You probably know of Rob McCallum as the director of Nintendo Quest. Now, his Video Game Box Art: The Stories Behind The Covers, which is a documentary series about video game box art, is available starting today for Vimeo On Demand users, here. (Assuming you're in the correct region of course, check robmccallumfilms.com for more info.)
You'll notice that "VGMaps.com: The Video Game Atlas" is listed in the opening credits and I myself make a couple brief appearances in episode 7! Check it out!
Hi, all! The past couple years have been kind of slow here, so I figured I'd throw in a topic of my own requests, for whatever that's worth. I know these forums don't exactly have a history of consistently fulfilling requests, but as with any of them, I figured I'd at least get these out there, if someone's hankering for a mapping project but has no idea what to do next, here are many suggestions.
Now there are already many requests on this board, and normally I'd prefer requests to each be in their own separate topic, but as I run this site - and I'm gonna be blunt here - I feel I have at least some clout to be able to say "hey, I'd really like to see these mapped." Does that count for anything? It would be nice if maps of these were on the site eventually, preferably sooner rather than later, though there's no actual rush. But if these light a fire under anyone's butt, I will similarly drop whatever I'm doing and get these maps up the moment you submit these to me (if possible)!
Some of these have been requested before - consider this me "seconding" those requests. There are going to be obvious requests (popular games) and some obscure ones (perhaps games I personally enjoyed even if not well-known). Some may be partially mapped but appear abandoned by now. Some we already know have technical challenges. But if at all possible one day, I'd like to see these. I think most of these are reasonable enough. I could update this repeatedly on a whim at any time. Take them or leave them, they are what they are.
For this month's "Maps Of The Month" featurette, I wish to draw your attention to BumFengShui's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time (Arcade) maps.
Time under normal circumstances flows linearly and steadily, but when the Ninja Turtles pursue Shredder and Krang in this classic arcade game, they jump from one time period to the next, after only a few minutes of smashing Foot Soldiers and other goons. After leaving 1991 New York, they find themselves in the prehistoric era, then face pirates and cowboys and end up on another planet more than a century later than when they began this journey. So unsheathe your bō, katana, nunchaku, or sai, and unleash some Turtle Power! You know this adventure is timeless when Konami has included it in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare (GameCube, PS2, Xbox) and remade it as Turtles In Time Re-Shelled (PS3, Xbox 360).
Though we'd recognized the Super NES version 11 years ago, the recent release of Arcade1Up's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Home Arcade Game (which includes both of the original arcade games) makes the arcade version of Turtles In Time specifically relevant... as well as the fact that one of the years that the Ninja Turtles visit in this time-hopping adventure is the year 2020! Will we ever see hovering vehicles like those seen in "A.D. 2020: Neon Night-Riders"?
So to recognize the effort put into mapping this timely adventure, BumFengShui's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time (Arcade) maps will be known as VGMaps.com's Maps Of The Month for January 2020.
For this month's "Maps Of The Month" featurette, I wish to draw your attention to Eishiya's Catmaze (PC) maps.
Inspired by Slavic mythology and described as a "fairy Metroidvania", Catmaze has you guide the sorceress Alesta to find a way to Nav, the world of the dead. As the name implies, the way is labyrinthine... and has lots of cats! Not to mention side quests, boss battles, skills to acquire and multiple endings. This indie title is impressive enough even before pointing out that this grand adventure was developed by just one person, Slava Gris. When's the last time that you played an epic made by a lone coder/artist?
"Metroidvania" is one of the video game genres where maps are particularly helpful and impressive to behold. Having the whole world before you makes it easier to plot your next course, whether you are charging into new territory or trying to remember where you have to backtrack - this is a Metroidvania, after all, where new skills make previously accessible areas within reach and former obstacles become surmountable. Help Alesta through the woods, ruins, swamps and mountains, and open the road to Nav!
So to recognize the effort put into navigating us to Nav, Eishiya's Catmaze (PC) maps will be known as VGMaps.com's Maps Of The Month for December 2019.
This is one of those videos that feels cursed because of the seemingly new but ridiculous challenges that went into making this. But anyway, it's done. It's my vlog of the Edmonton (Comic & Entertainment) Expo 2019, where me and my brother got to meet Felicia Day (The Guild, Geek & Sundry, Supernatural), Jason David Frank (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, other Power Rangers series), Robin Lord Taylor (Gotham), and has an opening and closing by Veronica Taylor (original voice of Ash Ketchum on Pokémon). Please check it out so my effort feels worth it, and please subscribe! I'm not at 1000 subscribers yet (which I need for monetization ).
For this month's "Maps Of The Month" featurette, I wish to draw your attention to Vorpal86's Felix The Cat (NES) maps.
Felix The Cat, one of the oldest animated characters ever, turns 100 years old this month in North America, as the US release of "Feline Follies" was November 9, 1919. This silent-era cartoon cat moved from theatrically-released animated shorts to comic strips to television. In 1986 and 1987, Felix The Cat: The Movie was made in Europe and released directly to video in the United States in 1991, followed by a 1992 video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System, where Felix must rescue his girlfriend Kitty who has been kidnapped by the Professor.
The Professor wants Felix's magic bag, but Felix refuses to relinquish it and instead uses its magical abilities to help him fight off the baddies, as it provides Felix weapons like a boxing glove up to a tank. Otherwise, this platforming game that features a licensed character is pretty standard fare for the time, and not very groundbreaking as it is a later release for the NES, when the Super NES was already available.
That's not to say it isn't enjoyable, and Vorpal86 shows love for this game, not to mention thoroughness, by mapping the game twice - each of the 23 areas in the nine rounds have a standard map but also an unmarked map with just the terrain and no items, enemies, or bonus areas. You'll have no trouble making your way to Poindexter, Master Cylinder, and the Professor!
So to recognize the effort put into double-mapping the crazy adventure of this charming cartoon cat as we celebrate its centennial, Vorpal86's Felix The Cat (NES) maps will be known as VGMaps.com's Maps Of The Month for November 2019.
Here's my look at The SNES Omnibus: The Super Nintendo And Its Games by Brett Weiss! It's actually two volumes. Together, they are the second of at least four publications that seek to cover the Super NES library. Be sure to subscribe and I'll get to them all, as well as other geeky stuff, of course.
For this month's "Maps Of The Month" featurette, I wish to draw your attention to Will Mallia's Demon's Crest (Super NES) maps.
The inhabitants of the Demon Realm fight to possess six elemental crests of Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Time and Heaven. Obtaining all of them allows access to the Crest of Infinity which grants its holder infinite power. Firebrand - the gargoyle you might know from the Gargoyle's Quest games, and originally from the Ghosts 'n Goblins series - is the antihero you play here, as you try to stop another demon named Phalanx from acquiring the Crest of Infinity.
A sort of underrated game, Demon's Crest still manages to make it in the initial wave of twenty Super NES offerings for the Nintendo Switch Online service. And why not? The gameplay is solid, the story has multiple endings, the graphics are detailed, you might even say gorgeous, despite its macabre theme. So even though its sales back in the days weren't so great, the Switch's sales right now are awesome, so chances are, you already have access to this adventure! Go stop Phalanx and take over the Demon Realm for yourself, if you dare! Will Mallia's maps might help - even if the game isn't quite as gruellingly difficult as the Ghosts 'n Goblins or Ghouls 'n Ghosts games to require a guide, they're still nice to take a gander at, in that gorgeous yet ghoulish way. Go, gargoyle guy!
So to recognize the effort put into mapping this heck of a good time, Will Mallia's Demon's Crest (Super NES) maps will be known as VGMaps.com's Maps Of The Month for October 2019.
Segmented maps are fine, especially if they're segmented logically, such as how they appear in the game.
A full map would be neat. In the cases where the water palettes are different, how would it look if you merged/mixed/averaged the colours? You know, by transparencies or gradients? While it wouldn't be 100% accurate pixel-wise, it might look really cool, and good enough (if not perhaps even better) for practical purposes.
I found this YouTube channel called "Abroad In Japan", which I've watched a few episodes of to learn some things about the sights and culture. Here's a good video about what NOT to do there:
Today on reddit (which in the past few months I've used lots, whereas I rarely ever did before) I found this interesting thread: My Completely-Excessive Japan Travel Megamap, or more directly, here, a behemoth Japan map that redditor CorbeauNoir01483 made when planning a Japan trip and decided to share, because it now has way more information than one traveler probably needs.
On the gaming side of things, I heard Nintendo Tokyo (the Tokyo equivalent of Nintendo New York, formerly Nintendo World Store) is opening (or opened?) in Q3 2019, and Super Nintendo World is supposed to open at Universal Studios Tokyo next spring or at least before the Olympics.
I guess we're straying off topic, but I look forward to anything you share about your trip!
I'm considering going to Japan next year! My co-worker's been twice recently and he says it's easy to get around in Tokyo without needing to know English. (EDIT: I meant "...needing to know Japanese, as most people in Tokyo know enough English.") Let me know how your trip goes!
VGMaps.com is an archive of video game maps up since May 6, 2002. Optimized for at least 800 x 600 resolution.
This site does not contain commercial ROMs or any other illegal materials. All directly "ripped" game images are the property of their respective copyright holders.
This web site and compass logo are copyrighted by Jonathan Leung 2002-2020.
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