Run Mario Run! Watch Hundreds of Games Completed in Record Time!

Think you're fast at completing games? Or do you just like watching other people zip through a game in record time? Then head over to Speed Demos Archive where you can view and submit videos of people beating some of the most popular games in record time.

According to the site "a speed run is a video of a player striving to complete a video game in as fast a time as they can manage. Sound easy? It's not! A large number of tricks are usually used, possibly skipping whole areas of a game in the process, and there will always be mistakes."

The list of speed runs is quite impressive with a little more than 200 games currently on the site. All of the runs can be viewed as a video and often the "runner" will provide notes as to how they accomplished their run.

What I really like about this site is the outstanding selection of games. Never got around to playing the legendary Chrono Trigger? Well now you can watch someone complete the entire game, including all the side quests! Of course the video of this run is 647 MB but many of the runs are broken up into several segments so even modem users can view most of the runs without too much trouble.

Looking through this list some of these runs are truly impressive, such as the run of Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn (1 hour, 11 minutes, 37 seconds -- how did he do that?), Super Mario 64 (19 minutes, 47 seconds -- that's crazy), and Blast Corps (41 minutes, 17 seconds -- this game gets crazy-hard towards the end and it has 57 levels ... how did he do that?).

So what are the longest runs? The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (6 hours, 42 minutes), Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (7 hours, 11 minutes), and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (7 hours, 46 minutes). Whoa, I knew GTA: SA took awhile to finish but when the very fastest run is nearly 8 hours long that's pretty telling.

And the shortest runs? Super Mario Bros. (5 minutes, 6 seconds), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (3 minutes, 35 seconds), and Marble Madness for the NES (3 minutes, 13 seconds). Wow, and you thought King Kong was a short game?

Posted by Gaming Steve at 10:00 AM | Posted to Classic |      

Sega Genesis Lives! Beggar Prince To Be Released Spring 2006

Sure a new game hasn't been released for the Sega Genesis in America since 1998, but that hasn't stopped San Diego developer Super Fighting Team from releasing a brand new game for Sega's beloved system.

Beggar Prince tells the story of Steven, a bored prince who decides to escape his castle dressed as a beggar to experience life among the commoners. Of course with the prince gone the evil Minister usurps control of the throne and now Steven is barred from re-entering his own castle. Thus begins Steven's adventure of who must prove his identity and retake the throne.

Originally released as "Xin Qi Gai Wang Zi" in Taiwan in 1996, the Super Fighter Team has worked with the game's original developers to translate the game into English and release it for USA and Europe this Spring. Beggar Prince looks like your standard Genesis-style RPG with towns to visit, people to talk to, quests to conquer, monsters to battle, and so forth ... your typical RPG of the time. Graphically the game looks stunning and the combat system seems quite interesting. After flipping through the Beggar Prince web site and viewing the bright, crisp graphics makes you almost yearn for the days of 16-bit gaming.

You can pre-order the game for around $46 and is set to ship in Spring 2006. It will play in any Sega Genesis, Megadrive or Nomad system regardless of region (it will work on both NTSC and PAL systems). Can't wait to break out the old Genesis and give this one a whirl!

Posted by Gaming Steve at 10:00 PM | Posted to Classic | Preview |      

Gaming Steve Episode 33 - 01.03.2006

Why not start off the new year with a healthy dose of some Gaming Steve? I'm back with the first podcast of 2006, enjoy!

Gaming Steve Episode 33 Program

• 00:02:17 Game News:
• Pokemon USA threatens to sue cancer researchers.
• World of Warcraft pop 5 million and counting.
• Monster WOW patch released.
• G4 takes on Trek.
• EA adjusts earnings downward.
• NHL checks EA exclusivity offer.
• Judge blocks California game law.
• Jack Thompson buys shares in Take-Two.
• Video games get commemorative postage stamps.
• Why was Take-Two's Paul Eibeler the "Worst CEO of 2005"?
• 00:35:03 GameTalk: Too much mail! Moved this week to the Show Mail segment.
• 00:35:53 SporeTalk: A look at my third exclusive Spore artwork and important Spore-related dates.
• 00:42:19 Game Review: Condemned: Criminal Origins for the Xbox 360.
• 00:58:30 RetroReview: The Bard's Tale for the IBM PC, Apple ][, Apple ][GS, Commodore 64, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, NES, Macintosh, and Sinclair ZX.
• 01:11:33 “Name That Game!” contest winner from last week, a new clip, and a very cool prize!
• 01:14:14 Show Mail: I answer your many email questions.
• 02:13:12 Final Thoughts on ... does anyone listen to this section?

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Posted by Gaming Steve at 10:00 PM | Posted to Classic | Podcast | Review | Spore |      

Megaman vs Ghosts 'n' Goblins?

I just love crazy crossovers. Without crossovers we wouldn't have DC Versus Marvel, Interleague Play, or Battle of the Network Stars ... crossovers are just fun!

And if you're also a fan of crossovers you'll enjoy these gaming gems. It seems that "Staticreator" has a thing for remixing Megaman into different game worlds and then turning them into Flash games. So far he has two games completed and both are pretty fun. Megaman vs Ghosts 'n' Goblins is ... well ... Megaman in the world of Ghosts 'n' Goblins, and just like the original Ghosts 'n' Goblins it's pretty damn hard (but fun).

His other game is Megaman vs Metroid which is Megaman in the world of Samus Aran. Both are very well done and something I would love to see done for popular licensed properties. Metroid vs Solid Snake? GTA vs Mario? Pokemon vs Doom? The mind boggles.

Posted by Gaming Steve at 12:00 PM | Posted to Classic | PC |      

Advance Wars Circa 1991

Turn-based tactical combat fans are a "special" sort of gamer. You are the type of person who just loves Advance Wars, Fire Emblem, Tactics Ogre, Disgaea, and the impossibly-long PS1 Final Fantasy Tactics (has anyone finished this game?). You can pore over the smallest character stats for hours, carefully planning each of your characters development so that they're maximized to the point of perfection. You are the hardest of the hardcore tactical gamer, and you know who you are.

I myself used to be one of these gamers, but with less free time and a biggest selection of quality titles these sorts of games don't quite suck me in like they used to. However of all the turn-based RPSs I have played over the years my absolute favorite is the virtually unknown Warsong for the Sega Genesis. I was always upset that Warsong came and went as I thought it could have made an excellent series if given a chance.

Well, it turns out that Warsong did indeed continue to live a long and prosperous life, just not in the US. Named Lungrisser in Japan it was a massive success and went on to spawn multiple sequels across multiple formats. What made me think of this obscure game? Game import site NTSC-UK recently put up a feature detailing the history of Lungrisser/Warsong. Also make sure to check out Hardcore Gaming 101's excellent synopsis of the Langrisser/Warsong series.

Definitely check out those articles and if you're really adventurous give Warsong a try (if you can find it). Of course the years haven't been kind to this game and most modern games of this genre play better ... but I don't care and I still love this game. Maybe because when it first came out almost fifteen years ago it was one of the only turn-based RPG on the market (the other being the excellent Military Madness for the TurboGrafx-16) so I didn't really have much of a choice back then to scratch my tactical combat itch. So give Warsong a try and witness the great-grandfather of all turn-based tactical combat games.

Posted by Gaming Steve at 6:00 PM | Posted to Classic |      

Build a MAME Cabinet in 24 Hours

Ever wanted to have your very own arcade cabinet? Well those of you with some wordworking/electronic skills can do like Chris and build your own game cabinet ... in just 24 hours!

Okay, perhaps not 24 hours, although Chris oulines in great detail how we was able to create his cabinet in 24 hours -- after several months of planning. Chris writes:

Okay, so now I've got your attention - it's true - the cabinet construction was completed in 24 hours, but it took about three months to get around to the last few bits (like decorating the unit), so don't complain if after one day you don't get something that looks like the unit on the left!

Please browse through the links at the top and bottom of each page. They will cover the construction diary (in blow-by-blow detail), the finishing of the unit together with a shopping list, prices and then information on the PC inside the unit. Finally you will be able to download some plans we created after building the device, together with some of the graphics that are on the unit.

Posted by Gaming Steve at 1:00 PM | Posted to Classic |      

Needlepoint and Video Games?

Want to hear two phrases that I don't think I have ever heard used together? Needlepoint and video games. No, I'm not talking about a video game based on needle pointing (now that would be a crazy game). I'm talking about creating needlepoints of video games; or rather I'm talking about creating "plastic canvas" video games.

For those unfamiliar with plastic canvas needlepoint it’s a simple technique that is often used to teach beginners how to needlepoint. Instead of using cloth you use a rigid plastic canvas (the large holes allow for simple stitching) and it’s extremely easy to copy a detailed pattern onto the plastic canvas. Also due to its rigidity plastic canvases can be used for creating strong structural objects, such as tissue box covers, handbags, small jewelry boxes, as well as other decorative objects. In fact, I am comfortable enough with my manhood to publicly state that I used to perform plastic canvas needlepoint as a kid and I really enjoyed it!

Well it might be time to break out the needle and thread because I stumbled upon some crazy cool plastic canvas video game patterns for sale on eBay. The seller, "plasticcanvascreations", sells five patterns in total: an upright Pac-man cabinet, a cocktail table Donkey Kong (very cool), an old-fashioned claw machine, a Fireball pinball machine, and a pool table with a removable top. Each pattern can be bought for a mere $3, but you will need to stitch and assemble each item yourself, but that cocktail table Donkey Kong cabinet is just too damn cool. I definitely need to get myself one of those.

Of course your friends will probably make fun of you for doing needlepoint and making these things … and then secretly ask you to make them one I’m sure.

Posted by Gaming Steve at 12:00 PM | Posted to Classic | Random |      

Gaming Steve Episode 30 - 12.10.2005

I'm back from vacation with a monster episode and a little bit of everything. Exclusive Spore design artwork (with more to come!), I take answer your questions, I review the 360 and more!

Gaming Steve Episode 30 Program

• 00:02:35 Game News:
• Xbox 360 has rocky start at retail.
• Revolution to be unveiled in May.
• Ten most violent games named.
• Stainless Steel Studios and Digital Anvil are melted down.
• Xbox 360 lands across the pond.
• Defective 360s? Here comes the lawsuits.
• Illinois game laws overturned.
• ESRB fails the grade.
• EA swallows Jamdat.
• Clinton introducing federal game regulation.
• 00:36:00 GameTalk: The end of games as we know it?
• 00:56:27 SporeTalk: A look at my exclusive Spore artwork and the evolution of design.
• 01:04:43 Game Review: The Xbox 360 system.
• 01:33:42 RetroReview: Coleco Telstar systems.
• 01:43:31 “Name That Game!” contest winner from last week, a new clip, and a mystery prize!
• 01:47:52 Show Mail: I answer your audio questions.
• 02:09:22 Final Thoughts on the T-Shirt design contest and playing games while on vacation.

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Posted by Gaming Steve at 11:30 PM | Posted to Classic | Podcast | Review | Spore | Xbox |      

Nintendo DS Port of Dragon's Lair

As many people who regularly read this site probably know that Dragon’s Lair is one of my favorite games of all time. I would really love to replay this game every so often, but good luck trying to find this game in your local arcade (yeah, right) and a PC or console version of the original has never been released. Of course you can buy the game as a DVD and play it on your DVD player or console system, but using a crappy DVD controller just doesn’t cut it in my opinion. Plus, your average DVD player responses aren’t nearly fast enough to simulate the arcade game.

I was recently thinking/hoping that someone would port Dragon's Lair onto the PSP as the large screen and excellent controls would probably make for a near perfect port. I have yet to find a homebrew version of Dragon's Lair for the PSP but I was moderately stunned to find that someone is working on a Nintendo DS port of Dragon's Lair. I would have never even thought of porting this game onto the DS, but in retrospect there is no reason not to think that the DS could do as good of a job as the PSP.

So far they only have the first four levels complete and you'll need to use Neoflash in order for it to work on your DS, but the concept is fantastic and I'd definitely go to any length to get a portable version of Dragon's Lair. I just hope that they finish the entire game ... now someone get working on Space Ace!

Posted by Gaming Steve at 5:30 PM | Posted to Classic | DS |      

The 1982 Atari Club Christmas Catalog

Can't find an Xbox 360 for the holidays this year? Seventy dollar "special edition" games getting you down? Well let's go back in time to a simpler time in video game history ... back to 1982 when the Atari 2600 ruled supreme!

This 8-page catalog of gaming goodness was bundled inside the September/October 1982 edition of Atari Age Magazine and features some rather odd gift choices. An Atari plastic inflatable kite? An Atari space telescope? An Atari "Super Sports Wallet"? Err ... okay, if you say so.

But check out page four of the catalog which has some "choice" items. A Breakout cap and scarf! The "official" Berzerk T-shirt! An Atari duffel bag! Damn, I wonder if that 1-800 number still works?

Check out the entire catalog after the jump.

Posted by Gaming Steve at 5:30 PM | Posted to Classic |