Post by: NWR_Neal on December 14, 2008, 05:04:36 PM
I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine who recently purchased the latest FIFA game for Xbox 360. He regaled me with how great the game is and how much strategy is required. He and his friends would play the game all the time and almost go to blows over it.
As is customary whenever someone talks up FIFA or any other realistic soccer game, I replied flatly with a question: Have you ever played Acme All-Stars for Sega Genesis?
I don't know if anyone has ever said yes to that question and I don't understand why. It contains, in my not-so-humble opinion, one of the best soccer games of all time.
For the uninformed, Tiny Toon Adventures: Acme All-Stars is a Konami-made sports game for the Sega Genesis that stars Warner Bros' lovable Tiny Toons. The game is a series of sports ranging from soccer and basketball to bowling and whack-a-mole. When I was younger, my friends and I would play lengthy tournaments and fight over who would get to play as the speed demon Little Beeper or the defensive powerhouse that is Furrball. Over this past summer, I pulled the game back out and a whole series of new and more competitive tournaments ensued, including one that ended in a last second tie and a shootout.
I can't truly explain what makes this game so great. It is a very simple game but in that simplicity hides great strategy. Maybe it's not as technical as your FIFAs and Pro Evos, but the soccer section of Acme All-Stars stands as my first experience in a genre that I think should get more respect: arcade soccer.
This genre later produced such great games as Sega Soccer Slam (for Gamecube, Xbox, PlayStation 2, and as of tomorrow, Xbox Originals on the Xbox 360) and the Mario Strikers series. Those games also produced a similar fervor amongst my friends and me.
Has anyone else played a game that caused a similar zest? Has anyone ever played Acme All-Stars?
Note: This same enthusiasm was also displayed by my friends and I towards Tecmo Super Bowl except for the fact that one of my friends is basically the player equivalent of Bo Jackson.
Post by: Nick DiMola on December 15, 2008, 06:41:39 AM
Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball is classic as is the infamous NBA Jam: Tournament Edition. Of course Tecmo for football (or Blitz down the line), and NHLPA Hockey 93 (all rules disabled) always filled the hockey void quite well.
Something about the simplicity and character of those games make them appealing. Though not the most realistic interpretation of their featured sport, they always conveyed the feeling of playing it the best.
Post by: MegaByte on December 15, 2008, 11:01:50 PM
Post by: NWR_pap64 on December 16, 2008, 01:22:13 AM
YOU SUCK!!!!! XD
Anyways...
My favorite Tiny Toons game was "Buster Bust Loose" on the SNES. I was such a Tiny Toons nerd that I actually recognized every song and character used in the game. That's how fantastic and true to the series the game was.
Anyone remember the football level? It was a pain to beat, but man was it fun and intense!
Post by: MegaByte on December 16, 2008, 02:09:20 AM
Post by: Armak88 on December 16, 2008, 02:12:12 AM
Post by: NWR_Neal on December 16, 2008, 03:08:01 AM
I pissed off my friend by reminding him of our most recent battle where I came from behind and won in a shootout.
I downloaded Sega Soccer Slam off of Xbox Originals today. I highly recommend it for any fans of arcade soccer games. It is spectacular. I had the Gamecube version (which PGC/NWR highly regarded) and apparently the Xbox version has a bunch of new features!
Post by: Dasmos on December 16, 2008, 04:54:04 AM
Post by: Arbok on December 22, 2008, 10:37:35 PM
Has anyone ever played Acme All-Stars?
Played and owned. Loved that title, one of the few Genesis ones that still got me to fire it up after I purchased a SNES with DKC. I wasn't a fan of the other games contained inside, but it did Soccer and Basketball very well. Furthermore, I have always preferred the "arcadey" "super move enhanced" sport titles over the sims... save Wii Sports.
Post by: Ian Sane on December 23, 2008, 07:11:10 PM
Arcade sports games are usually a blast for one reason - they best demonstrate the core experience of the sport. What is soccer about? Kicking a ball in the net to score more points than the other team. If you're playing soccer with your buddies that's what you're doing to do. You're probably not going to fuss around with offsides and fouls and red cards and stuff. That level of rules is appropriate for a competitive organized league where you're playing strangers you can't trust and there's more at stake. But not just a bunch of friends (of which there likely isn't even the full 22 people available to play) having fun.
So a sports game like this is the same idea. It's for when you just want the core elements of the sport but not the details. Now I'd say there is a purpose is having sports sims which has every little detail of the sport. If you follow a major sports league you appreciate that the game has all those details. There's a place for both.
On that note I think the NFL is really dumb for not realizing that. There is fun in playing an arcade sports game that still has the real teams and the star players. No such option exists for the NFL and it's not just because of the EA exclusivity. They were forcing NFL Blitz to be more like a sim and EA's NFL Street isn't being made anymore. They think having an over-the-top NFL game will damage their reputation and thus they're kissing a portion of the videogame market goodbye. I'd like to thinky the other leagues aren't so closeminded but I can't think of any arcadey NHL or NBA game series currently being produced. I can think of MLB though.
NBA Jam, Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey and MLB Power Pros are the most popular (or should I say ONLY popular) sports games at my house.
Post by: Stogi on December 23, 2008, 07:38:47 PM
Post by: Kairon on December 23, 2008, 09:02:42 PM
Ah, the days when companies like Konami and Capcom were making licenced games.
Arcade sports games are usually a blast for one reason - they best demonstrate the core experience of the sport. What is soccer about? Kicking a ball in the net to score more points than the other team. If you're playing soccer with your buddies that's what you're doing to do. You're probably not going to fuss around with offsides and fouls and red cards and stuff. That level of rules is appropriate for a competitive organized league where you're playing strangers you can't trust and there's more at stake. But not just a bunch of friends (of which there likely isn't even the full 22 people available to play) having fun.
So a sports game like this is the same idea. It's for when you just want the core elements of the sport but not the details. Now I'd say there is a purpose is having sports sims which has every little detail of the sport. If you follow a major sports league you appreciate that the game has all those details. There's a place for both.
On that note I think the NFL is really dumb for not realizing that. There is fun in playing an arcade sports game that still has the real teams and the star players. No such option exists for the NFL and it's not just because of the EA exclusivity. They were forcing NFL Blitz to be more like a sim and EA's NFL Street isn't being made anymore. They think having an over-the-top NFL game will damage their reputation and thus they're kissing a portion of the videogame market goodbye. I'd like to thinky the other leagues aren't so closeminded but I can't think of any arcadey NHL or NBA game series currently being produced. I can think of MLB though.
NBA Jam, Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey and MLB Power Pros are the most popular (or should I say ONLY popular) sports games at my house.
@_@
Ian...are you espousing... casual sports games?!?!?!
Post by: Stogi on December 24, 2008, 10:09:42 PM
Post by: KDR_11k on December 25, 2008, 03:18:28 AM
Post by: RABicle on December 29, 2008, 06:40:52 AM
My favourite soccer game has to be International Superstar Soccer 64. This is honestly one of the only 64 games that I can go back and play reguarly without crying. I honestly haven't really been able to get into too many soccer games since.LOL
One day, you and I will ahve a tournament of this. I liked ISS 98, just refined it a bit and I heard ISS 2000 is worth a go for the inclusion of joke counries like New Zealand.
But my favorite soccer title is still NES WORLD CUP
Post by: Ian Sane on December 29, 2008, 12:19:53 PM
Quote
an...are you espousing... casual sports games?!?!?!
Let's call them "arcade-style sports games". ;)
MLB Power Pros may not be a baseball sim but it has all the real MLB teams and players and allows you to do a whole MLB season. It has tons of game modes and options. It models every player after the real players and the stadiums are all accurate.
Oh yeah and I can play a baseball game that is LONGER THAN THREE INNNINGS. ;)
These sports game may have less complex controls and more "plug and play" gameplay but they're full of all those extra options and doodads that non-gamers are allegedly spooked of. It shows how you can have very accessable gameplay and then just pack the game full of content and options.
Post by: KDR_11k on December 30, 2008, 12:10:47 PM
Quotean...are you espousing... casual sports games?!?!?!
Let's call them "arcade-style sports games". ;)
Arcade is casual.
Quote
Oh yeah and I can play a baseball game that is LONGER THAN THREE INNNINGS.
Oh hell, we're already bored/tired/frustrated after the three innings of Wii Sports.
Post by: ThePerm on December 30, 2008, 03:27:30 PM
Can there be an in between? I don't like games too casual, and i don't like games too hardcore.
Post by: S-U-P-E-R on January 01, 2009, 08:20:05 PM
Furball is top tier in soccer.
Post by: NWR_Neal on January 02, 2009, 06:31:05 PM
Furball is top tier in soccer.
Without a doubt, he is my favorite character in the game.
Post by: NWR_Lindy on January 02, 2009, 09:12:22 PM
Post by: Nick DiMola on January 06, 2009, 10:13:05 AM
One of my favorite overlooked sports games is Super Baseball Simulator 1.000 on the SNES. The home runs in that game RULED.
Super Baseball 2020 fits that bill for me. SNES was chock-full of awesome Baseball games.
Post by: Peachylala on January 06, 2009, 01:25:01 PM
Now if only Nintendo would work out the licensing issues with Warner and Disney for the NES/SNES games.
Post by: NWR_Neal on January 11, 2009, 02:02:38 AM
I absolutely loved Buster Busts Loose on the SNES.
I was always intrigued by that game but, much like how I avoided Aladdin on SNES after loving it on Genesis, I figured random licensing game lightning couldn't strike twice on the same franchise.
I really do miss those great licensed games from back in the day.
Did anybody ever play that Ronald McDonald game that Treasure made (I'm pretty sure it was Treasure)? It was like McDonalds Dynamite Headdy.
Post by: Nick DiMola on January 11, 2009, 09:27:56 AM
Haven't played it, but I have played Dynamite Headdy, so I knew it wasn't that one. But licensed games back in the day were actually solid games, mostly because real game companies worked on them. Understandably, as those companies came into their own, they stopped focusing on licensed characters in favor of creating their own.
Also, Neal, you NEED to play Aladdin SNES. IMO, it's even better than the (phenomenal) Genesis version.
Post by: Dasmos on January 11, 2009, 09:40:38 AM
My favourite soccer game has to be International Superstar Soccer 64. This is honestly one of the only 64 games that I can go back and play reguarly without crying. I honestly haven't really been able to get into too many soccer games since.LOL
One day, you and I will ahve a tournament of this. I liked ISS 98, just refined it a bit and I heard ISS 2000 is worth a go for the inclusion of joke counries like New Zealand.
Our copy of ISS 64 seems to be misplaced as I found out after I went to look for it after writing thatr post. My brother was upset so he went out and bought ISS 98. While it does seem to be a better game, the commentator is just horrible. He's dead boring an sounds as if he's commentating a match of lawn bowles or something.
Post by: NWR_Neal on January 11, 2009, 02:40:14 PM
I always keep an eye out for Aladdin SNES whenever I'm at a flea market or Digital Press, but I haven't had any luck.
I can't believe that it is better than the Genesis version. It's unfathomable to me.
Post by: Peachylala on January 13, 2009, 11:54:20 AM
Quote from: nron10
I always keep an eye out for Aladdin SNES whenever I'm at a flea market or Digital Press, but I haven't had any luck.To me, both versions of the game were fun, but neither was, IMO, a good Disney game. Genesis Aladdin has wonderful animation, and you could use a sword, but the enemies were pretty cheap. SNES Aladdin had awesome music, great platforming, an awesome Carpet level, but was pitifully short.
I can't believe that it is better than the Genesis version. It's unfathomable to me.
For Disney games by Capcom, I liked Magical Quest starring Mickey Mouse and the third one, which wasn't released in America, but you could play as Donald Duck. I didn't include the second one because it just didn't have the charm.
