4LOG Likes: Beat ‘Em Ups
Welcome to the 2nd installment of 4LOG Likes, where the For the Love of Gaming writers share some of their favorite games with you! This month, the theme is centered around classic Beat ‘Em Up games featuring classics such as these:
Garrett: Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie (Sega Genesis)
When I was younger, I worshiped two things: My Sega Genesis and the Power Rangers. When the first Power Rangers movie came out, the merchandising extended to game tie-ins for the Super Nintendo and the Sega Genesis, yet both games were different. My preferred version was for the Genesis, which featured 2-player co-op, simple controls, Megazord combat, and a rockin’ soundtrack. Whereas most movie-tie ins nowadays are extremely lackluster, Power Rangers: The Movie felt like Streets of Rage Lite, where you beat the snot out of countless Oozes and Putty Patrol troops with one of six rangers, each with their own abilities. If you haven’t given this game a shot, check it out. It may not be the greatest beat ‘em up, but for those who are suckers for 90′s nostalgia, this game is a great choice.
4LOG Likes: RPG Hidden Gems
Hey guys, welcome to the very first installment of a new feature on the site called “4LOG Likes”, a monthly segment where the 4LOG crew highlight some of their favorite hidden gems from a particular genre or console. Today, we’re going to suggest some of our favorite RPGs that we think you’d really enjoy:
Garrett: Live-A-Live (1994, Squaresoft, SNES, JPN Only)
It’s hard to deny that Squaresoft dominated the RPG market in the 90′s, giving us great SNES classics like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI, and Super Mario RPG. However, many US gamers may not know of a particular gem that never made it overseas called Live-A-Live. The game’s main hook was that it allowed you to choose one of several different scenarios taking place in different time periods. You could play through a dialogue-free scenario as a caveman battling dinosaurs, or a pro-wrestler who learns new moves from his enemies, or an anime inspired near-future scenario involving psychic youths who pilot giant mechas, just to name a few. Each story was really unique and had different ways of playing through them, with just a very tiny bit of continuity that tied the stories together. Near the end of the game, a really cool plot twist happens that brings all of the previous heroes together to fight a common foe. Unfortunately the entire game is in Japanese, that is, unless you choose to download an English-patched rom. Totally worth it, in my opinion. Don’t miss out on this one.
