6th Generation game - PlayStation 2 - Shadow of the Colossus

Long ago in a forbidden land a god named Dormin was worshiped by all and everything was going great. Eventually a new religion came into power and people turned against him. It was believed Dormin was an evil being as many horned entities are and he was imprisoned in the shrine of worship by Lord Emon , a powerful shaman who split Dormin's essence and power into 16 powerful giants known as the colossi. 

The hero you play with, named Wander, journeys into the forbidden land to save a mysterious woman named Mono. Placing her on the alter in the shrine of worship, he makes a deal with Dormin who is said he has the power to resurrect the dead. Dormin tells him that only when the 16 idols lining the halls are destroyed will he once again have the power to resurrect.

However the idols will only be destroyed after each colossi is defeated by the ancient sword. Wander, with the help of his loyal steed Agro, the ancient sword with indeterminate magical properties and a bow to help him on his dangerous path of saving his damsel in distress, takes off to fight the colossi. 

Obligatory, they are incredible:

Valus

Quadratus

Gaius

Phaedra

Avion

Barba

Hydrus

Kurumori

Basaran

Celosi

Pelagia

Phalanx

Cenobia 

Argus

Malus

Dirge

Every Colossi  has it's own unique way of being defeated with some require you to climb around them and find their weak spot. 

This can become increasingly difficult as they will shake you off and loosen your grip. Getting hit by one of the gigantic stone creatures is not a pleasant feeling.

Released in 2005 in Japan by Team ICO, using the full potential of the PS2 due to it's massive amount of 3D polygon rendering from the huge bosses. This game was one of the most influential PS2 games in video game history due to the fact that it was considered a work of art. All this praise came from it's minimalist landscape design, immersive gameplay and an emotional journey along the way. The game won several awards for it's glorious soundtrack, creative design and overall quality.

                             Shadow of the colossus : Soundtrack

                                                   Some Gameplay!

                     

Along the years, due to its success, a remastered HD version came out on the PS3, combined with it's unofficial prequel ICO.

Bonus : The Ancient Sword 

Bibliography:

Wikipedia, (2015). Shadow of the Colossus. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_of_the_Colossus#Critical_response [Accessed 6 May 2015].

Videogamecritic.com, (2015). Playstation 2 Reviews Sa-Sm by The Video Game Critic. [online] Available at: http://videogamecritic.com/ps2sam.htm?e=66438#rev2714 [Accessed 6 May 2015].

IGN, (2015). The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection (PlayStation 3). [online] Available at: http://www.ign.com/games/the-ico-and-shadow-of-the-colossus-collection/ps3-75635 [Accessed 6 May 2015].

6th Generation - PlayStation 2

No other console was more eagerly awaited than the PlayStation 2. The original PlayStation dominated the gaming industry in 1995 selling over 100 million units, but this one, this one is special. The PlayStation 2 came out in 2000 in japan at a selling price of $299 just as the previous console.The console itself could output video resolution on an SDTV and an HDTV ranging from 480i to 480p. Some other games like Gran Turismo 4 could support a 1080i resolution using an RGB cable. It had a 120Bit emotion engine CPU which 295MHz and a graphics synthesizer GPU which ran 147MHz.

Initially the console had a few selection of games with some that are definitely memorable such as SSX and Smuggler's run but the thing that made this console huge selling point was it's 2 key features, these were the backward compatibility to read PS1 games and the ability to play DVD movies. Sony's marketing strategy was smart, they released the Playstation 2 right at the time when DVD player costed a couple of hundred dollars and so when people saw that they could get one for ''free'' when buying a console, they went nuts. It obliviously wasn't a high quality DVD player because it's main intent was to play 3D games but nevertheless it did it's job. 

The console came in various color variation and along the years different designs, some to make it slimmer and some cooler. 

The PlayStation 2 Aqua edition.

The PlayStation 2 Silver edition.

The PlayStation 2 Red edition.

The console quickly gained it's traditional, massive game library with amazing titles such as Final fantasy, Ico, Metal Gear Solid and Shadow of the Colossus. Even though 2 more consoles with more advanced graphics capabilities came out trying to compete with the PlayStation 2, the Xbox and the Nintendo Game Cube, they were no match to the huge successful game library.

The console's initial design was sleek black design which can be placed both vertical which resembles a skyscraper, using a stand, or placed flat horizontally. On the front you have the standard Standby\Off button, a reset button and an open\close button for the CD tray. At the back there was a power button but it was rarely used due to standby mode button in the front. 

The front part also offers two controller ports and two USB ports to connect some PS2 accessories such as the famous Eye Toy camera. 

A multiplayer adapter could be bought so you can expand for up to 4 players. 

The PS2 memory could hold a substantial amount of data ,the standard 8MB, compared to their predecessor but some of the games, especially the sports games are known for taking allot of space.

The controller looks almost identical to their predecessors and the only noticeable change would be the analog sticks and the color.The buttons where also equipped with analog sensitivity making the analog stick practically useless, even so the games weren't designed to be used with analog stick.

This console sold well over 155 Million units making it the most successful console ever to exist with 3,900 games released and since it's launch selling more than 1.5 Billion copies.

Biblioraphy:

Wikipedia, (2015). PlayStation 2. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_2 [Accessed 6 May 2015].

Videogamecritic.com, (2015). The Video Game Critic's Playstation 2 Console Review. [online] Available at: http://videogamecritic.com/ps2info.htm [Accessed 6 May 2015].

Gladstone, D. (2001). Sony PS2 review - CNET. [online] CNET. Available at: http://www.cnet.com/products/sony-ps2/ [Accessed 6 May 2015].

5th Generation Game - PlayStation - Crash Bandicoot

One of playstation's first mascots (right after the original ''polygon man''), Crash Bandicoot. Just as playstation was gathering up some steam and people where starting to appreciate the sweet 32bit 3D graphics,in 1996 this game came out. Crash Bandicoot is a visual treat full of cartoonish environments, enemies and collectibles. With it's silk-smooth frame-rates, no game could touch it's 3D capabilities.

                                      The famous Crash idle animation

You control a mutated marsupial through the aboriginal Wumpa islands with a mission to rescue your girlfriend Tawna from the hands of the genius scientist Dr.Neo Cortex, whose plan is to simply achieve world domination with vengeance from living a life of mockery, mainly due to his large head. 

Crash Bandicoot was created by Dr.Cortex himself by experimenting on the local island animals with the intent of creating his own army. When Dr.Cortex saw Crash he rejected the poor creature from his army making him unworthy and removed him from his castle. As Dr.Cortex's actions endangered the sacred islands the game begins. Crash quickly becomes one of the main priorities to help him achieve world domination, this is due to the constant interference Crash does to his Cortex's plans.

Crash bandicoot is mainly a platforming series. The goal of each level is to guide crash from the beginning of the level to the end, while collecting apples, destroying boxes, spinning and eliminating enemies.You will be making your journey either moving forward into the screen, towards the player or left and right in a traditional side scrolling manner. Several levels place Crash in unique situations which sometimes require the use of certain vehicles such as jet skis motorbikes submarines and even wild animals like a polar bear, always with the main objective of reaching the end of the level.

                     The famous ''Indiana Jones'' rolling boulder Crash level

Along the years several other Crash games came out such as Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, Crash Bash, Crash Bandiccot: Warped, Crash Bandicoot: The Wraith of Cortex, Crash Twinsanity, Crash of the Titans and Crash: Mind Over Mutants. Even some racing games came out with were highly successful, these include Crash Team Racing, Crash Nitro Kart and Crash Tag Team Racing.  

In the original Crash Bandicoot, Crash's moveset was at it's primitive state and so was rather limited, so along the years the developers decided to add in some new feature. In Cortex Strikes Back several new moves were introduced such as a high jump, high spin jump, body slam and a slide attack.These became Crash's core tools adding the previous ones for defeating the game. These could all be earned after defeating a boss. 

Here is a video of all the bosses from the original Crash game and how to defeat them.

 Bibliography:
Wikipedia, (2015). Crash Bandicoot. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crash_Bandicoot [Accessed 6 May 2015].

Videogamecritic.com, (2015). Playstation Reviews C-C by The Video Game Critic. [online] Available at: http://videogamecritic.com/ps1cc.htm [Accessed 6 May 2015].

YouTube, (2015). Crash Bandicoot Trilogy - Dude Reviews. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4Nul1tmhBY [Accessed 6 May 2015].

Wikipedia, (2015). Doctor Neo Cortex. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Neo_Cortex [Accessed 6 May 2015].

5th Generation - PlayStation

The Sony Playsation console was released in Japan in 1994 and to the rest of the world in 1995. The console was priced at around $299. The console's key selling point was it's capabilities regarding 3D graphics in video games. Sony predicted that the future of gaming would consists of 3D generated polygons instead of spirtes and yep, they were right. It was the first console to use CD-Rom technology as it's main form of media storage which was highly efficient money wise and could carry allot of space (650mb). Originally designed to be a CD add-on for the Super Nintendo, Nintendo later cancelled the deal and Sony went ahead and decided to make their own 32Bit console. The controller featured a segmented D-pad on the left that resemble arrows and on the right shaped that are used to label the buttons. The shapes on the buttons are not random chosen and each was designed for their own specific meaning.

• The Triangle button represents a viewpoint or directions
• The Square button represents a document or a menu
• The X button resembled the decision to say No
• The Circle button resembled the decision to say Yes

Eventually this controller was replaced with a Dual-shock controller which consisted of 2 Analog pads as shown below.

The games originally came in long boxes but quickly shifted to the standardized CD cases. The back side of the original Playstation CDs are black for absolutely no reason at all, well to look cool.

The Playstation was a 32Bit system running 3.8mhz with 16million colors and the ability to handle 180,000 texture map and lightning source polygon per second. The most interesting thing about the Playstation was the memory card which you could use to simply save a game, plug the memory cards out of the Playstation go to your friend's house and load the saved game onto his console.The only problem about memory cards where the lack of space they had. Many of the earlier version of Playstation had a problem with over heating and this could be easily remedied by turning the console upside down because the ventilation system was below. Overall the Playstation saw over 2,400 games and it was the first console to sell more than 100 million units being one the most successful consoles in history.

Later the PSOne was released which consisted of a white design console with a smaller less bulkier shape. The newly designed console feature a new Bios system, protection against modchips, no serial port and the reset button was removed.

A compilation of Playstation Commercials which focused on the player's need and it's 3D rendering capabilities.

Bibliography:
Videogamecritic.com, (2015). The Video Game Critic's Sony Playstation Console Review. [online] Available at: http://videogamecritic.com/psinfo.htm [Accessed 6 May 2015].

Wikipedia, (2015). PlayStation. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation#PlayStation [Accessed 6 May 2015].

Wikipedia, (2015). PlayStation (console). [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_(console) [Accessed 6 May 2015].

Engadget, (2011). Sony PlayStation 1st-gen. [online] Available at: http://www.engadget.com/products/sony/playstation/1st-gen/ [Accessed 6 May 2015].

4th Generation Game - Neo Geo - Metal Slug

In 1996 a new force of side scrolling 2D side scrolling shooter emerged. Metal Slug was created by SNK originally made for the NEO GEO arcade machines and game console. Due to the console supporting only 2D graphics and lots of sprites this game was ideally made for that console. The game is about a group called the Peregrine Falcon Squad , a small group of soldier who fight against a rebel army colliding with aliens and other forces all with primary of world domination. 

The game consisted of ALOT of fire power with continuous action and very distinct hand drawn environments. Large number of enemies attack you from all directions while you try to doge their projectiles and kill them using extremely powerful weapons. In most run and gun games contact with an enemy will generally result in a death but in this game's case when you bump into and enemy you have the chance to do a melee attack and so does your enemy, so be quick and finish him off. The melee attack did quite allot of damage and so enemies which required allot of shots a effort could be easily one-shotted with the knife.

The game starts-off simple with a handgun. You can play with either Cpt.Marco Rossi (left one) or Lt. Tarma  Roving (right one). The game has 6 levels all with distinctive design and backgrounds. If you manage to get through the level using your overpowered weapons found by destroying objects or dropped by POW (stands for ''prisoners of war'') when freed, you will face a boss fight at the end.

 

The Famous Melee attack used when near enemies.

.
The first game had a total of 6 bosses which included:

• Tetsuyuki (shown below)
• Hairbuster Riberts
• Tani Oh
• Shoe and Karn
• Iron Nokana
• Hi-Do

Along the years a whole series of metal slug came out on all different consoles and almost all kept the same 2D sprite based side scrolling graphics. These included Metal Slug 1 - 7 and Metal Slug X and XX.

 One game that came out tried to put in the 3D perspective of the game. Metal slug 3D came out only on playstation 2 and was released in 2006. The game received a large number of bad reviews due to the fact that it lost the whole idea of what made metal slug a fun side scrolling game and lost its definitive aspect.

Here is some gameplay of the original metal slug played on the NEO GEO.

Bibliography:
YouTube, (2015). Retrospective: Metal Slug. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCsyn4sFudw [Accessed 6 May 2015].

YouTube, (2015). Metal Slug: A History of Violence. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-wmAdpbcvM [Accessed 6 May 2015].

Wikipedia, (2015). Metal Slug (series). [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_Slug_%28series%29 [Accessed 6 May 2015].

Wikipedia, (2015). List of Metal Slug video games. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Metal_Slug_video_games [Accessed 6 May 2015].

Metal Slug Wiki, (2015). Metal Slug: Super Vehicle-001. [online] Available at: http://metalslug.wikia.com/wiki/Metal_Slug:_Super_Vehicle-001 [Accessed 6 May 2015].

IGN, (2015). Metal Slug Review - IGN. [online] Available at: http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/05/30/metal-slug-review [Accessed 6 May 2015].

4th Generation - Neo Geo

SNK survives the crash of the arcade in the early 80's and in 1990 proceeded on to release a home console exclusive only in Japan directed to the idea of arcade games being played at home. It was called the Neo Geo, with a selling price of $649. It was a cartridge based system which ran all through 1990's and later was revived in 2012 as the Neo Geo X. This console was falsely advertised as a 24-Bit system when in fact it used 2, 16-Bit parallel processors.

The console could be played both in arcade games, and then continued to be played at home. This was done by using the memory card system of the arcade, saving the game using the 2KB memory cards and putting the memory card in the console at home. This was the first home console to have a removable memory card. It had a resolution of 320x224, 64k colors available to be used with 4k of them able to be viewed on screen. It's ROM cartridges original specification was 330megabits and some other games such as top hunter could achieve the ''100mega shock''.This was always presented as one of their main advantages over other consoles when advertised in commercials as you can see below. Later the ROM size on cartridges could be upgraded to the 716megabits. When this was done the loading screen would show you ''Giga Power Pro Gear Spec'' to notify you that the console is using the 716megabits cartridge enhancement. 

One of the main problems that this console had was the price. The console being way ahead of all the other consoles and of it's time, was incredibly expensive ($649) compared to other consoles which some costed $199. Another problem was that the games where also very expensive, price at $250 each. This meant that you could buy an NES console at about $199 and also some additional game equal to one game console of the Neo Geo. Another thing that wasn't in their favor was the gamer's tastes which shifted away from their game style, which was 2D sprite based graphics, this lead to developers developing less games for the console.

This Neo geo commercial focused on their ''100mega shock'' console capabilty and their most popular and success game ''Art of Fighting'' which was SNK's response to compete with the famous Street fighter released by Capcom.

Bibliography: 

Wikipedia, (2015). Neo Geo (system). [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo_Geo_(system) [Accessed 6 May 2015].

Narcisse, E. (2015). Neo Geo | Top 10 Failed Gaming Consoles | TIME.com. [online] TIME.com. Available at: http://techland.time.com/2010/11/04/top-10-failed-gaming-consoles/slide/neo-geo/ [Accessed 6 May 2015].

Wikipedia, (2015). History of video game consoles (fourth generation). [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_game_consoles_%28fourth_generation%29 [Accessed 6 May 2015].

YouTube, (2015). Top 10 Worst Video Game Consoles. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7XfaVkIlqo [Accessed 6 May 2015].

Videogamecritic.com, (2015). The Video Game Critic's Neo Geo Console Review. [online] Available at: http://videogamecritic.com/neogeoinfo.htm [Accessed 6 May 2015].