Retro Game Review: Ballblazer

Soccer in the future may look something like this.

Platform: Atari 7800 ProSystem

Released: 1984 (original)

Developer: Lucasfilm Games

Background: Ballblazer was the first video game developed by Lucasfilm, originally for Atari's 8-bit systems. It was a 1 or 2-player game in a 3D format. This was actually a futuristic "sports" game with simple rules: You took control of one of the rotofoils and attempted to grab the ball, or Plasmorb, with the invisible beam on the front. The idea was to put the Plasmorb through the opponent's goal, which moved back and forth horizontally across the baseline - placing it got you one point, while shooting it got you two. As you score more goals, the goal gets more and more narrow. The game ends when the clock expires or one player scores 10 goals. One of the features of Ballblazer seen in many of today's multiplayer games is split-screen action from two separate first-person views.

Graphics: 4.5/5

Keep in mind we're talking about the Atari 7800 here, so you're not going to get better graphics except for maybe Pole Position II or the 7800 version of Ms. Pac-Man, which is extremely close to the arcade version. One of the things you'll notice when playing Ballblazer is there's no screen flickering or anything like that.

Sound: 5/5

Hands-down the best music on any early Atari console game. I read somewhere a reviewer said it sounded like John Coltrane. It's not, but the jazzy tune that plays during the game is one of a kind. The sounds when you fire the ball or bump your opponent's rotofoil are very well executed, too.

Controls: 5/5

The controls are simple: The joystick moves you, the button fires the Plasmorb. When your opponent has the Plasmorb, you can press the button to try to steal it away.

Gameplay: 5/5

This game runs so smooth, you'd be surprised today it was being played on such an old system. And despite its simplicity, it's a lot of fun. While you can play against the computer, it's best when going up against one of your friends. There weren't many (if any) split-screen multiplayer games with first-person perspectives around at the time, so this game offered a unique gaming experience.

Overall: 4.875/5

In a nutshell, this game is fantastic. I spent many hours when I was younger playing Ballblazer. I used to use a third-party controller on my 7800 that looked like the yoke for a fighter jet with a trigger button for your index finger. I always thought the 7800 was an under appreciated system, especially since it had to compete with the original NES and Sega MasterSystem. But Ballblazer showed gamers the best Atari had to offer at the time. With a company like Lucasfilm developing the game, would you expect anything less?

No patches required

Early Super Mario Bros. games may have had their little quirks, but we didn't dare ask for a way to fix them.

Patches. Patches. More patches. Why does it seem almost every day we're hearing about some kind of glitch (sometimes even a fatal one) that one of the latest, greatest (?) consoles or one of their games is having. Example: Just this morning, I saw a story about how Ninja Gaiden II for the Xbox 360 has sold more than a million copies, touting Microsoft and Tecmo for reaching this milestone. Still, the forum associated with the story managed to creep into the direction of - surprise! - patches. I don't own the game or a 360, but apparently one guy knew of a patch that messed the game up, while another suggested the game needed patching to fix some of its quirks.

Now I don't know how long these people have been playing video games, but when I was growing up in the era of Atari and NES consoles, glitches were cool. They were those little tricks we actually tried to make the game do - Like how on Excitebike you could make your bike jump out the top of the screen and come out the bottom. Or how on Super Mario Bros., you could jump on that Koopa shell like a thousand times and get a ton of extra lives. We lived for those things.

Today, games have to be too perfect. And when they're not, people want a fix for it. While I enjoyed the little quirks of video games of old, I can understand the pro-patch player's argument. If I spent more than 300 bucks on a console and 60 more on a game for it, I'd want nothing short of perfection as well. But at 8 or even 16 bits, perfection was quite difficult to come by.

Any search engine will lead you to pages upon pages of glitches and cheats for video games, both old and new. But in 1985, there wasn't any way to download a software patch for a console game. What you got was what you got. With today's online access via console, fixing the little snafus developers don't see right away is a simple task. Me, well, I needed Justin Bailey's help and the Mega Man "pause" trick, too.

What's new at Pacing the Cage

Hi everyone! I've finished renovating the site (for now), and I invite you to look around at the new Pacing the Cage! There might be some minor tweaks done in the future, but for now things will stay this way. I wanted to make this site easy to read and navigate while giving it a simpler look. Having spent the last few years working in the newspaper industry, I like the look of black copy on white. As always, feel free to comment on what you see or read here. Some highlights of the site include:

• The video game news ticker is still at the top of the page. There, you can stay current on what's going on the world of video games, both new and old. You can also subscribe to this blog by accessing the link in the right-hand column. Access to every column in this blog is still available on the right side, too.
• I've added links to the Pacing the Cage MySpace page and MyBlogLog site, which can be found under the "Interactive" header.
• Be sure to check out MSNBC's Top 5 games widget down toward the bottom of the right column.
• The MyBlogLog visitor widget has been removed.
• My profile and the "Blogs I'm Reading" modules have been edited.
• Some of the modules along the right side have been rearranged, and the blog directory icons have been moved to the bottom of the page.

Have fun looking around, and thanks for reading!

Pacing the Cage undergoing renovation

I'm in the process of tweaking the PtC blog, so if the page looks a little funny for the time being you'll know why. The idea is to create a simple, easy to read look. I'll fill everyone in on some of the new changes once they're done. Sorry for the inconvenience in the meantime.

Top 10: Classic video game dynasties

The Donkey Kong series represents the best in never getting old.

No matter how many sequels some video game companies come out with, many never get old (while some do, but that's another topic for another time). One of the best things about long-running series is being able to see new innovations that show up with each new release. Many famous series are among gaming's biggest sellers and have been around since video games were first made readily aavilable for the home.

Here are my top 10 video game dynasties from the 16-bit era and back. While some of these franchises have newer installments, I'm only listing some of the 16-bit and lower titles. By the way, I'm not listing every title for every franchise, because for some I might be typing all day! And as always, your comments are welcome.

10: Bases Loaded

Includes: Bases Loaded 1, 2, 3, 4; Super Bases Loaded 1, 2, 3

The Bases Loaded series was the best set of baseball games for the NES, and only World Series Baseball for the Sega Genesis rivaled it during the 16-bit age. And some titles features Ryne Sandberg on the cover, which was pretty cool in the late 1980s.

9: Street Fighter II

Includes: The World Warrior, Turbo, Champion Edition, Special Champion Edition, Super SF II, SF II Turbo: Hyper Fighting

The classic 2D fighting game was champion of the 16-bit era. The Genesis version was ideal if you had the 6-button controller, which was set up just like the arcade configuration.

8: Contra

Includes: Contra, Super C, Contra III: The Alien Wars, Super Contra, Contra Force

Contra was "run and gun" gameplay at its best, as stopping for too long would get you killed. The "Konami Code" was a necessity when playing the ultra-difficult first game in the series.

7: Ninja Gaiden

Includes: Ninja Gaiden, NG II: The Dark Sword of Chaos, NG III: The Ancient Ship of Doom

What made Ninja Gaiden games, especially the first one, so great was the level of difficulty. Ryu's adventures were anything but a cakewalk, and the original could be downright frustrating at times.

6: John Madden Football/Madden NFL xx

Includes: Any Madden game up to the end of the 16-bit era

John Madden Football, in its infancy, was actually more fun than it is today. From the obscure team names (New Jersey, anyone?), to the ambulance crushing anyone in its path to rescue the injured player, to Barry Sanders destroying defenses, these were the franchises glory years.

5: Mega Man

Includes: Mega Man 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Xtreme, X, X2, X3, The Wily Wars

I wish I could rank Mega Man higher. I wish it because of how MM always felt so familiar, yet so different. The first installment was punishing (the "pause" trick definitely helps), but doesn't lose points for that. What it does lose points for, however, is the downright awful North American covers for Mega Man 1 and 2. Note to artists: Mega Man doesn't carry a cap gun!

4: The Legend of Zelda

Includes: The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, Oracle of Ages/Seasons

The original is a classic, the second not so much, the SNES title is best in the series (Sorry Ocarina fans, your game is overrated) and the Game Boy editions are solid. In fact, if you've never played Link's Awakening and are tired of fighting Ganon every time, I highly suggest trying it.

3: Super Mario Bros.

Includes: Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, 3; Super Mario World 1, 2; Super Mario Land 1, 2, 3; The Lost Levels; Super Mario RPG

Super Mario Bros. 3 is, hands-down, the best overall game for the NES. The gameplay, graphics and music can't be beat. The original SMB was groundbreaking, and SMB 2 in North America was like an acid trip, while SMB 2 in Japan (Lost Levels) made you pull your hair out. All of the SNES Mario titles were solid, too, but couldn't stack up to SMB 3.

2: Sonic the Hedgehog

Includes: Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, 3; Sonic and Knuckles; Sonic CD; Sonic Spinball

The anti-Mario gets the nod over SMB for its display of raw 16-bit power. Its music, speed and graphics trumped Mario, even when the plumber entered the 16-bit arena. Spinball was horrible and took away what made Sonic fun, but the other titiles provided gamers with hours of it. A fresh storyline that didn't include Bowser made the original Sonic the preferred choice for me.

1: Donkey Kong

Included: Donkey Kong; Donkey Kong Jr.; Donkey Kong 3; Donkey Kong Country 1, 2, 3; Donkey Kong Land 1, 2, 3

Where to begin? How about with a little carpenter named Jumpman, er, Mario. That's right, Mario used to be a carpenter but changed his trade. Speaking of which, major points have to go out for making Mario the bad guy (Jr.). The original DK and Jr. have been ported an insane number of times, and Mario is in, what, like a bazillion games now. Then there's Donkey Kong Country. DKC made a 16-bit system look like a PlayStation on your TV, made the gorilla the hero and made a giant wad of cash off it. Plus, since Mario wasn't officially "Mario" yet, DK has been around longer than anyone on this list. Shigeru Miyamoto, please step up and accept your crown!

Is this really the worst game EVER?

When talking about the worst video games of all time, this little nugget always seems to come to mind.

You've got to give Howard Scott Warshaw credit. For one infamous game he designed, Warshaw has endured more criticism than for the great Atari 2600 titles he created, including Yars' Revenge and Raiders of the Lost Ark. It took four to five months for him to create Yars' Revenge. He only had five weeks to create the video game adaptation of E.T. the Extra Terrestrial.

The resulting product, which he defends, has been the butt of video game jokes for more than 20 years. We all know that names - "Worst Video Game of All Time" or "Reason for the Video Game Crash of the Early 1980s." Many saw E.T. as a game where you aimlessly roamed about and fell into holes at random. And if that guy in the raincoat got a hold of your behind, you were in trouble. That other guy wanted to get you, too.

But is E.T. really that bad, or is it just misunderstood? To come up with the answer, let's look at this as a puzzle and see if all the pieces fit together (no pun intended).

• Landscape - The entire game is made up of six screens, all of which allow you to walk in four directions to an adjoining screen. Think of it as walking around a cube, with each side of the cube (top and bottom included) as a separate screen. That'll get you over the "wandering aimlessly part."


• The idea - The game's objective is pretty much the same as the movie. You must collect the pieces of the phone, call home and meet the spaceship that's here to pick you up.


• Gameplay - Pieces of the phone are located in selected "holes" or "wells" in the landscape. You fall into a hole, pick up the piece and hover back up to the main screen. When you find all the pieces, you must call the spaceship back (Hint: Call from the forest). Actually, the status bar at the top of the screen will tell you when you're in the right spot. And don't get caught by the FBI guy or scientist: The FBI dude will take your phone parts; the scientist will take you. You can eat Reese's Pieces to regain energy, and Elliot can also help you in your quest.
  

Believe it or not, that's pretty much it. If you know what you're supposed to be doing, the game is pretty easy and can be completed in just about 10-15 minutes or so. If you have no idea what you're supposed to do, then yes, you probably think this is the stupidest thing to be encased in plastic. If you break the game down, like I just did, it really sounds easy and not quite so dumb. E.T. also features different skill levels to make the game more of a challenge.

I know there are some of you who will still think this game is terrible even after reading this, but you should sit back and ask yourself, "Is it really as bad as I thought before?"

Want to see more worst of the worst? Just click here for a listing of some of the lowest-rated games of all time.

Mouth or moustache? The mystery deepens

This guy's face has been a center of controversy for more than 20 years.

Believe it or not, fighting games did exist prior to Street Fighter II. In fact, the original Street Fighter, though beautiful to look at when it debuted, was mechanically terrible.

One of the more popular early fighting games was Karate Champ, born at the arcade and later ported to the NES. Hand-to-hand combat was simple, choppy and not all that great, but there wasn't anything better, really. You had two identical guys fighting each other, one clad in white and the other in red (I've read Ken and Ryu were based on these guys). But despite the game's simplicity, one complex dilemma remains: What is that on the sensei/referee's face?

If he's frowning, he's a Richard Marx wannabe; if it's a moustache, he's Gene Shalat. Either way, I'm not sure anyone knows what's going on with this guy.

The argument for it being a frown: It would look pretty funny to have a guy looking face-on to the camera with huge eyebrows, eyes and no nose. I mean, it worked for The Blank in Dick Tracy, why not this guy? And while we're at it, why is this guy doing the peepee dance?

The moustache argument: Take a look at the two fighters. They both have abnormally huge noses and no mouths. So what makes this guy so special he gets a mouth? (Note the Ken and Ryu resemblance between them) Also, if his frown is that big, then he has a humongous mouth! I mean this guy can swallow cantaloupes without having to bite them. Joey Chestnut would be proud.

So what is the deal with this guy? Does anyone really know what that is on his face? I mean, big hair and a huge moustache may have been all the rage in the 1980s, and maybe perhaps the video game gods were just going with the times.

The Code

The Konami Code, as shown by our friends at Wikipedia.

It's as synonymous with 80s video gaming as Mario and Luigi. It's probably the biggest reason we love to play Contra so much. Yet, the "Konami Code" stretches far beyond 30 lives.

Oh yes, the code goes far beyond the original NES. Much farther.

In fact, the code is used in games on the NES, Super NES, Sony PlayStation and even mobile phones. And the numerous games that utilize it go far beyond even the realm of Konami. A list of games where the code can be used is found here.

A little bit of video gaming history: The code was created back in 1985 by Kazuhisa Hashimoto while designing the NES port of the game Gradius. Inputting the code gives players all the power-ups, which normally you'd gradually collect during the game.

The rest is history. The code spread like wildfire.

For those of us who became gamers back in the 1980s, the Konami Code was a part of our video game lives and to this day runs through our blood. Lest we never forget "The Code."

Fun and excitin' ridin', jumpin', bobbin' and weavin'

Excitebike was, in a word, exciting. Even though the number of tracks was limited, the game was still tons of fun.

Crank up the engine, hit the track and go back to 1985! Excitebike was one of the Nintendo Entertainment System's oldest original titles, and today the game is still enjoyed by many, myself included.

There is no underlying story or character in Excitebike. You take control of an unnamed rider and race him (or her) to the best time possible, hopefully qualifying for the Excitebike race, a replay of the track you just hammered only more difficult. My friend Kevin was disappointed you couldn't actually win the super-duper Excitebike in the NES version, which I believe you could at the arcade. If anyone knows any different, let me know.

While tackling the predesigned tracks was fun, I spent lots of time building my own tracks. I don't know if this was changed in any of the game's re releases, but you could place a bunch of those little ramps on the track, jump out of the top of the screen and come out at the bottom.

One of my favorite things about the game is the graphics. Even though this game was released in 1985 in North America, the track looks pretty sharp and you can tell it's actually a guy riding a motorbike. The haystacks and camera guys are a nice touch, too.

If you still have an NES, or own a system that allows you to purchase a release of the game, I highly suggest it. It's unlockable in Excitebike 64 (GCN) and Animal Crossing (GCN). It's also available for Game Boy Advance.

Top 10: Video game characters as Summer Olympians

With the Summer Olympics in full swing, I decided to offer a list of video game characters from the past who'd make great Olympic athletes. I know some of your favorites will be left off the list, so as always, feel free to suggest some entries of your own.

10. The Special Operations Soldier from Rush'n Attack: This guy would make a great distance runner, and I can imagine him stealing one of those flame throwers to light the Olympic Flame during the opening ceremonies.

9. Pit (Kid Icarus): Imagine having a guy with Pit's archery skills helping the U.S. win the gold. He evn looks the part of an ancient Olympian.

8. Anyone on fire on NBA Jam: Settling for bronze would never be an issue when you're sinking buckets from 80 feet away. And watching the ball fly through the air like a comet would be awesome, too.

7. Balrog (North American version of Street Fighter II: The World Warrior): Those little white spots on Olympic fighter's boxing gloves won't matter when this guy starts pummelling you. Chances are after about 30 seconds you'll be running for the exit.

6. Pitfall Harry (Pitfall!): Guy can run, jump, swing and steal your gold. Start him off with a round of gymnastics, and he's still fresh enough for some distance running.

5. Little Mac (Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!): The Olympics are full of great stories, and what a story it would be for the little 107 lb. guy from the Bronx to take the gold over his much larger opponents.

4. Luigi (North American version of Super Mario Bros. 2): Want to win the gold in the high jump and long jump? Recruit this guy immediately. Wins spot over Princess Peach for being able to jump high as well as far.

3. Bowser (Super Mario Bros. 3): The SMB strongman villain would be a nice fit for either weightlifting, wrestling, shot put or a combination of the three. Though despised throughout the Mushroom Kingdom, Bowser would be a great addition to the Olympic roster.

2. Sonic the Hedgehog: Chances are Sonic would sweep all running events, especially at the shorter distances. The other runners would finally reach the finish line to find Sonic laying on the ground doing that taunt pose.

1. Samus Aran (Metroid): The ultimate endurance athlete. Keep in mind the original Metroid is actually a continuous game with no pauses or cut scenes unless you die or turn the game off. Realistically, you can play the game from beginning to end without pausing or quitting the game. She can do it all - runs, jumps, shoots, rolls and drops bombs without even stopping for a drink. Now that's an athlete!

Madden before the monopoly: Part II

Madden 97 for the Nintendo Game Boy gave you most of the elements found in its large-console brothers, the key word being most.

Since the new Madden is game will be soon released to the public, and because I've reviewed the other two football games I own for the Nintendo Game Boy, I figured I'd go ahead and take a look back at Madden 97. But instead of breaking the game down by graphics, sound, etc., I'm just going to give you a "What I like/don't like" rundown. The game was released in 1996, the same year the series made its debut on the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn. Other consoles, such as the Genesis and SNES, also featured this title.

What I like: This game is all retro Madden and reminds me of my favorite Madden, John Madden Football '93 for the Sega Genesis. From the vertical, top-down gameplay to the use of passing windows, this game is old-school. Even though this is a Game Boy title, it still features the complex offensive and defensive playbooks featured throughout the series. There are some stats available for viewing during gameplay. Cutscenes and sound bytes featuring the referees and crowd are also present. And I really like the little dances players do when the score.

What I don't like: Notice the title of the game is "Madden 97" and not "Madden NFL 97," meaning the game doesn't feature actual team names (only cities, like in Tecmo Bowl) or player names (only numbers). Also, it took me quite some time to differentiate what was actually the ball (which is abnormally huge) and what was actually the shadow under the ball. Passes fly through the sky in slow-motion, and punts by the computer have a hang time in the 8-second range, as if you're playing football on the Moon. And since it's built on the Game Boy platform pre-GBA, you have to keep track of the medieval password save system to keep a season going.

If you're going to play this one, I'd highly suggest doing so using a Super Game Boy or Game Boy Player. My Game Boy Player gives the title screens and menus a green tint and the in-game screens a blue one, unlike the screenshot above. If not, you may have trouble seeing so many players on the screen at the same time. If you don't necessarily need Madden to get you video game football fix, then I'd suggest finding a copy of Tecmo Bowl instead.

Retro Game Review: Tecmo Bowl

Even though Tecmo Bowl for the Nintendo Game Boy was small, it was still better than no Tecmo Bowl at all!

Platform: Nintendo Game Boy
Released: 1991
Developer: Tecmo, of course!

Background: Duh, na, na, na, na, na, na... dum, dum...Duh, na, na, na, na, na, na... it's Tecmo Bowl! Yes, fans, it's that game we all wasted many a summer afternoons playing one another, hating your best buddy because he picked L.A. and ran all over you with Bo Jackson. Your only solace was you had the Giants and blocked every kick with Lawrence Taylor. In 1991, Tecmo released this classic in portable form for the Nintendo Game Boy. The game was essentially the exact same game as the NES version released a few years earlier with a few tweaks, the most obvious being the monochrome screen, the score and clock being located under the player names instead of in between and some sound issues, which I'll go through later. Licensing allowed Tecmo to use actual player names but team nicknames were forbidden (Punter Sean Landeta, who officially retired this year, was the last player from the original TB still playing in the NFL). The game features 12 teams based on those which made the playoffs when the original NES version was developed. Each team had four plays to choose from, and defense was played by guessing which play the offense picked. In TB, you played each of the other teams once apiece to earn the title and become TB champion. This game didn't have a save feature, so you had to write down a password after defeating each opponent.

Note: I played this game on my Nintendo GameCube through the Game Boy Player, which automatically adds color to the game. One team is always white, and the other is always red, no matter who you are or who you're playing. However, I'm grading visuals on what the game looked like on an original Game Boy, circa 1991, like in the screenshot above.

Graphics: 3/5
Compared to other football games for the GB I've reviewed (see Jackson, Bo), the graphics are above average, at least. The ball itself is still larger than life, but you can actually tell they are people playing football. Even if it's 9-on-9, it still looks good.

Sound: 1.5/5
This is where the Game Boy version slips away from its NES counterpart. The GB version keeps the same music throughout the game from the title screen on (including during plays). However, hardware restrictions (I suppose) forced Tecmo to remove all the voices from the game. So no hearing "Hut!" 100 times, no "Touchdown!" and no "It's good!" Instead, the voices are substituted with sound "blips" that take a little away but not enough to throw this game in the trash.

Controls: 4/5
Tecmo Bowl certainly isn't known for its complex control scheme. If you can press the D-pad up and down diagonally, you can pretty much run the ball without any trouble. Passing is nothing more than choosing your receiver with one button while pushing the other to throw. How hard is that?

Gameplay: 4/5
Other than the voices being nonexistent, my only gameplay complaint is that the players on the screen flicker insanely when everyone is on the screen doing something at once. And it's not the same during every play, either, which can be even more annoying. But based on what football video games were like back in 1991, I can give it a pass for this. Otherwise, it's nearly flawless fun, especially with two players.

Overall: 3.125/5
Before Tecmo Bowl, football video games were, in two words, pretty bad. After Tecmo Bowl, they grew into complex affairs that casual gamers can be turned off by. And while I sometimes like to delve into the more complex Madden franchise, there are other times a good pick-up game of Tecmo Bowl is all I really need to get my fix. If you find a GB or NES copy of Tecmo Bowl anywhere, pick it up and play it!

Running on empty: The Power Pad saga

Games like World Class Track Meet did a great job of showing us how out of shape we were.

Years ago, long before Grand Theft Auto ruled the world, I read that kids who play video games become more intelligent over time.

Smarter, maybe. In shape, I don't think so.

Years and years before Wii Fit, the folks at Nintendo attempted to chisel young gamers into shape with the introduction of the Power Pad for the NES, technology that would become popular again years later with Dance Dance Revolution. The Power Pad was a simple concept: a two-sided, rug-sized pad multiple players can look like idiots running and jumping on. OK, it's exactly like Dance Dance Revolution.

While there were around 10 or so games released for the Power Pad in the U.S., Europe and Japan, the only one I ever played was World Class Track Meet. The game featured several Olympic-style events, such as 100m dash, 110m hurdles, long jump and triple jump. And in order to move your player in the game - that's right - you had to run in place really fast and jump in the air like your feet were on fire.

The game was actually fun, but tiring. I remember many a times playing sandlot sports with my friends and never getting worn out like after an hour of this game. And you have to be the kind of person not easily embarrassed by looking like an idiot while playing video games. This game probably won't get you any chicks. Of course there were ways to cheat - only moving your heels really fast while keeping your toes on the ground or simply using your hands - but that kinda took the fun out of the game.

All in all, the Power Pad was one of the best accessories for the NES. Along with WCTM, it made you feel like you were actually a track star, even though in reality I could barely finish a short jog just around the block!

Retro Game Review: Evander Holyfield's "Real Deal" Boxing

Screenshot snagged online. Long before "Eargate," Evander Holyfield was the man, and his game was 1,000 times better than the other guy who beat Tyson's video game.

Platform: Sega Genesis/Mega Drive

Released: 1992

Developer: ACME Interactive

Background: Before Knockout Kings came around, this was my all-time favorite boxing video game. So, I guess you can say it's my favorite retro boxing game. In the infancy of the Genesis/Mega Drive, boxing games were scarce, the most notably of the early titles being James "Buster" Douglas Knockout Boxing, a really bad game from all aspects (the fighters are so ripped, I'm surprised they could actually move!). Enter the "Real Deal," a game that was fun and ahead of its time from some aspects. While Evander himself is the only real fighter in the game, you have the option of creating your own fighter to lead through a 40-fight career. I used to create a guy who looked like Rocky Balboa because I thought the idea of Sly taking on Holyfield would be awesome... Give me a break, I was still young then.

Graphics: 5/5

Remember I said this game was ahead of its time? While the camera during fights always gives you a 2D perspective, the ring and crowd is in 3D. Fighters actually look like humans, you know, proportional and stuff and not overly ripped (Can you say 'roid rage?). The spectators actually have faces, and the ring girl between rounds looks like the redhead from the B-52's ("Rock Lobster," anyone?). Overall, ACME did a fantastic job with the visuals.

Sound: 3/5

First, the negative sell: Some of the music is cheese, and after a while you get tired of the gurgling sound a fighter makes when they get hit, since it never changes. But the game's speech isn't half-bad, and by pressing the A,B and C buttons together at once makes your fighter taunt your opponent by saying "Come out and fight, you wimp," which was usually followed by you getting pummeled, especially by higher-ranked fighters.

Controls: 2.5/5

The punch buttons are A and C, with a stop at B for blocking. And which direction you press on the D-pad decides what kind of punch you throw. Moving toward and away from your opponent can be slow at times, especially if you haven't acquired many speed points yet.

Gameplay: 4/5

This is about the closest thing you'll get to real boxing as far as retro video games go. The fighters aren't too cartoony and they do move around the ring 360 degrees. You can see where you're positioned by looking at the overhead cam at the top of the screen. There's also cuts, blood and TKO's for beating your opponent into submission even though they won't fall down. And with so many fighters to face and just 40 fights to beat Holyfield's $50 million mark, you won't want to stop playing any time soon. But truth be told, this game is even better when beating the tar out of a friend in two-player mode.

Overall: 3.625/5

This game is fun all-around, but it's the most fun with a friend. That is, even though you might not be speaking after beating each other to a bloody pulp. I spent countless hours playing this game, and it's still today one of my favorite Genesis/Mega Drive titles. If you don't have this one, I'd highly recommend picking up a copy if you stumble upon one.

Funny-acting lights = TROUBLE

The culprits: XBOX360's "Ring of Fire" and the NES' blinking power light

With the recent news of Microsoft's hardware failure in its XBOX360 console, I am reminded of one of the other infamous illuminations to come out of video game consoles: That dreaded blinking light on the "toaster" NES console. So, I decided to match the two lights head-to-head in a deathmatch, or at least lightmatch, to see which represents a better, or worse, issue.

Round 1: What it does
NES: The power light on the NES console blinks on and off when the power is turned on.
360: The ring on the power button turns a pretty red color when turned on.
Round goes to - 360: A ring beats out a square any day.

Round 2: Why is it doing that?
NES: The contacts on the cartridge aren't making full contact with the 72-pin adapter inside the console. Or, the contacts on each end may be corroded.
360: HARDWARE FAILURE!!!!! These problems range anywhere from general hardware failure to overheating to the console scratching that disk you just shelled out 60 bucks for and so on and so on. It could actually be any one of these things... really.
Round goes to - 360: Keep in mind that other than mice, keyboards and other small peripherals, Microsoft is a software company, which means building complex hardware hasn't exactly been its forte for the past 30 years.

Round 3: Annoyance factor
NES: Fairly low. See why in later rounds.
360: Mind-numbingly high. See why in later rounds.
Round goes to - 360: See why in later rounds.

Round 4: Percentage of consoles affected
NES: Every single one of them. Due to the toaster NES' "zero force" loading design, all consoles face this fate at one point or another.
360: 3 to 5 percent. Of course, this is Microsoft's estimate. Others have reported the percentage as much, much higher.
Round goes to - NES: Because all is more than 3 to 5 percent.

Round 5: Number of games affected
NES: Most, if not all, especially if the problem is on the console's end.
360: Every single one if the hardware dies or overheats. Can't play games on a console that won't power up now, can you.
Round goes to - 360: At least if the NES problem affects all games, it doesn't affect them 100 percent of the time.

Round 6: How do I fix it?
NES: Contrary to mythological belief, blowing on your games won't do anything. Actually, it can make the problem worse. What does help, though, is cleaning the contacts on your carts and console. If cleaning the 72-pin connector doesn't fix the problem, you can buy another one online for less than $15 and change it out yourself. There's no soldering required!
360: Kiss your console goodbye! At least temporarily. After calling 1-800-4MYXBOX, you'll have to mail your console in, and they'll fix it. They say you should have it back within a couple weeks. Meanwhile, you have to sit and watch while your buddies play Final Fantasy on their working NES consoles.
Round goes to - 360: Having to send off your console to be fixed sucks, which makes it great the NES has minimal parts inside, all of which can be switched out without having to be a master electrician.

And the title of "Light That Symbolizes the Most Gut-wrenching Problem with a Video Game Console" is... the XBOX360, by a 5-1 margin! When you fork out that kind of cash for a console you expect it to work for a long time. Look at the original NES: It carried a $250 price tag when it was introduced, but at least they still work!