This Week in Defunct Games - May 24, 2011

What Is It? Forget Final Fantasy. Forget Star Ocean. Forget Dragon Quest. The best 16-bit role-playing game is none other than Chrono Trigger. Released mere days after the original PlayStation, this Super NES game was largely ignored due to the excitement over impending 32- and 64-bit wars. However, what Chrono Trigger does is successfully take everything that SquareSoft had learned about making quality role-playing games and mixed it with one of the most compelling stories of all time.

You play Crono, a silent hero who decides to go to his town's fair to support his inventor friend Lucca. Along the way he helps a few people and meets a beautiful (yet oddly familiar) young woman named Marle, who decides to tag along. Before long you're being asked to take part in Lucca's crazy teleporter invention, which is a shoe-in to win the best invention award at this year's science fair. There's just one problem, when Lucca's creation malfunctions it has a tendency to send people back in time.

Does It Still Hold Up? In a lot of ways Chrono Trigger is exactly like all of Square's other 16-bit games. You play from a slightly overhead perspective, take part in turn-based combat and rummage through dungeons leveling up the wide selection of memorable characters. It's the game's unique time travel conceit that makes this game so compelling. The gameplay is rock solid, but the real star is the narrative.

Is It Worth The Money? These days there's no excuse not to play Chrono Trigger. Not only can you pick this game up on the Virtual Console, but there are also versions available for the Nintendo DS and the PSP/PS3 (coming soon). Eight dollars is not too much to ask for one of the best games of all time, especially one that is this long. Even if you don't buy it on the Wii, seek out Chrono Trigger in one form or another.

What Is It? Spawned from the success of games like Final Fight and Streets of Rage comes Rival Turf, Jaleco's attempt at the 2D brawler franchise. In this blatant rip-off you play one of two childishly named fighters (Jack Flak and Oozie Nelson) who take to the streets to battle the local gangs. Through back alleys, elevators, city busses, sports stadiums and even the South American forests, our two heroes punch and kick their way to victory. Sadly, that's about all these two characters can do. Believe it or not, Rival Turfs offers FEWER moves than the already anemic Final Fight. There's no technique involved with Rival Turf, just simple button mashing and luck. Even the boss battles are weak compared to the competition. On the plus side, Rival Turf offers two-player support and an interesting (but not fun) head-to-head fight mode.

Does It Still Hold Up? I'm used to the shallowness of old school brawlers, but even I was shocked by Rival Turf. When a standard jump kick is the extent of your arsenal, then there's clearly a problem. I was also disappointed by the graphics and sound, which are bad even by early 1990s standards. There's very little here to recommend, which is why I'm surprised it even made it to the Virtual Console.

Is It Worth The Money? You know how you've been avoiding picking up Final Fight 3? Maybe it's time to reconsider. Rival Turf is a disaster in almost every way possible. If you've played any of the countless other 16-bit brawlers, then chances are you've seen a good 90% of this game already. The high price point is a deal breaker. With so few Virtual Console games being released this year, it's a shame that Rival Turf is here taking up valuable real estate.

What Is It? The original Dino Crisis was a slow and plodding adventure in the style of Resident Evil. It employed the same dynamic camera angles, tension-filled music and, like it or not, the tank controls so popular at the time. The only difference was the subject matter, which traded zombies for dinosaurs. It may not have been the most original adventure game of its day, but Dino Crisis was a solid PlayStation title scratched a very specific itch.

This is Dino Crisis 2, a game where Capcom decided to throw out all of the mood and tension. Instead of keeping the survival horror motif, this 2000 sequel opts for fast-paced action. You play as Dylan Morton and Regina, two Tactical Reconnaissance and Acquisition Team members sent in on a search and rescue mission in the heart of dinosaur country. The two characters must work together to solve puzzles, hunt dinosaurs and make sure everybody gets out alive.

Does It Still Hold Up? Dino Crisis controls like a tank. It's exactly like all of the Resident Evil games on the PlayStation, you push up to go and hope for the best. The good news is that aiming your gun is an absolute breeze. All the player does is hold R1 and the character will lock on to next closest dinosaur, even if they're sneaking up from behind. It's an easy system that makes the action elements worth playing. Outside of the controls, I was impressed by the game's sharp environments. I've grown bored of Resident Evil's dark and gloomy world, so it was exciting to have the same sorts of thrills outdoors for a change. Also, dinosaurs are better than zombies (it's just a fact).

Is It Worth The Money? Dino Crisis 2 is the type of game I should overwhelmingly recommend, yet I find myself torn. There's no question that the game is gorgeous. I also really enjoyed the game's action-oriented gameplay, something that was missing from the first game. However, some of the changes have turned this into a game I don't like. For one thing, I can't stand the main characters. It's not that they are unlikeable, just boring and dull. I was also turned off by the linear level designs, something that made this game feel more like a shooting gallery than survival horror. The end result looks good, but Capcom squandered most of the game's potential. At little over four hours, players may want to think about whether Dino Crisis 2 is worth six bucks.

What Is It? While everybody is swooning over the recent release of Chrono Trigger, PSN fans (who bought the game before the PSN Store disappeared) have a treat all their own. Threads of Fate may not have the same clout as a Final Fantasy or Legend of Mana game, but it does offer a compelling adventure that many gamers missed the first time around. This is about as close to the Legend of Zelda as Square gets, complete with dungeons to explore and items to collect. The gimmick here is that there are two stories, each helmed by their own unique hero (shape-changing Rue and Mint, a pugnacious princess with the wholly altruistic goal of world domination). These two stories merge in some pretty slick ways, requiring players to complete both stories to get the full experience. The end result is a forgotten gem that deserves to find an audience on the PSN Store ... whenever it decides to turn the "open" sign.

Does It Still Hold Up? Fans looking for the depth of Squares other PS1 titles will be in for a disappointment. Threads of Fate offers two linear stories and a lot of familiar gameplay mechanics. The graphics aren't bad, but they aren't nearly as stylish as Parasite Eve and Legend of Mana. On the other hand, the game does offer some amusing mini-games, making it perfect for PSP owners.

Is It Worth The Money? Threads of Fate is the perfect argument for the importance of the archiving of classic games. Released so late into the life cycle, Square's loving homage to Zelda was sent out to die. Thankfully PlayStation 3 and PSP owners have a second chance to discover this stellar adventure game. The game does suffer from a few problems here and there, but at six dollars Threads of Fate should be a no-brainer!