GameCola: Volume 1, Issue 1 - March/April 2002

GameCola: Volume 1, Issue 1 - March/April 2002
Quenching Your Thirst for Video Entertainment ©

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Table of Contents

I. Introduction
II. NHL Hockey '94 (Super Nintendo)
III. Your Ten Favorite Games
IV. Philly Classic 3 Report
V. Top 10 Video Games of 1994
VI. Webpage of the Bimonth

I. Introduction

Have you ever sat around and just thought to yourself, "Paul, what do you want to do with your life? Do you want to waste it all away playing Nintendo, or do you want to make something of yourself?". Being that that was a rhetorical question, a response is not expected; but if there is one, I'd guess it is "no", because your name's not Paul. Regardless of name (rose by any other, etc.), that is a valid question for most players of video games. After contemplating it for nearly four seconds, I decided to do both. Hence, GameCola.

GameCola was originally designed as a way for myself to springboard into the realm of video game magazines. I thought of this as a way to gain experience, and maybe create a name for myself if it happens to earn triple digits in the readership department. Originally, my plan was to just write one video game review per issue, and call that a newsletter. That's not a whole lot of content. A page, page and a half at tops. This, the very first issue of GameCola, exceeds seven pages in length. That's more than seven times the amount of planned content! This issue has six different sections, and will probably grow surpass even that in the bimonths to come. By the end of the year, GameCola may be reaching upwards of ten pages.

So, welcome to GameCola. I hope you enjoy yourselves in this journey into the vast unknown of internet publication. If you happen to have any comments, suggestions, concerns or whatnot, etcetera, n stuff, please feel absolutely free to e-mail them to oz176@yahoo.com, with the understanding that anything you say can and will be used against you in a future publication. So, without further adieu:

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.

II. NHL Hockey '94 (Super Nintendo)

Genre: Sports
Players: 1-4
Platform: Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
Rating: N/A
Release: 1993
Publisher: EA Sports

Summer 1994: My brothers and I go to Pinelands Video (since gone out of business) in order to find a Super Nintendo game to amuse ourselves with; NHL '94 is the selection. It is rented several times thereafter, keeping us amused for quite some time.

Christmas 1999: One gift for the family (read: me) left to open. As I tear away the wrapping paper, I see the letters "N", "H", and "L" staring me down. This is followed by a "'94" tacked onto the end. I yelp with joy, and rush down to play it with my brothers, ignoring the countless Nintendo 64 games brought to me by a Mister Santa Clause.

Summer 2001: Spend a lengthy time at my brother's beach house inside playing NHL '94, until we finally win the Stanley cup for the very first time. A large celebration ensues.

These are just some of the highlights of my fixation with this game. Ever since playing it for the first time I've been hooked, and it's not hard to see why. Sure, you can have your next-gen games, with your polygon counts, and your 45 thousand bits, and your stats and drafts and your create-a-players; but with NHL '94, you have so much more than that. When playing this game, with its ancient-by-today's-standards graphics, you get a warm, fuzzy, nostalgic feeling; an honest, "this is a good game" feeling and that's way better than playing with any freaky, considerably-more-realistic-looking-than-anything-pre-Playstation blue-haired person I could create on my own.

It seems like no more than your typical old-school hockey game; start the game with a face-off, team with the most points at the end wins. Pretty standard stuff. The modes themselves are standard as well; you can chose to play a normal, inconsequential game, start a playoffs series, continue a playoffs series (with a password supposedly given to you where you left off last time you played, but finding codes is a cinch on the internet), stage a shootout, etc. You have the option to have an automatic goalie (affectionately referred to as "Otto"), a manual goalie, or no goalie at all. The third can produce the most exciting of games, for shooting from one side of the rink can produce a goal in the other, whether intentional or not.

It's not necessarily the game itself that's special; rather, it's playing the game with a group of friends on a hot summer day, when there's nothing better to do. It's "chilling" in the workout/video game room of your brothers house, playing the game while waiting for it to be time go to leave because you're having a sucky time and would rather be at home probably doing the same exact thing. It's earning the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, finally showing those bastard Hawks/Icelanders/whoevertheylosttoandthenlaterwreckedinthethirdmovie what they're made of. NHL '94 is happiness in a gray cartridge.

Control
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9/10

Control is crisp and simple to memorize. A shoots, B passes - that's all you need to know. Within minutes of getting the game out of the box (if you find yourself lucky enough to be in possession of a boxed cartridge, that is) you'll be scoring points left and right (and up and down, if you're really skilled).

Graphics
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8/10

Exactly what is to be expected from this circa 1993 game; kind of bland, but I'm not at all sure if there's anything that could be done to improve it. I'd look to NHL '95 to see if they did any better with that, but I distinctly remember that game not being nearly as good as the previous year's, mainly due to my sucking at it, throwing the controller towards the ground in a fit, and vowing never to play it again.

Sound
-------
9.5/10

This is the kind of music I'd expect to hear in the unlikely event that I was drugged and forced to attend a professional hockey game. Tracks include "do do do DO do do do do DO do do do DO do do do.... dodododo, DO DO!" and "DO dodododododododo DO dododododo DO dodo DO dododododododododo". Sound effects seem to be true to life, with the screeching of skates as one makes a sudden stop, and the thud of a stick being rammed into another players body (speaking of which, you can check not only members of the opposing team, but your own as well!)

Replay Value
--------------
10/10

The year is twenty oh two, and I'm still leading my All-Stars West team to victory. If a game can keep you hooked for nine + years, then I'd say that it is a winner.

Fun
-----
9/10

To this day, the only electronic hockey game that I've enjoyed more than NHL '94 is Wayne Gretzky's 3-D Hockey for the Nintendo 64, and that's only because you can set the net on fire. If goals were ablaze in NHL '94, it would be the premiere hockey game.

Overall
---------
9.1/10

I cannot praise this game enough. I feel somewhat saddened by giving it anything less than an 11/10, but no game is perfect. If stellar graphics are a requirement by you in order to enjoy a game, than NHL '94 is not the cup of tea you wish to drink from. The graphics by no means suck, but by no means are even decent by today's standards. But, graphics don't make the game. Entertainment does. How well you enjoy yourself does. Fun does. NHL '94 contains an abundance of all three of these categories, and is, by my definition, a superb game. If you happen to own a Super Nintendo Entertainment System, then do yourself a favor and obtain this game.

III. Your Ten Favorite Video Games

We here at GameCola like to see the fans get involved. We like interactivity, we like to have some varied writing style, and we like to talk as though we are plural. To be involved in GameCola is not so hard; all that you have to do is e-mail me a list of your ten favorite games, and a brief description explaining your choices. For this month's edition, we turn to the RPG-lovin' Matt Gardner, to see what games he likes best.

Matt Gardner's Top Ten Favorite Video Games

10. Super Mario RPG (SNES): Mario, Peach, and Bowser team up for an RPG. You couldn't ask for a much better cast of characters, but as an added bonus you get a marshmallow and a giant doll to join you as well. The story of this one is none too bad, and the fact that its a Mario g ame and an RPG at the same time give it all in needs to be included in this list.

9. Dark Cloud (PS2): You play a Link look-alike searching through various dungeons for missing pieces of towns destroyed by an evil genie. The ability to customize the towns in any way you want is an amazing feature for a game to have, and the 100 level bonus dungeon is quite a nice plus for you after you beat the game.

8. Final Fantasy X (PS2): 70+ hours of playtime in this amazing addition to the Final Fantasy series. The story makes you go "Wow, that's an amazing story, to say the least." The characters each have their own unique moves and personality (complete with voice-overs). The summons are awe-inspiring, and the side quests and mini-games such as finding the hidden aeons and playing blitzball make this one a solid top 10 pick.

7. Gauntlet: Dark Legacy (PS2): Quite possibly the greatest game in the world as far as multiplayer ones go. Eight characters and nine secret characters are at your disposal as you and your friends try to save the world from that evil big guy. Essential game for small parties with your friends.

6. Chrono Cross (PS): Around 14 million characters to join you on your quest, almost as many as there are hours of playtime to be gotten from this wondrous game. Great Story, great characters, great game. Enough said.

5. Dragon Warrior Monsters 2 (GBC): All of your favorite monsters from the dragon warrior series (1-7) are here, and this time they will massacre your enemies, rather than you. 312 or so monsters for you to capture, breed, and battle with or against your friends. Arena battles, random trainer battles, dream eggs to collect, feed, and hatch, and an extremely extensive amount of secret worlds top off this gem of a game.

4. Chrono Trigger (SNES): Replay value is through the roof, especially for an RPG. The 'new game +' mode allows you to start a new game with the items and stats of your previous game and, when combined with the great gameplay and story of CT, you will never stop playing.

3. Dragon Warrior 7 (PS): Massive hours of playtime on this one, 100+ give or take. Amazing story and characters, class system, astounding side quests (Catch monsters, build a city, 2 bonus areas to explore after beating the game), and everything else your little mind can think of.

2. Ephemeral Fantasia (PS2): Twelve different characters to join you on your quest, mini-games (guitar playing, drinking, playing cards), several side quests to occupy yourself with, great level systems (party levels, skill levels, character levels), good story, pretty much everything else I want a game to have.

1. Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals (SNES): Great story, great characters, great battle system (no trying to run away 800 times before you are successful), no random encounters in dungeons, capsule monsters to feed and raise, two bonus game modes, the list goes on and on...

And there you have it. Seem's easy enough, doesn't it? Think of your ten favorite games, write a few sentences about them, and BAM! you're in GameCola. Easy as the proverbial cake. Drop me a line if you're intrested.

IV. Philly Classic 3 Report

Try to imagine your own personal euphoria. To some, it may be a scenic countryside, with bunnies, deer, butterflies, and all sorts of other delectabely cute creatures prancing about. For others, it could be a beach during sunset, with a calm ocean, a gentle breeze gliding through the air, and their lover walking hand-in-hand by their side. For me, it's a musty convention center with "blips" and "bleeps" and "zoots" lessening the hearing ability of all those in attendance.

The building was innocent looking enough. Apparently, some sort of housewares convention was also taking place at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA, and it was getting all of the attention. Until I saw a small sign on a staircase inside advertising the "Philly Classic 3", I doubted that it even existed, and that the whole shebang was merely an elaborate plot set forth by those in my party in order to beat me up and take from me all I had in my possession. We went down there, acting all bad ass in our various gimmicky t-shirts (Pac-Man, Ninja Turtles, ironed-on Young-Link, the kind of thing you'd expect), and paid our $15. A few of us were lucky enough to have a special card that entitled us to free gifts. These "free gifts" consisted of a waterproof container for beach excursions, and a chip clip, both advertising some sort of monstrosity in New Hampshire known only by the name "FunSpot". These items bestow upon me no with to visit such a place. We did get some nifty identification badges though, which we wore around our necks, and served the purpose of showing the ticket folk that we had indeed already paid.

We arrived there approximately a half-hour after the event started, and already the place was crawling with all sorts of shady sorts. People with long, curly, purple hair, people dressed up as giant Atari games, people who looked to be too young to know what a Super Nintendo was, and people who looked to be too old to know the same; we saw all kinds of diversity. One roly-poly nine-year old beat me with a comb and taunted me. I had never been so scared in my entire life. He picked that comb up off of the ground! Major ewage.

As soon as we got to the place, our little posse broke apart. Jim and Doug went off to play Smash Brothers Melee, Dave and Neal played all of the old school games they could get their hands on, and myself and Mark went on a shopping spree. I entered the Convention Center with $120, and left with eight. Among my purchases were:

Secret of Mana for the Super Nintendo - One dealer was asking $45 for the cartridge alone. Another $25. I ventured over to the twenty-five man, and offered him twenty. A deal was made. I saved twenty-five effing dollars on that; it was incredible.
A Famicom to N.E.S. converter, with The Lost Levels included - This was a real steal at $20. Now, if only it works...
Super Mario Bros. the Movie and Super Mario Bros. the Movie soundtrack - I've seen the movie on e-bay for upwards of $15; it cost three here. The soundtrack was five. This place = heaven.
A bunch of random video game books and magazines for $2.
Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego? - I saw this for $8; it was quite intriguing, for it came packaged with a desktop encyclopedia, and any game that requires such heavy reading must have good reasoning to back it up. I was hesitant at first to make such an expensive acquisition, but the dealer offered to throw in this aparatus that allows me to somehow get e-mail on my GameBoy, so I couldn't say no.
Lots of other random tchockes that are barely worth mention. Except possibly for the "Bible Adventures" N.E.S. game.

But, wasting money on things you'd probably end up using only as dust catchers is only half the fun at the Philly Classic 3. There was also various gaming tournaments going on throughout the day. Tournaments for Burger Time, Dance Dance Revolution, Bust-a-Move, Tekken Tag Tournament, Warlords, Goldeneye, and probably some others that we just didn't catch. We had representatives in several events; Some of us participated in Burger Time I believe, but I was busy bargaining with a man who would just not budge on his $10 on a Winky-Dink cassette + drawing screen combo to pay attention to those happenings. As for DDR, we were all too scared to compete in that for fear of looking silly; and I'm pretty sure no one gave a shit about Tekken Tag-Tournament. But, Neal did get quite far in Warlords, I made it to the second round of Bust-a-Move before being defeated by Mark (who, along with Doug, advanced to maybe the third or fourth or possibly moreth round), and Neal proved to be the Jesus of Goldeneye as he kicked the ass out of all of the nine year olds competing. A few ten year olds too! All kidding aside though, those kids were damn good, and Neal deserves a little more than Chef's Luv Shack for Dreamcast for defeating them.

So, this is pretty much how we spent nine hours of our precious Saturday. Playing video games. I would never give up that experience for the world. If you ever have the chance to attend something like this, I urge you to do so. Even if you don't buy anything, it's worth it to play all of these antiquated arcade games, or to just screw around in the tournaments, or to just check out all the old merchandise for sale. It is quite the trip.

V. The Top 5 Video Games of 1994

It seems only appropriate, in keeping with our 1994-inspired issue of GameCola (see: NHL Hockey '94) that we write a little about this less-than-stellar year in gaming. In a year which saw not only the infamous attack on Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan, a strike within the National Baseball League, and the release of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's "How the West Was Fun", it seems rather shocking that the headlines of the gaming industry read little else than "Sega 32x Released!". A year had passed since the release of genre-creating Super Mario Kart, and the video game world was waiting to see what the next big thing would be - granted, Super Mario Kart was not considered at the time to be a "big thing", but in retrospect, it has had quite an impact on our industry. Regardless, 1994 was not a terribly important year for video games, as you shall soon see, as we take a look back at the...