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Stiq Figures, January 21 - 27: Bo Knows edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Every week, we take a look at, uh, something – meanwhile, the previous week's Japanese hardware sales figures are posted after the jump, and a discussion of said figures takes place in our comments. It may not be conventional, but it's a time-honored Joystiq tradition. Happy "Day of The Big Game," readers. To celebrate Super Bowl Sunday, we're looking back at one of the greatest virtual athletes to grace any sports video game: Bo Jackson. Jackson was a phenomenal athlete, whose mark in both baseball and football will be remembered for years.But it's Jackson's impact on gaming that we're celebrating today. This iconic video shows 8-bit Bo at his finest: running out an entire quarter in one play in Tecmo Bowl for NES. Take a moment to imagine a real-life player scrambling around the field from one end zone to the other, evading an endless array of diving tackles. Yeah, people can talk about Marshawn Lynch or Adrian Peterson all they want, but Bo Jackson in Tecmo Bowl encompassed "beast mode" before the term ever existed.
Stiq Figures, January 14 - 20: Poke-non Edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Every week, we take a look at, uh, something – meanwhile, the previous week's Japanese hardware sales figures are posted after the jump, and a discussion of said figures takes place in our comments. It may not be conventional, but it's a time-honored Joystiq tradition. In every traditional Pokemon game, players are forced to make a difficult decision: choosing their first Pokemon of the three available starters. Of course, the game doesn't offer players the opportunity to experience the world of Pokemon without the adorable minions.What is a Pokemon game without Pokemon? YouTube user AndrewFMs found out in 2008 by hacking through the first generation Game Boy games in order to go without Pokemon. The result is beautifully glitchy.
Stiq Figures, January 7 - 13: Bacon in the pan edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Every week, we take a look at, uh, something – meanwhile, the previous week's Japanese hardware sales figures are posted after the jump, and a discussion of said figures takes place in our comments. It may not be conventional, but it's a time-honored Joystiq tradition. No, this week's Stiq Figures isn't discussing the merits of actual bacon in a frying pan. Rather, it's a reference to this 1995 commercial for the totally awesome Nintendo-published SNES racing game Uniracers. In the ad, a few young gentlemen discuss the wicked tricks players can perform with their riderless unicycles.Come to think of it, can we get another Uniracers game, Nintendo? That would be swell.
Stiq Figures, December 31 - January 6: Wolfman edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Every week, we take a look at, uh, something – meanwhile, the previous week's Japanese hardware sales figures are posted after the jump, and a discussion of said figures takes place in our comments. It may not be conventional, but it's a time-honored Joystiq tradition. With the recent news of the PlayStation 2 being discontinued worldwide, we're looking at this David Lynch-directed PS2 ad from the system's glory years. Lynch directed a number of strange commercials for the system, and this "Wolfman" one might be our favorite.
Stiq Figures, December 17 - 23: Chaos in the Windy City Edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Every week, we take a look at, uh, something – meanwhile, the previous week's Japanese hardware sales figures are posted after the jump, and a discussion of said figures takes place in our comments. It may not be conventional, but it's a time-honored Joystiq tradition. You've probably heard of Shaq Fu. While Shaquille O'Neal is known in the gaming world for the atrocious 2d fighting game bearing his name, the greatest basketball player of all time went a little more under the radar. Michael Jordan kept his likeness out of the cherished NBA Jam (as he reached his own licensing agreement with the NBA in 1992).So we're looking back on a game Jordan did star in, and it's not Jordan vs. Bird; it's the awful 1994 SNES platformer Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City. I'll be the first to admit that I played this game a lot, probably too much for my own good. Although any amount of time with this game is too much for one's well-being.
Stiq Figures, December 10 - 16: E.T. edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Every week, we take a look at, uh, something – meanwhile, the previous week's Japanese hardware sales figures are posted after the jump, and a discussion of said figures takes place in our comments. It may not be conventional, but it's a time-honored Joystiq tradition. Those hoping to unwrap the latest, hottest game this week should hope they don't accidentally warp back in time 20 years, as they might accidentally get E.T. the Extra Terrestrial. Not the movie, sadly, but the awful licensed Atari 2600 game.To sympathize with kids that were stuck with this movie tie-in game in 1982, we're subjecting ourselves to this Christmas commercial for the Atari atrocity. Okay, maybe we're not being fair, there might be someone out there that likes this game.
Stiq Figures, December 3 - 9: Pokepants edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Every week, we take a look at, uh, something – meanwhile, the previous week's Japanese hardware sales figures are posted after the jump, and a discussion of said figures takes place in our comments. It may not be conventional, but it's a time-honored Joystiq tradition. Pokemon is a money magnet for Nintendo, no doubt, and its due in no small part to the franchise's great translation to merchandise. Goods like Pokemon trading cards and figures have been all the rage for fans of the series since its inception. High sales for popular merchandise arguably has something to do with good advertising, which leads us to this 1998 commercial for Pokemon figures.The highlight of the ad, aside from the audible "yikes!" when finding a wild Meowth in a pizza box, is easily the vacuum-like pants the kid at the end is wearing. "Gotta catch 'em all" has taken on new meaning.
Stiq Figures, November 26 - December 2: ATV Offroad edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Every week, we take a look at, uh, something – meanwhile, the previous week's Japanese hardware sales figures are posted after the jump, and a discussion of said figures takes place in our comments. It may not be conventional, but it's a time-honored Joystiq tradition. ATV Offroad Fury doesn't feel like an old game, even though it launched in 2001 for PS2. When taking one look at the game's official website, its age certainly shows.Of all the old websites for games we've looked at on Stiq Figures, this one certainly stands out. Not only is it complete with a rather awful flash game, but it also allows viewers to get a 360 degree panoramic view of a few of the game's tracks. Arguably the best (read: worst) part is the site's ATV builder section, which features two tire types: a large set "for the adventurer" and a small set "for wussies." These web designers weren't messing around, apparently.
Stiq Figures, November 19 - 25: Madden 2000 edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Every week, we take a look at, uh, something – meanwhile, the previous week's Japanese hardware sales figures are posted after the jump, and a discussion of said figures takes place in our comments. It may not be conventional, but it's a time-honored Joystiq tradition. One thing floating around the web this week was a wonderful reminder of the intro to Madden NFL 2000, the hard-hitting EA Sports football game that had more of a chip on its shoulder than Madden games seem to have today.With the constant concerns for player safety in the NFL, it's hard to imagine EA Sports glorifying some of the big hits seen in this intro video today. But if Ludacris took Ray Lewis' spot in the intro video to Madden NFL 13, we're not sure there would be many complaints.
Stiq Figures, November 12 - 18: Game Gear edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Every week, we take a look at, uh, something – meanwhile, the previous week's Japanese hardware sales figures are posted after the jump, and a discussion of said figures takes place in our comments. It may not be conventional, but it's a time-honored Joystiq tradition. This commercial for Sega's 1991 handheld system, the Game Gear, features actor Ethan Suplee (My Name is Earl) playing a Game Boy with a total lack of enthusiasm. The message in the commercial is pretty clear: Game Boy + dead squirrel = Game Gear.There are six AA batteries somewhere in that equation for the Game Gear, not that battery life has been a great aspect of Nintendo's more recent portable efforts.
Stiq Figures, November 5 - 11: Paperboy edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Every week, we take a look at, uh, something – meanwhile, the previous week's Japanese hardware sales figures are posted after the jump, and a discussion of said figures takes place in our comments. It may not be conventional, but it's a time-honored Joystiq tradition. This week, we look up briefly from our new Wii U systems to watch this commercial for the 1988 Mindscape-published NES version of Paperboy. With rolling tires, erratic lawnmowers and carefree skateboarders on the loose, Paperboy is seen doing what he does best in this ad: avoiding obstacles and breaking the windows of any house in the neighborhood that he can.These live-action classic gaming commercials never get old to us, especially when they end with a faux-disclaimer that encourages players to "try this at home."
Stiq Figures, October 29 - November 4: Spider The Video Game edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Every week, we take a look at, uh, something – meanwhile, the previous week's Japanese hardware sales figures are posted after the jump, and a discussion of said figures takes place in our comments. It may not be conventional, but it's a time-honored Joystiq tradition. When your video game has a spider holding a gun and a knife on the cover, you know it should be a sure-fire masterpiece. That turned out to be half-true for Boss Game Studios' 1997 PlayStation game, Spider: The Video Game.The game's description, at least according to the above intro video, is certainly part of the masterpiece side of the game: "The mind of a genius. The body of a spider. A mortally wounded scientist accidentally implants his consciousness in a nano-tech marvel – a cybernetic spider. Now shrunk to the size of a bug you must fight to stay alive."While its platforming and general gameplay elements certainly didn't get prettier with age, Spider: The Video Game should at least remind us that firing missiles as as creepy critter should happen much more than it does in gaming.
Stiq Figures, October 22 - 28: Po-clone-mon edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Every week, we take a look at, uh, something – meanwhile, the previous week's Japanese hardware sales figures are posted after the jump, and a discussion of said figures takes place in our comments. It may not be conventional, but it's a time-honored Joystiq tradition. Pokemon is typically known for its shiny, polished nature. Fans contemplate the many ways the series hasn't changed, and even what a Pokemon MMO would be like (oh, to dream). There is also a dark side of Pokemon to consider, and not exactly the type that PETA likes to take up on occasion.This take on the series from Nightmare Mode addresses the cultural implications of the series from its inception, from the economy of the Kanto region to the segregation of people and Pokemon in the first games that appeared on Game Boy. The article also briefly discusses The Silph Company's monopoly and the controversial topic of cloning in relation to Mew, Mewtwo and the famous MissingNo glitch.The Nightmare Mode piece is worth the read, especially for those that already miss Halloween and love kind of creepy things.
Stiq Figures, October 15 - 21: Immortality edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Every week, we take a look at, uh, something – meanwhile, the previous week's Japanese hardware sales figures are posted after the jump, and a discussion of said figures takes place in our comments. It may not be conventional, but it's a time-honored Joystiq tradition. This week, we're looking back at a rad 1991 TV commercial for the legendary add-on device, the Game Genie. This "pass-through" style cartridge allowed players the chance to input cheat codes for their favorite games on a number of consoles.The ad above focused on the NES version of the Game Genie while paying homage to the comedic duo Bill and Ted. What stood out wasn't just the exploding television, but the use of "live forever" as a selling point for the peripheral. The phrase popped up in other Game Genie commercials, and clearly referred to the common cheat code players could plug in to nearly any game, unlimited lives.The prospect of immortality in video games was strong enough for players to buy the device, and for Sega to stamp its seal of approval on it. Apparently, the Game Genie is still immortal, as it was resurrected by Hyperkin this year for PS3.
Stiq Figures, October 8 - 14: Ape Escape edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Every week, we take a look at, uh, something – meanwhile, the previous week's Japanese hardware sales figures are posted after the jump, and a discussion of said figures takes place in our comments. It may not be conventional, but it's a time-honored Joystiq tradition. Last week on Stiq Figures, we paged through the official Final Fantasy VIII website. Taking a nostalgic ride through a tiny Flash site was so fun that we visited another one this week: the official site for Sony's PS1 classic, Ape Escape.Ape Escape, which released in June 1999, was considered innovative in its use of Sony's DualShock controller, as players moved a boy named Spike while swinging a net to capture monkeys by using both analog sticks on the controller.Naturally, the game's official site drove the point home, as the Flash-based webpage included an image of a DualShock controller for viewers to use for navigation. The still-active site also contains two mini-games for players to toy with, one of which is seen above. Now, bask in the collective cringes from web designers across the globe.
Stiq Figures, October 1 - 7: Final Fantasy VIII edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Every week, we take a look at, uh, something – meanwhile, the previous week's Japanese hardware sales figures are posted after the jump, and a discussion of said figures takes place in our comments. It may not be conventional, but it's a time-honored Joystiq tradition. Final Fantasy VIII isn't exactly an obscure game. As my personal favorite of the franchise, Squaresoft's (now Square Enix's) 1999 PlayStation entry in the series maintains the sci-fi stylings of the arguably more popular Final Fantasy VII while improving CG techniques to make it prettier. The game is also four discs long, which still kind of amazes me.A few interesting facts about the game can be found on its still-operating official site. Namely, a Nazi-styled uniform was removed when the game was localized to European territories, and it cost 3 billion yen to develop. The site still has "coming soon" labels for its strategy guide and hints sections, but we wouldn't hold our breath on that ever coming to life.
Stiq Figures, September 24 - 30: Colossal edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Every week, we take a look at, uh, something – meanwhile, the previous week's Japanese hardware sales figures are posted after the jump, and a discussion of said figures takes place in our comments. It may not be conventional, but it's a time-honored Joystiq tradition. For a game that's just turning seven years old, Team ICO's Shadow of the Colossus has quite the legacy in gaming. A game with the level of commonly accepted importance in the medium such as Shadow of the Colossus tends to receive its share of tributes.The above tribute artwork is one of 18 from a collection by artist James Gilleard, and can be seen at OhNo!Doom's "Belligerent & Numerous" art gallery in Chicago. The gallery is open for public viewing until November 3.For those that can't make the trip to Illinois in the next month, the rest of the images can be seen on Gilleard's blog and on Venus Patrol.
Stiq Figures, September 17 - 23: Funky Kong edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Every week, we take a look at, uh, something – meanwhile, the previous week's Japanese hardware sales figures are posted after the jump, and a discussion of said figures takes place in our comments. It may not be conventional, but it's a time-honored Joystiq tradition. A majority of gamers are familiar with Donkey Kong, one of Nintendo's core video game characters. The words Donkey Kong Country will likely remind players of their time with the classic SNES game. Unless they live in France, in which case it could also bring back memories of a 1996 French television show that featured CG-animated characters from the games interacting with real-life actors.This clip from the show demonstrates just how well apes can sing, dance and generally rock. The show was originally called "La planète Donkey Kong" (translated as "The Planet of Donkey Kong"), and was televised in a variety of regions, including the US. Still, it didn't quite reach the level of popularity that it received in France, its country of origin.
Stiq Figures, September 10 - 16: Super Spike edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Every week, we take a look at, uh, something – meanwhile, the previous week's Japanese hardware sales figures are posted after the jump, and a discussion of said figures takes place in our comments. It may not be conventional, but it's a time-honored Joystiq tradition. With the release of Double Dragon Neon this month, we're looking at one game that the fighting duo Billy and Jimmy have cameoed in, Super Spike V'Ball for the NES. This high-powered volleyball game has always been a favorite of mine, and was one of the few sports games for the system in which I managed to beat the campaign mode on multiple occasions while using the Double Dragon heroes.I also beat the game without the use of any Game Genie-type devices, which enabled the use of debug codes for now-retro games. Had I known that four unused teams were laying dormant in Super Spike V'Ball's code, I might have reconsidered my use of a Game Genie device to unlock them in the game. The fact that the second team of ladies hidden in the game have rad mullets turns this piece of missing content into a travesty.
Stiq Figures, September 3 - 9: WWF WrestleMania edition
Welcome to Stiq Figures, where the sales data is after the break and the posts don't matter. Every week, we take a look at, uh, something – meanwhile, the previous week's Japanese hardware sales figures are posted after the jump, and a discussion of said figures takes place in our comments. It may not be conventional, but it's a time-honored Joystiq tradition. Last weekend, I celebrated my older brother's wedding. During the rehearsal dinner, he gave me a few gifts for being his best man, one gift being a copy of WWF WrestleMania for NES. Complete with the original box, manual, and poster of the game, we immediately reminisced about the notoriously bad (yet so, so great) wrestling game and its impact on our childhood.Game manuals from the late 80s tend to be loaded with gems, such as WWF WrestleMania's detailed instructions on how to turn the system on, including step three: "You'll first see an awesome picture of the explosive Hulk Hogan and he's ready to take on any challenger (Especially if it's you!)."I'm not sure anything beats the profile of Andre the Giant in the manual, though, which reads, "He wears a size 22 boot. And in addition to having very big feet, he accomplished very big feats. Like his claim that he's never been defeated."
