TURN TO CHANNEL 3: Please wave ‘Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon’ out of existence
You would think that, with the debacle known as “Hotel Mario” that we discussed last week, at least the beloved “Legend of Zelda” franchise would be saved from the dreaded association with the Philips CD-i but, oh, you would be sadly wrong. Not once, but twice, Zelda fans would have to find ways to rid […]
TURN TO CHANNEL 3: ‘Hotel Mario’ is the worst stay you can have in the Mushroom Kingdom
The year is 1991, and the gaming scene was on the cusp of a revolutionary new change in the form of compact discs taking over. Games could have more memory, so developers could create vast ideas that cartridges would generally confine them from doing. The ongoing Sega/Nintendo war was raging as gamers took sides in […]
TURN TO CHANNEL 3: Ahead of its time, Neo Geo’s ‘Samurai Shodown II’ could take on ‘Street Fighter’
What often makes a sequel to a game so great is the chance for developers to evaluate what worked and what didn’t work with the original game. In the case of today’s final topic in this month of Neo Geo games, developers decided to take something that was enthusiastically received by the masses and rebuild […]
TURN TO CHANNEL 3: Neo Geo’s ‘Metal Slug’ rivals ‘Contra’ with detailed run and gun fun
The genre of run and gun games is no stranger to prominence, with notable titles such as “Contra” on the NES and “Gunstar Heroes” on the Sega Genesis and, yet, as last week’s review of “The King of Fighters ‘94” has shown this writer, the Neo Geo always had games that spiced things up a […]
TURN TO CHANNEL 3: ‘King of Fighters ’94’ holds its own among ’90s fighting games
In the ‘90s, creating arcade games that stood out among the cabinets was imperative, and perhaps no genre of arcade games was in more constant need of this than fighting games, which ruled the roost in most arcades around the globe at the time. While many gamers chose their sides in the “Street Fighter” versus […]
TURN TO CHANNEL 3: Neo Geo’s ‘Baseball Stars Professional’ is good but not quite major league
Here on Turn to Channel 3, I like to think of spring as much as I can, especially when living in the always-interesting Northeastern Pennsylvania weather patterns thrust upon us. To me, more than anything, baseball season is a sign that spring has truly arrived, so I think to keep those positive thoughts of a […]
TURN TO CHANNEL 3: Neo Geo’s ‘3 Count Bout’ taps out quickly with repetitive gameplay
While the 1980s were largely considered the Golden Age of arcades, the 1990s created a flavor distinctly its own within those hallowed halls across the country, with games like “Mortal Kombat,” “NBA Jam,” and “Street Fighter II” taking center stage with other notables. More than ever, gamers wanted that arcade experience at home but, in […]
TURN TO CHANNEL 3: ‘Cannon Spike’ mixes Capcom characters for run and gun fun on Sega Dreamcast
Like the Sega Saturn, the Sega Dreamcast debuted with great promise but was once again throttled by poor timing and not enough market to avoid getting nearly blown out of the water by the PlayStation 2. However, there are still some amazing games for this console so, finishing off our month of Sega games here […]
TURN TO CHANNEL 3: ‘Nights into Dreams’ imagined an inventive new world on the Sega Saturn
The year is 1996 and the Saturn, Sega’s latest console following the Sega CD, is on the ropes from the upstart Sony PlayStation, which is bringing a hip new vibe to gaming while ushering in many adult gamers in a way other companies couldn’t do at the time. Without a “Sonic the Hedgehog” game to […]
TURN TO CHANNEL 3: Shiver me timbers! ‘Captain Silver’ is a buried Sega Master System treasure
Here on Turn to Channel 3, nothing is more satisfying than learning something new about a retro game. As I said last week, we’re looking at other Sega consoles that just didn’t seem to have the backing that the Sega Genesis did during its glory days. I began with “Action Fighter” on the Master System […]
