VAY (SegaCD)
I’m sure many people forget that not only did Sega head into discs before Sony did, but that it actually had some interesting games. On this day in 1994, developer Hertz released Vay in North America. A cluster of space tales meets high fantasy, Vay is a typical J-RPG where players gain experience and gold by defeating baddies in random encounters. Items and equipment can be purchased, and most characters learn new spells and abilities as they level. Vay also houses a rudimentary AI system, allowing a level of automated character interaction without input from the player. The story surrounds the inhabited planet of Vay. With little technology on the planet, a grand royal wedding is interrupted when robots attack, and the characters are forced to deal with a millennium-old problem, thought to have been sealed away for good. The problem, a large machine that escaped the battlefield of an interstellar war and found its way to Vay. It took the might of five of the planet’s strongest wizards to stop its reign of terror and seal away both the machine and its power in five hidden places around the world. The original title was published by SIMS in Japan and Working Designs in North America. In 2008, however, the game was re-released as an iPhone version by SoMoGa, Inc, with a new voice cast and content not released for the original SegaCD version.
POKEMON PINBALL (Gameboy Color)
A few years after Vay hit the gaming stage, the Gameboy Color was helping to establish what would become a long line of Pokémon titles. Developed by Jupiter and published by Nintendo, Pokémon Pinball hit shelves in Japan on this day back in 1999. The game follows a typical pinball style, as players are encouraged to get the highest score they can. The game has the added feature of collecting Pokémon and filling your pokédex with the 151 different listings. The pokédex saves progress between files, so players don’t need to accomplish it all in one playthrough. There are two tables (Red and Blue), each with their own details and gameplay elements. Each of these tables have its own locations to be played, determining which Pokémon are available for capture. The game also features “Catch Mode”, requiring a certain sequence on the pinball table to succeed. Similarly, the game has “Evolution Mode”, requiring a different sequence on the table to evolve their Pokémon. The game was received generally well for its use of the Gameboy Color’s display and presentation, but also criticized for poor physics and lack of some expected pinball-related gameplay.
GRAND THEFT AUTO V [ONLINE] (PC)
A game series which needs no introduction. Built on shady dealings, underdog stories and generally beating up people for their stuff, Grand Theft Auto V [Online] was released for PC on this day last year (a whole seven months after its initial next-gen release day), including the online multiplayer component. As publisher Rockstar Games always seems to do, GTA V builds upon and advances nearly all mechanics from the previous titles in its lineage. With these old tricks, it has some new dogs too (wait… that’s not right… ). Some unique features of the title include the main protagonists continuing their daily business while the player takes control of a different one. Swapping between these protagonists occurs by utilizing a method similar to Google Earth. The game (on PC, PS4, and Xbox One editions) also features an FPS mode, where the player can choose to play the entirety of the game from their protagonist’s prospective–featuring elements like highly detailed and differentiated car-interiors to add to the immersion.
Some other titles released on this day:
- Spider-Man/Spider-Man: The Movie – PC – 2002
- Golden Sun: The Lost Age – Gameboy Advance – 2003
- Guitar Hero: Metallica – Playstation 2 – 2009
- Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn – Playstation 4 – 2014
Images © Nintendo, Rockstar and SoMoGa, Inc
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