Z is for Zuma

Developer: PopCap Games
Notable Releases: Zuma, Zuma Deluxe, Zuma's Revenge

We've reached the end of another Blogging from A to Z challenge. Over the course of the past 26 days or so, I have been blogging my way through the alphabet, along with more than a thousand other participants. My theme for 2014 has been video game franchises.

Since I started the challenge with a casual game series, I think it is only fitting that I end it on a similar note. And as far as casual games go, things don't really get any more so than with Zuma, a tile-matching puzzle game developed by PopCap Games.

Originally released in 2003, the game involved controlling a frog idol mounted on a spinning disc, who could spit out colored balls. Each level featured a different path into which a string of balls were constantly fed by an off-stage conveyor belt. The objective was to eliminate all the balls, by chaining together three or more balls of the same color, before the balls reached the skull at the end of path.

Zuma's simple but fast-paced gameplay would eventually propel it to win the 2004 Game of the Year award from RealArcade. An enhanced version, known as Zuma Deluxe, was released shortly thereafter. But the game didn't receive a proper sequel until 2009, when Zuma's Revenge was released. It retained the previous games' core mechanic, but introduced a bunch of new power ups and boss battles.

In 2010, PopCap released Zuma Blitz on Facebook, the only version of the game to feature competitive and cooperative multiplayer.

Y is for Yoshi

Developers: Nintendo, Game Freak
Notable Releases: Yoshi, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

Even though the 2014 Blogging from A to Z Challenge is close to an end, it is never too late to squeeze in another Nintendo mascot. After all, we can never have too many of those. And here is one that also shares the same universe with Mario, and as such, has made appearances in many of his games and spinoffs.

Yoshi was first introduced in the 1990 Super Nintendo game, Super Mario World. He is a green dinosaur with an affinity for apples. From the moment he was hatched from his egg, he assumed the role of sidekick to both Mario and Luigi. They could ride on his back, and he could swallow certain enemies whole, or stomp on them with his boots. He was as much an integral part of the game as other new mechanics like the flying cape.

Following his debut on the Super Nintendo, Yoshi's next appearance was on the NES and Game Boy, where he was the titular star of Yoshi, a puzzle game of the falling blocks variety. It was released in 1992 and developed by Game Freak. It was followed by another puzzle game called Yoshi's Cookies, this time of the tile matching variety, which was developed by Bullet-Proof Software and also released in 1992.

But Yoshi is perhaps best known as the star of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, a prequel to Super Mario World which was released in 1995 on the Super Nintendo. The game had a unique art style that helped distinguish it from other Mario games, and an equally unique take on platforming; Yoshi must protect Baby Mario by carrying him safely across each stage. The game was well received by critics and was also considered a commercial success.

X is for Xena: Warrior Princess

Developers: Vivendi Universal, Saffire
Notable Releases: Xena: Warrior Princess, Xena: Warrior Princess - The Talisman of Fate, Xena: Warrior Princess (PlayStation 2)

Movie and television tie-ins are nothing new in the video games industry. In fact, some of the most successful video games are based on material from other entertainment mediums. One reason for that is the fact that these games get to benefit from a preexisting fan base. But more often than not, these tie-ins tend to be nothing more than fan service, the Xena: Warrior Princess tie-ins being a perfect example.

Xena: Warrior Princess was released in 1999, for the Sony PlayStation. It was a third-person action-adventure game, with a story revolving around Xena's quest to save her companion, Gabrielle, who at the start of the game was kidnapped by the evil sorceress Kalabrax. The game featured hack-and-slash gameplay, as well as her trademark chakram, a Frisbee-like, long-range weapon, which could also be used to trigger switches within the environment.

A second tie-in, called Xena: Warrior Princess - The Talisman of Fate, was also released in 1999, for the Nintendo 64. It was a 3D fighting game that featured characters from the TV show. The story behind the game involves a tournament that must be held to decide which character can lay claim to the titular Talisman. Its fighting mechanics were fairly basic, but noteworthy for supporting matches between four simultaneous players.

Additional Xena: Warrior Princess tie-ins were also developed for the Game Boy Color and PlayStation 2, which were released in 2001 and 2006 respectively. But like the two aforementioned games, neither one managed to please anyone outside its target audience, namely die-hard fans of the show.

W is for The Walking Dead

Developer: Telltale Games
Notable Releases: The Walking Dead: Season One, The Walking Dead: 400 Days, The Walking Dead: Season Two

As earlier promised at the end of my Indiana Jones post, I'll once again be touching upon the graphic adventure genre, or more importantly, its recent renaissance. At the very heart of that renaissance is Telltale Games, an independent game developer started in 2004 by former employees of LucasArts.

Over the last couple of years, Telltale Games have managed to create a number of successful, episodic, graphic adventure games based on licensed properties. These include Tales of Monkey Island, Back to the Future, and most recently, The Wolf Among Us (which was based on the DC Comics series, Fables). But their biggest success yet was their take on the Robert Kirkman comic book series, The Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead: Season One was released in 2012, over a period of several months. It consisted of five episodes, each one telling the story of a group of survivors in a zombie apocalypse. Players controlled Lee Everett, a college professor who was recently convicted for the murder of his wife. The shit hits the proverbial fan on the very day he was meant to be incarcerated, and he barely manages to escape following a car accident on his way to prison.

Lee seeks refuge in a nearby house, where he discovers Clementine, a young girl who is all by herself. He saves her from her babysitter, who'd been turned into a zombie, and from that moment on takes it upon himself to protect Clementine, seeing in her a final chance at redemption. The two of them develop a father-and-daughter-like relationship over the course of the season, a bond which was tested to its limits during the heart-wrenching climax of the final episode.

The Walking Dead is noted for being story-driven, a story that is further shaped by the player's choices. Throughout the game, the player is faced with a number of watershed moments, like in the very first episode where you must decide which of your new-found companions to save or leave behind. And your choices carry through each subsequent episode, affecting the way you are treated by your fellow survivors.

It was these things (and much more) that ensured that The Walking Dead was both critically acclaimed and a huge commercial success. It won over 90 Game of the Year awards, and was recognized as one of the game industry's indie success stories.

The Walking Dead: Season Two is currently in full swing, with Episode 1 released in December, 2013, and Episode 2 released in March, 2014. This time around, players take control of Clementine, guiding her through an adventure that already promises to be every bit of an emotional roller coaster as the one experienced in the first season.

V is for Virtua Cop

Developer: Sega
Notable Releases: Virtua Cop, Virtua Cop 2, Virtua Cop 3

Quick fingers are a requisite for success in many games. But nowhere is that requirement more pronounced than in light gun shooters. And while the genre might have lost its mass appeal in recent years, it did manage to produce a number of noteworthy games during its heyday. One of those games is Virtua Cop, the first in a series of on-rail shooters about police officers in the line of fire.

Virtua Cop was released for arcades in 1994, and subsequently ported onto the Sega Saturn in 1995, and the PC in 1997. The objective of the game was to shoot all on-screen enemies as quickly as possible, without shooting any civilians. It was noted for being the first game of its kind to make use of 3D polygonal graphics, and is also credited for inspiring the N64 game, GoldenEye 007.

Virtua Cop 2 was released in 1995, with ports for the Sega Saturn, PC and Dreamcast following in 1996, 1997 and 2000 respectively. It introduced a third female character, but retained the same gameplay mechanics as its predecessor. A bundle of the first two games, known as Virtua Cop: Elite Edition, was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2002.

Virtua Cop 3 was released in 2003. It is the only game in the series that wasn't ported onto the PC or consoles; an Xbox port was in development, but was eventually cancelled.

U is for Unreal

Developer: Epic Games
Notable Releases: Unreal, Unreal Tournament, Unreal Tournament 2003, Unreal Tournament 2004, Unreal Tournament 3

The Unreal Engine is one of the most widely used video game engines today. It has powered a number of high-profile games over the years, including Deus Ex, BioShock, Gears of War, Mass Effect, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, and of course the eponymous series of first-person shooters, Unreal.

The first game in the series was released in 1998. At the time, it was undoubtedly one of the most graphically advanced games, even though its moment in the sun was eclipsed by Half-Life. The series would eventually hit its stride with the release of Unreal Tournament in 1999. Unlike the first game, Unreal Tournament focused solely on multiplayer, putting it in direct competition with Quake III: Arena.

Unreal Tournament proved to be the better of the two games, receiving rave reviews and numerous Game of the Year awards. Its success was no doubt responsible for the direction the entire franchise took, with Unreal Tournament 2003 and Unreal Tournament 2004 serving as follow-up titles. The first game eventually received a true sequel, Unreal II: Awakening, which was developed by Legend Entertainment.

The latest installment in the franchise is Unreal Tournament 3, which was released in 2007, while the latest version of the engine, Unreal Engine 4, was unveiled during the 2012 Game Developers Conference.

T is for Tomb Raider

Developers: Core Design, Crystal Dynamics
Notable Releases: Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider: Legends, Tomb Raider (2013)

Not very often does a video game character get elevated to the status of a pop culture icon. So the fact that Lara Croft can be counted as such is not a small feat. Perhaps its the combination of her British accent and her sexy physique that has endeared her to the hearts and minds of so many. But for hardcore gamers, it has more to do with what she is best known for: raiding tombs.

Tomb Raider was released in 1996 on the PC, PlayStation and Sega Saturn. It was developed by Core Design, and it introduced Lara Croft, an archaeologist with a thirst for braving lost cities in search of ancient artifacts. Following its release, it became one of the most well-known 3D action-adventure games.

The game proved so successful that it received back-to-back sequels over the next few years. These include Tomb Raider II (1997), Tomb Raider III (1998), Tomb Raider IV (1999) and Tomb Raider: Chronicles (2000). Each game was considered a solid addition to the franchise, and the series didn't show any signs of losing steam until the 2003 release of Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness, which was largely panned by critics.

Thereafter, the mantle was passed from Core Design to Crystal Dynamics. The first game out of the new studio was Tomb Raider: Legend, which was released in 2006. Considered a return to form by critics, the studio went on to develop two more games, Tomb Raider: Anniversary (2007) and Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008), in what would become a loose trilogy.

Their most recent effort served as a reboot to the entire series. Simply called Tomb Raider, the 2013 reboot was a critical and commercial success, proving that Lara Croft still has a couple of tricks up her sleeves.

S is for Street Fighter

Developer: Capcom
Notable Releases: Street Fighter II, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Street Fighter IV

The many years I have spent gaming are ripe with memories, but none as sweet as the day I had my first brush with Street Fighter II. It was at my cousin's friend's place, and a bunch of his friends were gathered there, taking turns. I can still feel the surge of anticipation in my fingers when one of the controllers was passed to me.

The match began and I found myself waving the pad this way and that (much to my cousin's embarrassment), even though motion controls were a good 14 years away. Needless to say, I had lost that first match like a little girl. But that was the defining moment where I discovered the joy of fighting games, a genre that has been all but dominated by the Street Fighter series.

The first game in the series was released for arcades in 1987. It introduced Ryu, a martial artist who players controlled as he fought his way through a worldwide martial arts tournament. A second player could drop in at anytime and challenge Ryu by controlling Ken, his rival. Both characters featured similar special moves made up of fireballs, dragon punches and hurricane kicks.

Street Fighter II was released in 1991, and for the first time in a fighting game, players could choose from a roaster of different fighters. It was followed by several iterations, some of which were released specifically for home consoles. The game was a resounding success, and the SNES version remains Capcom's best-selling game.

Several Street Fighter games were released following the success of Street Fighter II. These include Street Fighter Alpha (or Zero as it is known in Japan), which served as a prequel to the previous games and featured a new art style. The series also made its first foray into 3D with Street Fighter EX. Street Fighter III was released in 1997, and it received two additional updates, 2nd Impact and 3rd Strike.

The current iteration of the series, Street Fighter IV, was released in 2008. It features 3D stages and cel-shaded characters, although actual gameplay takes place on a 2D plane.

R is for Resident Evil

Developer: Capcom
Notable Releases: Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Resident Evil: Code Veronica, Resident Evil 4

Video games have been capitalizing on our fear of things that go bump in the dark for a long time; Haunted House, Sweet Home, and the Alone in the Dark series are just a few classic examples that come to mind. But the term, survival horror, wasn't coined until 1996, when it was used by Capcom to describe the first game in what would become one of the biggest crossover media franchises ever, Resident Evil.

The game was set in and around a secluded mansion on the outskirts of Raccoon City, following a virus outbreak that has turned all its inhabitants into zombies. Despite this well-grounded premise, its story drew inspiration from many classic horror films. The game also introduced series mainstays like Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine and Albert Wesker, police officers who had been sent in to investigate a series of bizarre murders and the disappearance of a prior team.

Resident Evil 2 was released in 1998, and it introduced two main characters, Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield. The game was noted for being more expansive than the first, the action taking place within and around Raccoon City. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis was released in 1999, and it saw the return of Jill Valentine as a main character. It also featured a mini-game called Resident Evil Mercenaries, where players could use other in-game characters in a series of timed challenges.

Several Resident Evil games were released over the next few years, including Resident Evil Code: Veronica for the Sega Dreamcast in 2000, the first game in the main series not to use pre-rendered backgrounds. A remake of the first game was also released in 2002 for the Nintendo GameGube, as well as a prequel titled Resident Evil Zero. It was also around this time that the series began its successful movie crossover.

Resident Evil 4 was released in 2004 for the GameCube, and it marked the most drastic shift in the entire series. It did away with the fixed camera angles of its predecessors, which was replaced by a third-person, over-the-shoulder camera. The game was met with overwhelming praise, which pretty much ensured that the same style and formula was retained for its sequel, Resident Evil 5, which was released in 2009 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.

Resident Evil 6 was released in 2012. Its reviews were largely mixed, due to deviations from the survival horror trappings of previous games, and the fact that its three main characters had different play styles that didn't make for a cohesive whole.

Q is for Quake

Developers: id Software, Raven Software
Notable Releases: Quake, Quake II, Quake III: Arena, Quake 4

In my early days of gaming on the PC, my favorite genre, by no small margin, was the first person shooter (or FPS as it is more commonly referred to). id Software is often credited for creating that genre, or at least for helping popularize it with highly-influential games like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake, all of which had kick-started some of the genre's most respected franchises.

Quake was released in 1996, and remains notable for a number of reasons. It was the first game in the FPS genre to allow online multiplayer. It also featured music and sound effects composed by Trent Reznor, lead singer of the band, Nine Inch Nails. It was also one of the first games to use full 3D graphics, with character models composed of polygons, as opposed to 2D sprites. The engine powering the game was also one of the first to support hardware-accelerated 3D graphics.

Quake II was released in 1997, and it was powered by a more robust game engine than the one used in Quake (whose color palette was often criticized for being predominantly brown). The game was never intended as a true sequel to the original game, and was in fact only called Quake II when id Software failed to secure any of the other names they wanted to use. As a result, there was no continuity from the storyline in Quake.

Quake III: Arena was released in 1999, and unlike the previous two games, focused solely on multiplayer game modes like Deathmatch and Capture the Flag. Matches could be played online or on local area networks, as well as with AI-controlled opponents known as bots, much like in the multiplayer FPS series, Unreal Tournament.

A fourth game, Quake 4, was developed by Raven Software and released in 2005. It served as a direct sequel to Quake II.