Tag: Playstation

Retro Rogue – Bust A Groove 2

This idea came to me the other day when I was working out. See, I make a playlist each day I work out. I feel it helps motivate me to actually work out and I like having a theme. The other day, I was inspired by my Bust A Groove 2 playlist, and my workout was all songs from that game. I figured, why not make a series where I talk about retro games? So, here it is.

I don’t know if anyone will know this series, I only know it by chance. See, I had a cousin who was a big gamer (when I say cousin, don’t think someone my age, he was an adult… not that it really matters to the story). It was Christmas time, I was maybe 9 or 10? I was at my Nana’s house and my dad came over with this big trash bag full of games… a literally big, black trash bag. Why in a trash bag, I don’t know. Anyway, my cousin just got a Dreamcast and rather than keep his Playstation and Playstation games, he was getting rid of them… which may explain why they were in a trash bag… I guess my dad happened to be there, so rather than let them get thrown out, he took them and gave them to me.

This bag of games would be my introduction to the Darkstalkers series. There was also a Star Wars fighting game that I loved… but everyone else hates… and Bust A Groove 2. I’ll do my best to describe the premise of the game. It is unlike anything I had played before… or since. There are a series of characters, all with their own stories… and unique dance styles. If I remember correctly, they are in a dance battle for a prize of some sort… Anyway, each round, two characters battle and you can actually use attacks on each other. During each battle, there is a part where each dancer gets a solo, so if you time your attack the right way, you get your solo and you get to take your opponent’s solo.

Much like with PaRappa the Rapper, you gain points by entering the command you see on the screen. With Bust A Groove 2, everything is on a 4 count. There is a rectangle where a series of commands will be, and you can enter those at any time during the first 1 – 3 counts. Next to it is a square, and that one button must be pressed on the 4 count. If you enter the command correctly, and on the count, you get points. This was VERY confusing to me when I first started playing, and I hope I explained it correctly here… I’m sure there are YouTube videos of gameplay if you are curious to see how it works, but I got better as time went on. As the battle progresses, the commands become longer and more intricate. I remember thinking the game was cheating when I was first playing… but now I could play it and win every time because I learned how to play (I felt the same way with another Rhythm & Music game, UNiSON… but that’s a story for another time.)

The music still makes me want to dance and I love the characters. My favorite character is called Kitty-N. From what I remember, she is an actress. Her stage is a film stage (oh yeah, each character has their own stage that has its own song.) She has more ballet dance moves and is dressed in a… well, catsuit. Despite her being my favorite character, my favorite stage is that of Shorty’s. If I remember correctly, Shorty is the daughter of dancers or choreographers. She’s called Shorty because she’s just a kid, and she has a pet animal in her backpack while she dances. With her stage, you are on a raft of sorts going down a river… but it is more like a water ride at an amusement park, and it is taking you through a “jungle” and the song is called Happy Hearts in Sunshine.

I forgot to mention a part of the “battle”. Each combo successfully done adds to a meter. There are three, Cool (green), Chillin (pink), and Freeze (blue). The meters start on different levels at the beginning of the battle. As the battle goes on, and you do successful combos, it allows you to do more moves and get Cool to end the combo, doing those well lets you get Chillin when you successfully end the combo and then Freeze. If you line up all three meters, the stage will do something special. For instance, with Shorty’s stage, the tour will stop at and inside a tunnel and you’ll see animals dancing around you. Also, if your score is high enough Shorty’s pet, Columbo, who is also an unlockable character, will jump out of her backpack and dance alongside her.

This game was such a part of my childhood. Listening to the songs takes me back. I’d love to own it again… but I don’t want to pay $90 for a Playstation One game… at least not right now. This game makes me think of when I’d go to Babbage’s with my allowance in hand, and purchase whatever used game I could afford that looked interesting. I know there are still indie games out there, but I feel games don’t take as many risks as they used to. I’d love to see a concept like this revived today.

Final Fantasy VII

I’ve never been one to be on trend and Final Fantasy was no exception. In fact, I wasn’t truly familiar with the franchise until I learned Final Fantasy X was in development. My cousin, who introduced me to the likes of Max Payne, Brave Fencer Musashi, and Grand Theft Auto: III, let me borrow Final Fantasy VII during the Christmas break of 2000. Aside from Pokemon and Brave Fencer Musashi, I didn’t know anything about the RPG genre.

Final Fantasy VII had been over three years. All my friends who played RPGs had already played it. They even gave me advice and tips when I got stuck… yet somehow I still avoided the Aerith spoiler. It was one of the most influential experiences in my gaming life (Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams was another, but that’s a story for another time). My party typically consisted of Cloud (since I couldn’t remove him), Aerith, and Tifa. Tifa is, was, and always will be my main, as I love a brawler chick, but I appreciate a white mage, so Aerith was always in the mix too. Though this game is 25 years old, I want to avoid spoilers, for some reason, so I’ll just say after the Aerith incident, my party consisted of Cloud, Tifa, and Yuffie.

Fast forward a few years to college. My roommate was a collector and his collecting ways rubbed off on me. Before meeting him, I didn’t care about collector’s editions, be they strategy guides or the games… but I was forever changed. He also got me into reading Kotaku and paying attention to E3. I had long been a reader of GameInformer, so I was aware of what E3 was, but I wasn’t watching the presentation… until I met him.

I remember the Playstation 3 Final Fantasy VII tech demo. I believe it was during an E3 event. I was SOOOO excited! But there was no word of an actual game being made. It faded from my mind until I was watching the Playstation Experience presentation… All I remember is hearing the Final Fantasy VII music, and I was giddy. It turned out to be a trailer for Final Fantasy VII Remake, coming to the Playstation 4. I’ll probably make a separate post for Remake, but the announcement and subsequent release of the PC port of Final Fantasy VII on PS4 brought back so many memories for me.

As a teenager, I would play a Final Fantasy game during my Christmas break. It became a tradition for me. If not Final Fantasy VII, then it would be Final Fantasy X or X-2. I played the PC port around Christmas time of 2019, as Remake was set to come out in Spring 2020. There is something so comforting about playing this game. Maybe because it was the first real RPG I played (and beat). Maybe because it reminds me of childhood (I was 12 when I first played it.) The game will always have a special place in my heart, as it has for millions of others.

Just last week, Final Fantasy Rebirth, the second installment of the Remake trilogy, was announced, and it is set to release next winter. Those feelings of nostalgia came rushing back yet again, and now I want to drop all the games I’ve been playing and replay Remake AND the PC port on PS4. It’s such a beautiful game with a beautiful story, and it has a hold on me.