Tag: Retro

If you’ve popped over to the tutorial section recently you might have noticed that I’ve added my very first HaxeFlixel tutorial! It shows how to implement a simple, pixel-perfect 2D water shader which I used for Go! Go! PogoGirl. But a few of you might be wondering what a HaxeFlixel is. Well, it’s a 2D game framework that is as powerful as it is underrated! It runs on the (also underrated) Haxe language, is extremely well documented, open source, and has built-in functions for almost anything you’d need.

As I’m sure many of you will remember, the original Streets of Rage for the Mega Drive had multiple endings. The real canonical ending has you beat the crap out of Mr. X, thereby ending his reign of terror forever (yeah, right). However, if you confronted Mr. X with a buddy in tow, a new possible path unlocked. A quick refresher is in order. When you confront Mr. X he will ask you to join his organization.

The Mega Drive turns 30 today and I haven’t felt this old since the last time someone reminded me when The Matrix hit theaters. But that’s perfectly alright, because I love that sleek black box of kickass. It was my first console and will always be my favorite. It launched me head-first into the crazy world of video games and led me on the path that I’m on today. I’ve already written at some length about the influence platformers had on me but the Mega Drive was and is such a big part of my life that I can’t help but blurt out some more words.

Back when I got my Mega Drive in 1991 I got two games along with it: Sonic the Hedgehog and Castle of Illusion. Not only did these excellent titles provide hours of fun for me and my dad, they also left a huge impression on me. Through their sheer quality, these games became my taste in games. I loved the platforming, the colors, the charm, the easy to grasp mechanics and how they were simply fun.

This is where it all began! The original Sonic the Hedgehog was the first platformer I’ve ever played. I do have vague memories of playing Pitfall on my dad’s Atari 2600, but since I was 2 or 3 years old at the time I’m not sure you can call what I was doing back then “playing”. But I sure was playing Sonic when I got it along with my Mega Drive on my 4th birthday.