A fond farewell to LucasArts

I was planning on posting a regular review today, but I have recently read online that tragically LucasArts has been shut down by the very same company that went out of its way to purchase the entire Star Wars franchise and all its assets for four billion dollars! Namely Disney. Obviously this is a HUGE disappointment to many gamers including myself as not only were LucasArts responsible for many of the Star Wars games, but also for some of the most well-loved and notorious adventure games that exist today.

So, today is a love letter, a send-off, a remembrance for all the company did for me, all the fond memories I have of their games and recognition of the influence they had on me as a gamer. Granted I may well do full reviews of some of their games in the future but, for now, let’s focus on memories ok? So without further ado I wish to focus on one particular game that is very dear to me and one I used to play with my siblings ALL the time... Maniac Mansion on the Nintendo NES (1990).

Ah, fond memories indeed. After being treated to one of the most awesome 8-bit opening themes for a game (see below) you choose two out of six teenagers to accompany Dave who is keen to rescue his girlfriend who has been kidnapped and taken to a creepy old mansion. Each character is an 80’s archetype so you have the jock, the nerd, the surfer dude etc. Each one has skills such as being able to play the piano or fix telephones and unique personalities to go with them.

Therefore the game had plenty of replayability and you could easily have a different experience to other players which is what I understood as a child. See, I hadn’t played a game like that before. I was so used to games such as Mario and Battle Toads that I always thought games were just about beating up the bad guys and completing each mission without any real story or characterisation.  

What Maniac Mansion also showed me was how each player could have a totally different experience when playing. See, my siblings would always have the nerd and the Goth chick since they knew they were useful characters in terms of abilities. Whereas I always wanted the surfer dude and the guy with sun glasses as I thought they were the cool characters to have. Granted I was still very young at the time and unable to read, possibly even speak, therefore my older siblings took the time to actually sit down and play the games with me. Something they didn’t need to do, but something I will always appreciate.

Therefore, even though later LucasArts’ titles would perhaps tell stories better or have more memorable characters, it was Maniac Mansion that introduced me to the concept of storytelling and characterisation in gaming and what perhaps led me to focus on those areas in my current games’ design course with the hope that one day I will work in these specific areas.

The gameplay for Maniac Mansion is a point and click adventure game. My brother and sister patiently helped explain the complex controls and act out what each character said to me. We spent hours trying to find the gas for the chain saw in order to cut through the jail bars, we learned the hard way not to take the cheese from the fridge otherwise the villain would know something was up. We even sadistically put the hamster in the microwave once or twice when we were losing badly. Sadly I don’t think we ever completed the game, however it wasn’t just a game for me it was a memorable experience because I shared it with members of my family. Even today when I manage to find a copy and play it I tend to mimic the characters’ voices in the same way that my siblings did for me. It’s a nostalgia trip!

Considering all this, I should get round to playing its sequel (Day of the Tentacle) which I refused to play when I was younger since it looked SO visually different to the original. Now of course I know not to judge a book by its cover and will try and play it when I get the chance.

Obviously I will have to cover the Star Wars’ games at some point and why wouldn’t I!?

Not only am I a HUGE Star Wars’ geek, but nearly all the games the company made were Star Wars ones. However, I recognise that if I tried to cover more than one game in this post then it could end up turning into an entire essay. HECK! Even a book! Therefore, now that I have shared my fond memories, how about sharing yours in the comments section below?  

Fingers crossed we will also see the return of Star Wars 1313’s development which looked awesome!

May the force be with you LucasArts… always…

Street Fighter the Movie (1994)

Why is it that video game based movies just tend to suck? I mean, that's the reputation that they all seem to have and yet many decent... err... good... no that's not it... FUN! That's it! Fun and stupid ones do! Take the movie I am reviewing today, the 1994 Street Fighter movie.

Now, before you think to yourself I'm completely mad for liking a video game based film let me just say that I recognise its flaws. Sure, it's no Casablanca, but it’s still a lot of silly fun that decided it was not going to take itself seriously recognising it was based on a video game about a wide ethnic group of fighters duking it out across the world. Therefore the plot is simple. The villain General M. Bison played by Raúl Juliá's has kidnapped a number of humanitarian workers stating that if he doesn't receive a $20 billion dollar ransom in three days then he plans on killing them. Therefore, the military are sent in to save the day. Basically its good guys vs. bad guys, blues vs. reds and the final fire fight takes place in a temple base that even Bond villains would die for. What isn't there to like!?

One thing this movie gets right is the characters as it contains the whole original roster and represents almost every one of them correctly. The movie even manages to include their classic outfits and even some of their signature moves, thus pleasing fans who were brought up in the arcades playing Street Fighter 2 (which the movie is loosely based on) since we can watch the film and say "Yes! It's (insert name here)! That’s awesome!".

Now, I did say that the movie represented ALMOST all the characters well. Sadly signature characters Ryu and Ken are pushed into the wise cracking best friends trying to be heroes roles, whereas Guile the lead role is given to Van Damme whose acting is so poor that it’s fun just watching how bad he is. Now to be honest, I haven't watched any of his films before so I don't know if he is meant to be another Arnold Schwarzenegger, but it’s the accent that I can't take seriously. Speaking of weird accents, nearly all of the military in the movie have broken accents. For example, the actress playing Cammy (or trying to play her) has the most forced British accent I have ever heard and there is even the equivalent of an Asian Christopher Walken... I'm not even kidding, that’s what he sounds like every time you hear him. He's not even a character in the game, but with that accent I wish he was!

Now for a movie based on a fighting game the important question is "Are the fights any good?" to which I reply "Yes, my friend, they are". Fights are done well and you generally get the feel of the game from watching them. I even found myself cheering at times just because I got so absorbed in this fun film and had to have some fun myself.

Overall the movie is the sort you should watch if you are familiar with the video game franchise and/or just fancy watching something that doesn't take itself too seriously. It’s entertaining, quotable and the villain is amusing and played well.

Therefore if anyone were to ask me if they should see this movie I would simply say the following...

 

Challenge to my readers:

In the movie they actually put in Goofy's scream. I am not kidding. I had to re-visit the scene twice, but I can say with all honesty that it's in the film. Therefore my challenge to you is to listen out for it if you plan to give this movie a try. And just so I'm being fair, here's a hint, it’s during the final battle outside the temple base. GOOD LUCK! ;)