The Guardian Legend [1988] (action-adventure)

Developer: Compile Publisher: Irem (JP), Broderbund (NA), Nintendo (EU) Designer: Masamitsu 'Moo' Niitani Composers: Masatomo Miyamoto, Takeshi Santoh Platform: NES Release year: 1988 Genre: Action-adventure, overhead

      

Many years ago, an alien race from the farthest reaches of the Galaxy has sent Naju, a planet-sized celestial entity, to the Earth. Essentially it was a colony spacecraft filled with the lifeform samples for us to contact and study, but it has gradually become a giant Pandora's Box when all the inhabitants were struck by mysterious infection. As a defensive measure, Naju was equipped with self-destruction system sealed deep in its corridors, but no survivor has succeeded in activating it. Sent by Terran military, the gynoid soldier Miria (titular Guardian) will have to infiltrate Naju and launch the sequence before it orbits our planet.

After destroying the defense barrier and stepping into the Labyrinth, Miria finds a message from the last surviving creature, Lander (Compile's mascot of the Zanac fame). He briefly tells her what happened to this place and instructs on how to activate the self-destruction system. To do so, she'll have to travel between several Corridors to break the Security Seals. When the last one will be removed, the whole place is supposed to go down.

The Guardian Legend is the first and only, to my knowledge, game that has successfully combined intense and aggressive shoot 'em up gameplay with sophisticated storyline and Zelda-esque exploration and RPG elements. Most of the time you are wandering around the Naju overworld, so-called Labyrinth, battling the inhabitants and collecting new weapons and powerups. There are also traditional shops and password checkpoints, complete with the spots that get blocked whenever you enter, resulting in a midboss fight. To stand against the evil planet, you have an arm cannon and assortment of secondary weapons. Overall, in the usual Compile design fashion, your arsenal is HUGE. After building up enough firepower and health gauge, you'll have to solve a simple puzzle to unlock another Corridor, and after the awesome cutscene of Miria transforming into a fighter spaceship, the game shifts to overhead shmup. The gameplay is pretty traditional here, with each Corridor ending in a ferocious boss fight. The bosses themselves are recycled several times, but counting the limited storage amount of NES carts, that's understandable.

The graphics and animations are perfect, crisp and smooth. Each Labyrinth and Corridor has its own visual theme going on - jungle, ice, volcanic, urban, underwater environments are instantly appealing and successful in setting their respective mood. The designers made a great job creating such variable landscapes. Each portion of the game has its own song, and the whole soundtrack is rock solid, from the symphonic intro to several sound effects carried over from Zanac, the most famous Compile shooter, and one of the spiritual prequels for The Guardian Legend. I especially like the layout and music in the lava world, because it's so dark and uninviting, much like Norfair in Metroid.

Actually, there're a lot of similarities between The Guardian Legend and Nintendo action franchise. Both star female protagonists with cybernetically enhanced bodies, both heroines are able to transform into things, and both Samus and Miria are totally alone in the open world, forced to explore everything on their own and take down bosses five times their size. And to be quite honest, both games are masterpieces of NES action.

The Guardian Legend at time is quite difficult, but not unforgiving. Of course, the shooter stages are quite a hard candy still to this day, which indicates that they have stood the test of time successfully. The overworld portions are easier, but this is compensated by gigantic maps and respawning enemies - overall, this game takes pretty long time to be beaten, especially by NES standards. It's deep, complex and structured, like a great Action-RPG should be.

Overall, at first glance The Guardian Legend may seem to be yet another 'forgotten gem' of the NES library, but thankfully, during the last couple of years it has started to gain the reputation it deserves, being constantly referenced in numerous 'Top ## NES games' lists. This is a good thing, because when it comes to retro games, you gotta respect your elders. And Miria is the aunt to all modern action game girls-with-guns.

My Top 10 Video Game Gentlemen

10. The Cop (Pursuit Force series)

This dilogy of PSP exclusives can be called a complete opposite of the GTA franchise. Instead of a car stealer, you are a ruthless cop. You don't steal cars just for lulz, you do it for the sake of the mission. You don't arrest the criminals, you throw them away from the driver seats at full speed! The games are great, and while the main character doesn't have any kind of personality (I guess, that's because you are supposed to identify yourself with him), he's lucky to star in two most jam-packed, high-octane collections of police action cliches that ever graced the video games.



9. Adol Christin (Ys series)

Let me make one thing perfectly clear: I hardly care about The Legend Of Zelda. I know of its wild popularity and huge fanbase, but nothing about these series had managed to appeal to me personally. Ys I&II Chronicles, on the other hand, blew my mind. It combined beautiful setting, intriguing storyline and extremely memorable cast, led by the semi-silent protagonist. Back in the 80s Adol was a template of what later came to be all the modern hack-n-slash game characters, bringing down tons of monsters and bosses... and having three ladies go after him within one game!



8. Kratos (God Of War series)

God Of War happens to be the first ultimately successful video game franchise based on the Greek mythology. All the entries were extremely fun and gory mix between action-adventure and hack-n-slash, full of QTEs, giant bosses and not-that-censored T&A. And then there's the protagonist... Kratos is vicious, brutal, but somewhat streetwise (if this term can be applied to the ancient Greece) in his adventures. He doesn't have much to say, but his facial expressions and the Blades Of Chaos do all talk for him, and they talk business.



7. Ryu Hayabusa (Ninja Gaiden series)

I REALLY had to put at lest one ninja here, right? Ryu's path to glory began back in the days of NES, when Tecmo has released the first Ninja Gaiden trilogy. The games were hard as Satan's horn and driven by thrilling anime cutscenes - check 'em out if you're for some oldschool action. Then the new series emerged on Xbox and subsequently on PS3, making Ryu do one of the loudest comebacks in history. And it's great - where else can you play as a ninja who slays the hordes of both the demons and military force, has a strongly written character and (in the newer games) a cast of scantily clad chicks backing him up?



6. Marcus Fenix (Gears Of War series)

Duke Nukem of the modern era. Starring in a wildly popular series of third person shooters, Marcus is a living incarnation of the term 'badass'. He's armor-clad up to his neck, he says 'Nice' when picks up ammnition, and there is a chainsaw attached to his sidearm. In Gears 2 he even has some interesting dialogue to say, which makes him not only a badass hero, but a badass hero with personality.



5. Leon Kennedy (Resident Evil 2, 4)

Again, it's the same situation as with Jill Valentine in the Top 10 Video Game Ladies list. Leon is lucky to star in two most praised Resident Evil entries, both often being regarded as the best in the series. From a scared rookie cop in RE2 to a cocky G-man in RE4, he sure knows his ways with the undead, not to mention that unlike RE2, his adventure in the fourth game was even Metal Gear Solid-esque at times, making him a definitive horror/action protagonist. If only that horrible CG film wasn't made, he'd be way higher on this list.



4. Alucard (Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night)

When it comes to male protagonists, Castlevania series has its proud roster of both the badass vampire hunters and menacing villains. Of all the games, Symphony Of The Night is forever considered to be the biggest and the best, with its Metroid-style gameplay that even Konami themselves were unable to perfect yet. One of the main reasons behind its success was in fact the main character. How can you go wrong with Dracula's son carrying a whole armory and magic spells library with him? Alucard is dark, stylish and powerful as fuck, regaining health from the monsters' blood and destroying the bosses 50 times his size. Plus, he is one of the extremely rare occasions when the American voice acting really outdoes Japanese, which also gives him some bonus dignity points.



3. Duke Nukem (Duke Nukem series)

What started as a fun platforming game (with its infamous 'You can't play that on Nintendo!' line), in 1996 grew up to be a landmark in first-person shooters. Duke Nukem 3D changed the way these games are made, introducing the legendary Build engine, as well as subtle irony and in-your-face sense of humor, half-naked strippers and levels jam-packed with triggers, puzzles and interactive elements. But it's the main character we all remember and love - Duke always has something to say about everything that happens onscreen, but his catchphrases perfectly balance the line between funny and annoying. Everybody in the world tried to replicate this, sometimes even successfully (Serious Sam), but still Duke Nukem is the most well-known video game character-with-an-attitude.



2. Big Boss (Metal Gear Solid)

You won't argue that of all the Metal Gear protagonists (all two, yeah) he is the best. It was an ingenious move to give him the typical villain image up until the phenomenal MGS3 that redefined him as a badass action hero, infusing the best from both James Bond and John Rambo. Alone in the woods at the hostile Soviet territory, with no means of survival, having to eat rats (and considering them tasty... yuck!) and witnessing a nuclear explosion at the closest safe range possible... that's only 5% of his larger-than-life adventure. MGS Portable Ops and Peace Walker only beefed up his badass nature up until the point of him receiving the 2nd spot on this list.



1. Durandal (Marathon series)

Holy molars... This is one rampant AI that truly holds megabytes, and megabytes, and MEGABYTES of balls in his source code. In Marathon 1 alone he makes so many historical and mythological references that no Call Of Duty will ever surpass. You don't see him, you don't even hear him, he doesn't cover you, the most physical contact you have is picking up ammunition teleported by him right at the nearest corner. You don't even see his mainframe up until Marathon 2. You just read what he says to you, and the more interesting things come to his mind, the more you feel that your own mind is about to explode. It seems like Durandal knows everything about everything, he explores your whole inner sanctum right at the moment you first respond to his email. It's a revolutionary character - in an FPS, no less - that's frequently imitated nowadays, but while the impostors were pretty fun (SHODAN, GLaDOS), nobody can top the man itself. Durandal... I'm taking off my firewall before you.

My Top 10 Video Game Ladies

10. Lara Croft (Tomb Raider series)

When that infamous cup of coffee fell to the ground, and the breast size was accidentally made 3 times bigger than the developers originally wanted, the video gaming world was never the same again. Tomb Raider set the tone and template for all the games in what we now call 'action-adventure genre'. To be honest, it wasn't the best of its kind, but who cares when the game's protagonist is hotter than was any video game chick before?!



9. Tanya Adams (C&C: Red Alert series)

A 'girls with guns' fetishist's wet dream. Personally I prefer the Tiberian subseries over RA, but even I admit - not having Tanya in the former is a fail. Actually, not having her in any game that doesn't have her is a fail, because not only she's scantily clad in military gear and prefers akimbo guns holding - she also blows up the buildings simply by entering them. Bam!



8. Miria AKA Alyssa (The Guardian Legend)

A lovechild of shmup legends that are IREM and Compile, The Guardian Legend is often heralded as the one and only game that not only mixed action-adventure with shooter, but got it really right. Everything in the game itself is very polished, making it an important entry in NES library, but for the ones popping it in their consoles nowadays - admit it, there are no other games with cyborg amazons in armored swimsuits blowing shit up all around and occasionally transforming into badass spaceships!



7. Jill Valentine (Resident Evil series)

Perhaps, one of the most popular RE characters, if not the one. Seriously, this chick sure knows how to handle the hordes of the undead. She survived the haunting mansion of RE1, the doomed city of RE3, and even the infamous QTE in RE5. Being a longtime fan of Resident Evil, I agree that Claire and Ada may be hotter or written better as the characters, but neither they nor the male cast (with the exception of Wesker, of course) will be as memorable as Ms. Valentine. Every girl in the world who likes wearing berets should be proud of this by now.



6. Guys, I really wanted to put some chick from any Castlevania here...

...but as it turned out, they're all bland as hell, so here's some T-without-A for ya, I dunno...



5. Taki (Soul Calibur series)

No video game girls list is complete without a Kunoichi, and you all know it. It was a real catfight to pick from - can't we forget Nina (Saboteur 2), Ayane (Dead Or Alive/Ninja Gaiden), the unnamed protagonist from The Ninjawarriors, and so on. But the kunai-sliced cake goes to Taki, for several reasons: her combos are easy enough to be mastered by a beginner (remember, I suck ass at fighting games), her costumes are always stylish, and of course she's hot as ~the blue moon on the star-filled night with the sakura petals flying across the sky~. ^___^



4. Samus Aran (Metroid series)

Gunpei Yokoi (RIP) and the gang were really watching too much Alien, otherwise they'd follow their own game manual and make Samus a man. But luckily (and shockingly for all the gamers back in 1986), the Metroid development team was the first to show that the girls in video games will never remain reduced to damsels in distress anymore. With her amazing full body armor and an arsenal of deadly weapons, Samus Aran is permanently memorized as the first REAL video game heroine, from the groundbreaking original, through the epic Super Metroid, to modern days.



3. Konoko (Oni)

One of the most badass action-adventure heroines, I must say. She doesn't really show off cleavage or something, but her character is what steals the show. Essentialy Konoko is a walking nuclear bomb, every minute ready to explode into a rainy cloud of blood and limbs (there was gore in the beta version), always aiming at heads and breaking the necks. Bravo Bungie for indulging our perverted fantasies yet again.



2. Rayne (BloodRayne series)

Redhead vampress wrapped in tight leather, carrying a military arsenal and big, I mean BIG blades to slice down the Nazis, and not to mention, hot as a kettle of fresh-squeezed gore. What's not to like?!



1. Feena (Ys I&II)

A complete opposite of what a typical female video game character usually is. No cleavage (...for the most part), no sex hotline voice, nothing that can qualify as 'hot' and 'sexy'. What steals the show is her character, so kind and gentle that nobody else can top her charm. Encouraging Adol to go fight the evil forces, praying for him, helping him out, expressing her gratitude for everything - never did I see a character so fleshed out by the writers and more likable because of her inner beauty, not only the exterior (which still happens to be cute as well), although ironically she's onscreen during, like, 15% of the time in both games. But seriously, gentlemen, she's one of the best love interests ever in video games, period.

Jag Panzer - Ample Destruction [1984] (Speed/Power Metal)

Let's start the whole thing properly with the review of one of my all-time favorite metal albums...



Harry 'The Tyrant' Conklin - vocals,
Joey Taffola - guitars,
Mark Briody - guitars,
John Tetley - bass,
Rick Hilyard - drums

Jag Panzer was formed in Colorado somewhere in the beginning of the 80s, with their classic lineup featuring guitarists Mark Briody and Joey Taffola, vocalist Harry 'The Tyrant' Conklin, bassist John Tetley and Rick Hilyard on drums. After being noticed by Azra Records and receiving a contract, they've released the 'Tyrants' EP in 1983, becoming a kind of underground cult favorites. What came next was arguably their best album by far, considered a power metal gem among the fans of the genre.

Stylistically, this album is pretty similar to Vicious Rumors' 'Soldiers Of The Night' or Metal Church's self-titled debut, which were released around the same time. It's driven by Briody and Taffola's guitar duo, Conklin's emotional and sinister singing and the intense steamhammer of Tetley's bass and Hilyard's drums, with song tempos ranging from marches ('Warfare') to rapid bursts ('Generally Hostile') to epic and doomy ('The Crucifix'). The songwriting is also top-notch, not unlike Metallica's 'Kill 'Em All', but with lots of variety, memorable lyrics and catchy choruses.

So, 'Ample Destruction' kicks off with fast and agile 'Licensed To Kill', which is still one of the best songs ever performed by Jag Panzer due to its flashy guitar work, then proceeds to mid-tempo rocker 'Warfare' - I believe it was their real concert staple back in the day, because it's impossible not to bang your head during the chorus - to be followed by 'Symphony Of Terror', lyrically based on Bram Stoker's 'Dracula'. This is one of the more progressive tracks on the album, again with catchy chorus. 'Harder Than Steel' features the 2nd best leading riff on the album, as well as doing the job of speeding things back up a bit. Then goes the fast and furious 'Generally Hostile' with its 'No mercy!' chants, and 'The Watching' is again intended to allow the listener to take a break. Unfortunately, this is the weakest song on the album, but that doesn't really matter, as long as its followed by the best one, which is 'Reign Of The Tyrants', with its badass lyrics, brutal leading riff and amazing solo lead by Taffola. Yeah, even if all the other songs on this record were crap, it would be still worth it, just because of 'Reign...'! After this metal assault, the band gives another break with boogie-inspired 'Cardiac Arrest', and then the whole thing closes down with long and progressive 'The Crucifix'. Whew, that was a blast. Of awesomeness!

In terms of lyrics, the album doesn't differ much from what the metal bands were singing about back then. Mostly The Tyrant's vocal chainsaw screams of gang violence, (mild) gore and rebellious youth, complete with Dracula references and 'we're metalheads, so we're the best!', but again, while it's kinda naive and cheesy now, back then it was indeed edgy. Future albums have proven that Conklin's lyrics writing can be complex and intelligent.

After this breathtaking record, the band got split-up bit by bit, never producing an album in a decade (not counting 'Chain Of Command' which was collecting dust for around 15 years, finally to be released in 2004). What came afterwards, featuring a broken lineup with only Briody and Tetley remaining, was controversial 'Dissident Alliance', which made the old fans facepalm at once, but thankfully it was followed by a real comeback, 'The Fourth Judgement'. Since then Jag Panzer finally got the recognition they deserved, up until their self-retirement in 2011.

What can I say after all... This album is not regarded as a breakthrough landmark or genre-defining something (that goes to Helloween and Queensryche), but nonetheless it's a stellar album with in all ways memorable songs, top-notch production values (for the time), tricky tapestry of guitar work, and so on, and so on. If you're seeking some classic heavy/power metal that has soul, edge and charisma, avoiding 'Ample Destruction' is unacceptable!

My Rating: 5 / 5

...But Remember: Shoot Or Die!

Hello and welcome to EARTH UNDER LUCIFER Mk. II! This is the second birth of my personal blog, after I've decided to drop my previous blog hosting and move on to something more current. So, here I am on Blogger, locked and loaded! As you might have noticed, I'm writing all this in English, because it would be cool if international audiences would get familiarized with me, my works, my lifestyle, my thoughts. So, here it is, for both newcomers and the people who already know me, these are the differences between EUL Mk. I and MK. II:

- The default language will be ENGLISH. For those with poor knowledge, I will accept the requests to translate any post that caught the asker's eye;
- Here you will NOT find any angsty sufferings, cynical social commentary, free download links and other crap that plagued EUL Mk. I and sometimes even made me personally ashamed of it;
- What you will find are my movie/TV/videogame/music reviews, drawings, literary drafts and completed works, my personal bios of my favorite celebrities and many, many good stuff to catch the attention of anyone sharing my interests;
- Speaking of which, they include, but not limited to: videogames (especially for the retro PC/consoles or modern remakes of the former), action/sci-fi/horror/thriller movies, anime, heavy metal, dystopian and cyberpunk art and lifestyle, politics, war history, vampire fiction, humor and lots more!

For those willing to communicate directly with me, please see my contact details at the right. Same goes for those roaming the social networks, feel free to 'befriend' me at Facebook/LinkedIn/VK/PSN/XBL!

A sticky post above it will include my brief bio and several Top N lists of my favourite media, in case you're interested. As a funny bonus, I'll also upload the full unedited backup of EUL Mk. I, but unfortunately it's in Russian only.

This concludes my announcement, and I hope you'll enjoy all the good stuff I'll post here. Catch ya later. :)