Remember Phalanx? No? It was the goofy SNES game box that you made fun of for its bearded dude wearing overalls and playing a banjo. If you gave it a chance, you would’ve found it’s also a fun horizontal-scrolling shoot’em up.

The game was released for SNES, GBA, and Sharp X6800 (video above) — its original developer Zoom Inc. is planning a WiiWare remake based on the X6800 edition’s graphics and music, which is fine with me because that version had a much better intro.

Who knew Zoom was still around? I assumed they shuttered instantaneously the moment Phalanx SNES hit shelves, but they’ve released a dozen games since then.

You can see screenshots for Phalanx’s WiiWare remake (500 Points), as well as for Zoom Corp’s other new title Fantastic Cube (800 Points) at Game Watch. Both are due to hit Japan this winter, though I’ve no idea if they’ll ever release in the West.

See also: Gradius Rebirth Stage 1

[Via GoNintendo]

tags / phalanx / snes / kemco / wiiware / snes / zoom inc / ec

Dough Boy (Famicom) speedrun. Is that… Taps?

Dough Boy is a game about a soldier picking up weapons and other items scattered around a (featureless, gray) battlefield, and never actually doing anything with them. Meanwhile, enemy soldiers are shooting at him, and he has to stop before taking any shot of his own.

It’s fully deserving of its spot on Bob Mackey’s Top 5 Worst Famicom Games list. I really couldn’t be happier with it.

tags / dough boy / kemco / famicom / kusoge / jc

Rescue: The Embassy Mission playthrough. I bought this NES version of this game when I was nine years old based on the cover art alone, and it turned out to be one of my favorites. I wasn’t nearly as good as this player, though, as I documented back in the day:

“My Cobra-Commander-helmeted SWAT team never questioned the tactical abilities of their nine-year-old captain, and they paid for that loyalty with their lives. Seasoned officers in peak physical condition fell to their deaths after mistimed rappelling maneuvers, recruits who scored top marks at the academy for their aim and reflexes suddenly found themselves outgunned by two-bit terrorists, and the blood of good men stained the streets due to lack of proper support — all under my watch.

In the first two minutes of this video, the player is trying to sneak his counter-terrorist snipers into position so they can take out a few hostiles before another armed team moves into the building. I adore the music in this initial segment — if you ever find a rip of it, send it my way!

tags / rescue / hostages / hostage / nes / kemco / infogrames / ec