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Each year on the 1st of April, game websites and magazines would publish convincing April fool articles, hoping to throw gamers throughout the world off their guards. Although some articles are easily distinguishable from the real ones, there are a few which are just too damn convincing. One of them is the legendary “Sheng Long” April Fools joke published by Eletronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) magazine.

“Just who the hell is Sheng Long ..” you might ask? For those who weren’t from the Street Fighter II era, Sheng Long is a make-believe hidden character created by the jokers from EGM, whom will only appear if the player manages to fight through the entire game without suffering any damage by using only Ryu. At the final stage, the player then have to draw with M.Bison for 10 consecutive rounds before Sheng Long will make his appearance.

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When published back in 1992, this April Fools joke literally took the world by storm. Almost everyone got fooled including myself but luckily I wasn’t crazy enough to try it out. Probably would have broke the poor Super Nintendo gamepad trying to avoid being hit by Bison for 10 f*cking rounds! Hell even trying to get ‘Perfect’ for every round is already insane.

Fast forwarding to 1997, EGM has once again pulled a fast one with the exact same joke, but this time it’s in Street Fighter III. With screenshots that are pretty convincing, it not really hard to imagine that gamers will once again flock the arcades only to be fooled by the same thing 5 years back.

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Thinking about it now, it was pretty impressive of EGM to be able to make a screenshot so real its like as if they were taken straight from the game, especially at that time. I mean its freaking 1992! Even Windows 95 didn’t exist yet!

No doubt it’s a legendary April Fools joke. A joke that made gamers broke … badly.

Ever since putting behind the PS1 in the closest to make way for PS2, I never thought I would go back and replay all those old games again. I mean …. why would I? The PS2 has better graphics (still acceptable today) and tons of awesome titles that’s probably enough to keep even new buyers busy before moving on to the PS3. If you look at the Japanese sales chart, you will see that PS2 is still doing okay in Japan. The lifespan has surpassed the original PS1 which only lasted for about 6 to 7 years.

The Japanese Hardware Chart as of 28th March 2008 [via Kotaku]

Lately, the urge of reviving those great PS1 moments suddenly hit me. I have to admit I miss some of those games like Tekken, Battle Arena Toshinden 3, Twisted Metal 2 and WipeoutXL, just to name a few. I can just play those games repeatedly, day after day after day. Some even ask “You play the same blardy game everyday … don’t you ever get sick of them?”. Surprisingly I don’t. Perhaps I was much younger then, or perhaps back in those days we weren’t spoiled with so many choices like today. Heck even sucky games (by game reviewers) like Dragon Ball GT, me and Neko would find ourselves hammering it none stop, spamming the fire button to overthrow each others “Kame-hame-ha”s.

Playing the PS1 for the first time is a feeling I can never forget, a feeling that probably wouldn’t surface anymore. The transition from 2D graphics like Donkey Kong to full 3D and the unique 8 button controller that has become a role model for almost every other controller creates a “wow” factor that makes a permanent impression in my head. I really miss those many Sundays where I would pop by my uncle’s house for a few hours of Tekken.

Next came the dual analog and vibrating mechanism, which Tobal was one of the few games that support those functions. I remember being advised not to use the analog and vibration too much as it increases the chances of spoiling it. Well it is the first generation of controller for the PS1 after all, so chances of early malfunctions are common.

Anybody remember Tobal? It was published by SquareSoft (Now SquareEnix)

The PS1 also has one of the most memorable ways of running illegal pirated games. Before modding was introduced, people had to use all sorts of methods like sticking some blue tack thingy on the lid button to make the original disc run before swapping with a fake copy. Can’t imagine those methods being used today on current generation consoles. That would be pretty … weird.

Hard to believe that it has been almost a decade since I last played any game on the PS1. It felt like as if it wasn’t too long ago when Neko regularly popped over at my place for an hour or two of Final Fantasy IX before we head off for our math tuitions. Incidentally, that was when my interest in role playing games began to surface.

One of my favourite RPG of all times

Previously I wouldn’t even blink an eye for those genres. I felt that the gameplay mechanisms are boring, too many words to read and takes too damn long to finish. Watching the unfolding of Final Fantasy IX’s story changed my viewpoint towards the genre completely. I then realise RPG isn’t just about gameplays, it’s more about the storyline.

Sales of the original PlayStation are pretty much non-existence now, although you can still find some sellers on ebay. Thankfully the PS2, PSP and PS3 with backward compability allows us to replay all those great games again. I’m still puzzled as of why Sony wouldn’t allow us to rip our original PS1 games to play on the PSP legally. No doubt that the problem of “piracy” would come into matter but why deny those who own the original copies from enjoying them?

Tekken 2 on the PlayStation Portable

Oh well it doesn’t really matter. If you are using custom firmware, you can always rip your games to be played on the PSP. For those who are using the original firmware, you can purchase some really good titles like Twisted Metal 2 and Tekken 2 online from the PlayStation Store. With such support you can be sure that PS1 games will around for quite a while.

Heck, 10 years from now we will be pumping PS2 games into Sony’s new portable .. probably?

Do you like worms? Those soft, slimy, squishy thingy that lurks around the earth and muds? Some people hate them but not me, no siree. I love worms, but only those that uses bazookas or throws banana bombs. Yeap I’m talking about that Worms whom we all know and love …. I guess?

For those who aren’t familiar with the series, Worms is about, well worms battling against each other with gazillions of weapons ranging from everyday types such as bazooka, grenades and machine guns to totally mind blowing Super Sheep, Concrete Donkey and Super Banana Bomb. To be more precise, the original Worms only had the Sheep and Banana Bomb. The upgraded version of those weapons were only included from Worms 2 onwards.

Worms first came out in 1994 for the Amiga home system and I was lucky enough to have play it (once) at my friend’s house. I can pretty much remember how it looked like; tiny small worms shooting each other, something similar to the picture above. Of course back in 1994, you can’t expect much from the graphics but hell, the gameplay was great.

1998 saw the evolution of Worms with Team17 releasing Worms 2 for the PC. It was truly an evolution; graphics were enhanced tremendously, more weapons, a lot of voice acting and fantastic gameplay surpassing the original Worms. Of all the Worms game I have played, Worms 2 is still my favourite Worms game of all times and I’m still playing it now. I just feel that the balance in this game is just perfect. Not too much, not too little.

Team17 released Worms3D in 2003 for various platforms including the PC and that is when the series took a different approach, for the better or for the worse (depending on the player). Weapons and comical worms are still intact with the exception of 3D graphics. Players can now roam the terrain in full 3D while blasting other worms. The concept sounded cool but in my opinion, it’s just not the same. It was a lot harder aim or perform cool tricks from the previous Worms. I played it for a few weeks before calling it quits. Worms in 3D suffers the same fate as Sonic in 3D; it just can’t be done.

Worms 4 Mayhem was released in 2005 with added tweaks and stuff but I wouldn’t comment on it since I never played it before, but I’m glad that Team17 are coming to their senses by going back to the good ol’ 2D. Recently we have seen the release of Worms for the Xbox Live Arcade as well as Worms Open Warfare for the NDSL and PSP. To date I haven’t gotten the chance to try out any of the newer ones but looking at screenshots, the Xbox Live Arcade version looks very similar to Worms 2 and Worms Armageddon. Great looking sprites coupled with the comical worms.

Worms is still one of the great franchises ever created. Even after a decade since its debut, you can never get bored with it. Its easy to pick up and great to play among friends, regardless if they are hardcore gamers or just casual ones. But don’t let its “easy” look fool you. Worms can turn from a casual game into a pure strategy action war. As you play, you will slowly learn how to manipulate the various weapons or use the wind as well as the terrain to your advantage. The combination of both easy and strategic gameplay is what makes Worms so great.

If you haven’t venture into the world of Worms yet, it’s not too late. Team17 has recently release Worms : Open Warfare 2 for both NDS and PSP. which you can purchase here from Playasia. If you own a Xbox360, you would want to consider getting Worms from Live Arcade for just 800 points. As a fan of Worms, it would be best to start from Worms 2 (1998). If you see an old copy lying around your game store, picked that up. This is one hell of a game

Picture Source : Gamespot, Gamespy

Most gamers usually had their first 3D experience through the Playstation, Sega Saturn or Nintendo64 but for me, it was the 3DO developed by Panasonic, Sanyo and Goldstar. At that time 3DO cost a bombshell USD $699, due to its gaming and media playback capability. My uncle bought it at around 1994 and I was lucky enough have tried it out.

If I recall correctly, I tried two different models of the 3DO. Both of them are from Panasonic, codenamed FZ-1 and FZ-10. I can’t really remember why my uncle bought the later model but perhaps it was due to the faulty cd-tray of the FZ-1 model. As a kid I wasn’t bothered with hardware failures and stuff. As long as I get to play the games, it’s all good.

All my life as a gamer, I have never seen a console system that only has one controller port. In order for a second player to join in, he or she has to connect their controller into Player 1’s controller. From what I see, Player 1 usually has the upper-hand when it comes to versus games. Not happy with Player 2 trashing you? Just plug out the controller! In terms of appearance, the original controller looked very similar to Sega’s, with the exception of L R trigger buttons.

The first game I ever played on the 3DO was Road Rash. Being a fan of that game when it was on the Sega 16 bit, it was totally mind blowing to play it again with a graphical up-lift. You get the same police chase, you get to whack other bikers and you get the similar ‘busted’ feeling when the cops get the better of you. I wonder why EA never came out with new Road Rash franchise. Gameplay too old school for today?

Other than Road Rash, a lot of good games did came out for the 3DO; Super Street Fighter 2 X, Mad Dog McCree, Total Eclipse, Dragon’s Lair, The Need For Speed, Return Fire and Gex to name a few. There are a couple more other games that I have played but I couldn’t remember. My favourite games are definitely SSF2X, Return Fire, Road Rash and Gex. I can just literally play them everyday and wouldn’t get bored of them.

It’s really a shame that the console didn’t last long. Lack of 3rd party support along with crazy pricing was the main reason for it’s demise. I doubt I can still find 3DO along with the old games after a decade but if I do, I’m definitely going to buy and keep it. To me, it’s well worth the collection.

If you want to know more about 3DO, you can visit Wiki or Vidgame.net

Picture Source : Vidgame.net, Defunct Games

 I have to admit, back when I was a kid I was literally a chicken when it comes to playing horror games. In fact I had nightmares after playing them. I remember one of the nightmares was from playing Altered Beast. On the second stage, there is this purple round thing that bounces around and if you get too close to it, it will bite your head. I dreamed that I was being chased by a bunch of them and one caught my head. Urgh the irony. I also recalled my uncle exchanging Splatterhouse for Shinobi III because I was too freaked out to play it.

As the years go by I have yet to gain any interest on horror games until Resident Evil came out for the Playstation. Although I didn’t really jump straight into it, that was the time when my impression towards horror game changes. After finishing RE1, I was looking forward to RE2 and the installments after that.

To date, my favourite horror game would be the Fatal Frame series. This is one game which literally scared the wits out of me, especially the first game. I was afraid to drive at night, afraid to sleep without the lights on and sometimes I would imagine some of the ghosts appearing under my bed. After reading this, I’m pretty sure that you would probably think I’m still a chicken. Well, I’m kinda paranoid when it comes to stuff related to ghosts and the game only worsen the atmosphere. But still, I manage to complete all three series at least 3 times to undercover any hidden secrets and to complete my ghost list.

I seriously can’t wait for RE5 to make its appearance. Just hope Capcom brings back the good old zombie shooting and spooky atmosphere. And yes, I hope Tecmo would continue the Fatal Frame series on the new generation consoles. Hey perhaps they can do a Wii version and make an actual Camera of Obscura for it. That would be damn nice!