an
appealing hero, the game had all the tools to take the world by storm
and did exactly that, transforming the Mega Drive from a worthy
competitor into a mass-market success.

Robotnik’s Sonic used to

wrecking ball got around be in a band
It’s well-known that the wrecking Sonic was the vocalist of this
ball Robotnik uses in Green Hill Zone group, and he was joined by a
was originally a free-rolling hazard that rabbit a chicken and a crocodile.
could be pushed and even ridden, but They were originally set to feature on
there was also an unused swinging the game’s sound test screen, but
variant, which could take the place were cut for time reasons – the
of the more beneficial swinging free space was filled up with
platforms and the code the iconic Sega sound
still exists. effect instead.

28 | 100 games to play before you die

 100 games to play before you die

naughty dog
get real
26 The Last Of Us
■ Year: 2013 ■ Platform: PS3
■ Previous position: New Entry P
Can you talk about why you
decided to chose the over-the-
shoulder perspective, and how it
plays into interactive storytelling?
Ricky Cambier (lead designer): Ok,
so to talk about camera for a second

iga on his epic

– the difference between The Last Of Us camera
versus the Uncharted camera is basically… well, in
the Uncharted camera you’re further back, you can

symphony see all of Nate. In The Last Of Us, though, you’re

tight, the camera is brought way in on Joel. You

27 Castlevania:
are up close, there’s the sense that there’s danger
all around you. It’s intimate. Dangerous. You know,

Symphony Of The Night

every bullet counts.

The Last Of Us is noticeably

■ Year: 1997 ■ Platform: PSone ■ Previous position: New Entry P devoid of unnatural exposition
On Symphony Of The Night’s appeal dumps and unrealistic dialogue.
I wanted to change the impression that Castlevania was this difficult- How do you avoid these common
to-access action game. When we decided to adopt RPG elements, shortcomings?
we agreed that users should receive something good when beating Josh Scherr (writer): It’s important,
enemies. So I thought of adding XP to the game. I thought that even the for us, to have a compelling narrative that’s
users who were not good at playing this type of action game would be delivered in a believable way. The characters have
able to clear Symphony Of The Night if I adopted this particular system. to come first. As long as you create compelling
characters that have a convincing arc to the
On creating Alucard story, everything else can follow alongside that:
I decided to choose a character that had a special link to the previous gameplay, design and so on.
Castlevania titles. Personally, I liked Alucard very much and it was totally fine with me,
but I presumed that those who had been fans for a long time would be angry with our
decision since it was the first time the series ever had a non-whip-using character as a
hero. Alucard was just a really cool hero, and that is why I think Symphony Of The Night
has been received so favourably by the fans.

On Symphony’s music
The music direction has never led the creation of the game. I have always
asked Michiru [Yamane] to compose music in accordance with the actual Naughty
game and never the other way around. She co-ordinated with the team Dog’s reveal of The
and composed music from the image of the stages. Last Of Us was almost
spoiled in Uncharted 3, as an
On his favourite tune in-game newspaper referenced
My favourite is Castle Dracula which starts to play the game’s fungal infection
when Alucard enters the castle for the first time. I was theme. Players assumed it
impressed with the way the music starts to play once was another team,
Alucard enters the castle, and then suddenly the castle though!
gets bright and zombies start to appear. It might be
because that part was programmed by myself.

100 games to play before you die | 29

 The pop culture Why The Silent
Cartographer
references that defined is amazing
Rockstar’s classic game 24 Halo: Turn
to page 194

25 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Combat Evolved for our making
of feature on Halo:
■ Year: 2002 ■ Platform: Various ■ Previous position: 15 t ■ Year: 2001 ■ Platform: Xbox Combat Evolved

Vice City first made your list 11 years ago when it was still a
■ Previous position: 18 t
contemporary game. Despite having only been on sale for two
years, it appeared in your original top 20, proving that Rockstar’s Bungie’s game already
decision to set the game during the Eighties was a canny one that impressed with its intelligent
would resonate with a large number of gamers. Scarface story, satisfying gunplay and
Of course, even without its Eighties nostalgia, Vice City ■ The similarities detailed textures, but The
would still be an entertaining game thanks to its interesting lead between Tommy Vercetti and Silent Cartographer took
character, solid and varied missions and numerous subtle tweaks Tony Montana are many. They things to a whole new level.
to the gameplay that had made GTA III so entertaining to play. 11 both rise to power using insane It starts off brilliantly with
years on and the passion for it still burns stongly. amounts of violence and Master Chief receiving instructions as his ship passes
have similar-looking over a frantic battle. Later you’re in the thick of that very
mansions. same fight, tackling Elites, watching the soldiers you
just landed with fall, and doing your very best to get off
that damned beach. It’s a brilliant opening that only gets
more intriguing as you dig into the Covenent base.

The
Godfather
Yoshio
Sakamoto on
■ There are obvious
Reservoir Dogs parallels between Sonny Forelli

exploration
■ The most obvious connection and Santino ‘Sonny’ Corleone. In
is that Tommy Vercetti looks addition to having the same name,
remarkably similar to they both have the same mean
Michael Madson’s
Mr Blonde.
temper and want to muscle
in on the drug trade. 23 Super Metroid
■ Year: 1994 ■ Platform: SNES
■ Previous position: 89 s
Carlito’s We really didn’t want to explain things
Way to the player using too many words.
■ Ken Rosenberg not only We wanted to let them play and
looks incredibly similar to David work things out for themselves. For
Kleinfield in Carlito’s Way, but also example, say there’s a mechanism
has the same cocaine addiction and where you need to climb up a ladder
becomes increasingly incoherent and place a bomb there in order
and paranoid as the game to advance, as one component in
continues. the solution of a [gameplay] riddle; if that was all you
needed to do in order to get through to the next area,
you’d miss all of the other mechanisms we’d put
in place and wouldn’t even realise that certain parts
of the game existed. We wanted players to explore
everything we’d made. That’s why we designed the
Smokey maps in a way that the player couldn’t escape without
And The exploration, or in such a way that the player would end
Bandit up back at a starting point before advancing. The player
■ Burt Reynold’s character is would be cornered/driven and would be forced to stop
very similar to the role he plays and say, ‘Right, how
in the famous film and The should I think about
Bandit itself also features this area?’ That’s the
in the game. essential point of the
Miami Vice map design. The player
■ Lots of references to the had to ‘feel’ their way
classic TV show. Crockett’s through the game.
Theme plays, Philip Michael We wanted the player
Thomas plays Lance Vance to feel that they had
and the titles are made that discovery
similar. independently.

30 | 100 games to play before you die

 100 games to play before you die

Steve lycett Feels The Wind In his Hair!

22 Out Run Splash Wave 15% Passing
■ Year: 1986 ■ Platform: Various ■ Previous position: 44 s Breeze 8%
What's your first made its whole world feel more real. What mechanics does it share with
memory of Out Run? It wasn’t a racing game either, it was a OutRun Coast 2 Coast?
Putting 10p into a driving game where you were on real All of the driving remains very much the
stand-up machine in roads and the only opponent was the same between OutRun 2 and Coast 2
Chapel St Leonards clock, which was fresh in itself. Coast. The weight and handling was Magical Sound
and the force feedback driven quite mathematically through Shower 77%
totally taking me by What's your favourite music track some complex behaviours, plus the
surprise. Pretty sure
I got as far the split in the road, ran out
from the game and why?
I’ve always learned towards Splash
design was based on very specific curve
radii. Sega nailed the feel in the original What’s your
of time, then instantly had another go to Wave as actual driving music, but arcade game so it was very important favourite
see if I could do better. I was hooked!
Learning I could make the chicane at the
honestly I think my favourite track is
actually the map/highscore theme Last
we didn’t adjust that too far as part of the
experience is that perfect driving feel. OutRun tune?
end by shifting gears saw me through Wave. It’s such a bookend to the drive
to the next stage and I felt like it was me that even if you don’t make the end, you If you could go on a road trip with Yu
in that shiny red Ferrari. I’ve been in love can look at the sunset in the background Suzuki where would you go?
with the game ever since. knowing you did your best! The gentle OutRun 2 SP was a love letter to
waves in the background just evoke America, I’d love to do the whole Route
Why do you think that it remains seaside holidays too. 66 with Yu Suzuki in an open top 512BB.
such an iconic game? Splash Wave blaring out of course!
It delivered really on so many fronts. Did you ask Sega if you could include
Visually it was stunning and there is a real it in your OutRun 2 port? Would you like to make a new
sense of speed, it sounded great, each Sega insisted all the music was present, OutRun game?
car overtake feels like an achievement including Last Wave! I did suggest we We’d absolutely love to go back and do a
due to the roar they make as you drive use it for the XMB music before you third game, we’ve suggested it to Sega
past. The junctions are a masterstroke went into game, just to set the right feel. many times.
as it made you want to go and play again
just to see where you could go, you’d
not really had that freedom
available before so it suddenly

An epic space Gordon’s alive!

adventure
Turn

20 Half-Life 2
to page 80

21 Elite
where we talk to
Elite cocreator,
David Braben
■ Year: 2004 ■ Platform: Various
■ Year: 1984 ■ Platform: Various ■ Previous position: New Entry P

96
■ Previous position: 1 t

There’s still a lot of love out there for the epic space combat
and trading of Elite – it’s an impressive performer, as only
5 Years
The game’s
The game’s
score on
two Eighties titles and just one UK-developed game rank development time Metacritic
higher than Braben and Bells classic. However, the game
was at the very top of Retro Gamer’s 2004 top 100 list,
and narrowly missed the
top 20 this time around.
12 million+ Number of
copies sold

Everyone
Why has it slid down
the rankings? We have
put it down to shifting
demographics, particularly The people blown away by the Gravity Gun
when it comes to our
international audience and
the influx of Nineties kids. $40 million The game’s
budget

100 games to play before you die | 31

 You fight like a dairy farmer!
how appropriate! You fight like a cow!

Soon you’ll be wearing my sword like a shish kebab!

First you better stop waving it about like a feather duster.

There are no words for how disgusting you are.

Yes there are. You just never learned them.

Talk to… Ron Gilbert

Turn to page
100 for our The
Secret Of Monkey

19 The Secret of Monkey Island

Island feature

■Year: 1990 Platform: Various Previous position: 33

■ ■ s

So what made you also wanted to get off the boat and doling out information to you as
want to make an wander around those big pirate ships the player. We wanted characters
adventure game and interact with the characters. But, that you could get to know and
about pirates? to me, making Monkey Island wasn’t understand, and that’s just down to
At the time fantasy actually about making a realistic good writing. Where Stan came from
adventures, such pirate game, it was about making a was that during the [production of
as King's Quest, game that played on all the clichés the] first Monkey Island I bought a
were very popular, of movies such as Treasure Island car. And I remember going to the car
but because I've never been much of and Captain Blood. dealer and he wouldn’t let me leave!
a fantasy fan myself. I wanted to do
something different, something more One of the things that made the How did the idea for insult sword-
based on reality. Although the pirates games great were the memorable fighting originate?
in Monkey Island aren't really the characters like the bumbling I watched lots of old pirate movies
slimy 17th century bandits of the high Guybrush Threepwood, the undead for the first Monkey Island, and one
seas that they were, they're more a pirate LeChuck, Governor Marley, thing that stood out was that while
mix of swashbuckling Errol Flynn and, our favourite, Stan the Used- they were fighting they always
movies and the Disneyland Pirates Ship Salesman. Was it fun fleshing taunted each other with insults. I
Of The Caribbean theme park ride. these characters out for players? knew we needed sword-fighting in
That was one of my favourite rides at Well, at the time, a lot of computer a game about pirates but because I
Disneyland as a kid, getting on that game characters were like cardboard didn’t want to introduce any action
little boat and being taken on your cut-outs that spoke in weird half- gameplay the old movies provided
own pirate adventure, but I always sentences because they were just the perfect solution.

32 | 100 games to play before you die

 100 games to play before you die

Only once have I met

Nobody’s ever drawn blood such a coward!
from me and nobody ever will.
He must have taught you
You run THAT fast? everything you know.

I got this scar on my face during a mightystruggle!

I hope now you’ve learned to stop

picking your nose.

You are a pain in the backside, sir!

Your haemorrhoids are flaring

up again, eh?

How useful was the experience are still remembered and rated so
of developing Monkey Island for your highly by Retro Gamer readers
future adventure videogame projects after all these years?
like The Cave and your upcoming It’s very humbling. There are two
adventure, Thimbleweed Park? things in my career that I’m most
What is it like slipping back into that proud of. Monkey Island is one of
style of game? them and Humongous Entertainment
Monkey Island was the first game is the other. It’s amazing for me to
where I felt I had once-and-for-all hear what those games meant to
» LeChuck ominously anchors his ghost ship in
figured out what an adventure game people and to realise I was a part of a river of lava – as if ghost ships weren’t frightening enough…
should be. I learned a lot on those that. And that people that weren’t
games, and still use a lot of the same even born when the games originally
game design and puzzle construction came out are discovering them
methods today. If you look at the through the Special Edition versions
puzzle structure of Monkey Island and on their consoles or mobile devices.
the puzzle structure of something like I never would have believed it back
The Cave they share a lot in common. then… People tell me that they
And with Thimbleweed Park we are learned English or how to read from
definitely trying to capture a lot of playing Monkey Island. People have
the charm and sensibilities of the old had Monkey Island weddings. Two
LucasArts games... people have asked me if it was OK
to name their new child Guybrush. It
How do you feel about the fact that warms my grumpy heart. But not too » Meeting and fighting the Sword Master is just
the first two Monkey Island games much, I’m still grumpy. one of the memorable moments from Monkey Island.

100 games to play before you die | 33

 Bethesda’s Pete Hines
Why Sega’s on a modern classic
sequel rules 17 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
■ Year: 2011 ■ Platform: Various ■ Previous position: New Entry P
18 Streets Of Rage II How does it feel knowing our readers consider
■ Year: 1996 ■ Platform: Mega Drive ■ Previous position: 64 s Skyrim as much a classic game as Pac-Man,
Super Mario World and Elite?
■ The addition of new characters Max and Skate gave options for I think it’s a pretty great tribute to the team at
players who wanted extreme strength or unsurpassed speed. Bethesda Game Studios that it created something
■ Every character boasted new unique special moves, allowing them to people feel so strongly about, to be included
clear out crowds of enemies while inflicting major damage. amongst some of the most iconic,
■ Bigger sprites and better animation pushed the Mega Drive, bringing important games in videogame history.
the look and feel of coin-op beat-’em-ups into the home.
■ Yuzo Koshiro delivered another round of pulse-pounding Why do you think our readers consider Skyrim to be
dance tracks, somehow managing to top the excellent soundtrack one of the greatest games of all time?
of the original game. I would guess different people might have different reasons,
■ More varied enemy attack patterns included motorcycle assaults, but that’s part of what (I think) makes Skyrim great: it’s a
spectators jumping in from the background and strikes from above. game you can make your own. You’re telling your own
story of who you want to be, and what you want to do,
and the game allows that to happen in so many different
ways. It’s the combination of shared experiences and
experiencing things that your friends have never seen Turn
or done in the game. I am glad so many people to page 202
have enjoyed it so much. for our feature on
The Elder Scrolls V:

the final votes Skyrim

42.61% - Skyrim
15.22% - Oblivion
11.16% - Morrowind
1.1% - Daggerfall

1,965
Yu Suzuki’s forklift tweet
0% - Arena

Ryo goes to prior to the announcement

of Shenmue 3.

Hong Kong 1,571

16 Shenmue II
■ Year: 2001 ■ Platform: Various ■ Previous position: 66 s

They say calm comes before a storm, and Shenmue ’s sedate

pace gave way to a Hong Kong-based sequel which saw Ryo
engage in much more dangerous situations. From chasing down Skyrim
thieves to being chased by a chainsaw-wielding maniac, this is one of just
chapter of the quest for revenge against Lan Di involved much 11 games released
more fighting. If that doesn’t appeal, you can still drop by the in this decade to make
arcade and even race some ducks. your top 150 games
of all time.

34 | 100 games to play before you die

 100 games to play before you die

konami’s stealthy
success Turn

15 Metal Gear Solid

to page 174
four our ultimate
guide to Metal
■ Year: 1998 ■ Platform: PSone ■ Previous position: 70 s Gear Solid

!
Many games have imitated Metal Gear Solid ’s obvious qualities – its
focus on cinematic storytelling, its expertly-crafted stealth-based
gameplay and its bizarre sense of humour. However, the reason that
it’s so high on your list is that there’s arguably not been a game as
inventive since. Your memory card, your control pad, your knowledge
of real-life TV sets and even the game’s packaging were utilised in
imaginative ways to enhance the game experience. Lots of games are
clever, but Hideo Kojima’s 3D debut was –and is – a work of creative
genius that proved to be years ahead of the competition. 15th
97th - Me - Metal Gear S
tal Gear olid
335th - Solid 3:
Metal G Snake E
ear Soli ater
Guns O d 4:
f The Pa

Sonic Retro’s Courtney

430th - M triots
etal Gea
Sons O r Solid 2
fL :
500th - M iberty

Grimes On A Stunning Sequel 749th - M e tal G ear

etal Gea
Peace W r Solid:
alker

14 Sonic the Hedgehog 2

■ Year: 1992 ■ Platform: Mega Drive ■ Previous position: 42 s

When did you first

encounter Sonic 2,
and what did you
make of it?
Like lots of folks, I first
encountered Sonic 2
in Christmas 1992.
I remember poring
over the tome-like holiday guides put
out by Electronic Gaming Monthly and
GamePro, marking up the department really existed. We struggle now to
store catalogues that showed Sega retroactively figure out Western release
games and desperately hoping my dates around that time, but everyone
parents wouldn't screw up and knows Sonic 2 ’s day. Promotion for the
accidentally buy something for our Super game saturated every part of Nineties kid
Nintendo or Master System. Come culture: features on Nickelodeon, articles
Christmas morning, I start unwrapping in children's magazines, crazy and deepest influences to
gifts and the first box I open is an extra creative commercials that ran during kids not only Sonic games but platformers at
Genesis controller—so naturally with kid and teens' programming – it became large; Masato Nakamura's soundtrack there's a lot of popular nostalgia there.
logic, I start crying because my parents a cultural event of its own, and it was set the standard for what music in Sonic 2's emphasis on linear, branching
messed up. Needless to say, by the end something that even kids who weren't games should sound like. When you look paths also encouraged a thriving
I spent the entire day up until the wee that interested in video gaming knew at games from 1992 – Chiki Chiki Boys, community of tool-assisted speedruns
hours playing through to Metropolis about and got excited for. Kid Chameleon, Rolo To The Rescue – and glitch discoveries – what better
Zone, racing my family in two-player The scale of creative force that was Sonic 2 looks and feels light years ahead. game to compete with on time than with
mode and loving every minute. applied to the development of Sonic 2 a character who’s gotta go fast?
was unparalleled at the time. Having two What makes Sonic 2 stand out for The ambition that came with Sonic 2
Why do you think Sonic 2 is the most teams be in two different parts of the hardcore Sonic fans? also left us with a lot of cultural detritus
popular game in the series? world collaborating to make a game at Sonic 2 stands out for hardcore fans that has been a rich vein to mine –
It's important to remember that Sonic 2 a time when most development teams for a few main reasons: one learning about scrapped zones,
was a triple-A ranged from four to eight people obviously being that the game interviewing developer and
game before was like nothing seen before. The had the widest impact with using the leftover pieces
the concept of amount of finesse that went into sales of nearly 6 million to become game creators
triple-A games the art has provided some of the copies of the game, so finishing these bits and bobs
into full-blown zones!

100 games to play before you die | 35

 Zangief 8% E-Honda 4% Ken 25%

your
favourite
World
warrior
Chun-li 16%
Turn
to page 104
for our superb
legacy feature on
Street Fighter II
Dhasim 6% Ryu 21% Blanka 14% Guile 6%

street fighter V producer Peter Rosas

on capcoms seminal brawler
13 Street Fighter II ■ Year: 1991 ■ Platform: Arcade ■ Previous position: 27 s

What are your You have these iconic characters, recovery in the game. He also
earliest memories of whose design and fighting styles has the coolest looking combos!
Street Fighter II? are caricatures of the country they
My earliest memory represent. Although they seem What makes a great
was walking home outlandish, I think that in the back of competitive fighting game?
from elementary everyone’s mind they could actually The elements that make a good
school and stopping visualise a one-eyed kickboxer in fighting game are accessibility,
by the local bowling Thailand, or an enlisted soldier who depth, and balance.
alley right after they got Street fights out of the US kicking ass. Accessibility is important,
Fighter II. I just remember seeing this Another big reason is definitely the as you want more people to be stated enough.
large crowd of teens huddled around music. Just about every character able to play the game and actually Players like to feel that regardless
this one machine and wondering theme in Street Fighter II not only understand why they’re winning or of what character they use they
what it was they were watching. fits the character, but also the stages losing. The faster players can figure always have a chance at winning. A
When I finally got close enough to see in where the fighters do battle. The out the game system and move on to properly balanced game allows for
the screen, I was blown away by the music also helps raise the tension of the competitive aspect of it, the that. Some characters may have to
graphics at the time. the battle with the songs speeding up faster they can enjoy what a work harder than others, but at the
Another exciting memory was towards the end of each round. fighting game is all about. end of the day, that work is
when I first saw players landing Depth is important rewarded with a victory.
Guile’s sonic boom combos. Seeing Who do you consider the best because once players
his moves cancel into special moves character and why? understand the game How critical is the music
totally changed how I approached I think the best character is Guile. they’ll explore the engine to the game?
other characters, as it showed there He has great damage output, long to see what tactics they I think it’s pretty critical to
was more to the game than I thought. range attacks and the best projectile can devise to defeat the overall experience of the
opponents. If the game, as it can really immerse
Why do you think Street Fighter II gameplay is rigid, it runs the player into the game world.
remains so popular with gamers? the risk of turning off those When Street Fighter II was
I think there are quite a few factors who aren’t able to develop released, it had amazing
as to why Street Fighter II remains tactics against the ones visuals, innovative character
so popular to this day. I could go on they’re losing to – resulting and battle design - as well as
and on about the various reasons, in them quitting the game. some of the best music ever
but instead I will concentrate on two: Lastly, balance is an created for not only fighting
iconic character design and music. element that can’t be games, but games in general.

36 | 100 games to play before you die

 100 games to play before you die

GamesTM’s Jon
Gordon on a
NES classic
11 Super Mario Bros 3
■ Year: 1988 ■ Platform: NES ■ Previous position: 36 s

What's your earliest memory of SMB3?

Probably getting the game for Christmas and spending
several hours, still in my pajamas, playing through the
opening levels. The vibrant colour of the game compared
to the original was amazing. Plus getting the Super Leaf

Retro Gamer’s
and flying for the first time was mind-blowing.

karting heroes
Why was it an important platformer?
It was perfectly balanced from start to finish. As with any Miyamoto release it
teaches players effortlessly what the rules of the game are as you progress. It

12 Super Mario Kart was juggling so many new mechanics, but it instantly felt familiar and tighter
than anything else before.
■ Year: 1992 ■ Platform: SNES ■ Previous position: 13 s
How did it influence later Mario games?
Well, it established the Mario costume mechanic, with the Tanooki and Frog
We’re not surprised to see Super Mario Kart
suits, which has gone on to pretty insane levels in recent years. And we wouldn’t
chart so highly (although three Mario Karts in
have had the amazing cape mechanics of Super Mario World without it either.
the top 150 feels a little excessive). It was one
 
of the first games from Nintendo that proved
What level/world defines the game for you?
Mario had true crossover appeal, but it was
That’s tough. The first level (World 5-3) with the Kuribo shoe is a big one for me
also an excellent racer in its own right. Even
personally. It’s one of my favourite Mario power-ups. The Airship levels stand out
today Super Mario Kart is amazing fun to play,
though. The forced scrolling, barrage of cannon and Bullet Bill fire and imposing
particularly when having time trial competitions
soundtrack remain superb on all of them.
with friends, a mode responsible for many
missed deadlines during our university days.
The track design throughout is excellent,
there’s good variety between the eight
playable characters and the three difficulty
modes ensure plenty of replay value. Oh, and
it pretty much setup the entire kart racing sub
genre, too. All hail Mario Kart.

Darran
Jones
Editor
■ I choose Mario. It’s partly
because he’s a balanced character
and the star of the show, but it’s
also because I’m lazy and he’s Nick Thorpe
the first racer that’s Senior Staff Writer
selectable. ■ My allegiance lies with Yoshi
– he’s great at recovering from hits
Jonathan thanks to his excellent acceleration,
Wells and his top speed isn’t as woeful
Art Editor as that of the lightweight
■ Koopa Troopa all the way, he characters. Drew Sleep
always seemed like one of the more Production Editor
balanced characters but with an ■ Given the fact that Mushrooms
added speed boost. He’s still give you a boost the fungus-clad
my go-to character! Toad is synonymous with speed,
and I’m all about speed. He’s also
rather adorable, and equally
as idiotic.

100 games to play before you die | 37

 how Capcom’s fourth
Turn
to page 168
resi reignited a genre
where we talk to
the GoldenEye 007 9 Resident Evil 4 Turn
developers ■ Year: 2005 ■ Platform: Various ■ Previous position: New Entry P to page
198 for our full

David Doak
■T
 he over-the-shoulder perspective hits the sweet spot making of feature on
between the cinematics of a fixed camera and the Resident Evil 4!

picks up the
immersion of an FPS.
■L
 aser-sighted gunshots are damn handy for really

golden gun
hitting the shambling hordes where it hurts.
■T
 hose violent villagers really don’t take to strangers –
look how they work together to make your life hell.

10 GoldenEye 007
■W
 hen it comes to boss battles, these really are epic.
Del Lago put us off swimming forever.
■B
 uying and selling items is key, though why does
■ Year: 1997 ■ Platform: N64 ■ Previous position: 26 s the merchant never remember us? Shouldn’t
we have a loyalty card?
What was your role on GoldenEye?
The majority of my input was setting up the
single player levels, turning story into game.
I really enjoyed the challenge of getting
the main NPC characters to work. Their
behaviour and AI may seem dated now but
at the time I think all of the non-combat stuff
was very innovative. I did write some very
shoddy code to run the in-game watch menu, although I’m
sure Martin Hollis used to fix it when I wasn’t looking.

Why do you think it’s so fondly remembered?

Jon Romero revists id’s

A lot of things came together. It looked and sounded great
and was state of the art on the N64. The core gameplay was

game-changing FPS
well implemented and enhanced by game engine features like
location based hits, dynamic props, explosions, sniping... and
hats! Single-player transformed what features people expected
from an FPS. It had a variety of story themed objectives,
interesting AI, stealth based elements and all of this added to 8 DOOM
the feeling of being Bond. Then there was multiplayer. At the ■ Year: 1993 ■ Platform: Various ■ Previous position: 9 s
time, you couldn’t really play competitive FPSs without PCs
and a LAN but GoldenEye put it right in your front room. Is Doom the best game but only two weeks later we were as addicted to
you've been involved in? it as anyone else!
Would you ever play as Oddjob in a deathmatch? Yes, definitely. It was the right
Multiplayer Oddjob is a crutch for the incompetent. I think if you game at the right time and Why do you think the game is so well-loved?
choose him you are making a fairly clear personal statement. it was a lot of fun to create. It still feels great from a player control
As a company, Doom was perspective. The enemies are well-balanced in
where we really hit our stride. regards to the control afforded to the player and
Even though it wasn’t Tom the level design and sound effects create an
Hall’s cup of tea, everyone else was really into ominous atmosphere. Even though modern day
it. John Carmack pushed the industry forward FPS design has progressed, these elements still
technically with BSPs, multiplayer mode and make a fun game. It’s timeless in that respect.
the diminished-lighting 2.5D engine. Adrian
Carmack and Kevin Cloud created an amazing Which is your weapon of choice when
array of iconic art and Bobby Prince made a playing Doom?
great soundtrack. When we finished the game The Double-Barreled Shotgun. Second choice
we just didn’t want to see it again for a while is the Rocket Launcher.

Turn
to page 140
for our in-depth
ultimate guide to
Doom

38 | 100 games to play before you die

 100 games to play before you die

If you can Angst

get a character’s ■ You know how
HP to exactly 7,777 every Japanese RPG seems
in battle, they’ll perform to have a brooding, angsty hero?
a huge 64-hit attack in That’s Cloud’s fault. Having said that,
which each hit deals if you were forced to watch the life
7,777 damage. slip from the bodies of your
loved ones, you’d probably be
a bit miserable too.

Buster
Sword
■ If you’re going to have a
big, cool sword, why not have the
biggest, coolest sword that your Gil
can buy? Cloud subscribes to this
philosophy, which is why he carries
this absolutely enormous
wedge of a weapon.
Amnesia
■ Another classic Japanese
RPG trope, here – although in
Cloud’s case it’s not quite the case.
See, he’s got memories. It’s just that
you’re never quite sure which parts
of his life story aren’t exactly Pretty
true, and neither is he… Boy
■ Not only is Cloud a hit with
the ladies, earning the affections of QuestFor
both Tifa and Aeris as well as other Vengeance

Seven for Vii’s

characters, he’s capable of outdoing ■ Sure, Cloud’s issues with
the ladies when he crossdresses Sephiroth do stretch into the scale

Ultimate Hero
his way into a ‘meeting’ with of planetary jeopardy, but let’s not
Don Corneo. forget that more than anything else,
Turn he’s avenging the murders of

7Year:Final Fantasy VII

to page 158 his mother and his love
for our making interest.
of feature on Final
■ 1997 Platform: PlayStation Previous position: 4
■ ■ t
Fantasy VII

They say that you never forget your first, and Final Fantasy VII
was the game that introduced a whole generation of Western
players to Japanese RPGs. It didn’t just do that though – it gave 17%
the whole genre a much-needed makeover. The genre had Chosen One Of course
I did
Did you cry
long had a reputation for underwhelming visuals and cookie- ■ While Cloud isn’t half-
cutter ‘knights and dragons’ settings. Final Fantasy VII carried dragon or the last member of
a modern style and exhibited an extraordinary cinematic flair,
distancing it from the games that had gone before it, while
some ancient and powerful race, he
is the product of experimentation that
when Aeris died?
backing that up with a flexible battle system, an emotional has turned him into a formidable
storyline and an quest that takes dozens of hours to beat. combatant, in a way that none 53%
of his comrades quite Aeris Died?
match.

The Will
To Overcome
■ Cloud deals with some
pretty heavy psychological battery 30%
throughout Final Fantasy VII, but even No, but it
when his entire life crumbles around was close
him and he suffers a breakdown, he
still manages to eventually piece
things back together and
struggle on.

100 games to play before you die | 39

 Collector Cheryl Goacher
on her love of Hyrule
6 The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past
■ Year: 1991 ■ Platform: SNES ■ Previous position: 16 P
What is it you like about the Zelda series? swords-and-sorcery atmosphere that later games
That’s a tricky one. I guess it’s that feeling of exploration and struggled to match. Oh, and it’s the only Zelda game so
adventure that lured me in. I also enjoy the selection of almost far to feature a pink-haired Link!
fairy-tale-esque characters in the series. I guess that sums it
up well; it feels like a series of interactive fairy-tales. How did it improve on the earlier Zelda games?
Aside from the aforementioned ‘swords-and-sorcery’
How long have you been collecting Zelda merchandise? atmosphere, the power of the SNES allowed the Light
It was around the late-Nineties that I started seriously and Dark Worlds – and their populations – to appear
collecting Zelda merchandise, so over 15 years now. While more alive. This is especially true given the myriad
I’ve not been able to get everything I’ve wanted or found for characters and enemies you come across.
various reasons (space, money, availability, etc.), I’m proud of
what I’ve managed to get my hands on during this time. Which bosses stand out in A Link To The Past?
Turn
Avoiding the obvious Ganon/Agahnim answer, the
to page 128
What’s your earliest memory of A Link To The Past? Helmasaur King comes to mind immediately for some for our making of
When my family took myself and my brother to get our reason. Probably because of how imposing it looks, plus you Zelda: A Link To
SNES, the game I actually chose was Super Mario All-Stars! have to kill it by smacking its head with the hammer, which The Past
It was thanks to my Dad selecting A Link To The Past among is always fun! Moldorm also stands out, but for the wrong
his choices that I was able to experience it. I remember reasons; it’s a real nuisance to defeat if you’re not careful!
studying the instructions and map of Hyrule, reading up on the
backstory and becoming engrossed in this world, even before What’s the best weapon in the game and why?
playing the game! Once I started playing, I found it to be as The Golden Sword. It turns cute little Link into a death
magical as I’d envisioned after brushing up on Hylian lore. machine, especially when using the Pegasus Boots for
ultimate sword-ramming power!
Why do you think A Link To The Past is considered
the best 2D Zelda game? What’s the best moment in the game and why?
A Link To The Past not only provided the template that certain Strangely, I like a lot of the little moments as well as the big
future titles would follow, but it did so with a real fantasy, ones, such as when Link does a little spin and holds his sword
aloft after finishing a dungeon, or – rather morbidly – his Game
Over animation, which still holds more charm than other 2D
Zelda games that employ the same sort of animation.
Apparently
this was the exact
face Darran pulled

A Game With
Turn
when he played to page 152
Super Mario 64 for for our ultimate
the first time…
Depth
guide to Super
Mario 64

5Year:Super
■ ■
Mario 64
1996 Platform: N64 Previous position: 17
■ s

The transition from 2D game design to 3D wasn’t easy on many

developers. From Lemmings and Street Fighter to Sonic and so many
others, awkward transitions to the third dimension were a mainstay
of Nineties gaming. But if you were a Nintendo fan, you probably
didn’t notice that. When everyone else was struggling to find their
feet, Nintendo strode confidently into a new generation to show other
developers how it was done. Super Mario 64 wasn’t just a good game
or even a great game, it was a masterpiece of 3D platform game design
that went unsurpassed for a whole generation.
Instead of trying to directly port the largely linear stages that worked
in 2D Mario, Nintendo designed the game around open 3D spaces with
no fixed end point. Each stage offers a variety of objectives to ensure
that players explore every nook and cranny, from battles and coin hunts
to races and puzzles. The game is packed with memorable moments,
from little touches like jumping into rippling paintings to big set-pieces
like swimming with the manta ray. There are no rose-tinted glasses here
– Super Mario 64 is the essence of its genre, distilled into a single game.

40 | Nintendo Archives
 100 games to play before you die

Puzzle Perfection
4Year:Tetris
■ 1984 Platform: Various
■ ■ Previous position: 14 s
Turn to page
74 where we talk
to Tetris creator,
Alexy Pajitnov!
No game is quite so ubiquitous as Tetris. Just about
every format has a version, official or otherwise. You by the
might have been feeding your Game Boy batteries to
keep playing, but you might have bought one of the
numbers
100 million copies sold on mobile phones, or mastered 170 million: The last
Tetris: The Grand Master 3 in an arcade, or even hunted cumulative sales total given for
down V-Tetris for the Virtual Boy. It's a game that unites the Tetris series.
gamers of every experience level and every format. 35 million: How many of those
Of course, it wouldn't be so high if it weren't so were Game Boy Tetris.
good. Tetris is the kind of game that gets its hooks into 748,757: Twin Galaxies’ record
you – the compulsive nature of sorting shapes and points, scored by Uli Horner on
eliminating lines means that a one game can turn into Game Boy Tetris.
an all-night session. You can easily beat your score and 6: Number of times Portland Retro
you're sure that last game over was a freak accident. Gaming Expo has held Classic
There are prettier games than Tetris, as well as more Tetris World Championship.
complex games and games that will leave a lasting 5: Number of times Jonas
emotional impact. But are there any games which Neubauer has won Classic Tetris
inspire more addiction than Tetris? We don't think so. World Championship.

Flick

The World through

to page 188 for
Q&A: Shenmue Dojo’s
Simulator George Melita
our full making of
Shenmue

3 Shenmue When did you

first encounter
Shenmue?
of scale and fantastic pacing
helps the player appreciate their
surroundings. The setting has
■ Year: 1999 ■ Platform: Dreamcast ■ Previous position: New Entry P
I first heard of an charm, while the journey is
There’s never been a game quite as ambitious as Shenmue. Yu Suzuki the game when it seemingly endless and gruelling.
envisioned a mixed-genre epic combining exploration and investigation was rumoured to
with fighting, racing and all manner of minigames. Shenmue was to be a be Virtua Fighter Despite the fact that Shenmue
game in which you could talk to anyone, visit any shop you wanted and RPG. I eventually saw some was absent for so long, fans have
even use any vending machine. What’s amazing how comprehensively promotional CG art and eventually remained extremely passionate
that vision was delivered – though as the world’s most expensive Project Berkley. At the time, the about the series. Why does it
videogame development, it had to deliver. realistic and somewhat grounded command such loyalty?
Because Shenmue is so grounded in real life, it doesn’t have the typical approach set itself apart from Shenmue commands the player to
flow of a videogame. If you’re meeting someone at a certain time, you will many other games, so it was have a very personal connection
have to occupy yourself while you wait, and you’ll spend far more time something I wanted to try. with the games characters,
chasing down leads than getting into scraps – just like you would in your surroundings and story. This is
day-to-day life, right? It’s a game that moves at a sedate pace – one What are the qualities that set unique even by today's standards,
which allows some players to appreciate the detailed world in full, but Shenmue apart from others? though to have such an in depth
strikes others as ponderous. Attention to detail. Shenmue can title in 1999 was unheard of. The
Ryo Hazuki’s quest for revenge isn’t universally appealing, but the make an alleyway feel more alive series’ impact coupled with one of
players that love it do so with a burning passion because no game – and than some game worlds. This gaming’s greatest cliffhangers of
we’re including the sequel here – is quite like Shenmue. coupled with the perfect sense all time makes it tough to let go of.

100 games to play before you die | 41

 GRAPHIC ARTIST Mark R. Jones
ON LINK’S GREATEST ADVENTURE
2 The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
■ Year: 1998 ■ Platform: N64 ■ Previous position: 5 s
It’s quite unsurprising that all of you Tell us about your released in 1996, then Banjo-Kazooie
have voted Ocarina Of Time as one of first encounter with did the same in July 1998 (in my
the best games ever made, as even Ocarina Of Time. opinion) that had improved on the
now, nearly 20 years after release, I was a regular details that were on display graphics
it still possesses so many qualities reader of N64 wise, as well as expanding on what
that have guaranteed its legacy. It’s magazine and I’d you could do in this world contained
true, even, that a vast array of recent been particularly inside your N64. You had detailed
games owe a debt to Nintendo’s impressed with all the previews and background graphics with virtually
1998 masterpiece – highly-acclaimed screenshots that they’d been printing no ‘fogging’ in Banjo-Kazooie. Now,
modern games like Dark Souls riff for, seemingly, at least 18 months Ocarina was upping it again. So I was
heavily off of the environments, before the game came out. I seem looking forward to getting myself a
dungeon design, boss fights and real- to remember the game was very copy as I enjoyed the other titles. I
time combat that Eiji Aonuma and delayed, so our appetites had been don’t remember doing anything like
his team developed so remarkably whetted for a good long time before queuing up outside the shop for a
for Ocarina Of Time, adapting the we got to sample the game itself. I copy but I did get one quickly. Luckily I
well-honed Zelda formula for a new think someone had mentioned this was working in a record shop in town
generation of players. game was the next release for the and only had a few shops to walk past
N64 that was going to take it all to until I got to the local N64 stockist.
the ‘next level’. Super Mario 64 had
Turn upped the level when What do you feel the games
to page that was strengths are?
180 where we The major one for me was the
celebrate Zelda: combat system that made it really,
Ocarina Of Time

The best moments From Ocarina of time

Finding Hyrule Field The first encounter Coming of age An old friend
■ Much like the Elder Scrolls games, Ocarina ■ You approach Hyrule Castle only to see Zelda ■ Time travel mechanics were popularised by ■ After leaving her in the woods, you finally
opens in a self-contained area, Kokiri Forest, legging it out of there with her handmaiden. Ocarina’s sequel, Majora’s Mask, but they did reconnect with Saria after beating the Forest
before letting you loose on its world. Once After she’s lobbed the Ocarina Of Time into the feature as an important story beat here. When Temple. Saria is now the Forest Sage, and Link
you’ve ventured inside the Deku Tree, you leave moat, you find out why she’s in such a hurry you arrive at the Temple Of Time, you remove reawakens her by beating Phantom Ganon. Saria
the forest to find yourself in an – she’s being pursued by the Master Sword and are expresses her regret
area with loads of paths Ganondorf. This is transported to seven that Link vanished
to explore – in 1998 the first time you years into the future, for so long and
this was the most encounter him, and everything professes her
impressive game and it’s quite has changed… unrelenting
world out there. memorable. including Link. friendship.

42 | 100 games to play before you die

 100 games to play before you die

really, simple to engage in combat Also, the team did manage to

The music was great… with the various fiends and foes in the
game. Honestly, I’m pretty rubbish at
create what seemed like a whole
world in your N64 that you could
Those tunes have stuck in my playing games and in previous titles
I’d be flailing around trying to slash
explore at your leisure. Everyone
loves a bit of escapism and this was
head for 17 years and hack at whatever was attacking
me. Ocarina had this target-lock
perfect for that. It served me well over
the dark winter nights of late 1998/99.
Mark R. Jones
system where you’d be able to lock
on to the bad guy then all your attacks How important was it to the
would be aimed in the right place, evolution of 3D adventures?
exactly where it’s going to count. The As I said earlier, it upped the level for
camera worked well, too, you could those genre of games. Anything that
circle something that was attacking came out after this had to try and
you and the camera would pan round improve or beat this. Otherwise, what
so you could still see what you were would have been the point of even
doing. I rarely had any issues with starting another game of this ilk? It
that, I don’t remember not being looked great, you always just wanted
able to see myself at the most to get that little bit further to see what
important times. Games with it was going to throw at you next. The
dodgy cameras, for example, music was great, too, those tunes
would sometimes have a rock have stuck in my head for 17 years!
or a tree in between you and
the screen and all you could As a graphic artist, how does the
see was this rock and hear game world impress you?
the sound of your energy The animation was spot-on. Some
being depleted as you’re earlier N64 titles had some dodgy
scrabbling around trying graphics with people running with
to get this damn camera to bow legs, or slide walking. That
move position so you could always used to make me wince,
see yourself. However they when the floor you were supposed
did it in Ocarina and it to be running on moved quicker than
worked perfectly. the steps you were supposed to be
taking. Link stomped across that
landscape, you felt tired for him! You
could almost see his footprints in the
ground, he was putting some effort to
get to where he was going. Some of
those scenes were breathtaking when
you saw them for the first time. Watch
the intro to see what I mean, the sun’s
setting and Link’s riding his horse
across a field. You could just plug the
cart in and watch that for five minutes

HOW YOUR before you did anything. Gorgeous.

VOTES WENT 4.35%: Link’s

Awakening
5.65%: The
Legend Of
Zelda

The Horse Whisperer

■ When you return as an adult, Lon Lon Ranch 37.83%:
has been bequeathed to Ingo by Ganondorf. After 6.96%: Ocarina Of Time
paying Ingo to ride one of his horses, if you play Majora’s Mask
Epona’s Song on your ocarina, Epona becomes
tame and allows you to ride her. After a
couple of wagers, you win the horse
from Ingo, leaping over the walls
before coming to rest on top of
a hill in suitably heroic fashion.
A great moment. 12.6%: 32.61%:
Wind Waker A Link To The Past

100 games to play before you die | 43

 lakitu

the game to play

before you die
Nintendo’s magnum
opus sold over 20
million copies and
1 Super Mario World
Year: 1990 Platform: SNES Previous position: 2
■ ■

When Nintendo finally entered the

16-bit console race in November
■ s

and familiarity (in fact, the game bore

the subtitle Super Mario Bros. 4 in
1990, it was in the unfamiliar position Japan). With it, Nintendo intended
launched one of the of having to stake its claim to market to reaffirm its position as the world’s
leadership against real competition. leading developer of videogames –
greatest consoles The company responded in typical and it succeeded.
fashion, by launching the Super To advance the game past its
of all time. Nick Famicom with possibly the greatest superb predecessors, Nintendo
one-two punch in videogame history. assigned a mixture of veteran hands
Thorpe takes a look The turbo-charged Mode 7 racer and new talent to develop Super
F-Zero offered plenty of substance, Mario World. Of the 15-strong team
back at Mario’s but its appeal hinged on style and that developed the game, nine were
» This swarm of Bullet Bills is testament to the fact that
the lure of the unfamiliar. It was returning from Super Mario Bros. 3
very first 16-bit Nintendo’s way of demonstrating and one had previously worked
there’s a real challenge present.

technological superiority. On the on Super Mario Bros. 2, while the are largely drawn from Super Mario
platformer for the other hand, Super Mario World remaining five had no prior credits Bros. 3, albeit with a few tweaks. The
definitely looked the part, but its main and injected some fresh insight. The variety of special forms was scaled
Super Nintendo function was to provide substance other major change was a new lead back to Fire Mario and Caped Mario
game director – in this case Takashi (a new form, but one functionally
greatest game ever, Tezuka, who had previously served similar to Raccoon Mario), and Mario
alongside Shigeru Miyamoto as retained the ability to kick carried
as chosen by you an assistant director and later co- items but could not boot them
director. Miyamoto himself remained skyward. Other than
on the development team, but that, the
stepped back into the less hands-on
role of a producer.
As far as the basic game design is
concerned, the team wisely decided
not to fix what wasn’t broken. The

your block-based level designs are familiar

to anyone that has played a Mario
flying
goomba
favourite
» Sumo Brothers are challenging – they’ll hammer
lightning downwards, setting the ground below ablaze. game, and Mario’s skills and abilities

power-up

Cape Feather super

Super Mushroom
47% flying koopa
9% Star koopa

Fire Flower 17%

27%

44 | 100 games to play before you die

 100 games to play before you die

sumo brother

para-bomb
volcano
lotus

Pixel
Perfect
mask
koopa

ninji
amazin flyin’ dino rhino
hammer brother

pokey

mega mole

chargin’
chuck

banzai bill

Rex yoshi
koopa
monty
mole

pirhana
plant

wiggler dino-torch
muncher

100 games to play before you die | 45

 spike top

portly plumber gained a 19.8% of

new companion in the form readers included
of Yoshi, a dinosaur that Super Mario World
will grant him a ride and eat on their ten-game
quite a few of the enemies ballot – far in advance
that stand in his way. of Ocarina Of
The major innovation of Time’s 13.8%.
Super Mario World was its

GAME BOY structure. Super Mario Bros. had

introduced the concept of multiple

ADVANTAGE stage exits with its Warp Zones, and

Super Mario Bros. 3 had introduced a
Super Mario World only world map to the series. What Super
has one non-emulated Mario World did was to combine
conversion and Super Mario the two concepts into a non-linear
Advance 2: Super Mario World is experience. Whenever a stage had
» Super Mario World
certainly interesting… more than one exit, there was usually variation. When you first hear the offers visual cues – these slopes
a good reason to seek that extra overworld music, you get your first make the solution to this line of
enemies obvious.
When Nintendo chose to bring Super exit – at the very minimum it could experience of a melody that persists
Mario World to the Game Boy Advance lead to a secret stage, but it might throughout the game, forming the
back in 2001, it came across with a variety also lead to a warp or even one of the basis for almost every piece of action
of changes. The most notable of these is game’s Switch Palace stages. When music from the underground and
related to Luigi. As well as using his revised completed, each of the four Switch underwater stages to the castles
sprites from the Super Mario All-Stars Palaces activated appropriately and ghost houses. Likewise, while
edition of Super Mario World, he’s got coloured blocks throughout the game it's always visually enticing, Super
his high jump and slippery run back from – you could tell where they were Mario World 's wealth of levels means
previous games. Other characters have also meant to be thanks to the appearance that it inevitably reuses backgrounds
had a graphical touch-up, and the visuals of their coloured outlines. Often they and objects frequently. What's
have been brightened all-round due to the just made things a little easier by more, the game makes sparse use
lack of a backlight in the original Game Boy blocking off pits or providing extra of the console's advanced graphical
Advance model. While the music has all platforms, but occasionally they features – where other designers thwomp
been retained, there are definite differences would be crucial to making progress. might be tempted to design in
in sound due to the differences in sound In retrospect, Super Mario World such a way that highlights them,
hardware between the SNES and Game is surprisingly economical with transparency and Mode 7 scaling
Boy Advance. However, Mario, Luigi, the its resources, given its status as a and rotation are only deployed
Koopalings and the Boos have all gained showcase game for a new console. where they make sense in the
voices. There’s also a brand new intro Take the game’s music as an context of the game design.
sequence featuring Mario, Luigi and Peach. example – Koji Kondo’s soundtrack That's the real genius of Super
In terms of game design, a few changes makes excellent use of theme and Mario World, though – it is a
have been made – Dragon Coins have » Mario’s new dinosaur pal stomps enemies efficiently,
textbook example of a design team
been added to stages that didn’t previously but gains far more from eating them. managing to make a lot from a little,
feature them, and your spin jump protects because fresh ideas are never in » Blargg is a sneaky foe, checking
you from more enemies than in the original. short supply. You can take the scenic that you’re approaching before it
Once you’ve encountered a coloured Yoshi, route through the game, taking in as emerges from the lava.

you can find them in regular stages by many stages as possible on the way
finding an egg with certain power-ups. to the climactic fight with Bowser,
Additionally, if you’ve got the cape or and never encounter the contempt
fire powers, taking a hit won’t send you that repetition breeds. When you
straight back to your small form. The encounter a tense section in which
game can also be saved at any time. No you hop between moving platforms
matter which version you play, Super as buzzsaws hurtle towards you,
Mario World is an amazing game, but that's the only time it'll happen. Even
» Secret exits are the key to Super
the changes may cause purists to late in the game, you'll find new ideas, Mario World ’s long-term appeal (pun
stick to the original SNES version. like a maze built from overlapping definitely intended).
buzzy beetle

wizard

porcu-puffer

blurps rip van fish

46 | 100 games to play before you die

 100 games to play before you die

lil sparky

THE SHORTEST ROAD Donotyou want beat this classic, but are pressed for time? Worry
– with this guide, you’ll have the game finished quick
swoopers

hot head

1 Start with Yoshi’s Island 2

and play normally until you
reach Donut Plains 1. Once you
2 In Donut Secret 1, you’ll
need to find another secret
exit – you can do this by finding
3 Donut Secret House has a
hidden boss fight – you’ll
need to trigger this vine,
4 Beat each Star World stage
by finding its secret exit. In
Star World 2, you can acquire
5 In Star World 4, use your
Yoshi to fly beneath a
section of blocks to reach
get there, grab a cape from a a P Switch, then using it to turn pictured above, then use a a blue Yoshi which gains the the exit. You can now access
Super Koopa. Use it to fly to the these blocks into coins so you P Switch to reveal a door at the ability to fly when its mouth is Bowser’s Castle and beat the
key near the end of the stage can retrieve the key from the top. Beat the Big Boo and you’ll full – make sure you leave the game, having seen just 12 of
for a secret exit. Question Block. gain access to Star Road. stage with it. the game’s 72 stages.

about gaming that people love. It

Super Mario World is looks nice, sounds wonderful and is
masterfully designed, offering players boo
surprisingly economical with an experience that can be enjoyed
in whichever way they prefer. If you
buddies

its resources want depth and discovery, Super

Mario World can give you that. If you thwimp
layers of moving rock. Those ideas But Super Mario World was want to make your way to the end
which are re-used, such as the new all the more special because it as quickly as possible through brute
puzzle-centric Ghost House stages, represented the end of an era, as the force, that's allowed too. It represents
» Ghost Houses typically offer simple
are presented in ways which leave last traditional 2D Mario platformer familiarity, as a sequel featuring one obstacles but tricky navigation,
each encounter feeling distinct. to hit a home console for many a of the most recognisable characters requiring brainpower
over quick reflexes.
What's all the more surprising is year. Yoshi's Island was a marked not just in gaming, but in all of pop
that this level of creativity is found departure from the traditional Mario culture. However, as a launch game,
in the series' fourth game. Some of style, and Nintendo took its mascot it also represents the thrill of new
it can be attributed to the power of into the world of 3D for his next major things – that unforgettable rush of
the SNES allowing the designers to console game. By the time Mario's excitement you experienced when
do things that had previously proven side-scrolling adventures returned you saw hardware doing things
impossible, and the addition of a in the New Super Mario Bros. series, you'd never thought possible, and
save battery certainly enabled the traditional pixel art and chiptunes had the unbounded possibilities that
enormous game world to be realised. been left behind and things never presented themselves in your mind
However, credit must also go to the quite felt the same. as a result. It's a game that can be –
development team for breaking new According to your votes, Super and has been – enjoyed by players of
ground when it would have been Mario World is the greatest game all ages, from all over the world.
easy to just provide a slightly prettier of all time. It's not hard to see why, Shared nostalgia is what brings
version of what had gone before. because it comprises all the things us together as retro gamers, and
according to you lot, no other game
appeals quite so broadly. All hail
Mario – the King Of Games.

dry bones

bony beetle

» Hanging off a dangling rope while avoiding buzzsaws is » The boss themes use the same melody as the action
a unique thrill – it only comes up once. stages, but they feel completely different.

urchin

fishbones torpedo ted

100 games to play before you die | 47

 Q&A: Robert
Fennell
Known online as GreenDeathFlavor, this speedrunner
shares his insight on demolishing Mario’s finest game
Boss Rush
What kind of hero would Mario be if he didn’t bring down a few behemoths
on his travels? Here’s a rogue’s gallery of the miscreants he comes up
against in Super Mario World
When did you first encounter Super Mario World,
and what did you make of it?
My first encounter with Super Mario World
happened in 1992, when we got a Super Nintendo reznor
and my siblings and I were playing in the living
room. I was a Mario kid – we had all of the Mario
games. My best Mario memory is when I was
1 This quartet of fire-breathing triceratops
stands atop a set of rotating platforms. You’ll
need to bump them from underneath, but watch
first in our house to beat Super Mario Bros.. out! Once you’ve knocked a couple of them from
their platforms, the ground beneath you will start
What’s your fastest completion time for Super Mario World, and to give way. If you can’t take out the remaining
how did you achieve it? beasts, you’ll need to hitch a ride on their
My fastest completion is in 9 minutes 47 seconds (9:47.58). I carousel in order to finish them off. Oh, and if you
acheived that in January 2015, breaking a tie between myself and were wondering, Reznor is named after the Nine
dram55 when we both had a personal best of exactly 9:48.98. Inch Nails frontman, Trent Reznor.
The run was done using a glitch in the game known as the
‘cloud glitch’. When Mario collects a coin that Yoshi is about
to eat, it gets replaced by the next available sprite, in this case,
the Chargin’ Chuck. Chargin’ Chucks have the ability to give
power-ups when eaten. In 2014, it was discovered that you can
eat a Chargin’ Chuck as small Mario and the game will give you a
Lakitu cloud. The Lakitu cloud is useful because it can manipulate
Bowser in the Bowser fight, making him stop instantly when it's
moving off-screen to the left. This means you can complete the
final battle up to a minute faster.
In January I finally got a solid run with a good Bowser battle Big Boo
which resulted in a new record which has stood for ten months
now, but is beatable. The record could very well come down a
full second or more with a perfect run.
2 Mario spends most of his time running away from
these ghostly baddies, but the Big Boo resident in Donut
Secret House is an aggressive sort. Unlike his compatriots
elsewhere, he’s capable of disappearing at will and is
Why is Super Mario World such a good game to speedrun? accompanied by a couple of regular Boos. You’ll need to pick
I believe it's a good game to speedrun because it's a relatively up Grab Blocks from below and throw them upwards at Big
easy game to learn. A lot of levels are beatable by just flying Boo, but they’ll only hit when he turns visible. Three hits
over them. There's also a lot of variety with this game. If you're should be enough to see him off for good.
looking for a fast easy run you can do any level. If you're looking
for something a bit longer you can do no Star World. Of course,
there's 96-Exit where you beat every level in the game. You could
even challenge yourself with the no cape category.
Iggy Koopa
What techniques are essential for any Super Mario World
speedrunner to succeed?
You should play through the game a bit to get used to the game
3 After battling your way through Iggy’s castle, you’ll
encounter him atop a tilting platform, floating in a sea
of lava. What follows is a deadly sumo contest, as you try
and its physics. Then practice every level and watch videos to to push him into the molten rock while he tries to toast
learn new strategies. New runners can find videos for every level you with fireballs. When you jump on him, he’ll always
on smwwiki.com. I like to use a lot of visual and sound cues. I slide downwards – so ideally, you want to time your hits
think it's important to find these cues for executing moves with for when he’s close to the edge and it’s tilting down. Fire
tight input windows. When you have all the basics down you can Mario makes this fight a walkover, incidentally.
begin to study and learn glitches if your goal is to get a fast time.
If you really get into SMW speedrunning and learn everything
then it's all about the grind. You can't get record
overnight, you need to put in a lot of
attempts. When I first started I had times
of over eleven minutes. It took me about
a year and a half before I got world
record in my category, so patience is
definitely required.
blargg

48 | 100 games to play before you die

 100 games to play before you die

Morton Koopa Ludwig Von Koopa Roy Koopa

4 Your mere presence is enough to

drive Morton up the wall – literally, as
he runs towards the wall and then runs
6 Hey look, it’s a throwback to the original
Super Mario Bros.! Ludwig is much like
the Bowser of old, standing on the right of
7 Roy’s fight is much like the battle
against Morton, but harder – the walls
are closing in, making for a claustrophobic
straight up it and onto the ceiling. Once the screen and breathing fire at you, but now work environment. He is defeated in
he’s up there, you’d better keep moving as he’s got a twist – a spinning backflip which exactly the same way.
he’s going to try to jump down onto you. makes getting behind him less of a brilliant
When he lands, turn the tables on him and plan than it might seem. Jump on his head a
jump on his head. He’s the game’s easiest few times and you’ll see him off. Incidentally,
boss, and a few hits will see this him off Ludwig Von Koopa boasts one of the game’s
without much of a fuss. few non-repeated boss templates.

Lemmy Koopa Wendy O. Koopa

5 Lemmy is quite happy to try to trick you rather than attack

you directly, momentarily emerging from pipes while
employing two decoys. The only threats here are the fireball
8 Wendy shares her brilliant plan with the
hare-brained Lemmy, substituting the
uneven pipes for a second bouncing fireball –
lazily bouncing around the screen and the time limit, although so you face a greater threat, but with greater
the pipes make movement slightly tricky. Jump on Lemmy’s mobility. Jump on her head.
head three times and you’ll defeat him.

Bowser

10 One of only two completely unavoidable boss

fights in the game, Bowser has various angles
of attack. He’ll try to ram you with his flying machine,
he’ll drop fire on you from above, he’ll roll giant
metal balls at you and he’ll lob Mechakoopas at you.
The latter are important – to beat him, you need to
immobilise them, then lob them upwards and on top
of Bowser. After a couple of hits, Peach will give you
a mushroom. Then rinse and repeat!

Larry Koopa

9 Larry has borrowed that fancy tilting

platform from Iggy, and he’s hooked up
the lava fountain to spit up some nice deadly
fireballs too. Give him a nice hot bath.

100 games to play before you die | 49

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

50 | 100 games to play before you die

 Craig Grannell talks to Toru Iwatani about how he created the
most iconic character in videogames history, devised one of the
most enduring and copied game formats, and how he revisited IN THE KNOW
his creation for Xbox 360

W
ith modern-day game characters often being consumed, its eyes ‘escape’, hastily retreating to the central ghost
designed and scripted to ape Hollywood movie pen, whereupon it’s reborn.
stars, it’s somewhat pleasing to note that a yellow This gentle, good-natured gameplay was no accident, as the
circle with an insatiable appetite for eating pellets game’s designer Toru Iwatani explains. “In the late Seventies,
remains the most enduring videogaming star videogame arcades, which in Japan we call
to date. After all, which gamer hasn’t played ‘game centres’, were just playgrounds for boys,
some variant of Pac-Man? According to a May and the only videogames on offer were brutal
2008 report by the Davie Brown Celebrity affairs involving the killing of aliens,” he
Index (dbireport.com), which scores celebrities remembers. “My aim was to come up with a
to evaluate potential product spokespeople, game that had an endearing charm, was easy
Pac-Man was recognised by 94 per cent of US to play, involved lots of light-hearted fun, and
consumers, outstripping even Mario, which that women and couples could enjoy.” Publisher: Namco/Midway
is pretty impressive stuff. Pac-Man’s appeal is, Iwatani started thinking about videogame
Developer: Namco
ironically, akin to Hollywood heavyweights like ideas in which the key word was the verb ‘eat’.
Released: 1980
Tom Hanks and Will Smith. And, yes, the pizza rumour is largely true –
Part of this appeal is no doubt down to the suitably, while at a lunch, a fast-food favourite Featured Platform: Pac-
Man: Arcade (which was
fun, peaceful nature of Pac-Man and his actual » Toru Iwatani with an altogether cuddlier forever changed the course of gaming history. subsequently converted to
version of Blinky/Akabei, along with similarly
actions. He explores a simple maze, munching “With ‘eat’ established as the key word, a shape various home systems)
soft versions of Pac-Man.
dots, pursued by a quartet of cartoon ghosts. caught my eye,” recalls Iwatani. “I had ordered Genre: Arcade
When Pac-Man eats one of the maze’s four power pellets, the a round pizza, and it was missing a piece.” In a ‘eureka’ moment,
EXPECT TO PAY: £400+
ghosts turn blue and flee, having suddenly become edible and Iwatani says, “the shape of what is now Pac-Man flashed through for a cabinet; 50p+ for
decidedly non-threatening. However, even when a ghost is my mind.” home conversions

100 games to play before you die | 51

 Even in those early gaming days, videogame characters With the game’s basic content dealt with, Iwatani realised it
Hack-Man had a little detail, but Pac-Man was forever destined in his first wasn’t yet much fun, and so enemies were added to the mix,
With its efficient, simple incarnation to remain a yellow disc with a basic mouth, like an providing tension and excitement, and making it a challenge
gameplay and aesthetics,
Pac-Man was popular fodder incredibly simplified version of Iwatani’s lunch. He notes that for players to grab food from the maze. Unusually for the time,
for the hacking brigade. some suggested at the time that other components should be Iwatani not only developed rudimentary artificial intelligence
Basic hacks involved minor added, such as eyes, but then there would be no end to the for the ghosts, but ensured each one had its own personality
gameplay tweaks, such as additions. It seems keeping things simple paid off in spades. “As of sorts, due to moving and attacking Pac-Man in its own way.
speeding things up, while
design concepts, both Pac-Man and the ghosts have a simplicity “The adversarial TV cartoon Tom And Jerry helped shape the
slightly less basic hacks
messed about with the maze, and endearing charm,” Iwatani says of his decision to keep the relationship between Pac-Man and the ghosts,” recalls Iwatani.
graphics and sound, adding graphic design streamlined, also suggesting that the visuals of “Had the programming been such that the four ghosts constantly
to the original game’s pristine the game helped it appeal to female gamers of the day. attacked Pac-Man’s present location according to the same
polish a veneer of sticky and

T
algorithm, the ghosts would look like a string of beads. Where’s
semi-random digital jam.
The hideous Joyman, with its he elegant clarity of the character design also the thrill in that? So I introduced AI-type algorithms that had the
ghastly audio and broken maze influenced the game itself. The food for Pac-Man to eat ghosts coming at Pac-Man from all directions.”
layout, most notably kicked was initially strewn all over the screen, but Iwatani was And so we were introduced to Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde
Pac-Man in the head with all keen to ensure gamers would immediately know what (Akabei, Pinky, Aosuke and Guzuta in the original Japanese
the subtlety of a size-ten boot.
to do. “I wanted to simplify gameplay operation, and so the idea release). According to Iwatani, the ghosts attack in waves, before
The most effective hacks
are those that respect the occurred to me of constructing a maze in which movement was dispersing and attacking again, which gives the player some
original formula – Hangly- restricted to the four basic directions – up and down, regular breathing space and appears more organic than
Man’s amended mazes – but left and right,” he says. With this structure in place, the kind of incessant attacks that had plagued earlier
GL’s Piranha is an exception. the game’s objective became more obvious, and arcade games like Space Invaders. (Over time,
Removing the maze and
shifting the setting to a the lead character soon gained his moniker, ‘Pakku these waves are harder to identify, and the ghost
claustrophobic underwater Man’, based on Japanese slang ‘paku-paku’, which attacks become swift and relentless, somewhat
cavern – the eponymous describes the sound of the mouth while eating. contradicting Iwatani’s desire for a non-stressful
piranha pursued by ravenous (The original game’s title subsequently became game, but providing a necessary long-term
octopuses – gives the game
Puck Man. The US publisher, Midway, renamed it challenge for seasoned players.) Although gamers
an edge in terms of focus and
originality that other hacks Pac-Man to stop wily hoodlums amending the ‘p’ in often disagree with exactly how the algorithms
typically lack. ‘puck’ to an ‘f’.) work in practice, Iwatani has in the past stated that

I designed the game so players of

any age and either sex could play it
straight away, without reading a
game manual Toru Iwatani

» When Pac-Man won awards, it didn’t mess about:

these are for the ‘most successful coin-operated
game in history’ and ‘game of the century’.

52 | 100 games to play before you die

 PAC-MAN

Conversion capers
Blinky is designed to chase Pac-Man, but that
Pinky’s goal is to aim just in front of Pac-Man,
hence why the two often seem to ‘sandwich’ the
hero. The movement of Inky and Clyde is more
random, the end result being that Pac-Man is
With myriad Pac-Man conversions available, we look at
pursued in a natural way, rather than in a robotic, the most curious examples
pre-defined manner, which makes everything in the
game feel that much more realistic.
The attacks aren’t entirely one-sided, however;
as noted earlier, the maze contains four very useful
power pellets, which temporarily transform the
ghosts into a ‘scared’ blue form, enabling Pac-Man to turn the
tables, hunt and eat them. “The inspiration for the power pellet
was the spinach in the TV cartoon Popeye,” explains Iwatani.
“The power pellets didn’t exist in the planning stages at all – they
emerged during the development stage as a feature for turning
the game around, and made the game vastly more interesting.”
Although the completed Pac-Man ended up shipping well Atari 2600 VIC-20
Embarrassingly drawing attention to itself via While most VIC-20 owners had Atarisoft’s dire
over quarter of a million units, Iwatani notes that the game’s an ‘Atari National Pac-Man Day’, this conversion conversion, Japanese Commodore fans were
impact wasn’t immediate: “In Japan, the game met with a supposedly resulted from marketing pressure. A enjoying HAL Laboratories’ superior take on
lukewarm reception at first, but it then proved to be a long seller flickering mess, the game’s dreadful maze layout Pac-Man. Commodore renamed the game Jelly
over several years.” Amusingly, its success in the USA also took and ropey gameplay led to a shortfall in sales, Monsters outside of Japan, but fell foul of Atari’s
people by surprise, with ‘experts’ of the time judging Rally-X to with five million cartridges left gathering dust. legal hammer of doom, and withdrew the game.
be 1980’s game to watch. However, Iwatani’s ability to attract all
kinds of gamers, rather than just teenagers keen on blowing up
aliens, hit home. “Overseas, it was a massive hit – people who
normally didn’t play videogames became avid fans, and there
was much media coverage of the playing of Pac-Man,” he recalls.
The game has also stood the test of time, being converted
to myriad platforms, and it regularly appears on compilations
and various online services to this day. “I designed the game so
that players of any age and either sex could play it straight away,
without reading a game manual,” says Iwatani of his creation’s
enduring popularity. “The game also contains numerous detailed
stratagems for reading the players’ psychology.”
MSX Fujitsu FM-7
Namco’s 1984 MSX release eschewed the Instead of following the MSX conversion’s
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Iwatani claims he’d not revise his horizontally stretched mazes of most home method of dealing with varying aspect ratios
game in any way. “At the design stage, there was a ‘shutter’ conversions, instead shifting the score display to between arcade and home screens, 1984’s
feature, which opened and closed, acting as an obstacle in the the side of a smaller maze that retained the arcade Japanese FM-7 Pac-Man release rotates the maze
parent’s aspect ratio. This device remains in use by 90 degrees. This means no stretched maze and
path of the maze,” he says. “But I’d change nothing from the final today – eg: in Pac-Man plug-and-play TV games. no weeny graphics, but the change disorientates.
game. Why? Because Pac-Man is complete to such an extent that
to add or to subtract anything at all would be unacceptable.”

Game Boy Advance iPhone

A touch of the crazies descended over Nintendo The Pac-Man conversion for Apple’s handheld is
HQ when the NES Classics line reached Europe. mostly unremarkable and accurate, but the lack of
With collectable boxes ditched and prices raised, tactile controls results in curious control methods:
you got a botched port of the bog-standard NES ‘swiping’, an on-screen D-pad, and tilting to move
conversion for more than the superior Pac-Man Pac-Man. Swiping works best; directions are
Collection cost at the time. Nice. confirmed via an on-screen joystick.

» Semicon’s mid-Nineties Hyper Pacman provides an almost Bomberman-like take on Pac-Man,

throwing strange boss fights into the mix.

100 games to play before you die | 53

Pac-Man milestones A brief overview of notable arcade-based
Ms Pac-Man (1981) Super Pac-Man (1982) Jr. Pac-Man (1983)
Fed up waiting for Namco’s Namco’s Pac-Man sequel Midway again did the naughty,
Pac-Man sequel, US distributor disappointed many outside of creating this effort without
Midway struck a blow for Japan, due to the fact that the permission, and Namco
gender equality by releasing gameplay was substantially terminated Midway’s licensing
GCC’s Pac-Man hack. Along altered. You still clear mazes, but agreement. Namco still
with speeding up the game and munch targets behind gates that doesn’t recognise the game as
amending the hero, Ms Pac-Man open when keys are guzzled. A official. With its scrolling levels
includes new mazes, more ‘super power dot’ makes Pac- obliterating the original’s tightly
varied ghost behaviour and Man grow Hulk-like, to devour honed strategic gameplay, it’s
moving fruit. everything in his path. easy to see why.

» UA rampaging Pac-Man on level one devours a ghost before laying eyes on the cherries. Meanwhile, a resurrected » Pac-Man Arrangement, released in 1996 as part of Namco Classics Collection Vol.2, is a
Pinky sets out for revenge. successful Pac-Man update, with pretty graphics and interesting new features.

Developer Despite having worked on a rwide ange of classic titles over Pac-Man Championship Edition broadly retains the original’s

Highlights the years, including the excellent Time Crisis and Namco’s
classic racing game, Ridge Racer, it’s clear Iwatani’s heart always
core gameplay, tasking the player with navigating a maze to
eat dots, fruit and power pellets and avoiding roaming ghosts.
remained with his disc-based creation. During the Eighties, he However, some major changes were made to the formula, in
was involved in both Pac-Land and Pac-Mania, with the former order to keep the game relevant and ensure it was more than
being his favourite. “It pioneered action videogames in which just the original game reskinned.
the scene flows horizontally. According to its creator, Shigeru Rather than the player having to simply clear a maze in
Miyamoto, Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. was influenced by Pac- order to proceed, Pac-Man Championship Edition plays like a
Land,” he says, proudly. time-attack game, and the player has a strict time limit in which

H
to score as many points as possible. As with Pac-Man, this is
owever, it was during 2006 that Iwatani finally got the done by consuming dots and ‘scared’ ghosts, but the longer you
LibbleRabble!(pictured) chance to both return to Pac-Man’s roots and design stay alive, the more each dot is worth (and the faster the game
System: Arcade an engaging, modern-day evolution of his original becomes). Also, the maze is now split in half (which initially
Year: 1983 creation. Interestingly, instead of releasing the game in takes a little while to get used to). Clear one half of dots and
Pac-Land the arcades, the chosen platform was Xbox Live Arcade, and the bonus fruit appears in the other; eat said fruit and new dots are
System: Arcade game became Pac-Man Championship Edition (PMCE). spawned in the previously cleared half. “The horizontal maze
Year: 1984 “The time was right for a next-generation Pac-Man, because came about due to the prevalence of widescreen displays,”
Ridge Racer the Xbox Live Arcade environment supports real-time explains Iwatani, noting that the split-maze device also creates
System: Arcade competition with score-ranking via the internet, and improved non-stop action, unlike the original Pac-Man, which ‘interrupts’
Year: 1993 design through its hardware specification,” explains Iwatani players upon a level’s completion. “And the timeout feature
about the origins of PMCE. “My aim with the game was to increases the sense of speed and excitement in the game,
achieve legitimate evolution, with simplicity of game design and making it a very thrilling experience. Also, score ranking via the
absence of the superfluous as my guiding principles, because, in internet provides competition, which has been a great success.”
my opinion, few players look for complexity in gameplay.” Iwatani adds that one of the key aims was to have people
Guided by the same ground rules that defined Pac-Man – worldwide competing, the logical modern-day equivalent of
immediacy, simplicity, immunity to language and cultural Eighties’ high-score table on the original Pac-Man.
differences, and “that sense of wanting to play and have fun, Perhaps ironically, PMCE was, unlike Pac-Man, critically
which is what the world’s videogame players are looking for” – acclaimed right from the start. 1UP.com ranked it alongside

54 | 100 games to play before you die

 PAC-MAN

Pac-Man follow-ups
Pac & Pal (1983) Pac-Land (1984) Pac-Mania (1987)
Here, Namco again moved Pac-Man finally left the maze, Pac-Man finally returned to his
further from the original gained legs, arms and a roots in Pac-Mania, although as
Pac-Man. Ghosts can only be face, and was tasked with you can see his surroundings
stunned rather than eaten, battling through this early are markedly different. The
and now flipping cards opens side-scrolling arcade game, its isometric maze scrolls, and
gates to reveal items. The ‘Pal’ levels peppered with Pac-Man the ghosts tend to roam in
of the title is the infuriating imagery. Although repetitious, packs. Although, in Pac-Man’s
Miru, who makes off with your the game is initially fun and it’s favour, he can now jump and he
bonus items, taking them to the more successful than Namco’s occasionally finds bonus items
inaccessible ghost pen. previous two efforts. that speed him up.

» Piranha is a decent Pac-Man hack, removing the maze

and thereby creating a different and tougher game.

Pac-Man’s guiding principle is

With grateful thanks to Tetsuya
Hayashi for invaluable assistance

‘fun first’
» Several levels in and the ghosts become faster – you barely have in realising this interview.
time to eat them after consuming a power pellet. Toru Iwatani

Geometry Wars in terms of a classic game format being each,” he suggests, thoughtfully. “A sumptuous party dress
reworked, noting that it was “a lot more than just a tarted-up Pac- may be of limited practical value in daily living, and the same
Man.” Joystiq’s Jared Rea blogged: “A better name for it would applies to over-elaborate videogames in the videogame market.”
have been Pac-Man 2, […] a name that gets the point across On retro titles – ‘pick up and play’ games popularised by the
that Pac-Man Championship Edition is the first true sequel to the internet, XBLA, Nintendo DS, Wii and iPhone – Iwatani thinks
game since Ms Pac-Man.” this might be a sign that the actual game, rather than aesthetics,
Iwatani modestly suggests that some of the acclaim might is again becoming the main concern for developers: “Hardware
be due to low expectations for a Pac-Man game, and says the specifications 20 or 30 years ago restricted powers of expression,
response of game players exceeded his expectations, citing the and so the rules of the game were decisive in attracting users.
many internet-based critiques that offered “splendidly glowing The current boom in retro games is evidence of a universal
evaluations”. (Happily, and despite claims to the contrary, Iwatani fascination with game-playing itself.”
also assures us that PMCE is not necessarily to be his swansong, We finish off the interview by returning to Iwatani’s original
since he continues to be involved in videogame production. So, Pac-Man. We were keen to know how it must feel to be the
take that, internet rumour mill!) designer behind a game that almost everyone knows – one that

W
perhaps only Tetris can challenge in terms of sheer widespread
ith 30 years of experience in videogames design, appeal? “People view the work in different ways, from different
including the most iconic games character viewpoints. Some see it as being broad and shallow. For others,
of them all, Iwatani is now, perhaps suitably, it is narrow yet deep and praised,” considers Iwatani. “What is
involved in teaching aspects of videogames gratifying about this is that people find such different reasons for
design to students at Tokyo Polytechnic University, along with loving it.”
conducting research into games for social purposes. Although And as a final word, Iwatani reckons that there are still things
Pac-Man has always remained popular throughout the years, his 28-year-old creation can teach modern-day games designers,
we wondered what Iwatani made of the games industry’s developers and publishers. “Pac-Man is the perfect videogame
tendency towards over-complication and movie-like games, because its design gives top priority to the player and to a spirit
along with the relatively recent resurgence in retro-orientated of service,” he concludes. “Its guiding principle is ‘fun first’.
titles. “We should carefully gauge the preferences of light users, This concept is in my view invincible and what I look for in the
who normally don’t play videogames, and the preferences videogame creators of today, that they understand the importance
of videogame aficionados, and then design products to suit of capturing people’s hearts.”

100 games to play before you die | 55

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

"DEFENDER" T.M.

WILLIAMS ELECTRONICS, INC.

One of the most ruthless blasters to hit arcades, Defender is the sort of game that puts hairs
on your chest (even if you’re a girlie). Eugene Jarvis chats to Craig Grannell about the title
that started him off, detailing Defender’s rise from a wannabe Space Invaders clone to the
iconic game we know today

I
t’s hard to imagine a time when point home that you’re rubbish and that and Asteroids, and thought we’d put the
every game – no matter how Defender is one tough cookie. two together and create an even greater
simple the concept – felt fresh In these enlightened times, we’ve game,” laughs designer Eugene Jarvis,
and new. But it once existed. Take, seen hundreds of side-scrolling shooters, amused by the naivety of his younger
for example, Defender, designed by but when Defender appeared, it was so self. “But the practical realisation of that
gaming legend Eugene Jarvis. For the revolutionary, so different, and had such was a real pain in the ass…”
uninitiated (and if you’re one such complex controls that many assumed First, hardware considerations caused
person, are you sure you’re reading it would flop. But eventual strong problems. “Back then, games were
the right magazine?), Defender is a sales and many sequels and remakes black and white, with plastic transparent
wraparound side-scrolling shooter, (see Stuart Campbell’s The Definitive overlays for colouring different screen
with a small cast of deviously designed Defender in issue 29 for an overview) elements,” he says. “So we thought,
enemies, and a defend-and-rescue subsequently confirmed its legacy. ‘What’s the future here?’ We decided
theme. The aim is to stop Lander However, it’s the original Defender four colours would be enough, but we
aliens making off with your small that excites gamers most, with its mix of wanted this system to be for the future,
crop of humans, carelessly exposing relentless, ruthless enemies, fine-tuned so we did 16. I mean, who would ever
themselves on the stark planet’s controls and on-a-knife-edge gameplay. need more than that? Sixteen colours
surface. When a Lander snags a What its fans perhaps don’t realise was way more than would ever be
human, it rises to the top of the screen, is that Defender wasn’t as original as utilised in a game.”
consumes it, becomes a crazed Mutant, it seemed at the time, and it evolved Resolution was boosted from the
and comes after you. Lose all your guys from an early game mash-up. “I was industry norm of 256x256 to 320x256,
and the planet explodes, driving the strongly influenced by Space Invaders because “screens are wider than

56 | 100 games to play before you die

 DEFENDER

» Lacking the grunt of its arcade parent, the flicker-fest that is the Atari 2600 version replaces the pixel-line landscape with
skyscrapers.

they are tall, so this gave us a better

aspect ratio and the potential for a
The original Defender excites gamers most,
better-looking game”. Also, due to the
team “not really knowing anything
with its mix of ruthless enemies, fine-tuned
about hardware”, the decision was
made to utilise a system that moved
controls and on-a-knife-edge gameplay
objects in software rather than hardware
– commonplace today, but rare at the
after a week or two we figured out that it
wasn’t much fun [laughs].”
it sucked,” says Eugene. “We realised
Asteroids without the vectors and
IN THE KNOW
time. “The computer had to write the spinning thing was just a bad version

F
pixels to the screen for every object, or the next iteration, Asteroids of Asteroids…”
which was costly, meaning we couldn’t was wheeled out. Unfortunately, The team also recognised that the
put much on the screen,” explains Eugene’s hardware was raster- main problem was that many of their
Eugene. This fact alone drove various based, hampering the graphics. ideas were simply too derivative. After a
design considerations for Defender. “We wanted to have an Asteroids-type brainstorming session, the team decided
We ask Eugene how Defender’s ship that would rotate, but it looked one of the coolest aspects of playing
gameplay came to be, and he notes rubbish, because you’d rotate it and the Asteroids was flying off one side of the »Publisher: Williams
how games were so simple in that era pixels were all jaggy,” recalls Eugene. screen and appearing on the other – the Electronics
that you could throw a concept up on “So we thought we’d make it round wraparound effect. “We thought you » Developer: Williams
the screen in a couple of weeks and play ’cause if it’s round and you rotated it, could have a game where you’d fly off Electronics
with it. He recalls various concepts were nothing could go wrong.” the screen, but it would kind of scroll, » Released: 1980
trialled, with the first basically being a Unfortunately, this cunning plan didn’t and you’d keep flying into a bigger » Platforms: Arcade; later
Space Invaders rip-off. “You moved a lead to the mega-game the team hoped universe,” remembers Eugene. “That converted to various home
systems
little missile base, but instead of just for. “We had this cursor that moved might seem obvious now, but most
shooting upwards, you had buttons to around and showed where you were games in that era were on one screen, » Genre: Shoot-’em-up
shoot diagonally! We thought this was going to shoot. We fooled around with and so we thought it’d be very exciting to » EXPECT TO PAY: £500+ for a
going to be the greatest thing ever, but this for a few days before figuring that fly into a larger world.” working cabinet

» Dull clones like Annihilator lack the defence and rescue components of Defender. » A young Eugene Jarvis shows off his natty Stargate T-shirt. » Judging by the landscape, you may well be defending a sparse Egypt. At least there aren’t any tourists.

100 games to play before you die | 57

 » Strangely, the best home conversion wasn’t official – it was Planetoid, a clone for the BBC Micro, which aped the arcade » Pausing momentarily to admire the beautiful particle effects, the pilot suddenly realised two Mutants were about to get him.
game’s brutality, controls and special effects.

The cast of Defender Eugene’s game had the initial spark

it needed. The decision was made to fly
working at Williams on acclaimed pinball
titles, suggested the player should be
Your ship: It can fly through the ground and catch horizontally only, to avoid the rotational able to fly in both directions, an idea
falling humans, but one hit from a hostile and it problems of raster graphics, and then to that was duly implemented. “But there
will explode. take Space Invaders and flip it on its side. still wasn’t any real game there, and
“You moved your ship up and down so we had to get back to the basics of
Humanoid: Ten humanoids litter the landscape, with the Space Invaders-type control as what makes a cool game,” says Eugene.
awaiting capture by Landers. They’re annoyingly you flew sideways, and that provided “In that era, games were really about
unarmed and blasé about the whole thing. the impetus for the layout – the basic survival, which is certainly the most
geometric formation of powerful human instinct.”
Defender,” says Eugene.

E
Lander: Landers teleport in and descend on
humanoids. If they capture one and reach the top “We then threw some ugene realised the
of the screen, they fuse to form a Mutant. stuff out there. Originally, player needed a
there were supposed suitable threat: “You
to be Asteroids rocks – can’t have a world
Mutant: These creatures move erratically and home
in on your ship, firing projectiles. you’d shoot the rocks and where nothing’s wrong –
they’d make little rocks. there’s no challenge, no threat,
Horizontally scrolling no bad guy. In Space Invaders,
Baiter: The speedy aliens home in on you with Asteroids. And that wasn’t you had the invaders – they
speed and accuracy if you hang around a level much fun. It was like: » Eugene Jarvis proves he could happily have came down, dropped bombs
for too long. worked for Zzap!64 during the Eighties.
Man, this idea of making and killed you – they were
a videogame mean. We needed some enemies…”
Bomber: This cube-like alien lays stationary mines is a real pain in the Somewhere along the line, the game
that float in the air. ass [laughs].” By this point, the team received its moniker, Defender, and
had spent six months working on the although the reasons for this are largely
Pod/Swarmers: When shot, the sluggish star-like project, and, in Eugene’s words, it still lost, Eugene reckons it was influenced
Pods burst into packs of tiny Swarmers, which fire sucked, but it was fun flying around the by the idea that if you want to commit a
projectiles and move in an oscillating fashion. landscape. Eugene’s friend Steve Ritchie, lot of violence, you need to be justified

» Even the more playable home ports, such as the depicted C64 release, lacked the arcade game’s speed and effects. » Presumably those humanoids were holding dead man’s switches, because now they’re gone the entire planet’s blown up.

58 | 100 games to play before you die

 DEFENDER

» Boom! The ship explodes into a ball of particles. Get used to seeing this happen a lot when you first play Defender. » Our hero flies low to blow up a cluster of Swarmers, no doubt causing a ‘friendly fire’ incident at the same time.

in doing so by defending something. suddenly lifted Defender to a whole new psycho Mutants that homed in on your
This way of thinking led to the team’s level: “A lot of the game’s excitement craft with alarming speed and accuracy.
next major breakthrough. “We knew comes from the visual effects. Sam’s Although this made things tougher for
we needed to make the game more genius was in making these particle the player, the mechanic of capture
complex and interesting, and so we effects – at the time, we didn’t know the added a rescue element to the game.
added friendlies that weren’t you,” says term – whereby an interactive explosion “After a Lander captures a human, you
Eugene. “This added depth to the play
mechanic, because you weren’t just
was created upon shooting a bad guy.”
With explosions being created
have this chance to get around the world,
shoot it and save the man,” says Eugene. Developer
blindly shooting everything in sight, algorithmically, they changed depending This shift from shooting to defending Highlights
which gets monotonous – just killing, on where bullets hit the Landers, to rescue aligned with Eugene’s NARC [pictured]
killing, killing, like manning a fire hose.” resulting in a visual feast of on-screen philosophy that the best games are System: Arcade
Now, there was something to fireworks. This was in marked contrast those that enable you to make a Year: 1988
defend. A planet was added, depicted to the more typical canned ‘blam frame’ comeback, rather than merely offering Smash TV
as a line of pixels, due to hardware most games used. “That’s so boring, an “inexorable downward slope towards System: Arcade
limitations – “Maybe half the real-time because no matter how and where you your inevitable death”. This idea of Year: 1990
was dedicated to just writing this little kill something, it’s always the same,” redemption after screwing up, possibly Cruis’n USA
line on the screen,” says Eugene – and says Eugene, who likens Sam’s effects via some heroic measure, found its way System: Arcade
the Lander was introduced as the first to watching the surf – like waves, each into other areas of the game. When all Year: 1994
bad guy. “All of a sudden, the game explosion is unique. “It gave Defender an humans are gone, the planet explodes,
got interesting: you had a purpose, you otherworldly feel. You’d be mesmerised leaving you surrounded by hostile
were trying to protect these guys, and when shooting three or four Landers at Mutants, but every five rounds, the
you had an enemy,” remarks Eugene. the same time, watching them blow up humans and planet are restored. “A
“But it still wasn’t that exciting.” this way and that, and dancing around in player needs a chance to make a
Although modern games are regularly this ballet of destruction.” comeback,” says Eugene. “Life is like
criticised for placing style over substance, On a roll, the team took things further. that – ups and downs – and this cyclical
Eugene reckons it was the visual effects Landers started grabbing humans, feel makes a game more interesting, and
implemented by Sam Dicker, an 18- taking them to the top of the screen, ensures it’s never hopeless. That feeling
year-old self-taught programmer, that consuming them and turning into a gambler has, knowing there’s always a

100 games to play before you die | 59

 » Landers and Mutants converge on the weary pilot, who really wishes he’d become an accountant.

chance of hitting the jackpot with his last and created that time pressure, which However, he does admit that the original
Punishing players dollar – that’s what keeps you going.” was a big thing then – putting the player feeling was to put a four-way joystick on
Because, in Eugene’s words, “you get into a vice and slowly tightening it, the left hand. “The thing is, a four-way
“Luckily, I wasn’t a great player,
otherwise Defender could have
tired of shooting the same thing after a ramping up the intensity.” Along with directional controller was a new idea
been really hard,” jokes Eugene while”, the Landers were joined by some offering new gaming experiences on in arcades at the time, and we couldn’t
about his game’s notorious allies. First came the Bombers, aliens the screen, Defender provided unique find a reliable mechanism,” he says. “So
difficulty level. “It was part of that lay stationary mines in the air. “It’s controls, which often seem alien to we threw in a button to reverse, and it
that era to completely humiliate interesting how the laws of physics are modern gamers. Eschewing a four- actually feels better to me. When playing
a player and grab their money,
creating this anger where they’d malleable in Defender – men fall to their way joystick, Defender uses a Space Defender on a console with a four-way
want to put their foot through deaths, mines float, and the ship can fly Invaders-like control to move the ship joystick, it doesn’t feel right. There’s
the glass, but then decide they through the ground,” says Eugene. “But up and down, but buttons for forward something about the reverse button –
were going to beat the game.” this supports the gameplay by being thrust and reversing direction. “Defender you can just slide across the screen, and
According to Eugene, the
flexible, instead of imposing a rigid set of was maybe the first side-scrolling you get more control… And it was also
controls were the main obstacle
for most: “It was so new, and mechanics that would have resulted in a shooter game, and it was based on very cost-effective.”
sterile and restrictive game.”Subsequent playing Space Invaders with your left

A
no one had really done a game
where you flew horizontally enemies were designed to create new hand and Asteroids with your right,” lthough the controls and
through multiple screens. Many elements of play. Pods and Swarmers explains Eugene. “It was amazing how difficulty caused Defender
thought they were playing
sideways Space Invaders.” have different patterns of flight to once you’d played Asteroids, you had to initially be dismissed as
But Eugene admits it was Landers and come after you, rather to use the same buttons – players were too complex, it eventually
perhaps too tough: “When than ground-based humans. Baiters, a programmed where thrust was on the sold over sixty thousand units, and
you’re designing a game, you hostile alien that can’t be outpaced, were left and fire was on the right.” Eugene is one of a handful of truly iconic
get a warped sense of the
a reincarnation of the Asteroids saucer, compares the thinking behind Defender’s arcade games. “I think Defender has
ability of the average player.
You assume because you’re designed to stop players lingering on controls to designing cars, saying there’s longevity because there’s so much
fairly good, you should make it a level. “They’re a challenging enemy, always a language to controls found in randomness,” says Eugene. “Every
harder. Games designers often and really great players can sit there the past. In the same way an Eighties spaceship has its own little brain from
err in making games too hard, and challenge them forever,” says Ford wouldn’t suddenly switch the a sequence of random numbers and
but luckily in that era people
saw it as a challenge to try to Eugene. “It’s maddening for less-skilled brake and accelerator, Eugene wasn’t a small amount of intelligence, and so
conquer a tough game.” players, but it added another element about to make things difficult for players. each game is different. Ships come

» Lesson one in why letting the planet blow up is bad: hordes of screaming Mutants will kill you.

60 | 100 games to play before you die

 DEFENDER

» The more people mess with the pure original vision for Defender, the worse it becomes, as this dreadful Game Boy Advance effort
from 2002 confirms.

in different patterns, in different ways that point, the enemy-seeking algorithm

and at different times, and shoot at doesn’t work. If Mutants are chasing
you in different ways. This, along with you and you cross this invisible line, Stargate aka
the physics-driven explosions, keeps they’ll start running away,” he says. time-lag and responsive controls. “But Defender 2
the game fresh.” He also notes that “Great players can exploit this, grouping if you explode a Pod with Swarmers in,
In 1981, Defender got a sequel,
Defender offers a mix of adversaries, Mutants, making them run away, then the system momentarily bugs out, and Stargate, which Eugene refers
each with their own agenda and making them come back and blasting the video gets highest priority,” explains to as a kind of director’s cut.
dynamics, along with different playing them all.” Other enemies have different Eugene. “The system stops processing Brutally hard and more complex
modes. “When the planet blows up, invisible lines, and Eugene reckons collisions, and you can use this to your than Defender, Stargate split
everything is a Mutant and the gameplay this created an interesting richness advantage to fly right through things.” the audience. “With Stargate,
we threw in a richer mix of
is almost completely different,” he that wasn’t programmed. “Enemies He explains that seasoned players often enemies, things like warping,
says. “And then there’s the progression suddenly start running away, and you fly round the world at breakneck speed, and a lot of interesting
of difficulty, which provides great go after them and they then come starving the collision detection of real- gameplay,” explains Eugene.
suspense, but that sense of redemption, back after you,” he says. “Players time, and appearing to get away with “But some preferred the purist
adrenaline rush of Defender.”
where if you can just survive a couple anthropomorphise their motivations. stuff mere mortal gamers can’t.
Eugene is split on the games.
more waves, everything will be okay. You don’t want to believe they’re just a This in many ways recalls what “Once you’ve spent a year
Instead of a straight line of progressive bunch of random numbers, so you call Eugene spoke of earlier – of creating playing Defender, Stargate is
difficulty, Defender offers a rollercoaster them ‘scared’ or ‘mad’. To these little an open system with few parameters interesting, and it’s deeper,” he
of emotions… Plus, I think there’s maybe robotic creatures whose brains and and not controlling every eventuality. says. “We refined the routines,
so we could get more out there,
something about flying at breakneck intelligence are ten lines of computer “This is why people are still interested and the game didn’t bug out
speed through all this crap exploding code, you give human characteristics in Defender. When you over-script a so much.” However, he admits
left and right, getting a rush from the and moods. Some players are like, ‘Man, game like a control freak, you strangle that upon returning to the
path of destruction.” As the interview the Baiters are pissed off today’, and on the life out of it, and it becomes games nearly 30 years later,
Defender’s his favourite: “With
draws to a close, we wonder if there’s another game, you kill them and it’s like, finite,” concludes Eugene. “There’s
Stargate, you need to know its
anything else Eugene would like to say ‘They were afraid – I could see the fear in no interaction and no life. Even if it’s idiosyncrasies – it’s much more
about his classic game, and this leads to their eyes’.” Another aspect of Defender amazing, you’ve seen it all, and it’s the complicated. And after 28 years
the subject of bugs, which he considers was how it always ran on the bloody same every time. But the beauty of of braincell loss, Defender is
some of the really interesting aspects edge of running out of real-time, and a gaming is constant interaction and doing kind of like ‘just give me the
basics.’ Plus it may just be the
of Defender, notably the invisible lines key design objective was to keep its crisp something meaningful, rather than just fact that my Stargate is broken
that join the wraparound universe. “At 60Hz frame rate rolling, ensuring no playing a video.” and my Defender works.”

» The moment before an untimely death, with our hero surrounded by Mutants, Bombers, Pods and Swarmers. » The radar at the top of the screen is a great way of keeping track of enemies and surviving humans.

100 games to play before you die | 61

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

Sat at the very desk where it was written, Matthew

Smith watches Miner Willy leap through all 20 screens
of his Spectrum masterpiece. Paul Drury holds the
ashtray and takes notes
Central Cavern
“This was the test screen, the first of everything,” begins Matt. “The collapsing floors,
conveyor belts, the jumps, the colour clash. Using two colours in the bricks of the solid
platforms and then when you jump up on to the first platform, that’s all testing for colour
clash. It has one of all the difficult jumps in, too.” How was difficulty determined, we
ask. “From the end of the conveyor belt to the higher platform counts as a difficult jump…
but I put in a safety net. I plotted it out on graph paper: two pixels and then a parabolic,
acceleration down until you hit terminal velocity, at about four pixels a frame, then you
started falling straight down. I’d do all the testing and see where you’d land.” And what
about the clockwork baddie on the conveyor belt? “Oh, just something I’d drawn. There’s
a bit of Yellow Submarine in him – that’s where the mouth in the belly came from. The
original sketches I did had water instead of conveyor belts. There were going to be streams
of water and I was thinking about making it impossible to go backwards. That would make
it more of a puzzle – working out how to get somewhere without going upstream – but by
the time I started coding, they’d become conveyor belts.”

The Cold Room

Matt stares intently at the ‘keys’ on this level. “They’re snowshoes. Well, tennis rackets.”
He then starts tapping the screen before we gently remind him it isn’t a touchscreen.
“Mmm, oh, right. I was just thinking about tweaking a pixel. I’m not sure if it would be
better light or dark. I must have tried it both ways back then.” Ever the perfectionist.
And what about the shuffling birdies? “Everyone knows penguins are fully signed up
members of the funny animals union.” As Willy slowly descends the ‘chimney’, Matt
chirps up, “For disintegrating platforms, I used the video memory of the Spectrum. It was
the first machine I had with a bit mapped screen.” We note that the Cold Room level is
considerably easier than the previous one. “Oh, I didn’t do the screens in order. No, I did
the first screen first and then I think I made some attempt to sort the rest out and give
a graduated gameplay. That’s why the first screen is disproportionately hard, because it
wasn’t part of that scheme.”

62 | 100 games to play before you die

 MANIC MINER

The Menagerie
Matt scans the collection of creatures on screen. “Here we’ve got spiders, emus, well,
ducks or something. Yeah, they’re flying! Well, their feet are coming off the ground.
They’re having a go! Hang on; there are only two kinds of animal in there. That’s a bit
lame. There should be at least three before you call it a menagerie!” Matt’s French may
be questionable, but we wonder if the birds do signify another sort of love, that of a man
for his footy team? “Yeah, you could see it as a tribute to Liverpool FC. They’re not far off
being liver birds and I’m definitely a red shirt.”

Abandoned Uranium Works Eugene’s Lair

Matt denies this is a comment on the nuclear paranoia of the Eighties, though it did play So to the memorable snapping bogs of Level 5. “I was telling my little brother Anthony
on a very real fear. “It’s a room full of difficult jumps and you have to go across it more about the toilet monster that reaches up and grabs you. Yeah, he really believed there
than once. It was supposed to be scary, about testing your confidence.” He starts to was a green monster that lived down there,” chuckles Matt maliciously. Not a comment
contemplate the nature of death. “Miner Willy is two characters high and if you fall four on fellow coder Eugene ‘Wacky Waiters’ Evans’ career going down the pan, then? “I’d
characters you’re dead. Two, you’re safe and three… hang on, was two deadly? Oh, I can’t met Eugene a few times. We were passing acquaintances. He’d hit the press before me
remember…” His memory works better when recalling how he coded Willy’s famous and he played the media darling far more thoroughly than I did. Must have been jealousy,
leap. “The first two frames, you go four and four pixels, that’s one whole character, then because he was working for the ‘other’ company, Imagine and I was still aligned with Bug-
it’s 3, 3, then 2, which makes eight pixels and another whole character. Then 2, 1, 1, 0, 0, -1, Byte when I was doing this. And they were buying flash cars first and writing good games
-1, -2, -2… it’s a smooth curve rounded to the nearest integer.” He grins and inhales deeply. second. Actually, I’d have got more trading in a smashed up sports car than I’ve had from
And the performing seals? “Oh, I think that was because I had a six pixel rotating ball and any residuals.” Are those gold bars Willy is collecting? “Nah, they’re supposed to be stacks
thought, how am I going to make this into a character? I know, I’ll stick a seal below it!” of credit cards. I had a choice of putting in a line to show they’re stacked.”

100 games to play before you die | 63

 Processing Plant
An obvious homage to the arcades of Matt’s youth. “Yeah I used to play Pac-Man at the
Unit 4 cinema in Wallasey.” (“Don’t look for it, it’s not there any more” – Spinal Tap, ed).
The addition of legs was a feeble attempt to avoid copyright infringement, perhaps? “Oh,
I think we were all relying on the American ‘Fair Use’ provision, though thinking about it,
that didn’t actually exist in British law at the time. No, there were spare pixels free at the
bottom. It had to be ten pixels wide to make it scroll smoothly and because it’s round, it’s
got to be ten high, when everything else is 16, hence the legs.” We note the level requires
some tricky traversing along platforms with restricted headroom. “Yeah, I was designing
routes by this time. I usually tried to get you to go across the screen as many times as
possible, which makes things more interesting,” cackles the evil genius.

The Vat
Given Matt’s on-off relationship with money over the years, we wonder if this is a
reference to the Inland Revenue? “Nah, just a huge block of collapsing floors,” he assures
us. “Pure aesthetics really and no extra code needed. These collapsing floors were
supposed to be one thing and I was seeing what else they could be. That’s serendipity,
that.” And what of the kangaroo connection? He exhales and ponders for a while. “Erm,
kangaroo meat? Dog food factory? Dunno… could be… random thoughts.” With all the
disintegration, it must have been an awkward screen to test? “With The Vat, I had my
route and tested it over and over again. I didn’t really know if there were any other routes.
Some of these levels I’ve only ever done once, to this day. Same principle with the Banyan
Tree in Jet Set Willy. There’s no random numbers in the game. Every time you go into a
level, you get the same start positions and speed, so if I can do it once then it’s going to be
a bit difficult for the good players.” That’s something of an understatement, Matt. “Quality
control,” he winks back.

Miner Willy meets the Kong Beast Wacky Amoebatrons

Another nod to the New Brighton arcades he frequented as a lad. “Barrels, bananas… I “Yeah, a straight horizontal grid, innit,” observes Matt of one of the game’s more traditional
should have put hammers in and it would have been a complete tribute to Donkey Kong,” levels. But are those bog brushes on wheels? “Ah, because your collisions with the sprites
he notes. It includes some testing jumps – “Yeah, some fives on this,” Matt confirms, are pixel perfect, here I was testing what shapes you could clear. Willy was always 16
referring to the width of the gap in characters, “and they had to be pixel perfect.” – and the pixels high, but different widths at different points during a jump. I was testing the limits, so
first appearance of switches, though flipping both wasn’t obligatory. “Maybe that was a I made it as tall and thin as possible. I think I was going to make it go up and down so you
mistake,” muses Matt. “Maybe you were supposed to flick it to finish the level and I just could only jump over it at certain times, but then I worked out that even at the full height
completely forgot to test it.” Then he has an epiphany. “Ah, no! The only violence in the a sprite could be, you could still get over it if you timed it right – this was the level where I
game is completely optional! That’s for if you feel a pathological compulsion to kill the Kong was finding that out.” It’s also the first level to undergo a change when Manic Miner was
Beast. I think I was just being a hippy…” He adopts a ‘Neil from The Young Ones’ accent, re-released through Software Projects. “Yeah, the amoebatrons were originally the Bug-
which is not hugely different from his real voice. “You don’t have to kill the monkey, man!” Byte logo, so I changed them when I left. Didn’t need any legal advice on that one!”

64 | 100 games to play before you die

 MANIC MINER

Endorian Forest
Those creatures look uncannily like Ewoks, Endor was their home planet and Return Of The
Jedi was released the same year as Manic Miner. Let’s take a wild guess and say you were
a Star Wars fan, Matt. “I was that week! Went to see it, came home and stuck this screen
in. Would I be a Jedi or Sith? Oh, Jedi! In fact, I put that on the last census as my religion.”
At this juncture we suggest a pause to replenish the Guinness and empty the ashtray as
we’re on screen ten and so halfway. “Nah, this is screen nine,” Matt protests. We assure
him we’ve reached double figures. “Oh, sorry. I always start counting from zero.” You can’t
take the hex out of the boy…

Attack of the Mutant Telephones

The title is a reference to fellow coder, Jeff Minter. “I met Jeff a few times, when we
won Golden Joysticks. We got on alright. Talked about music and stuff.” We recall you
said you liked this screen during your appearance on Iain Lee’s TV documentary Thumb
Candy. “Those phones are probably my favourite. Do you wanna see a photo of the actual
phone they were modelled on? A BT 300 series.” Matt goes upstairs but returns empty-
handed. Quite a busy screen, this. Was there a limit to the number of enemies you could
include? “Yeah, four going up and down and four going left and right. Hang on, I think you
could change that to eight going up and down or left and right. I think I did that on certain
screens. The Skylab Landing Bay… But yeah, eight was the limit. Due to memory. And
speed. There’s only so much you can draw before everything slows down. So make eight
a constant and you don’t have to worry about it!”

Return of the Alien Kong Beast

Alien because of the pulsating head we assume, Matt. He squints at the screen. “Yeah!
It is going in and out!” Matt simulates the throbbing with his hands and this seems to
trigger the memory of a little coding quirk. “I gave all the screens literal numbers, so like,
if you were using one of those editors that came out, this screen would always have to
have a Kong Beast in. Every screen had to share the same code – I couldn’t do 20 different
programmes – so I’d have flags and if it was one of those screens and another test was
passed, whatever it was, Kong, Eugene or whatever, would go to the bottom of the screen
and stay there.” We watch Willy plunge to collect the final banana before landing safely in
the exit. “Do you have to get there before Kong does? No? Oh, I suppose I was playing
with you a bit with that,” grins Matt.

Ore Refinery
“Are those lumps of ore? Probably,” says Matt. “And you’d imagine a skull and crossbones
not to be the target, but it is!” Despite Willy holding one over his shoulder on the cover
of the second edition of the game, this level has one of only two ladders that appear in
the game. It also has a lovely blinking eye. Any significance, Matt? “Oh ore!” he cries,
cryptically. We admire Willy’s well-timed, ‘no going back’ dash to the exit. “Oh yeah, you
could’ve played for ages and get it wrong with that. Ha! I’d draw the platforms on graph
paper and put arrows in where… No, no I didn’t,” he says, correcting himself. “I didn’t use
graph paper for Manic Miner. I wrote an editor on the Tandy for it. I wasn’t using graph
paper for level design, I was painting them in and playtesting them. I’d do a bit and see if it
was possible to get past that. Then I’d add the next bit.” And so his masterpiece evolved…

100 games to play before you die | 65

 Skylab Landing Bay The Bank
This level was always our undoing. The random falling objects instilled such panic in We both smile at the rubber cheque on this screen. “Oh, cheques bounce,” says Matt,
our young fingers. “Nope, it’s all in a set sequence,” Matt explains. “If you tape record ruefully. The ladders are back, too. “Yeah, that’s a trellis. Left and right are the same
this screen, it should be the same on every version. You can learn the pattern.” His character. I think you could only use eight different characters on each screen. Or was it
mind moves on to higher things. “Skylab was launched the year before and it crashed four? Jet Set Willy was four, I think. That was even more primitive in some ways. The keys
and burned… for the usual reasons. I don’t know what they’re going to do with the were stored separately. Were they? I can’t remember. No, no they weren’t. You could
international space station when they can’t afford to refuel it. I reckon they’ll send it off have a room full of ’em. The ladder was made from reusing a trellis character. There’s
into a higher parking orbit when they’re finished with it… too big to crash and burn.” Erm, no flipping in this – the line has to be up the middle. If they’re flipped, they have to be
and the keys on this screen? “Oh, they’re computer chips.” I notice Matt’s fingers are stored twice in memory. You bit flip it and it’s a completely different number. Flipping is an
twitching and then he starts making plinky plonky noises, while indulging in some inspired expensive operation on the Spectrum. Well, horizontal flipping is. Vertical is okay. That’s
‘air gaming.’ He still loves his baby… just a memory location.” We nod and hope you coders followed all that.

Sixteenth Cavern
“I’d run out of names. Or maybe I was thinking in hexadecimal and thought it didn’t need
one,” says Matt. And what are those enemies? “Flag bugs! In the code. If flag bug
equals…” He thinks for a while. “Did they do anything special? No? Perhaps they were
meant to. The graphics weren’t saved as files, it was done by numbers. I was putting it into
video memory. I laid out the levels using the editor but I was doing the graphics on graph The Warehouse
paper. I didn’t have BOUGIE (Byte Orientated Universal Graphics Interactive Editor) then. “This was another experiment that I thought was so impossibly hard it would do nicely as
A thing I wrote that let me run through four frames of animation, forwards or backwards. a killer… a boss level!” he explains with a malevolent cackle. “I only ever completed this
Skylab is an exception. They have eight frames for the explosion, but the normal was once [Pedants note, last time we met he confessed to never having completed it]. “Now
four.” And the keys? “That was an attempt at credit cards,” he says. We note the need of I’ve had more practice maybe I could do it in half a dozen goes. With moving things
collecting the key nearest the exit last, lest poor Willy is trapped with a depleting air supply. and collapsing floors it’s very hard to measure whether something is possible. Because
“It’s not good to have tricks like that. Sometimes you can’t resist it,” he beams. everything is pre-determined, if it’s possible once, it’s possible for everyone. That’s the
only way you can really know that you’re not on a bum steer.” The lawn mower threshers
on this level changed into the Software Projects ‘Impossible Triangle’ logo at the same
time the Bug-Bytes were ditched. Or at least, that was the plan…

66 | 100 games to play before you die

 MANIC MINER

Amoebatrons’ Revenge Solar Power Generator

The tentacles are back in a reprise of Level 9, though they now seem to resemble the Was this a sign of your growing environmental awareness then, Matt? He has a wild,
invaders from War Of The Worlds. “I thought they were jellyfish but yeah, maybe they far-off look in his eye. “No more than any other rational person. I’m worried about the
have evolved into a higher life form,” muses Matt. The difficulty has also grown. “This environment, man…” he answers in that Neil voice. “I think this is one of the brightest
screen has all the different speeds the enemies can move at, up to four pixels a frame. I backgrounds. Up till now, I think I’d only done one of the four dark colours. Mainly black.”
did the same sort of thing in Jet Set Willy for the Kitchen, but split it over two screens.” Nice solar-ray effect. Was it tricky to create? “Ooh, highly technical,” he laughs. “Nah, just
a little bit of code. Easy enough to program. One character wide, go down and if it hits
something, go that way – always at a right angle. The Spectrum can only do right angles in
colour. Get it bouncing around. They’d call it artificial intelligence now. Doesn’t kill you but it
sucks your air down when you’re in the beam. It’s sort of complicated and you do run out
of air, but it’s not a particularly hard level.” We can’t be the only ones to strongly disagree…

The Final Barrier

We’re almost home. And with the sun setting romantically over the lake, it never looked
sweeter. “Yeah, I’m playing around with colour clash here. The graphics are sort of better.
I had more freedom because there wasn’t any interaction. If you’re on screen 20, put the
title screen graphics on the top half and you don’t have to worry about ’em. I did do this
screen on graph paper, then cut it up into characters and worked it out in hex in my head.
No art packages or scanners back then!” Is that a lucky horseshoe signifying the final exit?
“Nah, it’s omega – the end!” And the fish and dagger that rewarded the heroic few? “Oh,
just things I’d drawn that were only eight pixels high and 16 across and I hadn’t used in
the game,” he says casually. But Matt, at the Screenplay Festival a few years back, and
admittedly after a few beers, you went on about its religious connotations, that it was your
attempt to give gaming a “little bit of folklore”? He takes one last drag of his roll-up. “It
might have,” he smiles. “You’ll find out in my next broadcast…” Ah, if only…

100 games to play before you die | 67

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

What links a heavy

metal album, a
James Cameron film
and a mainframe
computer? They
all helped inspire
Andrew Braybrook
to make Paradroid,
and he looks back to
its creation and the
games that followed
with Andrew Fisher

Paradroid A
ndrew Braybrook started
Paradroid after finishing
Gribbly’s Day Out. “It was
our practice to print out the
thought that might be fun and not too
intrusive. I just wrote a paragraph every
evening on the events of the day. I used
to plan out what I was going to do that
Paradroid ’s distinctive look used an
overhead view with robots depicted as their
serial number. “The animation of Gribbly
showed me that I could animate sprites and
final version of the code and then add day on the walk to Steve’s house, and save a lot of bytes. Top-down games tend to
comments. It wasn’t practical to waste that was all the planning I needed.” need at least eight directions of animations
IN THE disk space on comments in the code Andrew reveals Paradroid ’s main and that was going to be too
KNOW while writing the game so we’d spend inspiration. “The game expensive. So I figured
»Publisher: Hewson two or three days adding notes to the was originally based on that if I showed
»Developer: code on paper. We’d also go to the a COBOL game I had the robots bigger in
Graftgold launch of the game, usually at a bar in written on the mainframe the console lookup
»Released: 1985 London, and maybe visit one or two six years earlier, called Survive. system to let people see
» Platform: C64 offices to promote the game to the The objective there was to be the the robots side-on and bigger then
magazines. We didn’t take a big break last player left alive in a multi-level they might accept the numbers
»Genre: Puzzle
between games, there was a momentum environment. It was a multiplayer on the disks. I was also
to keep up.” One of those visits had an game and had two computer- influenced by the cover
important outcome. “That all happened controlled assassins, so the of the Black Sabbath
when we took Gribbly’s to Zzap! Towers players used to gang up on album Technical
in Ludlow. They liked it, and Chris them to take them out first Ecstasy, as it had
Anderson was keen to do something and then battle it out to line-drawn blueprints
like a diary for the next game, and we the end.” of two robots.” The cover

68 | 100 games to play before you die

 PARADROID

showed two robots ‘interfacing’; the lyric sheet usually did strip down the last game. Things » Oli Frey’s original
artwork for issue seven
had the blueprints. like the scroll routine, sound player, input of Zzap! (with thanks to
“I had tried to draw some real ship graphics routines and movement routines would be Roger Kean).
but found it difficult to get a good look in multi- saved, possibly tweaked and tested before
coloured graphics mode. I tried single-colour starting the new game,” he explains. “That
mode and that dictated a scale of the graphics bought a bit of time to think about designs.
that also didn’t suit trying to look real, so the I had a book of fonts and had inherited a
whole idea of the game being a radar-driven multi-character printing system from Gribbly’s
map was born. Quite possibly the movie Aliens that allowed me to make letters out of two
had an influence on the look,” says Andrew. characters high graphics, or 2x2 for capital
One routine made things complicated. “The letters. I needed a more futuristic font and
robot graphics are only shown on-screen if set about drawing one from the book. I had
they would be visible by line of sight from the bought a couple of editors for the sprites and
player, another Survive feature. The function character sets; that made life a lot easier as it
to efficiently work that out was interesting to was quicker to create the graphics.” Lots of
write with only three registers. We had the paper was used during production. “We did
COBOL code to refer to, but it took a while to write a lot of stuff down, diagrams, formulae,
get that right. I also remember a mysterious that kind of thing, as we were just coding with
crash which took me three days to find.” the Spectrum and the C64, and they weren’t
Interestingly, Paradroid was built around well suited to loading up multiple applications
existing code that Andrew had available. “We at once. So a pad of paper was always handy.”

100 games to play before you die | 69

 » The re-worked graphics of Heavy Metal Paradroid, released on
the Rack-It budget label.

» The lights go out when all the robots on a deck have been dealt with.

T
» This transfer game is he 24 robot types had a small portrait for control of a circuit board. Success gave the improved Competition Edition. Who was
deadlocked at six-all, the
player must try again on a
shown when the consoles were the player access to the new robot and failure behind that? “The marketing department, I
new layout. accessed. “I had a budget for the destroyed the current robot – meaning game would suspect. Once the game has been out
number of sprites available, so I set over if that was the Influence Device. “I for a while then they try and mop up the non-
about designing a system to reflect images needed a way of balancing the game so that believers with a bargain.”
in multi-colour left to right to save images, it would be difficult to move too far up the

R
and there is some re-use. I wanted to group hierarchy of robots in one go. The transfer eturning was easy, thanks to those
them by the top digit of the three-figure ID game switches the emphasis from many copious notes. “As long as you’re
number, and having about three different against one to one-on-one in an instant. It just still using the same development
robots per series seemed about right. I had all came together and worked in one go. That gear then you stay familiar with
to vary the features of the robots with speed doesn’t happen all the time, but it just worked. the process, so it’s not so difficult.” Andrew
and weaponry and that tended to suggest Steve even used it again in one of his games.” continued tweaking Paradroid, resulting in a third
designs.” Class 883 was familiar to viewers of There were eight Robo-freighters to version. “The Heavy Metal edition came about
Doctor Who. “I’m a big fan, it was just a nod to conquer, starting with Paradroid – which gave as I was doing Morpheus about two years
[the Daleks]. That became a bit trickier when I the game its name. Itsnothardenuff, the last later. I wanted to try out the graphics look and
wanted to put them into the 16-bit version. We ship, repeated. “The ships still get harder, it’s Paradroid was sitting there – so I redrew every
did draw the full graphics but bottled it at the all algorithmic, but the layouts of all the ships character in multi-colour mode in that style and
11th hour and changed them. I had also done a are the same as the maps do take up a fair switched the graphic mode over. I decided to
Dalek game for the mainframe, just with letters amount of space. Each map is made of 4x4 use the style in Morpheus and I made some
for graphics, so I had other speed tweaks

The end of my C64 games was also

» Game over. Static, the a fondness for the in Paradroid and got it
Command Cyborg as
transmission is terminated, and movement and the running at a higher frame
a chance to enter your initials. brutality of them.”
Testing feedback the end of the lone programmer era rate, so I figured I should
show everybody.”
changed the controls. Andrew Braybrook, on the transition to 16-bit Steve Turner took
“I had a couple of inspiration from Paradroid
failed control modes, all to do with firing. I character blocks and the ship has 16 maps. (see Droid Dreams boxout) and Graftgold
started with a separate gunsight that you I could only get to about the fourth ship, so I created a 16-bit sequel. “After we had done
optionally move about. But whilst it could hit figured it was tough enough, and anyone who Rainbow Islands on the Amiga and Atari ST
a static target quite easily, there was no way got through eight ships was going to be some I was looking for a new title. We had a lot of
you could hit a moving target, and you had kind of superhero.” the tools developed for the map building so
to stop moving so you’re a sitting duck. The Oliver Frey’s striking Zzap! cover celebrated it seemed a good fit for the code we had.
second method had a floating gunsight in the Gold Medal review. “I didn’t like our box Dominic Robinson had written a game core
front of the player, but that meant you have art at all, it looked so toy-like, but the robot system that gave me a ready-made interface to
to move straight at the on that cover had power. I tried the hardware.” Was it an easy transition? “We
thing you’re shooting at; to persuade them to let us use were keen to write on 16-bit. The big transition
again making you an easy that artwork but they wouldn’t. was going from character-based backgrounds
target, and you’ll crash into It was such an honour to make to bitmaps, which I had used on Lunattack and
your target if it proves impervious the cover anyway, and the image on the Dragon 32, and Steve had used on the
to your firing.” was so good. The Spectrum, so we knew what the plot routines
Colliding with game graphics are had to do. The code was lovely; all those
another robot in supposed to aspire to registers. It gave us a real freedom.”
transfer mode the art, not the other “The biggest change, and I didn’t twig it at
launched the excellent way round.” The following the time, was that the end of my C64 games
sub-game. The Christmas a Uridium and was also the end of the lone programmer era.
player and Paradroid double-pack After that it was a team effort. I usually had
robot fought launched, featuring someone else help out with the sound

70 | 100 games to play before you die

 PARADROID

WE ARE THE ROBOTS These are the droids you are looking for

Type 101 Type 123 Type 139

■ The player starts off controlling the ■ The slow-moving ■ This is another
Influence Device, armed with a weak disposal robot is disposal robot that
laser. Lose this and it’s game over. very weak. sweeps up after itself.

Type 247 Type 249 Type 296

■ This servant robot was one ■ You cannot see this ■ The tray on this
of the first to use an anti-grav three-legged robot robot’s head is for
system, but is not armed. walking, but it is slow. carrying drinks.

Type 302 Type 329 Type 420

■ A faster-moving ■ A small wheeled robot, it is ■ The higher the robot’s class,
messenger designed to unarmed and so the Influence the more pulses available in
carry parcels. Device’s laser is used. the transfer game.

Type 476 Type 493

■ This is the first robot with a ■ Another maintenance
strong single laser. Worth seeking robot, this one carries its
out in the early stages. own toolbox.

Type 516 Type 571 Type 598

■ Usually found on the top ■ The crew droids may move ■ Crew droids may also be
decks of the ship, befitting its quite quickly but have no fairly well armoured, taking
crew droid status. armament of their own. multiple hits to kill.

Type 614 Type 615

■ The first of the Sentinel ■ Moves slower than 615,
droids, all armed with but it is equipped with
strong lasers. good sensors.

Type 629 Type 711 Type 742

■ The console describes an ■ Battle droids are heavily armed ■ Another tough battle droid, the disruptor’s
unseen variation with an and armoured. The small laser of the explosion flashes the whole screen black and
autocannon instead of a laser. Influence Device will not damage them. white briefly and damages nearby robots.

Type 751 Type 821

■ This battle droid became the face of ■ Twin lasers and fast
the game, on Oli Frey’s cover and the movement make this a
loading screens for later versions. formidable opponent.

Type 834 Type 883 Type 999

■ Another fast mover, ■ The dreaded 883 ■ The ultimate Command Cyborg can
so be on your guard inspires fear in humans for only be influenced for a short time
around it. some reason. before the player must seek a new host.

100 games to play before you die | 71

 ALL HANDS ON DECK
Andrew Braybrook gives insight into Paradroid’s ship design 1
Observation
The two halves of the observation deck are
accessed from different lifts, and both must
Research
5 “Generally crew
droids here.
be cleared of robots to shut the deck down. Possibly sentries too.”

Airlock
2 The airlock’s main features are the four
energisers at one end and the single lift at
the other. It is usually sparsely populated.

11 Mid Cargo

Reactor
4 “You would generally find crew and
maintenance droids here. Since the crew
droids would not be heavily armed they would
only act as a staging point to larger robots.”

Engineering Maintenance
13 “Crew and maintenance
droids will mainly be in
attendance here. Messenger
14 “A high percentage of
maintenance droids
with some lower level ones in Upper Cargo
droids might be here too.” case of emergencies.”
6 “The cargo is mainly battle droids, so expect a
contingent of dangerous droids.” The same is true
for the vast mid cargo deck below, often including the
883 patrolling among the cargo containers.

effects and music, but apart from that I did the I wanted to keep those. It was important to was concerned. The raiders were a mechanism
vast majority of the graphics and the coding. keep the overall feel of the original.” to speed up progress towards the end of the
That gives you confidence in the code; you Andrew explains why the decks scrolled ship when there aren’t so many robots about.
know exactly what is going on all the time. I vertically and abstract droids became proper There was also a bonus pirate ship that you got
did do some Paradroid 90 graphics, but I had graphics. “The ST wasn’t keen on horizontal at the end if you had completed all the ships and
to become a team leader too.” That team scrolling. We did have a full scrolling version on collected all of the Graftgold keys. It was only a
included Dominic Robinson and artists John
Cumming, Michael Field and John W Lilley.
the ST, but it didn’t look pretty enough. It took
a lot of memory to prepare all the combinations
developer small ship, but very tough.”
Would Andrew have changed anything?
Jason Page created the sound. “When of the graphics blocks. That decision didn’t go
HighliGhts “Paradroid 90 was as good as it could have
I started at Graftgold, I was mainly a down too well with the Amiga crowd! We MORPHEUS been. If we had done another Amiga version
programmer but moved into the audio side of had enough space to do the animations, and System: C64 then it would have scrolled in all directions
things. For music, I’d write the original using having 16 colours on-screen it seemed right to Year: 1987 and run at 50 frames a second. There were
NoiseTracker. I’d then type in all the data as draw the graphics in a real style. We did try the INTENSITY difficulties so we’d have used a different
(Pictured)
hex into the Graftgold audio player code. After blueprint style but it looked weak against some publisher in hindsight.” Andrew reveals Gary
System: C64,
Paradroid I wrote a new sound routine and of the prettier games of the time.” ZX Spectrum Foreman was close to completing a PC Engine
editor, which we used in future titles.” Did the The robot line-up changed, joined by new Year: 1988 version with a two-player mode; development
original influence him? “Oh yes. Hence there human raiders. “I wanted there to be some URIDIUM 2 was halted by Hewson’s bankruptcy.
being lots of warbling sounds and such like. familiarity with the C64 content, it was a 16-bit System: Amiga Paradroid 90 became Paradroid 2000 on
They were iconic C64 Paradroid sounds, so implementation of the same game as far as I Year: 1993 the Archimedes. “We just thought it sounded

72 | 100 games to play before you die

 PARADROID

Bridge
3 “There was only ever one 999 and it would always be on the bridge.
That gives the player the choice of when to go and tackle the 999
and an opportunity also to decide where they want to take it to use it for
maximum effect. The far left-hand lift leads to the reactor and from there Stores
the player can access the left-hand side of the ship.”
7 The starting deck is chosen at random, and the
player will often find themselves on this deck.
Lower level robots help to ease them into the game,
allowing an early transfer. “You should also find that
some robots are completely unaffected by some
weaker guns. That means that blowing away all the
easy robots first isn’t necessarily a good plan.”

Staterooms

10 Quarters
8 “Being the passenger
quarters, there will mainly
be low level servant and
cleaning droids here.” Crew
quarters on Deck 10 will have
a similar variety of robots.
12 Robostores

Vehicle Hold
15 “There could be droids
packed ready for battle
being transported here.” The Shuttle Bay
Repairs
shuttle bay and vehicle hold
contain smaller vehicles,
purely a cosmetic touch but
16 “You can fire up the
shuttle engines to help
destroy passing robots in 9 “You could find any
robots here being
adding to the atmosphere. Paradroid 90.” repaired or cleaned.”

really futuristic. This was 1991 or 1992 and whole thing. I didn’t have a lot of graphics and bug fixes. Andrew notes, “I do hope he’s
2000 seemed a long way away,” says Andrew work to do as they were just ported from the talking about his own bug fixes, because I am
Catling. “My childhood heroes were people Amiga.” Does he still play Paradroid ? “Luckily, not aware of any bugs in my code! The Heavy
like David Braben, Orlando, Geoff Crammond some amazing archivers have managed to Metal edition was running at the improved 25
and Andrew Braybrook so it was a dream preserve all of my old games, so I’ve been frames per second.” Reinhard and Johannes
come true to make games. Coin-Age had a playing them again recently. I think Paradroid Prix started the open-source Freedroid project,
deal with Graftgold to convert their games still stands out as one of the best, mainly which recently launched on Android.
to the Arc. I’d just finished The Last Ninja for because of the timeless design.” The original Paradroid appeared on the
Superior Software when they got in touch.” Fans help Paradroid live on. “We get people C64 DTV joystick and Wii’s Virtual Console.
“The 68000 code was adapted from asking if it’s okay to do a remake for their Would Andrew himself ever go back? “I am
Rainbow Islands. I decided I’d rewrite university project, and it’s not really up to us considering writing something new that retains
everything from scratch rather than try to any more. I don’t think people realise how the retro feel of Paradroid. I would probably
translate it. I wasn’t familiar with 68000 but I much detail is in a game, so most never get try to make it a shorter game as Paradroid
could get the gist of how things worked and completed,” says Braybrook. Among those 90 would potentially take about 3 hours to
how the data for the different droids was used. that were completed were a two-player play all the way through. It would have to
I was quite pleased with the transfer game, Amiga PD version and Ovine’s Project be something new though, maybe
as that was the first time I’d used recursion in Paradroid on PC. Paradroid Redux by the game I would have written
ARM assembler and it was quite an elegant Jorma Oskanen is an ongoing C64 without hardware restrictions.”
solution. It took three months to rewrite the project, with a faster frame rate We can’t wait.

100 games to play before you die | 73

100
gaMES to play
before you die

Responsible for unleashing a game that’s persevered for two

decades and infiltrated almost every type of hardware imaginable,
Alexey Pajitnov talks to Craig Grannell about how the ground-
breaking Tetris was, for him, initially a small, insignificant game
inspired by an obscure mathematical puzzle

‘D
o androids dream of electric referred to as the ‘Tetris effect’ is perhaps
sheep?’ was a question posed more common than you would think
by Philip K Dick in his 1968 (which doesn’t mean you’re any less crazy
novel of the same name. If so, they’re if you experience it – just that there are
the lucky ones because I dream of more crazy people out there than you
blocks comprising four squares, falling thought), and it highlights the massive
downwards, rotating and slotting together reach of the action-puzzler that prompts it.
to create solid lines, which subsequently Because, for all of videogaming’s attempts
vanish, along with a small amount of to become increasingly mainstream, there
my sanity each time. This kind of dream, are few games that achieve the lofty goal
 TETRIS

Tetris and game boy were

born for each other – they fit
together so well. I can’t
imagine two other products
created absolutely
independently that fit

» Above and right: The NES version. Feeling annoyed because you think you’re not getting enough ‘I’ pieces? NES Tetris keeps count – handy for paranoid gamers.

of being truly recognisable to all – even hardware while working at the Dorodnicyn used to compete in a kind of ‘mathematical
stalwart classics such as Space Invaders Computing Centre of the Academy of Olympics’ competition, in which I
and Pac-Man may be unknown to younger Science of the USSR, in Moscow. participated a lot. This part of my life later
audiences. However, Tetris is different – As a graduate of computer science, translated into the games that I did.”
almost ubiquitous. For all its appeal and Alexey’s work at the Academy of Science Of the puzzles that fascinated Alexey,
reach, it started off as little more than was largely based around artificial pentominoes stood out. “It’s a dozen
an amusing distraction for its creator, intelligence research, and he describes pieces made out of five squares, and
Alexey Pajitnov, while he tested new himself at the time as “a young workaholic they kind of look like jigsaw pieces, only
– the type that loves to program and sit
for long hours at work”. Alexey was
more mathematical,” he explains. “The
puzzle existed in Russia, sold in stores
IN THE KNOW
also tasked with figuring out how new and fashioned in plastic, and I thought
hardware that regularly arrived at the it was absolutely great – the best puzzle
academy could be put to use for his in the world.” What appealed most
research. “The best way to learn a new was the simplicity of the pieces and the
machine is to try and make a small massive scope they offered for multiple
program for it to see how it works,” he combinations: “There’s no technology in
explains, leading up to the reason why pentominoes – you just take the pieces
» Publisher: n/a
Tetris was initially created. “Small computer from the box, play with them and enjoy
» Developer: alexey pajitnov
games were the ideal form for this kind them. But when you want to put them
of testing program, and that’s why I had back in the box, you can spend a couple of » Released: 1984
some kind of excuse, if you will, to work on hours doing so – at least if you’re stubborn » platforms: Electronika 60;
my game.” enough to try!” converted to: DOS, Game Boy
and just about every other
Alexey decided that a two-player

O
platform in existence.
f course, hardware is somewhat version of pentominoes might make for
» Genre: Action-puzzler
by the by – the crux of any game an interesting game to use for testing the
(or, at least, any good game) is Electronika 60 desktop computer that had
its concept, and although Tetris would recently arrived at the Academy of Science
become a fluid, organic project during and he set about putting something
development, its seeds were sewn early together. “I thought that you could
on in Alexey’s life. “I was a sharp kid, and somehow divide the pieces – six to each
have always been interested in riddles player – and start to put them back into the
and puzzles, and I even changed schools ‘box’, and whoever was unable to make the
to join one with a special mathematical next move would lose,” he says.
component,” he explains. “That was also Without any specification of a final set of
the time of communism in Russia, and so rules, Alexey set to work on programming
we didn’t have too much entertainment his new game: “First, I needed to create
around us – and so intellectual mind
» The DOS port helpfully tells you to ‘Play TETRIS!’,
in case you thought it was some kind of blocky
games were a very good diversion. I saw
rolling demo. this passion all around me, and children

100 games to play before you die | 75

 an environment, some kind of graphical
procedure to visualise the play field and
the pieces. However, at the time this was
tricky because my display didn’t have
any graphics at all – all I had were 24 lines
of 80 alphanumeric symbols.” In order
to design the squares that made up the
various pentominoes, open and close
square-bracket symbols were used – two
» An arcade flyer for Atari’s version of Tetris, which together forming a basic square. A ten-by-
featured a surprisingly good two-player mode. six play field was created, along with the
mechanism to position, rotate and flip each
of the pieces before moving them to the
field. “But when I wrote the procedure for
rotating the pieces, it worked very fast and
looked funny – if you frequently pushed
a key, the puzzle piece rapidly rotated on
the screen,” remembers Alexey. “This
was so amazing for me. That sounds really » To make the game tougher, Tetris DX’s programmers added a vomit-inducing colour scheme and vile, animated backgrounds.
ridiculous now [he laughs], but that was
the first time I had ever seen such stuff on dispensed with, Alexey instead adding the field was so small, and so I started thinking
» Alexey Pajitnov’s original Electronika 60, with slightly the screen.” symmetrical forms of non-symmetrical of ways to prolong my pleasure,” laughs
less grunt than a tiny piglet. pieces to the available set. “Suddenly, the Alexey. “My original idea was to create a

U
pon seeing the spinning pieces, interface was much simpler”, he says. long, narrow well that could scroll. But after
Alexey hit upon the idea of making “You only needed to move and rotate thinking about this, I didn’t like the idea – it
them rotate and move in real pieces. Because the set was now simpler, was difficult to get scrolling working on my
time upon being placed on to the screen. I decided you didn’t need for the entire machine, and the player would also have
“This was a very important moment for set to fall down – pieces could appear in a to remember what was already on the
DEVELOPER Tetris”, says Alexey. “It went from being random order.” board. I didn’t think my simple mind game
HIGHLIGHTS a two-player version of a strange game Tetris started to resemble the game should be that complicated.” The solution
based on an obscure mathematical puzzle that we all know and love, but one major was far simpler: Alexey realised that when
Welltris to the idea of a real-time game that used component was still missing. “At this point, a horizontal line was completed, it became
Systems: DOS (converted the same pieces.” First, gravity was used the game ended really quickly, even if you obsolete, just taking up space. “I thought,
to Amiga, Amstrad CPC, as a natural way for the pieces to fall didn’t make mistakes, because the play ‘Why keep it on the screen?’, when I need
arcade, Atari ST, C64, Mac
down. It then became apparent that the
OS, ZX Spectrum)
original field of play was too restrictive,
Year: 1989–91
and so it was enlarged and aligned
Pandora’s Box vertically. “Everything worked, but when I
System: Windows started playing the game, I realised it was
Year: 1999 really complicated,” remembers Alexey.
Hexic HD (pictured) “Pentominoes are fine when you have
System: Xbox 360 unlimited time to sit and think about how
Year: 2005 to use them, but they were too complex
for my real-time game where you need to
immediately recognise a piece and know
what to do with it.”
The pieces were honed down to forms
made up of four squares – tetrominoes.
The complication of piece-flipping was also » The game that sold 30 million Game Boys. Even today, the Game Boy version of Tetris makes us emit happy sounds.

The screen was really ugly, and the

interface was very primitive – there was
no real decoration on the screen – but it
worked. It was so addictive that I couldn’t
stop playing to finish the damn thing!
76 | 100 games to play before you die
 TETRIS

» Lurking within Tetris Worlds on the PlayStation 2 is a version of the original Tetris. Feel that ASCII goodness!

more space to prolong my pleasure,” says With the game debugged, complete
Alexey. “Instead, I could take it away and with a level system, scoring and a high-
give a score for it. And that was the last score table, Alexey decided to spread
important moment for Tetris – once I did it around Moscow and see if there was
this, the game was kind of ready.” any interest in his creation. The reaction
The Tetris on Alexey’s machine at this was everything that he had hoped
point was, by his admission, something for. “It was like a wood fire”, he exclaims.
of a prototype and still needed work. “Immediately, every place where they had
» Tetris Zone for modern PCs requires a ‘mere’ 8,000 times the RAM of Alexey’s Electronika 60 version.
However, all of the game’s important the Electronika 60, my Tetris game was
mechanics were there, and the game had
been surprisingly easy to create. “I give
working there, and I realised that maybe
the game was not bad and should be
a schoolboy at the time, but an absolutely
genius programmer who fell in love with Eastern
you such details about the game, but all
the decisions were done in one day, in
ported to the PC, because that was the
only way to show it to the world outside
the PC and knew every bit of the operating
system – many big guys in the computer
blocks
Few games have provoked such
a couple of hours,” claims Alexey. “In of Russia.” centre went to him for consultation, and legal wrangling as Tetris. Once the
reality, somehow, all these decisions were someone recommended I work with DOS version spread, Andromeda

T
Software’s Robert Stein tried to
made so naturally.” Most importantly, the he only snag was Alexey’s lack him on my game.” And so, Alexey gave secure the rights, selling home
game was fun – so much so that it took of familiarity with the PC – at that Vadim his code in Pascal, and he began computer rights to Spectrum
another couple of weeks for Alexey to point, the first PC had only recently the process of transferring the 2000 lines Holobyte prior to any deal, and
get the game into a state he was happy arrived in the computer centre, but it of code from one machine to the other. continuing to sub-license rights he
with: “The screen was really ugly, and wasn’t in Alexey’s possession, and he “There was nothing in common with the didn’t own, even after the Soviet
government began to market Tetris
the interface was very primitive – no real didn’t know how to program it. “I was machines – no format, no disks, nothing rights via Elektronorgtechnica
decoration on the screen – but it worked. interested in lots of other stuff, and so it – but once the code was across, the rest (ELORG). Eventually, Stein’s hand
It was so addictive that I couldn’t stop might never have happened if it wasn’t for was a piece of cake.” was forced, ELORG enabling
playing, in order to finish the damn thing!” Vadim Gerasimov,” states Alexey. “He was Unlike Alexey’s original version of handheld rights to remain with
Andromeda, but banning Tetris
the game, colour was possible in the
rights on any other mediums.
DOS conversion of Tetris, giving players By the late-Eighties, several
an additional way to recognise each companies claimed Tetris rights
tetromino as they fell downwartds. ownership over home computers
Other useful features were added to the and consoles; and so ELORG
signed the arcade rights to Atari
conversion over the following months, and console and handheld rights
including the ability to show the next piece, to Nintendo. A major spat occurred
an option to make the square tetromino when Tengen, Atari’s console
an invisible ‘phantom’, and settings that division, tried to release a NES
version of its arcade title, something
dictated the starting level and height of
that had Nintendo fuming.
‘garbage’ at the bottom. One similarity Eventually, Tengen’s creation was
to the original was how the game was withdrawn, and while Nintendo’s
spread. “The release process was simple NES release was seen as ordinary,
– we just gave the game to a couple of our its Game Boy version was one of
the most successful games ever.
friends,” jokes Alexey. “Within a couple In 1996, Pajitnov and Henk Rogers
of weeks, I saw it everywhere – on every formed The Tetris Company,
PC in Moscow – and within a couple of gaining rights and finally providing
months, we got a PC from Eastern Europe Alexey with royalties for the game
that was entirely empty, apart from MS- he created over a decade earlier. For
more details: www.atarihq.com/tsr/
DOS and Tetris.” special/tetrishist.html.

» Turn back now, C64 users! SIT’s lovely (but unrelated) title
screen masks the jerky, nasty game beyond.

100 games to play before you die | 77

Queasy spin
Tetris Worlds was heavily
criticised for including an
‘easy spin’ feature (despite
it actually originating in The
Next Tetris), which enables
rotated tetrominoes to be
floated indefinitely, rather
than locking upon landing on
another piece. By utilising this
method, gamers can make
games of Tetris last for several
hours, therefore many critics
claim that this single feature
‘breaks’ the game.
The feature has since been
integrated into the official
guidelines and is defended
by Henk Rogers of The Tetris
Company, who claims that
it helps newcomers recover
from small mistakes, but
Tetris’s creator is not so sure
of its value. “I still don’t like
it very much”, says Alexey.
“Unfortunately, on different
platforms it was a new style of
playing and later on we didn’t
want to lose the customers, » The extreme difficulty curve of Atari’s arcade Tetris is made up for by the stunning dancing prowess of the little Russian chap. » Tetris DS offers six variations on Tetris. (But do any of them
and therefore we tried to omit ‘easy spin’? No, they do not. Grrr.)
support all of those modes.
Ideally though, I would have From there, Tetris exploded on to the note that he loves most types of games familiar and comfortable with computers.”
preferred for the game to be world scene and there was simply no and played the likes of Pac-Man a lot – the Alexey then, appears to consider Tetris as
as simple as possible.”
escaping it. Each version was followed problem was with professionals that had a product of its age, rather than a timeless
by a lawsuit, as various companies no direct interest in games: “Many people classic: “I’m pretty sure that had I released
battled to secure rights to the incredibly didn’t feel good with that type of childish Tetris ten or twelve years later, it would
popular game, while Alexey looked on, design, but Tetris was abstract and without have been seen as just some ordinary
not receiving any remuneration, due to any age connotation, and so everyone felt game – nothing really so exceptional – but
ownership residing with the Academy of fine to play it.” it appeared on the PC at the right kind of
Science. Alexey is reluctant to talk about social moment.”

T
what he refers to as Tetris’s ‘business he other thing Alexey believes At this point, we’re not sure we agree.
period’, but he’s happy to elaborate on helped Tetris become so popular We mention to Alexey the reception Tetris
what he thinks made the game so popular was that it enabled everyone to received on systems like the C64 and the
in the first place, to make the gaming join the party: “In the Eighties, computers Spectrum. Even though both platforms
giants scrap over it. “It appeared in the were a relatively new phenomenon, and already had a wealth of available titles, and
right place, at the right time”, he modestly some people were almost afraid of them. despite the 8-bit conversions of Alexey’s
tell us. “At the time, we didn’t have many You never knew what would happen game not being particularly good, Tetris
games on the PC, especially fresh games when you pressed a button, and lots of still stood out from the crowd, receiving
and puzzle games. Most of what I saw at programs were very buggy, which didn’t near-unanimous acclaim. “I guess that
the time were arcade games, and they help matters. Tetris was very simple and might be true as well”, muses Alexey,
looked a little childish.” Alexey’s keen to accessible, and it helped people get more “but then many people have put forward

In the Eighties, computers were a relatively new

» We’re not sure what that packaging says, phenomenon, and some people were almost afraid
of them. Tetris was very simple and accessible, and
but we’re pretty sure that it’s not ‘The
Biggest Tetris Ever!’

it helped people get more familiar and comfortable

with computers
 TETRIS

» When Tetris goes

wrong! Tetris 2 on Game
Boy lacks Pajitnov’s
involvement, and its
complexity is detrimental
to the overall experience.

theories for the popularity of Tetris, and no

one has a definitive answer – not even me.”
He does, however, note that the Game
Boy might just have had something to do
with the endurance of his creation. “The
Game Boy release was the most lucky after another,” explains Alexey. “I was very
moment for Tetris – it’s what made the productive – very active – I loved creating
game a real phenomenon,” he explains. this stuff, but somehow, every time I
“Somehow, Tetris and the Game Boy were proposed a game, everyone looked at me
born for each other – they fit together so and expected me to deliver another Tetris.”
well, in terms of form and design. If I think After a tough couple of years, during
about it, I can’t imagine two other products which time Alexey regularly dismissed
created absolutely independently that fit concepts, due to them being weaker
each other so well.” And the result of the than Tetris, he realised he needed to start
pairing is well known; the combination of afresh. “I decided Tetris was a story I had
Nintendo’s hardware and Russian gaming to forget about, and that I had to move
going on to sell over 30 million bundles. ahead and start as a young, unknown
As the interview draws to a close, I ask designer. If you want something in this
Alexey if he had any idea what kind of a life, you sometimes have to forget your
monster he was creating while working achievements and start from scratch. I
back in his lab in Eighties Moscow. “No, of started to work on naïve concepts, and
course not”, he laughs. “I started with the decided that I needed to love it in order » The rest of the world finally catches up with one of
Alexey’s original ideas for Tetris, with the DS version
intention of creating a kind of two-player to do it, and that was enough – no kind including scrolling.
game for pentominoes. I was always of predictions or expectations of success,
writing very small, insignificant games for
different processors and computers, and
and no comparisons. And it started
working, because although I did a lot of like that at the beginning of my career. Well, well,
Tetris was just one of them.” To hear him
talk of the game in this way is strange, but
bad games, I created several good ones,
and I’m pretty happy with my career.”
But with Pandora’s Box, I created the
concept, the genre, and put in so much
well. Tris.
The only Pajitnov-created
it’s easy to imagine how creating a ‘Tetris’ We talk to Alexey about his other effort from beginning to end.” Clearly, sequel to Tetris, Welltris
is a blessing and a curse for a designer. “I games and projects, and Alexey lets slip though, Tetris will always be with Alexey, moved the game into 3D.
became famous for Tetris, and decided to us that it’s the fun puzzle collection the two inextricably linked, the creator “Everyone wanted a 3D Tetris,
but I realised that Tetris is hard
to study to become a professional games Pandora’s Box that’s currently the closest watching from the sidelines as his creation enough for the brain in 2D,”
designer. I had lots of small puzzle ideas game to his heart: “All this Tetris story rampages onwards to dominate new says Alexey. “In true 3D, it
and was excited to realise them, and so is great, but a big part of the story is territory. With that in mind, we had one would be a very boring, slow
I started five or six games in a row, one luck – I was lucky to create something final question; is Alexey still happy with game, so I decided to create a
3D graphical effect, but keep
his original blueprint, that’s become a the gameplay on 2D planes.”
template for an entire genre? “When This grew into the idea of the
working on the original game, I had lots well, in which the bottom and
of ideas, such as putting garbage on the walls acted in a way similar to
screen, but I thought it wouldn’t be good the original Tetris.
“It was a good game,
for beginners,” he says. “I also thought but unfortunately, it wasn’t
about a more complex scoring system, realised well,” says Alexey. “It
with premiums for clearing multiple was perhaps too complicated
lines, but I wanted to make the scoring and the PC version was
very attached to EGA, and
as understandable as possible.” Alexey
died with it.” Alexey notes
pauses for a moment to consider what he that the game managed to
would do to the original Tetris, given the survive a little longer as an
chance, and then he finally answers: “I arcade machine: “In Japan,
don’t think I would change a thing.” they created a version for
four players, with each one
Thanks to Rik Morgan controlling one of the walls
(www.handheldmuseum.com) for the around the well – the ideal
handheld Tetris image. Special thanks to form for the game!”
Blue Planet Software and crew (www.
blueplanetsoftware.com) for the images of the
Electronika 60 version of Tetris.

» Tetris Worlds with ‘easy spin’ was not one of the most popular versions of Tetris,
especially among purists and the game’s creator himself, Alexey Pajitnov.

100 games to play before you die | 79

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

Elite
80 | 100 games to play before you die
 ELITE

When Elite launched in 1984, its 3D graphics

and sandbox gameplay were revolutionary.
Now, 34 years on and with a new game
released, co-creator David Braben talks to
David Crookes about the impact of his game

T
here can be very few people who black market, dealing in slaves, narcotics and
have not heard of the masterpiece firearms.In 1984, this kind of sophistication
of programming that is Elite. Some in a game was incredibly advanced and yet
have compared it to Citizen Kane, there was an early chance that Elite would
the Orson Welles film classic of 1941, but never even see the light of day. Infamously,
while we perhaps wouldn’t go that far, Thorn EMI turned it down, put off by realistic
there’s no denying the sheer impact of physics and out-of-this-world gameplay
Ian Bell and David Braben’s game. With that dispensed with multiple lives and the
a feeling of isolation that only a bleak usual game mechanics of the day. But
universe can bring yet punctuated by the when Acornsoft got its hands on it, the firm
possibility of action, Elite could be both knew it had something special.From the
lonely and arresting. Flights would be moment it was shown off at a press launch
suddenly interrupted by a space war or an in Thorpe Park – one of the first games to
opportunity to steal and trade. receive this kind of treatment – Elite caught
Different worlds would lead to different the imagination of both the gaming and
possibilities. Players could take basic non-gaming press and went on to spawn
machinery, food and raw materials from three sequels. “That event created so much
an agricultural world and sell it to an evangelism for the game and it was clear
industrial one. They could operate on the that people wanted it,” David Braben tells us.

100 games to play before you die | 81

 On 20 September 1984, a Elite has been a very influential
true game changer was game, but what was it that » The sheer wealth of content found
launched. Its name was influenced you? in Elite puts many current special
editions to shame.
Elite and it would go on A lot of different factors came
to influence countless together at the same time. I read
videogames for years to science-fiction books avidly, but the
come. Created by university late Seventies was also the period
undergraduates Ian Bell and when sci-fi first started to appear at
David Braben, it presented the cinema, with Star Wars being
players with a vast, open 3D the most obvious one. It had some
world. Gamers would set of the atmosphere that I’d got from
off from the planet Lave in a the books whereas TV – the likes
Cobra Mk III spacecraft with of Star Trek – didn’t really cut it. TV
little more than 100 credits programmes were a bit too removed
to their name. On their somehow and the same could be
journey through the galaxy, said for games at the time. I was
they would become a space more negatively influenced.
pirate, making their virtual
living through trade, in a Which games caught your
game that dispensed with imagination at the time?
When we were writing Elite, we
multiple lives and time limits
played games like Defender,
and simply aimed to absorb
Galaxian and Pac-Man. But I also
the player in the experience.
liked Philosopher's Quest. What I
liked most was the way you saved
your position and the way the
Why i pace of the game was a bit more
measured. Most of the other games
Love Elite that I played were a frantic few » You can switch between different viewpoints, further » So tell us. Where do you want to go today? The
adding to Elite’s immersion. possibilities are endless.
■ Elite proves that the impossible is minutes and then a frustrating death.
possible in 32K of RAM. And it’s fun stop and save your position and up a bit. Before Elite, the experience
too. Elite was also one of the first Did you want to produce something come back the following evening. of publishers was very much about
games that generated stories based on different to those? making games that were copies of
escapades you had in the game. Games like Space Invaders or How was the development work arcade games and if you look at the
Defender, where you would get split with co-creator Ian Bell? catalogue of games immediately
Graeme Devine, an extra smart bomb at 5,000 We tried to split the tasks 50/50, but prior to Elite, there was very little
developer of and an extra life at 10,000, felt so the way it worked in practice was we experimentation. What I think we did
The 7th Guest regimented. I thought “what if you both worked on each other’s code was unlock publishers’ willingness to
got two smart bombs and no extra all the time. An awful lot of time was experiment. Publishers had rejected
life?” I would want to choose. I also spent trying to do what we call byte- Elite as a wonderful graphics demo
thought games were structured too savings, which was a surprisingly and then came to think “we want
much around the coin drop and so rewarding way of trawling through, some of that”. So it's not that we
many home computer games were thinking “wow, I can rewrite those inspired the developers – I think there
just direct derivatives of arcade ten instructions into nine instructions were a lot of different experimental
games. I wanted to have much more and save two bytes” or “I could look games that people were probably
considered games where you could at this, I can change that, I can do already making – but it was more
this here, and then we can save two
bytes here as well”.

Elite stripped away many familiar

aspects of gaming such as time
limits and lives. Why did you
believe those mechanics were
unnecessary for Elite?
Arguably Elite does have
lives: it has one life. But
it was a slightly bizarre
feeling of “why three?
Why not infinite?”. I » Detailed descriptions of each planet gives you the
love games that mix it impression of visiting exciting new worlds.

82 | 100 games to play before you die

 ELITE

Eight games
Elite influenced
Grand Theft Auto III The impact of Ian Bell and David
■ Considered to be Elite’s natural successor, Braben’s game can be seen in a
the explorative, sandbox, mission-based play of Wing Commander: great many other franchises…
Grand Theft Auto’s first 3D foray was testament Privateer
to Sam and Dan Houser’s immense appreciation ■ More linear than Elite but still with the
of Ian and David’s game. free roaming ability, Privateer was a Wing
Commander game, albeit one that involved
cargo shipping, bounty collecting, combat and
craft enhancements.

X: Beyond the Frontier

■ Egosoft’s debut game in the X-universe felt
like a simpler version of Elite, but there was an Oolite
identical sense of adventure with base-to-base ■ The name of this first-person, open-
travel, lots of trading and ship upgrades. ended space trader stands for ‘Object
Oriented Elite’. It began as a fan effort which
has grown in popularity and shows Elite’s
EVE Online influence on gamers as well as developers.
■ Eve’s senior producer Nathan Richardson Freelancer
that we inspired the publishers to go has never denied the influence Elite has had on ■ As mercenary lawless adventurer Edison
with the developers' his game and with a huge galaxy to explore, Trent foraged his way through the darkness
ideas. For at least two interplanetary trade, docking and shooting, the of space, relationships with friendly or
to three years we saw similarities are stark. hostile factions played a big part, whether
a lot of new genres come gamers assumed the role of pirate, trader or
up that hadn’t and probably bounty hunter.
wouldn’t have been considered
by a publisher before that.
Space Rogue
Why did you decide to include ■ Space Rogue took Elite and added
trading in the gameplay? filled-in 3D graphics, realistic physics and
We brainstormed a few different Deep Space RPG elements. Its successful blend was
ways to make you care about your ■ Although marred by annoying controls, enough for Zzap64! to call it the greatest
ship and we were both afraid that Deep Space pitted players in a STRIX ever space game.
trading would be a bit boring: fighter and plunged them into deep
“What do you mean? You’re buying competitor to Space Invaders space, letting them earn credits for better
at a certain price and selling a bit or to Defender”. But we tried it weapons and energy boosts.
higher? Big deal, that doesn’t sound out and thought, actually, it is quite
exciting; that doesn’t sound like a compelling. You care so much more
if you’ve got a cargo of gold that
you’re trying to get through if you’re the idea of carrying cargo, all the
actually making a journey, rather other roles felt quite natural. “I’m
than just trying to survive two-and-a- attacking someone because I want
half minutes. their cargo” – so you're clearly a
pirate. And having a bounty on your redraw them and think “oh, you’ve
This also allowed players to assume head also seemed logical. Then you lost any persistence of vision”. You
a role, didn't it? could be a bounty-hunter without had no feeling of 3D at all. I sat
Once you had the survival, it felt the actually breaking the law. So the idea down to learn machine code and
score was money essentially and we of law was added. It came together I thought there’s got to be a game
contextualised all of that in terms quite quickly. here because it’s so lovely. It was
» Discovering exciting new locations has always been a of bounties so as soon as you had an empty world, but you had such a
massive draw of the original Elite.
Was there any frustration over the sensation of motion and of 3D that it

You care so much more if restrictions that the BBC Micro

placed upon you?
felt compelling and that’s why I tried
to work out how to draw 3D shapes.

you’ve got a cargo of gold you’re It wasn’t as bad as that. I had an

Acorn Atom and I wanted to write
So with Elite, it was a bit back to
front; it was very much driven by

trying to get through, rather this thing where you flew through
an expanding sphere of star field,
the technology, as in that came first
and then it was “all right, it needs a

than just trying to survive but I was horrified by how slowly

it drew it in BASIC: you’d see the
spaceship, that would be fun to fly
around and fight”. And fighting in 3D
David Braben emphasises the importance of Elite’s trading aspect stars appear, undraw them and actually felt great. It felt different.

100 games to play before you die | 83

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

Dr Wily is trying to take over

pierobot
the world with his Robot
Masters, and only the blue
bomber can stop them! Find
out how this superb sequel
surpassed the original and
launched a beloved series

I
f you ever need to convince someone that
second chances are worthwhile, Mega Man II
might just be the perfect piece of evidence.
It seems crazy to imagine now that Capcom’s
blue bomber is a beloved fixture of the gaming world,
but the original Mega Man (or Rockman, in Japan) was
not a particularly successful game, despite earning
some critical praise. In fact, sales were low enough
that Capcom couldn’t justify the production of a sequel
– in fact, it was only after an appeal to management
that development was permitted, and even then the
team had to work on other projects.
Faced with these limitations and a short
development period, the team chose not to reinvent
the wheel. Mega Man II adopted the shooting-heavy
platform game template of its forebear, which was
hardly a bad thing – it had been received well, and only
needed minor adjustments to captivate players. To
speed development along, the team utilised unused lightning
concepts from the original game, such as enemy
designs. Capcom also invited fans to send in their
lord

84 | 100 games to play before you die

 MEGA MAN II

pixel perfect
met
shrimp
hot dog

snapper
croaker

Air tiki
burokkii

crabbot
flying fish
atomic
chicken

crazy
cannon
hothead
bubble bat
springer

robo sniper
rabbit armor
lantern
fish

prop
fan fiend top
mecha
monkey
100 games to play before you die | 85
 In order to get to Dr Wily, you’re going to have to get past his
BOSS RUSH hand-picked guardians – and he’s picked quite a few…

Metal Man Air Man Crash Man

■ This boss hangs out in a factory, ■ This windbag uses a fan to generate ■ You might expect this guy to glitch the
and loves to throw circular blades to mini-tornado attacks. These can be game, but he’s actually a mad bomber
chop his opponent down to size – and pretty hard to dodge, so he’s more with a real appetite for destruction – a
unfortunately, that means you. than just hot air. truly dangerous foe.
How To Beat Him If you get in How To Beat Him Air Man How To Beat Him Crash Man
close, he’ll leap to the other side of attacks a set side of the screen. Once jumps and retaliates with a bomb when
the screen making his blades easy to you’ve dodged his barrage, he’ll move you shoot. We’d advise you to use the
dodge. Shoot him as he lands – easy. and you can attack him from behind. Air Shooter against him.

Bubble Man Heat Man Wood Man

■ We’re not quite sure what’s supposed ■ This hothead can turn himself into ■ No, not a lumberjack – this oddball
to be so deadly about bubbles – maybe a shooting flame, and has a burning is genuinely threatening thanks to his
corrosion? Still, this chap puts up a desire to see your energy bar go up ability to cloak himself with leaves
good fight. in smoke. while still attacking you.
How To Beat Him Bubble Man How To Beat Him Heat Man will How To Beat Him As well as
fires bubbles in a wave pattern, but fire some shots, then blaze across shooting leaves at you, Wood Man will
these are pretty easy to dodge since the the screen. To cool him off, we’d drop them from above. With Atomic Fire,
fight is underwater. recommend using the Bubble Lead. you can take him out.

Flash Man Quick Man Picopico-kun

■ Thankfully, indecent exposure isn’t ■ This speed freak likes to jump around ■ The second line of defence at Wily’s
what this Robot Master is all about – and throw boomerangs at Mega Man – fortress. This enemy isn’t big, but it
instead, he rather likes stopping time to an odd method of attack, but one which comes in numbers and it only gets
put Mega Man on the back foot. proves surprisingly effective. tougher to beat as time goes on.
How To Beat Him He leaps about How To Beat Him This guy isn’t How To Beat Him Use the Metal
the screen firing at you and stopping easy to topple, but he can be defeated Blade for aiming flexibility, or if you’re
time to confound you. The flexibility of relatively quickly with smart use of feeling spicy, the Bubble Lead will inflict
the Metal Blade is your friend here. the Crash Bomb. a one-hit kill.

Guts Tank
■ Boss three in Wily’s defensive line is this lumbering thing. It shoots
projectiles from its mouth and releases enemies from its chest.
How To Beat Him The Quick Boomerang is probably the best
weapon to use here. To damage Guts Tank, you need to attack its
head. You might wish to stand atop the tank’s treads before jumping.

Boobeam Trap
■ The most unusual boss in the game, consisting of wall-mounted
laser cannons, and one of Wily’s final traps.
How To Beat Him Strategy is needed here. You have seven
Crash Bombs, and you need all of them – two to destroy walls, and
five to destroy the beam cannons. Don’t waste your ammo!

Wily Machine 2
■ The mad doctor himself joins
the fight!
How To Beat Him For the
first part of the boss fight, use
fully charged Atomic Fire shots.
The second form of the boss is
immune to Atomic Fire, but still Alien
vulnerable to Crash Bombs. If
Mecha Dragon ■ Could Dr Wily have been an impostor?
you don’t have any left, try the It appears so as he transforms into the
■ The first guardian of Dr Wily’s lair
Air Shooter or Metal Blade. Alien, Mega Man’s final foe. It flies about in a
is this large and rather terrifying piece
of flying, fire-breathing machinery. figure of eight pattern.
How To Beat Him Don’t bother attacking How To Beat Him Only the Bubble Lead
until the dragon has stopped chasing you. Once you’re will damage the alien. Not only are the other
one-on-one, you can use your regular arm cannon to defeat it – weapons ineffective, they’ll actively hinder
just time your jumps well to avoid the fireballs it shoots. your efforts by refilling the alien’s health!

86 | 100 games to play before you die

 MEGA MAN II

A non-linear
structure might not
seem like a big deal, Mega
but it wasn’t common Speeds
in the Eighties This speedrunner, known on Twitch and Twitter
as cyghfer, can beat the game in just 26:37!
When did you first encounter Mega
concepts for Robot Masters – the mechanical bosses Man II and what did you think of it?
of the Mega Man world – and used tweaked versions I knew of Mega Man as a kid, but since I started
of those in the game. having an impact on our household’s videogame
The setup for the game is simple. Following his purchases during the N64 era, it wasn’t a series
defeat in the previous game, series antagonist Dr Wily that was really on my radar. It was much later,
decides to regroup and take out Mega Man. However, during a period of exploring NES games via
instead of taking over other robots, this time Wily has emulation, that I played through all six NES Mega Man titles. Mega
built his own Robot Masters: Air Man, Bubble Man, Man II definitely made the biggest impression on me.
Crash Man, Flash Man, Heat Man, Metal Man, Quick
Man and Wood Man. The benevolent Dr Light sends What makes the game well-suited to speedrunning?
Mega Man off to defeat them, and put the dastardly Mega Man II is a game with simple movement on the surface but
Wily back in his place. a wealth of deceptively difficult tricks when you attempt to push

E
the game to its limit. The most fundamental trick used to progress
ach of the eight Robot Masters has a quickly through the game is the horizontal zip, where you manoeuvre
level which fits their overall character – Mega Man into a ceiling in one of several ways and then kick off a
Metal Man’s stage is an industrial area sequence where Mega Man moves rightward one tile per frame –
full of conveyor belts and mechanical that is to say, very fast.
hazards, whereas Air Man’s stage requires you One of the other main attractions of the Mega Man II speedrun
to negotiate sky-high moving platforms over is its varied and interesting set of boss fights. Almost every Robot
bottomless pits. Likewise, Bubble Man’s stage Master fight in the game requires interesting and difficult movement
dips underwater and Quick Man’s stage is filled with to take down optimally, or to react favourably to a wide array of
hazards that strike suddenly. The end of each stage random patterns. Mega Man II is among the most competitive
involves a showdown with the boss, and victory allows speedruns from the 8-bit/16-bit era, and it is a game that demands
you to claim a cool new power-up. Since Mega Man II persistence and rigor from the player.
inherits a nonlinear structure from the original, you can
choose to tackle these stages in any order. How much practice have you put in to reach your
In today’s environment of open world, open-ended personal best of 26:37?
games, a nonlinear structure might not seem like a big I would estimate that my total amount of time put into the Mega
deal, but it wasn’t at all common in the late Eighties. Man II speedrun is around 2,000 hours, give or take 500 in either
What’s more, it was a blessing – Mega Man II is quite direction. This includes initially learning the game, investigating
difficult, but the challenges are varied. You can choose possible strategy and route improvements, practicing the game, and
to prioritise what you’re good at if you’re more skilled at doing runs. Probably around 40 per cent of that consists of practice.
certain tasks, such as precision platforming or combat.
Alternatively, you can tailor your style to the power-up What are the common stumbling points when you’re
rewards you get for beating bosses – with the right trying to put together a run?
weapon, you can tear the Robot Masters to shreds The most notable sections in the run where run-ending mistakes
in a matter of seconds, making this a very viable occur are the ‘open air’ section in the Air Man stage, the start of the
Crash Man stage, the three screens with the fire-breathing dogs in
Wood Man, the major tricks in Wily 1, and many screens in Wily 4.
However, there are many more spots that won’t usually outright ‘kill’
a run, but where significant mistakes still occur frequently: the rest of
the Clash Man stage, the Quick Man stage fight, the ‘item-2 zip’ in the
Bubble Man stage, more spots in Wily 4, and many spots in the Wily 5
refights. Really, the run can die anywhere.

Do you think there’s much scope for improvement on

your time, and do you plan to try beating it?
A few years ago, these kinds of times would have been considered
nearly unbeatable, and all competition would have more or less
died out barring significant new strategy discoveries. However, our
collective level of consistency and knowledge has risen to the point
where the frontier for a realistic time in Mega Man II appears to be
somewhere around 26:25.
When I returned to Mega Man II speedrunning late last year, my
best was 27:01. I pushed hard to lower my best time to the 26:37 I
have today, and I needed a break from the grind. But I’ve come to
realize that pushing myself in Mega Man II is one of the endeavours
that gives me the most meaning and joy in life.
» Things can get hectic when enemies like the Lantern Fish spawn new enemies
of their own.

100 games to play before you die | 87

POWER-UPS strategy. This only lasts so long, though – once the
You’ll need some help to beat Dr Wily, and these pick-ups Robot Masters are taken care of and Mega Man is fully
prove to be just what you need powered up, your final challenge is a linear run through
Wily’s lair on the way to the ultimate fight.
ITEMS The one major complaint that many players had
about the original Mega Man was that it was too
Extra Life E-Tank difficult. Mega Man II includes a number of features
■ The most vital pick-up in a ■ Treasure these brilliant
to reduce the frustration factor. Perhaps the most
game of this difficulty! Grab a pick-ups – they’ll give you a full
important is the E-Tank, an iconic item that can be
Mega Man head and you’ll get an energy bar on demand, which
picked up and used later to fully restore energy – a
extra chance to beat the game. can be as good as an extra life.
literal lifesaver when used judiciously, and the only
way to gain energy during a boss fight. Then there
Energy refill Weapon Energy are Item 1, Item 2 and Item 3 – dull names for sure,
■ These come in two sizes – refill but they allow for the creation of platforms that can
pellets refill a small amount of ■ Much like the energy refills, allow Mega Man to skip past tricky parts of stages,
energy, while capsules give you but for the weapon you’re and access otherwise unreachable items. Further still,
a bigger boost. currently using. the international release has a difficulty setting which
reduces the resilience of enemies compared to the
Japanese games. It’s still not an easy game, and some
weapons sections remain infuriating, but it’s certainly far more
reasonable than the original.
Metal Blade Air Shooter

T
■ Not only does this absolutely ■ This tornado attack is great
hat reduced frustration allowed players
shred a number of bosses, for taking out airborne enemies, to more easily appreciate not only
it allows Mega Man to fire in as it rises up diagonally once it’s playing the game, but the sights and
various directions, making it an been fired. It’s situational, but sounds along the way – and they were
outstanding weapon. good when necessary. special in their own right. The series’ signature
Atomic Fire
cartoon graphics are best expressed by the larger
■ This weapon allows you to
sprites, but even the relatively small ones like the
unleash a powerful charged shot
Robot Masters are packed with personality. As for
that can devastate enemies, but
the music, the tunes are amongst the best conjured
beware: charged shots require
from the NES – high energy, memorable ditties with
extra energy.
an upbeat feel that matches the on-screen action well.
These have inspired a huge number of fan remixes
Leaf Shield Crash Bomber and covers, and are frequently cited when discussing
■ This weapon encircles Mega ■ This works as normal if fired classic videogame music.
Man in protective leaves, straight at a baddie, but it can Mega Man II was released in Japan in December
blocking most minor attacks, attach to walls and other objects 1988, and like its predecessor it was popular with the
and can be hurled at enemies for a delayed explosion, which critics. Famitsu’s four reviewers gave scores of 6, 7, 8
once used. is useful. and 7 for a total of 28/40. Western reviews were more
Time Stopper enthusiastic, though. All four reviewers in Electronic
■ This one does exactly what it
Gaming Monthly offered the game 8/10 when the
says on the tin – time is frozen,
game arrived in the US in mid-1989. When the game
and any nearby enemies along
finally arrived in the UK at the beginning of 1991,
with it. You can’t attack while the
reviewers were even more effusive in their praise.
Time Stopper is working, though.

Bubble Lead Item 1

■ A bubble arcs out of your ■ This allows Mega Man to
cannon and travels along the create a temporary platform that
floor, damaging whatever it floats gently upwards for a few
comes into contact with. Good for seconds. Up to three can be used
hitting tiny enemies. at once.
Quick
Boomerang
■ Useful in close-quarters
combat, due to its limited range.
When fired, a barrage of pink
boomerangs appears.

Item 3
■ This item gives Mega Man the
ability to create wall-climbing
platforms – less useful than
the other two, but situationally
excellent.
Item 2
■ Item 2 enables Mega Man to
» Good tactics are essential to beating the bosses, including correct
create a platform which rockets weapon selection.
off in the direction it’s facing after
a moment to allow Mega Man
to get on.
 MEGA MAN II

The Mega Man

series as a whole
owes its continued
existence to Mega Man
II’s success
CVG offered the game 95%, and Mean Machines also
gave it 95%, with reviewer Jaz Rignall commenting
that it was “one of the finest platform games ever
seen.” Zero rated the game 96% and gave a Console
Classic award, stating that it has “playability just
coming out of its ears.”
This time around though, the sales were there to
match. Mega Man II would ultimately sell 1.51 million
units, making it one of Capcom’s best-selling games
ever at that point in time. Only one Capcom NES game
sold more copies (that being Ghosts ‘N’ Goblins, with
1.64 million units), and it remains the best-selling game
in the Mega Man series – but that’s not for a lack of
releases, as Capcom’s mascot has starred in literally
dozens of games since.
The Mega Man series as a whole owes its
continued existence to Mega Man II’s success – had
sales once again failed to meet expectations, that
would have been it for the blue bomber. Yet with only
some small tweaks, the team was able to follow a
struggling game into a smash hit, which is something
all too rarely seen today. The result was that Mega
Man would make four more NES appearances, sticking
with the 8-bit platform up to 1993 and creating an
unbreakable association in the process – so much so
that Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10 went back to the
NES style despite being developed for the Wii, PS3
and Xbox 360. As for Mega Man II itself, it has been
featured in the Mega Man Anniversary Collection and
Mega Man Legacy Collection compilations, making it
easy to track down today.
So if you’re already a fan, by this point you’ve
probably got a hankering to negotiate the deadly spikes
of Bubble Man’s stage again already. But if you’re
not a fan, or you’d previously dismissed the game
for its admittedly stiff challenge, it’s well worth giving
the game another chance. After all, we wouldn’t be
talking about this if second chances didn’t lead to good
things, would we?

THE WILY WARS

Mega Man II was given a complete overhaul to appear
on the Mega Drive – does it still hold up?
While the SNES was receiving brand-new to the ‘Difficult’ mode in the NES game. It
Mega Man experiences in 1994, Sega fans has been given the full next-gen treatment
who hadn’t yet been acquainted with the with completely redrawn graphics,
character needed to be brought up to speed. although the arranged soundtrack seems
As a result, Capcom created Mega Man: to lose some of the energy of the original
The Wily Wars (or Rockman Mega World in compositions. Passwords are out, and
Japan), a compilation containing enhanced battery saves are in.
remakes of the first three Mega Man games Mega Man: The Wily Wars is now an
and some extra exclusive bosses. expensive and sought-after game – it’s
The version of Mega Man II in The Wily rare in Japan and Europe, and there’s
Wars is based on the Japanese release, no American release as the game was
which means that the difficulty is equivalent exclusive to Sega Channel in this region.
» We used to like rabbits, until this one started firing carrots at us.

100 games to play before you die | 89

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

Final Fight
1989 was a time for action – not words – and Capcom proved
violence was the answer with one of the most revered kick
arse-a-thons ever released. Final Fight’s designer, Akira
Nishitani, opened the doors to his digital dojo and showed us
the secret ways of beat-‘em-up-jitsu

I
t wasn’t the first 2D, scrolling, two- work as a planner. This job has become than all those young players!” he laughs,
player co-operative fighting game, very important in Japanese game design, striking an accord with retro gamers the
and it certainly wasn’t the last. but back then it was still quite unusual.” world over with his wonderfully esoteric
Viewed from afar with a slightly A passion for games and an organic Japanese phrase, “super grey player”
cynical tilt of an indifferent head, it progression toward the arcade (this is a literal translation which is
wouldn’t take much to brand Final Fight is a similar story to that of many simply too delicious to wilfully alter, but
with the same iron as all the other beat- accomplished designers we know today. is perhaps best interpreted as “mature,
‘em-ups from the arcade’s silver age. And clearly this passion has not waned. yet respected, gamer”).
But through a careful and considered He continues: “These days I play games When Final Fight was being
analysis of this intricate genre, Capcom more as work than as a hobby, but I still conceived, it was a time of change
brilliantly distilled the art of the beat-‘em- play everyday. I think it’s very important for the entire videogame industry,
IN THE KNOW up to create the most refined example to someone involved in the industry, and Capcom played no small part in
ever seen. although I secretly aspire to be a ‘super ushering in that new age. Akira told
We put on our sparring gloves grey player’! I’m determined to be better us a little about those embryonic
and talked to the co-designer and days at one of the most historically
programmer of Final Fight, the high- significant videogame developers.
spirited and enigmatic Akira Nishitani. “[Capcom] was an incredibly lively
“I was born in Tokyo, and as long as I place, although there weren’t actually
can remember, I always loved to play that many employees when I first
games: board games, card games – I started work there. It was great, because
liked to play any kind of game!” everyone felt like we had the opportunity
»Publisher: Capcom
Nishitani begins. “While I was a high to create our own future.
» Developer: Capcom
school student I got a part time job “At that time, these kinds of action and
» Released: 1989 as writer for Beep! magazine, mainly fighting games had only just become
» platform: Arcade, various concentrating on arcade games. After I » Akira Nishitani motivates his troops at Arika – the game
popular, so we decided it was the right
» Genre: Beat-’em-up graduated from high school, I started to developer he established after leaving Capcom. time to make our own. They had been

90 | 100 games to play before you die

 FINAL FIGHT

» The arcade flyer depicting the short » Haggar attempts to persuade Belger, head of the Mad Gear
lived Street Fighter ’89 concept. Gang, to stop bothering his daughter.

DEVELOPER
HIGHLIGHTS
X-Men:ChildrenoftheAtom
Systems: Arcade
Year: 1994
Forgotten Worlds
Systems: Arcade
Year: 1988
Street Fighter II: The
World Warrior
Systems: Arcade
Year: 1991

» What does it say

about a modern
day sequel when
the creator of the
original has never
even heard of it?

around for a long time of course, but that tenuous inheritance. Nishitani-san had been confirmed, we decided to go
to be frank, I don’t think these kinds explained further. back to the original name.
of game were ever much fun for me. I “Our intention was to develop Final “If truth be told, the only thing we ever
looked at the style of fighting games, Fight as an original game in its own right changed when testing it as Street Fighter
and thought to myself “how can I – and that’s what we did. However, Street ’89 was the logo, so it was no hardship
make it more interesting?” That was Fighter had such a high name value, we putting things back to how they started!”
the beginning.” he says with genuine, decided to make use of its recognition he laughs.
patriarchal emotion. and changed the name to Street Fighter Although the Street Fighter inspiration
A cursory jaunt around the internet ‘89 for a game show where it was first may stop at a rather abrupt and
reveals what is probably the most displayed,” explains Nishitani, unchallenged brick wall, it’s not the
spoken about and historically important quickly unravelling the only pop-culture reference ardent fans RELATED
aspect of Final Fight’s conception: its knotted rope of Final Fight’s have plucked from Final Fight’s ether. GAMES AND
Street Fighter lineage. But that family
tree may not be as well rooted as it’s
origin. He continues.
“At the game show, it
Akira explains to us how
some of these popular
SPIN-OFFS
been suggested. received an excellent references might have Also in the series
It occasionally escapes our notice that reception, proving come about. Final Fight Guy
the original Street Fighter shared little even more popular “Before we developed Mighty Final Fight
in common with its legendary offspring. than we could have Final Fight, Capcom’s president
Street Fighter had gained considerable hoped. But this really suddenly gathered us all Final Fight CD
recognition, but even by 1989 it had wasn’t related to Street together and said, “The future Final Fight 2
been severely tamed by time. There Fighter. We’d made of entertainment is in movies! Final Fight 3
is evidence that suggests Final Fight Final Fight as we’d I’m installing ten TV screens
was originally intended to be a sequel intended – with a for you. Watch as many Final Fight Revenge
to the somewhat damp Street Fighter totally different and different kinds of movies and Final Fight One
squib, but the monumental differences new world view, so information as you can find! Final Fight: Streetwise
in gameplay and design somewhat belie once its popularity And, from now on, when

100 games to play before you die | 91

 If truth be told, the only thing we
ever changed when testing it as
Street Fighter ’89 was the logo
Akira Nishitani

» Grabbing Edi’s gross, used gum when you’re energy level’s full grants a
rather spiffing 42910 points in celebration of Nishitani-san’s birthday!

The Beef
Bowl
A game isn’t great unless it’s
thoroughly infused with hidden
references and Easter eggs, and
Nishitani let the lid off some
beauties from Final Fight.
“In Japan everyone knows
about a technique called
“alchemy”. When you smashed » Upon completion, Guy “persuades” Cody to get back » “I suppose Roxy and Poison could be male. We were mildly concerned about getting
up the bucket and drum in Final together with Jessica. What are friends for? sued by a feminist group if we beat up women in the game. Whatever you see, that’s
Fight, if you could hit the right what they are!” Akira Nishitani comments, regarding the much debated gender of the
button at the right time the enemy characters. They look like chicks to me (at least in the arcade version).
items change into lump of gold
or a diamond. These are worth
10,000 points each, so it’s an
indispensable technique for a
high score chaser!
“You can get big points on level
three, as well. If your character
has full energy and picks up
the gum which the boss, Edi
E, spits out, you receive 42910 you develop a game, you must make its
points. This is a courage bonus
for taking someone else’s gross, image first!” He ordered us just like that,
spat out gum. The reason you so from that point on we approached
score that strange amount is our planning and design as if it were a » A keen eye will notice
“42910” is my date of birth the phrase “NiN”
movie.” recalls Akira about the meeting cropping up throughout
– 42nd year of Showa Era
which would not only influence Capcom, Capcom’s back
[1967], September 10th. catalogue, courtesy of
Also, if you complete the last but other Japanese developers at the Mr Akira Nishitani.
level on just one coin, you see time, including long-term rivals SNK.
the special ending. In Japan, This remark resounds profoundly have gone to over the years in order to and defining integration of Eighties pop
it was called the “*gyudon with another well spoken rumour about uncover every last little detail. culture, Final Fight is more a part of that
ending”. I’d love your readers to
the origins of Final Fight’s back story. A ethos than a collection of references to it.

W
see this awesome ending, but
I don’t know if foreign editions considerable number of parallels can be hile we were on the While the basic premise of Final Fight
have it or not. If not, please buy drawn between the game and the 1984 subject, I decided to clarify might not have blazed any particularly
the Japanese edition!” cheese-ball gangster movie, Streets a couple of other possible new trails, the gameplay mechanics
*Gyudon: literal translation
Of Fire. Without hesitation (or regard allusions from Final Fight’s certainly redefined the way we
– beef bowl. Don’t ask me!
for a conscious breach of Japanese antagonistic cast – specifically Andore, interacted with the beat-‘em-up principle.
etiquette), the question of their possible look-alike of the late American wrestler Of particular note in Final Fight are the
relationship is fired at Mr Nishitani and Andre the Giant, and the numerous rock dramatic differences of the playable
we’re eager to hear his answer. There’s band references that appear throughout characters Guy, Cody and Haggar. The
a disconcerting pause before his answer the game. three protagonists offered distinctly
arrives although, mercifully, it carries his “I have a friend whose nickname individual gaming experiences, allowing
good humoured lilt. is “Andre”, and it’s actually him who players differing gameplay depending
“Hmm. At the time, we certainly the characters in Final Fight are named on their mood or fighting preference.
weren’t aware of Streets Of Fire, but after,” he tells us. “Of course, I have Whether the player preferred speed and
I’ve just Googled it and there does to admit those characters do look like skill over brute force and ignorance, Final
indeed seem to be something familiar Andre the Giant, though. Also, we had a Fight was the first beat-‘em-up to offer
about it. But then again, this style of woman co-worker who we asked to list that choice.
story was very popular back then. Lots as many names as she could think of for “This was a feature that took quite a
» For those of you who don’t have a of fighting games made use of it. I our characters. She was really into rock long time to implement. In the end, we
Japanese version of the arcade machine
(shame on you), here’s a few clips of
guess we were part of that crowd!” he music, so that’s why lots of them turned prepared the three characters you see
the gyudon ending. We can only guess chuckles, apparently impressed by the out to be named after band members!” in the game as we thought they offered
who’s who… investigative prowess fans of his game So it would seem that, despite its clear the greatest choice. It just wouldn’t be

92 | 100 games to play before you die

 FINAL FIGHT

» “I also remember changing the demonstration screen for an overseas version, to try and tone down any sexual elements.” – Akira Nishitani. On
the left, the Japanese attract screen (and it certainly does!). On the right, the Mary Whitehouse version.

» “I went to San Francisco once to see Final Fight at its first test » The second bonus round is considerable tougher than smashing up » Check out the wicked reflection effect in the floor of the
location. I was so excited, as it was the first time I’d ever been the car. Break the glass without getting close enough for it to knock snowy mountain level. It’s worth noticing the character’s
abroad!” Akira Nishitani. your teeth out. shadows are now accurate, too.

This is actually the first time I’ve

ever heard of Final Fight: Streetwise! » The 3D one-on-one

Google is really useful! Akira Nishitani

Final Fight Revenge
was actually pretty
damn good, even if it
went mostly unnoticed.

as exciting if they didn’t each have a detailed characters. I’d liked to have kind. We hoped Akira might be able to
different journey through the game”, added more enemies and animation explain the somewhat shaky philosophy
Nishitani explains. frames, and even though Final Fight had behind this most recent update and why
Since each playable character very good optimising software and the it might not have worked.
had their own moves and their own CPS1 board was technically superior, “I was only involved in the
stylings, the character design work was there were as many budgetary and time development of the original Final
effectively triple what a developer would limitations as there are these days. Fight coin-op,” says Nishitani, once
expect. This quality of design and depth
of dedication is visible throughout Final
“However, I believe that despite those
limitations, Final Fight was still the best
again turning to his computer for a
bit of on-the-fly research, “and this is
Smashing!
Game designers had dipped
Fight, resulting in the some of the finest performance game of the time.” actually the first time I’ve ever heard of their toes in the shallow pool of
character and background graphics a Final Fight was only really brought Final Fight: Streetwise! Wow! I see it’s between-level-bonus-rounds
before, but none had delivered
beat-‘em-up had ever seen. back to the arcades in spirit, and not by certainly based on our old game, but such delectable lashings of
“My real challenge was the deep, way of a direct sequel (most notably in I’d never heard of it until now. Google unnecessary violence as in Final
pseudo 3D space, and how the large the superb Aliens Vs Predator). Its real is really useful!” he laughs, showing no Fight. Nishintani-san told us
sprites interacted with it. There are legacy lies with the Super Nintendo, signs of the disgruntlement he’s more more about car repairs on the
so many concerns when it comes to though conversions and sequels have than entitled to harbour toward such streets of Metro City.
“We definitely wanted to have
adding details to a level. For example, seen both success and controversy. One uninspired use of his original work. crash bonus round, and had
if we add an oil drum, it adds all kinds of the weakest attempts to resurecct the Despite the industry’s trend for many ideas, like destroying a
of processing difficulties. Can the series was Final Fight: Streetwise for the avoiding the wealth of established talent piano and a house. There was
characters climb on the drum? If so, Xbox and PS2, though reviews were not when it comes to reimagining classic another idea we developed but
didn’t use in the end, where
what happens when another character games, Akira still has a fond place in
players had to beat bad guys
destroys the drum while they’re stood his heart for Final Fight, and shares a until they were buried in the
on it? Can we have one drum on top glimmer of hope for a sequel that might ground up to their shoulders! We
of another? It creates a lot of problems, finally do justice to the original. decided in the end that smashing
but these details are important and we “Final Fight is an immortal game, but up a car would work better
visually, however.
wanted to create a high quality game!” lately I hardly see any kind of action “Also, around that time, I don’t
Akira laughs, fondly reminiscing about games. We once again need more remember the exact details
difficulties that, at the time, would interesting varieties, just as we did when but there was something in the
undoubtedly not have seemed quite so we created Final Fight. I have lots of news about Japanese cars being
destroyed because of some
funny. And yet he’s quite correct – true detailed ideas, and if I had the chance I’d
Japan-bashing sentiment.
greatness is in the small details. He » One of the best conversions of Final Fight is to be found on
love to develop a new version.” That might have affected our
continues: “Visually I wanted big and the Game Boy Advance. Eep! decision, too!”

100 games to play before you die | 93

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

Deluxe
Brutal A classic that’s esotop
good it’s made th er
of two of our reaadt in
surveys. With thwas
mind we felt it avid
high time that D wed
Crookes intervieery
Mike Montgom llyan
and Robert Trevaesh hit
about their sm e
IN THE sports gam
KNOW ge Works
» Publisher: Ima
er :
» Develop Brothers
The Bitmap
0
» Released: 199
rious
» Platform: va
» Genre:
ts
Futuristic spor

94 | 100 games to play before you die

 SPEEDBALL 2: Brutal Deluxe

» Knock a player out and you would not only gain valuable points but you’d be treated to a nice animated sequence as the victim was stretchered away.

I
ce cream, ice cream,” shouts the seller, the words Coleman as the artist, and Richard Joseph replaced
cutting through the tension as the seconds tick David Whittaker as the musician. Robert Trevellyan
away of the second half with only five points was given the role of coder, with additional input from
putting distance between the opposing sides. The Mike who had assumed a greater programming role
metal thud of the ball reverberates as the players dart during the first game. This time out, the design was
mesmerisingly around the cold, grey arena. But then, credited to Bitmap Brothers co-founder Eric Matthews.
as a sliding tackle knocks a hapless opponent to the “I think the whole concept of Speedball 2 was
floor, there is a moment of stone-hearted relief as he different,” says Mike. “What we wanted to do with “Speedball
fails to get back up again. With the medics carrying Speedball 2 was all of the things that we really didn’t 101”
him off, Brutal Deluxe are perversely awarded ten have time to do with Speedball. So the viewpoint was ■ Speedball 2 is a top-
points and the advantage swings 180 degrees. In slightly changed, the graphics were a lot better – it was down, 2D, futuristic, deep
exhaustion, the gamer puts down a battered joystick a different game to a certain extent, wasn’t it? I think and violent game that is
and, with a wipe of a sweaty hand, manages a Speedball 2 was just a natural progression.” part-ice hockey and part-
triumphant, if not exhausted, smile. Speedball 2 was Robert’s first published game. American football. Each
This is Speedball 2, a game developed by the Although he had been a keen hobbyist programmer, smooth-scrolling match is
acclaimed Bitmap Brothers which was released in his one previous stab at a game, for Electric Dreams in split into two halves lasting
1990, two years after its predecessor had caught Southampton, had been canned after six months but 90 seconds each, during
the mass attention of players. This time around the the lead artist on that title had put Robert in touch with which players score as
game was set in 2105, a short while after the sport The Bitmap Brothers. The team was impressed by an many goals as possible
was said to have to have been reborn in an attempt eight-way scrolling demo which Robert had shown while grabbing extra points
to regain public interest following years of corruption them running on a Commodore 64. “It convinced by nobbling the opposition
and violence. As the opening titles explained, the them that I was worth a try,” he admits. or aiming the ball at point-
fictional sport had been forced underground to fester in The game’s lead platform was the Atari ST. “It was scoring stars. Good use
unregulated chaos. Speedball 2 was its saviour and it the less powerful of the machines, certainly when of tactics and the score
brought with it a whole new set of rules. compared to the Amiga, so the idea was to make it multiplier are essential to
Players who expected a straightforward sequel to great on the ST and then enhance it on Commodore’s win a game.
Speedball were pleasantly surprised by the series’ machine,” says Robert. He said the brief was to
second outing. According to The Bitmap Brothers’ address “all of the things that had felt limited in the
co-founder Mike Montgomery, the sequel had been first game.” One of those was the playing area, which,
completely rewritten. Although the ethos of the earlier in the original, had very little width and would simply
incarnation had been retained, Speedball 2 brought involve players trying to get the ball up towards the
with it new mechanics and an improved feature set. It goal in order to score a goal.
also introduced Brutal Deluxe, a badly performing team “In the first game, you only ever played ‘up’ the screen
that the player had to turn into champions. but in the second they wanted to expand this,”
In order to achieve the new feel to the game, The
Bitmap Brothers made changes to the original
» A letter above a player’s
head denoted their playing
development team. Dan Malone replaced Mark
Feeling hungry?
It’s Richard Joseph’s fault
position while a curve
showed a player that could
be passed to.

Discover why Speedball 2 loves its icecream

Quite aside from the game’s intro being a computerised version of a song called
Brutal Deluxe by a band called Nation 12 (a collaboration between the electronic
pioneer John Foxx and Tim Simenon from Bomb The Bass), Speedball 2 was able
to showcase the talents of the gaming audio legend Richard Joseph who died in
2007 at the age of 53 following a short battle against lung cancer. His approach to
the problem of creating memory-hogging crowd sounds was inspiring.
“Richard came in one day and said, ‘Mike, I don’t really want to show this audio to
anyone else until you have listened to it and given your approval because I’m not
really sure’” recalls Mike. “So I said, ‘okay, come in’, and we went into another room.
He played that clip ‘ice cream, ice cream’ and I went, ‘shit, that has just to go in,
there’s no argument about it, I don’t care what anyone else says, that has to go in
full stop.’ And of course it became a famous phrase in the industry, and I even had it
on my doorbell at some point. Richard was just a genius like that and we worked so
well together. It’s a shame that he passed away. What would he be doing now?”

100 games to play before you die | 95

 History Of Speedball Your guide to the short-lived series

Speedball 2: Speedball 2 Speedball 2:

Speedball Brutal Deluxe Speedball 2100 Tournament Evolution Speedball 2 HD
■ The Bitmap Brothers ■ This eight-directional ■ Speedball 2100 was a 3D ■ Released in 2007 on Steam, ■ As with many retro ■ The relatively recent
planned a game based on real frantic sweat-‘em-up of version of the series for the the same year that a faithful games, Speedball 2 found release of this PC game gave
tennis, the sport from which catch-and-throw was a huge PlayStation, “but it didn’t do remake of Brutal Deluxe hit its way to iOS, Android and the original game a glossy
lawn tennis is derived but improvement on the first too well for various reasons,” Xbox Live Arcade, Speedball 2 PSP ,and proved itself to graphical sheen. It had input
Mastertronic decided against game, racking up the tension says Mike Montgomery. It Tournament rode on the back be a timeless gem. Despite from Mike Montgomery and
it. After hitting the pub and by emphasising the amassing concentrated too much on side of a Half-Life 2 mod called some disappointing AI, the Sensible Soccer creator Jon
redesigning the game on the of points over the simplicity of issues, such as the skin and SourceBall. Mike Montgomery translation was a success, Hare and it replicated the
back of a cigarette packet, scoring goals, and providing hair colour of its players, and oversaw development and the allowing for the use of distinctive look of the 16-bit
Speedball was born. Praised a level of depth rarely seen in less so on refining the on-pitch polygon characters looked the virtual joystick while originals while serving six new
for its action, it was also any sports game, let alone one experience for a new next- markedly different. It brought supporting the accelerometer Speedball arenas. Steam still
criticised for jerky scrolling. based on a fictional pursuit. generation audience. online play to the game too. of mobile phones. has the game for £6.99/$9.99.

he explains. By creating a larger playing area for Work on the game’s playing field had come first. “We Robert explains, “more interesting”. For the ST, it
Speedball 2, the developers were able to increase the made a very simple background for most of the screen, was a case, he remembers, of “blasting most the
number of players on the pitch from five on each side using 16x16 tiles for the main areas of the pitch because screen background very quickly,” and having preloaded
to nine, and it also allowed the game to be played with the Atari ST didn’t have the graphic acceleration registers, whereas on the Amiga, the team could
far greater freedom while allowing action in the centre hardware that the Amiga make use of the various
of the pitch to be just as vital at that at either end, for had,” Robert explains. graphics acceleration
reasons we will come to later.
“The pitch was about three times bigger because we
“That allowed us to put
some bonus features
The pitch was a lot chips. “We were
squeezing everything that
had learned how to scroll the screen a lot better,” says around the edges of the bigger because we had we could out of these

learned how to scroll the

Mike. “The larger playing area enhanced the game, screen and the bouncers machines,” says Robert.
and it allowed for more things to do. It also enabled on the pitch. Those “But I was this young guy

screen a lot better

players to make better use of tactics. By having this bouncers were the only with his foot in the door
wide, open scrolling, there were more players that unique elements on the of the games industry
would be off the field. We wanted players to work out pitch – the rest of it was Mike Montgomery and loving it. I had the
where they may be and to plan ahead, things like that. a repeating pattern and it confidence that I had the
Getting to grips with the technology and mechanics meant the game could flow much better.” skills and ability to make it happen.”
of the game in this way also let us work on the overall During the subsequent conversion to the Amiga, the To aid him in developing the game (which also saw
look and feel of the game to the point that, technically, background was enhanced. The palette was upped many outings on handheld and home consoles), he
Speedball 2 was a lot better than the original game.” from 16 to 32 colours and the design became, as was able to make use of in-house library routines that
The Bitmap Brothers had created. They had some
» Although Mike Montgomery basic sprite routines and code set up on the Amiga
insists the game was not a violent
one, brutal tactics were very much but the main issue was that the coders were working
at the fore. Ouch. with the same amount of memory for Speedball 2 as
they were for Speedball. “Cramming all of that in was
a problem because we had to work with the lowest
spec machines,” says Mike.
“There were bits and pieces and skeleton code that
were useful although almost all of the code was new,”
» Goals were not the only important
Robert continues. “Even with their library of sprite
part of the games, amassing points via
other means such as star collecting developer routines, I saw there was an optimisation we could
perform on the main loop. I also instinctively took an
were crucial winning tactics.
HighliGhts object-orientated approach to the software before the
Xenon » By collecting tokens, concept of software engineering became the way. All
System: Various the game would of this combined to make a bigger and better version
Year: 1988 change direction for of the original Speedball game.”
a very small amount
Gods of time, giving the It was also fast. “The frame-rate was a lot better,”
System: Various player a short-held says Mike, “and that was important because the better
advantage.
Year: 1991 it was, the better the game experience of that type of
The Chaos Engine game would be. It wouldn’t matter for a turn-based
(Pictured) game but with an action game, you needed to
System: Various be slick and quick.” Players would have to keep
» The area around the multiplier Year: 1993 an eye on the kind of players that were
could be hard-fought for this
was such a crucial part of in view on the pitch. Icons above their
winning a match. heads would reveal whether the sprites

96 | 100 games to play before you die

 SPEEDBALL 2: Brutal Deluxe

Power-Up
Spending a little bit of time in the gym to upgrade the
attack, defence, stamina, aggression and intelligence levels
of your team is well worth your while
» Different players would have differing
attributes and they would affect the
style of play of the team.
Barge pads
■ By plating up the shoulders
of your attackers, their ability Brain Boost
to power forward and knock ■ Attackers, above all, need
the opposing players away is to have a sense of intelligence
greatly increased. about them so injecting their
noggins with a bit of cleverness
wouldn’t go amiss.

» Speedball 2 was a challenging Bitmap

game and boasted some very
tough computer opponents.
Shades
■ Getting one-up on the
opposition and ensuring
were open to a pass and they would indicate their they are thumped to the
playing position – W for Winger, D for Defence, M ground is important in
for Midfielder and F for Forward – to allow gamers to Speedball 2. The
make effective passes. shades enhance

T
aggression.
here were lots of power-ups too which
would reverse the controls, increase
player stats, protect players or zap
opponents. Some would boost player
attacks and others would give an injection of
stamina. Coins could be collected and be spent on
player enhancements. There was even a management
element, letting gamers choose a manager before
training and building up nine players and three subs
(while dipping into the transfer market for star players).
It was possible to develop players one by one. “The
management elements were added to give greater
depth,” says Robert. “But we made it so that people
who didn’t want to think about it could click auto and
have the game spend the money on enhancing players
while those that did want to get stuck in were able
to think about who they wanted in the team and the
attributes they wished to choose.”
As well as having warp holes which would instantly
teleport the ball from one side of the playing space to
the other, Speedball 2 ’s gameplay – whether league,
cup or one-off match – was enhanced by the addition Power Gloves
of many new features, the combined nature of which ■ Speedball 2 is all about the Chest Guard
changed the approach players would have towards the throwing and these Power ■ As the opposition
game. There was an overhauled scoring system, which Gloves bring with them better charges towards your
not only put a fresh twist on the points a goal would throwing prowess. team, it pays to give the
amass for a team, but allowed players to chalk up defence some added
better scores according to the tactics they employed protection. Defensive
over the course of each half. ability is enhanced with
The most important of these were the coiled score
multipliers which lay across from the centre of Did the chest guard.

the arena to the left and right of the screen, each

containing a set of lights and each of them capable of
giving players a points bonanza. By throwing the ball up
you know?
A metal band from London which
the ramp of the multiplier, it was possible to increase was formed in 1997 called itself Brutal
the number of points that was awarded for goals and Deluxe in homage to Speedball 2. Speed Boots
other score-enhancing feats. It released three albums and ■ As the name suggest these enhance the
When no lights were lit, a goal would be worth ten numbered Johnny D.Brutal, Guary speed at which an individual player is able to
points, when one light was lit, it would be worth 15 MacSeanlaoic and Christian chase around the pitch.
and when two lights were lit, goals were worth an D.Lux as members.

100 games to play before you die | 97

 » The ball would whip
around the screen at
a fair old pace – it was
vital to catch it and then
keep possession.

Speedball Tips
Learn to play with Robert and Mike

Shoot well
■ “You have to learn how to hit the intermediate Go for the league
angle on shooting,” says Robert Trevellyan. ■ As well as rewarding a win or draw,

“Move the joystick to the side in between a league point is awarded for every
pressing the button to release the ball and the ten points scored in a match so a good
ball leaving the player’s hand.” performance against a poorer team can
give you a good position. “You have a
better chance to win the league than the
cup if only because one loss and you’re
out in the knockout,” says Robert. “I
Star attacks never won the cup.”
■ Getting goals isn’t easy
but getting stars are, so
make your way to the sides
of the pitch and hurl away impressive 20 points. To the side of the multipliers
for points. Get all the stars were a series of five stars. When these were hit by the
and bank the points. ball, they would give the player two precious points.
But if a multiplier light was lit, that would increase
to three points and if two lights were turned on, it
would lead to four points. Needless to say mastering
multipliers like this were one of the keys to success
at Speedball. “Although the idea for this all of this was
most likely thought out at the start by Eric, I don’t
remember the nuances of the scoring system being
Head for the multiplier laid out in detail,” says Robert, struggling to recall the
■ The best way to get a good lead is to exact timings. “A lot developed along the way.”
ensure that every point you gain is optimised. And develop it did, with players quickly realising the
The only way of doing that is by throwing
Grab the tokens true complexity that lay behind the waypoints were
■ Tokens affect the whole team and lasts
balls into the multiplier early on. earned. Players who managed to get all five stars, for
six seconds. Freeze team tokens halt instance, would receive a bonus of ten points but if a
opponents, reduce team tokens lower multiplier light was on, that would increase to 15 and,
opponent attributes, goal doors prevent goal if two were on, it would see a return of 20. Still, that
scoring, grab ball gives you possession. wasn’t it, though. In between the centre spot and the
goals were bounce domes. When these were hit, the
Use the bounce downs ball would fly away and lead to scores of two, three or
four depending on the multiplier’s status at the time.
■ “You have got to watch your timing

T
and go for the bounce downs and the
he multiplier was also used in conjunction
electrobounce – even if the electro ball
with the ‘electrobounce’, a feature that
runs out, you still have a chance of winning
Hang around because the goalies cannot normally get to
was placed further along the wall from
■ You should aim to linger around the multiplier the sets of stars. It would give the ball an
it in time and it confuses the player.” Sound
and see off challenges with a few punches. electric charge that would only wear off when the
advice from Mike.
Should the opposition attempt to cancel your ball became still or the opposition gained possession.
multiples, quickly get the ball away. When the ball was charged, players who tried to pick
it up would be automatically tackled. The number
of tackles would depend – you guessed it – on the
number of lights that were lit up on the multiplier.
Buy quality “The basic scoring methods and warp gates were
■ Playing the game on the original hardware?
inspired by Pro-Pinball,” laughs Mike. “In fact, a lot is
“You have to be fast and you need to have a high
based on a pinball machine really. We just thought it
quality joystick,” says Robert. “You’ll destroy any
would be a good idea to do something different and to
poor-quality joystick.”
say this is not a football game. We wanted something
that had virtually no rules with a scoring mechanism
that would let you boost your points which is where
the multiplier and bounce domes came in. Part of
actually winning in Speedball 2 wasn’t down to scoring

98 | 100 games to play before you die

 SPEEDBALL

Game On
More sports game with a heavy
tackling opposing players head on, ramming them out
of the way and gaining possession. What’s more, ten
points were awarded for every opponent who had to
be carried off. In such circumstances, little mechanical
droids would enter the field of play with their sirens
sci-fi influence to discover and lights flashing before picking up the poor soul and
taking him away for treatment.

T
his animation was one of a number of
graphical flourishes placed in the game
by Dan Malone, a talented artist who
also worked on many other games for
The Bitmap Brothers including The Chaos Engine,
Cadaver and Z. He began working in the industry
Skateball Cyberball when his preferred early career path drawing comic
■ Speedball 2 is often ■ In 2022, American football strips floundered due to a lack of work but his loss to
claimed to have been inspired is played by well-armoured comics at the time was certainly gaming’s gain.
by the movie Rollerball but robots controlled from a safe “Dan Malone brought a lot of expertise in games to
Mike denies it. Skateball, on distance by humans. Or at Speedball 2 and he did an excellent job,” says Mike.
the other hand, most likely least that is the premise of “That’s not to put Mark Coleman down – he was
was. As an ultra-violent Atari’s Cyberball, a vertically- working on Gods and that game has superb graphics.
futuristic version of ice scrolling game in which The Bitmap Brothers was expanding at this time, and
hockey mixed with football, you score a touchdown by we were working on more games so we wanted a
the matches could be won by carrying the ball across the bigger pool of talent. It was a natural progression and
destroying the opposition, or end zone while dealing with we were also striving to be the best and to get better
by scoring five goals. an explosive ball. each time. With Speedball 2, we had the right sound
We were squeezing effects, programmers, music and art and the package
as a whole was what made it special.”
everything that we could As always, the team spent much time on polishing it.
“The Bitmap philosophy was that a game would be
out of these machines; finished when it was finished, so it meant many days
getting it right,” says Robert. “It drove me nuts but
pushing the hardware to that’s how they built their reputation. We also wore out
a number of joysticks on the game – it was punishing it
the limits Robert Trevelllyan Killerball
■ Chucking together
Super Baseball
2020
on joysticks and would make the wrist hurt.”
This all combined to make a smash hit game upon
goals but using the features to the best advantage.” roller-skating and American ■ While this game has which critics lavished praise. “We weren’t surprised by
That was certainly true. One hit on a bounce dome football, Killerball is a baseball’s traditional rules that,” says Mike. “It’s a better game than the original
at the right time could give a player all the advantage five-a-side blast which at its core, the Cyber Egg and it was also the first two-player to hit the mass
needed to win a match. “In football, you may get a became another of gaming Stadium and presence of market that worked – give or take Pong as the first.” It
corner and you need to score off of it,” Mike explains. history’s cruel titles when it robot players ensures it’s was also as perfect a rendition of Speedball as it would
“In Speedball, you could be in a tight position with a was released in 1989. Players anything but a contemporary ever get. “Speedball 2 was a good game and it was
few seconds left, go for a bounce dome and bang, can muscle the ball off the riff on the sport. As well as hard to beat. We were very proud of it.”
you’ve won the game. It’s what made the game opposition by flattening them the use of violence and land
exciting and it’s why people still play it. I mean, two to the ground before trying mines, money rules: good » By collecting coins, it was
possible to soup-up the players
years ago I was on the Underground in London, and to push the ball into stupidly play is rewarded by cash that with various extra powers to make
two guys were talking about Speedball 2 on the Amiga small holes in the wall. can be spent on upgrades. for a better overall side.
and it was, like, f**k! I would have told them that I
made the game but it was too packed and I had to
get off, but I heard this conversation and it was, like,
f**king hell, people still talk very passionately about it.”
And yet that is only half of the story when it comes
to the gameplay. While players could head for the
multiplier and attempt to boost their points tally, the
opposing team was able to turn the lights off and wipe
away any hard-fought for advantage, leading to all Bill Laimbeer’s Deathrow
sounds of interesting counterattacks. The only real way Combat ■ Showing that violent,
to prevent the opposing team from getting the upper Basketball futuristic sports games
hand was – as in the first game – to get stuck in. As ■ The NBA’s website says were not a thing of the past
a result, Speedball 2 was a tough, physical on-screen Bill Laimbeer was “one of (ironically enough), Deathrow
sport and there were a great many pixelated casualties the most notorious players became a welcome addition
(although we never felt guilty for causing them). ever to throw an elbow,” but to the genre upon its release
But suggest that it was a violent game and Mike is he used his reputation to as an Xbox exclusive in 2002.
quick to jump in. “There was no violence in the game his advantage in this game. With players fighting their
at all. It was how you perceived it,” he says. “There Set in 2030, Bill has decided way to try to get a glowing
was no blood and there was no gore. It was up to the to chuck out the rulebook. disc through a hoop, the
» Stat attack, ahoy! Before a game,
player whether they felt it was violent or not. And that As the name suggests, a game has proven to be players could check out what they
was intentional.” Still, the game was very much about violence is the key to winning. furiously fast and fun. were up against.

100 games to play before you die | 99

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

The Secret
of Monkey
Island
What do you get when you cross sword fighting with pirates, monkeys
and a rubber chicken with a pulley in the middle? Kim Wild dons a pirate
hat and eye patch to chat with Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman about
their swashbuckling classic

100 | 100 games to play before you die

 THE SECRET OF MONKEY ISLAND

» The stump joke, although in the floppy versions, was removed » Ron Gilbert’s love of movies shows through with the
from CD-ROM to prevent even more confusion. disclaimer above.

T
he Secret Of Monkey school refugee looking for something to do

We wrote the script as we

Island is one title that that was interesting without being morally
comes to mind as being reprehensible. I wasn’t specifically trying to

were doing the programming.

one of the all time classics get into computer games or anything, but
of adventure gaming. Stuffed with when I saw the ad I thought “Ooo! Yeah!”

You could not do that today

logical puzzles, offbeat humour, sword All of a sudden I was glad I hadn’t gotten any
fighting and some truly memorable of the other jobs I’d interviewed for over the
characters, Monkey Island is a prime preceding six months.”
example of how to create an adventure After the conversion had been completed, ron gilbert
that can stand the test of time. Ron Gilbert teamed up with Gary Winnick
It would be some time from Ron Gilbert’s to create the first LucasFilm point-and-click DEVELOPER
arrival at LucasFilm Games before Monkey
Island would begin development. To begin
title, Maniac Mansion. It would be this game
that would see the creation of SCUMM
HIGHLIGHTS
with, Ron’s main role was that of the (Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion) Maniac Mansion
humble conversion. “My first job in the – the engine which has been used in every Systems: C64, Amiga, Atari
ST, PC
industry was with a company called Human LucasFilm/Arts adventure to date. The idea Year: 1989
Engineered Software where I was doing for SCUMM was borne out of Ron’s hatred
C64 programming,” remarks Ron. “They of typing “I hated playing adventure games Day of the Tentacle
Systems: pc
went bankrupt only a few months after I where I had to type everything in, and I » Guybrush realises the way to a woman’s heart is not by Year: 1993
started. I spent about six months looking hated playing the “second guess the parser” chocolates but flattering her with his conversational skills.

for a job and was about ready to go back to game, so I figure everything should be successful because we built good games Sam and Max:
Hit the Road
school when I got a call from someone at point-and-click”. Dave Grossman explains: with it. Without the good games, no one Systems: pc
LucasFilm. They were looking for someone “The SCUMM point-and-click interface was would remember a piece of technology.” Year: 1993
to convert the Atari games they were doing developed as an answer to the parser, which

W
for the C64.” Dave Grossman’s entrance was what most graphic adventures used in hile work was progressing
into the videogame industry would occur the Eighties. Parsers let you try more or less nicely on Zak McKracken,
much later and was something that occurred any action you can think of, but most of us Ron began to put together
entirely by accident. “I was a graduate felt they were just too frustrating and slow to ideas for Monkey Island, but
use, and that the limited ability to RESPOND development was put on hold as LucasFilm
to an infinite choice of actions showed the assigned the team with making a game to
cracks in the fantasy too plainly. We tinkered tie in with the Indiana Jones And The Last
with the interface with each new game, Crusade movie (LucasArts would have more
trying to make it as easy to use as possible, success with an Indiana Jones adventure IN THE KNOW
while still giving the player the means to based on the search for Atlantis). This
specify a reasonable range of actions.” proved to be incredibly beneficial, as many
Although the system is now wholly of the development lessons learned ensured
owned by LucasArts, Ron feels that the that Monkey Island was a far more coherent
secret of its success is still down to the game. “I did Monkey Island after Indy, so
» Only a red button could strike pure dread into the hearts of
quality of the games rather than just the there was a lot I learned from how the
pirates everywhere. Either that or the gophers. engine itself. “I think SCUMM has been puzzles came together.” explained Ron.
Once Indy had been completed, Ron was
able to continue design on Monkey Island, » Publisher: LucasFilm Games
which came from a “love of Pirates, mostly » Developer: LucasFilm Games
driven by the Disney ride, Pirates of the » Released: 1990
Caribbean. I also wanted to make a game
» Platform: Amiga, various
that was kind of like fantasy, because it was
» Genre: Point-and-click
popular, but I am not a huge fantasy fan.
Pirates seemed like a good compromise.” To
begin with, the main protagonist remained

» Stan – used ship salesman, con merchant and all round

» The underwater puzzle that is simple, but ingenious. Also the only place where Guybrush can die. animated guy – shows his deep love for Arnie.

100 games to play before you die | 101

 Look behind I got sick of playing adventure games where you
you: a three-
headed died when you did anything wrong ron gilbert

monkey!
In 1991, a sequel was released
in the form of LeChuck’s
Revenge, a game that
expanded upon the original in
every department. However,
one area that has been
particularly hard for fans to
accept is the controversial
cliffhanger ending, which Dave
Grossman reflects “references
The Empire Strikes Back rather » The original PC EGA version only used 16 colours, an
heavily”. Although follow-up incredible use of the limited technology.
title Curse Of Monkey Island did
an admirable job of providing
an explanation as to what
nameless and his humorous name came as
happened to Guybrush and a result of a graphics file. Steve Purcell, who
LeChuck, the fact that the game worked as an animator, was using Dpaint to
was developed by a different create the characters and saved the picture
team means that many fans still of our hero as a “guy”. Selecting a file within
hanker after the “real” Monkey
Island 3. However, Ron Gilbert the program calls it a “brush”, so the picture
hopes that one day he will once would often be saved as guybrush and the
again regain the rights to the name stuck. Threepwood was decided as » Bribery really is the key to becoming a mighty pirate. Failing that, violence solves everything.
series and finish the trilogy a result of a company competition. General production started, Tim, Dave and I would
once and for all. “The secret
Manager Steve Arnold really liked “Chuck” hang out and brainstorm all the little pieces theatre several times a week. When I am
will be revealed. If I get to make
another Monkey Island, it will and had wanted a character with this name and fine-tune things that were not working.” designing, I also spend a lot of time driving
be called “Monkey Island 3a: to feature in a game, so Threepwood’s Dave explains a little more about his role: and listening to music. When designing
The Secret Revealed or your nemesis “LeChuck” was born. “My job in the early days, on the Monkey Money Island, I watched a lot of old pirate
Money Back.” games, was mostly about details – telling movies, and they always spent more time

M
onkey Island’s unique blocky characters where to walk, writing scenes in a sword fight talking to each other then
style was down to hardware and dialogue for them, helping design actually fighting. So I figured that would
limitations rather than strings of puzzles, and making sure the be an interesting gameplay system. Also,
conscious design. The original cliffs crumbled on cue while Ron Gilbert if you’re going to do a pirate game, there
PC version was comprised of 16 colours kept track of the big picture. It was like an has to be sword fighting, but back then
at 320x200 resolution, which meant that apprenticeship (you know, no pay but you adventure gamesplayers hated any action
the design had to be simplistic. “If we had learn a lot), and after a couple of years Tim in their games, so doing this turned it into a
better hardware to do graphics, they would Schafer and I took charge of our own project, (funny) puzzle.”
have looked better. But that lack of high-end Day Of The Tentacle. We still did most of What makes the puzzles more
graphics really causes you to focus on the the writing, though, because we liked to.” pleasurable is that the player can explore the
game and story more,” continues Ron. One of the most memorable puzzles is game freely without death lurking around
“I had most of the main puzzles done that of insult sword fighting (see boxout). every corner. With Monkey Island (with the
before we started,” explains Ron. “I’d just This once again came from Ron’s love of exception of depriving Guybrush of oxygen
start drawing boxes on a piece of paper, movies. “I was inspired a lot by movies. I for more than ten minutes) it is impossible
connecting all the “locks” and “keys”. Once love movies and back then I would go to the to die, placing the emphasis firmly on

» FM Towns console had a port of the CD-ROM version

» This love scene will only take place if you DON’T complete the other two trials first.
(packshot courtesy of http://lucasarts.vintagegaming.org).
 THE SECRET OF MONKEY ISLAND

How
It was like an apprenticeship appropriate,
(you know, no pay but you you fight
like a cow
learn a lot) dave Grossman Sword-fighting insults is one of
the most memorable aspects
of the game. Here we have
collated together some
While the dialogue is entertaining, much the 3D version, I haven’t played that one. I cutting remarks worthy of
of it was improvised as the game was did play Curse, though, and I liked it. It was any mighty pirate.
developed. “We wrote the script as we fun, and it felt Monkeyish,” comments Dave.
were doing the programming. You could Ron is equally positive, but speaks scathingly I got this scar on
not do that today. You’d need to start with of the fourth outing. “I thought the writing my face during a
mighty struggle!
a script,” comments Ron. “It was like was good and carried the tradition of the first I hope now you’ve learned
snowboarding on a hill you haven’t been two games. I did not like that Guybrush and to stop picking your nose.
down before. We couldn’t see the bottom, Elaine got together. That wouldn’t happen.
but we knew where it was and had a basic I did not play Escape From Monkey Island Have you stopped
wearing diapers yet?
plan for getting there. But the plan changed for more than ten minutes. I could not get
» Guybrush is horrified when he encounters the scariest beast Why, did you want to
with each bump in the terrain,” remarks around the bad UI and character navigation.” borrow one?
to roam the earth since the dinosaur.
Dave to us. “A lot was either filled in or Even today, the success of Monkey
experimentation. “I got sick of playing rethought as we went – the dialogue in Island is unexpected. “Those were the first I have spoken with
(especially the Sierra) adventure games particular, not a syllable of which had been games I ever worked on, so I didn’t have apes more polite
than you.
where you died any time you did anything written in advance.” the slightest idea what to expect,” remarks I’m glad to hear you
wrong,” explains Ron. “I felt like this was a Dave. “I don’t remember thinking about it

D
attended your family
cheap way out for the designer.” evelopment for the sequel began at all while we were building the first one – I reunion.
Inevitably there were elements that never almost immediately after the first was just enjoying making it fun and making
There are no words for how
made it into the final version of the game. and was critically acclaimed while it funny, and it didn’t really occur to me that,
disgusting you are.
An amnesia plot for Guybrush Threepwood also proving popular among the after we were finished, we were actually Yes there are. You just never
was dropped once his name was decided fan base. Unfortunately, Ron left before work going to send it to stores where it would be learned them.
upon. Meathook initially gave the player could begin on the third game to complete seen by the public.”
three tasks before agreeing to join the crew the trilogy (see boxout). “I felt that I had These days, Ron Gilbert remains on the People fall at my feet when
they see me coming.
for Monkey Island, but this was reduced grown to the point where I wanted to run outskirts of the industry working on his own Even BEFORE they smell
to the funniest one as it was felt that there my own company, so I started Humongous game ideas and entertaining us all with your breath?
were too many for that section anyway. Entertainment and we made adventure his personal blog Grumpy Gamer (http://
Meanwhile, the memorable Herman and other games for kids.” The third game, grumpygamer.com). Dave Grossman now You’re no match for my brains
Toothrot was added to make Monkey Island however, was well received by the Monkey works with adventure company TellTale you poor fool.
I’d be in real trouble if you ever
feel less uninhabited. Island programmers. “I don’t know about Games (http://www.telltalegames.com) used them.
who have just recently released the first
episode for the new Sam & Max series, Soon you’ll be wearing my
which comes highly recommended. sword like a shish kebab!
First you better stop waving it
Although new new Monkey Island games like a feather duster.
have been released since the episodic
series, Tales Of Monkey Island in 2009, Ron
remains influenced by his creation, most
recently creating the excellent point-and-click
adventure, Thimbleweed Park. He’s also not
» A cheeky monkey helps himself to some fruit while » Monkey heads. Banana pickers. Just what the hell is going shy about getting the rights back
Threepwood lies unconscious on the beach. on in this crazy game? from current owner, Disney.
Of course it wouldn’t be a
proper article without asking
the immortal question: just
what is the Secret of Monkey
Island? While Ron Ron just
laughs the question off, it’s
Dave Grossman’s remark that
fittingly ends this piece. “If I
told you, the trained weevils
would come for me.”

» Look behind you, it’s a three-headed monkey! » This overhead map shows locations you have visited.

100 games to play before you die | 103

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

working on a
Whether you were working on a follow-up,
ing arcade m achine s yo ur hard-earned
competitor or simply feed
landscape. Nick
coins, Street Fighter II changed the gaming sic brawler
im pact of Cap com 's clas
Thorpe looks back at the

104 | 100 games to play before you die

 Ryu
S
treet Fighter was a game that made an the likes of Yie Ar Kung-Fu, Way Of The Exploding Fist
Special Moves
impact, but it wasn’t a huge impact. It and International Karate.
(WW) Hadoken:
was popular, in part due to its deluxe That’s why the first two attempts to follow up on
236
cabinet featuring pressure-sensitive Street Fighter weren’t competitive fighting games. Final (WW) Shoryuken: 623
buttons (a gimmick co-developed with Atari), and did Fight, a scrolling beat-’em-up designed to compete with (WW) Tatsumaki
decent business in the arcades and on home formats. the likes of the Double Dragon, was originally marketed
Senpukyaku:
What’s more, SNK headhunted Takashi Nishiyama and as Street Fighter ‘89 before being renamed. A year later,
214
Hiroshi Matsumoto, the game’s director and planner the infamously dodgy Street Fighter 2010 arrived on the
(HF) Kuchu Tatsumaki
respectively. However, it wasn’t a broadly influential NES and ventured into safe platform shooter territory.
Senpukyaku:
game or one that particularly screamed out for a sequel. Just as Capcom wasn’t keen to make a direct follow-
214 (In air)
As a result, Capcom found itself in a dilemma – it up to Street Fighter, other developers weren’t looking to
(SU) Shakunetsu
had established the Street Fighter brand and got some it for inspiration. “I remember playing the Street Fighter
Hadoken:
momentum behind it, so it was keen to continue using machine at my movie arcade with the giant punch
41236
the name in some fashion, but the key players had left buttons and loving it despite those lame buttons,” says
Super Move
the company and it didn’t particularly want to make Michael Latham, who worked on a variety of fighting
(ST) Shinku Hadoken:
a new one-on-one fighting game. The fighting genre games during his time at Activision and Sega. However,
236236
wasn’t exactly a huge deal in the arcades or at home, the older games were still the key reference points for
having seemingly peaked a couple of years earlier with his early work in the genre.

100 games to play before you die | 105

 Art Attack
» Meditation hasn’t done a lot of good
for Dhalsim’s hot temper.

Mick McGinty talks us through some

of his Street Fighter II box art
How much reference material were you given
for an illustration such as this?
Hardly none. It was a Polaroid
camera shot, Denny Moore
sent me a couple of Polaroid
shots that the manufacturers
would send. The characters
that they sent me, I saw them
all in digital form. I'd get
an idea of the background
– “We've got this project called Street
Fighter, it's very big in Japan, and we want
a very American-looking image in order to
promote it and put it on the cover.” I just thought
of a really dramatically lit alley scene with trash
cans getting knocked over and the brick wall in
the background. They might have
even given me the choice on this

Game series key

one to choose the characters, and
the most exciting and interesting
one to me was Blanka – his
cannonball would look great
coming in from the left.
WW Street Fighter II CE Street Fighter II’: Champion Edition
Turbo is one of my more
HF Street Fighter II’ Turbo: Hyper Fighting SU Super Street Fighter II
favourite ones, I don't know
ST Super Street Fighter II Turbo
why. I guess just because it was simple. I
remember doing the first couple of sketches,
and Denny Moore took it to Capcom and they “1984 was the year from developers is that
said, ‘We really want this punch attack.’ What that my desire to make Capcom had asked for a
they really wanted to facilitate was a whole a fighting game started. Final Fight sequel and the
bunch of ‘ghost hands,’ and what I had was one I was a senior in high- team decided to make
big punch going straight at Sagat. But I just like school and arcades were a Street Fighter sequel
at the heights of being instead – an ironic reversal

Ken
it because it's really straightforward and you get
a good look at the characters. I went into muscle a huge thing,” Michael of the situation two years
building magazines and tried to make E. Honda
» Throwing is an important tool to explains. “Karate Champ prior. With the previous
use against defensively-minded Special Moves
sort of super big and muscular, rather than just opponents. That will teach them. was the first 2D fighting game’s lead designers
game where I could (WW) Hadoken: elsewhere, a new team
layers of fat – especially the shoulders. They
challenge other players. I 236 took on the challenge and
said, ‘Go crazy, make these guys look really
was obsessed with this (WW) Shoryuken: 623 brought with them some
bad – they're the best fighters in the world and
coin-op. Countless hours (WW) Tatsumaki new ideas. For a start, art
they're knocking each other around the room.’
and quarters went into Senpukyaku: was a huge part of the
playing the computer 214 game design, with half
This one's a very different look from the other
training hard so I could (HF) Kuchu Tatsumaki of the staff working on it.
ones, as it's just the character silhouettes…
beat any challenger. I Senpukyaku: This allowed Capcom to
Well, how it started was that I did just the top » Bringing bosses into the mix was
a huge boost to Champion Edition’s remember it being hard to 214 (In air) generate a huge number
section, that just says Super Street Fighter II. multiplayer. Success ensued. find challengers as people (ST) Kama Barai Geri: of ideas and provide a cast
Then Denny says, ‘Okay, what they want is to
would get angry if you beat 236 that was almost entirely
have you re-illustrate this Street Fighter II
them quickly, as it seemed (ST) Nata Otoshi Geri: new, with only three
in wet paint’ – I literally copied something
like a waste of a quarter.” 632 returning characters –
that was given to me – “and then they
Alongside Kung Fu Master (ST) Oosoto protagonist Ryu, final boss
want the word super busting out of this
and Karateka, this was the Mawashi Geri: Sagat, and player two’s
brick wall.” And that was actually the
game that Michael was 41236 Ryu clone, Ken. The new
cover to some other format, just the top
thinking of while working (ST) Inazuma characters were to be
part, and then the shadowy thing, they
on the 1989 fighter Tongue Kakato Wari: based on broad stereotypes
said, ‘We want you to do a bigger wall,
Of The Fatman. Hold during any Geri of various nationalities.
with some light that's casting a shadow
There are conflicting attack The other big difference
of other characters,’ – I can remember
explanations of the actual Super Move was that SFII would be
the Indian chief and the little girl with
circumstances that caused (ST) Shouryu Reppa: focused on competitive
the beret, she reminded me of a Cuban
the eventual production 236236 gameplay, an aspect
martial arts girl, I don't know why. It's
kind of a weird-looking illustration of Street Fighter II, but the of arcade gaming that
when you think about it. most corroborated story had been crucial to the

106 | 100 games to play before you die

 STREET FIGHTER II

Chun Li
Special Moves
(WW) Yousou Kyaku:
2 (In air)
(WW) Spinning Bird
Kick:
2(Hold), 8
(WW) Hyakuretsu
Kyaku: » Chun-Li was the first
of many female fighters
(Tap) repeatedly in the Street Fighter
(HF) Kikouken: franchise.
4(Hold), 6 )
(ST) Tenshou Kyaku:
1(Hold), 6249 The characters in the Street Fighter
(ST) Inazuma
Super Move series are fantastical
(ST) Senretsu Kyaku: Yoshinori Ono
4(Hold),646
like a car, barrels and oil drums. Once
M. Bison is defeated, you'll see a unique
success of early games like Pong, but when you saw the game's astonishing ending sequence for your character.
which had fallen out of favour over the visuals and heard the excellent music. Unlike the original game, Street Fighter II
years due to the rise of co-op play and But while those aspects were great, gives you the choice of eight characters
high score tables. Capcom’s idea was what sent it over the top was the design.

M
with distinct fighting styles, and they
that encouraging two-player games uch like its predecessor, were an eye-catching bunch. Whether
would maximise revenue for arcade Street Fighter II challenges you were looking at Guile's bizarre
operators, and unlike a co-op game players to win a series of haircut, Dhalsim's rubber limbs or the
players couldn’t feel cheated by a high one-on-one fights in a bid lightning hands of E. Honda, you were

E.Honda
difficulty level. Of course, the original to win a fighting tournament. It retains definitely looking at them – and each
game also had a multiplayer mode, but some of the gameplay characteristics boasted a unique background themed
players were limited to two characters of the original game, including a control around their nationality as well as a
with identical abilities. This was a much Special Moves
scheme with three strength options memorable theme tune. Yoshinori Ono,
poorer experience than the single-player (WW) Super Zutsuki:
for punching and kicking, as well as the the executive producer of Street Fighter
mode, which allowed players to fight ten 4(Hold), 6
inclusion of special moves accessed with V and a veteran of the series, attributes (WW) Hyakuretsu
opponents with a variety of techniques. combinations of movements and button much of the game's success to cast of
Street Fighter II proved to be a Harite:
presses. In the single-player mode, characters. “The characters in the Street
major production for the era. With a (Tap) repeatedly
you’ll face off against the characters you Fighter series are fantastical and couldn’t (HF) Super Hyakkan
development team of approximately 35, didn’t pick before taking on the game’s really exist in the real world, but they all
the game cost almost $2.5 million to Otoshi:
four bosses – Balrog, Vega, Sagat and have their charms and amusing moves,
make. It was a real gamble for a sequel 2(Hold), 8
M. Bison. To break up the game a little, expressions and storylines,” he says.
to a game that hadn't set the world on (SU) Flying Sumo Press:
you're challenged to a bonus game every Given that, it's no surprise that his
fire, but one which had evidently paid off 2(M) (In air)
few rounds in which you destroy objects favourite cast member is Blanka,
(ST) Ooichou Nage:
the green-skinned wild man with an
2(Hold), 8
animalistic fighting style. “I mean,
(ST) Oosoto
you bash the buttons and he releases
Mawashi Geri:
electricity from his body! You wouldn’t
63214
see that in an ordinary game or in a
Super Move
movie. Even the animations for his basic
(ST) Oni Musou:
punch and kick moves are just really
4(Hold),646 ()
funny to me. Finding those humorous
aspects within the potentially quite
serious setting of playing an eSports
» “How could you not love that face?” laughs Ono. It’s hard » Each character’s special moves were unique, and
match of Street Fighter is, I think, one of
not to, that’s for sure. allowed players to respond to a variety of threats. the reasons the fans have continued

100 games to play before you die | 107

 to love the series as long
» With Ryu vs Ryu mirror
as they have, and it’s also matches possible in
one of the reasons why I ChampionEdition, Ken
love it.” became his own character.

P Blanka
eter Rosas rose
to prominence on
the competitive Special Moves
Street Fighter (WW) Electric Thunder:
scene under the name (Tap)
Combofiend before joining (WW) Rolling Attack:
Capcom himself, and shares 4(Hold),6
a similar view. “Worldwide, (HF) Vertical Rolling:
anyone who’s ever played 2(Hold),8
videogames is aware of (SU) Backstep Rolling:
Ryu and his Hadoken and 4(Hold),6
of Chun-Li and her lightning (ST) Surprise Forward:
kicks. Regardless of what 6(All)
platform it’s on, people relish (ST) Surprise Back:
using Street Fighter II ’s 4(All)
iconic characters to fight one Super Move
another while performing (ST) Ground Shave
those characters’ simplistic Rolling: 4(Hold),646
signature attacks.” Indeed, (Hold)
everyone has a favourite.
Michael first encountered
Worldwide, anyone who’s ever played
the game at Sega, where
a cabinet had been bought
videogames is aware of Ryu and his
for research on its own fighting game,
Eternal Champions. “For a period of time
many videogames
that allowed you to
Hadoken or Chun-Li and her lightning kicks
Peter Rosas
I was the office champ using Chun-Li as compete against
my character,” he recalls. “Sadly, some someone like that, the same way as you fighting games consisted of slow attacks the years with updates, in response to
of the testers learned my play and soon would when playing sports or indoor where the entire action needed to be market developments and the findings of
crushed me.” Mark Starkey, owner of games like pool and darts.” completed before the next action could competitive players. Capcom’s approach
London arcade The Heart Of Gaming, What elevated Street Fighter II from a be performed. This ultimately left fighting was extremely bold: while the concept

O
leans towards Ken. “Ken was an trend to a phenomenon was its fighting games feeling rather stiff.” of updating an cabinet was hardly new,
aggressive Ryu with more combos, and system, which boasted depth. “I would f course, the combo system the upgrade kit was often a overhaul or a
his rotation-based execution meant the say Street Fighter II cracked the next wasn't the only glitch in completely new game. Street Fighter II
pace of the matches was always fast,” step of how an interactive fighting Street Fighter II, and the received four upgrades over the course
he explains. system worked,” says Michael. “Back game's director Akira of three years, all of which left the core of
The additional characters certainly in the Tongue Of The Fatman days the Nishitani had been privately fixing them the game intact.
added longevity to the single-player fighting systems were very ‘rock, paper, up for personal satisfaction. However, The first updated version, titled Street
game, as players could opt to try to scissors’. Both people could launch either they'd soon be put to use. Demand from Fighter II’: Champion Edition, was
win the tournament with each of them an attack, defence, or Capcom's American released just over a year after the
individually, but arguably the game’s projectile in some cases. branch turned Street original version in March 1992. The
biggest impact was in bringing an Street Fighter II was the Fighter II from a static multiplayer game was refreshed with a
element of direct competition back dawn of combos. The game into an experience huge number of new match-ups, thanks
to arcades. “Previously all two-player ability to string a combo which evolved over to the new ability for both players to
games had been co-operative rather of moves was the game
than competitive,” Mark recalls. “Street changer. It made the
Fighter II revolutionised this, pitting game play fluid and far
players against each other, all determined more strategic.”
to not be the person forced to go and The ability to perform Guile
change up more money in front of their combos – attacks which Special Moves
peers in order to be able to continue.” cancel the animation of (WW) Sonic Boom:
Peter points to the widened character previous attacks, leaving 4(Hold), 6
roster as a key reason that the game took the opponent no recovery (WW) Somersault Kick:
off competitively. “Regardless of your time – was an unintended 2(Hold), 8
style, there was one character amongst side effect of an attempt (WW) Flying
the eight that would fit. On top of that, to make special moves Buster Drop:
the speed, fluidity of controls and ability easier to perform. “It 2(M) (H) (In air)
to perform combos really made Street opened up an entirely (WW) Flying Mare:
Fighter II stand out ahead of its time.” new feeling of what was 2(M) (H) (In air)
Ono agrees. “I can still remember possible in a fighting Super Move
clearly the feeling of not playing a game game,” says Peter. “Prior (ST) Double
so much as being able to take on an to the introduction of Somersault Kick:
opponent in such a visceral way,” he this glitch, which then 1(Hold),319
says. “At the time there weren’t that became a mainstay, » Turbo brought new moves for most characters, like Chun-Li’s projectile attack.

108 | 100 games to play before you die

 STREET FIGHTER II

pick the same character, as well as the Fighting arrived as a playable official
much more enticing ability to play as the alternative. As well as giving seven of
four boss characters. Beyond that, the the original eight playable characters
revision brought bug fixes, a set of move a brand new special move (with Guile
tweaks designed to rebalance the game being the one to lose out), the game’s
and some minor graphical updates. speed was noticeably increased. While
The ease of replacing chips on the it sounds like a fairly minor update
Champion Edition board gave way to
a slew of unofficial updates – notably
compared to Champion Edition, it is
fondly remembered: “I believe it to be
Dhalsim
Rainbow Edition, a fast-paced hack the best all-rounder,” says Mark. “The Special Moves
which broke the game balance with game was balanced, and improved on (WW) Yoga Fire:
airborne special moves and bizarre the limitations of its predecessor with 236
projectile behaviour. At the end of extra speed, extra moves and damage (WW) Yoga Flame:
r 1992, Street Fighter II’ Turbo: Hyper levels with better balancing. It’s still very 41236
popular of Supe
uably the most (WW) Drill Zutsuki:
» Cammy is arg w challengers. popular at arcades in the East.”
II ’s ne
Street Fighter

Team Picks
2(H) (In air)
The Retro Gamer team looks back at (WW) Drill Kick:
their favourite Street Fighter characters 2(H) (In air)
(HF) Yoga Teleport
Darran Nick Jon Drew (Forward):
Chararcter: Zangief Chararcter: Ryu Chararcter: Blanka Chararcter: Chun-Li 623(All) or
■ ’The Darran Jones Factor’ ■ Boring? Maybe, but Ryu ■ I like to play a defensive ■ It was not the Hadoken, (HF) Yoga Teleport
has been circulating around perfectly fits my image of game and then slide in with but Chun’s lightning legs (Backward):
the office for years. It refers what a badass martial artist a rolling attack or floor slide. (Hyakuretsu Kyaku) that 421(All) or
to my ability to manically looks like, complete with For me, Blanka provides the wowed me in Street Fighter II. (ST) Yoga Blast:
rotate the joystick to pull off white gi and a black belt – as best chance at keeping my She’s such a good all-rounder, 41236
insanely quick piledrivers. a young karate student, he distance but then also ability and I still play Chun-Li to this Super Move
Therefore I play Zangief. was what I wanted to be. to get in close if needs be. day on Street Fighter V. (ST) Yoga Inferno: 63214
63214

Zangief
Special Moves
(WW) Double Lariat:
(All)
(WW) Screw Piledriver:
(360) Sagat
(HF) Quick Lariat: Special Moves
(All) (CE) Tiger Shot:
(SU) Flying Powerbomb: 236
(360) (CE) Ground Tiger Shot:
(SU) Atomic Suplex: 236
(360) (Close) (CE) Tiger Uppercut:
(ST) Banishing Flat: 623
632 (CE) Tiger Knee Crush:
Super Move 2369
(ST) Final Atomic Super Move
Buster: (ST) Tiger Genocide:
2x(360) 23636

100 games to play before you die | 109

 Did Arguably the most major update to
Street Fighter II came with the game’s
But, the game was
a step back in one

You Know
move to the CPS2 arcade board. Super regard – the additional
Street Fighter II: The New Challengers speed found in Street
■ There’s a hidden was a big overhaul, featuring four Fighter II Turbo was
catch-up mechanic in
Street Fighter II – if your
opponent has won more
brand new characters with their own
backgrounds and theme tunes. Fei
Long was a clear homage to Bruce
nowhere to be seen.
The last of the
contemporary updates
Vega
Special Moves
rounds than you, your Lee and Dee Jay, the first character was Super Street (CE) Rolling Crystal
throws will deal some to be designed by Capcom USA, was Fighter II Turbo, Flash:
extra damage to help fashioned after the martial artist and Tae which brought back 4(Hold),6
you out a bit. Bo creator Billy Blanks. T. Hawk (short the higher speeds (CE) Flying Barcelona
for Thunder Hawk) was a Mexican of Street Fighter II Attack:
■ In order to clue players powerhouse, while the UK’s Cammy Turbo. However, its 2(Hold),8 then
in to the existence of was an amnesiac assassin with a major innovation was (CE) Izuna Drop:
special moves, every mysterious connection to M. Bison. the addition of Super 2(Hold),8 then 4or6
button press in the “I think the new characters added moves – powerful (SU) Sky High Claw:
original arcade version of some new ways to play,” says Peter. multi-hit combos 2(Hold), 8
Street Fighter II carries “A good example is T.Hawk. With this that could only be (ST) Scarlet Terror:
a 1-in-512 chance of introduction, a new grappler entered the performed once the 1(Hold), 6
triggering a special move. fray, yet instead of being ground-based, gauge at the bottom Super Move
he was more mobile of the screen had (ST) Rolling Izuna Drop:
■ The team’s original and able close the been completely filled. 1(Hold),3196
intention was that all distance on the The new game also then4/ 6
projectiles could be opponent’s way added throw escapes,
avoided by crouching, faster than Zangief which allowed players
but those plans were could. Having a to reduce damage
scrapped due to how good mobile grappler was when being thrown, but removed the sentiment within the competitive scene

Balrog
the now-familiar Hadoken something unseen Tournament Battle mode and the bonus was that although SSFII Turbo was rather
animation looked. in Street Fighter, and stages, which upset some. imbalanced (Old Sagat was quite strong)
was truly daring.” Looking back on the updates, Peter is they kind of accepted it and were still
Special Moves

A
■ Divekick, Shovel positive about their impact: “Although I finding ways to fight the character well
Knight and Kaiju Combat (CE) Dash Upper s Super liked some more than others, I felt each up to SSFII: HDR ’s release,” says Peter.
all feature The Baz, a 4(Hold),6 Street were a necessity as Capcom further “That said, seeing as how HD Remix
character based on an CE) Dash Straight: Fighter II refined not only how Street Fighter II had a brand-new look, it would’ve been
unused piece of Street 4(Hold),6 was looked and felt, but how fighting games weird if the game did not also have a
Fighter II concept art (CE) Turn Punch: running on more could look and feel.” He wasn’t alone different re-balance.”
(All) /(All)

S
depicting a bullfighter powerful hardware in that sentiment, as Street Fighter II ’s
wearing a T-shirt that (Hold), release than the first three updates were also strong critical and treet Fighter II ’s commercial
reads ‘Zubaz’. (SU) Buffalo Headbutt: versions, those commercial successes. “That said,” impact is hard to overstate.
2(Hold), 8 weren’t the only Peter continues, “I remember thinking, Both Capcom and operators
■ Dee Jay’s trousers were (ST) Dash Ground Upper: changes. “On-screen ‘Just give me Street Fighter III already,’ made major money from the
originally going to bear 4(Hold) 3 combo counters, when Super Street Fighter II was game, as a competitive scene gave rise
the word ‘Mantis’, but the (ST) Dash Ground Straight: remixed music, as released.” He speaks for a vocal section to tournaments and a competitive scene,
word was changed to 4(Hold)3 well as character of the community in this regard, as there the legacy of which can be seen in
read ‘Maximum’ because Super Move detailing. We ate up was a suspicion that Capcom had found today's eSports scene and tournaments
the word still read (ST) Crazy Buffalo: what was thrown a cash cow and was milking it. The like the Evo Championship Series.
properly when the sprite 4(Hold),646 () at us,” Mark recalls. update idea had worked brilliantly for the Of course, success breeds imitators.
was flipped. arcade market, where an operator could “Developers saw the impact Street
justify expenditure because it would Fighter II was having, and it wasn't long
ough
e shadow trail, alth increase the cabinet's longevity. Only before the competition got tough,”
re marked with a blu
» Super combos we hout one .
ironically Sagat wa
s stronger wit the hardcore would fork out the cost of a recalls Mark, “especially with franchises
full-price game for such revisions in the such as Mortal Kombat, The King Of
home market, and the updates released Fighters and Tekken all out by 1994,
to diminishing returns. and all looking to claim the competitive
In 2004, a final arcade version titled fighting game genre in the arcades.”
Hyper Street Fighter II was released. By that point every major arcade
It featured the ability to choose not manufacturer had jumped on the fighting
only your character, but also the bandwagon and Capcom felt that some
version characteristics applied to imitators were getting a bit close for
them – meaning it was possible to pit comfort. In particular, Capcom took
Champion Edition Ryu against Hyper Data East to court over Fighter’s History,
Fighting Sagat, for example. The last alleging that it had copied fighting styles,
new revision was Super Street Fighter II appearances and control schemes from
Turbo HD Remix, which added new HD Street Fighter II. However, the court
visuals and a remixed soundtrack, as concluded that many of the similarities
well as a rebalanced mode with simpler between the two games were not
control inputs. “It was surprising as the protected under copyright law, and

110 | 100 games to play before you die

 STREET FIGHTER II

Stat Fighter
The tale of the tape on
Capcom’s prize fighter

7 65
Games in the
Street Fighter II
Character variations
available in Hyper
series Street Fighter II

£1000
The amount of earnings a Street Fighter II
(UK) cabinet could bring in

22.4 billion Yen

» With
teleportation,
air fireballs and
insane power, The revenue from Street Fighter II:
Akuma was a Champion Edition sales in Japan alone

24
devilish boss.

200,000
The game was balanced, and improved on Estimated number
of Street Fighter II

the limitations of its predecessor

Dee Jay
cabinets operated
Number of platforms in Mexico
Mark Starkey

0
that received an official
Special Moves that Fighter’s In the home, Street Fighter II was big Fighter II: Special Champion Edition on version of a Street
(SU) Air Slasher: History had business, with almost every platform the Mega Drive sold 1.65 million copies Fighter II series game

17
4(Hold),6 not sufficiently receiving at least one of the game’s and Super Street Fighter II failed to crack
(SU) Double Rolling infringed upon versions. However, special mention has a million.
Sobat:

W
those that were. to be made of Street Fighter II ’s impact Number of Street
4(Hold),6 However, it as a third-party killer app for Nintendo hile updates had Fighter II cabinets
(SU) Machine Gun was certainly – the SNES version was the first home provided diminishing Capcom sold to
Upper: possible to carve conversion on the market when it arrived returns over Street Unique characters in Mexican operators
2(Hold),8 , then out a place in the in the summer of 1992, and fans of the Figher II's lifetime, they Street Fighter II series
(tap) fighting market. arcade machine flocked to the console had kept the game relevant for many, 8 Frames
22
(ST) Jackknife The important as a result. Nintendo was particularly many years and had helped encourage Least forgiving
Maximum: thing, as keen to trumpet the fact that it had the a thriving player base. Capcom would

Years
input time limit
2(Hold),8 Michael notes, only conversion of the continue using updates in for a Shoryuken
Super Move was to offer game, memorably this way as a result, putting in Super Street
(ST) Sobat Carnival: something that placing a full page out a variety of revised How long Street Fighter II Turbo
4(Hold),646 Street Fighter II advert stating “Sega versions of Street Fighter III Fighter II held the
didn’t. “I think owners… dream on.” and Street Fighter IV. Other record for best- 15 Frames
Eternal Champions always started with in the debut issue of developers also adopted selling Capcom game Most forgiving input
a deep story as the focus. Prior to this, Mean Machines Sega. the use of interim updates time limit for a
no fighting game had focused on that Although other versions in their own fighting Shoryuken in Super
aspect,” he explains. “Given that Eternal
Champions wasn’t an arcade port I also
did arrive later and some
of them were very M. Bison games, with some proving
just as prolific as Capcom
Street Fighter II
Turbo
focused to make sure the single-player good, the game always Special Moves – for example, Arc System
was rewarded. Training modes and all had the strongest (CE) Psycho Crusher: Works produced five
the various storyline outcomes were association with 4(Hold),6 revisions of Guilty Gear XX.
designed to reward those players as Nintendo’s hardware. (CE) Double Knee Press: However, the end of this
much as the head to head modes.” This In fact, of the 36 million 4(Hold),6 business model may
paid off for Michael and his team, as the Street Fighter games (CE) Head Press: be in sight as
game achieved strong sales despite a that have been sold 2(Hold),8 Capcom
crowded Mega Drive fighting market. to date, roughly a third (CE) Somersault
Indeed, every competitor offered a of those are different Skull Diver:
unique hook, be it the realistic digitised versions of Street (After Head Press)
sprites and copious gore of Mortal Fighter II on the Super (SU) Devil Reverse:
Kombat, the dynamic sprite scaling of Nintendo – six million of 2(Hold),8
SNK's games or the 3D visuals of games the original, four million Super Move
like Virtua Fighter. However, most games of Street Fighter II (ST) Knee Press
adopted aspects of Street Fighter II in Turbo and two million of Nightmare: 4(Hold),646
return, with the combo system being the Super Street Fighter II.
most notable. For comparison, Street
 Conversion Capers
abandoned the practice for its latest
game, Street Fighter V, which will rely on
rolling DLC instead.
of Capcom’s arcade smash hit
For Capcom, the success of Street
Fighter II was transformative – not only
We take a look at all the ports
did the company create further Street

Cammy
Fighter sequels, it began to gear its
arcade output heavily towards fighting
games. This peaked in 1998, when Special Moves
seven of Capcom’s nine arcade releases (SU) Spiral Arrow:
were fighting games – and four of those 236
featured Ryu, in a prequel (Street Fighter (SU) Cannon Spike:
Alpha 3), a sequel (Street Fighter III 2nd 623
Impact), a spin-off (Street Fighter EX2) (SU) Axle Spin Knuckle:
and a crossover (Marvel Vs Capcom). 41236
This persisted until the decline of fighting (ST) Hooligan
games around the turn of the century, Combination:
but the company also takes the credit for 12369 ,then
the genre's revival with Street Fighter IV. (ST) Fatal Leg Twister:
Street Fighter II reshaped a genre, and 4(Hold),6 (after
its influence continues to be felt today . Hooligan Combination,
“With many things popular today, there near head)
is heritage. Star Wars, Final Fantasy, (ST) Cross Scissor
James Bond, Shenmue, take your pick,” Pressure:
says Mark. “There will always be people 4(Hold),6 (after
who will be curious about the roots of Hooligan Combination, Mega Drive
something they fall in love with, and with near body) ■ As with the PC Engine version, this is a port of Champion
Street Fighter V on the horizon, Street Super Move Edition, however, it also adds Turbo content. The three-button pad
Fighter is as popular as ever.” (ST) Spin Drive is usable (you use Start to switch between punches and kicks) but
But while Street Fighter V drives Smasher: special moves are harder to pull off compared to the superior SNES
renewed interest in the series, what truly 23623 controller. Plug a six-button pad in, though, and it’s virtually on par
marks Street Fighter II out as a stunning with Super Street Fighter II Turbo on SNES.
sequel is that the staff of the new games
often refer back to it. “One of the things
that made Street Fighter II stand out

T. Hawk
was that anyone could walk up and hit Super Nintendo
buttons and leave satisfied,” says Peter. ■ Its been superseded by later
“When designing SFV, that was one of SNES Street Fighter ports, but the
Special Moves
our core design pillars.” original conversion still holds up
(SU) Condor Dive:
“I suppose we’ve been inspired by surprisingly well. It’s very close to
(In air) (All)
that game all along in how we develop the arcade game in style (although
(SU) Tomahawk Buster:
the series,” says Ono. “Most game there is a lot of missing content)
623
series have new sequels which build and the controls are tight and
(SU) Mexican Typhoon:
upon the design of the previous titles, responsive without the need for
(360)
but Street Fighter II really started over extra pads. Little wonder it was
Super Move
from what was created in the original deemed the definitive home version
(ST) Double Typhoon:
Street Fighter. When it came time to of the game upon release.
2x(360)
move to Street Fighter III and Street
Fighter IV, we really started from scratch » This beautiful
each time,” the producer elaborates. sunburst is
your reward for
“It was Street Fighter II that started this knocking out an
pattern in motion and now, as I’ve said opponent with
a Super Combo.
many times, Street Fighter V is another Take that!
reset of the game and brings a new
roster and new design. So you could
say that what Street Fighter II did over
20 years ago – wait, it’s almost 30 years
now! – has continued to influence us.”
We get the feeling it'll continue to do
so for many more years to come, too.

ZX Spectrum Atari ST
■ The Spectrum version looks great, but it’s saddled ■ The Atari ST version suffers from all the same
by an astonishingly bad multi-load system. Like the issues as the Amiga but manages to be even worse.
other 8-bit ports it does cater for two-button sticks, The animation is particularly bad and the game is
but the base version — fire and forward for punch slower than its Amiga counterpart. It’s slightly easier
and fire and back for kick — is very hard to use. to pull off special moves, but it’s still a poor port.

112 | 100 games to play before you die

 STREET FIGHTER II

Commodore 64 Fei Long

■ The C64 version is quick, but that’s pretty much all Special Moves
it has going for it. It’s a buggy version of the game, (SU) Rekka Ken:
with frequent odd pauses during play. Worse still, your 236 (perform up to 3
characters occasionally get stuck on the backgrounds. times)
(SU) Shien Kyaku:
421 Sharp X68000
(ST) Rekku Kyaku: ■ This is another Champion Edition port and is
DOS 12369 virtually arcade perfect, with only slightly different
■ The DOS version looks (ST) Shuu Kubi Raku: music. Control-wise it had the same issues are other
good, and it miles better 46(M/H) (in air) home computers, but that’s solved with a joystick
looking that its Amiga and Super Move adaptor. The only thing that ruins it is the constant
Atari ST counterparts. (ST) Rekka Shinken: swapping between four disks on certain systems.
Even the animation is 236236
PC Engine decent, although the music
■ When you consider is nothing to write home
the machine, this is a about. It’s still ruined by a
truly astonishing port clunky control system. iOS Game Boy
and in some ways more ■ This is essentially the ■ This is a weird hodgepodge
impressive than the SNES compilation released on Saturn edition of games up to Super
version. It’s rubbish to play and PlayStation, meaning it looks Street Fighter II Turbo. It’s very well
with a standard pad, but very nice. It’s let down by the detailed for a Game Boy game with
luckily there’s the option for annoying virtual buttons and stick, great looking sprites. It’s missing
six-button support. though. Thankfully special moves Dhalsim, Vega and E. Honda and
are easy to pull off as they have only has two buttons. Cleverly
their own separate buttons. though, it changes the strength of
kicks and punches based on how
long you press the buttons for.

Xbox, PSP, PS2

■ These are emulated versions of
the arcade versions. PS2 and Xbox
owners want Capcom Classics
Collection Volume 1 with Street
Amiga Fighter II, Champion Edition and
■ Despite some odd colouring the Amiga version
looks authentic. But that falls apart once you see it
moving, due to jerky animation and poor scrolling.
Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper
Fighting. PSP owners need Capcom
Classics Collection Reloaded.
Akuma
Special Moves
Musically it’s terrible, and it’s hampered by the same (ST) Gou Hadoken:
poor control system found on the 8-bit conversions. PlayStation/Saturn 236
■ As you’d expect, the versions released on Capcom’s
(ST) Zankuu Hadoken:
Street Fighter II and Capcom Generations collections 236 (in air)
are near perfect, with the Saturn ports winning bonus (ST) Shakunetsu
points due to having the better pad. Hadoken:
41236
(ST) Gou Shoryuken:
623
(ST) Tatsumaki
Zankukyaku:
214
(ST) Kuchu Tatsumaki
Zankukyaku:
214 (in air)
Master System Mobile (ST) Ashura Senku
■ Based on Champion Edition, Master System Street ■ While the graphics are accurate, it’s
(Forward):
Fighter II is clearly cut-down. Dhalsim, Zangief, stiff and sluggish to play, and playing 623(all) or
E. Honda and Vega are missing. It’s graphically on a keypad makes it incredibly (ST) Ashura Senku
impressive and has authentic tunes, but is let down difficult to pull off special moves. An (Backward):
by a distinct lack of buttons and poor controls. impressive effort, but a poor game. 421(all) or

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 100
gaMES to play
before you die

A powerful new 16-bit games console, continued

pressure from a portly plumber, and a company firing on all
cylinders led to one of Sega’s finest hours in June 1991. Discover how
a little blue hedgehog became the face of Sega 

B
efore Sonic span onto vehicles, Alex exhibited many of console. During the initial ideas
the scene in a dazzling the same characteristics that Sega stage many designs were pitched
blur of cobalt blue, Sega’s would imbue into Alex’s spiny and considered; rabbits, armadillos,
previous attempts to successor. For connecting with a even human characters, but in the
create a company mascot had young audience, Alex certainly had a end it was a teal-coloured hedgehog
been unsuccessful. Their primary lot going for him. Unfortunately, he that was finally selected, put forward
intent was to capture hearts in the had a tough time competing against by artist Naoto Oshima, who had
same way that Mario had done for Nintendo’s all-conquering NES, previously worked as a designer on
Nintendo, but nothing seemed to fit. which at one time could be found in the first two Phantasy Star games.
Fantasy Zone’s ovoid spaceship 1 in 4 American households.  Originally dubbed Mr
Opa-Opa is often referred to as the  Two years after the 1989 release Needlemouse, Oshima’s creation
very first mascot, briefly holding of the Genesis in North America, went through a number of changes
on to the honour until a tracksuit- Sega found itself in a fairly strong before becoming the zippy blue
wearing, rock-smashing prince position stateside. Its arcade hedgehog we know today. Early
named Alex Kidd came along and machines Space Harrier, OutRun and concepts for the character, which
IN THE KNOW took his paper crown. Shinobi were proving popular coin- were dropped as a result of a
» Publisher: Sega But when creating Alex, it’s guzzlers, and its powerful new 16-bit makeover by Sega of America,
» Developer: Sega/SONIC TEAM debatable that Sega had hit upon successor to the Master System had him playing in a rock band, his
» Released: 1991
the key ingredients that would was also selling well thanks to its mouth drawn with fangs, and in a
give them a character to match impressive visuals and early library relationship with a blonde human
» Platform: MEGADRIVE
the might of Mario. Younger and of arcade tie-ins. But conscious that girl named Madonna.
» Genre: Platform more athletic than Nintendo’s tubby Nintendo was preparing to release  For obvious reasons Sonic’s
talisman, trained in a martial art its 16-bit successor to the NES any colour was altered to Sega blue,
and able to drive an day now, Sega knew it needed to while Oshima has revealed that
assortment of find itself a Mario, and fast. Sonic’s iconic red power sneakers
 So it was that Sega of Japan were inspired by a combination of
famously set its best designers the the belt-strapped boots Michael
task of coming up with a brand Jackson’s wore on the cover of his
new hero to represent the album Bad and the colour of Santa
company and its new Claus, whom Oshima regarded

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 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

Developer
HighliGhts The
Phantasy Star (pictured) anthro
also-ran
System: SMS
Year: 1988
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
System: Mega Drive Of all the character
Year: 1992 designs put forward for
consideration to Sega bosses and were
» Naka feels that Super Mario
Space Harrier Bros. and Sonic both influenced dropped in favour of Sonic, it was the
System: Arcade each other. character of Mighty the Armadillo that
Year: 1985 received the most attention. Following
the success of Sonic the Hedgehog,
at the time as the most ‘famous When work on the project began, where Sonic swims in the water and Sega decided to revisit and polish up
the character for an appearance in the
character in the world.’ Blending all Naka was adamant the game should eats bubbles to take his breath to go
Sonic coin-op SegaSonic The Hedgehog.
these visual elements together, Sega be fast and exhilarating to show off on. I was very happy when Super In the isometric trackball-controlled
hoped it had the perfect character the impressive processing speed Mario Bros. later used a similar coin-op, Mighty worked alongside Sonic
to appeal to an American market. of the Mega Drive. An important system in one its sequels, because I and another anthropomorphic character
All Oshima needed now was cornerstone for the game, Yuji felt we were inspiring each other.” named Ray the Flying Squirrel to escape
a striking game to show his Naka explains how it was Meanwhile, Yasahura’s approach from Robotnik’s booby-trapped island
base. Mighty would later appear in 32X
creation off, and it was here Super Mario Bros. that to Sonic’s level design was to create
title Knuckles Chaotix, while Ray just
that Sega bosses turned inspired him to create the them in such a way that they would received minor cameos in the recent
to a talented programmer fastest platformer the world appeal to both casual and hardcore Sonic Generations and the Saturn port
named Yuji Naka. had ever seen. gamers. He set about achieving this of Gale Racer (aka Rad Mobile), which

N
“Every time I played the by mixing fun level elements with was the coin-op that marked Sonic’s
aka had become first stage I wondered why challenging obstacles and moving first ever videogame appearance, as
renowned in the I couldn’t clear it faster, the parts. Of the seven zones in the a rear-view mirror ornament. Ray
was seemingly deserted by Sega,
company for his better I got playing it.” Naka game, Sonic’s opening stage Green but considering that he’s an orange,
impressive programming explains. “This feeling must have Hill Zone became the most iconic. long-tailed flying squirrel, we suspect
skills thanks to his excellent work on been the beginning of the idea of A vibrant place featuring blue skies, the reason could be because he played
the Master System game, Phantasy Sonic, as you get good at playing lush green grass, chequerboard a big part in the design and character of
Star. He had also proven his skill for you can run through the stage really tunnels and loop the loops; the Sonic’s popular sidekick Tails. Either that
tackling the platform genre, with an fast. I think Sonic itself turned out perfect playground for Sonic to or Sega simply deemed the characters
to be too similar and so they promptly
impressive Mega Drive conversion of to be a totally different concept to showcase all his abilities. It was
showed Ray the exit.
Ghouls’n Ghosts. And so Sega asked Super Mario Bros. But I do feel it a brilliantly attention-grabbing
Naka and Hirokazu Yasuhara, Sonic’s was a game that affected me very introduction for gamers, and for
game planner/level designer, to positively. There is a part in Sonic 1 those who had never owned a
help Oshima bring Sonic to life and
become the driving force in a team
of AM8 developers. They were later
famously renamed Sonic Team.

»Green Hill Zone, in all its eye-

searing glory, went on to become
one of the most recognisable
levels in videogames.

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 100
gaMES to play
before you die

»The inventive bonus rounds quickly became a popular developing

staple of the franchise.  Sonic we were

The
doing tests
with splitscreen in

other
order to allow two players
to play at the same time. But

Sonic 1
my technical capability wasn’t
enough to allow the game to
be completed with this feature.
When we began work on Sonic 2
we tested this first to ensure that
a two-player game system was
achieved before properly starting
the project.
“We also tried to prepare a
sound select screen, with pictures
of Sonic’s band, and Sonic singing
and break-dancing. The pictures
were mostly completed but we
couldn’t make this feature fully
completed on schedule, so it
Released shortly after console. So where did inspiration for came from the was rejected. But the storage
the seminal Mega Drive hit, this iconic stage come from? processing speed on the ROM to put this
Sega created for its loyal 8-bit fans a
“Green Hill Zone was inspired by of its hardware. feature in was available
unique version of Sonic the Hedgehog
for the Master System. This 8-bit California,” Naka answers simply. And with Sonic because of this, so we
version differed in a number of ways “Also we were aiming to show the pushing the added the “Sega”
from the original. It featured a new latest computer graphics at that time, Mega Drive voice on the part
story and six zones; three based on the which were using polygon and ray in a way that where we showed the
original but with altered layouts, and tracing, through pixel art to make it no game had Sega logo. In the end,
the others completely new. Many of the look very new. With regards to the done before, I think this was a
enemies made it across, as did all of
Sonic’s moves with the exception of his
colours, I believe they were inspired there were good idea.”
block-pushing animation. The game’s by a picture drawn by Eizin Suzuki.” several features From the initial
development was handled by Ancient, Eizin Suzuki’s work frequently that Naka and concept for Sonic that
a Japanese developer managed by features stunning pop city his team wanted saw him playing in a rock
revered Sega composer Yuzo Koshiro. illustrations that look every bit the to incorporate into band to the revelation of a
Naturally then, Koshiro wrote the music kind of artwork we’d have expected the game, but with space and sound select screen that had to be
for the game, which was a combination
to see up on the walls inside Sega time constraints were unable to. dropped, it’s clear that Naka and
of tunes inspired by its 16-bit counterpart
and brand new compositions. Overall, at that time. Often depicting bright Interestingly, one of these omitted his team always intended for music
the 8-bit Sonic the Hedgehog is a fine realism with a vivid surreal edge, one features would later provide the to play an important part of the
standalone Sonic game, rather than a piece in particular instantly catches starting point for the sequel, while game. We were therefore keen to
watered down port. our attention. It shows a classic another inadvertently give rise to a find out how much planning went
red open-top sports car parked popular Sega motif.   into that particular aspect, and how
beside a welcoming beach-side “There were two features that we the team ensured it would enhance
restaurant. With its deep blue skies were not able to put into Sonic 1,” the overall experience for players as
and engagingly expressive Naka explains. “The first one was successfully as it did. 
colours, the connection to support two players playing at “It was just around the time when
is clear.  the same time. At the last point of music in games was first getting
From a technical exciting, so we asked Masato
perspective, Naka Nakamura, a member of Dreams
says that the biggest Come True [a famous pop band in
challenge in getting Japan] to make the music for each
the Mega Drive to stage sound like it was based on
Green Hill Zone’s bright vibrant look was inspired
by the work of acclaimed Japanese illustrator
accommodate Sonic each stage’s image. Sonic also put
Eizin Suzuki.

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 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

Zoned Out
Spring Yard
We like Spring Yard Zone, and not just
because it appears like a giant pinball table.
It can be a little frustrating to negotiate
The many levels of Sonic The Hedgehog due to the many bumpers and springs it
features, but careful movement is the key
Green Hill to success. It also features plenty of cool
This gorgeous secrets to discover.
zone is relatively
easy to navigate
thanks to its
large stretches
that feature very Marble
few enemies or As its name suggest, Marble Zone is made of
hazards. Loops Marble. It’s also a very hazardous zone, thanks
are in abundance, to a large number of nasty spikes, falling chunks
and Sonic is able of ground, and trickling lava that Sonic needs to
to reach insane navigate. There’s a lot of block pushing on this
speeds. This is level, and therefore less whizzing.
arguably one of
the most iconic Scrap Brain
videogame levels of This is a truly frustrating level with all sorts of devious and
all time. downright nasty traps for Sonic to deal with. Conveyer belts,
vanishing platforms and intermittent gas ruptures (which
Star Light send up gouts of flame) all combine to make this a hellish
Speed freaks will adore Star Light, as Sonic stage that will require all your skills to negotiate.
can really zoom through it. Many of the levels
are filled with loops and enable Sonic to reach
hyper-fast speeds. It has a real rollercoaster
feel to it, but care must be taken as while Final
there are only a few enemies they are often This isn’t really a zone.
impervious to Sonic’s attacks. It’s where Sonic must
face off against Dr
Robotnik for the final
time. It’s little more
Labyrinth than a short corridor
The maze of Labyrinth Zone can be a real which ends in a large
headache to navigate. In addition to having room filled with
to make your way from some trickily dangerous energy
designed stages, many of the levels are balls and plungers
mostly underwater. Sonic can only hold his that try to crush poor
breath for a limited time, so you need to Sonic. Kill Dr Robotnik
find an air bubble or drown. for the win.

a lot of pressure on us not only in Hedgehog helped to bridge the gap Sonic’s contribution to Sega’s
regards to the music but the sound between those two markets more success certainly cannot be
FX and jingles. We fixed these quite successfully than any Mega Drive underplayed. But looking back on
a lot to allow them to make players title previously released, and became this most important of Sega success
feel good while they play the game.” an instant hit. And when Nintendo stories, which aspect of Sonic the

I
finally released the SNES in North Hedgehog is Naka most proud of?
nitially Sega of America had America later that year, it led to one “I think the fact the game is
doubts about Sonic’s American of the biggest and most memorable designed to be very fast but can
appeal, concerned that console wars in gaming history. also be controlled, and allow you to
Americans wouldn’t know what Following an aggressive marketing zip through the game nicely, is the
a hedgehog was. However, following campaign by SOA, Sonic quickly part which I am most proud of,” he
a few tweaks by SOA become synonymous with concludes. “Many thanks to Sonic
to soften up the Sega. And when Sega of Team members for putting great
character for Japan gave into its initial effort into this part. I am also proud
Western gamers, reluctance to offer the of Sonic being played by so many
a change that game as a pack in with people around the world. Thank you
at first didn’t go Genesis consoles, Sonic so much.”
down too well with the went on to play
members of Sonic Team, an even big role
Sonic the Hedgehog was in helping Sega take
finished and released in 1991. majority share of the
Looking more coin-op than North American games market
console game, Sonic the away from Nintendo.

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 100
gaMES to play
before you die

It heralded the evolution of the

M
asahiro Ueno – or Mitch to his » The moody opening still
friends – has been involved with gives us the shivers.

franchise into 16-bit and was a a lot of amazing games. Not

that you’d always know this,
technical showcase for the SNES. as he was often credited as Jun Furano. “I
used ‘Jun Furano’ as Konami did not allow
John Szczepaniak speaks with main us to use real names in game credits back
then,” reveals Ueno. “I made up the name
programmer and total director, Jun after a Japanese TV drama called Kita No
Kunikara. It took place in Furano, Hokkaido,
Furano – known by his real name, and Jun was one of the main characters.”
This fish-out-of-water series was very
Masahiro Ueno popular in Japan, and involved a father
taking his two children to live in
the countryside. “People move more often these days,
It was common policy in the old days but many of my old friends are still
not to credit developers, or to do so with Konami.”
under a nickname. Western fans have Unfortunately, this discrepancy with
speculated if it was to prevent names means that websites aren’t always
headhunting – the impression complete. “MobyGames is missing some
being that, in Japan, with of the games I worked on,” admits Ueno.
the ‘job for life’ culture “Such as Track & Field II on the NES,
at the time, people Lethal Enforcers for the Mega Drive and

IN THE seldom changed

jobs. “I think it
many more recent games.” As a fresh
university graduate when joining Konami,
KNOW was to prevent Ueno’s first game was an educational
» Publisher: Konami headhunting,” title for the Famicom Disk System that
» Developer: Konami says Ueno. was ultimately cancelled. His second
» Released: 1991 game, which was his first to ship, was
» Platform: SNES
porting Metal Gear from the MSX2 to the
» Genre: Platformer

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 SUPER CASTLEVANIA IV

Famicom in just three months. Changes released. “We started with a small R&D
were made at the request of management team, without actual dev kits. We only had
to differentiate the two versions – this a hard copy of specification documents.”
also due to the limitations of the available “The Super Famicom was definitely
Mapper chips. It was still an impressive more powerful than the Famicom,
achievement, and the game sold copious especially in graphics and sound,” states
amounts in America. Ueno, “but the CPU is a bit more difficult
Ueno continued to work with the to work with as it’s more like a slightly
Famicom on Japan exclusive games like faster 8-bit CPU with integrated bank
Ganbare Pennant Race! and MADARA. » Curiously, statues of vampire hunter registers,” he continues, detailing the
In later years, he supervised Konami Sypha Belnades seem to stand outside technical side of SNES development.
classics such as Contra III and Axelay, Dracula’s castle. “Unlike modern consoles, we had access
and played an integral role in the to all the hardware registers and we had
Lethal Enforcers series (including as an
actor in the sequel). But, his first 16-
We started with a small to figure out how to use those effectively,
which I really enjoyed. But, it took us
bit role was Super Castlevania IV – aka
Akumajo Dracula in Japan – as the
R&D team, without actual dev some time and experiments to find the
right ways to use various tricks during
main programmer, enemy and boss
programmer, as well as overall director.
kits. We only had a hard copy of actual gameplay.”
CVIV was the ninth release for the
specification documents
S
series – previously, there were three
uper Castlevania IV was released mainline Famicom games, unique
in October 1991 for the Super Masahiro Ueno standalone titles for the MSX2 and
Famicom, but working out when arcades, two Game Boy releases, plus
development started requires specs for the as yet unreleased Super a Famicom spin-off featuring Dracula’s
some detective work. For the sake of Famicom. “You are right,” he concurs. son. Castlevania was obviously important
clarity, hereafter all mainline Castlevania “CVIII was released in late 1989, so the for Konami, as Ueno concurs. “The
games will be referred to as CV, followed timeline [has to] match.” Ueno adds, “I expectations were really high, as it was
by their number. “I don’t recall exactly think we started CVIV almost as soon as already a successful franchise and now
when we started the project,” ponders we got the information from Nintendo, so on the new ‘super’ hardware. Personally,
Ueno, thinking back. Describing his we probably started the development of I liked the original CV the most back then.
thought process, the feeling is that it could CVIV in 1989. I am not too sure though. It Of course, I played them all before we
have been in early 1990, but then he has was more than 20 years ago!” finalized the direction of CVIV.”
a revelation: “CVIII on the Famicom was Ueno proudly declares, “I wanted to
developed almost in parallel with CVIV, by make CVIV a pure action game without
the same people behind CV and CVII. We any RPG elements, similar to the original
all worked closely with the sound team – It’s important to understand the
Konami had the best sound team and they underlying context of this era. The » Mode 7 sections like this started out as
really did a great job.” This is fascinating technological jump from the Famicom to experiments, and then Ueno and his team thought
of how to add fun gameplay.
for several reasons. Firstly, the main team the Super Famicom (released November
behind CV has never been disclosed as the 1990) was massive, with more noticeable
original release featured fictional names. results than the jumps we see today. How
It also means that the original NES trilogy did it feel being on the cutting edge?
was developed by the same core team, “Naturally, we were so excited to work
while Ueno’s team was brought in to get to on the new console, as we felt we’d done
grips with the new Nintendo hardware. everything we could do on the Famicom
CVIII was released in Japan on 22 without additional chips in the cartridge.”
December 1989, meaning that Ueno Ueno then reveals another clue that
would have had to have started before his team must have begun long before
this, possibly using only proposed design the Super Famicom had actually been

» One mudman becomes two mudmen » Tread carefully – jumping on these

, and then four, and then they all die! platforms activates a trap that drops into a death pit.

» Due to strict NOA rules,

these topless statues had
to be censored before the
English release.

100 games to play before you die | 119

 Rogue’s GalleryYour guide to Super Castlevania IV’s superb bosses

Medusa Koranot
One of the series’ most iconic enemies – Known as Big Stone in the Japanese
appearing in just about every game, and manual, the golem boss is Ueno’s » It wouldn’t be Castlevania without some
well cured meat hiding in the walls.
based on the Greek legend of Perseus. In a personal favourite. It first appeared in
beta video it seems that this boss appeared the Haunted Castle arcade game, and
slightly different to the final version. went on to feature regularly CV.” This also brings up overlap with
in the series. its direct predecessor. He continues,
“CVIII is a great game though. If CVIII
had [already been released] before we
started CVIV, I would have followed that
direction.” The two games definitely share
some DNA though, notably the twin-
headed water dragon boss and a cameo
Puweyxil Orphic Vipers appearance by CVIII’s Sypha Belnades
First seen in Super Castlevania IV. Known in Japan as soutouryuu, (in statue form), just before entering
Known in Japan as Death Breath meaning double-headed dragon, Dracula’s castle.
Head, the English name must be read similar bosses also appeared “Because the team was small,”
backwards. It features a sprite-jointed in the earlier explains Ueno, “everybody was involved
tongue, impressive transparencies Castlevania III and in the design. Some ideas came from
and real-time damage to Boku Dracula-Kun. It creative artists and others were from
the background. made a return in Dracula X programmers’ experiments. The whip
on PC Engine and SNES. feature was really a big part of the
game and it was experimented with
and implemented by Yaipon. We drew
maps on paper but I think we changed
a lot as we iterated the game.” Yaipon,
also known as Yaiman, was of course
Mitsuru Yaida, who programmed the
player’s character. He left Konami along
with others to form Treasure, later
The Monster Zapf Bat programming Gunstar Heroes.
Although not named as such, this iconic One of the game’s coolest Ueno, meanwhile, was in charge of
boss is unmistakably based on the bosses. Although giant bats boss programming, so we asked about
creature made by Dr Frankenstein, as have featured in just about their design and his overall favourite. “I
featured in Mary Shelley’s eponymous every Castlevania game, only in came up with rough boss ideas first and
novel. A series regular. Castlevania IV is one made out of then [additional] programmers came
possessed treasure! up with more detailed patterns as they
implemented. We wanted to make earlier
Akmodan II Slogra bosses relatively easy so that the players
Another series veteran appearing A unique boss created specifically could figure out weak points and effective
in most CV games, except this time for the final section of Castlevania weapons without retrying too many
he’s been given a name in the US IV, and one of the toughest.
manual, reinforcing his Ancient Slogra resembles a zombified
Egyptian heritage. pterodactyl. It was later re-used
for Symphony Of The Night and
subsequent games.

Gaibon Dracula
Another unique end boss created The main attraction. Having
specifically for this release that said that, the Japanese
you fight directly before Dracula. series name of Akumajo
As with Slogra, Gaibon was re- Dracula actually places more
used for Symphony Of The Night emphasis on the Count’s
and subsequent games. ‘demonic castle’, than the
vampire himself.
» Everything seems fine, until the red
hands in the wall grab you and the
enemy walks forwards.

120 | 100 games to play before you die

 SUPER CASTLEVANIA IV

Ueno is a bit unfair on himself though.

Konami released a promotional video
from an early build and, when you
compare this early footage to the final
version, it’s astounding how much polish
the team managed to add. “I was not
aware of this promotion video, but it
seems the footage was captured from an developer » Despite swinging being one of the best things about CVIV,
it was strangely absent in future 2D instalments.
early build,” admits Ueno, when given HighliGhts
the YouTube link. We ask if anything was Metal Gear interaction with the PC Engine team as
removed from this build due to memory System: Famicom they were in a different group,” admits
restrictions, citing a snake-like boss which Year: 1987 Ueno. “Both games are great, and [the]
is different to the final Medusa. “I don’t MADARA II PC Engine version brought the game to
times. For some bosses and traps we recall any severe memory restrictions (Pictured) the next level.”
System: Super

I
decided to use Mode 7 first, then came up back then, so I think these changes were
Famicom
with ideas. I like the golem boss, simply made to improve gameplay.” Year: 1993 n addition to its own lineage, CVIV
because it uses Mode 7.” CVIV is a phenomenal showcase of influenced other developers, such
Lost In Blue
programming skill and design talent. System: DS as C-Lab with Rusty for PC-98 and
Reflecting on this, we asked what Ueno Year: 2005 DOS computers. In this case it was

T
almost a direct copy, right down to the
here’s debate regarding whether
CVIV is a remake of the original,
Everybody was involved whip swinging. “No, I am not aware of this
game,” declares Ueno. What’s interesting
which is controversial since it
contains so many revolutionary
in the design. Some ideas came about Rusty is that it was released in
July 1993, predating Dracula X on PCE by
elements – a better example of a remake
would be Akumajo Dracula on the X68000
from creative artists and others over three months. Rusty also featured
a screen-filling ‘item crush’ attack, which
computer. But what does CVIV’s director
think? “I consider CVIV as a remake of
were from programmers’ first appeared in an official Castlevania
game with Dracula X. According to a
the original CV to some extent.” But what
about all the new features, like being able
experiments Masahiro Ueno detailed analysis on VGMuseum there
are about 16 major similarities with the
to leap on and off of stairs freely? “The later released Dracula X, implying that the
original CV is a great game, but I felt it was was most proud of. “In addition to influence went both ways.
a bit too difficult and many players got the new gameplay, I wanted to make In the years following CVIV, Ueno
frustrated,” continues Ueno. “The changes the environment more interactive and eventually moved to Konami’s US branch,
in the ‘stair behaviour’ was to give more lively. The music and sound effects heading up games like Project Overkill
control to the players and reduce the really contributed to make the game’s for PSone. Looking over the list provided,
frustration. The new whip system was to atmosphere spooky and real. So, I am Ueno has worked on more than 60 games
introduce some new gameplay that had proud of the atmosphere we created.” over the last 25 years, including as a
not been possible on the Famicom. We And, would he change anything if he producer on Lost In Blue, the Frogger
had freedom to make many changes, but had a time machine? “I would probably series, TMNT and various Sims games
we wanted to keep the game aligned with add more branches to give the players while at EA. He’s an unsung hero in an
the original CV.” a sense of exploration as found in other industry that favours anonymity.
It wasn’t always easy though, as Ueno Castlevania games.” » Masahiro ‘Mitch’ Before parting company, we asked if he
Ueno – programming
tells us, “Like many other games, we had While the fantastic Indiana Jones-style legend and all-round
knew why Contra III was ported to GBA
a long crunch time. Making a game on whip swinging wasn’t resurrected for cool guy. but not CVIV, and if he’d followed the
new hardware requires so much effort, so later instalments, CVIV still redefined a release of CVIV on the Virtual Console.
the crunch time lasted almost six months. template that influenced the series for “I was not a part of porting discussions
But, we were so excited to work on the years to come, notably through several so I don’t know,” says Ueno regrettably.
game. When the game was completed, as unique enemies which featured in “I do have CVIV on my Wii though!”
is always the case, I had mixed feelings. I Symphony Of The Night. What about And with that, join him in the Director’s
was very satisfied with the fact we finally the other 16-bit console releases on PC Commentary section as he talks us
completed the game, but I also wanted Engine and Mega Drive? “I remember I through the various stages…
more time to polish it.” gave some feedback to the Mega Drive
team, as the lead and I worked on the Special thanks to Castlevania expert Kurt
same projects before. I only had a little Kalata for his help with this feature.

» Note how different the harpy sprite is in this » Rusty may have copied CVIV when released in
version, resembling Lemmy from Motorhead a bit. 1993, but did Rusty influence Dracula X? Google the
names and VGMuseum for an analysis!

100 games to play before you die | 121

 Super Castlevania IV
The Director’s Commentary
Masahiro Ueno gives us the lowdown on Super Castlevania IV’s creepy castle

Stage 5
Stage 4
This is a short stage and there’s no boss at the end.
This series of stages nicely Also, the timer has been reduced, because we wanted to
shows how powerful increase the feeling of rushing forward as players finally
the new hardware was: entered Dracula’s castle. Now it really begins!
boss transparencies and
jointed sprites, plus Mode
Stage 3 7 for the rotating room,
spinning bridge, and final
Although there are no golem boss. I think it
branching paths in Super shows Super Castlevania
Castlevania, we tried to at its best.
make every stage different.
There are four sections in
this stage: you start outside,
enter the caverns, climb a
waterfall and finally, enter
the moat area.

Stage 2
Konami released a promotional video
from early development. If you compare
it to the final release, you can see how we
polished the river section by adding more
background details and improving the
transparency effects. We also redid the
Medusa boss.

Stage 1

1
Some names were changed
during translation into
English. In the Japanese
original, the flying horse
heads were called ‘Uma no
Namakubi’, loosely meaning
‘freshly severed horse head’.
In the English release it was
changed to Mr Hed.

122 | 100 games to play before you die

 SUPER CASTLEVANIA IV

Stage 6 Stage 7
You only see one swinging
chandelier at a time because 10 To keep players interested we continued to add new things
to later stages. Here you will encounter the moving book
Mode 7 only rotates a single platforms, and also two unique regular enemies: a giant
large background layer. If you’re centipede and a carpet monster that pushes you into spikes.
stuck on the boss check the wall
before the steps, we hid a 1UP.
Also, did you find the crying man 9 Stage 8
8
and his dog?
I’ve been told players ask
about the blood changing

6 7 4 from red to green. I worked

on both Japanese and English
versions, so yes, I am aware
of the changes. It’s not serious
– we were simply asked to
change the colour palette.

Stage 9
Always keep an eye out for
any whip hooks high up.
There’s one area where you
need to swing across to reach
some power-ups. If you fall,
you’ll notice we placead the
hooks slightly too high to
reach from the ground.

3
Stage 10A
It would not be a proper
Castlevania game without
a clock tower and spinning
Stage 10B gears. The Super Famicom
allowed smoother
I don’t think many players discovered this at animation for the cogs
the time, but there’s a secret area just before turning. Using your whip to
the final staircase to Dracula. Today with the hang from moving chains
internet, I think players have found all the also allowed for new styles
secrets we added – or have you? of gameplay.

100 games to play before you die | 123

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

Artist Atsushi Seimiya explains how he helped

create Sega’s answer to Final Fight

124 | 100 games to play before you die

 STREETS OF RAGE

I
t’s hard to imagine today, but
during the Eighties and Nineties,
scrolling beat-’em-ups reigned
supreme – particularly in arcades.
Ever since Yoshihisa Kishimoto had
perfected the formula with Renegade Power-Up!
and the superb Double Dragon Take on the gangs with
IN THE every other developer was eager these handy items
KNOW to replicate the success, and many
» Publisher: Sega succeeded with their own long- Bottle
» Developer: Sega AM7 running franchises. ■ You’ll only get a few hits
» Released: 1991 Although Sega created several with this weapon so try to
» System: Various entertaining efforts during this time – use it sparingly.
» Genre: Beat-’em-up Altered Beast, Golden Axe and Alien very own Mega-CD, but that debut » Here are your
Storm – it was Capcom that truly was still years off and Sega couldn’t
three main
heroes. Apple
ruled the genre, thanks to massively predict the future. It needed a game We’re ersonally ■ Take a bite out of this
popular hits like Dynasty Wars, that would beat Nintendo’s popular big fans of apple and receive a quarter
Blaze Fielding.
Captain Commando and Final Fight. exclusive and it needed it now. of your energy bar back.
The exploits of Haggar, Cody and The answer of course was to
Guy as they cleaned up the streets of simply make its own game that did Pepper Shaker
Metro City turned into a big money everything Final Fight did and more. ■ Chuck it at an enemy then
spinner for Capcom, and Final Fight That answer came in the form of rip him apart while he’s
was soon licensed to numerous home Streets Of Rage, which debuted on having a sneezing fit.
computers, from the ZX Spectrum to Sega’s Mega Drive in August 1991,
Commodore’s 16-bit Amiga. Nintendo some nine months after Final Fight ’s 1-Up
quickly realised the popularity of successful SNES release. Retro ■ It’s tough on the streets,
Capcom’s game, and locked it in as an Gamer was fortunate enough to so pick this up in order to net
early exclusive for its Super Nintendo. speak with Atsushi Seimiya about his yourself a handy extra life.
Even though it lacked the work on the iconic scrolling beat-’em-
cooperative play of the arcade up. Currently he’s the manager of Lead Pipe
original and was missing an entire AM R&D1, but during the creation of ■ Has the best reach by far
level (the Industrial Area in case Streets Of Rage (or Bare Knuckle as in the game, but is quite slow
you’re wondering), it still proved it was known in Japan) he worked as and clunky to use.
to be a huge success for Nintendo an artist. The first question we asked
and Capcom – so much so that two was whether Streets Of Rage was Cash Bag
exclusive sequels were released on always planned as Sega’s answer to ■ Thugs just leave their
the console. Sega in the meantime the popular SNES exclusive. “I cannot money lying around, so pick
was relegated to the sidelines, forced deny that it was not,” is his honest it up for a quick 1,000 points.
to look helplessly on while one of the reply. “Actually we bought a machine
arcade’s most popular games was and studied it a lot as a team.” Knife
playing on its rival’s console. History The team’s close scrutiny of ■ A fast weapon that deals
» Playing with a friend adds a would reveal that an arguably better Capcom’s game paid off. While it’s high damage, it can also be
second boss to the end of each
stage. Just to keep things a little
port of the popular beat-’em-up not quite as slick as Capcom’s original hurled at enemies.
more challenging. would eventually appear on Sega’s arcade release, it easily offered
Beef
■ This handy slab of meat
replenishes your entire
energy bar.

Baseball Bat
■ While it doesn’t have the
insane reach of the lead pipe,
it’s a lot quicker.

Special
■ Want some extra attack
» Here’s a
look at the power? Then summon an
We’d argu W
e that Bare estern and Japanese
Knuckle is
a much co
box art. extra police car with this.
oler name.

Gold Bars
■ Suitably rare, which is
hardly surprising as they
reward you with a hefty
5,000 points.

100 games to play before you die | 125

 developer
HighliGhts
Phantasy Star
System: Master System
Year: 1987
Sakura Taisen
System: Saturn
Year: 1996
Nightshade (Pictured)
System: PlayStation 2
Year: 2003
» Each player has a unique special
weapon attack. This one is by far
the coolest.

» Streets Of Rage has an industrial

stage. Take that SNES Final Fight
fans, you had to go without.

plenty of benefits over the SNES ex-police, and have sworn to bring expanded with the addition of lovely And then there were the bosses,
port, most notably the fact that you Mr X to justice. stretches of beach, an exhilarating a weird selection of mayors that

W
could play with a friend, boosting the lift ride (no scrolling beat-’em-up is ranged from claw-wielding maniacs
enjoyment of the game. Sega’s game e were keen to know complete without one) and the final to wrestlers that looked like the
allowed you to choose from three the involvement that arduous trek through a corridor that Ultimate Warrior’s lost brother. Other
brawlers who had all been slighted Seimiya had during the leads to Mr X’s penthouse, which memorable bosses were a giant fire-
by nemesis Mr X, who controlled the game’s production. “As effectively doubles as a boss rush for breathing fat man, and Mona and Lisa,
city and even its police force. Like an artist, I worked on a wide range, all the previous bosses. Unsurprisingly two female adversaries who were
Final Fight each character is unique, from the player character, terrain, and there was little originality to Streets Of effectively more powerful palette
each with their own strengths and the Boss, etc,” he explains. “It was Rage’s look with Seimiya admitting swaps of Blaze Fielding. Seimiya
weaknesses. Adam Hunter is clearly my first time working on the player that Sega was simply delivering what found himself working on both the
based on Haggar, being a slower, but character, so I had to go through a it believed the public wanted. “Final enemies and the bosses, a task he
heavier-hitting character, able to make bunch of re-takes.” It may have been Fight, Double Dragon… many arcade found quite rewarding. “The design
mincemeat of groups. Blaze Fielding a baptism of fire for the young artist, games back then were using the team would give me a request with
on the other hand plays more like but the constant redesigns certainly realistic game settings, and I think it the background story of the character,
Guy, being far quicker than her two paid off. Like Final Fight, Streets Of was simply a trend,” admits Seimiya. dot size, and reference materials for
male counterparts, but unable to take Rage has an interesting mix of gritty It may have looked very similar to actions,” he recalls. “I created the
heavy hits. The last character is Axel urban environments and cartoon-like some of the more popular brawlers characters based on those kind of
Blaze, the everyman of the group who characters. Many of the levels are of the time, but Sega’s game still materials. It was challenging to come
has Cody’s all-round abilities but is quite similar to Capcom’s game, with managed to stand apart thanks to up with how to animate characters
hampered by a slightly weaker jump locations based on downtown streets its varied locations, interesting level with a limited number of dot images.”
than his two companions. All three are and industrial areas. The variety is design and challenging bosses. While we were discussing the
It also boasted a menagerie of various bosses of the game an
» There are a variety of weapons in the game. Use them » The music on this stage is incredible. It’s a pity you
wisely as they have limited uses. can’t hear it. It’s really good. Honest! interesting enemies and bosses that interesting piece of information came
came in a variety of shapes and sizes. up. While Seimiya was reluctant to
In addition to the usual street thugs, share his favourite creation with us,
there were guys who looked like he did reveal the following about the
rejects from Teenage Mutant Ninja rather unimpressive pair of bosses
Turtles, dominatrixes with vicious found on level 5. “I do not remember
whips, crazy-haired planks juggling all the details, but there was a special
axes and flaming torches and well- boss for stage 5 instead of Mona
dressed martial artists. and Lisa,” he recalls. Maybe one day

Boss Rush The mayors of Streets Of Rage and how to defeat them
Antonio Abadede
■ Boss number one is pretty straightforward. Dodge the arc of his difficulty ■ He may look like the Ultimate
giant boomerang and move in for a flurry of punches of throws. Just Warrior, but there’s nothing
be wary of his powerful kick that has quite an impressive reach. ultimate about this easy boss.
While his punch is extremely
Southern powerful you can see easily
■ We hate this guy. His claws take huge see it coming. Simply sidestep
amounts of energy off you and he’s fast. Your him and unload your fury until
best bet is to try and sneak up to him and his knees buckle.
difficulty deliver groin kicks. Don’t jump near him. difficulty

126 | 100 games to play before you die

 STREETS OF RAGE

up with your fellow fighter to perspective. The finished release » A nice touch to this stage is the constant
bobbing of the ship you’re on.
pull off trickier moves, while is exactly what Sega planned to
pressing A summoned a make. “There were lot of assets
police car that fired a rocket that killed that did not end up in the final game,”
off most enemies. Sadly, Seimiya admits Seimiya, “but features were all
didn’t have much involvement with built in the final game.”
the fighting mechanics, simply telling Streets Of Rage’s release saw
us: “I was pleased with the tag-moves it receiving critical acclaim from
which rewarded users to co-op with journalists and strong sales. Its
a friend.” success on Sega’s 16-bit console
Another aspect of the game that saw a cut-down version appear on compositions – again by Yuzo Koshiro
Seimiya was a fan of was Streets Of the Game Gear in 1992 that lacked – to its beefier sprites and larger
Rage’s scintillating soundtrack. While Adam as a playable character and a range of combat moves. In fact, many
many will argue that the best tunes PAL-only Master System release in still regard it as the pinnacle of the
are found in the second game, it’s 1993 that dropped the co-op play. We genre. Seimiya worked on the sequel
still impossible to play the original were keen to know if Seimiya had any as a background artist. He was also
without whistling or tapping your involvement with these inferior ports, involved with 1994’s Street Of Rage
foot to the techno-infused tunes, only to be told: “No, I did not take 3, infamous for its boxing kangaroo
as they perfectly complement the part in those projects”. The original and the large amount of changes that
we’ll find out what that boss was frantic on-screen battles. “[The Mega Drive version has popped up were made between the Western and
supposed to look like, but it at least music] was very important, and in various guises since, with one of Eastern versions of the game. There
explains why the two female fighters thus we used Yuzo Koshiro for the the most impressive being M2’s 3DS was even a comic series, but again,
lacked the imagination found within score,” admits Seimiya, “as we did version, which creates a 3D playing Seimiya had nothing to do with it.
the rest of the boss gallery. for the last game.” The game he’s area for the game, adding a scale of Although usurped by its superior

A
talking about is The Revenge Of depth to proceedings. sequel, Streets Of Rage remains
lthough Streets Of Rage’s Shinobi, a rather superb sequel that While Streets Of Rage was a big an entertaining brawler and an
bosses were tough, the married the arcade shenanigans success for Sega, it was the sequel, important release in Sega’s 16-bit
three main characters were of the original game to Koshiro’s released in 1992 that really made battle against Nintendo. It’s a pity
more than equipped to eclectic and bombastic score. There gamers take notice of the franchise. then that, the odd update aside, Sega
deal with them. All three had access were additional connections to The Everything about it was bigger and has done very little with the franchise
to a flurry of kicks and punches and Revenge Of Shinobi, as Streets Of better, from its incredible music since its 16-bit glory days.
were also able to pull off flying kicks Rage’s director Noriyoshi Ohba had
and use handy back attacks. Nothing overseen Shinobi as well.
revolutionary compared to what had In fact Seimiya feels that Ohba’s
come before it, but the controls were directorial style is what led to Streets
tight and responsive, meaning you Of Rage’s unusual multiple endings,
always felt in control of the fighting. one of which gives you the option
While enemies could grab and throw of teaming up with Mr X instead
you, you were far from defenceless, of trying to defeat him, telling us:
being able to land on your feet with a “I guess it was his style to add a
well-timed press of the jump button bit of spice to the script.” We also
and even attack enemies while you discovered that Streets Of Rage was
were being held. You could even team basically complete from a gameplay

Many arcade games back then

were realistic, and I think it was
simply a trend
» This ending only appears if one
of you agrees to join Mr X in two-
player mode.
Atsushi Seimiya

Big Ben difficulty Mr X

■ A really frustrating boss, mainly ■ A suitably tough boss for
because of the huge gout of flame the finale due to his quick
he breathes, which is difficult to rushes and the insane reach
avoid. Be as quick as you can, get of his machine gun – that’s
in close and hit hard. Do not try and right, he has a bloody big
throw him though as he’ll crash and machine gun. Keep on him, hit
damage you. Mona & Lisa hard and fast and keep an eye
■ These two beauties are incredibly frustrating to battle. out for his numerous, hard-
difficulty Keeping on the move and using your back attack is your best hitting minions.
chance of success. Alternatively grab them and keep hold of
them for as long as possible, or use flying kicks. difficulty

100 games to play before you die | 127

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

Refreshing a series for a new generation is tough,

especially when it’s a Zelda title. Nick Thorpe speaks
to Takashi Tezuka and Kensuke Tanabe about the
hard work that went into this action-RPG classic…

W
hen you look back at the history 1995 expo, but the game didn’t materialise until
of the series, The Legend Of 1998. But the game that started this tradition was
Zelda occupies a funny space in The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past, the game
Nintendo’s planning processes. that marked Link’s move off of 8-bit platforms.
If a Zelda game arrives in time for a console launch, In planning the launch of the 16-bit SNES
it’s because the game was heavily delayed on platform, Nintendo identified two basic software
the previous generation of hardware. Yet Zelda is needs: new properties that could demonstrate the
never overlooked when a new Nintendo console power of the new hardware, and more of what had
is being planned – in fact, it’s often one of the very made the NES successful. For the former category,
first things considered for a new machine. Our Nintendo chose racing and flight games that would
first look at The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker be impossible to achieve on rival consoles, and
came before the GameCube had hit the shelves, delivered a one-two punch of F-Zero and Pilotwings
but the game launched over a year into the life of in November and December 1990. For the latter,
the machine. A demo of what would eventually Nintendo chose to immediately develop follow-ups
become The Legend Of Zelda: The Ocarina Of Time to its most popular NES properties – the Super
was shown to attendees of Nintendo’s Shoshinkai Mario Bros. and The Legend Of Zelda series.

128 | 100 games to play before you die

 THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: A Link To The Past

However, creating a new Zelda was a bit other, overlapping worlds,” he explains. “In the

Hyrule’s
more difficult than creating another Mario end, we decided it would be best for us, the
game – Mario games were all very similar, developers, as well as for players to have this as
heroes but The Legend Of Zelda and Zelda II: Link’s
Adventure were very different games. This left
two worlds; one light, one dark. We felt the best
way to represent this overlap of light and dark,
The A Link To The Past the Nintendo EAD team with some big decisions and to represent the changes between them, was
developers we spoke to to make regarding its approach to the new game. “In to use the same slanted top-down view used in the
Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link, we wanted to include original The Legend Of Zelda game.”

I
sword combat with a variety of different moves into
the gameplay, and so decided the project would use t’s rare for a company to discard the major
a side-scrolling view that made use of our experience changes made to a sequel, but it would prove to
from Super Mario games,” explains Takashi Tezuka, a be a wise decision. Quite apart from the fact that
Takashi Kensuke veteran Nintendo developer who served as director for Zelda II has become known as one of the weaker
Tezuka Tanabe both The Legend Of Zelda and The Legend Of Zelda: A games in the series as time has passed, there was still
Director Script Writer Link To The Past. “We made two Zelda games for the a lot that Nintendo could change and improve in going
NES, both making the most of that hardware. But then back to the old top-down format. Even very basic
with the next Zelda for the SNES, we were able to add things were overhauled, such as the way Link moved
even more new things to the gameplay.” around the environment – for the first time, he was
The final decision on which structure to use was able to move diagonally as well as in the four cardinal
driven by the concept of the game, according to directions. Rather than using a simple thrust, Link
Tezuka. “When we were starting the project, we would actually swing his sword in a more realistic arc.
experimented to see if it was possible to include a According to a 1992 Famitsu interview with Shigeru
multi-world structure into the game. Our plan was that Miyamoto, this combination of new features actually
events in the hub world would have an effect on the gave way to another new feature. With the addition of

100 games to play before you die | 129

 Link’s Arsenal A hero can’t get the job done
without the right tools…

Bow & Arrow Boomerang Hookshot Bomb

■ A good ranged weapon, although you ■ This doesn’t just hurt enemies, it ■ This item can pull Link across ■ Does what it says on the tin – place it
have a limited supply of arrows. retrieves far-off items too. dangerous gaps, or grab baddies. and run away!

Ether Medallion Quake Medallion Lamp Magic Hammer

■ An enormous blast of lightning fries ■ A mighty tremor reduces grounded ■ Useful for lighting up the game’s ■ This versatile tool and weapon is
flying enemies and stuns the rest. enemies to either nothing or slime. many dark rooms by igniting torches. useful against frozen enemies.

Cane Of Somaria Cane Of Byrna Magic Cape Magic Mirror

■ This is used to instantly create blocks ■ This awesome item shields Link and ■ This fashionable item makes Link ■ An important item, as it’s Link’s path
– good for weights and shielding. hurts enemies in the process! both invisible and invincible. between the Light and Dark Worlds

diagonal movement, the Nintendo EAD team had Working with the SNES also opened up a world of

link
made the logical assumption that Link should be able new possibilities for the Nintendo development team.
to attack diagonally, too. However, in practice it actually “The new hardware allowed us to do things we hadn’t

shrinks
made the controls feel somewhat worse, and Link was been able to until that point. I’d only been drawing
once again saddled with the ability to move in eight four-colour pixel images up until then, so even simply
directions but face only four. Undeterred, the team just increasing the number of colours available to use
found a way to add a multi-directional attack in the to 16 or 256 colours, as well as being able to use high-
The only port of Link’s 16-bit adventure
form of a spin attack, activated by holding the sword quality sounds, was really exciting for me,” explains
received some major upgrades…
button down for a couple of seconds. This elegant Tezuka. “Figuring out how best to effectively reflect
The prospect of SNES-quality games solution would go on to feature in many subsequent the features of the hardware into a game is always a
on the Game Boy Advance was one Zelda games and become a staple of the series. challenge that Nintendo’s game designers face, and
that intrigued gamers around the Other changes to the use of weaponry and items not limited to this game,” notes Kensuke Tanabe, the
world, and Nintendo set about making were considered too, according to Tezuka. “At the start scriptwriter for A Link To The Past. “For me, who’d
sure that a number of them would of development, we wanted players to be able to freely studied visuals at university, being able to use two
be available for dedicated fans, with choose which weapons to hold, not just the sword and ‘animation cells’ and having the possibility to scroll
The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past being one of shield,” explains the game director. “We also thought them separately was a huge deal.”

T
the earlier examples. The game ran at the slightly about having these weapons combine, say for example,
lower screen resolution of 240x160 (as opposed having the Bow & Arrows set to the A Button and a he technique that Tanabe refers to above
to 256x224), but received slightly more accurate Bomb to B Button so that when you use them together is that of using multiple background layers.
translation and some minor bug fixes. (i.e. press both the buttons), Link would shoot an arrow On the NES, it was only possible to draw
However, the game also received a major new with a bomb attached.” This would have revolutionised a single layer of background graphics and
mode in the form of the co-operative game Four Zelda’s combat system, but ultimately didn’t come to a single layer of sprite graphics. With the SNES,
Swords, which allowed up to four players to quest pass – however, it might sound familiar to fans of the developers had the luxury of multiple background
together as various coloured Links using the series. “In the end we didn’t use this in A Link To The layers. For example, in A Link To The Past, one layer
GBA’s Link Cable. If you finished that quest, it was Past, as Shigeru Miyamoto requested that Link always is used to display the stage layout and a second layer
then possible to play through a new single-player have the sword equipped,” Tezuka recalls. “We were is reserved for special effects. A third layer is used
dungeon as a reward, facing numerous stronger able to implement this system in the next title, Link’s to display the HUD, which never moves. “Using it
versions of the Dark World bosses before coming Awakening, though.” allowed us to create the raining scene at the very start
face to face with a surprising final enemy. of the adventure, as well as show sunlight filtering
Not only did the GBA game sell an impressive 1.8 down through the leaves in the forest,” Tanabe
million units, but Four Swords left its own legacy, recalls of the special effects layer. “It’s the effect of
spawning the dedicated multiplayer GameCube the sunlight in the forest that I’m particularly fond of.
sequel The Legend Of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures I’m also really pleased that we were able to display
and the 3DS game The Legend Of Zelda: Tri-Force which floor a player is on by using two
Heroes. Four Swords was also rereleased as a “animation cells”. This was actually a
limited anniversary edition downloadable game for
the Nintendo DSi and 3DS handhelds.

» The memorable rainy intro to A Link To The Past was only possible
with the power of the SNES.

130 | 100 games to play before you die

 THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: A Link To The Past

Magic Powder Fire Rod Ice Rod Bombos Medallion

■ This can transform enemies into ■ Use this to send a burning blast in ■ Freeze the enemy with this vital ■ Hit everything on screen with fire
weak or even helpful creatures! the direction of your foes. piece of magical weaponry. magic, at great magical cost.

Flute Bug-Catching Net Book Of Mudora Bottle

■ This ocarina-shaped object can ■ If you want to put a bee or fairy in a ■ This allows Link to read Ancient ■ These handy containers can hold
summon a bird for fast travel. bottle, you’ll need this. Hylian, often used in magical places. potions, fairies and even bees.

Pegasus Shoes Power Glove Flippers Moon Pearl

■ Footwear that allows Link to ■ No dodgy NES peripherals here – ■ Worth the 500 Rupees the Zora ■ Without it, Link would lose his
perform a speedy dash attack. this lets Link lift some heavy objects. charges, as you’ll be able to swim! human form in the Dark World.

Shigeru Miyamoto
requested that Link
always have the sword
equipped
Takashi Tezuka

suggestion from the engineering team.”

Despite the new possibilities, technical issues
were rare. “Our game designers had a pretty good
idea of what could be done on the hardware back
then, so I don’t believe we had any unexpected for the translated game, and use what extra space
implementations,” Tezuka confirms, though he does remained afterwards to make some improvements to
note one important exception. “Having said that, the Western releases. However, further compression
though, we had a long battle with the memory size, rendered increased capacity unnecessary.
and I remember very clearly that the engineering team The 16-bit versions of both Mario and Zelda had
worked extremely hard to optimise it.” Prior to The entered development at the same time, but while
Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past, all of Nintendo’s Mario stuck to its planned trajectory and made it out
first-party SNES games had used a minimal ROM for the November 1990 launch of the console, Zelda’s
size of just four megabits. Not only did the new Zelda planned arrival in March was going to be impossible.
require eight megabits of storage, it was pushing In fact, by the time that eager gamers in Japan were
that limit. A simple graphical compression routine trying out the new Super Famicom for the first time,
was brought over from Super Mario World to combat Nintendo EAD was only just confident of the game
this, which saved space by limiting many graphical system it had settled upon! The next step was to add
tiles to eight colours, rather than the standard 16 that the additional staff to complete the work by adding
the SNES is capable of. With data duplication cut to in enemies, a scenario and more. In an interview
an absolute minimum, the game was able to fit into for the official Super Mario World guide book in
the ROM allocated. Even then, translating the game Japan, Miyamoto estimated that the game would » The moment when Link gains the Master Sword is a pivotal and
from Japanese once again challenged this limit. In his be completed by Children’s Day (May 5th) in 1991 in iconic scene in the game.
1992 Famitsu interview, Miyamoto explained that the anticipation of a summer release, but this turned out to
original plan was to use a higher capacity cartridge be an underestimation. According to Miyamoto’s 1992 what’s going on, but just follows Princess Zelda’s
Famitsu interview, implementing these final features voice and works to save her. However, in doing this he
took about eight months, pushing the game back somehow ends up becoming an outlaw. We wanted
further from summer to winter. players to start feeling excited and wonder what will

I
happen next,” explains Tezuka. It’s a dramatic opening,
f there’s any reason that A Link To The Past took but finding and rescuing the princess so early on
longer than expected, it might well be because definitely surprised some players, who felt that the
of how much attention was paid to the plot game was going to end quite suddenly. “We didn’t
of the game. Right from the start, it was clear intend to make players feel like the game was going
that it would be told in more detail and with greater to end there,” admits Tezuka, who always saw Link’s
dramatic flair than the NES Zelda games were capable ascension to heroism in a rather different way.
of, and that item acquisition would be closely tied to The previous games had just dropped the player into
story progression. A clear example of this comes in the world and allowed them to get on with it, but this
the game’s opening sequence – by contrast to the would not be an approach that would be repeated in
earlier games, the SNES game offered a far more A Link To The Past. “We didn’t have Link start out as
structured introduction to Link’s quest. “In A Link To a sword-wielding hero right from the start, because
The Past, the game starts with a dark, rainy scene, we had already decided at the beginning of the project
» The dastardly wizard Agahnim has got Zelda, and now he’s with Link being just a regular village boy who, in the that we wanted him to awaken as a hero when he
zapping her into the Dark World! same situation as the player, doesn’t really know pulls out the Master Sword,” explains Tezuka. “We did

100 games to play before you die | 131

 In order to draw the sword, one needs to have
both inherited the blood of the family of knights who
protect Princess Zelda, as well as possess the three
pendants. From the moment Link pulls the sword
out, it recognises him as a hero, and grants him its
power,” says Tezuka, with his accurate recall of the plot
standing as testament to the importance with which
it was treated. The Master Sword was also given its
make a number of adjustments to the placement mythological importance at this early stage, as Tezuka
and ordering of the weapons and items so that we recalls: “We also decided then that the Master Sword
could get the ideal flow for the game, no matter the was a sword that alone holds the power to repel evil,
player or play style,” he continues. Instead of starting and I suspect this is why it continues to carry such an
out as a bona-fide hero, Link would acquire a variety of important role in the rest of the series.”
items over the course of the game and experience his However, the Master Sword scene isn’t just
development naturally. “We thought that players would symbolic. “It’s at this point that the game’s real battle
form an emotional connection with Link as they play starts,” the director notes. “Our main aim was to show
and by the time he ultimately becomes a hero, it would the birth of a hero in a scene fitting of The Legend Of
just be natural that he can use a variety of different Zelda, and overlap this with a sense of achievement for
weapons,” Tezuka confirms. the player that they have been recognised as a hero

O
after having overcome many challenges.” Instead of
f course, the most memorable weapon to being a moment of triumph, it’s a turning point which
be introduced in A Link To The Past was the ultimately leads to the introduction of the game’s dual
Master Sword, a blade that has endured world concept. “What we had decided on from the
over the decades as a key piece of the Zelda start was that Link would first become a hero in the
mythology. As Tezuka alluded to earlier, the scene Light World and defeat the first boss,” says Tezuka.
where Link gains the sword was one of the most “From that point is when his battle to defeat the real
crucial parts of the project. “Kensuke Tanabe already enemy, Ganon, in the Dark World begins.”
had an idea for a truly memorable hero-awakening The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past was released
scene when we started this project,” recalls the on November 21st 1991 in Japan, with North American
director, crediting the script writer for the idea. “In the and European releases following on April 13th 1992
midst of a forest, with light filtering down through the and September 24th 1992 respectively. No matter
leaves, the sword stood waiting for someone worthy where you were in the world, the game was regarded
of wielding it to arrive (the illustration on the Japanese as an instant classic. Critical praise was unanimous –
package shows this). Link draws the sword out as the Computer & Video Games awarded the game 89%,
light trickles through the leaves.” noting that “the elements of strategy and adventure are

boss rush While many foes stand in Link’s way, these

bosses are easily the deadliest dozen…

Armos Knights Lanmolas Moldorm Agahnim Helmasaur King Arrghus

■ These six knights attack in ■ It’s hard to predict the ■ This nasty piece of work likes ■ The wizard behind Zelda’s ■ This fiery-tempered individual ■ This floating foe is a tricky one
a regimented formation, no movements of this trio of to push you off the stage onto kidnap looks unthreatening, will give any self-proclaimed to hit, and brings an entourage
matter where they’re pushed burrowing sandworm-like the floor below, which resets but wields potent magic attack heroes a warm welcome with of meanies with it. Pull away the
in combat. When they attack in enemies. Their heads are their the battle completely. Try your spells. Some of these can be his hot breath. To cool him off, smaller Arrgi with the Hookshot,
a full row, make sure to slow weak points – the sword is hardest to avoid being hit as reflected back by swinging the first smash his mask with the and then get to work with the
one knight down with arrows to effective, but try arrows or the you swing your sword at its tail, Master Sword, so get ready to hammer and then hit him with sword when Arrghus crashes
break the line. ice rod if you need distance. which is its weakness. return service! the sword until he’s dead. to the floor.

132 | 100 games to play before you die

 THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: A Link To The Past

Our main aim was I am

to show the birth of a error...
hero in a scene fitting Zelda games would continue to appear on the
The story behind one of gaming’s most
of a Zelda [game] Game Boy platforms, including the excellent
Link’s Awakening, Oracle Of Ages And Oracle
infamous secrets…
Takashi Tezuka Of Seasons and The Minish Cap, there was Back in the early Nineties, we can’t imagine many
never another 2D Zelda game to get the big budget American kids turning down the chance to get their
treatment that A Link To The Past received. name featured in a NES game. With that in mind, a
But that’s not to say that A Link To The Past hasn’t contest ran in Nintendo Power during 1990, allowing
added treats rather than annoying extras.” A review in had a lasting influence, not by a long shot. Elements the winner to win just that prize. The eventual
Mean Machines scored the game 95% and declared from the game including the spin attack, the Hookshot winner was a chap named Chris Houlihan, whose
it “simply the greatest exploration/adventure game and the Master Sword have become series regulars, name was eventually incorporated into not a NES
available for a console,” while Super Play Gold’s 93% and that dual-world concept has been revisited very game, but a SNES game – The Legend Of Zelda: A
review noted that “you’re unlikely to want to switch the frequently – just look at young Link and adult Link Link To The Past.
game off”. The game sold a massive 4.61 million copies in Ocarina Of Time, or human Link and wolf Link in Of course, there was a catch. There’s every
on the SNES, and ultimately spawned both a successful Twilight Princess. The third Zelda game is as tightly chance that you might have missed that young
rerelease on the Game Boy Advance as well as a woven into the legacy of the series as any of the other Nintendo fan’s crowning moment of glory, as Chris
successor for the Nintendo 3DS, The Legend Of Zelda: major entries. Houlihan’s secret room only appears as an error
A Link Between Worlds. Ultimately, The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The handling measure – if the game can’t determine

D
Past is one of those extremely rare games that not Link’s next destination, he ends up in this Rupee-
espite the excellent quality of The Legend only achieved critical and commercial success at the filled room and exits to his own house. Plus, if you
Of Zelda: A Link To The Past, it would time of its release, but has stood the test of time and played the game in any language other than English,
ultimately prove to be the end of the line for continues to attract new fans today. How does the Chris Houlihan’s name is nowhere to be seen!
the Zelda series as players had known it, team feel about this sustained success? “We’re truly
as the series was about to undergo a radical change. thankful, and consider it a great privilege,” Tezuka says,
The next mainline sequel was The Legend Of Zelda: but he’s careful not to rest on his laurels. “At the same
The Ocarina Of Time, which transformed the series time, it also drives us to create new games that will
with open 3D spaces and more. While smaller 2D surpass this acclaim.”

» Soldiers take pig form in the Dark World, and you won’t see any » Climbing the mountain to Hera Tower is dangerous, thanks to a
other humans. constant rain of rocks.

Mothula Blind The Thief Kholdstare Vitreous Trinexx Ganon

■ Not only does Mothula move ■ This photosensitive thief ■ There’s a frosty atmosphere ■ The slime that this gaggle ■ Three heads are deadlier ■ The biggest of big bads,
erratically around the stage, it disguises himself as a maiden in this boss fight, and Link will of eyeballs lives in is both than one, as far as this boss is Ganon is the swine behind this
fights you in a room with moving before revealing his true slide around easily. Melt its icy disgusting and deadly to touch! concerned. Stun the red head whole evil scheme. To finish
floors. If you’re struggling to formidable form. There’s no shield with a fire attack (the Slice down each smaller eyeball with the Ice Rod and the blue him off, make sure the room is
get close enough for the sword clever strategy here – hit him Bombos Medallion works well), as it launches itself at you, head with the Fire Rod before brightly lit, hit him with the sword
to hit, blast it from afar with with the sword and avoid his before finishing it with the sword before taking out the biggest attacking, then finish Trinexx off to stun him and shoot him with a
the Fire Rod. floating heads and projectiles. or Fire Rod. one from afar with the bow. by hitting the glowing orb. silver arrow.

100 games to play before you die | 133

 The World
Here’s a look at the key locations
Link will visit as he becomes a
hero in the Light World…

Hera Tower
■ Atop the mountain, this fortress guards the final
pendant you’ll need to obtain the Master Sword.
You’ll need the Moon Pearl located here, too.

Lost Woods
■ This is where you’ll find the Master Sword, truly
awakening Link as a hero. But you’ll need three
pendants to claim it…

Hyrule Castle
■ This is where Princess Zelda is being held at the
beginning of the game, and where you’ll later fight
Agahnim. The boomerang can be found here, too.

Kakariko Village
■ Most of the residents of the town here are
terrified of Link, and some will summon guards to
attack him. You can grab a bug-catching net here.

Desert Palace
■ The power glove here is key to lifting heavy
rocks, which you’ll need to do to claim the
second pendant.

134 | 100 games to play before you die

 Zora’s Domain
■ Make sure to bring some cash with you here,
as you’ll be able to pick up some useful flippers
that allow Link to swim.

Eastern Palace
■ You can grab the all-important bow here, as
well as collecting your first pendant. You’ll have to
fight for it, though!

Sage’s Hideout
■ The man who’ll set Link on his path to heroism
is taking refuge from the forces of evil here, and is
holding onto the Pegasus Boots for you.

Lake Hylia Secret Cave

■ This remote cave holds a particularly useful
item, the Ice Rod – it’s worth the big detour to claim
Link’s House it as soon as possible.
■ This is where you’ll start your quest, and where
you’ll often resume it. You can pick up the lantern
here at the very start of the game, too.
100 games to play before you die | 135
 100
gaMES to play
before you die

sensible soccer

As one of the most fondly remembered Amiga titles,

Sensible Soccer made the beautiful game shine on home
computers with precise, flowing gameplay, iconic aesthetics
and a real sense of fun. The game’s creator, Jon Hare,
chats to Craig Grannell about his landmark title, and no one
even says, ‘It’s a funny old game’…

136 | 100 games to play before you die

 sensible soccer

While we were doing a lot of late night

sessions on Mega Lo Mania, we started thinking
about doing a football game. The very first
Sensible Soccer men were the Mega Lo Mania
guys dressed in football kits
was done, I’d mocked up a pitch, and we
had a perspective and look to go on. Chris
Chapman then knocked up some controls
» Sensi’s grand daddy, Tehkan World Cup: responsible for and we got going with it.”
both joy (it’s fun!) and pain (because of the notorious Jon admits that some aspects of Sensi
trackball control method).

S
were most certainly inspired by other
ensible Software’s infatuation games of the time, “There’s the overhead
with digital soccer can be view from Mega Lo Mania, and the pace
traced back a few years before of the game probably came from Kick Off,
its breakthrough Amiga title which is quite fast,” he reveals. However,
Sensible Soccer (‘Sensi’ hereafter) arrived. the key element of the game is how it
In the Eighties, Jon Hare and Chris Yates feels to play, and this is reliant on two
became addicted to trackball-operated components: the controls and the player
Tehkan World Cup (“A game that hurt if selection. “If you look at the controls of
you wore a ring on your hand,” according Sensi, they’re pretty bloody simple,” says
to Jon), which directly influenced C64 hit Jon, adding that it enables gamers to get
Microprose Soccer, lauded at the time as stuck in straight away. “You move a guy
» Sensible Software’s forerunner to Sensi, Microprose Soccer, would be just like the Amiga game – if the players doubled
“the best football game ever produced” around with the ball, and you can pass their weight and couldn’t be bothered to move.
by C&VG. it with a tap of the button, or hold the
Fast-forward a few years and the button down to kick it in the air. So there’s tries to interpret from the direction you’re
Sensible Software team was hard at work some innovation with the short or long running which player you want to run on
on Mega Lo Mania, squeezing in umpteen press, but your bloke basically kicks it in to the ball,” clarifies Jon. “This is the most
games of Kick Off 2 during coffee breaks. the direction he’s facing.” innovative and complicated part of Sensi,
“We were getting irritated with some bugs Where Sensi really comes into its own, and it’s the best bit, too.”

S
in the game, and there were problems Jon argues, is in the way the players are
with it we didn’t like, although that was selected, “That, for me, is the game’s trangely, it’s partly down IN THE KNOW
only because we’d played it a hell of a biggest innovation, and it’s the most to Sensi’s somewhat basic
lot,” begins Jon. “While doing a lot of late invisible part of the game.” According aesthetic that the controls
night sessions on Mega Lo Mania, we to Jon, the game always tries to key work so well. “The fact that our
started thinking about creating a football players up to be the next player on the animation is extremely simple means the
game. The very first Sensible Soccer men ball, and it reads from the direction you’re player’s imagination has to fill in the holes,
were the Mega Lo Mania guys dressed in pressing on the joystick which player but it enabled us to create very responsive
football kits. By the time Mega Lo Mania you’re drawing on. “In other words, it controls; everything runs on the frame,”
explains Jon. For him, many subsequent » Publisher: Renegade
titles that don’t do this are problematic,
» Developer: Sensible Software
“For example, FIFA went backwards
because it was too slow, not running on » Released: 1992

the frame.” Although some modern-day » formats: Amiga (later

converted to Atari ST, IBM PC,
critics suggest that Sensi suffers in terms
Master System, Mega Drive,
of realism because of its simple graphics SNES, and others)
(see Keeping It Real boxout, for more of » Genre: sports
Jon’s thoughts on this subject), Jon argues
that Sensi should be thought of in a more
iconic fashion.
“The players in Sensi are like the pieces
in Monopoly, they are icons, and they are
representative of a player. But Sensi does
have ‘realism’ in the areas where it matters
– in terms of data.” This is certainly true,
Sensi’s attention to detail is staggering
(and even more so for its immediate
sequels). “There are thousands of players,
all in then-accurate clubs,” says Jon. “All
the black guys are black, all the white guys
are white, all the blonde guys are blonde
and so on. That sounds basic, but no one
» Red card? The referee’s a w… (onderful person, who works hard, and has a tough time out there on the pitch – Ed). had coloured the players properly before.”

100 games to play before you die | 137

 Keeping Furthermore, Jon adds that the players all
play in the correct positions, bringing to
it real the game a kind of ‘fan’ level of detail.
Today, games developers are Sensi’s detail resulted in the game
hellbent on making games
‘realistic’, although that often identifying with what football fans wanted
amounts to ‘television realism’. in a game, but the title’s playability meant
“People miss the point entirely that even those less interested in the
with realism,” says Jon Hare. beautiful game were still roped in. Jon
“The thing to re-create is not
was clearly in the football-fan camp, and
what something looks like or
sounds like, but the feeling for him the game almost became the
– what’s going through your culmination of a lifetime’s interest in
mind at the time.” For Jon, this football. “When I was a young child, I had
highlights cultural differences, some plastic nets I’d got from somewhere,
“It’s a misnomer that realism
is about visuals. This is a very and I’d make football matches from any
American perspective – not toys that came to hand,” he says. “As a
what British software used to kid, I was also a big fan of Subbuteo, and
be about or what Japanese I’ve always been interested in international
software has ever been
things like flags, countries, places and
about.” He believes the best » Little did the goalie know: by holding on to the helium-filled ball, he’d soon be floating over Norway.
games involve the player in the things like that.” Others at Sensible

W
gameplay – in the experience Software shared Jon’s passion, and this
and the feeling. On Sensi, he is perhaps what sets Sensi apart from its hen Sensi was released, subsequent work on the series. “There
argues that, “If someone can’t contemporaries and most football games acclaim was universal. were certain areas of the code we wouldn’t
lose themselves in a football
game with quality graphics
created before or since. “Underlying the Amiga Power’s Stuart allow ourselves to ever touch, such as the
like Sensi, what that actually game is a huge football culture, and this Campbell almost ran out core control system” he says. “If I asked
tells you is their imagination is stems from an understanding of being a of superlatives, concluding Sensi was, Chris to change something, he’d say, ‘I
impaired. I can lose myself in a lifelong football fan,” says Jon. Usefully, “without the merest inkling of a suggestion don’t really know how we got to the point
game of chess, like it’s a battle, publisher Renegade was on the same of a shadow of a doubt, the best football where this works, and I don’t want to break
and it doesn’t even move.” He
also reckons that if you ask a wavelength, “Renegade was supportive, game ever”. Elsewhere, an Amiga Format it apart and re-engineer it,’ and so we’d
sportsman what’s in their mind didn’t pressure us too much, and gave ‘Gold’ and a CU ‘Screenstar’ were just two just leave it. Sometimes, the best part of
when playing, or how much us the creative freedom to make the of the many gongs awarded to the game. creative work can be like magic, and that’s
of their ‘reality’ is visual, they’d product,” says Jon. Because of this, the For Jon, the praise was welcome, but true of games. Something just works and
say virtually none. “It’s all about
team continued sculpting the game to expected, “It was amazing, but Sensible it’s perfect, but it’s not premeditated or
control and feel. If you speak
to Roger Federer about what perfection, until the last minute. “Every Soccer is the only game I’ve worked on planned – it just happens.”
it takes to win a tennis game, area of the game was tweaked – the that I knew was brilliant. It just had ‘it’.” Although the basic engine didn’t initially
I’m sure he’s not even aware of speed players ran, the circle in which Jon believes that the game had some change that much, the scope of the game
what anything’s looking like.” the ball sticks to their feet, the angle you ‘magic’, something that he and developer grew. New releases included up-to-date
assist them on to the ball, the length and Chris Chapman strove not to lose during teams and statistics, and when Sensible
outcome of tackles, yellow and red cards,
goalkeepers – and observed interacting
with all of the other elements,” explains
DEVELOPER Jon. “It’s a very overused phrase, but
HIGHLIGHTS this was a very iterative process. Making
a good game is about going through
Wizball controls again and again.” Back in the
Systems: C64 (converted to early-Nineties, Jon notes that there were
Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari no milestones, meaning it was possible to
ST, IBM PC, ZX Spectrum) focus entirely on what was needed for the
Year: 1987 game. “It’s a much better way of working,”
Wizkid (pictured) says Jon. “And the end result goes to
Systems: Atari ST, Amiga show that when you allow a good, creative
Year: 1992 team freedom to work, without having to
Cannon worry about stuff, really good work can
Fodder be produced. When you constantly have
Systems: Amiga to check ‘can we do this?’… well, it’s hard
(converted to 3DO, Atari to communicate just how much making
ST, CD32, Game Boy Color, people constantly check themselves
» In the era ‘BAL’ (Before Annoying Lawyers), football games could use real
IBM PC, Jaguar, Mega Drive, destroys [their] creativity.” names for free, without the fear of being beaten to death by a lawsuit.
SNES, and others)
Year: 1993
Sometimes, the best part of creative work can be
like magic, and that’s true of games. Something just
works and it’s just perfect, but it’s not premeditated
or planned – it just happens

138 | 100 games to play before you die

 sensible soccer

» Tarquin waited patiently for the corner kick, unaware that a huge number 3 was hovering menacingly above his head. » The amazed crowd looked on as two giant footballers stared each other down. Clearly, this would be a match to remember.

World Of Soccer arrived, it brought with it explains. “The fact we bothered to include interview, Jon expressed hope for the
management, player trading and more. “I 80-odd international leagues brought us Xbox Live Arcade version of the game,
still maintain that SWOS is the best player- an immense amount of loyalty.” “The last time I saw it, it looked very good.
manager game on the market,” says More recent Sensi efforts have fared I’m excited about what this version could
Jon. “I think we wanted to add a ‘world’ of less well, however. “The problem with 3D do, because it’s more traditional Sensi”

S
football to the original Sensi, as well, but versions of Sensi, such as Sensible Soccer
we just didn’t have time. But for SWOS, ‘98, is that it’s a very, very fast game, and o, what is it about Sensi that
we included every league we could find – the animation can’t keep up in 3D,” says keeps people playing it, and has
24,000 players, 1,500 teams. We had two Jon. “As for the recent Codemasters fans clamouring for authentic
full-time guys just researching data for us!” version… well, if there’s a problem with remakes over a decade after » “No pressure!” yelled the manager, as Gerald
prepared to take the penalty, trying to ignore the giant
Jon reckons SWOS remains the most it, it’s that it wasn’t finished properly the release of the Amiga original? “It scoreboard showing his team’s slender lead.
‘global’ game that he’s ever played, “I before it came out. It’s not a bad game, stands up on a lot of fronts,” considers
can’t think of anything else that so
comprehensively acknowledges the
but Sensible Soccer is almost perfect
for what it does, and the only way you
Jon, who is now working on a brand new
football game called Sociable Soccer. A Sensible
rest of the world’s existence.” And for get that is by putting the game through “First, it’s still the only place some people accolade
Jon, this is perhaps the main thing that the mill at the end, and I don’t think we will see their country mentioned in any In March 2007, Henry Lowood,
he is most proud of, “Sensi has become pushed it as far as we could.” Still, even game – certainly as an acknowledged curator of the History of
Science and Technology
an international game, similar to the such disappointments haven’t diminished part of the world, with living, breathing Collections at Stanford
Subbuteo I played as a child,” he proudly the appeal of the original, and during the football teams and life there, equal to us University, with academic
and every other country. Second, the researcher Matteo Bittanti,
gameplay holds up: it’s still fun – maybe a games journalist Christopher
bit basic… it certainly looks basic – but it Grant and game designers
Steve Meretzky and Warren
invites people in to pick it up quickly and Spector, formulated the ‘ten
get involved. Third, it was very successful: most important videogames
it was number one in the charts for a long of all time’, presenting the
time, and every year that it came back, it list at the Game Developers
Conference. Sensible World Of
topped the charts.” Jon also reckons the
Soccer made the list, alongside
game stands for certain values, “Not just such gaming giants as Tetris,
in gaming, I think it goes beyond gaming. Warcraft, Doom and Civilization.
I think Sensi stands for a certain era in “That is the biggest accolade
entertainment when things weren’t quite I think any of our games has
ever received, and it’s also
so in-your-face, market-led and stuffed the biggest accolade I’ve ever
down your throat until you couldn’t avoid had professionally,” says Jon.
them.” For Jon, and many others, Sensi “I mean, this is about the ten
is therefore something of a ‘game for the most important games of all
time. Also, Sensi’s from the
people’. “This all underlines why people
only European developer on the
still want the game,” says Jon. “So many list – aside, perhaps, from Tetris,
people have told me they nearly blew their which is Russian – and it’s
degree playing Sensi, or that they spent the only sports title and the
their whole teenage life playing the game. most modern game there.”
Certainly, it makes the CU
» Brian the goalie’s team-mates wondered if his heart was still in it. They felt like Sensi belonged to them, and ‘Screenstar’ seem
This was the tenth match in a row that he’d spent lying face down in the mud. that it was a part of them,” he concludes. somewhat insignificant.

100 games to play before you die | 139

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

T H E U LT I M AT E G U I D E T O

As id’s iconic FPS trailblazer

approaches its 25th anniversary, Retro
Gamer gets its ass to Mars to get
knee deep in the dead all over again
and revisit the birthplace of one of the
most popular genres in gaming

140 | 100 games to play before you die

 DOOM

Shoot First, Ask

Questions Later
We discuss the origins, evolution and impact of
Doom with designer John Romero
How much did Doom change from
initial plan to final product? Were
there any notable features that you
were unable to implement?
Doom changed a lot during development
because we were creating a new technology
with new gameplay. We had an initial idea

W
of what we wanted to make, but had no idea
hile it’d be disingenuous to say what it would look like. Development was a
that Doom was one of the earliest process of new things happening every day.
pathfinders in the field of first-person The feature we didn’t implement was having
perspective gaming, pretending that one large seamless world that streamed
it wasn’t largely responsible for popularising the in. That was a bit too much for DOS back in
model and guiding it into the mainstream would those days.
be just as misleading, if not more so. As is well ports of the game? Were there
documented, the origins of first-person gaming can What kinds of technical challenges any in particular that impressed or
be traced way back to the early Seventies, with Maze did you face with the hardware of disappointed you?
War and Spasim two commonly cited early examples the time? We did the entire Atari Jaguar port
before cockpit view arcade release like Battlezone The technical challenges were visualising ourselves. We consulted with Sega on the
stepped up the immersion another few levels. a world no one had seen before with 32X port. We were surprised when the
Fast forward to the early Nineties and id was already light levels, heights and a fully textured SNES port showed up in the mail – we
hard at work on the tech that would one day lead to environment all at high speed. Additionally, didn’t think the SNES could do that, but then
its hellishly influential shooter. 1991 saw id release the environment was a challenge because Sculptured Software did it on their own.
Catacomb 3D, the true progenitor of the FPS genre. no game looked like Doom. There were no Very impressive!
It had 3D mazes to explore, enemies to blast from examples available, so we had to invent the
the character’s viewpoint, and you could even see abstract level design style to create exciting What was your reaction to seeing
‘your own’ hands while attacking with the various places for the player to inhabit. Doing all of so many subsequent FPS releases
spells available. id was onto something special, and this at high speed required 80x86 assembly described as ‘Doom clones’?
the following year made the logical leap to refine the language as well as more memory (over I was really happy to see other shooters
format further and throw firearms into the mix with 640k) which required a DOS Extender, a back then as there were just Wolfenstein
Wolfenstein 3D – the most important stepping stone new technology at the time. clones, and I wanted better games. Some
on its way to eventually defining the genre forever with of my favourite Doom clones were Heretic,
Doom. Wolfenstein built on the same ray tracing tech What is your fondest (or indeed Hexen, Dark Forces, Blood, Duke Nukem,
used in Catacomb (whereby the game would only least fond) memory of working on and Outlaws.
render what the player can see rather than everything the game?
around them in 3D space, thus greatly improving Creating levels; coming up with new ideas How important do you feel the
performance) and featured more advanced level design for things I wanted in my levels, then coding shareware release model was to the
and enemy encounters, with the game shocking many those into the engine, then putting them success of the game?
due the violent acts seen to be committed directly in the editor for me and Sandy [Petersen] The shareware model was incredibly
by the player from their own viewpoint. But those to use; playing Sandy’s levels for the first important for spreading Doom everywhere.
precious souls hadn’t seen anything yet. time and experiencing what others would We even encouraged retail sellers to put the
at launch; getting deathmatch working and game on disks and sell them in computer
seeing what a world-changer it would be. stores, which they did. Back then, you could
go into a store and see about ten different
At what point in the project did boxes with shareware Doom inside.
allowing modding and customisation
via WADs become a factor? Were you Finally, what do you think the
surprised by the immense popularity modern FPS scene would look like
of this functionality? had it not been for the huge influence
Allowing modding was designed into of Doom on the games that followed?
the game on day one. We knew it would They would most likely have started out
be popular because people did very slowly with 3D tech that taxed your CPU,
difficult things to mod our previous game, like Ultima Underworld. The first wave
Wolfenstein 3D. So, we made it easy for of tech would have been improvements
them to mod Doom. on Wolfenstein 3D, adding slopes and
lighting. At some point, someone would
How heavily involved were you use Descent’s engine and have your player
» Each weapon, except the pistol, is great fun to use – delivering a and the team with the various running around shooting. Just a prediction.
rocket into a hellspawn’s face is particularly satisfying.

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 100
gaMES to play
before you die

The lessons learned from Wolfenstein and those

other earlier project continued to pay off as id worked
on a new engine that could offer changes in vertical
height in levels, full texture mapping to surfaces,
dynamic moving objects, variable lighting and much
more besides. After much toing and froing over the
direction the game should take, John Carmack’s
vision of a simple action game (rather than the more
elaborate and even more ambitious ideas set out by
others) won out and the game soon blasted onto the
scene with a title punchy enough to make everyone sit
up and take notice, and the technical chops to back up
its swagger. Doom was born.

T
hose technical engine changes made
Doom instantly feel like a generational
leap over the likes of Wolfenstein and
other early first-person titles – this was a
fully immersive game world painted in glorious
gunmetal and striking Martian reds from corner
to corner, from ceiling to floor. A shredding metal
soundtrack, worlds away from the innocuous MIDI
bleeps and bloops of Wolfenstein, hammered home
the intensity of the game, of racing around destroying
demons with heavy weaponry against grotesque and
glorious backdrops that could easily pass for heavy
metal album sleeves. Not only that, but the world itself
felt more alive and more real than anything similar that
had come before, with changes in escalation, denser
enemy populations (and interactions between them)
and even changes in lighting from area to area.
The impact of that last feature can’t be overstated,
as Doom’s use of lighting to build atmosphere and
tension in key areas was groundbreaking. Flickering
neons in dark corners create a sense of foreboding and
» The summary at the end of
each level shows how well you’ve dread never before seen in a videogame, and flipping
explored the area.

demon
Lost Soul

imp Former
Human

The Marine

Cacodemon

Cyberdemon

142 | 100 games to play before you die

 DOOM

Rip And Tear

Essential armaments for dealing with unwanted demonic plagues
▼ Pistol
■ This basic gun might not pack much of a punch
against tougher demons, but falling back on your
sidearm to dispatch grunts helps save more valuable
ammo for when you need it most.
» It takes some serious guts – or a lack of ammunition – to make
you want to punch an enemy in the face in Doom.

a switch only to be plunged into darkness then slowly

turning around as you realise you’re probably not alone
in the room speaks volumes of Doom’s pioneering
work in the field of interactive horror. The team’s Alien
▲ Fists
■ Firearms are typically the preferred tool for
influence might as well burst right out of the games
engaging demons. Should your ammo reserves fail
chest during intense moments such as these.
you, you could always try smacking them around a
Fortunately, id wasn’t shy in letting players loose
bit. But yeah, good luck with that...
with the toys they’d need to fight back against the
creatures that lurk in the dark. Doom’s sci-fi setting
gave it creative license to expand on Wolfenstein’s ▼ Chainsaw
arsenal, with futuristic weapons like the room-clearing ■ Why are there chainsaws on a planet with no
BFG9000 at the one end of both the tech spectrum trees and where all the structures are built of metal
and weapon bar, and the visceral flesh-tearing and stone? Eh, who cares – rev that bad boy up and
chainsaw representing the game’s brutal and primal get barbaric!
horror roots at the opposite end. Aside from the
starting pistol (which is soon obsoleted by the
Chaingun anyway, as it uses the same ammo), every
weapon is satisfying to use in its own way. Even the
punch attack gets a chance to shine when you grab a
Berserk power-up, holstering your firearm as red mist ▲ Shotgun
clouds your vision and superpowering your left hook to ■ Yeah! Now we’re talking. Arguably Doom’s most

let you drop Hell’s finest in just a couple of blows. iconic weapon and one that doesn’t stop feeling
powerful until the armies of Hell start to roll out their
toughest champions.

▼ Rocket Launcher
■ Why waste time shooting at something when
you can just blow it up outright? When you want to
leave no evidence (except for quite a lot of blood),
explosives are where it’s at.

▲ Chaingun
Spider ■ Put all of that spare pistol ammo to much better
Mastermind use with this bullet hose of an alternative. Trust us,
it’s a lot more effective than that little pea shooter
you start off with.

▼ BFG9000
■ Step 1: aim at room full of demons. Step 2: pull
trigger. Step 3: wait. Step 4: cackle maniacally as
everything around you evaporates. Step 5: repeat as
necessary.

Former
Human
Sergeant
▲ Plasma Cannon
Baron ■ Melt your foes with streams of raw energy with this
Of Hell magic future gun that’s probably powered by science
in some way. We don’t really care how it works. We’re
just glad it does.

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 100
gaMES to play
before you die

Conversion Capers Where hell invades most home systems

▼ Sega 32X
■ Between a soundtrack seemingly sampled from
Labyrinth’s Bog Of Eternal Stench and the fact that it only
features (most of) the first two episodes, this isn’t the most
faithful of ports, although it performs adequately.

▲ MS-DOS ▲ Atari Jaguar

■ The original version of any game is hard to top. In the case ■ Despite being one of the few console ports at the time to
of Doom – where there are decades’ worth of custom mods offer a full-screen display, sacrifices had to be made to pull
and levels in the wild to add almost unlimited replay value – this feat off – this version lacks the killer soundtrack, only
it’s not just hard. It’s straight-up impossible. featuring limited menu and intermission music.

▼ PlayStation
■ Rather than a straight port, PlayStation got an odd
mixtape of most of the original levels and a bunch of others,
including most of Doom II. It was well received and runs just
fine, even adding a little of its own visual pizazz in places.

▲ SNES ▲ 3DO
■ It’s a minor miracle (read: clever SuperFX trickery) that ■ With performance that struggles even when windowed,
Nintendo’s 16-bit machine can even run Doom at all. Visual the most dangerous enemies sadly absent, and a bizarre
fidelity, framerate and sprite work take a hit, but it still slowed-down rerecording of the great soundtrack, this is
manages to arrive almost feature and content complete... considered one of Doom’s weakest ports with good reason.

▼ RISC OS/Acorn Archimedes

■ It arrived some five years after the game launched, but
this version is one of only a few that can run smoother and
at a higher resolution than the original. Well, on the right
hardware, at least...

▲ Sega Saturn ▲ Game Boy Advance

■ Although based on the PlayStation ■ Doom making its handheld debut was a big deal at the
version’s content-rich offering, this port time. It’s based on the Jaguar version but heavily censored,
falls down in the same area as many others because Nintendo. Looks great on that little screen, though,
– performance. Framerate, lighting and and runs pretty well all things considered, too.
animation are noticeably inferior you’d do
well to pick up the Sony version instead.
▼ Xbox 360
■ The XBLA release of Doom is, like its predecessor, a
fantastic port, this time made even better by the addition of
online multiplayer. It’s also now backwardly compatible on
Xbox One, should you want to rip and tear today.

▲ iOS
■ If you’ve ever wanted to play Doom with touch controls,
you’re a buffoon. The hardware’s up to the task but the floaty
controls just feel all wrong. Not that it matters anyway – it’s
never likely to be updated to be compatible with iOS11 now.

144 | 100 games to play before you die

 DOOM

▼ PC-9801
■ The differences between western and eastern PC
hardware weren’t kind to Doom. Sound is weak, although it
But of course, as your own arsenal grows more
also struggles more in the performance department than
powerful, so do the minions of the darkness. Doom
the PC versions we got over here.
manages to do an awful lot with a relatively limited
pool of enemies, each level ramping up the pace and
escalating challenge as you edge closer to the exit.
It has to do this by design, since death at any point
flings you back to the start of the map and strips you » Despite being set on Mars, there’s a certain element of Gothic
of all your weapons and ammo. You’re back to square design in Doom’s visual style.
one and suddenly, those early rooms packed with
zombies and Imps that you melted with hot laser Id’s second masterstroke was to identify the
death first time around don’t seem quite so easy. Later popularity of modding around Wolfenstein and to
levels mitigate this a little by placing a decent weapon build Doom with this in mind. With more widespread
upgrade near the start, but it’s usually something a availability and awareness (and again, greater ease of
rung or two below what you could have had at that sharing as the internet rose in prominence) came even
point if you’d managed to stay in one piece – a cruel more love for this aspect of the game, with thousands
but crucial risk/reward mechanic there to make sure of maps, mods, conversions and much more besides
▼ Xbox you respect every encounter and never let yourself get flooding online message boards and FTP sites, and
■ Only available as part of the Doom III special edition, this too swept up in the frenzied pace of the action. otherwise exchanged between avid Doom fans. This

D
port is exactly what you’d expect from newer hardware – a embracing of user-generated content also had the
near-perfect copy of the PC original, albeit lacking the oom’s masterful game design wasn’t knock-on effect of kickstarting the speedrunning scene
potential for user-made maps and mods. the only factor behinds its wild success, as we know it, with skilled players using in-game
though – id had a few more tricks up its command line tools to record and compare demos of
sleeve, both built on similar ground to their fastest runs. This functionality was pretty heavily
techniques employed in taking Wolfenstein 3D buried in Doom but evolved in subsequent id games
to market. The shareware release of the game was and culminated with Quake, released even further into
the most widely influential of the two, giving away the the internet boom and spawning dedicated speedrun
game’s entire first episode, Knee Deep In The Dead, sites that are still running to this day.
and encouraging fans to share it with friends and Doom didn’t just cement the framework of the solo
colleagues and buy unlock keys to upgrade to the full first-person shooter – it established the entire package,
game if they liked what they saw. This led to Doom with its entertaining deathmatch multiplayer mode
going viral years before going viral was even a thing, quickly becoming a LAN hit and later evolving into one
with the hot new game finding its way onto machines of the first examples of the genre where online play
in IT labs, universities and offices around the world. was possible. Truly one of the most important and
▼ PlayStation 3 This model had worked pretty well for Wolfenstein, influential games of all time, Doom is the keystone
■ Available either as part of Doom 3 BFG Edition or via the but Doom took it to the next level, the game such a that supports the weight of the entire FPS genre as
Doom Classic Complete bundle on PSN, these versions are, step forward that everyone wanted a piece of it, and it we know it, and an alternate timeline where it never
predictably, extremely faithful to the original. Amazing what was perfectly timed to catch the rise of home internet happened – or where it did but in some completely
2006 hardware can do with a 1993 game... availability while still able to be shared, traded and even different form where perhaps you could talk to the
copied as before. For once, copying that floppy was onsters – would make for fascinating viewing. It’s
something we were actively encouraged to do. impossible to know how different things would be
without the influence of this nigh-timeless classic,
but we don’t really need to know. All we need to
know is that it did happen, that it was (and still) truly
magnificent, and that it’s still happening – following a
2016 reboot that couldn’t have been more in keeping
with the original’s tone and breakneck pace and an
upcoming follow-up in Doom Eternal, it’s wonderful
to see the Doom legacy still at 200 per cent health a
quarter of a century down the line.

100 games to play before you die | 145

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

» This opening sequence was one of the first shots Westwood filmed. The only reason it’s in
silhouette was because the developer was still learning to use chroma key techniques.

Command &
Conquer 101
■ Build a base, gather
» C&C ’s cutscenes certainly hold up well. Westwood’s drive for
resources, recruit an better storytelling helped it make fantastic CG video.
army and destroy the
enemy - that’s C&C in a

We were just too

nutshell. The emphasis is
on building the right units
to counteract the threats
that you might come up aspirational to take
against, controlling them
with a cursor to issue
Dune II and just iterate on
commands. Base building it, we wanted to be much
bigger and much bolder
focuses on a tiered
system to unlock more
powerful units.
Louis Castle

146 | 100 games to play before you die

Command
& Conquer
Westwood Studios was the birthplace of the modern RTS, but it
wasn’t until Command & Conquer that it popularised the genre.
As the seminal game turns 20, Adam Barnes discovers how the
franchise was born...

T
hese days it’s impossible to really think of founders of Westwood Studios. “I think it was even
Westwood Studios as anything other than called Swords And Sorcery, and it was going to be a
‘that RTS developer’. While its former real-time strategy game.” Louis tells us of its origins
days were certainly spent expanding on with a notable indifference, but then of course these
the franchise it became known for, there were days the genre term is a lot more familiar; back then
a number of years, games and genres the PC the acronym ‘real-time strategy’ hadn’t even been
developer tackled long before it found its niche. coined, let alone entered the mainstream
There’s no ignoring the significance Command & consciousness. “We had done a few strategy
Conquer has had, however, if not for the company games for SSI,” states Louis, “and we had done
itself then for the entire games industry as a this Eye Of The Beholder series which was a role-
whole. It really is a big deal. playing game series that was real-time as well.
» Kane’s appearance in the
The game essentially created a genre and went So we had taken these very complicated rules of Brotherhood of Nod missions
on to defend its reign against a multitude of a Dungeons & Dragons game and distilled them was expertly handled, but it
was his charisma and acting
competitors from the likes of Warcraft and Total down into a real-time role-playing game.” Louis that turned actor Joe Kucan
Annihilation, to Age Of Empires and Stronghold. adds that Westwood was “all about real-time at into the future mainstay of
But the story of Command & Conquer began the time” and so it would aim to combine its past Command & Conquer.
many years earlier, with Westwood Studios cutting experience, allowing for the work on its own
its teeth on work with SSI. IP – the fantasy-themed RTS named Swords And
“Command & Conquer started with us working Sorcery – to begin in earnestness.
on a game that was going to be a swords and The early start on its prototype would be deflected,
sorcery game,” says Louis Castle, one of the co- however, as the company came to work with Virgin

100 games to play before you die | 147

 on The Legends Of Kyrandia. With that
concept already in place the small team
at Westwood Studios would go on to
arrange another deal with Virgin to work
on a licensed game for the movie Dune,
pitching its original Swords And Sorcery
idea as potential gameplay for this new
title. Westwood utilised the prototyped
ideas of its fantasy RTS to create in what
would be the first example of the genre
as we now know it, a well-loved game
called Dune II that was published by
Virgin in 1992. For all the accolades and » The missions didn’t just ask you to destroy every enemy unit, some had to kill certain
units, capture particular buildings or destroy specific structures.
sales it earned, however, Dune II was
limited in its success; it was a strategy
game, after all, and based on a cult We got a call from the US military and
movie. Despite the game’s novelty there
would be no way of really leveraging its they were like ‘Who are you talking to?’ and
appeal for what – at the time – was a
declining interest in strategy games. we said, ‘We’re just making shit up’

I
Louis Castle
t was then, after the release of
this movie-based game, that & Conquer in November 1994. With I think that having known the Blizzard
Westwood would go on to really Dune II ’s RTS innovations already guys since then I think that – though
expand on those initial early ideas. setting developers alight with ideas, it was certainly not their intention – at
“As soon as we finished Dune II we it was inevitable that there would be some point there was more than just a
started working on the original idea those looking to quickly capitalise on it. little bit of copying going on. So we felt that the war would be with “a terrorist
again and we went back to [the] swords Louis recalls the team’s disappointment pretty awful about that.” organisation that doesn’t have any
and sorcery setting,” says Louis. “We with the announcement of Warcraft: Despite the disappointment, the state or boundaries and probably led by
had started the concept before Dune “We were like, ‘Oh man! Somebody announcement of Warcraft was still some maniacal figure who was bent on
but then we were steeped in fantasy, just took Dune II and reskinned it as a something of a stroke of luck; the team destroying the world.” Thus Brotherhood
and it was really the franchise of Dune fantasy game! We were going to do at Westwood had already decided to Of Nod was born, and the Middle East
that pushed us into doing the sort of that!’ And in some ways I think we shift focus with Swords And Sorcery, would be the tension zone.

T
military sci-fi. So we went right back to were just too aspirational to take the instead changing the work-in-progress
fantasy again and built out a prototype same game and just iterate on it at that game into a military-inspired sci-fi RTS. his change in design required a
and a full storyline. It was called Swords time, we wanted to be much bigger and “We were talking about it conceptually vast amount of new research,
And Sorcery and it had goblins as the much bolder.” There was more trouble about what was making Dune II and however. The mechanical
dark forces on one side and the men on afoot, though; this wasn’t just a case some of the other products that we had prototype was already there,
the other side – which might be starting of a developer looking to profit from so successful,” recalls Louis, “and we but to create a compelling, in-depth
to sound very familiar but from another the success of another. “It’s not that it said, ‘You know fantasy’s a strong genre,’ story would require so much more
company.” Louis’ tongue-in-cheek was just a direct lift of an existing game but it also wasn’t exactly on the uptick at information. “I think that’s part of
reference, of course, is to Blizzard’s that was reskinned,” explains Louis, the time. We felt that if we were going why C&C had its charm, really, it was
Warcraft series, the first of which “but also there was some shady stuff to make something that was massive not meant to be a fantasy exactly, it
– Orcs & Humans – would release going on with an employee that had left then it had to be something that anybody was meant to be sci-fi with a heavy
almost a full year before Command our company and gone to Blizzard and and everybody could relate to.” This led emphasis on the science, you know.”
to the military setting we now know, Louis adds that, “All the units, all the
with producer and fellow Westwood buildings, everything that we went into
co-founder Brett Sperry, writer Eydie were inspired by things that we were
Laramore and programmer Joe Bostic reading about, Soldier Of Fortune or
collating their ideas – deciding that the magazines that were talking about it –
future of warfare would look vastly there was no internet to speak of back
different than what was expected at the then, so you couldn’t really research
time. “This was pre-9/11,” says Louis, things online like that. You had to go
“and there was tension in the world through magazines and archives and
» The beauty of C&C was that everyone had their » As devastating as the flamethrower units of Nod are, about what wars would look like and such. So we were trying to figure out
preferred style: did you focus on infantry or turrets first? they are such a chore to use around your own infantry. what was happening.” The team decided what the military was up to and what

C&C Weapon Factory The many sequels and expansions of

Command & Conquer. Which have you played?

Command & Command & Command & Command & Command & Command & Command & Command &
Conquer Conquer: Conquer: Conquer: Conquer: Conquer: Conquer: Conquer:
Playforms: Covert Red Alert Tiberian Sun Red Alert 2 Yuri’s Revenge Renegade Generals
Various Operations Playforms: Playforms: PC Playforms: Playforms: PC Playforms: Playforms: PC
Year: 1995 Playforms: PC, PlayStation Year: 1999 PC Year: 2001 PC Year: 2003
Various Year: 1996 Year: 1996 Year: 2000 Year: 2002

148 | 100 games to play before you die

 COMMAND & CONQUER

Innovation Time How C&C changed a genre

Context- buttons to shift your view to against your enemy.
sensitive clicks your base, your next Toggleable
sidebar
1 The biggest
improvement C&C had
unit or the currently
selected unit as well as
8 For the longest time
IN THE
over Dune II was its context-
specific mouse control,
custom map bookmarks.
These days this is integral
RPGs and strategy
games had their menus KNOW
which meant you wouldn’t to quick and skillful RTS permanently up on the » Publisher:
need to click an order players, with the ability to screen, available to select Electronic Arts
button in the menu keybind any structure or from at a moment’s notice. » Developer:
to issue commands to a unit with a shortcut. Westwood streamlined the Westwood Studios
unit. It was dependant on build menu but – better still » Released: 1995
elements like cursor target Super-powerful – made it toggleable, giving » Platform: DOS
and unit selected. units you additional screen space » Platform:

Different
playable sides
5 The commando
unit was purposely
powerful, and often
to focus on your assault.

Installation
Real-time strategy

screen
2 It was novel for there
to be distinct sides to
play as, especially with
only given in single unit
quantities. It made them
far more valuable than the 9 There was a time –
when Windows became
units that differed from one rest of your forces, and dominant over DOS – where
another. GDI’s units were was a precursor to hero installation screens were » The opening mission for GDI
often slower and stronger, characters and unique made to be a little more is thrilling – even now – with
while Nod favoured speedy stage-specific units that jazzy and in keeping with clever scripting on Westwood’s
part to make it feel like the
was going to be the next thing. And so skirmishes with cheaper – we’d later see in a number the game being installed; Normandy landing.
that’s what, I think, made it fun.” but weaker – units. of RTS games. Command & Conquer
As the team learnt more about new did this first, theming its
military tech, a clearer vision for the Guerrilla Kill command installation screen around
missions
game began to form. “It was mostly
magazines and periodicals,” says Louis
of the team’s research, “and from a 3 Despite heavily
employing the idea of
6 In addition to the
context-driven clicks,
Command & Conquer also
a military computer and
even having it voiced by the
in-game AI assistant ‘E.V.A.’ » Of the early RTS games,
technology point of view we looked constructing a base and added the ability to hold – the one who repeats “unit C&C was best suited to
at the white papers. We were in the building an unstoppable the Ctrl key to force a unit lost” over and over again. micromanagement gameplay
– or directing specific units or
libraries and subscribing to all these force, Command & Conquer to attack. In this way you groups of units to better counter
publications just so that we would get also introduced guerrilla could create kill zones with Selected unit enemy forces.
a sense of what the people who were missions. These levels gave artillery, destroy walls health
really into military kit were thinking was
going to be coming. So we assumed
that anything that was talked about as
you a specific set of units
to use to survive the level,
often in a bid to teach you a
and fences and even attack
your own units. 10 Dragging to select
units featured in
Warcraft, but it required
possibly coming was already here, and Group a button press. C&C used
that was basically what inspired the shortcuts a permanent drag-to- » --------------------------

7
------------------------------------
units – so the Orca was the VTOL aircraft Issuing group shortcuts select option, and, since
that was very sketchily talked about and is a key aspect of RTS controlling large groups
was maybe plausible and Aaron just ran games these days, but was so important, the ability
with it. The whole idea of the Mobile C&C introduced the ability to see all units’ health was
Command Centre, that was actually new unit or means of attack. to save groups of units so included by Westwood.
novel – I don’t mean novel in games, but Centreing that they could be quickly
out in the world.” It was important for viewpoints accessed and ordered
Westwood to create a military universe
that was believable, so grounded in
reality that it felt like something a real
4 Though Warcraft was
heavy on the keyboard
shortcuts these were for
about at any time. This was
necessary to micromanage
the movement and attacks
military force might actually use. “In fact spells and construction. of certain units to better
we even got a call from the US military,” C&C smartly enabled counter (or defend)
laughs Louis. “They were like, ‘Who
» [PC] The pre-mission map was a
neat little touch, adding to the sense
of your chosen faction’s progress
against the opposition.

Command & Command & Command & Command & Command & Command & Command &
Conquer: Conquer 3: Conquer 3: Kane’s Conquer: Conquer: Conquer 4: Conquer: Tiberium
Generals – Zero Tiberium Wars Wrath Red Alert 3 Red Alert 3 – Tiberian Twilight Alliances
Hour Playforms: PC, Playforms: Playforms: Uprising Playforms: Playforms:
Playforms: PC Xbox 360, Mac OS PC, Xbox 360 Various Year: 2008 Playforms: PC Web browser
Year: 2003 Year: 2007 Year: 2008 Various Year: 2009 Year: 2010 Year: 2012

100 games to play before you die | 149

 Take Command Essential Command & Conquer tactics

developer
HighliGhts
Eye Of The Tank Rush Go commando From afar Sneak in Kiting
Beholder ■ It has since become ■ These units are the most ■ Using some long-range ■ A sort of spin on the tank ■ These days it’d be tricky to
System: DOS synonymous with RTS powerful in the game by far, artillery is a great tactic rush, the Brotherhood Of successfully kite an enemy’s
Year: 1991 games yet while the idea of and though they can’t endure since it’ll let you ruin certain Nod has the Stealth Tank unit force into an ambush or turret
Legend Of the tank rush wasn’t core to excessive amounts of attacks structures or units before that could sneak into a base traps you’ve set up, but it’s
Kyrandia (Pictured) the gameplay – you’d need – or, indeed, Nod’s infamous the enemy even knows undetected. They are weaker still a viable strategy in C&C –
System: DOS a mixture of tank types, flamethrower units – a single what’s hit them. These units than GDI’s equivalents, but especially against the AI. Get
Year: 1992 for example – the strategy commando could still wreak will obviously need to be the Brotherhood’s units give their attention and in many
The Lion King hasn’t really changed to this havoc among an enemy base protected, however, since a great recon advantage that cases – when the AI feels it
System: Mega Drive day: build a lot of armoured before he was finally put it won’t take much to find means you can more easily can survive – it’ll simply follow
Year: 1994 vehicles, then roll them all into down. The unit would return in your heavy firepower and pick holes in their defenses you to your reinforments and
an enemy base. future instalments. decimate it. and exploit them. ultimately its death.

are you talking to?’ and we said, C&C would be a “great strategy game”.
‘We’re just making shit up.’ We said they Elements like the new units and menus,
were more than welcome to come and the cutscenes and even the context-
visit the studios, and they sent a person sensitive cursor control all improved
out to come and look at everything and, on the concepts set up by Dune II.
» It was possible to come up for a brief period of time, we were doing “We got the context-sensitive mouse
with your own strategies when
tackling the tougher missions, concept work for them. We did a few working,” says Louis, adding that it
which felt more rewarding when drawings for new weapon systems that was inspired through Westwood’s own
they succeeded.
they were thinking of using – but it was game Kyrandia. “There we wanted to
just too much aggravation for the money make a point-and-click adventure game
that they would pay. It was pretty funny: and context-sensitive just made it much
we imagined what the future would be, easier to play.”
we visualised it and the US military came But those in-game cutscenes really
to us and said, ‘Hey can you help us with helped make the game standout. While
» -------------------------- some presentations?’” other developers were beginning to play many of those people were Westwood » The build queue
------------------------------------ was adapted on

A
around with storyline elements through Studio employees: “We had Erin consoles to allow
s integral to the experience introductory scenes, Westwood really running in front of a white sheet and scrolling through
as the story was, it was pushed the boat out by utilising both used chroma keying to create the scene the list of items
and was perhaps
important to get that CG and live-action videos to bookend with soldiers running along the deck of a the only way it
gameplay just right, after each of the game’s missions. “We had ship at sunset. The guy who was doing improved over the
DOS equivalent.
all the idea of an RTS was still very Erin Powell who really wanted to be a exercises at the beginning of C&C was
» Missions were smartly new and Westwood knew there were moviemaker – and he ended up going another one of our artists, the ones who
designed to introduce new units
or structures, advertising and improvements that needed to be on to make movies – and he was really are on the skateboards and the streets
utilising their abilities in certain made. The developer looked to Dune II into 3DS Max and then we had a couple – well, we literally went out onto the
ways to teach you how to play.
for inspiration of what needed to be of guys like Rick Parks and some others freeway outside of Las Vegas and filmed
changed, and what should remain the who were really into Lightwave and a skateboarding scene for an energy
same. “We wanted a catalyst for this so there was a bit of rivalry between drink without getting any permits or
World War that we wanted to create, the two. They would go back and forth anything – and it was like, ‘This is totally
and so that’s how tiberium was born; trying to outdo each other making these ghetto.’ We had a great time.”
you know, it’s a space-born element amazing 3D sequences.” While much It wasn’t until Westwood brought in
that came to Earth and changed of what would be created would be far a man named Joe Kucan that the quality
everything. So that was similar to the too intensive for the hardware of the of these scenes really took off, however.
spice [in Dune].” Everything else was time to run it, Louis claims that it could “Joe Kucan actually came in acting and
built from scratch to ensure – as be repurposed for advertising. This directing all of our film sequences,”
Louis puts it – that tug-o-war of one-upmanship led to says Louis, “he did a fantastic job. A
further and further advances until, lot of what made C&C what it is falls
eventually, it was decided to squarely on Joe’s shoulders as it were,
record live-action footage he wasn’t just our talent director he
with real people. And was also in charge of casting and of
course he played Kane. So we got super,
super lucky with Joe.” With proper
actors coming in to play the different
main characters, C&C was able to
really create a cinematic feeling to the
game, making the divide between GDI

150 | 100 games to play before you die

 COMMAND & CONQUER

More games
to try
Still need a real-time strategy
fix? Look no further than these
Warcraft II
■ It was the second game in the Warcraft
» The N64 port used 3D models, though the missions were
the same. Here’s the GDI starting mission. series that really proved that the franchise
was a force that needed to be reckoned
and the Brotherhood Of Nod feel all with, which was itself followed by
the more tangible to its players. “We Warcraft III – a
wanted to make sure that the choice legendary and
between GDI and Nod wasn’t just a innovative RTS
choice of A or B or a racial choice – we » The styles of GDI and Nod affected everything, from the design of structures, the types of weapons available. game that solidified
wanted it to be philosophical. So are you Blizzard’s success.
about socialism? Nod was about the
uprising of individuals, there’s too much
concentrated wealth, ‘The big countries
We literally went out onto the freeway Dune II
■ Though it may be a little clunky to play
can’t push us around’, ‘Everybody has outside of Las Vegas and filmed a – since many of C&C ’s input innovations
the right to self-governance’ – there’s hadn’t yet been developed – it’s still a
some important things inside of Nod that skateboarding scene for an energy drink fascinating look at the earliest glimpse
I think are important concepts. But on of modern RTS.
the GDI side it’s like, ‘Oh, well, we’re the without getting any permits or anything Westwood might
good guys’, but they’re pretty awful too. Louis Castle not have known
You’re going to use your military might it, but this game
to enforce your will onto other countries, GDI’s strength was in its defenses – tells us of the decision and how it was created a genre.
what right do you have to do that? It’s with stronger armour across the board chosen for expediency to release a
about what makes it the right of the – Nod made up for it with speed and version of the game with multiplayer Total Annihilation
West to go into these Middle Eastern brutality, in particular the flamethrower available. “I think that was one of our ■ There are few traditional RTS games
countries and take their resources.” unit. This balance was necessary if biggest mistakes as a company, we that have ever achieved the popularity of

T
Westwood Studios was to release a should’ve built our own online platform C&C, Blizzard’s Warcraft and Starcraft
he two different sides gave game perfect for multiplayer, but sadly – we paid for it again and again. I wish and Age Of Empires, but Total Annihilation
Westwood a chance to that’s where the RTS stumbled. “The we had bitten the bullet and just gone is certainly among
integrate a little colour to the problem was we were ahead of our off and done our own communications the elite few that
units and structures, with time,” states Louis. “There weren’t system, but sadly Westwood Online have. It’s 3D engine
GDI donning a more clinical, militaristic really defined protocols for doing was built upon the framework of was a revelation at
style while Nod felt considerably more internet-based play and such. The game software that wasn’t designed to do the time.
ragtag. There were differences in unit was built back in 1993 and 1994 before what it did.”
playstyles, too, and while balance was a Windows 95 had come out – which Not that any of that really mattered, Stronghold
concern Westwood still felt the need to helped standardise the internet.” Built in the end. For all its flaws surrounding ■ Though the concept was familiar with
offer up those distinct flavours. Where off the codebase for IRC chat, Louis multiplayer C&C was a thoroughly Stronghold – build a base, gather resources,
compelling title, whether you played command military units – it offered such
it only in single-player or multiplayer. a unique style of play that it stood out
Releasing in 1995 for DOS with the Gold among many other
version – adding multiplayer and various RTS competitors.
improvements – in 1996. The game Its castle building
even went on to release worldwide ports features were of
to PlayStation, Sega Saturn and N64 particular note.
throughout 1996 and 1999, with C&C
becoming a smash hit – selling well over Age Of Empires II
3 million copies. Dune II might have been ■ Here was a game that took RTS gameplay
the birthplace of modern RTS, but it was and added its a twist on the base building
C&C that not only standardised it, but mechanics; the idea was to progress
popularised it too. It went on to establish through the epochs to unlock options. The
one of gaming’s most reputed franchises series covered a number of titles but it was
across three Tiberium Wars, three AOE II that many remember fondly.
Soviet invasions in the Red Alert series
and even the series’ first fully 3D RTS
in Command & Conquer: Generals – all
the while duking it out with Blizzard and
its set of RTS games. While Westwood
Studios and C&C have since fallen at the
hands of Electronic Arts at least we’ll
» The limitations of the N64 cartridges meant that though it could handle 3D graphics it didn’t have the space to store the always have this truly important heritage
videos, with mission briefings using still images with audio. to look back on.

100 games to play before you die | 151

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

e be st 2D platform ga me of all
How do
do yo
you follow
u follow up
up arguably
arguably the
th best platform game of all
How Nintendo’s
time? answer was to ov id
provide
pr e th
thee de finin
definingg exam
example of aa
ple of
ndo’s answer w
time? Ninte3D as
attempt…
first attempt…
very first
3D platform
platform game
game at its very

152 | 100 games to play before you die

 Super mario 64

Perfect Polygons

Thwomp Amp Mr I Bub Fly Guy

Bob-omb Swooper Spindrift Spindel

Piranha Plant

Ukiki Snufit
Koopa Trooper Chuckya Boo

Moneybags

H
ow do you introduce a
brand new concept but
Spiny Amp still retain your identity
Mr Blzzard and heritage? It's a
tricky thing to do, and a task that
has tripped up countless games
developers over the years. But for
Nintendo the formula has always
been simple – take an old property,
find a way to update it with new
technology, and reintroduce it to
the market. The Nintendo 64’s 3D
games were most definitely a brand
new concept, and Nintendo‘s ace
Goomba Pokey Mario was the man for the job.
Of course, it’s weird to think of
Bullet Bill Super Mario Bros as an “old” series,
despite its longevity. The plumber’s
adventures have been ever-present
for decades, after all. However, it
was a series that slowed down

100 games to play before you die | 153

 Strange New Worlds Your traveler’s guide to the
new locations Mario is visiting

Peach’s Castle Bob-Omb Battlefield Whomp’s Fortress Jolly Roger Bay

■ It might not be counted as a level ■ This introductory stage is pretty ■ Trickier platforming starts ■ Ships and sea life are the order of
in its own right, but the royal kidnap gentle, in spite of the presence of here, as you’ll encounter narrow the day here. There are no bosses,
victim’s homestead offers much to the titular explosive enemies. Race walkways and the nasty Piranha but Unagi The Eel plays a big part
play around with and explore. Climb against Koopa, avoid Chain Chomp Plants. The big bad guy here is the in the second mission. Grab every
the trees, take a dip in the moat, or and get your first experience with Whomp King, who would be a rock coin as there are only 104 in the
explore the basement – it’s up to the cannon. When you’re feeling hard opponent if he didn’t highlight stage – you’ll need almost all of » Lakitu follows you about with a trusty camera,
you what you choose to do here. bold, face King Bob-Omb. his weak spot with a bandage. them for the seventh star. showing you everything that happens in the game.

Cool Cool Mountain Big Boo’s Haunt Hazy Maze Cave Lethal Lava Land
■ Mario gets a warm reception ■ Mario’s ghostly persecutors are ■ This subterranean stage is ■ Bowser gets to show off his inner
from the penguins in this chilly back, and once they take over the filled with the worst kinds of egomaniac here, as he’s made a
stage. The cosy mountain lodge you castle’s courtyard you’ll be able to nasties – Monty Moles, Snufits and gigantic sliding puzzle featuring his
start off next to hides a dangerous visit their spooky home. Like with Swoopers. This is also where you’ll own image. Of course, he’s done
ice slide, which forms the basis of Super Mario World’s Ghost House first encounter the Metal Cap, an this in an environment where he
many star missions – you’ll race on stages, puzzling is the order of the item that turns Mario into a shinier, feels at home, which means you
it and even hunt red coins on it. day here. heavier version of his usual self. should expect hot lava.

Shifting Sand Land Dire Dire Docks Snow Man’s Land Wet-Dry World
■ This dusty desert features ■ This area contains the pride of ■ This freezing stage is even colder ■ If it seems like the water level
everything you’d expect, including Bowser’s naval fleet, an enormous than Cool Cool Mountain, and you’ll is never consistent in Wet-Dry
a pyramid and some hazardous submarine! Who knew he even find more penguins here. Less World, watch where you jump
twisters, as well as the Pokeys that had a naval fleet in the first place? friendly are the Mr Blizzards and into the level’s painting – the
seem to inhabit dry areas within the You need to visit this stage to fight the icy Bully. There’s a lovely igloo higher you go, the higher the
Mushroom Kingdom. As you might Bowser a second time, but it’s here, but our favourite bit of the water. There’s a neat town area
imagine, the pyramid is central to worth it to meet one of the game’s level involves riding a Koopa shell here that seems to have been
many of this world’s stars. most memorable companions. to grab red coins. abandoned to the floods.

Tall Tall Mountain Tiny-Huge Island Tick Tock Clock Rainbow Ride
■ As the name suggests, this rocky ■ Size matters in this stage, as ■ The trickiest timepiece of all time ■ Mario goes sky-high
course is a hefty beast to scale, our hero encounters two portraits hosts some fiendish challenges, as for the last of the game’s
and you’ll need to do so for your to enter it. If he visits the small well as pendulums of impressive regular stages, hopping
first star. At the lower levels, you’ll one, Mario will be comparatively scale. It’s also the area that most between floating islands
encounter big mushrooms, and one enormous, but on the large island clearly illustrates the difference on magic carpets. You
of the stars involves relying on a he’ll be tormented by enormous between the game’s two major won’t find a wing cap here,
primate to lead the way. Good job Goombas. Both sizes of island are versions – the DS version has been so Mario won’t be doing any
he’s not from the Kong family! required to gain certain stars. extensively reworked. flying of his own.

154 | 100 games to play before you die

 Super mario 64

enormously after its initial hits.

The original Super Mario Bros NES
trilogy and the sublime Super Mario
World for the SNES appeared in
quick succession, but then Mario's
platforming adventures came to a
sudden stop. Our portly protagonist
started his hit tour of other genres,
and platform games were given
over to the likes of Yoshi. By 1996,
it would be fair to say that a proper
Mario platform game had been If that lack of a defined end point
long-awaited. sounds like a huge break from Mario

T
tradition, that’s because it was. Even
he problem that Nintendo in Super Mario World, which wasn’t
had to solve was how to a linear game, each level had a start
even present Mario in 3D. point, an end point and a series of
Shigeru Miyamoto had challenges to overcome along the
reportedly toyed with the idea of way. In Super Mario 64, the nature
a Super FX-powered 3D platform of those challenges had to change
game for the Super Nintendo NES, significantly because of Mario's
and decided against it. Later, during new-found freedom of movement.
the development of the Nintendo 64 Even a Goomba was a threat in
hardware, the team experimented Super Mario Bros – at the very
with linear levels with an isometric- minimum, it forced a button press
style camera position. In the end, to jump onto or over it. In Super
Nintendo EAD decided to go with Mario 64, dealing with a Goomba
ambitious free-roaming 3D levels would most often be a simple case
that the player could explore at of running around the problem.
will, with no defined end point and As a result, traditional “reach
plenty of things to discover. the goal” platform gameplay was

Magic Moments Super Mario 64 was full of memorable bits –

here are some of our favourites
Racing A Koopa with him until he eats his own but the glory of full 3D 1 2 3
1 Your first taste of how bombs a few times. flight is a different matter
differently Super Mario 64 altogether. Thankfully you
operates is likely to come Tinkling The can experience it with the
when Koopa The Quick Ivories wing cap, which affords our
decides to chat with Mario, 4 Is it possible to be hero flight.
rather than simply wandering frightened by a Mario game?
into him. He wants a race – Not often, no. But this gave Man In The
and Mario loves to race. many players a fright. As you Mirror
pass the piano in Big Boo’s 7 When you come across 4 5
Discovering Your Haunt, all seems normal – a mirror in the castle, take
First Secret Star right up until it grows teeth a gander at Mario. Not to
2 Wandering into an empty and starts chasing you. admire his ‘tache (though
room, you find yourself it is quite lovely), but to
jumping against the walls for A Ray Of Sunshine realise the attention to detail
the heck of it, only to discover 5 The PlayStation had a here – Lakitu’s following
a secret passage through a manta ray tech demo, but the Mario around with a camera,
window to a slide racetrack. common question when it documenting everything.
Wow! Even the hub world can came to Super Mario 64 was
help you progress… “Have you got to swim around A Familiar Friend 6 7 8
with the manta ray yet?” It’s 8 Once you’ve beaten Super
Big Bad Bowser clear why people raved. Mario 64 with all 120 stars,
3 You’ve faced him countless you might think that you’ve
times before, but now Bowser Taking To exhausted the game. But
is not only huge, he’s got a The Sky there’s still one more thing
positively evil expression on 6 Mario has been airborne left to do – scale the castle
his face and it’s much worse before in Super Mario Bros and visit Yoshi, who waited
in 3D. You’re locked in combat 3 and Super Mario World, until you’d done all the work.

100 games to play before you die | 155

 Reach For The Stars Getting all 120 stars is no easy task –
here’s how to nab some of the trickier ones…

Metal-Head Stomp On Big Boo’s Balcony Wing Mario Over 100 Coins Somewhere Over
Mario Can Move! The Thwomp Course: The Rainbow Course: The Rainbow
Course: Course: Big Boo’s Haunt Course: Rainbow Ride Course:
Hazy Maze Cave Tick Tock Clock ■ Make your way to the third Peach’s Castle ■ 100 coins? That’s a goal Rainbow Ride
■ As Metal Mario, you need ■ There’s a lot of tricky timed floor of the house in order to ■ You need to work out a route in every level, but it’s a ■ Go find the Bob-Omb Buddy
to follow a brown path across platforming to do before you have a scrap with your foe, – you’ve got access to cannons particularly nasty one in (he’s in the coin maze, where
the floor of the underground reach the Thwomp of the title, Big Boo. You can beat him by and the wing cap. Remember Rainbow Ride because death you found the third star) and
lake in order to avoid slipping and you don’t need to attack hitting him from behind. Then that Mario can fly straight resets the counter, rendering then get to the cannon on the
off course. The trick here is to it – you just need to hitch a ride you need to make your way to through the transparent all your progress pointless. The airship. Now shoot towards
go quickly – you’ve only got a on it in order to get the height the roof of the house to claim clouds, and stop off for new only advice for this one is to be the far-off platform – aim well
limited time as Metal Mario. needed to reach the star. the star. wing caps periodically. very careful indeed… or die!

Mario has a variety of new moves,

from jump variations like the triple
jump to his ground pound
you had enough Power Stars to doors would open up and allow
hand. Even getting to those levels access to new stages.
was a treat, as the maps of Super But for all of the amazing level
Mario Bros 3 and Super Mario design and innovative structure,
World gave way to Peach’s Castle, Super Mario 64 would have fallen
the most interactive level selection flat if the game didn’t have the same
menu in Mario history. Not only was tight feeling as the 2D Mario games.
the castle a nice sandbox area for Luckily, the joy of the game is in its
Mario to run about, it had a variety movement. Mario has a variety of
of secrets of its own from a cool new moves, from jump variations
slide to a basement-dwelling rabbit like the triple jump and backflip to
Chain Chomp’s bite is called MIPS, and discovering them his ground pound, a move which
» Unfortunately for Mario, !
far worse than his bark. Ouch would earn you further stars. As you sent our hero plummeting buttocks-
gathered stars, previously locked first into the floor. Likewise, the
physics worked beautifully – even
decidedly out of the question. watching Mario fail to make it up
Instead, a system of multiple a steep slope is entertaining, as
goals was included within the his little legs work overtime before
game – each of the game’s worlds giving out and leaving him to slide
contained six Power Stars, gained downhill on his belly. Crucially,
by completing missions within every item – including Mario – has a
the world. These had a variety of fixed shadow beneath it, providing a
forms, from battles against mini- helpful guide for players unused to
bosses to races and treasure hunts. controlling characters in a 3D space.
Additionally, every world offered As you might expect of such a
a bonus star for finding 100 coins. revolutionary game, Super Mario
It was an innovative way to take 64 was the recipient of enormous
advantage of the space afforded acclaim from the press. The debut
by the new 3D stages, but it also issue of N64 Magazine capped a
proved to be a necessity – with just 14 page review by telling readers
eight megabytes of cartridge space that the game was “so far ahead of
to play with, the developers only everything that comparisons seem
had room to include 15 stages. meaningless,” awarding it 96%.
Much like the levels themselves, » Congratulations, you’ve earned yourself a star. Maximum’s final issue declared
the order in which you tackled Only another 119 to go… it “an almost mind-expanding
them was up to you – as long as experience,” and it was the first

156 | 100 games to play before you die

 Super mario 64

DS Excess
The story didn’t end
Pyramid Puzzle Blast To The Lonely Can The Eel Come Elevator Tour on the N64…
Course: Mushroom Out To Play? In The Volcano If you have a genre-defining 3D
Shifting Sand Land Course: Course: Course: platform game under your belt from
■ It’s a long and arduous trek Tall Tall Mountain Jolly Roger Bay Lethal Lava Land the debut of your 3D-capable home
for this star, as you need to ■ This one’s a real pain to ■ Hang around Unagi’s hidey- ■ Tricky platforming is the console, it seems almost silly to leave
find five very particular coins obtain – there are lots of ways hole to lure him out, then catch order of the day. Get into the it lying dormant when you introduce
in this puzzling level. Two are you can do it, but we feel the the star on his tail. The key is volcano, then prepare for 3D to another new market. Thus,
on platforms near a sand duct, best is to find the portal in the timing – if you don’t move as precision platforming – you’ll Nintendo brought Super Mario 64 to the
and the other three are located mushroom clump, get to the soon as he does, you’ll likely need to recognise when the Nintendo DS when the handheld system
where the sand moves to the cannon and shoot your way need to surface for air. checkered platforms are about arrived in stores at the tail end of 2004.
first floor. to victory. to drop into the lava. However, Super Mario 64 DS was far
from a straightforward conversion – it
actually ended up being an enhanced
remake of sorts, with changes to quite
a few aspects of the game.
game ever to receive a maximum Developers around the world aren’t The biggest addition was the
score of ten from Edge. If there was shy about admitting that the vast inclusion of three new characters –
a single blotch on the otherwise majority of 3D videogames from Luigi, Wario and Yoshi, each with their
spotless record of universal acclaim the time owe something to Super own special attributes for jumping,
that Super Mario 64 received in its Mario 64, whether they drew power and speed. The game also
day, it was that the camera system inspiration from its mission-based includes new missions for a total of
was not quite perfect. That didn’t structure, Mario’s movement, the 150 Power Stars, up from 120 in the
matter a jot as the game was an camera design or even the game’s original, and some of the game's
absolutely enormous hit, selling fun hub world. It’s an astonishing graphical elements have been updated
11.62 million copies – or to put it accomplishment, especially for the new hardware.
another way, it was bought by over for a launch game – a perfect Super Mario 64 DS wasn’t critically
a third of N64 owners. demonstration of its hardware, a successful as the original, in large part

I
revolution in game design and a due to the digital controls players had to
n fact, the only problem for best-seller. Games like Super Mario make do with, but it was a hit in sales
Nintendo was topping it. Super 64 don’t come along every day, or terms. 11.06 million copies have
Mario 64 ended up being the even once in a generation. Super been sold, putting it only slightly
best-selling game for the N64, Mario 64 might well be the kind of behind the N64 game.
as a sequel spent years in the works forward jump for videogames that
but ultimately never made it into comes along once in
full development. The eventual a lifetime.
Gamecube sequel Super Mario
Sunshine was a great game in its
own right, but not the revolutionary
experience that its predecessor had
been, and even the astonishingly
creative Super Mario Galaxy
borrows much of its game design
from Mario’s first foray into 3D.
Beating Super Mario 64 was a
nice problem to have though,
especially since everyone
else was playing catch-up.
 100
gaMES to play
before you die

158 | 100 games to play before you die

 The
Making Of

In the mid-Nineties, Square’s

W
ithout hyperbole, Final Fantasy
VII is the RPG that changed the
flagship franchise abandoned genre forever. Opening the Western
floodgates to Japan’s own style of role-
Nintendo’s hardware and playing and popularising the entire sub-genre, the
10-million-plus-selling game was, for many players,
embraced the PlayStation, a their introduction to the potential of interactive

move that would lead to Final storytelling and the first videogame narrative to
leave a mark on them. It’s also divisive, anecdotally
Fantasy VII, an ambitious, referred to as the most returned game of all time
and often criticised by Western RPG veterans – yet
refined and enormously such cynicism can’t mask the impact it had upon
release in 1997. Along with Gran Turismo, Final
influential RPG. Director Fantasy VII shifted millions of PlayStation consoles

Yoshinori Kitase and art director by demonstrating the machine’s capabilities,

captivating gamers with a fictional universe of
Yusuke Naora discuss the unrestrained scope and style that would govern an
entire corner of the industry. Back when the game
creation of this masterpiece was being created, Square (today known as Square
Enix) was a company in transition, and the influx
with us in unprecedented depth. of talent that brought FFVII into being, as well as a

Steven Spielberg’s Jaws fits development culture that fostered creativity, was
ultimately responsible for this deservedly
into it somewhere, as Samuel celebrated RPG.
At the 1995 SIGGRAPH computer graphics
Roberts discovers… convention in Los Angeles, the company formerly
known as Square presented an interactive demo
to the world that showcased its Final Fantasy

100 games to play before you die | 159

property in unprecedented fashion. This project like we intended, we needed a lot of storage
depicted three characters from Final Fantasy VI space, and for that reason decided on a platform
fighting a Golem enemy in full 3D, a jaw-dropping that used the higher-capacity CD media,” director
contrast to the SNES-based 2D roots of the Yoshinori Kitase tells us.
game, complete with visual effects and cinematic How ironic that this franchise would soar on a
in-battle camera angles that implied a future Sony platform, given that Nintendo publicly broke
beyond the static staging of the series’ stories away from a CD-enabled SNES collaboration with
up until that point. When you look at the tech the electronics giant earlier in the decade. The
demo now, you can absolutely see the founding emerging disc format enabled Final Fantasy VII
technical conceit of Final Fantasy VII embedded to be far more cinematic than its forebears – an
within it. Squaresoft saw that Final Fantasy could important factor, especially to Sakaguchi. Yet
be so much more on a platform that allowed an interesting factor in all this was the set of
the company to experiment with such high-end technical influences on the team, many of whom
technical ideas. were from Western game development, as

T
Kitase explains to us: “We looked at trends in
he SIGGRAPH project would form the the foreign-made PC games of the time, such as
‘seed’, as producer and creator Hironobu Alone In The Dark and Heart Of Darkness [and
Sakaguchi dubbed it on a promotional so on], and made it our objective to combine
video for the game, of Final Fantasy ’s together smooth action sequences using polygon-
move into the next console generation. To any based characters and clever camera work with
seasoned gamer, the most well-known part of the the insertion of effective CG movies at a high
development of Final Fantasy VII is the defection level. I believe that we pretty much achieved our
that started it all. Long considered a Nintendo goals in this regard.”
stalwart since the original Final Fantasy ’s When it came to setting and story, Final Fantasy
release on the NES in 1987, Square shifted to the VII would similarly be a departure from series
PlayStation for its CD-ROM capabilities over the convention. While the previous entry in the series
N64’s comparatively limited cartridges. This fit the had a pronounced steampunk theme, the set of
grand ambitions of this new sequel. environments in the seventh game would vary
“We were fans of Nintendo’s hardware, massively from continent to continent, from a
although in order to use CG movies in the game vast, polluted metropolis to backwater towns;

Distractions The best of Final Fantasy VII’s

many extra tasks and mini-games

Chocobos Battle on Fort Condor

Catching them, riding them, racing Visiting Fort Condor triggers this
them and breeding them – the intriguing little strategy offshoot,
Chocobo element of FFVII is a game where you fund small skirmishes
in itself, and becomes bewilderingly to hold back Shinra forces from the
complex when you’re looking to giant bird perched atop the fort. It’s
breed that lucrative Gold Chocobo, no Age Of Empires, but it shows
which can reach parts of the map how diverse the ideas are in FFVII.
that even the Highwind cannot.

Snowboarding Motorcycle chase

On the second disc, Cloud gets the One of the nicest surprises
opportunity to snowboard down a early on is an action-based mini-
mountain. Later in the game, it re- game where you have to protect
emerges as a tricky arcade game at your comrades from Shinra soldiers
Gold Saucer’s Wonder Square. This on bikes by ramming them off the
mini-game was popular enough to road with Cloud’s inexplicably large
justify a mobile spin-off, which is Buster Sword. It’s great fun.
naturally only available in Japan.

First-person shooting Battle arena

Visiting the ‘Speed’ part of Gold The only way to get Cloud’s
Saucer triggers this bizarre but quite Omnislash Limit Break outside of
impressive first-person shooter the finale, and a clever means of
section, where hitting a high score extending the combat’s appeal, the
lands you a prize. This is notable battle arena on Gold Saucer is a
for its kaleidoscopic visuals, in stark relentless challenge where you have
contrast to much of the game. to survive successive rounds of
enemies and status ailments.
 FINAL FANTASY VII

Final Fantasy VII’s

unsung hero
Kitase weighs in on the oddly
high popularity of Zack Fair,
Cloud’s former mentor

As you may recall, the entire flashback

sequence where Cloud remembers
the events in Nibelheim that led to also a prominent military force. Yet the central
Sephiroth’s transformation into a conflict of the story is actually smaller-scale than
twisted enemy turns out to be a bit that. For the developers, it was more about the
different. Later, we learn that Cloud » Even though players could avoid him entirely, Vincent
symbiotic struggle between the hero, Cloud, and
confused himself with Zack, his earned his own cult reputation. the calculated villain, Sephiroth, that drove the
superior in the army. Ever since then, game forwards, as Kitase explains: “Throughout
Zack has remained a popular figure the story I really wanted to depict Sephiroth as
among Final Fantasy fans, which led that clash of futuristic technology against these an overwhelmingly powerful threat. However,
to the spin-off Crisis Core. His role remnants of a beautiful old world. if you have a villain as an actual opponent who
in Cloud’s story makes him a unique We asked Kitase to discuss the inspirations for appears before the heroes then however strong
element in FFVII ’s tangled web. the planet’s creation, and he graciously passed or charismatic you make the character, he will still
“Zack is the vessel onto which our questions on to FFVII’s art director, Yusuke feel very much ‘life-sized’ and limited in scope,
Cloud twistedly projects his complexes Naora. “Initially we wanted to try something new reduced to another minor evil.”
towards SOLDIER [Shinra’s elite fighting by having a corporation as the major enemy What source of inspiration helped the team
force],” Kitase tells us. “He was created while still keeping the game broadly in the fantasy tackle this issue? You’d be surprised. Kitase
by the scenario writer, [Kazushige genre,” he explains, referring to the Shinra continues: “To solve this problem, I decided to
Nojima], as he was trying to build up Electric Power Company. “Having decided on this present Sephiroth indirectly, making the player
the mystery surrounding Cloud’s past, concept, we actively included many steampunk- aware of his existence through hints and stories
and we did not originally think of Zack like elements to try to merge the appeal of but not having him show himself before them
as a major character, but he seemed traditional high-fantasy ‘brick-built’ structures much. The player sees the aftermath of his
to be strangely popular with the fans. and sci-fi elements at a high level. However, as ruthless deeds but does not arrive at the source
Much later on, Zack featured heavily there was to be magic present in this world, it of the evil for a long time. This was the same
in Crisis Core, and Mr Nojima was in would have been hard to have cyberpunk-esque method used by Steven Spielberg in the film
charge of the scenario for both titles. unknown future technology sitting comfortably Jaws. Finding the butchered President Shinra
When he first created Zack, I doubt that with the other influences, so we tried to keep that on the top floor of the Shinra building and the
he could possibly have thought that aspect down as much as possible.” impaled body of the Midgar Zolom are moments

N
we would be delving into the same symbolic of this approach.”
character’s story ten years on!” aora continues: “On the design side, we Players don’t properly encounter Sephiroth
were also very much inspired to mix until they’re around ten hours in, and even then
in things from many different periods it’s in fleeting glimpses – we see him prominently
» Final Fantasy VII’s Materia system is so deep that it can eventually in a semi-chaotic manner, including in flashbacks, leading to the discovery about
transform the entire rhythm of a battle, by letting you alter the conditions of it. things from our everyday lives such as the newer his sad origins and subsequent breakdown. He,
buildings in Tokyo, the streets of Ginza, and the along with the attached musical theme, One-
Shibuya station building.” All this led to a laudably Winged Angel, would become iconic aspects of
diverse set of environments, which still felt like a FFVII upon release. Cloud, the amnesiac hero
cohesive part of the same world. trying to piece his distressing memories back
The setting was closely connected to the together, was an equal point of fascination for
narrative – the backdrop of Final Fantasy VII ’s players. It’s this dynamic, with their subsequently
story is that the planet is suffering, being mined explored history of bloodshed and trauma, that
of resources by the ruthless Shinra, which is players hadn’t seen before in Final Fantasy.

We made it our objective to combine

smooth action sequences with CG movies
at a high level
100 games to play before you die | 161
 “Furthermore, however far the player pursues
him, Sephiroth is always just out of reach, and
because of this our image of him becomes
more and more idolised and idealised,” explains
Kitase. “This story structure also overlaps with
the reasons that Cloud has such a complex
about his own troubled past, and I believe it is a
very effective tool for showing the relationship
between the two characters.”

A
ll the character designs and their

The Greatest Moments

personalities were left in the hands of
the designers, a break from previous
games, where Sakaguchi would

of final Fantasy VII oversee their conception. This was also the first
project where Tetsuya Nomura would be the
sole character designer, who, having contributed
Not featuring Cloud in a dress work to Final Fantasy V and VI, replaced Yoshitaka
Amano from the previous titles. A Famitsu
interview with Nomura (translated by Andriasang)
That death… see Nanaki and his children
You knew it would be this running through a canyon, Zack and Cloud escape explains that Cloud was essentially his creation,
before emerging onto a vista yet Kitase told us that determining both the
– shocking, sad and brilliant
that shows an abandoned
Nibelheim looks and personalities of every one of Final
on the part of the Squaresoft In this flashback, the events
team, a certain character is Midgar, overgrown and of the Nibelheim incident Fantasy VII’s iconic cast of characters was
murdered by Sephiroth at free of the technology that are fully disclosed. We “largely the responsibility of [Nomura]”. It
the climax of the game’s first drained the life of the planet. learn that Cloud borrowed marked a sea change for the series. Gone were
act. It’s notable because it Zack’s identity, and that the primarily medieval, dreamy heroes of Amano,
is so brutal, but this brave The President is dead this member of SOLDIER and in came a fresh, exciting array of heroes that
move to take the character When Kitase alludes to Jaws, was gunned down by would have an extensive impact on Japanese
out of the story meant Final he’s referring to this scene Shinra outside Midgar. This popular culture – not to mention birth a string of
Fantasy VII would be forever where the player reaches the sequence is made all the ideas that would be appropriated into character
remembered by players. top of Shinra Headquarters more sad when you’ve earlier clichés, like spiky hair and giant swords. Amano
and finds the President encountered Zack’s parents would still contribute character sketches and the
Omnislash dead, impaled by Sephiroth’s in the town of Gongaga,
iconic meteor logo, however.
The entire game builds to katana. It’s a brilliant way where both his mother
to bring the villain into the The immense back story for these heroes
this final conflict between and father are completely
Cloud and Sephiroth, story, having him lurk just unaware of his tragic fate. and villains was fine-tuned by scenario writer
where the hero slices down out of reach. Kazushige Nojima, while many of the actual
the grey-haired villain Emerald Weapon narrative ideas came from a unique exercise that
in spectacular fashion, Summoning Knights of swims out of the once again showed Squaresoft’s experimental
using his final Limit Break, the Round darkness approach. “When designing the game, we asked
Omnislash. All right, so it Knights of the Round was all staff on the Final Fantasy team to submit
Late into the third disc,
isn’t necessarily the first time easily the most lavish possible episode ideas for character back stories
heading into the ocean
you use Omnislash, but it’s summon spell in the entire and created the overall stories by putting these
with the submarine
still a thrilling component of series up until that point. together,” says Kitase. “It was the scenario writer,
gives the player a few
the game’s conclusion. The animation for the attack, Mr Nojima, who managed to put together a
surprises, including the
Ultimate End, sees 13 knights final whereabouts of the complete and detailed story from this massive
battering the enemy with
The Weapons emerge a slew of extraordinarily
Turks, Shinra’s agents pool of ideas, a process that was much like
out of the crater powerful moves; a just
whose paths cross yours
throughout. That’s before
putting together a jigsaw puzzle.”
Sephiroth unleashes This exercise led to an intriguing collection
reward for the exhausting you see bubbles emerge
Weapons on the planet, giant process of breeding a Gold of stories across the cast of heroes, with one
boss-style creatures that, out of the black, though – main plot driving it all: the planet’s impending
Chocobo to get it. when the fearsome Emerald
when put together, look like destruction at the hands of Sephiroth, where
Weapon drifts towards you in
something out of a Japanese
monster movie. The idea
Sephiroth walks into terrifying fashion. Brr! It’s an
he would harness the world’s natural defences
– known as the Lifestream – for himself. The
of the optional super-boss the flames absolute bitch to kill, too.
cast of Final Fantasy VII, including the tortured,
is a Final Fantasy staple – The highlight of the entire
Nibelheim flashback, told unfocused Barret; last of an ancient race Aeris
here, they’re made a key
from the village of Kalm
Getting the Highwind (or Aerith – a misspelling in the game’s
turning point in the story, in Final Fantasy as a series is
another example of Square’s early on in the story, is an translation, as you probably know); and down-
ingenious in the way it lets
pioneering FMVs. eye-opening cinematic where and-out pilot Cid Highwind; as well as more
you manoeuvre around the
Sephiroth turns away world. When you get the esoteric faces like the tomb-dwelling, optional
500 years later… from Cloud into the flames,
after the twisted warrior
Highwind, you can go almost companion Vincent Valentine, struck a chord with
After the credits, we’re anywhere in the entire world, gamers, as their stories dovetailed skilfully with
treated to this brilliant but burns the town to the a gloriously freeing reminder the main narrative.
somehow chilling scene, 500 ground. Perhaps the most of the diversity of locations These small tales, even Sephiroth’s, traced
years into the future. We visually recognisable part within the game. back to the all-encompassing Shinra plot device
of the game.
– this corporation that is draining the planet of its
resources. Given that Final Fantasy VII was made
in the mid-Nineties, you could draw obvious
parallels with the real-world environmental issues

162 | 100 games to play before you die

 FINAL FANTASY VII

at that time. Yet environmentalism, surprisingly,

was not part of the team’s storytelling agenda,
as Kitase explains to us: “We did not particularly
plan on bringing out environmental destruction
as a major theme of the game but rather
intended the story to depict the internal struggles
of Cloud and Sephiroth.
“However, if pushed I would probably say that
this theme was not so much that of concern over
destruction of the environment but more about » [Top left] Catching and
how we wanted to show how civilisation and the breeding Chocobos is
one of the true tests of
environment coexist. Cloud and his companions Final Fantasy VII.
first appear in the game as a group trying to take » [Bottom right] FFVII is a
down the Mako reactors, but in the end we see high point for the series’
stunning creatures,
them getting help from the Lifestream that is the with Bahamut being a
source of that energy, and going forward into a decent means of lazily
dispatching enemies.
future of coexistence with the planet. I believe
that this theme of how we can strike a balance
and live in harmony with the environment is one
that is shared by all of us.”
The Lifestream is the literal embodiment of
the planet’s energy in Final Fantasy VII, a place
that all life emerges from and where it returns to
with the event of death. Its genesis came from
Sakaguchi, who had come up with the idea as a
reaction to tragic events in his own life. “When
we were creating Final Fantasy III, my mother

Sephiroth is always just out of reach, and

so our image of him becomes more and
more idolised
Randy
passed away,” he said in a video to coincide my approach in overcoming the grief I Pitchford
with FFVII’s release. “And ever since, I have was experiencing.” CEO, Gearbox

W
been thinking about the theme of life. Life exists Software
in many things, and I was curious about what ith that delicate balance in mind, an
would happen if I attempted to examine life in a antagonistic force like Shinra seemed Obviously,
mathematical and logical way; maybe this was suitable – it also presented a fine role-playing
opportunity to go against the curve games were a huge
of the last six games. “We had a feeling that ideas influence on Borderlands. Final Fantasy
offered many of the standards and tropes
for villains in RPGs had kind of become stale and
that are borrowed by many role-playing
repetitive, with it always being something like a
games of today. The engagement and
massive dragon or an evil ruler who had acquired motivation that comes from levelling
an ancient power,” says Kitase. “When we asked up and the draw of collecting loot
ourselves what a more modern take on a powerful first became clear to all of us when
evil would be, we came up with the idea of a we did such things with pencil-and-
corporation that pollutes paper games. While many PC games
the environment for excessive profit.” applied these principles, Final Fantasy
The most talked-about moment in this complex managed to capture the design in a
tale, though, would be the death of a major most accessible way at a time when
character. One of the conditions of running our our controllers had only a D-pad and
exclusive interview from Square Enix was that we two buttons. The elegance of the Final
Fantasy approach to role-playing has
wouldn’t reveal this character’s name – but you
inspired a generation.
know which one we’re talking about. Everyone
In fact, the very first videogame that
knows it. You might have spent hours training my wife and I played together from
this character up before the event occurred. beginning to end was the first Final
Fantasy game on the NES. To this
day, we have fond memories of that
experience and an irrational loyalty to
the franchise. I know that many people
see Final Fantasy VII as the high-water
mark for the series, but for me it was the
earlier Final Fantasy games on the NES
and Super Nintendo that have had the
most impact.

100 games to play before you die | 163

 It didn’t matter. This character was wiped out creative culture. We asked Kitase about the team’s
What Happens of the story. Such a brave decision would be dynamic at the time.

Next…
the defining moment, and it stunned this new “Before FFVII we only really had 2D pixel
generation of JRPG fans, and is still the subject of art designers, but for this project many 3D CG
much conversation today. specialists and designers came in from outside
Sequels in Final Fantasy It is odd that Square Enix declined to comment the company, leading to an interaction of various
on the sequence, having done so in the past – working cultures that was very stimulating,”
even Kitase himself, back in 2003. It could be that he says. “All the in-house designers also
the company is hoping new gamers discover started to learn to use CG tools, and we held
Final Fantasy VII through the PlayStation Store, or a lot of seminars and explanation meetings. I
that something new involving the game is in the personally received instruction in how to use

When thinking about a modern take on a

powerful evil, we came up with the
idea of a corporation
Final Fantasy X-2
Solid and technically superb but pipeline. Either way, that moment was designed Alias PowerAnimator, and around a tenth of all
tonally misfiring, Final Fantasy X-2 by Square to create a sudden void in the player, the character motions seen in the game’s event
took FFX ’s timid protagonist, Yuna, to make them think they’d have acted differently scenes were actually created by me!”

W
then popped on some hot pants were they to know it was coming.
and gave her a couple of guns. The There are more surprises besides, though. A e had to ask Kitase if anything
game’s ‘Perfect’ ending is almost major plot point some way into the game sees the changed in development – and, as it
worth playing through it alone for threat level raised significantly as giant creatures, happens, Square had
fans of the first game, though. a super-boss motif of the series known as a relatively airtight vision of FFVII,
Weapons, march into the overworld and heighten with only one change that fans will definitely have
the drama of the closing act. The Emerald and noticed. “The only thing that we had to change
Ruby Weapons are especially tough to beat, yet during development was the level of deformation
incorporating these powerful entities as part of on the characters. The fact that the characters
the Sephiroth storyline imbued them with a new are depicted at different levels of deformation in
importance. Kitase explains why the team opted the field, battle and CG sections is a remnant of
to do this: “In all Final Fantasy games, we always these changes.” Whereas field characters ended
put in very powerful monsters in the latter parts up being blocky 3D models, the characters in
of the game to challenge dedicated players and to battle had far more detail. As Kitase mentions, too,
deepen the gameplay experience, enhancing the you can see this difference in CG movies – some
Final Fantasy IV: longevity of the title and giving something to do depict the characters in blocky form, while others,
The After Years aside from the main quest. We had already got like Sephiroth before the flames of Nibelheim,
Originally released on mobiles in the concept of the Weapons as defenders of the are more impressively realised. It’s a curious
Japan, then through WiiWare and planet for FFVII and so decided to tie that together inconsistency, but of course forgivable in the face
again on the PSP with Final Fantasy IV: with these play-enhancing features.” of the finished product’s other achievements.
The Complete Collection, The After But the story, despite forever being the guiding The locations have aged better, thanks to the
Years is a direct sequel that is built light for the Final Fantasy series, was matched heavy use of prerendered backgrounds. Yet part
with the look of the original SNES title. by FFVII ’s immense technical and mechanical of Final Fantasy VII’s appeal to long-time fans was
The PSP version presents it in the most advances. Creating a masterpiece of this calibre, the introduction of a fully 3D world map. Despite
coherent, beautiful form. with such scope in setting and the jaw-dropping the cinematic touches present in other parts of
amount of iconography that would define the experience, the world map was seen as an
Japanese RPGs from there on, was the product updated version of the SNES overworld. “This
of a talented group of people, sharing a potent part of the game was not actually all that much of
a challenge,” says Kitase. “It goes without saying
that, at the time, creating data for a 3D map was
» The game’s early Tifa/Aeris choices give you hard work, but for better or worse we decided
an opportunity to damage a girl’s self-esteem.
to do the map along pretty similar lines to a 2D
world map from the Final Fantasy games of the
Super Famicom era, so there were not a lot of
problems with the overall vision.”
Dissidia 012 [Duodecim]
Final Fantasy
Forget the stupid title. Aside from the
unfortunate shortage of new content,
this sequel to the fan-service-packed
original is a top-notch action RPG
that was snubbed last year, no doubt
affected by the PSP’s atrocious piracy
rates. Nevertheless, it comes packaged
with the first game, so get it if you
have the chance.

164 | 100 games to play before you die

 FINAL FANTASY VII

This Planet As My Vessel With insight from Final Fantasy VII’s art director, Yusuke
Naora, we pick out key locations from the story

The Northern
Crater Developer Commentary
Developer Commentary
Forgotten Capital Midgar

“ As this was to be the

location for some of the “ The overall
silhouette of
Midgar was
most important scenes, it
inspired by
needed to be eerie, spiritual
looking at a pizza
and made up from a more
I was eating with
limited number of elements.
friends while I
In order to convey the idea
was stuck for design
of long dead civilisations,
ideas. For the Shinra building, the
we used the motif of the
overall sense of scale came from
fossilised prehistoric sea
Forgotten looking up every day at our company
Wutai bed, with architecture

”
Capital offices and also had features taken from
based on giant shells.
structures where practicality influences
the design, such as the bridge of a

”
battleship and industrial furnaces.

Rocket Costa
Town Midgar
Del Sol
Corel

Nibelheim

Junon

Gold
Cosmo Saucer
Canyon

Developer Commentary
Gongaga
Cosmo Canyon
“ The concept of this
area had been finalised as
a valley and observatory Developer Commentary
like the Grand Canyon, so
I had the designers put in Gold Saucer
“
more of a medieval feel, As there were a lot of mini-games in the title, I
with fantasy elements set the question of, ‘What would an amusement
such as the clockwork ‘cosmic spheres’ park in this world be like?’ and made sure
planetarium and the gyroscope compass.
” everyone had fun when designing this area.
”
Junon Nibelheim Gongaga Corel
A port town that is also a As more observant players will This sad little town is the Barret’s hometown-turned-post-
military base, Junon is attacked know, after Nibelheim was burnt location of an exploded Mako Shinra-wreck, this is where you
later on by Sapphire Weapon, down by Sephiroth, the entire reactor, with the citizens can catch the lift to the far more
where the giant Junon cannon town was rebuilt by Shinra and mourning their lost. Like a jolly Gold Saucer. There’s a ruddy
ceremoniously takes it down. the citizens replaced with its sister town of Nibelheim, in superb chase sequence here later
employees in a cover-up. a strange way. in the game, too.
The Northern Crater
This is where Jenova landed Costa Del Sol Wutai Rocket Town
about 2,000 years before the start An utterly bizarre, Spanish-style A more culturally differentiated Built around a launchpad, this is
of the story – a creepy, expansive holiday town with a relaxed locale to everywhere else, Wutai where one of the more interesting
crater where the climax of the atmosphere, players could later is the sole town on the far characters, foul-mouthed pilot
game takes place. buy an overpriced house in this western continent, and marks Cid Highwind, hails from. It’s
pleasantly different part of the the only location where the a cheerful moment when they
world map. heroes team up with the Turks. finally get the rocket into space.

100 games to play before you die | 165

 and zooming around the action, from before
beginning development on FFVII. In 1995, we
created a prototype game based on doing the
battles from FFVI in 3D and showcased it at the
SIGGRAPH convention that year. This test game
was made with an eye to perfecting the idea for
the battles in FFVII.”

A
ided by the straightforward yet
Instead, the team had to spend more endlessly customisable Materia-based
time worrying about the individual locations ability system, as well as visually
themselves, which were significantly more extravagant Limit Break attacks, the
imaginative than their cartridge-based forebears. combat in Final Fantasy VII would never become
“It was actually a lot harder and took much more a chore. This title also saw the best work of
work realising the fully rendered backdrops for composer Nobuo Uematsu, building on his
the towns and dungeons, as nothing like these incredible music in FFVI with a series of stunning
» Aeris is the most innocent character in the story,
and remains massively popular with fans. had ever been done before at the time. Having and highly memorable themes and leitmotifs.
said this, the world map in FFVII did play a very Any poignant, dark or pleasant instance is helped
important role in the game. After the first part, along enormously by his work, and he made an
which is spent in the oppressive and cramped easy collaborator for Square. “We basically just
environment of Midgar, the feeling of liberation showed Mr Uematsu the character designs and
and freedom at the moment when you step out the scenario, and had him familiarise with the
Constantin Jupp onto the world map is one of the game’s most overall themes and images of the game before
Assistant producer, memorable highlights.” That’s completely true, letting him loose. There were no specific detailed
Media Molecule

Final Fantasy VII It took a lot of work realising the

made me realise
that games were so rendered backdrops, as nothing like them
much more than just running or shooting or
fighting. Far from mindless entertainment,
they could actually stir emotion within the
had been done before
player. It’s the game that inspired me to join and this was a stone’s throw from making it into requests, and he was allowed to create the score
the games industry and help create those our list of favourite moments. FFVII progressively comparatively freely,” says Kitase.
experiences for others. puts more power in the player’s hands through While HD technology and high-capacity
the way they interact with the world. storage media has let Square Enix realise the
Random battles would remain part of the series, most elaborate of visions with Final Fantasy,
but as directed by the SIGGRAPH presentation, there is something pure about the seventh game.
the actual look of them marked an exciting leap It’s such a well-rounded experience that it’s
between generations. “We had decided on the obviously the product of a developer at a peak of
idea of battles in 3D, with the camera panning creativity. Being the first Final Fantasy released
in Europe, and armed with a slightly misleading
marketing campaign that focused on FMVs over
gameplay, it turned a historically marginalised
genre into an international phenomenon.
That’s why there’s always talk of a remake.
Yet gamers clamouring for this must surely
realise the potential for disappointment – Final
Fantasy VII was a product of the CD-ROM era,
and everything was built on that foundation.
To try to replicate that in today’s HD landscape
would be a fun curio, sure, but we’re almost
» [Top right] The certain that it wouldn’t surpass the original.
Forgotten Capital is a Still, the constant talk of revisiting the game
bizarre locale, and is still
the most atmospheric is a testament to gamers’ attachment to this
part of this world. world, to these characters, and to the themes of
» [Bottom left] Dressing
Cloud up as a woman to
identity, life and death that no other entry in the
impress Don Corneo is series has matched. It is a masterpiece, born in
still bloody weird. the midst of Square enjoying the technological
revolution laid before it, and justifiably becoming
synonymous with the PlayStation platform. That
long-anticipated wait for a remake will shortly
become reality as Square Enix has already
shown off work on its reboot of the classic game.
Whether it manages to surpass the original
remains to be seen, but we can’t wait to find out.

Special thanks to Roxana Etemad for her huge amount of

help with this feature.

166 | 100 games to play before you die

 FINAL FANTASY VII

The Anatomy of
cloud
He carries a big sword and
Sword
& Sorcery
Though there is a whole load of swords for you to
equip to Cloud that you gather throughout the game,
always seems miserable, but just none are as iconic as his famous starting weapon, the
how much do you know about gigantic Buster Sword. It’d never work in real life, of
Final Fantasy poster boy Cloud? course, but then never would Cloud’s unfeasibly pointy
hair. Besides, Final Fantasy VII is a game about a
half-alien madman trying to destroy the planet being
stopped by a magic wielding team that includes
a man with a gun for an arm and a talking cat.
In other words, forget about realism and
embrace that badass sword.

Trouble
& Strife
A poster boy for angst, Cloud’s sullen demeanour
early on in Final Fantasy VII has earned him a not-
undeserved reputation as being a bit of an arse.
As the game progresses, however, Cloud softens
up a little as we get to know his backstory and the
arrogant, uncaring front he puts up is broken down.
Cloud begins as a former member of elite military
unit SOLDIER, working as a mercenary for
freedom fighters AVALANCHE. However,
there’s more to Cloud’s past than
meets the eye…

Superstar
As well as being the protagonist of Final
Fantasy VII, Cloud has made a number of
Jack Of other appearances. He appeared in the Final

All Trades Fantasy themed fighting game Dissidia Final

Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts
Cloud is unquestionably the best character in 2, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy and Chocobo
Final Fantasy VII from a gameplay perspective, in Racing, amongst others. He’s even made
part because he’s an all-rounder with high stats in all an appearance in a film (albeit a rubbish
categories. He’s got good attack power, meaning you’ll one) in the form of Final Fantasy VII:
probably want him in the front row to dish out damage. Advent Children.
But he’s also the second best magic caster after Aeris,
so you can focus on magic with him if you choose. If
that’s not enough, Cloud’s got the most powerful
Limit Breaks in the game, his signature
move and final Limit Break being the
devastating Omnislash.

100 games to play before you die | 167

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

goldeneye

21 years ago, first-person shooters were for PC gamers and Rare made very
pretty platformers. Then GoldenEye came along and changed everything. We
gather together four of the original development team – Dave Doak, Steve
Ellis, Karl Hilton and Graeme Norgate – to tell us how they turned a film
licence for a mysterious new console into the definitive console FPS.
Paul Drury plugs in the joypads…

168 | 100 games to play before you die

 GOLDENEYE

» Proof of the amount of work the boys put into GoldenEye’s presentation. saw we had put in Connery, Dalton and
Moore as well as Brosnan. We thought
IN THE KNOW
it would be great for marketing and
even some screenshots went out with
Connery in his white tuxedo. Then an
edict came down from on high and we
had to get rid of the other Bonds, so
on the day we had to take them out we
played this epic deathmatch – first to a » Publisher: Nintendo
hundred kills – which went on for about » Developer: Rare
three hours. Mark Edmonds played as
» Released: 1997
Moore and won by one kill. It went down
to the wire…” » System: Nintendo 64

GoldenEye’s enthralling multiplayer » Genre: First Person Shooter

shootouts were thus denied an intriguing
proposition. But then the game was
never conceived as a four-player grudge
match. In fact, it wasn’t even conceived
as an FPS at all in the beginning. Karl
Hilton recalls the first mooting of the
project: “I started at Rare in October
1994 and they had me modelling cars
and weapons to see if I could do it for no
particular game. Martin Hollis wandered

P
ub bores the world over be silenced. in – he tended to float around – and said
We know who the best Bond is. It’s he was leading a team to do a Bond
Roger Moore. Wait, come back. We game. I’d been highlighted as someone
have empirical evidence. who might be interested and of course
“Right near the end of development”, I was, but in the back of my mind I was Developer
explains Dave Doak, “a guy came in from
EON who owned the Bond licence and
thinking, Oh God, a film licence. The
previous ones had been 2D Robocop or
Highlights
TimeSplitters

The first thing I did was model the gas Systems: PS2
Year: 2000

plant. You could follow a route through the

Second Sight
Systems: PS2, Xbox, Gamecube,

level like in Virtua Cop. Then we decided to

PC
Year: 2004

take it off the rails

Haze
Karl Hilton Systems: PS3, 360, PC
Year: DUE 2007

100 games to play before you die | 169

 barbarian

» The opening of each level perfectly captured the cinematic

nature of the original film.

» We’ve lost count of the many hours we’ve spent playing

GoldenEye’s superb multiplayer.

Play and Batman games and they were generally

learn Chris awful. It seemed a risky project.”
“We didn’t know whether

I
multiplayer was technically nitially, the intention was to do a 2D
possible”, admits Steve. “It side-scrolling platformer for the SNES,
was an experiment that didn’t a genre that Rare excelled in after the
begin until May… and the
game came out in August! I
seminal Donkey Kong Country, but Hollis
trawled through the code to insisted the game should be in 3D and by expectations of what a game could about games to run projects. We hadn’t
find anything that referred to produced for Nintendo’s enigmatic Ultra and couldn’t be. They turned naivety worked on a game before but the
the player and made it work for 64, which was still in development. He into ambition and the enforced isolation difference was we were having to do the
more than one. I got it going for also made explicit his design model: of this happy band – “Rare organised work. Our wish-list of features would
two first and then frame rates
meant it couldn’t work for all Sega’s lightgun arcade hit Virtua Cop. teams into separate barns and you be things we knew would be good and
levels. Karl went off and built Karl: “When I got involved, the first only had keys to your particular cell we could do. There was some smart
the Complex and Temple and thing I did was model the gas plant. We block”, quips Dave – meant that the hiring and cherry-picking of people. We
had strict instructions not to put put a spline (sic) through the level so newbies on the team had to find their all had ambition and were hardworking.
more than so many polygons

GoldenEye’s not your University project’ Tim

and textures on screen. Then it
was just a case of playing it.’
Graeme: “I first saw it as
four-player split screen and
said, ‘Wow Martin, you’ve got Stamper told us one day! As heads of Rare, the
Stampers probably had to make a lot of excuses
multiplayer!’ He was, ‘Oh no,
no, you didn’t see that, it’s a
complete secret…’ The concern
was that half the coding team Steve Ellis on why the game appeared two years after the film
was being allocated to some
frivolous thing that might
you could follow a route like in Virtua own way. That’s how he managed to get that much
not work. The Stampers had
actually said, no multiplayer. Cop, but it didn’t go further than that. “Because it was most people’s first content out of us.”
Chris Stamper wondered that We decided to take it off the rails. Some game”, explains Graeme Norgate, “we Martin also encouraged the team to
if you had four view ports of those early builds had bits missing did things we might not do again draw on their love of the Bond films they
on screen so you could see because you’d never be able to see because it was too much work. We had all grown up with. He recognised
what others were doing, how
could it possibly be fun?!’ them and I remember going back and didn’t take the easy route. If something the inherent appeal of playing as the
filling in the holes.” sounded like a good idea, it was like, suave hero who had defined cool for so
GoldenEye was forging its own path, a ‘Yeah let’s do it!’ The world was our many aspiring young agents over the
departure from the Rare games that had oyster! Only afterwards would you find it preceding decades. No longer would
gone before. When you consider that was a world of pain.” you simply be a floating gun as in Doom.
this was the first project for eight of the At least it was a world of their own Now you were England’s deadliest and
nine team members, that was perhaps making. “It was untrammelled by coolest weapon.
to be expected. They may have been arseholes”, explains Dave. “Nowadays, Karl: “I remember the first time we
inexperienced, but they were unfettered publishers get people who don’t know got Bond’s hand in with the watch. We

170 | 100 games to play before you die

 GOLDENEYE

» Limited shooting and careful movement enabled you to make

your way stealthily through many levels.

» The sniper rifle, a joy to use and essential for getting the drop on the enemy.

you if they could walk to you in a

M Speaks
We managed to catch a word
straight line, meaning you could peer with the man responsible for
chest. Each part of the body was given out from behind cover or line up a overseeing the GoldenEye
project, Martin Hollis. So,
a weighting, expressed as a fraction. fatal headshot through windows – the
having assembled his team,
Hit a limb or the torso and your enemy sneaky approach was not only very were they a handful to
would be pushed closer to a damage appealing, it was vital in successfully manage? “That’s a cheeky
count of one and death. Or you could go completing many of the game’s trickier question”, replies Martin,
straight for the head. A bullet in the brain missions. It was a surreptitious tactic “and I like it. I’m not a terribly
dictatorial manager. Oh they
equalled one. Instant death. One-shot that emerged naturally, rather than being were fabulous because we
kills became very popular. pre-determined. all fitted together so well.
Headshots were not only disturbingly Karl: “When we had plenty of film We did have a shared vision,
satisfying though. They created a whole material, we tried to stick to it for which happened naturally and
scanned it in and modelled it up and new way to play. Dave explains: “The authenticity but we weren’t afraid of everyone knew what Bond
was about which helped us to
it had the cuff of the white tuxedo. I way detection worked was very simple adding to it to help the game design. It get there. So no, they weren’t
thought, hey, I’m James Bond! And then but fundamentally changed the set-up. was very organic. Dave would come in difficult to manage. Now if
we put that thing in where the camera Whenever you fired a gun, it had a and say he needed an extra door and you asked my management
flies into the back of Bond’s head at the radius test and alerted the non-player a room somewhere and we’d add it in. about me, they might tell a
different story…”
start of a level. It tied you in.” characters within that radius. If you fired Back then, it was so much quicker. It’d
Martin continued to lead
the same gun again within a certain be half a day’s work to add in a new the team as they began work

A
key part of that appeal was amount of time, it did a larger radius test corridor and a room.” on Perfect Dark, but left Rare
the infamous Licence to Kill. and I think there was a third even larger This sense of freedom to try new in 1998 to set up his own
GoldenEye was a first-person radius after that. It meant if you found things, to experiment with level company, Zoonami. Visit
its website www.zoonami.
shooter of course, but the decision to one guy and shot him in the head and design, play it exhaustively and let the com for a transcript of the
recognise body-specific hits introduced then didn’t fire again, the timer would experience determine what direction fascinating speech he gave
a new subtlety to the genre. Shoot a reset. It wasn’t realistic but it meant the development would go was crucial to at the European Developers
guard in the leg and he reacts differently less you shot, the quieter you were, the how the team worked. They weren’t Forum in 2004 on the making
of GoldenEye plus details
to if you less enemies came after you. If an NPC enslaved to a rigid design document,
of the company’s recently
blasted that hadn’t been drawn and was just meaning everyone could contribute to released game, Zendoku.
him in standing in a room waiting was alerted game design. Nothing was set in stone. “Think Sudoku meets ninjas”,
the by gunfire, it would duplicate itself and Not even the hardware. he says helpfully. Martin’s
one went to investigate. You can see it favourite Bond girl is Jane

C
Seymour and he assures us
happening sometimes – if you go to the onsidering how the finished he could have triumphed over
right place and make a noise, you see GoldenEye feels so suited to his former colleagues if he’d
more enemies spawning.” the N64, it’s easy to forget the been part of the developer
Stay hidden, keep quiet, make every machine didn’t exist for the first year deathmatch and we’ve
convinced him to be a future
shot count… almost inadvertently, and a half of its development. The team
castaway for Desert Island
the team had invented stealth was using SGI Onyxs, hugely expensive Discs. Result.
gaming. Of course you could Silicon Graphics machines, guessing
still go in all guns blazing, but at what the specs of Nintendo’s new
once players got to grips console might be and using a butchered
with the sniper rifle and Saturn controller to playtest. As it turned
realised that enemies out, when they finally received the
had distinct blind finished console they were pleasantly
spots to exploit relieved. Despite costing a fraction
– they could of the SG workstations, fortunately
only ‘see’ Nintendo had come good on most of

100 games to play before you die | 171

 Free at last its promises. “The processor ended up
being three quarters of what they had
Steve: “’It’s not your university project’
Tim Stamper told us one day! As heads
bloody big prop. And the explosion had
to be big enough to mask you switching
While GoldenEye was
instrumental in popularising told us”, explains Steve. “We had to cut of Rare, the Stampers probably had to one object with another. But then if it’s
the console FPS and introduced the textures down by half.” make a lot of excuses. That’s what we a gas plant, shouldn’t we have gas? We
a myriad of new ideas to the have to do these days. Why isn’t it out can’t do f*cking gas, but we have got

U
genre, the game has a very
tangible legacy to those that
nfortunate, but not a disaster. And yet? Why is it crap? We never had to fog… maybe we could change the fog
worked on it. Steve: “Free they coped with the reduction in answer those!” settings? Can we use that more than
Radical Design was set up admirable retro fashion. “A lot of Perhaps the Stamper Brothers’ once? Maybe in the Egypt setting?”
on the back of GoldenEye. It GoldenEye is in black and white”, admits greatest contribution to GoldenEye was For a game with more than its fair
led us to signing a deal in the Karl, rather surprisingly. “RGB colour fending off such enquiries and allowing share of wanton destruction, the team
first place. It opened doors
for us to do what we’ve gone textures cost a lot more in terms of the team time to develop a 3D game in became remarkably good at recycling.
on to do.” FRD has gone on processing power. You could do double what were still uncharted waters. Being The radar on multiplayer mode is actually
to become a major creative the resolution if you used greyscale, so a able to play Mario 64 on the new console an oil drum texture, which explains the
force in FPS development, lot was done like that. If I needed a bit of was a key influence. cloudiness on the right, and sometimes
producing the TimeSplitters
colour, I’d add it in the vertex.” Dave: “When Mario arrived it was whole levels were created with the
series and currently working
on Haze for PS3 due out later As their semi-colourful Bond world clearly a step forward. Martin was detritus they had to hand.
this year. Success has seen the was taking shape on the small screen, obsessed with the collision detection, Karl: “As the engine got better, we
Nottingham-based company the film it was based on was nearing which was obviously doing it in 3D were very good at reusing things. We
grow enormously and with 160 completion. The team had received the and GoldenEye was essentially using decided we’d do the meeting room
employees and relationships
with publishers such as EA, script very early in development and a 2D method. And our story was only from Moonraker, which I just loved. We
Ubisoft and LucasArts, have visited the set at Leavesden Studios, about shooting stuff – we needed other couldn’t do it round, that was just too
the boys ever considered going housed in an old Rolls Royce factory, things. We started putting in objectives, expensive, but we did a square version
back to Bond? Karl: “It’s been half a dozen times. “We had really like meeting people in a level and back and linked it with being under the shuttle.
suggested at times by people,
good access”, says Karl. “We could then that involved some complicated AI. Dave said those chairs just have got to
but publishers have to pay so
much for the Bond licence it walk anywhere and photograph what Finding Boris, guiding him through and fold down like in the film so we did it
puts them off. Actually, it would we needed. After the first few visits, I making him decode something… that with door code. I remember one chair
be good to do GoldenEye realised we needed textures. I started wasn’t easy! Other levels, you could hear always folded wrong, but it would have
again with new technology taking photos of walls!” the barrel being scraped – collect five taken so much coding to get it right, it
and do things we wanted to
first time.” Before we all get Visiting the filmset undoubtedly arbitrary pieces and go here, but Mario was like, hey, leave it as a bug! The
too excited though, he adds: helped cement the game world in the had plenty of that shit, which is pretty shuttle was made from reused satellite
“If FRD did a Bond game I’m minds of the team, but it also reminded boring. We punctuated it with stuff textures and to make it take off, we used
sure it would be good, but Rare that the clock was ticking. While like go and blow this thing up! Like the grenade explosions. That whole level is
there’s no GoldenEye magic
trying to release the game in tandem canisters at the end of Arkhangelsk. It’s something of a big hack job, but it’s one
dust you can sprinkle on.”
with the film had never been considered in the film and we could have just said of the nicest looking.”
a viable proposition, the thought of it go here and press X – Karl had built that GoldenEye was always good at giving
not appearing until the next Bond movie in the background but it wasn’t going you the big picture, from the dramatic
hit cinemas instilled an understandable to explode. But wouldn’t it be nice if it bungee jump down Byelomorye dam
sense of urgency. did? So the canisters became a ‘prop’. A at the opening to the final shoot out on

» Ahh, the beauty of the doorway. It provides a perfect » (From left to right) Karl, Steve and Graham were more than happy to revisit
bottleneck to take out enemies. GoldenEye’s multiplayer when Retro Gamer turned up with its N64.

32 | RETRO GAMER
 GOLDENEYE

trying to make the monitors seem alive.”

A notable omission are the Stamper
Brothers, who declined the opportunity
to have their faces featured in the game,
perhaps wary of giving employees
the chance to shoot their bosses at
close range. But the brothers’ faith in
the project, protecting the team from
outside interference and giving them
the space to produce the best game
» Here’s the man himself, tuxedo noticeably absent. they possibly could, means they can
the Antenna Cradle, but much of its hold their heads high. So many of the
enduring charm is in the detail. Bullet things that make GoldenEye special – the
holes in glass, graceful forward rolls, bonus Aztec and Egyptian levels, the
hats being blown off heads and the AI that sees guards dashing for alarms
knocking knees of terrified scientists. and the wonderful multiplayer mode
“Those are Duncan Botwood’s knees”, (see boxout) – were the result of not
laughs Karl. “He wasn’t a professional having to rush out a product to meet a » The name’s Bond… James Bond.
actor, he was one of the team! There demoralising deadline.
was only one big motion-capture shoot Steve: “The reason it turned out so as ‘floor’ so guards could ‘see’ you,
and we realised someone was going to well is that no one was standing over which meant they would occasionally
surrender at some point, so it was, ‘Put you saying you don’t need to do that, leap out of bunkers inexplicably. “At one
your hands up and shake your knees’. move on to the next bit. I was on the point, we were going to have reloading
Then it would be, ‘Stand there and we’ll explosions for a month and I didn’t have done by the player unplugging and
push you over’. I think we must have someone telling me I’d had a week and re-inserting the rumble pack on the
breached Health and Safety quite a lot…” that was enough. If there had been, the controller”, remembers Steve. “Nintendo
Graeme: “Duncan’s line was, ‘I had to game might have been out on time…” weren’t keen on that idea and I think it
die a million times for GoldenEye’. There But it wouldn’t have been the game might have affected the pacing a bit…”
were plenty of times when we’d get him it turned out to be. The entire team flew So to the main event – a ten-minute
to close his eyes and he didn’t know out to E3 in 1997 to present a 99 per deathmatch – and as our four agents
when he was going to be pushed. He cent complete version of GoldenEye and trade headshots and insults, they start to
went through a lot for the game. There while the game was well received, no reel off the things GoldenEye pioneered.
was blood.” one predicted the phenomenal success The sniper rifle, the gun disconnected
that followed. A staggering 8 million from the camera, the civilian AI, the 3D

I
t wasn’t the only occasion when the copies were sold worldwide and it explosions, the environment mapping
nearest warm body was put to good remains the biggest selling N64 game (look closely at a shiny surface and
use. Alongside the faces of Pierce in the USA, outdoing Mario 64, Ocarina you’ll notice a low resolution reflection
Brosnan, Robbie Coltrane et al, Bea Of Time and Mario Kart. “Actually, I of your surroundings), body-specific hit
Jones scanned in virtually all the staff at was concerned it wouldn’t be able to reactions and the tasty option of dual-
Rare. At the start of each level, five faces compete with Turok”, admits Karl. “That wielding weapons. “Didn’t Halo 2 invent » Dave Doak discovers that he still has that multiplayer
from the extensive collection are picked looked better and had a better frame that seven years later?” chuckles Karl. magic. Just not enough to beat Steve Ellis.
at random and plonked on the bodies of rate… and dinosaurs!” The list goes on, yet more fundamentally,
your adversaries. All the development Laughter all round and an appropriate they proved that a story driven FPS, a
team are in there and Karl remains rather juncture for the team to pick up their genre previously confined to PCs, could
proud of the manly scar added to his pads and revisit the game that marked triumph on a console. Countless others
own mug. More cameos were to follow, their entry into the industry. As Steve have followed, but GoldenEye remains
explains Steve. plays through the opening level, a benchmark.
“There are a few monitors in the memories are triggered like sticky And the winner? Appropriately
game – one has Dave in sunglasses and mines. How Martin had done a 3D gun enough, Steve, the creator of the
a Russian hat Karl had bought in Berlin, barrel that had to be dropped due to multiplayer mode that everyone loved,
there’s one with Mark in a bowler hat frame rate issues; how code had been nicks it by a single critical kill. Then the
on a skateboard and another has Karl written to let you drive the van, but it defeated trio realise he’s been playing
doing a Python silly walk. We were just caused too many problems if you got as Oddjob, whose diminutive stature
the vehicle stuck in a dead end; how the bestows a distinct advantage and the
unreachable island you can see far in the room echoes with cries of cheat and
distance from atop the dam originally demands for a rematch.
had a solitary guard patrolling it; how GoldenEye: still inflaming passions
they’d had to label certain wall textures twenty one years on.

For the motion capture, we’d get Duncan to

close his eyes and he didn’t know when he was
going to be pushed. He went through a lot for
the game. There was blood
Graeme Norgate on why those guards look like they’re really feeling it

100 games to play before you die | 173

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

As the fifth numbered instalment of the franchise hits the shelves,

Steve Holmes journeys to Shadow Moses to take a look at the bevy
of groundbreaking features that made up one of the most special
videogames ever made

T
here absolutely had to come a time Nineties after the release of Policenauts for the ill-fated
when videogames became like movies. multimedia console, but development was soon shifted
We’re desensitised to it now, having to Sony’s PlayStation. The intention was to build a
experienced the explosive set-pieces truly cinematic stealth experience that would garner
of Uncharted, the masterful pacing of The Last the reputation of being the greatest PlayStation game
Of Us and the grandiose narratives of games like ever made, and looking back at it now – to play it again,
Heavy Rain, but another game hit all three of these slowly and thoroughly, after all these years – really does
buttons and did it a long time ago. In Metal Gear encourage that way of thinking. This was a game that
Solid, achieving a cinematic effect didn’t reside solely was light years ahead of its time back in 1998 and still
in graphics, voice acting or cinematography, but in a offers a more accomplished and considered experience
glorious cocktail of all of these individual facets and than most triple-A games since.
more that resulted in what is still one of the greatest From the very start, Kojima’s desire to create a
overall presentations of all time. videogame that bore all the hallmarks of a movie is
Coming off the back of two Metal Gear titles for the apparent, as Solid Snake infiltrates Shadow Moses
MSX, Hideo Kojima and his team had endeavoured island to prevent a terrorist cell from launching a nuclear
to develop Metal Gear 3 for the 3DO in the mid- weapon. The terrorist group, made up of ex-

Pixel Perfect One of the best things about Metal Gear Solid was its vast array of
weapons and items you could use

Cardboard Box Ration Chaff Grenade Cigarettes FAmas

Scope stinger Disk pal card

174 | 100 games to play before you die

 METAL GEAR SOLID

This was a game that

was light years ahead of
its time back in 1998

Les Enfants
Terribles
The games that followed
Metal Gear Solid 2:
Sons Of Liberty 2001
■ The most derided MGS game caused quite
the stir when it was released, by shelving
Snake as a protagonist for new guy Raiden.

Metal Gear Solid 3:

Snake Eater 2004
■ Many people consider Snake Eater to be
the best game in the series. The mechanics
were miles ahead of anything on PS2.

Metal Gear Solid 4:

Guns Of The Patriots 2008
■ After learning that he has little more than a
year to live, Snake takes on one final mission
– the assassination of Liquid Ocelot.

Metal Gear Solid V:

The Phantom Pain 2015
■ The Phantom Pain is set in an enormous
open world and sees Big Boss embark on a
path of vengeance through Afghanistan.

Gas Mask mine detector c4 ketchup Nikita

Grenade PSG-1 keycard stun grenade socom

100 games to play before you die | 175

» Cameras are everywhere, but thanks to your Soliton
Radar, they’re easy to avoid with patience.

» Much of the story exposition in Metal Gear Solid takes

place during Codec conversations.

Even though you’re playing from what is Secrets

effectively a top-down perspective there’s a and lies
tangible sense of control to what you’re doing Five of the numerous hidden
moments in Metal Gear Solid

G
members of the special forces group raphics were considered to
FOXHOUND, are demanding delivery be pretty decent back in the Dead or alive
of the remains of Big Boss, a legendary day but, alas, as with most ■ After your first scrap with Sniper Wolf, you’re
war hero that Solid Snake defeated with polygonal games of that era, it interrogated and tortured by Revolver Ocelot. If
a makeshift flamethrower at the end looks rather dated now. This is perhaps you submit to torture, Meryl will be killed and you
of Metal Gear 2. It’s a quintessential the one area in which the game hasn’t escape with Otacon at the end instead.
action plot, really, and it’s only later stood the test of time, but if a better
on that you start to feel the narrative looking version is what you’re after Good vibrations
flourish into a web of interwoven then 2004’s The Twin Snakes for the ■ In this scene that occurs in the midst of Snake’s
plot lines, character relationships and GameCube has you covered, although torture, Naomi Hunter offers to comfort him by
government conspiracy. Only Metal this version of the game made quite stimulating the nanomachines inside his body,
Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater has managed a few changes and had Snake leaping making your controller vibrate in the process.
this clarity of storytelling since, when around like a ninja.
you look at the rest of the franchise. As If you can ignore the muddy aesthetic, Irritable bowels
for FOXHOUND, it still stands as a truly though, there’s a sense of realism in ■ The soldier that Meryl knocks out and
memorable rogues’ gallery with a varied the gameplay subsequently ends up guarding an imprisoned Solid
» Metal Gear Solid was one of
roster of boss fights that required a the many killer apps available for Snake is Johnny Sasaki, a recurring character that
different approach and different Sony’s PlayStation. eventually marries Meryl in MGS4.
items to best.
Ego attack
■ Psycho Mantis does a great many things when you
encounter him, but there’s a moment where the screen
clips and then fades to black, with the word HIDEO
appearing across it. This joke is repeated in MGS2.

Mind reader
■ Before the boss fight, Psycho Mantis famously
reads your memory card to see how much you’ve
saved and how many times you’ve died, as well as
other games that you’ve played before. Creepy.
 METAL GEAR SOLID

All in the genes The DNA of Metal Gear Solid

005 Metal Gear
■ Sega’s 005 is often Castle ■ Hideo Kojima’s
credited as being Wolfenstein MSX original was
the first ever stealth ■ Another early stealth title that essentially the
1981 game, and even 1981 laid foundations for what Hideo 1987 backbone of what
features the ability to Kojima would popularise for he’d create for the
hide in boxes. modern times with PlayStation.
Metal Gear Solid.
You can sneak past
guards and even
impersonate them.

1988
Hostages Snatcher
■ Developed by New Frontier, ■ One of Kojima’s earlier titles,
Hostages had you infiltrating Snatcher brought adventure and
an embassy and rescuing, you sci-fi together – two things that he
guessed it, hostages. later explored heavily in MGS.

1994

Policenauts Final Fantasy VI

■ Kojima began to hone his ■ Given Metal Gear Solid ’s
storytelling craft with his science- narrative focus, it’s easy to see
fiction opus. A poster for the game how Square’s franchise could
can be seen in Otacon’s office. have had an influence.

GoldenEye 007
■ Kojima has said
before that he’s a
1997 massive Bond fan, and
we like to think that this
timeless shooter imparted
some inspiration.

that still holds true today. Kojima and the way that you could knock on a wall
his military advisor, Motosada Mori, to distract an unsuspecting sentry and
worked hard to ensure that the military the fact that your footsteps left tracks in
aspects of the game were authentic, the Alaskan snow that could be tracked
with the use of suppressed weapons, by the enemy. We’d just never seen
chaff grenades and mine detectors anything like it before, and although such
contributing to a more serious military mechanics are child’s play nowadays,
simulation than many of Metal Gear they really stood out back in 1998.

O
Solid ’s contemporaries. Obviously, there
was a lot there that was exaggerated f course, if you wanted to
– nanomachines aren’t a thing, funnily experience complete and » In this early confrontation, Kojima forces you to resort to
enough – but the attention to detail utter realism you wouldn’t shooting rather than sneaking.
remains to be startling. Each weapon be playing a videogame, and
feels intuitive, and even though you’re Hideo Kojima, as you’ll know if you’ve
playing from what is effectively a top- played Metal Gear Solid or any of its
down perspective there’s a tangible sequels, understands this better than
sense of control to what you’re doing. most directors out there. There are
And this sense of realism extended numerous occasions on which there’s
to the game’s ace in the hole – its a nod toward breaking the fourth wall
stealth. We can remember playing the with a little knowing humour, like Meryl
demo version of Metal Gear Solid prior shrugging towards the camera when
to the game’s release and being blown you tread on a mine before Sniper
away by the ability to huddle against Wolf and the references to pop culture » Environments are pretty varied, considering the fact that
walls to avoid line-of-sight detection, when you’re desperately trying to the whole story takes place in one location.

100 games to play before you die | 177

 Boss Rush Pitted against Solid Snake were the ruthless and deadly members of FOXHOUND, a
tank, a helicopter and a massive robot. Easy
Boss 7
Boss 1
Vulcan Raven (TANK)
■ When you leave the hangar after
defeating Ocelot, a very large man in a
very large tank is waiting for you. This
is your first showdown with the
shaman, Vulcan Raven.
HOW TO BEAT HIM: Grenades are
essential for this fight, and you should have
some from the second floor basement in
the first area. Crawl until you can get near
Revolver Ocelot the tank without it firing its main gun, and
■ A gun-toting, duster coat-wearing then run around it to avoid machine gun
nonsensical old Russian chap, Revolver fire and keep lobbing grenades. You can
Ocelot eventually proves to be pretty also use Claymores to slow him.
much the most important character in the Difficulty Rating
franchise later on, yet his appearance here
is pretty demure.
HOW TO BEAT THEM: As you’re in a small
room filled with C4, the first thing to bear
in mind is not to shoot across the room
at Ocelot, but instead pursue him round
the edges and pick your shots carefully. Liquid Snake in Hind-D
Change direction regularly and wait for ■ At the top of the longest staircase
openings when he’s reloading. Boss 2 Boss 6 in videogame history, Liquid Snake
Difficulty Rating attacks you in the Russian gunship
you saw earlier.
Gray Fox HOW TO BEAT THEM: Use the big
■ You hear rumours of the ninja’s exploits block in the middle as cover and trust
Boss 3 as soon as you arrive in Shadow Moses your radar. As soon as you’ve locked
and he’s not to be underestimated on to the helicopter with your Stinger,
(especially on harder difficulties). Gray Fox hit Square, then R1 to un-equip and
is central to the plot. dash behind cover, as Liquid is sure to
HOW TO BEAT THEM: In the first few retaliate immediately. The heatseekers
minutes of the fight, engage him in hurt a lot, so be sure to grab cover.
fisticuffs – if you shoot at him he’ll deflect Difficulty Rating
your rounds. Once he starts vanishing, use
Chaff Grenades to mess with his suit and
go to town with the FAMAS. Be sure to
avoid his plunging attack – it hurts. Sniper Wolf (Part 1)
Difficulty Rating ■ After defeating Mantis and making
your way past some wolves, you reach
a long passageway. At the end of this
passage lies Sniper Wolf, who very
quickly makes herself known.
HOW TO BEAT THEM: First off, run back Boss 5
to B2 in the first building and grab the
PSG-1. Lie as close to the edge of the wall
as you can, pop some Diazepam to steady
your aim and follow her with your rifle as
closely as possible. Don’t give her enough
Psycho Mantis time to shoot and this fight is easy.
■ If you’ve never heard of this boss fight then where Boss 4 Difficulty Rating
have you been hiding since 1998? Mantis is a psychic,
and takes control of Meryl to make her try to kill you.
HOW TO BEAT THEM: Immediately switch your
controller to Port 2 and the rest of the fight should be
a doddle. He’ll throw all manner of things at you from
around the room, but learn the patterns, keep moving
and he’ll soon topple. It should be a given that you’re
best off punching Meryl rather than shooting at her –
you don’t want to kill her.
Difficulty Rating

178 | 100 games to play before you die

 METAL GEAR SOLID

Sniper Wolf (Part 2) Vulcan Raven

■ Soon after you’ve downed the chopper, Sniper Wolf ■ Upon reaching cold storage, Vulcan
returns as promised, firing at you from across a barren, Raven returns to do battle in the
blizzard-stricken plain. company of an enormous minigun that
HOW TO BEAT THEM: As long as you can keep her in he’s taken off a fighter jet.
your sights at all times there’s no real excuse for losing HOW TO BEAT THEM: This fight can
this fight. Her shots hurt a lot, but if you’re being alert be tricky as Raven can see further
then you can pretty much lie still and fire as soon as than any other enemy in the game and
she pops her head out. simply cannot be engaged head on or
» This famous scene was reworked for MGS2. Despite its
Difficulty Rating you’ll die very quickly. Watch the radar humour, Metal Gear isn’t for kids.
and get behind him with the Stinger or
Boss 8 the Nikita, and keep moving at all times save the bloody game and Mei
or you’re screwed. Ling just won’t shut up. It’s an intricate
Difficulty Rating balance between action, stealth and
the occasional smirk that works so
well, when on paper it sounds like
it shouldn’t. Perhaps the most cited
moments in the game are when the
fourth wall does, in fact, come crashing
down, It almost feels like a waste of
time mentioning the Psycho Mantis
encounter in the game’s first act, as
you’d have to have been living under the
sea since 1998 to not have heard about
his ability to read your memory card,
to make your controller vibrate and the
Boss 9 fact that you needed to swap your pad
to Port 2 to beat him. This is the sort
of quirkiness that seems to be missing
from modern games. It’s still surprising
Metal Gear REX just how effortlessly the mood switches
■ This is the big one. After entering from self-knowing to hard-nosed, for
the PAL Key, Liquid Snake activates instance when Revolver Ocelot tells you
Metal Gear and attacks you with it in a to mash Circle and not to use a Turbo
massive hangar. controller or he’ll know, before ruthlessly
HOW TO BEAT THEM: Keep throwing electrocuting you.
Chaff Grenades at all times – this way But the most important to MGS is
REX’s heatseekers will struggle to keep that no other game could hold a torch to
up with you. First you need to disable it back in 1998, and the main reason that
REX’s radome with the Stinger, and Kojima succeeded in his goal to create
then fire at the cockpit in the second a videogame that was as close to being
half of the fight. Keep moving and keep a movie as possible, was Metal Gear
your Rations equipped! Solid ’s proclivity for drama. Every stab
Boss 10 Difficulty Rating of the orchestra, every conversation
beat and every set-piece was superbly
executed and still draw you in now. It’s a
» This enjoyable bit cheesy, sure, but after a few hours in
remake adds Metal
Gear Solid 2 play front of Metal Gear Solid it’s hard not to
mechanics to the mix. find yourself completely engrossed.

Liquid Snake
■ We’d argue that this is one of the greatest showdowns of all time – a bare-knuckle
fist fight between two brothers on top of a massive robot. Incredible.
HOW TO BEAT THEM: Liquid is kind enough to tell you to stay away from the edges,
so heed his advice. Other than that, it’s best to just keep moving around and throw in
as many punch-punch-kick combos as possible – you don’t have much time to beat
him, so make each combo count. Difficulty Rating

100 games to play before you die | 179

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

180 | 100 games to play before you die

 Recently, Retro Gamer readers voted Ocarina Of Time the second greatest
game of all time. We caught up with numerous classic developers to find out why
Nintendo's epic 64-bit console classic still has the power to enthrall and enchant
gamers after all these years

W
hen all is said and done, a great That Ocarina Of Time is a game bursting at Back in 1986, when that first game in the
game is measured simply by the seams with memorable moments like these series was released, technical constraints meant
the journey you’ve taken – that all wrapped up inside one epic adventure makes Miyamoto could only project the core themes of
moment when you reflect on the it not only the best Zelda game in the series but, Zelda on the screen – staples such as the three
hours you’ve invested and ask yourself ‘was it for many people, one of the greatest videogames central characters, the Triforce, Hyrule, the sense
really worth it?’ as well. It’s a game that takes you on the most of freedom, and of course the dungeons. And
The best games in history have all provided perfect kind of adventure, one that anyone of any as early as its first sequel, it was clear Miyamoto
us with memorable adventures we’ve enjoyed age can easily relate: you’re the hero, you scale was beginning to think more about how, having
taking a commanding role in, adventures we’ve the castle, defeat the villain, rescue the princess, smashed the pegs into the ground, he could
felt a strange polarised sense of disappointment and in doing all of that restore peace to the land start erecting his true image for Hyrule using the
and pleasure at seeing the credits roll, enjoyed and become the stuff of legend. modest powers of the NES.
paying a revisit to once or twice, and have While there can be no question that the original The Adventure Of Link, while widely branded
provided us with memories we will likely carry The Legend Of Zelda was a true watershed as the ‘black sheep’ of the series, shares a
with us forever – because we were there and moment for videogames, and Ocarina owes number of striking similarities with the franchise’s
we made them happen. For you, perhaps these it a sincere debt of thanks for putting the core golden calf. The sequel added side-on platform
include something as simple as rescuing Pauline pieces in place, it was merely a small portion, a sections that transported gamers into the heart
from the clutches of Donkey Kong, or maybe you compromise if you like, of what series creator of Hyrule, with this new viewpoint used to create
remember specific parts of bigger pictures most Shigeru Miyamoto had actually envisioned for village sections filled with people with which Link
fondly – like the time you finally found you could Link, Zelda, Gannon and the land of Hyrule. Since could interact and converse with during his quest.
pull off Dragon Punches on command (grasping Ocarina ’s release, Zelda’s creator has revealed Not only would this help to breathe a greater
the natural technique and not simply following that Ocarina Of Time marks his true original sense of life and immersion into the world, but
inputs), slaughtered your first Cyberdemon, or vision of the world – it is the land of Hyrule he also weight a greater sense of responsibility on
crossed the finish line in OutRun. imagined, finally brought to life. the shoulders of the player too.

100 games to play before you die | 181

 »» The original plan was for Ocarina to be entirely first-person. While this idea
was dropped, the perspective was kept for looking and aiming.

»» As the title implies, Ocarinas play an essential part in the story. Throughout his quest Link learns new songs that he must play to solve puzzles.

T
he sequel also had a stronger emphasis sequels too. The ocarinas, for example, which Ocarina didn’t actually appear until the end of
on action. Link could now cast spells play a big part in helping you progress in the November, two years after the launch of the N64
(in Ocarina Of Time Link could do the story, made their first appearance in the Game in Japan, following a number of delays.
same, and a new magic meter allowed Boy game Link’s Awakening, while A Link To The Designed on a heavily altered version of the
him to perform special charge attacks) and Past ’s dark and light realms also returned, with Mario 64 engine, Ocarina ’s creation was handled
earn experience points to improve his attacks. Link aging seven years in the game to see the by Nintendo’s EAD branch, with different parts
While this levelling up mechanic was promptly devastating effect Ganondorf’s rule has had on of its creation overseen by various teams headed
dropped by the series soon after, this aspect of the kingdom of Hyrule. up by different directors. Each team focused
character development still played a big part Ocarina Of Time was first unveiled at on areas such as scripting and story scenarios,
in Ocarina Of Time’s gameplay – just now it Nintendo’s Space World event in December Link’s actions and camera controls, and coming
was done by the far more interesting means of 1995. Shown to a floor of astonished and excited up with the various items for him to use in the
acquiring new gadgets, items, additional heart attendees, Nintendo announced that the game game. As the development progressed, further
containers and better weapons during the quest. would be ready in time to become a launch teams were added, overseeing aspects such as
But while Ocarina appears to be inspired most game for its successor to the Super Nintendo, sound and special effects in the game. Finally,
by The Adventure Of Link, the game also took a the Nintendo 64. But with the launch just a year Kensuke Tanabe, writer on A Link To The Past,
number of popular ideas and themes from other away, that projection proved a little ambitious. returned to once again pen the script for the
game based on a story idea that had been
When the project started, the team working on the hatched by Shigeru Miyamoto

game numbered around 15 people; by the time it and Yoshiaki Koizumi.

Working as producer
neared completion this number had swelled to 50 and supervisor, Miyamoto
oversaw overall production
of the game, giving ideas
to the directors to develop and
also it was his responsibility
to see that all the individual
componants came
together suitable.
When
Mario 64 was
released,
Miyamoto
was able to
concentrate
solely on
Zelda to help the
teams complete
the game. When
the project started, the
developers working on the
game numbered around 15; by
the time it neared completion
this number had swelled to an
impressive 50.

182 | 100 games to play before you die

 The LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME

We relive some of our favourite moments from Ocarina Of Time

Kokiri Forest Meeting the Princess
You start the game in Kokiri Forest, Link’s village, After an unnecessary Metal Gear-style stealth section,
and can spent ages exploring it before venturing out into in which Link must avoid the glare of the guards as they patrol
Hyrule Field. Acting almost as a training dungeon, Link has the grounds of the castle, he finally catches up with princess
to retrieve both a sword and the Deku Shield to be granted Zelda. Their encounters always memorable, she tells Link that
an audience with The Great Deku Tree. When both objects she fears that Ganondorf is seeking the Triforce to rule Hyrule,
are retrieved, Link then enters the tree and embarks on and so asks him to retrieve the remaining two spiritual stones
his first dungeon. Once complete, the tree warns Link of

A
and get to its before he does. And Link does just that. Well,
number of things delayed Zelda ’s Ganondorf’s evil intent, rewards him with the first spiritual she is the princess after all.
release. As well as its development stone and tells him to speak with princess Zelda.
moving across to the 64DD at one
stage (with the plan to make it a
launch game for the N64 disk-drive add-on),
when thinking of how best to fully immerse the
player in Hyrule like never before, Miyamoto had
originally wanted the game to play out entirely
in the first-person too. This idea, however, was
dropped after it was decided that during the
game the player would control Link both as a
boy and then as an adult, and the idea would
have lost much of its impact if Link remained Hyrule Field Lord Jabu-Jabu
out of sight for the majority of the adventure. Many Zelda fans remember the first time they set foot There are some imaginative and brilliantly designed
Surprisingly, the game’s memorable story was onto Hyrule Field in the game as being a special and defining dungeons in Ocarina but none more quirky than the belly
actually incorporated and finalised at the latter moment in gaming. The point at which Ocarina really starts of Lord Jabu-Jabu. One of the game’s trickier dungeons to
stages of the game’s design. to reveal its size and majesty, the field acts as a hub stage complete, it sees Link getting swallowed by the giant, sacred
In keeping with the game’s focus on immersion and is surrounded by various different areas, all populated whale-like creature after giving him an offering of fish, and
and displaying the land of Hyrule in the best by the different races that populate Hyrule. When you make then having to travel through his extremely large stomach to
your way to Hyrule Castle and the sunlight in the sky fades, find Ruto, the princess of the Zora race, and retrieve the final
possible way, it was Miyamoto’s intention that
you cannot help but feel both impressed and captivated. spiritual stone together.
the camera in the game had a spotlight on Hyrule
rather than Link and his actions. This decision
made logical sense in the adventure game Using the Ocarina
setting. In Mario 64, players benefited greatly Music plays a big part in Ocarina, as is to be expected from
from having fluid and clear sight over Mario at all a game with a musical instrument in the title. Not only is the
times, helping them to get accustomed to his new audio in the game dynamic, quickly changing depending on
what’s happening, but its characters and many areas are also
abilities and negotiate platform sections in a new given their own unique motif too. Music also has a significant
3D space. It was decided that such requirements part to play in the quest and story, thanks to the eponymous
were not necessary in a Zelda game. ocarinas. Acquiring his first ocarina from Saria when he
leaves Koriki Forest, Link continually learns new songs to aid
him on his quest – tunes to open doors, befriend people, even
for summoning help.

Becoming Adult
Taming Epona The sequel A Link To The Past was the first game to
Navigating Hyrule Field by foot is fine to begin with introduce the dual-realm mechanic to the series. Proving
but later on in the game you’ll be covering a lot of ground; so popular, it was then reintroduced brilliantly in Ocarina.
it’s a good idea to pay a stop to Lon Lon Ranch located near When Link enters the Sacred Realm his concentration is
the centre of the field. Visiting there as a child, Link meets momentarily distracted by the Master Sword, allowing
Malon, the owner’s daughter, who teaches him to play Ganondorf to seize the Triforce. When Link awakens seven
Epona’s song on his ocarina. When he returns as an adult, years later, he’s an adult, and the kingdom of Hyrule has been
and learns that Ganodorf has handed the ranch to devious cast into darkness and despair as a result of Ganandorf’s
range hand Ingo, Link uses the song to tame Epona and bust abuse of the powerful relic. Link is given a startling glimpse of
her out. She is then his to ride in Hyrule Field. what the future holds should he fail in his quest.

100 games to play before you die | 183

 the many adventures of link
Here's just a few of the adventures Link has been on since starring in Ocarina Of Time

The Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask The Legend Of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
System: N64 Year Released: 2000 System: Game Boy Color Year Released: 2001
System: Game Boy Color Year Released: 2001
There are some people who actually prefer this to Oracle Of Ages marked Nintendo’s first collaboration
Oracle Of Seasons ’ counterpart shares similar elements
Ocarina Of Time, and it’s easy to see why that might be with Capcom on its popular series. Linking together with
with Majora’s Mask, in that you must manipulate the
the case. Unlike Ocarina, Majora’s Mask is structured Oracle Of Seasons (a password allows you to continue
flow of time to achieve the vast majority of your goals.
around a constant three-day cycle that sees Link your adventure) it’s an enjoyable quest that sees Link
It’s another grandiose adventure that shares a fair few
changing into a variety of different characters, as he manipulating the seasons to solve a slew of clever
similarities with A Link To The Past, and was further proof
tries to stop Termina, the alternate world of Hyrule being puzzles. It lacks the imagination of Link’s Awakening but
that Capcom could treat the Zelda franchise with just as
obliterated by its out of control moon. remains a worthy handheld adventure.
much respect as Nintendo.

The Legend Of Zelda: The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap
A Link To The Past & Four Swords System: GameCube Year Released: 2002 System: Game Boy Advance Year Released: 2004
System: Game Boy Advance Year Released: 2002 Many were put off by The Wind Waker ’s cel-shaded The Minish Cap is another fine effort from developers
Although A Link To The Past wasn’t a new game, it was visuals, which is a real shame, as they enabled Miyamoto Capcom and dovetails nicely with the events of Four Swords
significant here as it introduced the smaller standalone to convey a sense of emotion in his characters that had and Four Swords Adventures. In addition to introducing a
adventure Four Swords. Created by Capcom, it’s a clever never been seen before or since. The expansive ocean talking bird hat called Ezlo and a variety of excellent new
little four-player game that was expanded for the later travelling put some off, but everyone else discovered items to collect, The Minish Cap also shrinks Link down
GameCube release. A Link To The Past was changed very another incredible adventure that easily captured the for the vast majority of the game, which gives it a very
little, but it’s surprisingly well-suited to gaming on the go. spirit of earlier games. distinctive look and adds plenty of fresh new mechanics.

Since the release of The Legend Of Zelda,

Every aspect of Ocarina felt well-considered; it
was like the game was trying its hardest to make your
Miyamoto had always wanted to make players
feel as if they were really inside Hyrule. With
the N64 giving him the power to finally do this,
Miyamoto and his teams thought about how
stay in Hyrule as pleasurable as possible
best to make the player feel fully immersed in its button which could be used to make Link wave made incredibly simple thanks to an innovative
world. And, in finding their answer, they came up his sword around, open doors, move objects, new combat system the game introduced that
with another of Ocarina Of Time’s best aspects: climb platforms, and converse with Hyrule’s was called Z-targeting. An automatic aiming
the controls. many memorable characters – made the game mechanic for Link’s projectile weapons, it has
instantly playable. since become combat staple in videogames and

T
o say the controls in Ocarina are Similarly, using items and viewing the world has been used in many games across various
attuned perfectly to the game world was made a breeze thanks to clever use of different genres.
better than any 3D game that has come the controller’s yellow C (camera) buttons. In In addition to the game’s obliging control
before or since is no exaggeration. third-person mode, items could be assigned scheme, players were also aided on their quest
Making full use of the crazy number of to them to enable easy and immediate access by a fairy helper called Navi. Acting as your guide
buttons on the N64 controller, Link was able during the game, while in first-person mode throughout the adventure, and never away from
to effortless navigate Hyrule. Simple but very the same buttons offered total control over the Link’s side, she would point out points of interest
effective inclusions – such as having him jump game’s camera to help you get your bearings during the game as well as offer useful hints and
automatically whenever he was steered off and offer precision aiming for weapons such suggestions to help you complete puzzles.
the edge of a platform (considerately saving as the slingshot and boomerang. Combat, like Every aspect of Ocarina felt well-considered; it
you the obvious job), and a context-sensitive A everything else in Ocarina Of Time, was also was like the game was trying its hardest to make

184 | 100 games to play before you die

 The LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME

»» This odd stealth section, which sees Link avoiding guards to reach
princess Zelda, is one of the less impressive sections in the game.

The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
System: GameCube/Wii Year Released: 2006 System: DS Year Released: 2009
As good as Twilight Princess was, it was more a retread Although we enjoyed Spirit Tracks, there was a distinct
of ground covered in Ocarina Of Time than it was a brand feeling that the franchise and well-used formulae
new adventure. It was also hampered on the Wii thanks of the past were beginning to run out of steam. The
to controls that, while decent, weren’t as accessible or train sections proved disappointingly simplistic and
intuitive as expected. Our advice would be to make the monotonous, while the dungeons lacked the pizzazz
effort to hunt down the more expensive – but far more and cleverness of precious offerings. It’s still a great
satisfying – GameCube offering. adventure, of course, but we’re used to more from Link.

The Legend Of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
System: 3DS Year Released: 2013 System: Wii U/Switch Year Released: 2017
Link's first original 3DS game is actually a sequel to Link's latest adventure made its debut on both the Switch
SNES hit, A Link To The Past. As a result the game world and Wii U. It greatly improves the Zelda formulae of old,
is instantly familiar, but it's set up so that you can pretty creating a huge open world for Link to explore in any way
much tackle any dungeon you wish. There's also a he chooses. Filled with magical moments and finely tuned
brilliant new ability for Link which allows him to become mechanics, it's an excellent game that cherry picks all the
paper thin so that he can access brand new areas that greatest moments from open world games and delivers
would otherwise be impossible to reach. them in an unmissable package.

your stay in Hyrule as pleasurable as possible, so halfway through the adventure. Upon
that you’d tell all of your friends to pay it a visit, unsealing the Sacred Realm, Ganondorf
or maybe even decide to revisit it again yourself. pilfers the Triforce and Link is sealed in
the Sacred Realm and must work out how

T
he story of Ocarina Of Time is set before to escape.
the events of the first four games in It is once you reach this point that events
the series, and sticks to the traditional take a dramatic turn. Seven years have now
Zelda template: Link must venture into passed, and when Link awakens he is met by
a series of enemy-filled dungeons, find a desired one of seven sages whose job is to protect the
object and then make his escape by defeating Triforce. Now a young adult, Link learns that
a gargantuan boss blocking the exit route. Ganondorf has used the Triforce to cast the
However, Ocarina, like A Link To The Past before kingdom of Hyrule into darkness. Hope now
it, is split into two very distinct sections. The rests with Link reawakening five dormant sages,
first, which is set in a lush and vibrant-looking by travelling to five temples in Hyrule to defeat
depiction of Hyrule, sees Link as a young boy, Ganondorf’s monsters and break his evil spell.
under orders from princess Zelda to retrieve If he succeeds, the sages can trap Ganondorf
three Spiritual Stones that will grant him access inside the Sacred Realm and restore the kingdom
to the Sacred Realm where the Triforce is kept. of Hyrule to its original state.
Simply getting to this point can take players The moment that Link steps outside and
around a week – more should they embark on sees the effects Ganondorf’s reign has had on
many of the side-quests – but this is less than Hyrule – sapping it of all life, colour and beauty

100 games to play before you die | 185

 »» Unlocking Epona is one of the game’s must-do side-missions –
otherwise you’ll make some pretty long treks across Hyrule Field.

»» The music in the game was composed by Koji Kondo, who was responsible for creating the music in all of the main Zelda games.

and turning it into a dark, depressing, shrivelled expecting to find a friendly face, Link learns that games to ever see release. Garnering high
up shell of its former self – is one of Ocarina Of its original proprietors, Talon and his daughter, acclaim and rave review scores across the board,
Time’s many rug-pulling moments. Hyrule now have been mercilessly booted out of their home and making history by scoring the first ever 40/40
looks ashen and volcanic; the walking dead by Ganondorf, and ownership has now been in Weekly Famitsu, the only other game sequels
replace the fizzy townsfolk; and Kokiri Forest is handed to Talon’s deceitful stablehand Ingo. This, to have ever had the same kind of impact are
overgrown with deadly flora and vegetation, no and many other changes for the worse you learn perhaps Street Fighter II and Nintendo's very own
longer a safe haven for Link, but the perfect place about, which soon add mounting weight to the killer app, Super Mario 64.
for evil to thrive.

An enchanting and perfect game world, which set

L
ike that memorable scene in Back To The
Future 2, where Marty returns to a bleak an early benchmark for all 3D adventures that has still
and unwelcoming image of the present in
which Biff has become a casino magnate, yet to be bettered in any meaningful way
it’s an effective plot device that shows the hero
an important glimpse at what his future will be quest, as you see not only the important but also If we want to be incredibly picky, we’d say that
should he fail to put things right. In Ocarina Of the personal effects of your actions. there are some weaker aspects of Ocarina Of
Time, the effect is used just as evocatively as in With its numerous delays, an almost-switch Time that don’t live up to the majesty displayed
the movie, spurring the player on to complete of platform, and also in taking that sometimes elsewhere, and which leave it looking and feeling
their quest and put things right. Indeed, paying tricky step up to 3D, it would be fair to say that fairly dated today. For example, at points it’s not
a return visit to many of the familiar locations Ocarina Of Time exceeded almost everybody’s made explicitly clear where you should be going
around Hyrule at this point kicks up a number expectations at the time, achieving incredible next in the game, and there are sections that only
of surprises for Link and the player. Lon Lon reviews. Nintendo not only appeased open up to you on the completion of some pretty
Ranch, the stables where Link finds and (once an longstanding fans of its popular franchise by stupid criteria – such as cleansing a room entirely
adult) wins his trusty horse Epona, is now under delivering a brand new 3D Zelda game to surpass of bats (which can sometimes mean that the odd
new ownership. Walking through its tall gates the lofty eminence of its 16-bit masterpiece A wayward one can leave you stumped), or having
Link To The Past, but also managed to attract two conversations with the same character in
a whole new audience to the franchise by quick succession. Don’t even get us started with
delivering one of the greatest adventure the swimming mechanics, or the legendary

186 | 100 games to play before you die

 the LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME

favourite moments from ocarina of time

Readers offer us a link to the past by recalling the Ocarina moment that has stayed with them more than any other
The Mask Seller FatTrucker
spending hours and hours trying to solve
theantmesiter I’ve mentioned this before but when Link At the time it was released probably the
them, only to realise it was something
Finishing it. I bought Ocarina Of Time on first leaves Kokiri Forest, the parting with standout moment for me was when you
simple, like firing an arrow into the eye or
release day back in 1998 and it literally took Saria on the wooden rope bridge gets me finished the first hour or so of godawful
such. A great game.
me ten years to finish it. Looking back, it every time. They’re just children in the Nintendo™ handholding and ‘practice’,
really was the greatest adventure I ever game but the parting is handled so well. It Reglan and suddenly had access to anywhere you
experienced in gaming. I aged along with conveys a lot more emotion with its muddy When Link first encounters King Dodongo. I wanted to go. It just seemed so suddenly
Link and almost cried when it was over. And textures, simple character models and think my jaw hit the floor from being caught unscripted and ripe for exploration as you
with that, I boxed up the game and haven't purely text script then any FMV-enhanced off guard by how massive that thing actually walked out onto Hyrule field for the first
touched it since. epic I’ve played. I also love the bit when the was. The ensuing battle is still one of my time. It was probably the first step toward
Goron King rocks out to Saria’s Song. favorites. whats now known as ‘sandbox’ gaming,
ShadowMan
and it felt genuinely new and exciting at
Getting out of the Water Temple. Words learnedrobb Zapper
the time.
cannot describe my joy and relief to finally Just one moment? There’s no way I Beating the game without picking up any
finish that pain in the ass. can manage it. I'll say the whole damn game! extra heart containers. The atmosphere dste
is generally great in this game but this I would say, for me, that out of the entire
RetroMartin StickHead
challenge I set for myself made me feel it a game my favourite moment would be when,
Pulling out the Master Sword; classic scene, Got to be escaping Lon Lon Ranch on the
lot more. I had gotten a bit too used to the after seven years, Link leaves the Temple
classic tune... and the ability to change from back of Epona. I felt like Steve McQueen in
game after playing it so much, so this made of Time and you see how time and evil has
adult to kid! The Great Escape.
it a lot more exciting. destroyed Castle Town. Death Mountain
Shinobi mrmarvelxiii sitting in the background with the light
Miketendo
When you first meet Zelda for the first time It has to be the ending. No other game whirring around it just looks immense, and
I think the most important moment in
and she plays Epona’s Song – the best piece ending has touched me so deeply; the it just introduces the next part of the game
Ocarina Of Time isn’t just one moment, it’s
of music ever! Also, the art gallery, and the music, the gathering around the Lon Lon so brilliantly.
all the moments. That was one of the last
Grim Reaper on the horse that came out of Ranch Bonfire and that final shot of young
games that I just could not put down until I boggyb68
the paintings.. Link and Zelda meeting once again...
finished it. I haven't had that feeling since The beginning; all I do in it is wander around
sscott Ocarina. The overall feeling of massive the village throwing
Walking out onto Hyrule field for the very Budley Moore exploration was astonishing, and I think rocks all over the place and making a
first time and thinking, ‘I can go anywhere Simply solving some of the fiendishly that’s what ultimately sold me on the game silly whooping noise at the same time...
I want!’ deceptive puzzles, kicking myself after in the first place. it’s marvellous!

frustration of its slow-motion Water Temple to be bettered in any meaningful way – Nintendo
dungeon. However, its lush, beautiful 3D world, is clearly hoping the 3DS will help encourage
fluid controls, masterful storytelling, game those who missed the game first time around
design and incredible pacing make it as perfect a to pick up and experience one of its most finest
game as you could probably ever hope to play. and accomplished videogames. The muddy
Nintendo 64 visuals may have lost some their

T
hat its influence and popularity can magic since the game was originally released,
still be felt to this day is a mark of its but that’s never been Zelda ’s formula for success
impact and legacy. Having already and it never will be, as the recently released
been re-released twice before, first with Breath Of The Wild proved. As we said at the
Ocarina Of Time: Master Quest for GameCube start, the mark of whether a game is good or not
in 2003 – a revision of the game featuring new is always judged by reflecting upon the journey
puzzles and tougher dungeons to tackle – and it’s taken you on. No game series on any format
then for Virtual Console, the game is once again proves that better than Zelda, and few games,
thrust back into spotlight with a new remastered if any, offer a journey as magical, memorable
– and, dare we even say, definitive – edition and timeless as Ocarina Of Time. It remains as
for the 3DS. As well as rendering the Hyrule in enchanting to play now, as it did the very first
»» Ocarina features plenty of epic bosses, made more interesting by their
stereoscopic 3D, Ocarina Of Time 3D has made time we experienced it. A true imposing shapes filling the screen and clever attack patterns.
subtle improvements to the gameplay, full classic we'll never get bored of
use of the console’s in-built touch-screen for playing.
item selection, and gyroscope technology to
offer motion-controlled aiming. It also came
packaged with both the original N64 and
Master Quest editions of the game, as well
as a brand new boss rush mode for fans to
hone their Z-triggering skills with. In short it's a
superb update of a classic game that highlights
just how far ahead of the curve the original N64
classic was at the time.
Clearly proud of what it achieved with Ocarina
Of Time – creating one of the most enchanting
and perfect game worlds, and setting an early
benchmark for all 3D adventures that has still yet

100 games to play before you die | 187

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

Record-breaking, technically astounding, IN THE KNOW

but cripplingly expensive and still unfinished.
» Publisher: Sega
» Developer: Sega-AM2

Cole Machin asks why Shenmue continues » PLATFORM: Dreamcast

» Released: 1999
to command such a following? » Genre: Adventure

O
ver the years there span, the writing on the wall was lead systems programmer Tak Hirai
have been many games becoming clear for the Saturn as North about his role in the development of
hailed as triumphs of American sales lagged, developers Shenmue for the Dreamcast, he replied:
game engineering, struggled with the notoriously difficult “I was responsible for managing a
as milestones of progress in the setup of the system’s hardware, and team of 87 programmers. I also made
industry and as huge leaps forward support from Sega of America began final judgements regarding the overall
in terms of depth and gameplay. Of to fail. Work on the Saturn version was program behaviour of the whole
these titles, few have encountered halted; it was clear that if the Shenmue game. Managing this huge team of
as many difficulties or been as saga was ever going to see the light programmers was a nightmare since it
beloved by its fans as Shenmue. of day, it would have to be done on a could take more than 14 and a half hours
Within its development, the series different console, and Sega had just the a day just speaking with each person
has outlived two consoles, racked up console in mind. individually. If I only spoke with each
a monumental price tag and created Thus was the beginning of Project programmer for ten minutes, you can
a fan base that has endured nearly a Berkley, the codename used for the see how it would add up.”
decade since the last release. early development of Shenmue on In terms of his own programming
As many Shenmue fans will already the still pre-launch Dreamcast. Several workload alone: “I was in charge
know, the series’ beginnings were videos of these Project Berkley tech of not only constructing the coding
rooted deeply in another Sega-AM2 demos can still be found on the internet. environment but also coding a
series, as a planned RPG expansion It is interesting to note that the age of fundamental processing architecture to
of the Virtua Fighter universe intended these demos marks Shenmue out as make system programmers easier to
for the Sega Saturn; a genesis that can possibly one of the very first games to work with. I was also in charge of the
still be seen not only in the character begin development for the Dreamcast. character system, rendering pipeline,
modelling, but in the source code as The Project Berkley moniker remained lighting engine, and also optimising the
well. The brainchild of Yu Suzuki, even attached to the project for some time, performance of these systems. I had
in the final release of the game, Ryo’s sticking long enough to appear on the my hands dirty on playing around with
character ID remains ‘AKIR’, a shortened teaser disc attached to the Japanese SH4 assembly [programming language]
form of ‘Akira’. Although it is difficult to launch release of Virtua Fighter 3tb. This on the Dreamcast to tune up the
pin down exactly when the game grew disc was, for most, the first glimpse of performance. Small and detailed codes
beyond these humble roots, it would AM2’s new project. used in the cut-scenes such as physics
certainly seem that it came late in the simulation of phone cords, handcuff

A
project’s two-year-long development lthough it’s tempting to chains in the second chapter, and trailing
for the Saturn or early in the Dreamcast blame much of the cost of visual effects of the car signals were
development. In fact, it’s hard not to Shenmue’s development on also done in my spare time. I finally
develop a knowing smile looking over the difficulties encountered ended up creating around 200 source
early pictures of the character that would during the Saturn era and the shift in files out of more than 300 files in total.”
become Ryo while comparing them development from the Saturn to the To this day it’s amazing that the
to images of Akira from Virtua Fighter Dreamcast, it would not be entirely project was completed at any cost.
2. Even in the video of a development accurate. Regardless of the change to Although it’s possible to point to
version of Saturn Shenmue, packaged the more coder-friendly console, the other games released in the same era
with the Dreamcast Shenmue II release, Shenmue project was still no laughing with a similar scope of story, we’ve
the resemblance to Akira is obvious. matter. The sheer cost of manpower encountered nothing on the same level
Despite the obvious amount of and organisation for such an undertaking in terms of the game systems. With
progress made during this two-year is immense. In fact, when we asked such a large team and array of smaller

188 | 100 games to play before you die

 SHENMUE

100 games to play before you die | 189

 Who’s Who
projects involved, development required
fantastic organisation of not only the
available manpower but also of the
game’s program and the programming
The key players in Ryo’s adventure environment itself.
on the streets of Yokosuka Hirai was kind enough to go on to
explain the streamlining required: “The
programming section was roughly
Nozomi Harasaki divided into two groups. The first
Nozomi is a childhood friend of Ryo’s, was the system programming team
and the game’s primary love interest and the other was the game event
and occasional damsel in distress. programming team. In-game events in
She’s remained in Japan despite Shenmue were driven by the scripting
her parents’ move to Canada and language. Regarding the program
can usually be found working at her interface, we defined the table of
grandmother’s flower shop. She has functions associated with in-game event
the largest number of unique phone functions so that it wouldn’t affect the
conversations of any character. event program structure whenever we
updated the system components. In
order to maximise the performance
in an environment where up to 87
Masayuki Fukuhara programmers had to work together, we
Fuku-san is a former student of Iwao Hazuki eased the workflow by downloading
and has lived in the Hazuki residence since pre-compiled object files, which didn’t Regarding non-player characters, all 300
a young age. He is often shown to be depend on source code, in an individual characters were specifically positioned
somewhat clumsy and socially bumbling, programmer’s local environment. in the game field so we didn’t have to
occasionally serving as comic relief. In spite I thought it was ridiculous for 87 blindly calculate the collision between
of a few faux pas that make Ryo’s life a little programmers to spend time recompiling all characters if everything was in sync.
harder, he’s extremely loyal and it becomes just because someone modified one bit However, when a non-player character
clear that Ryo thinks of him as a brother. of source code.” had to change their walking path to avoid
the player, it became increasingly harder

R
egardless of the expense of to manage what would have been a very
such a development, it was simple thing in the real world, such as
necessary to realise the vision making an off-track character stand right
Gui Zhang Chen intended for Shenmue. in front of a door.”
Gui Zhang is the son and student of “We took tremendous efforts to It’s difficult to explain to a modern
antiquities trader and martial arts implement features that were invisible gamer just how amazing these features
master Chen. Although the two have to the player,” continues Hirai. “If the were at the time of Shenmue’s release.
a rocky beginning, Ryo and Gui Zhang game felt natural to you and nothing We can still recall our awe, watching
form a close, if unconventional, stood out as particularly unrealistic, the fish swim in the koi pond or
friendship. Their evolving friendship that’s because we spent a lot of time to noticing Ryo’s shadow falling in different
is perhaps the strongest relationship create the game’s subtle details despite positions depending on the time of day.
development found in the first game. the very limited hardware horsepower Although the features may have been,
and technology of the time. When as Hirai says, largely invisible to the
it comes to the weather system, it player, they certainly did expand upon
heavily depended on the processing the game in truly amazing ways. Even if,
Mark Kimberly performance, so the most important
issue was to optimise the performance.
unlike us, you didn’t spend at least a few
of Ryo’s lunch breaks at work chasing
Mark is a co-worker of Ryo’s at the
harbour and the man responsible
for his forklift driver’s training. » Love them or hate them, Quick-Time Events were a huge part of the Shenmue series.
He has come to the harbour to
search for clues as to the fate of his
missing brother, leading to some
very emotional scenes with Ryo.
Although he is an often-overlooked
character, disc three would just not
have been the same without him.
Lan Di
Lan Di, the antagonist of the series,
is the man responsible for the death
of Iwao Hazuki and the target of
Ryo’s quest for vengeance. Through
the course of the first Shenmue
he is left a mysterious character.
Little is known about him beyond
his connection to the Chi You Men,
desire for the mirrors and apparent
sheer brutality.

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 SHENMUE

Minigames
You really can’t talk about Shenmue without
mentioning the sheer volume and playability
of its mini-games. Although purpose-built
mini-games such as QTE Title and darts
were not entirely unheard of in RPGs and
adventure games of the time, the inclusion
of full classic arcade games such as Space
Harrier and Hang-On was a unique touch. The
mini-games were a big part of bringing the
entire experience together, of giving
you the feeling that you could do whatever
you liked with Ryo’s time. Throughout the » The variety of moves was nothing short of astounding.
existing series, we were treated to a wide
variety of mini-games, including Space
Harrier, Hang-On, After Burner, QTE Title 1
and 2, darts, pool, slots, Lucky Hit and a
We can still recall our awe,
few variations of dice-based games. It’s a
selection of games that would have done
watching the fish in the koi pond
early entries in the party game genre proud.
birds that would scatter realistically as the breadth of little extras is fantastic.
you charged towards them. You could choose to spend your time
collecting toys, drinking sodas, buying

A
s the creation of the game crisps, taking care of your stray cat
progressed, of course some or playing games at the local arcade. It’s
of the features originally a funny thing, as truly engrossing
planned for the game did as the story of Shenmue is, that it is
have to be scrapped, even in a game quite linear, allowing only a few hidden
as epic as Shenmue. Of these features, scenes without any true branching
the most talked about certainly had to of the main storyline. That said, the
be the ability to ride a bicycle, which funny thing is that we’ve never felt at
was demonstrated in one of the early all constrained while playing Shenmue,
tech demos. We couldn’t resist the urge which we believe is a result of these
to ask Hirai just why this feature didn’t extras. Somehow the ability to waste
make the cut and what other features a day playing darts, to choose dried
failed to make it into the final version fish over milk to feed your cat, to
that he may have liked to see on the satisfy your voyeurism by rummaging
published discs. through Ryo’s drawers, or just to give
“Actually, I was the first guy who Ine-san a call during your lunch break
implemented the bike-riding feature,” all comes together to give you an
he explains. “This was done at the early amazing feeling of freedom. Seemingly,
stage of the development. We originally that was no accident.
intended to begin the game in China, “We created a lot of innovations
so I made it as a showcase to see how never seen before Shenmue,” says Hirai.
it looked when you rode the bike in a “I would say the hardest part of this
meadow. Another programmer took project was to imagine and create a ‘you
over that part of the project and worked can do anything’ kind of feeling, which
on the vehicle programming at the end did not exist in that era.”
of Shenmue. I personally think that we Shenmue’s impact on the gaming
had to cut this feature out from the industry was huge, opening a door to a
game because there wasn’t a significant new sub-genre of games that did not
enough advantage for the player to ride previously exist. Even beyond this, it
a bike through the city over simply opened our eyes to what could be done,
running around in Yokosuka. and it raised the bar just a little in terms
“During the development, there of the effort and forethought that we
used to be special features, like the demand from game designers.
player being able to lift up an object like “I think that Grand Theft Auto owes
a house and throw it. Fast-forwarding Shenmue a lot for its great success,
or rewinding the day and night cycles even after coming into the 3D realm,”
worked great for debugging the game, posits Hirai. “Everyone I’ve met also
so I wanted to leave these features in mentions the detail quality in Shenmue.
the final product as Easter eggs.” I’ve been told: ‘Don’t do so much on the
Regardless of what features failed to quality to the extent of making a cod in
make an appearance in the published a pond swim smoothly.’ Some even said
version, the final release suffered from this to me out of fear, since we might
no lack of things to do. Above and make this level of quality an industry
beyond the systems discussed earlier, standard! It might be simple to say it’s

100 games to play before you die | 191

about the quality, but I’d rather say it’s Unfortunately, the fate of the series
about ‘quality to make it feel real’, which was tightly tied to the Dreamcast, a

Magic Moments
is how this project contributed to push system that was about to run into some
the envelope of the gaming industry.” very serious competition from Sony’s
Often the largest impact of a project PlayStation 2. The game’s release came
like Shenmue lays in what the creators just a few short months before the
themselves take away with them, release of the PlayStation 2 in Japan,
with the attitudes and ideas they carry and only days after in the European Dobuita
into their future projects. As such, we and North American markets. It would It’s hard to explain just
couldn’t help but go on and ask what only be another 16 months before the how magical the first trip
effect the creation of this game had on discontinuation of the Dreamcast in to Dobuita could feel at the
Hirai personally and his team: “It makes the North American market, which is time of Shenmue’s release.
me continuously think and express a difficult place for a console-exclusive The number of unique
my thoughts as an engineer, since trilogy to find itself. characters, the ability to talk
the project was filled with obstacles to them all in full audio. The

T
and impossible goals. The production he second instalment was freedom of being able to go
took four whole years and I’m proud released for the Dreamcast to the arcade, or drop in to
of myself as the lead programmer to in both Japan and Europe the Tomato Convenience
have brought this game into the hands shortly before the system Store. Being able to explore
of players, even though we’ve now was killed in the European market, the town and its shops. It
graduated through multiple generations meeting reasonable sales. For the remains, to this day, one of
of consoles. A lot of team members North American release, however, the our fondest memories of
joined and left the project, and there writing was on the wall for its console modern videogaming.
were so many ‘firsts’ for us and it was of choice once again. Shenmue had
very hard to see how it would all turn outlived its second console. Demand
out, and how it would be remembered. for the game was still relatively high,

If every Dreamcast owner had

I owe my accomplishment of four years however, with many fans importing
of lead programming experience to the European release for play in North

purchased a copy, the production

those who worked at my side until the America, before the region’s official
end of the project. Many thanks to all of release came almost a full year later for
the team members who supported me.” Microsoft’s Xbox, which many observers
Despite any impact it may have had,
the fate of the series itself was a sad
consider a fatal mistake. The previous
availability of the European import for the
would still have lost money
one. The original release cost a colossal series’ established fans greatly reduced
$70 million to produce, which is still
an astronomical sum and completely
unheard of at the time. Dreamcast
the title’s sales. Perhaps an even larger
issue was the jump between consoles
itself. At the time, the Xbox remained
Shenmue III
sales were simply not high enough to an expensive piece of hardware, staving Through the
support such an expensive game – if off many Dreamcast owners who may long years
every Dreamcast owner at the time of have considered purchasing Microsoft’s since the
the game’s release had purchased a console in order to continue the series. release of
copy, the production would still have lost In addition, Xbox owners who had not Shenmue II,
money. Sales for the original instalment previously owned a Dreamcast were left the sizable
were, however, reasonably strong, with the second instalment of a story- Shenmue fan community has not suffered
at over a million copies worldwide. driven game – a title that picks up in the » Anyone who has ever played Shenmue is extremely silently in its desire to see the series
familiar with this scene, and with sneaking into Dobuita continued. There have been the more
the back way so you won’t get harassed to buy him yet
another soda.
conventional campaigns aimed at getting
Sega’s attention, including mass mailings
of letters, an online petition that has
earned over 60,000 signatures, and
general forum griping. There have also
been some very inventive and interesting
campaigns, such as the mass mailing of
toy capsules to Sega’s offices.
All the hard campaigning has appeared
to work however, as Shenmue III is finally
being made and its creator, Yu Suzuki
is back at the helm. First announced in
2015, the project was successfully funded
on crowd-funding site, Kickstarter and
reached its $2 million target in just eight
hours. The game is currently due for
release in 2019 and is being published
by Deep Silver. Fans have plenty to keep
themselves occupied in the meantime,
though as Sega is also releasing HD
» Ryo’s morning forklift race goes a long way to both kick remasters of the original two games.
the day off and show just how much workplace health
and safety regulations have changed over the years. Finally, it’s good to be a Shenmue fan.
 SHENMUE

Flashbacks Nozomi in the park

By killing off Iwao Hazuki in the opening We never fully understood why it was
moments of the game, the story writers that Nozomi chose to finally tell Ryo about
were left in the difficult position of her feelings for him until shortly after the
making you truly care about his death death of his father – it just seems like bad
retroactively. It was done predominantly timing. Regardless, by the time you reach
with sepia-tinged flashbacks, building this point, you’re likely pretty invested in
his character in the early stages of the the romantic subplot between the two. It’s
game, and it certainly worked. You’d need one of the rare points of the series where
a heart of stone to sit through Iwao’s you wish that you had just a little more
training and feel nothing. control over what Ryo says.

Lost brother Sail away

Mark’s quest to discover the fate of his It may be a little obvious, but it’s hard to
lost brother provided more than one great discount Shenmue’s final scene when
moment in the latter part of Shenmue. This discussing the game’s magic moments.
scene stands out as the best example. It’s impossible to stay as implacably stoic
It’s hard not to let your heart go out to as Ryo himself as he sails away from
the fellow as he begins to open up to Ryo everyone in his life, from everything he
regarding his suspicions and fears. knows, to continue his quest.

middle of a story they have not become officials have been clear that there are » Although many gamers preferred the Free Battle system,
the QTE fights could be quite cinematic.
attached to. All of these factors came currently no plans to continue the series.
together to form a death sentence. Sales Regardless of official word, there have
were dismal. been several hoaxes over the years
regarding pending announcements

A
ny possible third entry was from Sega, some of which have
left in a nearly impossible included footage from an ill-fated tie-in
condition. It had no console called Shenmue Online: a massively
and, in the minds of the multiplayer conceptualisation of the
executives, no market. To continue Shenmue universe publicly announced
the series, much of the initial cost and in 2004 as a joint venture between
time spent on character modelling and Sega and JC Entertainment. » The rumours about what happens when you swallow
watermelon seeds are true, apparently.
environment building would need to Development work on Shenmue
be abandoned and re-created, making Online ran into difficulties a year after its
any possible climb to profitability for announcement when JC Entertainment
the series a steep and difficult one. withdrew from the project. Due to
Due to the sudden cancellation of the the nature of the joint development
series, conjecture has been widespread agreement, it became unclear as to who
for years as to what state the third in would continue to hold the rights to the
the series was left, with some even Shenmue Online concept. Seemingly,
maintaining that a playable build exists Sega did continue production on the
somewhere, however unlikely this may title for some time after the split, but
be. It was clear that the Dreamcast little to nothing has been heard about
would not be continuing far into the the project for several years. Although
future during the production of the it has never been officially announced
second game; Sega had no intentions that development has been cancelled, it
of building another console to shift seems unlikely that the game will ever
development to, even if it felt that it see the light of day.
could be made profitable. In the face of these cancellations
All of this logic, however, couldn’t and years of delay, Shenmue fans
kill all hope of playing out just a little were handed some hope recently when
more of the Shenmue story. We had Sega announced the inclusion of Ryo
to ask Hirai if he was aware of any Hazuki in the kart-racing title Sonic &
development on a third instalment in any Sega All-Stars Racing, a decision made
form. This was all he had to say on the by Sumo Digital that garnered much
subject: “There was none that I know attention. Ryo would pop up again in
of, but I personally would love to see this Sumo’s superb sequel and he’s also
saga continued.” getting ready to feature in HD remasters
Although there have been several fan- of the original two Shenmue games.
based campaigns for a third Shenmue, Lastly, and perhaps most importantly,
Sega has been stoic regarding the is the announcement of Shenmue III,
possibility of a third entry, often citing which should finally put to rest many
the poor sales of Shenmue II, and Sega questions fans have about the series.

Thanks to Tak Hirai, James Mielke and all the folks at Q Entertainment for taking time 100 games to play before you die | 193
to make our interview possible and to circumvent any language barrier between us.
 100
gaMES to play
before you die

Halo was the game that changed a genre and helped Microsoft
gain a foothold in the industry. Adam Barnes delves into how the
evolutionary shooter was made

194 | 100 games to play before you die

 HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED

W
hen you think of game. I do recall playing a really early
IN THE Halo you think of version of multiplayer which was just on
KNOW multiplayer FPS and rolling hills; I am not sure if there was
»Publisher: the importance of even a game mode back then. A very
Microsoft narrative in a game’s campaign – both early piece of Halo trivia is that there
»Developer: very modern concepts. Indeed, the was a build where one designer’s head
Bungie franchise modernised the FPS genre, was much larger, to make him easier
»Released: 2001 leading to radical changes in the to headshot.”
» Platform: Xbox approach of rival series. So when a In time the Halo team grew and what
»Genre: game is notorious for being ‘modern’, became apparent was the connection
First-person shooter for being ‘fresh’, it’s hardly a surprise between the player, the world and
that you forget quite how old it really how it was meant to be explored. The
is. The original Halo debuted some sense of openness and freedom had » Halo wasn’t the first game to create unique enemies that
13 years ago, so we’re stepping back been a core concept for the game from fought in different ways, but the way they each changed
how you yourself battled them was new.
to remember just how it managed to the beginning, and a top-down view
revolutionise a genre. was just not going to work. “So we
The irony, however, is that Halo converted part of that game prototype
wasn’t born out of an intent to innovate into a third-person shooter,” states
shooters; in fact, it didn’t even begin life
as an FPS. “We were in preproduction
Marcus, ”and it lived as a third-person
shooter for some time. It was really Halo was a top-
for over two years, starting back in
1999,” says Marcus Lehto, art director
interesting, even at that early time, but
it quickly became apparent for those down, Commando ‘lead
on Halo: Combat Evolved and the
only developer to begin work on the
early days that the kind of control and
the kind of connect that we needed your troops from the
game alongside Bungie co-founder
Jason Jones. “The initial beginnings
from a player perspective needed to be
in first-person.”
sky’ type of thing
of Halo started out using Myth: The It was around this time that Marcus Lehto
Fallen Lord’s engine and it was a truly Microsoft began to get involved with
open-world exploration game. Big, big, Halo; Microsoft was gearing up for the
huge worlds; a block of islands that
you could travel to. It was a top-down,
release of its debut Xbox console and
it needed games. Interestingly though, Making
Commando ‘lead your troops from the
sky’ type of thing.” Though Bungie had
already cut its teeth in both the RTS
Halo was originally scheduled to release
on PC and Mac simultaneously – a fact
that had been so important to Apple
the Master
and FPS genres with Myth (1997) and and its newfound approach to gaming Marcus Lehto on the evolution of
Marathon (1993) respectively, it was at the time that Steve Jobs announced a gaming icon
still a fairly small-scale developer. Yet in the news at the 1999 Macworld
spite of this relative obscurity the project conference. However, Microsoft “He went through quite a bit of iteration in his early
was kept completely under wraps, even was so interested in Halo, so keen days,” says Marcus Lehto of Master Chief’s design. “I
internally. “In those early days there on the importance it could have for created the Master Chief, the Warthogs, the Pelican,
was a ton of secrecy around Halo,” its newcomer console, that the firm the Halo ring, everything. It was really fun, initially, to
reveals Michael Evans, who would later bought Bungie in June 2000. “I think build these things that became a kind of iconic fixture
become Halo’s lead multiplayer designer internally by and large we just wanted of the universe.” John-117, to give him his real name,
after shipping Oni. “I can’t remember to make games,” recalls Michael, “and began life as a super-soldier ideal, even back when
» Marcus Lehto worked on Halo: ever seeing an internal build of the the Xbox was very exciting for PC Halo was planned as an RTS. Marcus describes the
Combat Evolved as its art director.
He now works for V1 Interactive. RTS or the third-person version of the game developers. There were some Chief as originally being little more than a ubiquitous
armoured character who “clearly didn’t have any
flavour whatsoever”. Then Master Chief became
» The story of the Halo ring and its ultimate use is surprisingly
more akin to an “anime-style” character, but even
compelling, building upon the mystery of the Covenant, the then was still “too slender, too feminine”. Marcus
Forerunner and the religious imagery. decided then to “combine a human being with a tank”.
The armour expanded, the helmet became a bigger
design focus and Marcus brought a more utilitarian
approach to how the Chief should look. “You want to
make something that players can connect with,” says
Marcus, “and when they believe it
works, there’s a suspension
of disbelief when it comes
to playing the game.”
 people who left and some people
who Microsoft decided not to take on –
often I think foolishly. After the Microsoft
deal, the Myth and Halo teams moved
to Redmond.” Though the acquisition
was an appealing one for Bungie, none
there could have predicted the effect
it would have had on the aesthetic of
Halo – a factor that would become key
to its design. “[Microsoft] flew all of
Chicago out to the Pacific northwest to
the Seattle area,” adds Marcus. “We
were struck by the amazing beauty of
the cascade mountains, the ocean, all
of the peninsula to explore and that
» The Warthog is perhaps one of the most iconic
massively influenced the landscapes vehicles in gaming; unsurprising when its unruly
of Halo: the exploration value of it, the handling makes for many a memorable moment.
sheer cliff walls, the big waterfalls and
all of that kind of thing.” The change in
scenery also influenced the freedom more linear, corridor-led games such The inclusion of a regenerating shield,
to explore in the game. “We felt that as GoldenEye 64 or Medal Of Honor. too, spun the genre on its head – a
[Halo] provided a really unique sense As a result, the game’s name was feature that has sadly spiralled out of
of freedom for the player. Putting important. It was Microsoft that later control in modern-day shooters where
them into what is equivalent to a added the subtitle ‘Combat Evolved’ you’ll spend most of the game cowering
giant national park, for all intents and to Halo as part of a marketing decision behind concrete blocks. Then there was
purposes, and allowing the player to to help it stand out from other military the limit of only two weapons, adding
free-roam and explore this giant natural shooters, a theme that was becoming to the free-form gameplay and creating
wonderland that was the terrain of particularly popular on the PlayStation. a strategic element to proceedings. “I
Halo.” This freedom had as much effect Whether it worked as a marketing think the main goal with the Chief as
on the gameplay as it did its visual » Every weapon had its pros and cons, a necessary exercise it’s hard to say, but what isn’t a character was that he sort of always
balance if restricting players to two weapons at a time.
design. “It was funny how that kind of is how key this free-form method of has the ability to use the tools that
worked,” says Jaime Griesemer, one you can do things in any order’. It was gameplay was to Halo’s success – it he has at his disposal well enough to
of the key designers. “I think the open sort of forced on us by the fact that felt brand new. Of course, alongside its accomplish his objectives,” says Jaime.
environments came before the open we had this environment and we can’t more open environment and gameplay “So you don’t always get to choose
shoot design, if that makes sense. So constrain what order you go through design came other issues, such as how what weapon you’re gonna have, you
we had these environments that we things, so we’re just going to have to to create enemies capable of tackling don’t always get to choose what vehicle
wanted to build that had lots of multiple make it work.” any number of potential combat actions. you’re gonna get, but the Chief is just
paths and these big, wide-open areas “We couldn’t script an AI in this open so incredibly competent at everything

T
– because we could do that for the first his sense of scale and environment that will be responsive that you’re going to be able to use
time really in a shooter – and we had exploration was something and be able to react to all the different whatever tool you can scrounge up that
to work out what that meant for our of a revelation for the genre, situations the player can create,” says you’re going to be able to overcome
mission design. It wasn’t the opposite which at the time largely Jaime, adding that Bungie had to “write whatever fight you’re in.” But what is
way where we were like ‘oh we want comprised two categories: enemy- an AI that can actually behaviourally be interesting is how this design choice
to have these free-form missions where packed kill rooms, like in Doom, or able to deal with all the situations”. was just as much due to the restrictions
of moving from PC to console as it was
a gameplay factor: “You don’t have an

Game Changers Why Halo stood apart from everything else

Open environments Limited weapon loadouts Regenerating shield Console multiplayer

■ The freedom that Halo enabled in its combat ■ At the time it was commonplace for FPS ■ Master Chief’s regenerating shield perhaps gaming
gameplay was its core concept. For the first time, games to simply add and add to your arsenal of doesn’t seem like such an unusual concept today, ■ While Microsoft would continue to push
Bungie had the necessary power to build such weaponry. With its open-ended sense of place, but Halo was the first game in the FPS genre to this particular avenue for years to come, the
a sense of exploration into a shooter, and this Halo also brought along a strategic sense to employ such an idea and it dramatically changed popularity of Halo’s multiplayer – even without a
remained the central pedestal which the game the combat by limiting Master Chief to only two the way not only Halo was played, but future working Xbox Live system – set a precedent for
was designed around. weapons at a time. shooters too. what needed to be done for console multiplayer.

196 | 100 games to play before you die

 HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED

» The Grunts of Halo, aka Unggoy, are its most memorable enemies.
They’re weak, barely a threat, but almost cute in the way they run
away each time the bigger soldiers are killed.

» A HD revision was released in 2011. It will be included

in the incoming Master Chief Collection for Xbox One.

an innovation in first-person shooters, especially among students. Sony had

but more of an almost simplification or already brought gaming out of the
purification of the genre.” bedroom and into the living room with
the PlayStation, and Halo grasped onto

B
ut where Halo really felt that idea. With hours dedicated to
important – at least to a deathmatches or alongside team-mates
generation of students, in co-op, it was brought to the very
anyway – was in its forefront of these new, modern gamers
» Interesting tidbit: Marcus Lehto – who designed
most of the aesthetics of Halo – stamped his name
multiplayer. Microsoft had designed – and word spread. Michael admits that
everywhere, even his initials on the boots of the Chief. a forward-looking console, targeting much of the content associated with
the increasingly popular generation of Halo’s original multiplayer was contract
connected, media-driven work, however, including

I think Halo wasn’t [as much] an

consumers, and Halo was the likes of Chris Carney
going to be a core pillar of who now still works at

innovation in first-person shooters,

that through its multiplayer. Bungie to this day. While
Xbox Live didn’t launch internal designers got

but more of an almost simplification alongside the console,

however, and with it the
stuck in with map and
mode creation where

or purification of the genre connected multiplayer that developer they could, the majority

Jaime Griesemer
Halo was originally built
for. “There was some
HighliGhts of multiplayer was made
by outside hands. Its
political conflict over Halo Marathon foundation, then, relied
entire row of number keys to switch many ways, believes Jaime, this move networking back then,” says System: Mac, PC entirely on those solid
between multiple weapons, you have was fruitful to Halo in the long term, Michael. “A small group of Year: 1993 gunplay mechanics, but
at most one button, so we kind of had since it required Bungie to think about guys on the Xbox side of Myth: The it was clear soon after
to limit the number of options you had the game’s design rather than simply the fence thought it was a Fallen Lord Halo’s release that this
available. And also one thing that was expand upon what it had done before. bad idea to have networked System: Mac, PC would be its legacy.
a big deal at the time was memory, “When you have no outside constraints games before there was Year: 1997 “I think we were all
so if we could let you arbitrarily switch – and the PC is very much that kind of Xbox Live. Then later there Oni (Pictured) true believers,” says
between ten different weapons, what platform – you just add,” claims Jaime. was a desire to support System: Mac, PC, PS2 Michael, claiming the
would happen was you would switch “You just build on what came before. automatic networking only Year: 2001 entire team knew it had
to one we didn’t have alerted in the You just do the same thing you did last – ie you would become a made something very
memory and so you wouldn’t be able to time but plus one, and you’re never server if nobody else was special. “The long-lasting
draw anything for a third of a second.” forced to cut or limit or restrain yourself on the network and if there was a legacy of the game has been a pleasant
The move from PC to Xbox was and a lot of really good design happens server you would just auto-join it. We surprise as well,” he adds.
a costly one, going from a world of when you run into these arbitrary really thought that the game would And while it’s no doubt been a
possibilities – at least on a technical constraints that you can’t change. It be awesome in college dorms.” And surprise to those who worked on it, it’s
level – to one that required overcoming lets you get rid of the cruft that builds it was. The decision to include a LAN quite easy to understand the long-term
a lot more restrictions and barriers. In up. And I think Halo wasn’t [as much] setup arguably made Halo stand out, impact Bungie’s game has had.

Adaptive AI Adding in a story Console controls

■ Though Bungie isn’t the first developer to be ■ The world that was built for Halo is rich with ■ FPS games weren’t as common on
praised for its artificial intelligence, it deserves lore, but the way it is expertly told in piecemeal consoles as they were on PC, and when they
as much credit as we can muster for managing form – rather than in cumbersome inter-level did occur there were often compromises (such as
to create such a dynamic set of enemy and allied breaks with long cut-scenes – helps tie it all GoldenEye’s separate aiming reticle). Halo was
combat routines to work so well in these large- together in a way that few games had done as designed with the controller in mind, and changed
scale open environments. well at the time. the way FPS games were played on console.

100 games to play before you die | 197

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

Once a reason to own

a GameCube and to
this day one of the
best games in the
series, Resident Evil 4
was always worth
buying at a high
price. Luke Albigés
sacks off bingo to
learn more about the
creation of a genre-
defining monster. It’s
game time...

198 | 100 games to play before you die

 resident
evil 4 101
■ Capcom’s fourth
Resident Evil release was a
game-changer, reinventing
both the franchise and
elements of horror and certain tropes the genre forever. Leon S.

O
ddly, the best thing about remained in RE4, they were no longer Kennedy returns and must
Resident Evil 4 is that the be-all and end-all and the fear battle all sorts of enemies
it isn't really a Resident of stumbling into a small army of as he searches for the
Evil game. With the villagers armed with rudimentary President’s daughter in a
established survival horror formula tools or just one obvious threat (the remote European location.
perfected by three PlayStation likes of mini-bosses Dr Salvatore and science with various strains of virus, It’s a stunning action
games and several spin-offs, both El Gigante reminiscent of stalking yet trying typical zombies only made game and Shinji Mikami’s
the development team and fans threats Mr X and Nemesis in previous the game feel stale and familiar. “By finest work.
wanted something new, something games) without the provisions or that point in the series, zombies were
different, something challenging. skills to see the task through proved simply no longer scary to players,”
This didn't come easily for Capcom, genuinely terrifying. Horror is a jump Kobayashi confirms. “They had
with the team exploring supernatural scare around the next corner when become cannon fodder that you
elements and the paranormal in early the cameraman decides to reveal could defeat with ease. We wanted
development as workarounds to it; terror is finding yourself out of something not like the enemies
the growing zombie fatigue, but it's your depth only to hear the ominous you’d seen before that would bring
hard to argue that the final product
wasn't worth the wait. Eschewing
revving of a chainsaw nearby. See?
There's a difference, alright…
back the sense of the unfamiliar and
the frightening, and that was the IN THE
static camera angles for an over-the- “Our focus was on creating genesis of Los Ganados.” KNOW
shoulder affair that quickly became something completely new with » Publisher: Capcom

T
the staple for third-person shooters Resident Evil 4 and pushing the he parasite-based nature » Developer: Capcom
and leaving the brain-munching series in a new direction,” explains of these new definitely-not- Production Studio 4
idiots to rot in order to let a parasite- producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi. “In the zombie enemies was the » Released: 2005
ridden populous take centre stage, course of development, we created light bulb moment Capcom » Platform: Various
this was no longer survival horror – it prototypes and tested them out – if had been waiting for. As well as » Genre: Action
was survival terror. we weren’t satisfied with them, we granting full creative freedom to go
It's a subtle differeance in terms started from scratch. In the end, we nuts with new and inventive enemy
of language, sure, but it's an went through four different versions types – from mutated bugs that
important distinction to make. Resi 's of the game before settling on the had been exposed to the parasite to
foundations were in classic B-movies direction in which we wanted to once-human hosts with an aptitude
and horror films – static cameras go.” Psychological horror was then for (or lack thereof) these powerful
allowed for staged scares and classic still very much Silent Hill 's domain, parasitic friends – it also managed to
cinematography techniques, the while the paranormal stuff Capcom tie into the existing lore as a new line
action contained and controlled tried sort of went against the grain of of biological weapon experiments,
by the director at all times. While a series grounded in its own hokey ticking every box while still
» Take the chainsaw dude out

Conversion Capers The best and worst versions of Capcom’s classic

quickly or you’ll suffer a very
gruesome death.

» Even today, Resi 4 remains one

of the best looking games on
Nintendo’s console.
PS2 Wii PC HD (PS3/360)
■ While much was initially made of ■ Regarded as the definitive version of ■ Launching without mouse support is ■ Capcom hasn’t exactly been on-point
RE4 ’s GameCube exclusivity, it wasn’t Resi 4, thanks to motion controls which a sure-fire way to piss off the ‘Master with its HD remaster game – DMC was
long before the game appeared on the added to (rather than detracted from, as Race’, and the weak port didn’t help passable, REmake a little better but
significantly more popular PS2... and was often the case) the action. With the matters – PC hardware could do better this was not the loving makeover Resi 4
with additional content that wasn’t in the best visuals, the best controls and all of and PC players expected better. Many deserved. If everything is going to look
GC original, as the ultimate kick in the the content included, this remains the will have missed out on a great game or muddy anyway, why wouldn’t you just
» Leon’s tense battle with
teeth for the Nintendo faithful. best way to enjoy this all-time classic. simply played it on console instead. stick with the Wii version? Krauser remains one of the best
QTEs we’ve ever seen.

100 games to play before you die | 199

 » The laser sight of your gun
allows you to pick of individual
body parts.

developer
HighliGhts
Viewtiful Joe
System: Various
Year: 2003
P.N.03
System: GameCube
Year: 2003
killer7 (Pictured)
System: Various
Year: 2005

scrubbing the slate clean for a whole player just right was a very arduous for the greatest design challenge
new roster of horrible foes and process of refinement,” Kobayashi during development of this game, in
challenges to overcome. admits. “It’s just one part of the fact, Kobayashi cites this exact issue
The shift of premise was necessary game but you really need to nail it as the main hurdle in the game’s
in order to avoid burning fans out as it influences every other aspect development. “Probably the process
on zombies, but the switch to more of the gameplay.” Ever since, we've of working out what kind of creatures
action-centric gameplay was a little played countless third-person games should show up in the second half
less expected. “We took a look at where the camera just feels 'off' in of the game,” he confirms. “By
games that were popular in the a way that's hard to describe – too that point you’ve become more
» This nightmare is terrifying
and requires lots of bullets to
western market at the time, around floaty, perhaps, just slightly too far accustomed to Ganados so keeping
put down. 2005, and it was clear to things interesting while
us that games which let
you aim and shoot with
It was clear to us that remaining true to the
atmosphere of the game
precision in that third-
person style were the way
games which let you aim and is a difficult balance.”
Capcom clearly had its
to go,” reveals Kobayashi.
Many thought this shooter
shoot with precision were the fair share of challenges in
steering the franchise in
pandering was the
downfall of the ill-received
way to go this bold new direction,
so it's interesting how
Hiroyuki Kobayashi
Resident Evil 5, but it the team decided to pass
turns out the wheels were already in away or maybe too stiffly attached these onto the player. One such
motion to develop greater interest to athe player character – which just example of this is the inventory
in the western market a full decade adds more weight to the argument system – gone is the simplistic small
ago. Granted, later sequels have had that Resi 4 did this better than pretty grid where every item, regardless
a tendency to stride boldly into full-on much all games that had come of bulk or weight, takes up one slot,
shooter territory where Resi 4 merely before and indeed many since. replaced by a much larger grid in
» Mercenaries was an excellent had a bit of a paddle (be careful of Way to go, Capcom. the form of the upgradeable attache
minigame and is in most later
Del Lago, guys...) but still, if you want case, where item size determines

T
games now.
to point fingers and name a culprit here were other challenges how many 'blocks' it takes up. The
for the recent action bent, you'll only ahead of the team due to existing system for micromanaging
find yourself prosecuting one of the the quicker pace of the your inventory had become stale
greatest games ever made. game, too. Players would and overly simple by this point
It's all too easy to take great game quickly grow used to enjoying (just take an Ink Ribbon, a healing
design for granted, and even from huge-scale encounters (either in item, your primary weapon and
the various pre-release builds of terms of enemy numbers or sheer some reserve ammo, leaving room
» The weapons of Resi 4 are
amazingly satisfying to use and the game, you can really get a feel size) and where the tension of the for ferrying puzzle items around)
occasionally messy too. for just how many different camera original games allowed for minimal but this ingenious new mechanic
placements the team must have gone enemy placement for maximum made us think about what we were
through before settling on the version effect (thus slowing the rate at which carrying and why, becoming almost
that shipped. Beta footages shows players could adapt to each enemy), a mini-game in its own right. “Funnily
a hybrid of fixed and aim-based having them appear in bigger enough, Tetris was the inspiration,”
cameras, while you can see various groups and more frequently meant Kobayashi laughs. “I thought it would
heights, depths and angles that all that something had to be done to be fun if you had to play a puzzle
offer different takes on the action avoid having people feel they had game where you tried to fit the pieces
» The sniper rifle becomes
especially useful for when you
in that early footage. “Getting the mastered a new enemy type in a in together as best you could without
have to protect Ashley. position of the camera behind the matter of minutes. When pressed any gaps to maximise efficiency.”

200
200 | 100 games to play before you die
 RESIDENT EVIL 4

The Capcom Five

The quintet that defined the
GameCube for Capcom
P.N.03
Resident
■ We’re rather fond of the first
of Capcom’s planned quintet
Evil 3.5

W
There were actually a
as it plays like an old school hile it might be one fans remain vocal enough to land
number of prototypes and
shoot-’em-up. Not everyone of the all-time greats, it a spot in our all-time top ten. “It’s
demos made for Resident
was pleased however, with however, Resi 4 still an incredible honour that makes
Evil 4 that were pretty
some feeling Capcom rushed to get it out before the end of has a lot to answer me very happy indeed,” he tells
far removed from the
the financial year and that it suffered as a result. Mikami’s for. Its use of QTEs – which Capcom us. “It’s been ten years since the
game we actually got.
later work on Vanquish serves to show what could have managed to employ to great effect – game came out, and it’s great to see
The initial announcement
been had Vanessa’s ill-fated adventure been allowed a little became something of a touchstone how much the fans have loved the
trailer for the game was
more time in the oven... for other developers looking for an game in that time. In 2016, Resident
set in a castle, setting
easy way to incorporate cinematic Evil as a series is coming up to its
up a more gothic tone
Viewtiful Joe events into their games without 20th anniversary, and not just me
for what was to be a
■ This unapologetically fully wresting control away from but everyone at Capcom will work
more traditional survival
hardcore platform-brawler the player, but few managed to hard to keep making great games
horror game with fixed
succeeded on many levels pull them off nearly as well. Their for our fans to enjoy!” It’s fair to
camera angles. The
– bringing back a long-dead proliferation across games of all say that most Resi fans have fallen
next wave of publicity
genre, adding another kinds quickly made players come off the hype train in recent years,
saw another new angle,
amazing character to Capcom’s star-studded roster and to hate them, although Capcom’s disillusioned with the franchise’s
this time something
delivering a game that turned an obvious gimmick into an execution of them was generally descent into action and longing for
more psychological.
excellent core gameplay pillar. It wasn’t huge but multiple masterful – just as jump scares could the return of survival horror. While
Mechanically, it was
sequels and Joe’s inclusion in Marvel Vs Capcom 3 prove once hide around any corner, QTEs new announcements like Umbrella
halfway between classic
that there’s a lot of love for this game. instead tied into the new emphasis Corps might not make it seem like
Resi and RE4 as we
on terror. Mashing buttons to run it, Capcom is listening and many
know it – camera was
Resident Evil 4 away from a collapsing pillar, for of its statements and calls to
fixed for gameplay but
■ A stunning reinvention of instance, wouldn’t have been nearly arms regarding the seventh
would swing into Leon’s
the horror series, nay genre, so intense if all you had to do was entry have been about
shoulder whenever a
it’d be hard to argue against just hold down on the analog stick taking the series back to its
weapon was aimed.
RE4 being the highlight of the for a bit, and never knowing when roots – something likely
There was reportedly a
Capcom Five. GameCube’s that prompt would appear left you to go down well today,
third dry run that was
best-looking game at the time and a peerless lesson clinging to your controller at all given the boom in the
never shown which
in how to rejuvenate a franchise, this is deserving of its times, just in case. indie horror scene,
reverted to zombie
classic status and could easily be argued to be the QTEs also formed the backbone of the success of the
enemies, apparently
game of its generation. Yes, even without Barry Burton. one of the game’s most memorable remastered REmake
canned early on for
We don’t understand it either. encounters – the knife fight with and the evident
feeling to familiar. In each
Krauser towards the end relied enduring popularity
of these early directions,
killer7 heavily on prompted inputs (and is of this outstanding
however, you can see a
■ Stylish, confusing, Kobayashi’s favourite battle in the game.
little bit of the DNA that
controversial, divisive, just game – “I really like the boss fight
makes Resi 4 the classic
plain weird... killer7 is all against Jack Krauser. His knife moves
it is.
of these things and then were so cool!” he enthuses), allowing
some. Combining light the battle to build way more tension
puzzle-solving with on-rails shooter elements across than it could have managed within
seven different playable characters, killer7 is one of the the confines of traditional control.
most original and inventive games ever green-lit by a major That’s the reason games like those
publisher. You’ll either love it or hate it, but you’ll need to made by Quantic Dream (Heavy Rain)
play it to know which camp you fall into... continue to employ such mechanics
so heavily, as it leaves players free
Dead Phoenix to focus on action and narrative until
■ Sadly, the Capcom Five such a time as they are called upon
will never be completed – to take action. They’re also used to
this Panzer Dragoon-esque decent effect in Telltale’s new twist
shooter was canceled prior on the classic point-and-click formula
to release. It wasn’t all that with games like The Walking Dead,
difficult to see this coming, to be fair – the other four showcasing how Resi 4’s masterclass
games had a lot of pre-launch build-up (including early in QTE use continues to permeate the
versions being shown that were quite different to market and evolve today.
what we actually got), while only a handful of screens Kobayashi seems delighted that
exist for this doomed shooter. his game is still so revered
a decade on and that

201
100 games to play before you die | 201
 100
gaMES to play
before you die

202 | 100 games to play before you die

 The fifth game in the long-running Elder Scrolls series has been
remade and re-released more than any other in the entire franchise.
Why? Because it’s one of the deepest, most immersive role-playing
games ever made – and it deserves to be played by all

I
t felt like an aeon had passed between the
announcement and launch of Bethesda’s latest core
Elder Scrolls game, Skyrim. In reality it was 11 months
from confirmation to it being in our hands, but the hype
had reached such instant fever pitch it was hard to go a day
without talking about the damn thing.
It was going to be the biggest open world, with the most
freedom – you could fight against dragons! How could any other
game possibly compete? How could we sleep easy knowing we
still had to wait for Skyrim to launch? How could it possibly live up to
the hype? Well, come November 2011, it... didn’t.
There was no way any game could live up to the sheer power
of the build up behind Skyrim, so it was little surprise we heard
detractors and naysayers from its release day – and we still hear
them today. But while it wasn’t 100 per cent perfect, Skyrim still
ended up an absolute masterclass in the world of immersive, deep
action-RPGs – and we still hear that today, too.
Starting out as any other Elder Scrolls game does – you’re a
prisoner and you end up freed – Skyrim asks you to customise
your character with choices of name, race and looks all factoring in,
before setting you loose in the midst of a dragon attack. You see,
dragons have returned to Skyrim for the first time in ages, and this
is bad news for any native of the realm who doesn’t want to be set
on fire and eaten.
From there your quest begins – visit this person, they can tell
you where to go next, the prophecy can be revealed, the power
of the dragons can be yours via the dragon’s language, you can

» It’s not just dragons – vampires became a big part of Skyrim thanks to the Dawnguard add-on.
And yes – you could be one.

100 games to play before you die | 203

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

Children of Nirn The playable races of Skyrim

Altmer Argonian Bosmer Breton Dunmer

■ The high elves, as ■ Not only are the lizard- ■ Our diminutive forest- ■ Powerful magicians, ■ Morrowind’s natives,
other races know them, like argonians great at dwelling friends, the bretons are also able the dark elves are
are skilled in magic – lockpicking, their natural wood elves are so good at to absorb or resist proficient in destruction
as well as arrogance. immunity to disease archery they’ve become a magical damage thanks magic – all the better for
‘Haughty’ is a fair and ability to breathe meme in many an online to their natural abilities. smiting those who make
descriptor for the lanky, underwater is a great community. Archers Unsurprisingly, they’re snide comments about
golden ones. boon for Skyrim newbies. are OP, yo. usually mages. them, which is common.

Imperial Khajiit Nord Orsimer Redguard

■ The closest to a ■ Nobody trusts a khajiit ■ Give a nord a mace, ■ Commonly known as ■ They’re not the biggest,
default human you can on Nirn – well, they are and they’ll be happy. Give orcs, the orsimer’s large but the redguard are
get in Skyrim. Based off gifted at sneaking – but a nord a two-handed frames lend themselves easily the most naturally
Romans, imperials have our (sometimes) friendly warhammer, and you’ll to a fine capacity for talented warriors in all of
the gift of the gab – as cat people don’t have to be their friend for life. handling heavy armour. Skyrim – with blade and » Battles with dragons are far more common than you might
expect, but they’re always good fun. Even if they do get a bit
well as increased ability to be thieves. They’re just Skyrim’s natives love a They’re not too shabby at shield in hand, they’re easy towards the end of the game.
heal wounds. really good at it. good ruckus. the forge, either. hard to beat.

The key thing is freedom; freedom

to explore, to role-play, and to mod the
game into something else entirely
Nick Pearce

battle against the actual beasts, take a side in live your own life, and pickpocket as many
a rebellion, and generally save the world in an innocent farmers as you like.
epic, dozens of hours-long adventure. This freeform approach to playing the game
What makes Skyrim so very special, though, extended into Skyrim’s RPG systems – 2006’s
is that you’re just as likely to do all of the above Oblivion had already made steps to make
» The College of Winterhold is home to some of Skyrim’s best quests – but if you
enrol as a mage, you won’t necessarily be trusted in these lands.
as you are to go on a flower-picking escapade, things less rigid, and in Skyrim it was even less
or to learn new recipes for horker stew. The so. Sure, you could concentrate on one or two
end of the world can wait – we mean, it literally sorts of powers, skills, or abilities – but at no
can wait: if you choose not to bother with the point were you ever condemned to having to
main questline, the random dragons prowling use them for the length of the game. Don’t like
the giant world map won’t appear and you’ll how your character plays? Play a different way.
be able to play through the majority of Skyrim’s Bored of being a bosmer archer? Be a bosmer
side-quests without being hassled by the with a warhammer.
gigantic scaly fire-breathers. It was layers on layers of freedom for the

I
player, and while this lack of rigidity upset some
n any other game it might have been of the RPG old guard, the fact is most of us
seen as a negative that some players fell in love with the opportunity to experiment
might immediately lose track of the Skyrim put in front of us. And then, as soon
central plotline and go off to do their as you’ve learned its systems and explored its
own thing. But it’s easy to see how Bethesda world, there’s a large core story experience to
planned for this – you’re not railroaded in a set play through. And it kept on giving.
» Even years after its release, Skyrim still has the power to make you wander aimlessly through
its countryside, mouth agape at the gorgeous vistas.
direction or chided, or hurried on for dawdling. There were two main stars of Skyrim. First,
You can take your own time, do your own thing, naturally, was the dragons – the once-mythical,

204 | 100 games to play before you die

 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Conversion Capers

Xbox 360 PS3

■ While the PC was the superior original version, ■ Of the original batch of Skyrim releases, it was
the 360’s Skyrim wasn’t half bad at all. Like playing the PS3 that fared poorest. Owing to the system’s
the game on a midrange home computer of the day, tricky architecture, Bethesda wasn’t able to
it ran well, loaded quickly enough and didn’t have a produce a flawless port out of the box. In fact, it
habit of destroying hard drive contents. Unlike the took a few patches to get the game up to par with
PS3’s version… PC and Xbox 360.

Special Edition Xbox One

■ Five years after the original’s 2011 release, ■The Special Edition also made its way to the
Bethesda brought out a remaster – complete Xbox One, again seeing the first time Bethesda had
with 4K resolution textures and other tweaks and allowed mods on a console version. Microsoft was
requiring the Creation Club for mods to be used. more than open to the idea of players creating their
Owners of the PC version received a free upgrade – own content, so Xbox One mods have seen some
a nice gesture for existing fans. huge upgrades, changes and conversions.

now-real-and-angry creatures are tameable

in a DLC add-on, but for the most part they’re
a menace. Early on in the game it’s a toss-up
between whether you’ll be beating them down » Enemies are a varied bunch,
and you can often stumble
to absorb their soul – being the Dragonborn upon a seriously challenging
and all, as you are – or running away with your foe without any forewarning.
Always be prepared for
battleaxe between your legs as they take one combat encounters.
too many chunks out of you.

T
he battles with dragons never PS4 VR
stop being fun, and – thanks to ■ A different generation and version of Skyrim ■ Both PC and PS4 received a virtual reality version
Skyrim’s incredible orchestral arrived on PS4, with the Special Edition bringing of Skyrim, and surprisingly it is the full, complete
soundtrack – feel like truly epic with it the first taste of Elder Scrolls mods on experience. It’s unclear just how many people have
clashes every single time that they take place. console… to an extent. Sony’s refusal to allow new played through hundreds of hours with a headset
They’re also helped along by the fact that assets to be introduced to the game means all on, but there’s no doubt the scale of a dragon‘s
they’re always taking place in Skyrim’s second mods have to use existing in-game elements. scales is seriously impressive up close.
main star: Skyrim itself. This is a truly beautiful,
varied land in the north of Tamriel (the continent
on which the Elder Scrolls series is set) that Switch
could have gone down the lazy path of just ■ Initially laughed off as a bit of
being cold and snowy, but it ended up being so a ‘Skyrim on everything’ joke, on
much more. That’s not to say there isn’t much release it soon became apparent
of the white dung on show – your treks through this was the version a lot of people
the many mountain peaks of Skyrim will had been waiting for without even
present more than a few blizzards to contend knowing. Adding in Zelda loot
with along the way. But from Solitude to Riften, was a nice touch, but portable
Markarth to Winterhold, you’re always seeing Skyrim was more than enough of
something different: arctic tundra, alpine a lure by itself.
forests, swamps, rolling meadows; giants
tending to their mammoths, sabre-toothed cats

100 games to play before you die | 205

 100
gaMES to play
before you die

» You, the Dragonborn, must put a stop to

Alduin The World Eater’s efforts to
resurrect the dragons.

Best Skyrim Mods

Immersive Citizens The Forgotten City

■ Immersive Citizens fixes one of Skyrim’s most ■ An intelligent, smartly written mod that adds
notorious issues: unrealistic non-player characters. a new city full of a new voiced cast, quests,
Improving their AI, the mod makes the regular folk soundtrack and a storyline wrapping it all up very
of Skyrim much more like actual people – they run neatly. It even has time travel. When it comes to
from fights they can’t win, have better schedules, mods that add something special while remaining
even travel from town to town at times. It’s small, utterly faithful to the base game, the Forgotten City
but essential for immersion. is up there with the best.

Enderal: Falskaar
The Shards Of Order ■ Adding around a quarter of the landmass of
■ A total conversion five years in the making, vanilla Skyrim and about 25 hours of content might
Enderal is effectively a new game, completely free, seem like a job for a team of at least a dozen. So hunting stags, a babbling brook. It was easy to
that you plaster over the top of Skyrim. It offers obviously Falskaar was made by a single 19-year- get lost in Skyrim, even when you knew exactly
dozens of hours of questing and exploring, new old – with the help of volunteer voice actors, where you were.

I
characters, races, powers and abilities, and offers writers, and some artists/designers, naturally. It is
brand-new graphics, sounds and voice acting. a brilliant mod, and well worth your time. t was also – sometimes – easy to get
lost in Skyrim through no fault in your
own, or to glitch through the world, or
lose a saved game. It’s not something
that would usually be brought up in a piece like
this, but it’s fair to say Skyrim – just like previous
Bethesda titles – had more than its fair share of
bugs. But the playful, open nature of the game
lent itself to a happier reaction than might have
been expected – giants whacking the player
hundreds of metres in the air was accepted
Stones of Barenziah Open Cities Skyrim as funny; flying horses were encouraged as
Quest Markers ■ Open Cities is a mod that brings the feel of Skyrim brilliant; and setting a pot on a shopkeeper’s
■ Some mods create new realms – even new back to that of its precursor Morrowind – not by head so you could rob them without them
games on top of Skyrim – but some of the best changing a huge amount, but by tearing down seeing a thing was a stroke of genius Bethesda
mods just fix something. The Stones of Barenziah walls. It’s shocking how much more immersive the never did bother to fix. It’s fair to say that a lot of
quest requires you gather 25 gems, without any world becomes when you can walk in and out of Skyrim’s quirky bugs actually made it an even
idea where they are. This mod adds quest markers cities without having to travel through a door, and it more memorable experience.
to them. Cheating? Maybe. Useful? Definitely. makes exploration all the more fun. Released in 2011 on PC and consoles of
the day, Skyrim never did really go away and

206 | 100 games to play before you die

 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

I don’t think any game Meet The Modder

Nick Pearce – creator of the Forgotten City
has ever done ‘freedom’
so well
What do you think is Victoria to set up a studio and develop a new
the appeal of Skyrim? game of my own. So I’ve taken a break from
Nick Pearce The key thing is freedom; my legal career to pursue those opportunities.
freedom to explore, to It has been fantastic so far.
role-play, and to mod the
game into something What’s your favourite area of vanilla
else entirely. I don’t think Skyrim? Why?
any game has ever done I like Falkreath the best, because it’s beautiful;
‘freedom’ so well. nestled into a picturesque valley among lush
trees. I’d be happy to live some place like that
And what do you think it is about Skyrim IRL, as long as it had fibre internet.
that’s made it a legend?
I think because of the immense freedom On a broader level, how much impact did
that the game offers, it can be all things to all modding have to the success of Skyrim?
people, or near enough. Want to be a hero It’s common to see people in forums say
fighting zombies and dragons? No problem. that Skyrim was broken or incomplete and
Want to be a villain skulking about in the modders fixed it. I strongly disagree with that.
shadows? Cool. Want to pick flowers and brew Skyrim was awesome on its own; just ask
potions and sell them so you can by a house the tens of millions of console players who
and marry a spouse? You’re catered for. Want enjoyed it without mods for many years. Mods
to write a narrative adventure game of your certainly increased the freedom and provided
own? The Creation Kit’s got you covered. an extraordinary stream of new content –
and I think this is why Skyrim has enjoyed
How has Skyrim impacted you on a such longevity.
personal level?
It has changed my life, no doubt. When I What would you say is your favourite thing
started modding Skyrim I was working as a about Skyrim?
legal and strategy advisor to a tech company. The freedom to role-play your character.
It was a good job, but it left me with a lot of Personally, one of my favourite things to
unused creative energy, which I started pouring do in Skyrim is to play permadeath. Using a
into my passion project in my spare time. mod ‘Live Another Life’, I like to start with
After the mod took off and started winning nothing at a random location, and see how
awards, it opened up some really exciting new long I can survive on Very Hard difficulty.
opportunities I hadn’t expected; I was lucky Knowing that death is permanent for that
enough to receive some mentoring from some character makes it really intense and gets the
» The dunmer are native to the awesome local developers (League of Geeks), adrenaline going. I recommend it if you 
island of Morrowind, which is a close and I landed a grant from the wonderful Film haven’t tried it!
neighbour to Skyrim.

has seen re-releases and ports across many

platforms in the years following its original launch.
It’s testament to the quality of the game, to the
depth of experience on offer, and to the sheer
replayability of Skyrim that every single time it
comes out on another format, you’ll find an army
of players complaining – because they ‘have to
play through it all again’. Quick clue: that’s not
a complaint. Nobody actually dislikes playing
through Skyrim.
For all the volume of its detractors, for all the
jokes about remake after remake being released
on every format imaginable – plateauing with
Bethesda itself cracking a gag about Skyrim on
Amazon’s Alexa, only to then actually release
it on that very format – and for all its genuine,
pernickety issues, Skyrim is a genuine classic.
Its scope, breadth, depth, imagination, and
immersion has yet to be beaten and, frankly,
there are few other places we’d want to spend
as much time. Oh, and you can actually ride the » Orsimer – Elder Scrolls’ orcs – are naturally
strong, so they’re good with a two-handed murder stick.
dragons, too – what more could you want?

100 games to play before you die | 207

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