Although granted access to MG Studio equipment, Le and Shepherd recognized that they would need more funding to bring their vision for Nightwing: The Series to life. In need of $20,000 to fund high quality costumes, props and gain access to more exclusive filming locations, the newly dubbed Team Ismahawk turned to popular crowd funding site Kickstarter. Unlike most Kickstarter projects—particularly the successful ones—Ismahawk sought to utilize DC Comics properties without license or permission. Working around the need for licensing fees, Ismahawk planned to produce the film at cost, with all pledged funds going straight into production with no profit going to the filmmakers. To keep the budget down, Ismahawk recruited a small team of unpaid volunteers to help with everything from stunts and photography to, of course, acting.

After a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $30,000 from nearly 1000 backers, Nightwing: The Series went into production. Planned as a five part mini-series with the first part premiering on YouTube this past Monday, Nightwing: The Series brazenly walks the fine line between non-profit project and copyright infringement. And yet, Team Ismahawk has not received a cease and desist letter from DC Comics or parent company Warner Brothers…yet. If Nightwing: The Series proves successful, it might encourage DC Comics to revisit the notion of a Bat-family series that does not feature the Dark Knight himself, something the company has only attempted once, with the short-lived series Birds of Prey in 2002.

I played a lot point-and-click adventure games in the ’90s, with Quest for Glory IV, The Curse of Monkey Island, andSpace Quest IV being among my favorites. But I generally stayed away from FMV (full-motion video) adventure games such as The Beast Within and 7th Guest. Live actors filmed and then superimposed into low resolution 3D environments produced a distasteful juxtaposition I had no interest in. To make matters worse, these games typically featured mature themes and content, which didn’t fit with the cheesy production values of FMV. Perhaps if I had given the Tex Murphy series a chance instead of fixating on the mature rated FMV adventures, I may have grown to appreciate this style.

Earlier this week I started playing Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure. Funded with donations from Kickstarter backers and released in May of this year, Tesla Effect is the sixth entry in the Tex Murphy series of adventure games and the first since 1998. Based on the game’s artwork and screenshots, I expected a hard-boiled detective story, but Murph—as the titular detective is affectionately called by friends—is better described as “soft-boiled.” Reprising his role as Tex Murphy, Chris Jones—who also served as the game’s co-designer—brings equal parts gruff detective and campy folk hero to the part. Camp is a difficult style of humor to perform, but Jones approaches the role with such gusto that I couldn’t help but be charmed by him. The supporting cast, for the most part, isn’t really up to par with Jones, unfortunately. Kevin Murphy—who Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans will recognize as the voice behind Tom Servo—is woefully underutilized as the voice of Smart Alex, Murphy’s sentient PDA that chimes in with helpful advice, and a quip or two, on occasion. The hammy performances of the rest of the cast fit the B-movie presentation of Tesla Effect, though fail to live up to the nuanced campiness of Chris Jones’ Tex.

If at this point you’re a little confused as to the difference between camp and B-movie, consider the difference between the hilarious performances of talented actors like Adam West, Cesar Romero, Burgess Meredith, Frank Gorshin, Julie Newmar, and Vincent Price in Batman to the laughably bad performances of B-movie “stars” like Casper Van Dien in Starship Troopers, Ian Ziering in Sharknado or Sean Patrick Flanery in Mongolian Death Worm—the former requires wit, comedic timing, and panache, while the later is merely intentional overacting that just about anyone can accomplish.

The gameplay of Tesla Effect can be divided into three types, each based around Murphy’s investigation.

• Exploration in a fully 3D environment. Players must follow leads, track down clues, and combine clues as needed to further the investigation. Unlike many modern adventure games which feel as though the player is “on rails,” Tesla Effect challenges players to come up with their own solutions using their ingenuity and observational skills. Unfortunately the low poly models and washed out textures produce an admittedly ugly aesthetic. Thankfully, the atmospheric music coupled with Tex Murphy’s monologues help to color the sci-fi noir environment. Sometimes interactions in the 3D space can get pretty rough though, particularly climbing ladders.
  

Having only just begun “Day 4: Saints & Sinners or The Usual Suspects” (chapters are divided into “days” and begin with a noir-inspired title card) I feel that the plot of Tesla Effect is only just starting to switch into top gear. The first couple chapters focused primarily on exploring and questioning residents of Chandler Avenue with little story progression, leaving me about as confused as Murphy seemed to be. But a few important plot twists revealed in chapters three and four, along with the development of a couple femme fatales, have piqued my interest. With nearly five and a half hours of FMV footage filmed for the game, I’m only about halfway through. Next week, after I finish the game, I’ll continue this analysis of Tesla Effect and offer my perspective on the game’s second half and the ending.

9/9/99 was a date that would usher in the new era in console gaming, promising ambitious and innovative new games, an arcade experience at home, and online play to rival PCs. Less than two years later the era had already ended. Of course I’m referring to the North American release of the Sega Dreamcast. And although Sega of Japan continued to release a slow yet steady stream of new games until 2007 (first party support ended in 2004), the Dreamcast had slipped from the public consciousness a mere two years after its impressive debut. The system’s smashing initial success followed shortly by its sharp fall has been discussed to death. And this is not another one of those articles. Rather, today, on the fifteenth anniversary of the Dreamcast, I just want to play some games and reflect on the system’s legacy.

The Dreamcast was an odd duck in its day, perhaps trying to push consoles too far too fast. Jet Grind Radiopopularized cel-shading. Shenmue pushed the boundaries of nonlinear gameplay and established many trends seen in later 3D open-world sandbox games. Chu Chu Rocket and Phantasy Star Online proved that online multiplayer could thrive on consoles as it did on PCs. Games like Crazy Taxi, Dynamite Cop and House of the Dead 2 offered the adrenaline rush of their arcade cousins from the comfort of home. Although marginalized in later years as the console for fighters such as Street Fighter III: Third Strike and Marvel vs. Capcom, and then the console for shmups such as Gigawing and Bangai-O, the Dreamcast library offers a lot of variety. I must admit that while I had planned to dedicate the day to playing as many games in my Dreamcast library as time would permit, I spent much of my time absorbed in Shenmue.

Having rekindled my love affair with Sega’s troubled console, I began to wonder just what else was out there for the console since Sega of Japan finally cut its strings. Indie game development on the Dreamcast is nothing new—I still have a few Bleemcast! CDs released during the console’s life—but I was unaware that the indie scene still had life stretching to the 2010s and beyond. RedSpotGames and GOAT Store continue to publish Dreamcast games developed by indie teams. Although shmups remain the most popular genre for the Dreamcast indie scene, there have been some intriguing releases recently that play to the system’s strengths.

Gunlord, a run and gun from NG:DEV.TEAM released two years ago, features hand-drawn graphics running at a constant 60 frames per second.

Watermelon Co. ran a successful Kickstarter campaign, generating over $200 thousand to help fund an HD version of Pier Solar and the Great Architects, a narrative-driven RPG.

Rush Rush Rally Racing developed by Senile Team is a challenging racing game with a variety of gameplay modes and a focus on multiplayer.

Upcoming run and gun FPS Hypertension: Harmony of Darkness shows influences from classics like Doom and Blood.

The Dreamcast continues to attract indie developers, with eight games releasing this year and another four already announced for 2015. The sheen of the plucky console has not yet dulled thanks to dedicated developers and the fans that support them. Fifteen years later it’s still thinking.

Three years ago as my gamer friends became engrossed in Skyrim while I found myself disappointed yet again in a CRPG (computer role-playing game), I lamented—they just don’t make CRPGs like they used to. Two days ago when I finally finished the default campaign, “Dead Man’s Switch,” in Shadowrun Returns I realized just how wrong I was.

There was a magic period in computer gaming that lasted approximately from 1996 to 2002. This golden age produced an unprecedented smorgasbord of the most immersive, complex, imaginative, and yet refined games to ever grace personal computers. Before console limitations (accessibility and control scheme) began to pollute computer game design, before the annoyance of DRM, and even before the prevalence of crowd sourcing and social media campaigns, the personal computer was experiencing its renaissance thanks to the spread of affordable graphics cards and Windows compatibility. During this period I was grateful to experience such monumental releases as Thief, Diablo, System Shock 2, Half-Life, Age of Empires II, Deus Ex, and StarCraft. But the games that really captured my attention were the RPGs, notably those in the isometric perspective with complex, turn-based mechanics derived from or influenced by tabletop RPGs. These games were rich in lore, dripping with character drama, and with a narrative presentation so heavily built around reading chunks of text that it felt like a perfect marriage between interactive fiction and a dungeon crawl. Of course I refer to games like Baldur’s Gate, its sequel, and their expansions, the first two Fallout games along with Fallout Tactics, and Planescape: Torment. While other, more recent CRPGs—such as Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and Skyrim--have tried to draw me in as completely as these classics, each have failed to captivate me. Alas, I’ve been looking in the wrong places. The shiny AAA games from multibillionaire publishers aren’t even trying to provide the same sort of role-play experience, but smaller studios and indies just might be. And this is where Shadowrun Returnscomes in.

Designed by Jordan Weisman—the creator of the Shadowrun tabletop RPG—and with a story written by Michael A. Stackpole—science fiction novelist known for the Star Wars: X-Wing novels among others--Shadowrun Returns transports me back to that golden age of CRPGs. Mixing elements of cyberpunk with urban fantasy, the game takes place in a near future Earth in which magic has returned, changing some humans into fantastic creatures, yet maintaining the concept of megacorporations as corrupt, and all-encompassing, defacto government entities. Able to draw from the rich lore of the Shadowrun tabletop RPG, the city of Seattle is teeming with character. The default campaign, “Dead Man’s Switch,” is essentially a hardboiled detective mystery full of the typical genre tropes such as the cynical protagonist of questionable morality, the femme fatale, the red herring, and frequent plot twists. Despite the heavy use of tropes and what turned out to be a surprisingly linear tale, the narrative is strong enough to draw me in. In a time when gamers are spoiled with voice acting, a text-heavy game must be interesting, rich in content, and well-written to captivate the player, but Shadowrun Returns succeeds in this respect.

The refreshing, yet easy to grok, mechanics of the Shadowrun roleplaying system, coupled with the familiar turn-based, isometric combat is really where the game won me over though. As Half-Glass the smart-mouthed dwarf adept (a fully customizable player-character of course), I was challenged not only during combat, but beforehand as well. The unforgiving nature of Shadowrun Returns would not sit well with some modern gamers. Recruit the ‘wrong’ combination of runners to assist you during a mission? Build your player-character poorly as you earn karma (the game’s experience points)? Fail to take the right supplies to complement your team? All could result in an impossible mission that warrants a restart and, if your player-character was built poorly enough, even restarting the entire game!

Although I would prefer a more open-ended RPG with lots of optional side missions, and although the dialog choices exist mostly to add personal flavor to the experience without any real narrative effects, I thoroughly enjoyed Shadowrun Returns. The game proves to a worthy successor to CRPGs like Baldur’s Gate and Fallout in a time when RPGs of their ilk seem sorely lacking.

At Backward Compatible we aspire to cover more than just video games with new media being a central, though so far largely overlooked, focus. Comic books established their current printed format in the early 1930s, adapted from the comic strips appearing in local newspapers across the nation. Digital comics, on the other hand, are a much more modern convention. Technically getting their start in the late 1980s, digital comics began as an experiment in different modes of storytelling (special effects, repeated images, sounds), art (Photoshop effects, vector art, and even 3D models), and distribution (floppy disks and then CD-ROMs). But these efforts were largely abandoned by the major comic publishers. It wasn’t until the proliferation of the Internet, and piracy, that publishers were forced to reconsider digital comics.

Throughout the 2000s, print comics were being diligently scanned, page-by-page, and released online through popular file-sharing resources such as Usenet, chat forums like IRC, and torrent sites like The Pirate Bay. Of course these digital comics were not legally released by their publishers. It wasn’t until the tail end of the 2000s, with the launch of digital distribution services such as the now defunct Graphicly and the current industry leader Comixology, that comic publishers joined the digital comic revolution.

Today it seems like digital comics are available everywhere. Your smart phone, phablet, tablet, laptop and PC all support digital comics, and offer an easier means of transporting a collection than the traditional long box. Digital distributors store your collection in the cloud, meaning you don’t need to transport gigabytes of data but rather can simply download a purchased comic again on your preferred platform. But the digital format still has its limitations that hold it back from being the primary form of comic distribution.

• The patented Guided View technology offered by Comixology allows readers on the small screens of smart phones and phablets to still read comics comfortably by automatically moving from panel-to-panel with a swipe of the finger, in an attempt to mimic eye movement across a printed page. Unfortunately, this method of reading comics limits the storytelling potential of the medium by eliminating the use of panel layouts to help tell the story. Comic books simply aren’t meant to be read on such small screens, at least not yet.

• Image rotation on Comixology and similar distribution services such as Marvel Unlimited does not exist, despite being a prevalent addition to comic reading programs frequently used by pirates, such as Comic Rack. Laptops in particular benefit from rotating the image 90 degrees and then holding the laptop like a book to maximize screen space and provide an experience similar to a print comic. Gyroscopes in tablets accomplish this feature automatically, but it’s a baffling omission from these distributors that is deeply missed on laptops.
• Retailers still haven’t found the “sweet spot” for pricing digital comics. Currently, digital comics retail for the same price as their print counterparts: usually $2.99 or $3.99 per issue. Despite saving money on paper, ink, and printing costs, the price of digital comics remains stubbornly fixed.

That said, the two biggest comic publishers, Marvel and DC, have devised some interesting ideas to expand the reach of digital comics to their fans.

• Marvel offers the Marvel Unlimited service, access to much of their backlog of comics for only $9.99 per month, although new comics are only added to the service six months after their initial release. Still, the service is a great idea that could morph into the Netflix or Hulu Plus of comic distribution if the right price point can be struck to add newer comics with only a short gap from initial release date (perhaps only a couple weeks).
  
• DC offers a “Digital First” line of comics that have been optimized for the digital format and released first digitally, and with a lowered price point between $0.99 and $1.99 per issue. By releasing titles like Batman ’66 and Injustice: Gods Among Us first digitally, DC encourages fans to dip their feet into the waters of digital distribution. And as shown by the images below, digital comics can be presented in a dynamic format which simply cannot be reproduced on a printed page.
  

I still think that digital comics are the future of what is a declining industry that has become increasingly dependent on revenue from other media sources, such as feature films and television, to survive. However, comic publishers must find the right price point and incentives to encourage readers to use their digital distribution services instead of ignoring them entirely or, perhaps worse still, pirating comics instead.

Looking for a way to blow off stress after completing a grueling semester, I returned to a series that had brought so much joy as a youth, Doom. I haven’t played Doom in nearly ten years, but I was anxious to track down some WADs (the engine’s file package that contains all the game’s data) and start fragging demons. I could not have anticipated such a thriving community for a twenty year old game.

Released in 1993 by id Software as a followup and improvement to genre pioneer Wolfenstein 3D, Doom lit the match that ignited the explosion of first-person shooters in the mid 90s. Although the genre has arguably gone through significant design changes since then, first-person shooters have retained their spot as some of the hottest selling, most popular and industry-leading video game genres to this day. But despite vast improvements in graphics, processing and realism, I’ve learned that no first-person shooter has managed to maintain the dedicated community that follows Doom and sequel Doom II. Beginning shortly after Doom‘s release with the public domain version of the Doom Editing Utility—a program developed by fans to create new Doom levels—the creation of WADs became not only a hobby for the masses but one of the earliest accessible means amateurs had to prove their design skills and break into the videogame industry. With the public release of the id Tech 1 source code in 1997, WADs became even more ambitious.

With no desire to run the notoriously finicky DOSBox (an MS-DOS emulator for Windows), and with the help of one of the many still active Doom centric web forums, I learned about two essential tools for the modern Doomplayer: ZDoom and Zandronum. ZDoom is an enhanced port of the Doom source code (made open source in 1997, remember?) meant for use in modern Windows platforms. But ZDoom doesn’t stop there. The ambitious port supports all Doom engine games (Doom, Doom II, Heretic, Hexen, and Strife) and adds mouse support including free look, crosshairs for aiming, jumping, high resolutions, and removal of processing limits on theDoom engine meant to prevent melting computers circa 1993. These upgrades were all it took to help the Doom experience feel fresh yet retain the frenetic pace of the original. Once again I was knee deep in the dead.

To scratch my itch for the multiplayer deathmatch made popular with Doom II I turned to Zandronum, another source port of the Doom engine, yet dedicated to multiplayer. Supporting up to 64 players online per server, an abundance of game modes such as coop, deathmatch, invasion, and capture the flag, and with a convenient automated download system to ensure players have all required server files before joining without ever having to leave the program to scour the Net, Zandronum is a surprisingly comprehensive method of finding Doomengine servers and playing everything from enhanced versions of official games like Doom II and Heretic to entirely fanmade efforts such as the popular Mega Man 8-bit Deathmatch. Zandronum boasts over twenty active servers at any one time, each capable of supporting 64 players (though max player size is set by server host and most are set to 32).

My foray into the thriving Doom community has only just begun. In a followup feature, I intend to speak with dedicated Doom players about the flexibility of the Doom engine, their favorite WADs including recommendations, their thoughts on the state of the modern first-person shooter, and what they believe has kept Doom and its engine relevant for gamers twenty years after its first release.

Last week, I began my foray into the cynical world of cyberpunk gaming with a look back to Hideo Kojima’s second game, Snatcher, released for the MSX 2 in 1988. I’ve been playing, and recently completed, the English language version released in 1992 for the Sega CD. Snatcher initially appeared to be an early example in the Japanese visual novel genre, but as I delved deeper into the game, I’ve learned it really embraces the adventure game format and offers players a multitude of ways to interact with the environment. Last week I only glossed over my investigation of the abandoned factory, but looking back to it, I feel this was the scene that really shows players what they’re in for.

In order to even enter the factory, the player must select the same LOOK and EXAMINE options more than once. This counter-intuitive design for menu selection occurs throughout the game. Once inside, the player finds the dead body of would-be partner Jean-Jack Gibson and begins to investigate. A handwritten note in Gibson’s pocket suggests the player should check his home. Metal Gear, Gillian’s robot companion, assists the player by providing further information when pressed, most notably his chemical analysis of the contents of Gibson’s stomach: buffalo meat, another clue. Throughout the game, players need to collect clues to know where to go or who to talk to next. These clues can be collected by using the EXAMINE menu option, by having Metal Gear analyze something in the environment, and even—as found later in the game—by interviewing witnesses and speaking with informants. Later on, the player even uses the computer back at Junker HQ to build a mugshot of a suspect from a variety of facial parts using only the description provided by a witness. Investigation really forms the bulk of gameplay in Snatcher, but the player must employ a variety of methods to succeed, which really helps the player feel like a detective. Conversations also act as a means of developing characters, forging new relationships and, in the case of Gillian, helping the player feel like the lecherous Junker agent. Gillian’s video-phone conversations with his estranged wife Jamie appropriately convey the tension, and hints of remaining chemistry, between them.

There’s a depth to the characters in Snatcher that is rarely found even in narrative-heavy games. For this reason, coupled with the game’s detective theme, I won’t reveal any further spoilers. Snatcher should be experienced (or at least watched on YouTube). In my research on Snatcher following the game’s end credits, I learned that a followup was released two years later for the MSX 2. Instead of a sequel, this game—called SD Snatcher--is actually a reimagining of the original as an action RPG. Although the story remains mostly intact, the gameplay is radically different. The art style has also changed from a late ’80s anime aesthetic to the “super deformed” chibi style featuring characters with massive heads atop tiny bodies. The art produces an odd juxtaposition of comical visuals with the dark themes and stomach-churning gore Snatcher is known for.

With its engrossing story, deep characters, and exploration of challenging concepts, Snatcher has remained popular among adventure game and cyberpunk fans alike. The interest generated from the official radio drama, released in 2011, is a testament to the game’s longevity. Known as SDATCHER (no, that’s not a typo) the radio drama is a prequel to the events seen in Snatcher and stars Jean-Jack Gibson as he takes on a case that leads directly into the events of Snatcher including foreshadowing his death. The SDATCHER radio drama attracted a number of industry veterans to the project including Goichi Suda (game designer better known as Suda-51), Akira Yamaoka (music composer for Silent Hill), and Akio Otsuka (voice actor for Solid Snake) who gives voice to Gibson. SDATCHER has been translated into English and is worth the listen for Snatcher fans.

More than just a Blade Runner pastiche, Snatcher features mature storytelling, complex characters, rich environments, and plenty of humor. It’s a Hideo Kojima interactive story that, despite some antiquated game mechanics, shouldn’t be missed by fans of adventure games, narrative-heavy games, or cyberpunk. If you can struggle through the gameplay you’ll be rewarded.

I’m not just a fan of old games; I’m a fan of old movies too. The science fiction scene of the 80s holds a particular reverence for me, perhaps none as much so as the quintessential cyberpunk film Blade Runner. For those who haven’t seen it, set aside two hours of your life. It’s worth it. I’ve recently watched the film for the umpteenth time. But as I often do when I watch such an engaging film, I immediately turn to video games to satiate my desire for similar thematic and atmospheric, yet more interactive, experiences. And so begins my quest to play every retro cyberpunk game that I haven’t yet experienced.

But first, let’s take a moment to examine what ‘cyberpunk’ is all about. At its core, cyberpunk shows how advances in technology—particularly computers and cybernetics—might lead to exploitation and marginalization of the general populace by increasingly influential corporations that come to control nearly ever facet of daily life. In short, it’s Nineteen Eighty-Four with a more technological and corporate bent, a clash between, as Wikipedia describes it, “high-tech and low life.” But remember, it’s science fiction. Mega corporations with the same rights as human beings? The prevalence of corporate products and advertisements in our daily lives? The increasing dependence on technology, wholly owned and controlled by corporate entities, for human interaction and public discourse? Nah, it’ll never happen!

First on my list of cyberpunk games is Hideo Kojima’s acclaimed yet controversial masterpiece Snatcher (Sega CD version). The first thing I notice when starting Snatcher is the game’s high production values. The city of Neo Kobe certainly takes inspiration from Blade Runner, although it has an even more Japanese flavor, at times literally (try a slice of Neo Kobe pizza if you dare). The sprites are detailed and read well, with a clear attention to detail, and reflect an anime art style typical of the period. The music and sounds liven the environment, but I was particularly impressed with the English voice acting, added for the Sega CD version in 1994.

The story of Snatcher seems to be its strongest aspect, though. Featuring a strong cast of nuanced characters that, in typical Kojima fashion, break from their seemingly cliched archetypes, the player takes control of Gillian Seed, an amnesiac ‘junker’ tasked with tracking down, and eliminating the ‘snatchers.’ A cross between the replicants of Blade Runner and the cyborgs of Terminator, snatchers are cyborgs that kidnap and replace humans in prominent societal positions for reasons unknown. Gillian must use his detective skills to uncover the snatchers’ plot and eliminate them before it can be completed. Only partway through the game’s first act, the plot has already turned more than once, and I can tell I’m in for another complex Kojima narrative.

As engrossing as Snatcher‘s narrative may be, the gameplay can be infuriating. Reminiscent of visual novels that remain supremely popular in Japan, Snatcher provides players with a menu interface to navigate the game’s world with options such as “MOVE”, “LOOK”, and “INVESTIGATE.” Unfortunately, Snatcher requires the player to select the same options multiple times in a set order before the next scene will trigger. This issue only crops up occasionally in modern visual novels such as the Ace Attorney series, so it makes Snatcher difficult to get into. There are also shooting sequences that require quick aim with a sturdy d-pad to survive. These sections made me thankful I have a reliable controller!

Despite the shortcomings of its gameplay, Snatcher has drawn me in with its strong environmental narrative, anime-inspired production values, and a complex plot on which I feel I’ve only just begun to scratch the surface. Join me next week as I offer closing thoughts on Snatcher and continue my high-tech journey as a low life.

Continuing Chris’ series for this week, I have crafted a list of recommendations for a gamer making their first foray into one of my all-time favorite game styles: the Metroidvania. A portmanteau of the vaunted Nintendo series and Capcom’s Gothic cousin, Metroidvanias feature platforming action in a free-roaming, two-dimensional, labyrinthine environment that encourage non-linear exploration, sometimes even backtracking, along with persistent power-ups that, when discovered, provide access to previously inaccessible sections of the world. Because the freedom afforded by Metroidvanias requires a certain complexity, they lack accessibility for the uninitiated and those accustomed to the simpler experiences offered by puzzle games. But don’t worry, I’m here to help!

The games on this list offer the most easily accessible entry-points. No attempt has been made to create a “best of” list.

• Metroid: Zero Mission – A reimagining of the original Metroid through the lens of its most well-known successor Super Metroid, Zero Mission provides a short, but nonetheless sweet, introduction to Metroidvanias. Dropping the original game’s theme of survival in a hostile, confusing environment, Zero Mission provides players with not only a map of rooms previously visited—a staple of the series since Super Metroid—but also guides to each essential power-up and boss location in a predetermined order. This makes Zero Mission perhaps the most linear game classified as a Metroidvania. And it even features an optional “easy” mode! While cheapening the experience for series veterans, Zero Mission is the perfect entry point for newbies.  Availability: Wii U Virtual Console, Game Boy Advance
  
• Shadow Complex – The Super Metroid of the new generation, Shadow Complex eases players into the experience with a tutorial mission and features a simplistic, and lovingly cheesy, story written by long-time comic book veteran Peter David in a world conceived by science fiction writer Orson Scott Card. Shadow Complex also boasts a gradual acquisition of power-ups, beginning with only a flashlight and then climbing gear, but culminating with a sleek power suit with advanced weaponry that effectively recalls the equipment in Metroid. The game includes four difficulty settings, including a “casual” mode that even newbies should have little problem finishing. Shadow Complex perfectly marries modern design philosophy with the classic style of Super Metroid.  Availability: Xbox Live Arcade
  
• Monster Tale – Colorful, peaceful, and with the presentation of a children’s storybook, Monster Tale proves that dark themes are not a Metroidvania necessity. The game also includes Pokemon or Tamagotchi like roleplaying and creature evolution mechanics, with the creature companion assisting the player in battle instead of taking her place. This feature recalls the familiars of another Metroidvania pioneer, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, although companion Chomp has a friendlier relationship with the player similar to that of a pet. While the cartoonish aesthetic may appeal to newcomers, don’t let it fool you; Monster Tale has some nasty difficulty spikes! Still, Monster Tale seems custom-made for gamers of a different sort that might be turned off by the supernatural or sci-fi horror themes of most Metroidvanias.  Availability: Nintendo DS
  
• Castlevania: Symphony of the Night – The first game in the Castlevania series to be classified as a Metroidvania (although the first to reflect a Metroid influence came ten years earlier with Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest), Symphony of the Night makes the list not because of its quality or importance, but rather because it’s actually the easiest of the Metroidvania style Castlevania games. Despite the Gothic aesthetic and heavy use of monsters such as zombies, skeletons, and Death, Symphony of the Night has closer thematic ties to action-adventures than survival horror. Incorporating overt roleplaying elements such as improving character statistics, leveling up, narrative presentation and varied equipment that improves some statistics at the cost of others, Symphony of the Night offers something for gamers of nearly every proclivity, be they fans of action, platforming, exploration or roleplay.  Availability: Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, PSP, PlayStation, Sega Saturn
  
• Cave Story – Although navigating the world proves a bit more obtuse than other entries on this list, indie title Cave Story manages to nab the final spot due to its refinement of platforming controls coupled with a near perfect difficulty curve that provides a consistent, yet fair, challenge. Developed solely by Daisuke Amaya to romanticize his childhood experiences with Metroid, Castlevania, and shooters such as Gradius, Cave Story boasts an inventive and charming, yet dangerous, world every bit as mysterious and fun to explore as Metroid. The game comes with several difficulty levels, including a “casual” mode, and if you’re not accustomed to Metroidvanias this will be a godsend!  Availability: PC, Wii, Nintendo 3DS
  

In my first Retro Rewind feature, I discussed the over-the-top manliness and outright absurdity of run-and-gun shooters. Duke Nukem 3D, I had claimed, might just be the culmination of the sub-genre. But I have a confession to make: I lied! Compared to the Doom comic released in the very same year of 1996, Duke Nukem 3D might as well have been a Disney film. Doom Guy, the nickname for the space marine protagonist of Doom, never utters so much as a word in the games. But in the comic, Doom Guy becomes a farcical amalgamation of Roddy Piper’s character from They Live!, Ash from Evil Dead, and Tony Montana from Scarface after snorting the mountain of cocaine. Come to think of it, Doom Guy is probably on more coke than Tony. Here, you be the judge…

Best part? It’s a love story. No really! Disgraced by his inability to rip out a cyber-demon’s guts with his bare hands, Doom Guy runs off in search of a gun that packs enough power to blow the cyber-demon to pieces. But as in love, not just any gun will do. Oh no, Doom Guy deserves only the best. Avid Doom players, at this point, know I’m referring to the BFG (an acronym for “big, uh, freaking gun”).

Surprisingly, the comic’s narrative doesn’t depart too far from my childhood experiences playing the video game: Doom Guy carelessly runs around the station without any clear idea of where he’s supposed to go, regularly falls for each enemy ambush, experiments with a variety of weapons, provides his own running commentary of the action with every bit of wit granted by a middle school education, and even finds the time to deliver a poignant message about protecting our environment. Okay, I never did that last part.

But even being completely submerged in a pit of radioactive waste can’t douse the flames of passion in Doom Guy’s heart. When he’s finally united with the BFG, it’s love at first sight.

Although it’s been nearly twenty years since it was first published, the Doom comic remains an accurate reflection of the desperate lengths games and comics would go to match the extreme fad of the period. Equal parts gory and stupid, the Doom comic deserves its place in a time capsule of the ’90s right alongside a piece of the Aggro Crag, a bag of Corn Nuts with the anthropomorphic corn cob mascots, Nick Cage’s mullet from Con Air, and a can of Surge cola. Just kidding. Surge deserves at least a six-pack.

Oh and as for the cyber-demon? He gets what he deserves.