Showing posts with label N64. Show all posts
Showing posts with label N64. Show all posts

Sunday, April 13, 2025

Wanted Dead or Alive...

Mailbag #55: "Can't Drive 55"

Mario Kart 64
"One foot on the brake and one on the gas.
There's too much traffic, I can't pass..."


The "letters" section has always been a favorite part of any publication.

Even material written ages ago can be entertaining (which is why I hate to throw out old mags).

Skimming through a time capsule of old video game trivia and discoveries submitted by readers.

And while it's fun to get posters, panties (WTF?), and copies of Perfect Dark Zero, anything sent to the old mailboxes will no longer be received.

Mailbag #55: "Can't Drive 55"
https://deterest.blogspot.com/p/mailbag-55.html











     RE: No Subject

MAILBAG #55

"CAN'T DRIVE 55"


Decided to post a few coherent messages from the old mailbox...

(Anyone still reading really does deserve a good thrashing!)





This bag of mail touches on Perfect Dark, TimeSplitters 2, Super Smash Bros, and of course perennial favorite GoldenEye 007.

Best letter wins a rare photo of Natalya in a bikini, "signed" by former President Clinton.
(Already sealed in a bag and chucked in the mail because I sure as hell don't want it!)


Mailbag #55: "Can't Drive 55"
https://deterest.blogspot.com/p/mailbag-55.html






Thursday, April 10, 2025

Trading Post...

Prehistoric Toy Store

Scan from Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
Volume 1, Issue #2
Valiant Comics
(1993)

Re-visiting the Turok Dinosaur Hunter Comic collected last year.

[Previous Post: Treasures From The Jurassic Era...]


I try to roll with the seasons.

Definitely looking forward to huge summer junk sales, cautiously optimistic that I might cross paths with some treasure.











Critically Acclaimed

Apparently there were 53 issues of Turok published.

From the Amazon description:

"Turok forms an unseasy alliance with a drug lord."



What's not to like about a book that features guns, whiskey and drug lords?



Dino... Droppings?

Picked up my own copy from a guy who had dozens of them for $1.
Presumably, the monetary value is quite low - But the entertainment value was surprisingly high.

Being recognized often seems to just cause more problems...
Can definitely relate to Turok venturing into civilization.
Scan from Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
Volume 1, Issue #2
Valiant Comics
(1993)




Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Mario Clouds Everything...

Super Mario Bros. 3

"Wars Not Make One Great..."

With Super Mario Bros. 3 maintaining the pole position, James Bond wrestles with the Planet of the Apes.

The Force is also strong with young Skywalker. Keep trying to warn everyone that the kid grows up to be Darth Vader, but no one seems to listen...











STAR CHARTS
Arbitrarily Assigning Replay Value! 


GameSystem
Released
1Super Mario Bros. 3NES1990
2Donkey Kong Country 3SNES1996
3GoldenEye 007 N641997
4Super Mario All-StarsSNES1993
5Star Wars Episode I: RacerN641999


Monday, May 20, 2024

Never Say Never Again...

Going Postal

GoldenEye 007


Dusted off some mail after a decades-long hiatus.

Some people claim to have read every single edition of the Mailbag. (They're obviously lying - No one could ever be that bored)

It seemed appropriate for this milestone. A hundred Posts going far beyond the basics of our favorite games, and exploring off the beaten path.

Just how many letters are floating around?
Comparable to the mailroom on the TITANIC (and some of it nearly as old).

Mailbag #54: Special GoldenEye Edition
http://goldeneye64.blogspot.com/











     ATTN: MI6
      c/o Moneypenny

MAILBAG #54

SPECIAL GOLDENEYE EDITION


Topics include the GoldenEye movie, Citadel and Gamesharking...
Win a used VHS copy of GoldenEye if your letter was published!




Clearing off the Spyderwebs and brushing up on some useless Bond trivia. Some of it obscure and irrelevant - But those who like GoldenEye like it a lot.







Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Capture The Case...

GoldenEye 007: Ourumov's Briefcase and Key


Longtime fans of GoldenEye 007 will surely be aware of Ourumov's Briefcase and Key...
"Unwinding after a hard day at the office."


The Silo mission (game's sixth level) was one of the very first missions to be created, and likely served as a test-level to figure out some of the basics.

Towards the end of the Silo, there's a brief confrontation with Colonel Ourumov (not yet a General, per the story).

The player can cause Ourumov to drop a few items, often by killing him.
For years, players assumed that the Briefcase and Key MUST lead to an absurd secret area that would somehow contain Oddjob or Mayday...



Collecting that Briefcase and Key is a relatively straight forward trick.
Simple enough using Cheats - Especially Gold PP7 and/or Bond Invisible.



Obtaining the Briefcase itself is useless in the finished game.

The Keycard is listed as a "dash" or "dot" in Bond's inventory.

Interestingly enough, the key can actually be used in the finished game. It seems to open all unlocked doors in the Silo (which isn't overly useful considering it's at the end of a mission).


Quickly opening the door and dashing back down the stairs...
It's possible to kill Ourumov before the "sees" Bond.



I's even possible to pull it off WITHOUT using Cheats.
Relatively simple, just gotta be crafty.

Taking aim on our target. Of course the door tends to close automatically...
Bond may have to climb back up the stairs and open it again.



The Ourumov character model will stand there and take bullets to the head (seemingly oblivious) until his armor and health become depleted. 

 

The General's Droppings...

Ourumov's Briefcase and Key on the Silo floor, along with his DD44 Officers' Pistol.



The "key" is technically a keycard.



The Ourumov character is also highly under-used in the GoldenEye game.
Integral to the story - But following Facility has just a couple brief appearances in Silo and Train...

He's completely absent from the Archives and Streets.

Even a model of his car exists in the memory, indicating the intentions for General Ourumov to serve a more prominent role.







Friday, May 10, 2024

To Swerve And Protect

In a Pig's Arse...

The Starman grants Invincibility in the Super Mario franchise...

Mario Kart 64
He's a Wario. He's a gonna win!



Back in the day, we called a Starman "The Sherriff's Badge" while playing Mario Kart.
Gives a player the right to speed while pulling others off the road.

Have since learned that the term 'Sherriff Badge' also refers to the arsehole.
I suppose it's appropriate, because Mario Kart generates more cursing and swearing than all other video game series combined.


Used in a sentence:
"Any arsehole who lags behind in the race just to obtain a 'Sherrif's Badge' can take a pointy object and shove it where the stars don't shine..."





Thursday, May 9, 2024

Reaching Into The Bond Archives...

Artificial Military 'Intelligence'

A quick glance at another favorite GoldenEye mission, the Military Intelligence Archives in St. Petersburg.

Mad Dash Through the Archives
(11th Mission of GoldenEye 007)


00 Agents who finish the Archives mission quickly enough (1:20 or less) will be awarded with the Bond Invisible Cheat (also known as the Achievement "Cheater!").

Not only is the Cheat itself fun to play around with, but also offers the opportunity to peer into the boring lives of guards who swat flies and scratch their asses.

A successful run within the Target Time is something that even relatively new 00 Agents can accomplish.

Many of us did this task before even owning a copy of the game.

Just a quick overview. Hoping to post a more detailed strategy guide eventually.
(Basic Mission Walkthru: Archives)


A speedrun through the Archives is  nowhere near as frustrating as the Facility - Although random AI characters can screw up the mission (which can be maddening).



After a quick escape from the Interrogation room, grab the girl,
(obtain an item from a safe) then break a window for an exit.


Useless Trivia: The guard who patrols through the Mishkin room is the same guard who can be seen on one of the opening Intro Cameras.




The main point of frustration is a rendezvous with Defense Minister Mishkin in a tiny little room, where random character animations can be the death of you (quite literally).

One guard will almost certainly patrol through the room itself, while another guard or two might happen to follow you all the way there.

Sometimes one can improvise by slamming the door in the guard's face...
With any luck, maybe he gets stuck spinning around behind the door.
But these guys tend to be pretty persistent.




Most important thing is to keep those words flowing at the top of the screen, otherwise valuable time is lost.

Dealing with the guards can be a nuisance, because if Natalya hears Bond fire a single shot, she could run away... Gotta take out every guard with a Slapper.



If Bond steps away from Mishkin to deal with a problematic guard, the conversation can get interrupted, losing valuable seconds towards a successful speedrun.

Failure to deal with one of these guards, and run the risk of him blowing up your chances to finish the mission at all. It's a constant trade-off.






Some people have managed to absolutely crush the Target Time in any particular mission (take Facility, Control Center or Water Caverns, for instance).

The Archives is unique because the requirement is 1:20, which is relatively tight. The best players in the world have amazingly done it in 53 seconds. Pretty damn impressive. Still, it's just 27 seconds within the Target.

Even though the Archives mission offers one of the easier Cheats to unlock, it's also the mission that allows the least amount of leeway.





Key in hand, item retrieved from the safe, and a dash for the exit.

Escaping through the window in true Bond fashion.

There's also good continuity, with the exit of the level matching where Bond starts the very next mission (the Streets).





Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Mild Graphic

Getting Set Up With Janus...


Gotta love those old Rareware promotional graphics for GoldenEye 007.
This is one that we don't see quite as often - James Bond in the Statue Park mission.

I believe the original title was "Midnight in Statue Park".




Playing Director...

Lights, Camera, Action Blocks

The camera angles in GoldenEye's Bunker 2 mission were fine just the way they were... But it's always fun to have more, and see things you don't normally see.

A Dual Klobb-Wielding, Keycard Carrying Arctic Commando.

Modifying the Intro Cameras in GoldenEye 007. The game will display one of three different camera angles during the opening cinematic. Added some new angles that I feel are just as interesting.

Doing a bit of spying on the guard who carries Keycard B. It gains access to the doors visible behind him, where Bond will collect a red clipboard from a guard.

The potential is there to do so much more with this (already) amazing game.
Some levels (like Silo) offer just one a single intro camera by default.

Looking down as he walks towards the camera...


A pair of high angle shots.


Looking down as the guard walks away


The guards will start their patrol paths as soon as the level loads, which is particularly entertaining to watch.

Captured this same guard from FOUR different camera angles...

Especially cool because he walks through a set of doors during the intro.

Another low angle shot. Almost as good as the first one.





Worst Lap Ever!

Watching The Grass Grow...

Mario parks his Kart, and enjoys a relaxing afternoon in the country...

What happens when you walk away and inadvertently leave your Mario Kart game running?
The timer will max out at 99 minutes and 59 seconds.

The other racers were still zipping around after completing who knows how many laps...



Sunday, May 5, 2024

Flyin' High Again...

Super Mario Bros. 3
(NES)

Sticky Mario

Blazing into the summer with Super Mario Bros. 3 still occupying the top spot for 600 months in a row (give or take).

There's been a resurgence in Bond's salty escapades, and GoldenEye 007 has shot up the ranks.

Some renewed interest in Super Mario Bros 2, possibly with buzz about the Phanto Fan Club...








STAR CHARTS
Navigating the Retro NintendoSphere 



GameSystem
Released
1Super Mario Bros. 3NES1990
2GoldenEye 007 N641997
3Donkey Kong Country 3SNES1996
4Super Mario Bros.NES1985
5Super Mario Bros. 2NES1988


Super Mario Bros. 2






Saturday, May 4, 2024

Alien Races

You Must Have Jedi Reflexes...


Celebrating May The Fourth with a collection of snapshots from quite possibly the best Star Wars video game ever, Star Wars Episode I: Racer.

Get a massage from a Twi'Lek twin (or both) before sitting down to engage in one of the galaxy's fastest (and most dangerous) sports (second only to hunting Jedi).

Space Trash Talk...


Always love a salty backstory:

"After Mars Guo makes advances on Sebulba's massuse Anne Gella, Teemto Pagalies enters the Boonta Eve Podrace fueld by jealousy."


That's hot - Seriously.
It must be a million degrees in that desert.


Push the big green button to start...


I don't care what universe you're from - This is the only racing pod shaped like a donut.


Unlimited Power!


Very fast - Very dangerous.
Where's the sign-up sheet?


Heavy Traffic



And May you find some cool Star Wars trinkets at a yard sale for a buck or two.







Wednesday, May 1, 2024

In Bloom...

Another random image collected ages ago...
Killer Instinct character design concept art for B. Orchid.

Apparently her original name was shortened from "Black Orchid".
Kinda explains her Goth-like / Zorro-ish apparel.
(Or with just a dash of imagination, a PVC clad dominatrix...)

The lady in green was a memorable character in the Rareware's Killer Instinct series, and the only female in the original Killer Instinct (1994).

Needless to say, she instantly became a fan favorite.












A quick peek at her bio:

B. Orchid as featured in Killer Instinct Gold (1996)





More female characters were introduced in KI Gold.
So much raw talent on display...

Kickin' Ass

Come on girls, play nice!
Is that a Jungle Aztec theme in the background?