61 Frames Per Second

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• Up All Night: Trojan

  Capcom’s early NES games had pretty clear premises. Commando tapped the throbbing Stallone-Schwarzenegger vein of the one-man army shooting faceless baddies on a foreign battlefield, Section Z was the same thing in space, and Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins was the same thing but with, um, ghosts and goblins. Then there was Trojan. Twenty-two years after it’s release and I still have no idea what the hell was going on with Trojan. You’re a guy wearing overalls who, I suppose, is named Trojan. Despite the fact that Trojan is carrying a sword, he is not a soldier of the ancient city, Troy. He is also not a spokesperson for male contraception. Read More... Posted Jul 07 2008, 03:00 PM by John Constantine with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: john constantine, up all night, nes, commando, ghosts 'n goblins, section z, trojan

• Game Center CX is Charming as Hell

  61 Frames Per Second took a field trip to the IFC Center yesterday morning to catch the New York Asian Film Festival’s final screening of a localized Game Center CX. For anyone not up on the Japanese pop-culture, Game Center CX, renamed Retro Game Master for us yanks, is a strange mix of Jackass, classic Iron Chef, and videogames. Comedian Shinya Arino is “The Kacho” (midde-manager) and each episode finds him marathon playing (sometimes for well over eight hours straight) classic games from the 8 and 16-bit eras. Sitting in an all but empty theater at 11:30am and watching a middle-aged Japanese funnyman lose at Ghosts 'n Goblins for six hours might sound like a strange way to have a good time, but, let me tell you, it’s a blast. Read More... Posted Jul 03 2008, 10:00 AM by John Constantine with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: john constantine, ghosts 'n goblins, jackass, retro game master, iron chef, game center cx, shinya arino, new york asian film festival

• The Ten Greatest Fire Levels in Gaming History, Part 1

  Videogame designers have found a great deal of inspiration in elemental dichotomies. Wood versus stone, wind versus lightning, ice versus fire — these natural conflicts are excellent bases for compelling environments and rich atmospheres. What better than tangible extremes like hot and cold to convey a sense of place to a player? To celebrate the imminent arrival of summer, 61 Frames Per Second is going hot with our first top-ten list, looking at the greatest fire levels in gaming history. If you're sweating, don't worry — we'll get to ice soon enough. — John Constantine Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts — Crucible of Flame Nobody would subject themselves to the brutally difficult Ghosts 'n Goblins series if the games didn't feature Capcom's usual immaculate production values. Dying a hundred times in Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts' third stage, the Crucible of Flame (and you will) is made marginally more bearable by the brooding music (forever seared in my brain after a misspent youth) and the characteristically idiosyncratic twist on the usual "fire level" theme: instead of a generic inferno, the Crucible of Flame finds you in some kind of metallurgical hell. The stage has a lot of character; as fire levels go, it's more of an oozing, molten nightmare than a pyrotechnic fun fair. (In fact, some would say there's nothing fun about it.) A word of warning: it only gets worse from here. — Peter Smith Read More... Posted May 29 2008, 06:30 PM by Peter Smith with | with no comments Filed under: john constantine, peter smith, top ten, list, f-zero, ghosts 'n goblins, the ten greatest fire levels in gaming history, castlevania 3, rondo of blood, castlevania 2, dracula x, castlevania 1, super ghouls 'n ghosts

• Capcom to Date, By the Numbers

  Late spring is always an interesting time to watch videogame publishers. With the close of the fiscal year, companies sit their investors and the media down to talk about how things have been going, what people are playing, and, most excitingly, what’s on the horizon. They also occasionally drop information that is ripe for trivia. For example, Capcom, the publisher you may remember as the one I have an unhealthy relationship with, released a list of all-time series sales numbers for the company. The usual suspects like Street Fighter and Mega Man are all over the list but, surprisingly, neither of those series take the top spot. Capcom’s best-selling series over the past twenty-five years has been Resident Evil, with over fifty games released world-wide and 34.5 million sold. Mark that down for quiz night. Hit the jump for the top ten. Read More... Posted May 27 2008, 12:00 PM by John Constantine with | with no comments Filed under: john constantine, street fighter, next-gen, devil may cry, resident evil, capcom, final fight, mega man, dino crisis, disney, monster hunter, onimusha, ghosts 'n goblins