tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87236256595395917722024-03-18T03:03:56.615+00:00lunatic obscurityJonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.comBlogger759125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-91528132535492881642024-03-15T23:10:00.002+00:002024-03-15T23:10:51.208+00:00Jack Bros. (Virtual Boy)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMg9QghG3I3S1WXAT5S-guHR4FI35MPHi-C1VUany6A0MWBlon-PedkoZ3DFEo6Hbe8VppVDM6JNNkULZZ3PwIq_KTi8ZAcsPM0q93xgspE8anLYUzGUUhiUE5-59rCg3a2TSX5c7Z3b0Mqt38RfDs1JegrbrHBA87hpCctidqpsC8NTibqJguPdhBaM/s384/Jack%20Bros.%20(USA)-240308-025743.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="384" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMg9QghG3I3S1WXAT5S-guHR4FI35MPHi-C1VUany6A0MWBlon-PedkoZ3DFEo6Hbe8VppVDM6JNNkULZZ3PwIq_KTi8ZAcsPM0q93xgspE8anLYUzGUUhiUE5-59rCg3a2TSX5c7Z3b0Mqt38RfDs1JegrbrHBA87hpCctidqpsC8NTibqJguPdhBaM/w400-h234/Jack%20Bros.%20(USA)-240308-025743.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> This is one of the better-known Virtual Boy games, but I'm still considering it obscure, because it's still a Virtual Boy game, and like most of them, it's an exclusive to a console that almost no-one owned and has only fairly recently seemed to have attracted the attention of emulator writers. It also has something of a positive reputation, which I think must be entirely based on the fact that it's a little-known, lesser-played action game starring characters and monsters from the Shn Megami Tensei series.<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRyjE1wlAJRd7Bz6bE7oMOBD0RltMNCfNfi1IqXsOdzrw1ORh7Dm0opm9HtGSxeeuXRZJpg0PQ7OC9kuarV0vJoZQdIwP7CkKKthiHiMGuAszOspiwZPGZr9XrsrkNZzMOhx0-3Ur8H5TeXLqJNUzjgY9nXdRP0mCtSfVvXQ_i1flNbEAWDDwitJroCk/s384/Jack%20Bros.%20(USA)-240311-200917.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="384" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRyjE1wlAJRd7Bz6bE7oMOBD0RltMNCfNfi1IqXsOdzrw1ORh7Dm0opm9HtGSxeeuXRZJpg0PQ7OC9kuarV0vJoZQdIwP7CkKKthiHiMGuAszOspiwZPGZr9XrsrkNZzMOhx0-3Ur8H5TeXLqJNUzjgY9nXdRP0mCtSfVvXQ_i1flNbEAWDDwitJroCk/s320/Jack%20Bros.%20(USA)-240311-200917.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>There's been games featured on this blog in recent times that I didn't particularly enjoy for various reasons, games I didn't feel like I could recommend, but I think it's been a long time since I've featured a game here that I've actively disliked as much as I do Jack Bros. It's a maze game in which you have to collect a bunch of keys in each stage to open up the exit (or exits) and go to the next stage. One thing I do like about it is that it utilises the VB's 3D in a nice little way: you get to the next stage by jumping off of the side of the current one, and you can always see the next stage floating in space far below the current one. I also like the use of a combined time limit/health bar. That's something you see in a lot of the old top-down racing games I love, and it's rare to see such a system in a game of another genre (the only other example I can think of off the top of my head is Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars).</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioExN4zE4mZbShes-FasznGxOq-5KFONQ3Bzt-xaJNe1_pzHcwd9d_f31nGY3oysDVPnDPqXc-VMS0PN41ECq5siCK-Fn_CDNMpCdildd_lY8Y1KX0-c8Tlp6CUIgxzmzLATSDUFqOdRrfNJz3uaH_rwc8-CLL6CuNzNG_RK-fAuNXS9SmqtOVhpWLO2A/s384/Jack%20Bros.%20(USA)-240311-201307.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="384" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioExN4zE4mZbShes-FasznGxOq-5KFONQ3Bzt-xaJNe1_pzHcwd9d_f31nGY3oysDVPnDPqXc-VMS0PN41ECq5siCK-Fn_CDNMpCdildd_lY8Y1KX0-c8Tlp6CUIgxzmzLATSDUFqOdRrfNJz3uaH_rwc8-CLL6CuNzNG_RK-fAuNXS9SmqtOVhpWLO2A/s320/Jack%20Bros.%20(USA)-240311-201307.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>That's about all I like about it, though. The problems start before you even get to do anything: at the start of every stage, a fairy will appear to deliver a few textboxes of information, that you've either already worked out or could have worked out within a few seconds of play. Things like several variations on "there are enemies on this stage that will attack you", or the revelation, at the start of the eleventh stage, that you can attack by using the right d-pad. I've managed to get over twenty stages into the game, and that fairy was still showing up at the start of each one to deliver some worthless advice.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-qktMS88bw04T7UHjTKTGX8UebasmSqclwdxoG6rhZkXYjhIkam-fbYzzCY2t6j7ksAYgXBQv19kMqohdHxv7QQeLlgJMEqhyphenhyphenNE9CcavWT3rpqQqlMJqQNiFAWtS2DVvammQ4HaD-7BPCM9TzttIipa3EmnWlIBQ67ZVvk9Izrr0fj8-8A7CQQrW9tM/s384/Jack%20Bros.%20(USA)-240311-202257.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="384" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-qktMS88bw04T7UHjTKTGX8UebasmSqclwdxoG6rhZkXYjhIkam-fbYzzCY2t6j7ksAYgXBQv19kMqohdHxv7QQeLlgJMEqhyphenhyphenNE9CcavWT3rpqQqlMJqQNiFAWtS2DVvammQ4HaD-7BPCM9TzttIipa3EmnWlIBQ67ZVvk9Izrr0fj8-8A7CQQrW9tM/s320/Jack%20Bros.%20(USA)-240311-202257.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Then you start playing, and the game is just so slow and boring and easy. You waddle around the small mazes, find a few keys, and jump off the side to the next stage. Like you've probably already worked out, it uses twinstick controls, though you can only move and shoot in the four cardinal directions. Even with this in mind, the normal enemies are no threat to you at all, and the bosses only slightly moreso. There are three characters, though only one of them is really viable. Jack Frost has ranged attacks, but they're so slow and weak that he's useless. Jack Skelton does decent damage, but only at melee range. Jack Lantern has fast-firing projectiles that do decent damage, so is better than the other characters in such a way that makes them totally pointless.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzd_M9BCQT88j81kHMDX_CMOGsqm4UXGauJYLxhpRoqL0Yvv5IOYVW310hI-AyVMPSsKmnGXvQcbWPVdCxgaB6mDB-UcgnxAnmwy13zHU4QDoFJOHG7e4329I_JaFzAGyiHBGqafe-AHN06x90Tzf_liIy-PZ4o0C3hwjK6qRR1eEAHiBVU_mZf0z6WAs/s384/Jack%20Bros.%20(USA)-240312-000229.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="384" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzd_M9BCQT88j81kHMDX_CMOGsqm4UXGauJYLxhpRoqL0Yvv5IOYVW310hI-AyVMPSsKmnGXvQcbWPVdCxgaB6mDB-UcgnxAnmwy13zHU4QDoFJOHG7e4329I_JaFzAGyiHBGqafe-AHN06x90Tzf_liIy-PZ4o0C3hwjK6qRR1eEAHiBVU_mZf0z6WAs/s320/Jack%20Bros.%20(USA)-240312-000229.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Like I said back in the first paragraph, I think that all of the goodwill people have towards this game comes from its association to a beloved series. Unfortunately, for the first time in a long time, this is a game that was hard to review simply because playing it was such a tedious chore that I would put off going back to it, and wished I was playing anything else the whole time I was playing it. I'm not writing off the Virtual Boy as a console, though: I've played a few other games that have been better and/or more interesting, and I'll almost definitely cover at least some of them here in the future.</p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-2042234352481969182024-03-08T23:37:00.004+00:002024-03-08T23:37:47.816+00:00Royal Stone - Hirakareshi Toki no Tobira (Game Gear)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggyie15PmaAiBp1i-4XOgYhsTRD051354vCyufyTF6YQ874_x4q_NL6cEzvLPrWLuftLWPbtmC0FzGPEmG8_z1xGMggMvzLcE67K_RbLqU7wfv7CK7E6CXKG0VPfdSomKtkO9bvp3LMxIJpJp_Zj561CpH-O57MfAZkaBPqmJglG8gOz0h929nmrJA3q0/s160/Royal%20Stone%20(Japan)%20%5BT-En%20by%20Aeon%20Genesis%20v1.00%5D%20%5Bn%5D-240228-153141.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="160" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggyie15PmaAiBp1i-4XOgYhsTRD051354vCyufyTF6YQ874_x4q_NL6cEzvLPrWLuftLWPbtmC0FzGPEmG8_z1xGMggMvzLcE67K_RbLqU7wfv7CK7E6CXKG0VPfdSomKtkO9bvp3LMxIJpJp_Zj561CpH-O57MfAZkaBPqmJglG8gOz0h929nmrJA3q0/w400-h360/Royal%20Stone%20(Japan)%20%5BT-En%20by%20Aeon%20Genesis%20v1.00%5D%20%5Bn%5D-240228-153141.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> Back when I was a teenager, one of my friends' bedrooms had no windows, and a bunch of us used to hang out in there, watching anime and playing videogames. The lack of windows is relevant because he had a Game Gear lying around, and we'd sometimes take turns playing through stages of a little turn-based strategy game named Crystal Warriors (which was called Ariel: Crystal Densetsu in Japan), and the Game Gear's screen was bright enough that if someone was playing it, it was possible for someone sat next to them to read comics by its light.<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAopPhEsz02E6DwcP5m9am9Lr99qEYWcXSvsg71MQwd2ao-NVZWZuH2sNuxC9McbGPozAFD_bVDleWWbPCY6Gk-hfiRriIn7aGeVhTY3-iTog-JmhSqHOqAZiM30swOhJ-NaNN_ObckzfyGoSP8NDPOZeuf8thVMGBaE4D1-CNVVkdvOtRyH5CY2rSh9I/s160/Royal%20Stone%20(Japan)%20%5BT-En%20by%20Aeon%20Genesis%20v1.00%5D%20%5Bn%5D-240301-015904.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="160" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAopPhEsz02E6DwcP5m9am9Lr99qEYWcXSvsg71MQwd2ao-NVZWZuH2sNuxC9McbGPozAFD_bVDleWWbPCY6Gk-hfiRriIn7aGeVhTY3-iTog-JmhSqHOqAZiM30swOhJ-NaNN_ObckzfyGoSP8NDPOZeuf8thVMGBaE4D1-CNVVkdvOtRyH5CY2rSh9I/w320-h288/Royal%20Stone%20(Japan)%20%5BT-En%20by%20Aeon%20Genesis%20v1.00%5D%20%5Bn%5D-240301-015904.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Anyway, Royal Stone is the sequel to Crystal Warriors, though it only ever got released in Japan, unfortunately. I can't remember anything about the plot of the first game, so I can't comment on that, but Royal Stone is a true sequel in every other aspect, replicating the original's concepts but in bigger, better, and more sophisticated ways. Crystal Warriors had crudely drawn characters wiggling weapons at each other, Royal Stone has detailed characters full of personality attacking each other in cool little psuedo-3D scenes. Crystal Warrior's towns were crude and all identical, being more like slightly glorified menus than actual places, while Royle Stone's towns are like those you'd see in most 8-bit RPGs. The element system carries over too: Water, Fire, and Wind all have a Rock-Paper-Scissors relationship, while Earth (usually reserved for important characters) is neither strong nor weak against any of the elements.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSR2Yb8yX8AtOrniuo4R-tP5IcaKAd5BLGj-dS6RSuZIf8A7X4TXpg47_RCsJtjxSAZHq7gxVgj71CQCYt9xvR5qcKEpRNxA0EyIwrw8WIPqBJ1mShI7lo0XNVaNEyvaV8cvzG4iWSwifb76ew46O1w4tNpjxV9mH-9cjFo4lqEE_1LSSwihjUoohxTGM/s160/Royal%20Stone%20(Japan)%20%5BT-En%20by%20Aeon%20Genesis%20v1.00%5D%20%5Bn%5D-240303-004006.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="160" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSR2Yb8yX8AtOrniuo4R-tP5IcaKAd5BLGj-dS6RSuZIf8A7X4TXpg47_RCsJtjxSAZHq7gxVgj71CQCYt9xvR5qcKEpRNxA0EyIwrw8WIPqBJ1mShI7lo0XNVaNEyvaV8cvzG4iWSwifb76ew46O1w4tNpjxV9mH-9cjFo4lqEE_1LSSwihjUoohxTGM/w320-h288/Royal%20Stone%20(Japan)%20%5BT-En%20by%20Aeon%20Genesis%20v1.00%5D%20%5Bn%5D-240303-004006.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I assume that Ariel was a big hit in Japan, as its clear that this game was a lavish production. It looks better than some contemperanous 16-bit console RPGs, and I feel confident in saying it's the best-looking game of the Game Gear's original lifespan (and the Game Gear is a system with no shortage of great-looking pixel art), not being bettered until 2020's GG Aleste 3. It even has a seperate copyright credit for the character designer (Kugatsuhime, of Monster Maker fame) before the title screen appears, which was pretty rare in general back then, and even moreso for a handheld game. The plot has also had a lot of effort put into it, not just in the writing, but also the presentation. There's various twists that occur, a bunch of different factions warring against each other, a protagonist with a tragic backstory and more. Like I keep saying, it's all so much more than you'd expect from a handheld game in 1995.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2zQvQ6g0BZc3nvOnRnCb3_9kot_rxW_eYaQtZXViL60PJ2bJeSn_PWN4MSwHtXzPf_Oy2tnOQaOrhyqM_BH7anJa42X0IrHlv0TKihsEtMmpsHNjtV04Ewph1LgudTBoQAqrxH6LkELbz3yhMKEYuZJ7UAuJUvf_HXt8tB0tQgib-9LNeJ5v1bzyN1s/s160/Royal%20Stone%20(Japan)%20%5BT-En%20by%20Aeon%20Genesis%20v1.00%5D%20%5Bn%5D-240303-175200.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="160" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2zQvQ6g0BZc3nvOnRnCb3_9kot_rxW_eYaQtZXViL60PJ2bJeSn_PWN4MSwHtXzPf_Oy2tnOQaOrhyqM_BH7anJa42X0IrHlv0TKihsEtMmpsHNjtV04Ewph1LgudTBoQAqrxH6LkELbz3yhMKEYuZJ7UAuJUvf_HXt8tB0tQgib-9LNeJ5v1bzyN1s/w320-h288/Royal%20Stone%20(Japan)%20%5BT-En%20by%20Aeon%20Genesis%20v1.00%5D%20%5Bn%5D-240303-175200.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>And as for the presentation of the story, it's mostly pretty standard for this kind of game, with you going around towns and talking to people, and also your enemies taunting you or declaring their intentions at the start of battles. But there's other things too: there's flashbacks that are shown in the game's graphics but with a sepia toned pallete. One particularly impressive example uses the game's battle engine to tell the story of the protagonist's dad getting betrayed and falling in battle. Furthermore, when your party members fall in battle, they're just dead and gone, and they all have a unique line of dialogue to act as their last words. One character uses this to declare his love for the protagonist, something that he never mentions at any other point!</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxgDC267YOUpkx4OLhIVfkukf44-Aza0so0QYZMfObvUrVvTtV_xdX6dIlyGc3JEdzFPNV4k7ZTXT6yAvPwVY31yvmxcm1rNpblHaaEyvEUg2dXP1jJftYYh5NU6lL2phtpivKtHRwts-SCXPrWiVxbC6sqdgGSiCSmPo6aB-aBI_oz548fqjt0hiolQ/s160/Royal%20Stone%20(Japan)%20%5BT-En%20by%20Aeon%20Genesis%20v1.00%5D%20%5Bn%5D-240303-173621.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="160" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxgDC267YOUpkx4OLhIVfkukf44-Aza0so0QYZMfObvUrVvTtV_xdX6dIlyGc3JEdzFPNV4k7ZTXT6yAvPwVY31yvmxcm1rNpblHaaEyvEUg2dXP1jJftYYh5NU6lL2phtpivKtHRwts-SCXPrWiVxbC6sqdgGSiCSmPo6aB-aBI_oz548fqjt0hiolQ/w320-h288/Royal%20Stone%20(Japan)%20%5BT-En%20by%20Aeon%20Genesis%20v1.00%5D%20%5Bn%5D-240303-173621.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Royal Stone is an excellent game, and has impressed me in so many ways the whole time I've been playing it. There was an instance somewhat early on, the first time I lost a couple of characters in battle, where I was ready to give up on the game, thinking my diminshed force might make the game unplayable. But I persevered, and with some slightly better strategy to compensate, I still got through the next few battles and gradually recruited a few new friends. I think that's probably one of the best compliments you can pay a strategy game, isn't it? That you can make up for having a weaker force by just thinking about what you're doing a bit better? Unfortunately, SEGA exhibited some of their trademark wisdom, and decided no-one outside of Japan would be interested in playing what was probably the best handheld strategy/RPG at that time, and so the only way to play it in English is via a fantranslated ROM. But we are lucky enough, at least, to have that available to play, and you definitely should.</p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-85057951655843288032024-03-01T23:32:00.006+00:002024-03-01T23:32:56.821+00:00Oraga Land Shusai - Best Farmer Shuukakusai (SNES)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR38NJYLf1BrvvNIrOw11xpOxv9QNCpKn29owbJWEabArCSi6XTi7wCNxU9Eu4CYxZPFy7ZTHLboXylCuyfZbi7FvIScsvp9mWPGIbj1CIdBRG0s8oN6-q02Oy4gmd8BLOhhoFvdUS0x2ZzC44t68q8Fw0ziYaf1DrHrpxH5y5YJ9ADL7fGd64dyOR1ko/s256/Oraga%20Land%20Shusai%20-%20Best%20Farmer%20Shuukakusai%20(Japan)-240223-031608.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR38NJYLf1BrvvNIrOw11xpOxv9QNCpKn29owbJWEabArCSi6XTi7wCNxU9Eu4CYxZPFy7ZTHLboXylCuyfZbi7FvIScsvp9mWPGIbj1CIdBRG0s8oN6-q02Oy4gmd8BLOhhoFvdUS0x2ZzC44t68q8Fw0ziYaf1DrHrpxH5y5YJ9ADL7fGd64dyOR1ko/w400-h350/Oraga%20Land%20Shusai%20-%20Best%20Farmer%20Shuukakusai%20(Japan)-240223-031608.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> Looking at the character designs in this, I first assumed that it must be a tie-in to one of those family friendly anime that has thousands of episodes, and is of no interest to anyone outside Japan, but if it is, I've been able to find no evidence of it. There's a copyright for a company whose name I didn't recognise called Nitto on the title screen, so I looked them up, thinking it might be a food company, and the characters in the game might be its advertising mascots or something. But Nitto make things like LCD screens and surgical tape. <p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7S8FE4Y2ykDBTnQrrxh_GbO2sVHzkhGleHU-Cga8oNyMQoprj_R_gl9V6WEPYdKhkA4fZamjteQjEBYbXUJ7uSXVB3OsH6JkeRdQakePGyhoLD4uSKq7RSqvC3zGOUE_VmlOvUR4upyjZclbIxgzLIjWoZV0GIjEZEWOEi_qrcyzb0oIQVcTIEeBeJk/s256/Oraga%20Land%20Shusai%20-%20Best%20Farmer%20Shuukakusai%20(Japan)-240223-032028.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn7S8FE4Y2ykDBTnQrrxh_GbO2sVHzkhGleHU-Cga8oNyMQoprj_R_gl9V6WEPYdKhkA4fZamjteQjEBYbXUJ7uSXVB3OsH6JkeRdQakePGyhoLD4uSKq7RSqvC3zGOUE_VmlOvUR4upyjZclbIxgzLIjWoZV0GIjEZEWOEi_qrcyzb0oIQVcTIEeBeJk/w320-h280/Oraga%20Land%20Shusai%20-%20Best%20Farmer%20Shuukakusai%20(Japan)-240223-032028.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Anyway, the game itself is listed in various places around the internet as a puzzle game. And at first glance, with the split screen and the grids full of brightly coloured fruits and vegetables it would appear to be a puzzle game. But in my opinion, the way it plays is closer to a sports game. The sport in question being high-speed competitive farming, in which the various characters are trying to harvest crops faster than their opponents.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6DRnCN0ry2VyCg9pLbDNXQNW3_bcj3XdjbLqQOEaCe7tsyFg9zZ4041tubtWdaFQuf22m_Eju2t2BXz9gsws4BF24tjOazvH6o4HWK6oM1TbwqqdWjA0lvQSPkY0WGtCBkRzgtQ1RX61aDfuEjA2d3fGskEtTBft2XCunGg198Ens9h4amZ-HIyppCVI/s256/Oraga%20Land%20Shusai%20-%20Best%20Farmer%20Shuukakusai%20(Japan)-240227-181302.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6DRnCN0ry2VyCg9pLbDNXQNW3_bcj3XdjbLqQOEaCe7tsyFg9zZ4041tubtWdaFQuf22m_Eju2t2BXz9gsws4BF24tjOazvH6o4HWK6oM1TbwqqdWjA0lvQSPkY0WGtCBkRzgtQ1RX61aDfuEjA2d3fGskEtTBft2XCunGg198Ens9h4amZ-HIyppCVI/w320-h280/Oraga%20Land%20Shusai%20-%20Best%20Farmer%20Shuukakusai%20(Japan)-240227-181302.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>How it works is that there are four kinds of vegetables, and you and your opponent are given identical quotas to grow and harvest a certain amount of each one in your field. Your field's got sixteen spaces in it, each able to grow one vegetable at a time (and after the first couple of stages, you'll be required to grow many more than sixteen vegetables to clear a stage). You walk along the edges of the field with left and right on the d-pad, and press up and down to aim at spaces on the field. You press one button to cycle through the four vegetables, another to throw seeds, and a third to run across the field with your hoe to harvest any fully-grown crops.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3o7JNkCX2sIOpZwtgjaKtSrRpm0p6gimyuDKZ5yzylDrnaKYyddlTc1nnlYBqAl88o12CeC3orm_rPs5Erh1eW_pu6g-13VAFTJukPL0u0rgBjjpBkMiAh5nqZsvZlnF3uIi7p_xq5hTUAF9IJTOAfBqjybvJMlI9dITN8oGk_AX9z_DwExEXMp-LpWw/s256/Oraga%20Land%20Shusai%20-%20Best%20Farmer%20Shuukakusai%20(Japan)-240227-180017.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3o7JNkCX2sIOpZwtgjaKtSrRpm0p6gimyuDKZ5yzylDrnaKYyddlTc1nnlYBqAl88o12CeC3orm_rPs5Erh1eW_pu6g-13VAFTJukPL0u0rgBjjpBkMiAh5nqZsvZlnF3uIi7p_xq5hTUAF9IJTOAfBqjybvJMlI9dITN8oGk_AX9z_DwExEXMp-LpWw/w320-h280/Oraga%20Land%20Shusai%20-%20Best%20Farmer%20Shuukakusai%20(Japan)-240227-180017.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>To make things more manic, various creatures (crows, caterpillars, monkeys, human children, and so on) will invade your field, and you've got ot shoo them away, either by running at them with your hoe, or by throwing stones at them with the same button you use to throw seeds. That button can also be used to throw what I assume must be fertiliser or something at already-planted seeds to make them grow faster. So the game boils down to planting seeds, encouraging them to grow, and also frantically fighting off the pests trying to eat your stuff, all while hoping you do it faster than your opponent. Oddly, there doesn't seem to be any way at all to affect your opponent's field, so it is completely a pure race to fulfil your quota in time, with no funny business at all. You could theoretically play this game competitively and fairly, if the desire hit you (and if you could find someone willing to be your opponent).</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwmcgVgJvx5wIdrRLG8Y1DulMODKX0oBIFBfcVycQ_dZ0tgCe9nbZTo6osZv21nvhuBgMom4qrBpiA6k_IMvErrB7s0xbIDwQyhHv1WStOPxngqpMtgviNk88as-FwQg8F9a-pRhElqRBcSGb7jMKwPOEErS-a2JhdySTqSZql234kLU1m-iWXA0ZQ0Q/s256/Oraga%20Land%20Shusai%20-%20Best%20Farmer%20Shuukakusai%20(Japan)-240227-174915.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwmcgVgJvx5wIdrRLG8Y1DulMODKX0oBIFBfcVycQ_dZ0tgCe9nbZTo6osZv21nvhuBgMom4qrBpiA6k_IMvErrB7s0xbIDwQyhHv1WStOPxngqpMtgviNk88as-FwQg8F9a-pRhElqRBcSGb7jMKwPOEErS-a2JhdySTqSZql234kLU1m-iWXA0ZQ0Q/w320-h280/Oraga%20Land%20Shusai%20-%20Best%20Farmer%20Shuukakusai%20(Japan)-240227-174915.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Oraga Land Shusai is an interesting game, and definitely a unique one. It's also something you can comfortably and idly play on a handheld while watching TV. It's nothing spectacular, though. If you're curious, give it a try, and if you're not, you won't be missing out on some great unsung classic. It's fine.</p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-19363493012204959142024-02-23T20:57:00.002+00:002024-02-23T20:57:29.024+00:00Haunted Boynight (MSX)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm16IUh155iKdNJAcKD2cc8vbYGYCeHUoBZD5j7iRVQG_o-JlZEE1C35NkpHrLaF-in9WeKc2pFvw14NrvMOnwug2UzqPtxEoij2mE7qRuf9tae9NRh0saWPKdIwbn8TGIYA1x4CMQmrWpQ7GLL2Ge4hIyEG5QciJkePoZghd1Yg2U4-Tl-udwc6ZlK4M/s272/Haunted%20Boynight%20(Japan)-240215-154637.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="272" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm16IUh155iKdNJAcKD2cc8vbYGYCeHUoBZD5j7iRVQG_o-JlZEE1C35NkpHrLaF-in9WeKc2pFvw14NrvMOnwug2UzqPtxEoij2mE7qRuf9tae9NRh0saWPKdIwbn8TGIYA1x4CMQmrWpQ7GLL2Ge4hIyEG5QciJkePoZghd1Yg2U4-Tl-udwc6ZlK4M/w400-h353/Haunted%20Boynight%20(Japan)-240215-154637.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> This game's also known as Youkai Yashiki and Haunted House. I have no idea where the "Haunted Boynight" name comes from, but that's what it's called in many romsets, and it's a lot more eyecatching than the other, probably more legitimate titles, so that's the one I'll use. It's a surprisingly complicated and ambitious platform game that's not quite a search action game, but a little more complex than a traditional platformer.<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWUNqJNmCZ0ZdGi3i273BzH5PQMWyjODTHUYxsHNtbbEbruKywV7Pn4th84RLfVaX0ZfHkNglGtYfH86Rk1rj0ObXRJDbmnhHGK2_yVNj6sr5Q-RjdXsARWVvnFZZV7kKdQRFd1rzy_rD4hUioCYiw5XR-ql08tCGhYn7PrWwuwMrN5Gd8UICZgWbFoOQ/s272/Haunted%20Boynight%20(Japan)-240215-154750.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="272" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWUNqJNmCZ0ZdGi3i273BzH5PQMWyjODTHUYxsHNtbbEbruKywV7Pn4th84RLfVaX0ZfHkNglGtYfH86Rk1rj0ObXRJDbmnhHGK2_yVNj6sr5Q-RjdXsARWVvnFZZV7kKdQRFd1rzy_rD4hUioCYiw5XR-ql08tCGhYn7PrWwuwMrN5Gd8UICZgWbFoOQ/w320-h282/Haunted%20Boynight%20(Japan)-240215-154750.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>You play as a boy, going into a haunted house to save your sister, who is apparently a renowned paranormal investigator who went missing there. (At least, that's what a comment on a Youtube playthrough says the plot is, anyway. That video and its comments being pretty much the only source of useful information on this game that I've been able to find). Your only weapon is a flashlight, which damages ghosts when its light hits them, and that's where the first really weird thing comes in. When you start the game, your flashlight is a melee weapon, but if you use it to dispell the wisps in the garden leading up to the house, it'll start shooting a projectile, until you get hit. This also does something to make you stay alive longer, but the way your health and lives work in this game is enough of a mystery that I never fully worked it out.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwilohKYRv2beS4TjXwGKnj3SFuMORFwgxiS4Q-Za-uvDW1HNTjX7ru0UFqx31sjLXITh0tiGDePg1BanjsxTek2OFPlZHjG-0QKPJJd3-HiirbB53vUppzw3klvokVeA2_xn0LKAeA7ePVxLYfxzxUCq7XBWYFSMERiDoubPXZ5xNd36mVzYCmlSuGCo/s272/Haunted%20Boynight%20(Japan)-240215-161808.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="272" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwilohKYRv2beS4TjXwGKnj3SFuMORFwgxiS4Q-Za-uvDW1HNTjX7ru0UFqx31sjLXITh0tiGDePg1BanjsxTek2OFPlZHjG-0QKPJJd3-HiirbB53vUppzw3klvokVeA2_xn0LKAeA7ePVxLYfxzxUCq7XBWYFSMERiDoubPXZ5xNd36mVzYCmlSuGCo/w320-h282/Haunted%20Boynight%20(Japan)-240215-161808.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The basic goal of each area is pretty simple: find five paper talismans, whih will then turn into a key that'll allow you into the room where the boss is. You have to find the boss room yourself, of course, and as the game goes on, the stages get bigger and more byzantine in their layout. Therer does tend to be more than five talismans in each stage, though, and your surplus get carried over. In fact, I'm pretty sure that the game is actually a big open world, with more areas getting made accessible with every boss defeat. I'm not totally sure, though, as the only time I went back to a previous stage was by accident. Because there are what look like stone firepits dotted around all the stages, and when the fire's not shooting out of the top of them, you can stand there and press down to get taken away to somewhere else that might be hell or might just be a network of caves under the house? And there are also firepits down ther that'll take you back to the house, not necesserily in the same place you left it, though.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhE97xNhH4eoinMm9FyhtcfVJI2HWYXJhji4UYajzUk9AH7_5oKA0n5FMdZ8srA5JYhuZjjvTOr6A6x1eCFUhBR9ozTtFuApHpBdcWJ9C4C5FpLGC2IAepm53tuF_uQDVjVYGtg1O-rsGrHuP8KVWStztc_Csh7HXFVbdNoh_14Zx6fWN9vt5cqCdfl-s/s272/Haunted%20Boynight%20(Japan)-240215-174122.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="272" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhE97xNhH4eoinMm9FyhtcfVJI2HWYXJhji4UYajzUk9AH7_5oKA0n5FMdZ8srA5JYhuZjjvTOr6A6x1eCFUhBR9ozTtFuApHpBdcWJ9C4C5FpLGC2IAepm53tuF_uQDVjVYGtg1O-rsGrHuP8KVWStztc_Csh7HXFVbdNoh_14Zx6fWN9vt5cqCdfl-s/w320-h282/Haunted%20Boynight%20(Japan)-240215-174122.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Another thing that won't be immediately obvious are the little monk statues standing around in certain places. If you touch them while carrying a rice ball and a depowered flashlight, they'll take the riceball and repower your flashlight. But they also have a second function! Stand in front of them and press down, and a small part of the wall or floor nearby will disappear, opening a new path. This is actually necessary to get into one of the boss rooms! The bosses themselves are the most mysterious of all. They all have one very specific weak point that's not at all obvious, and I only figured out most of them for the four bosses I fought by watching the aforementioned playthrough video. Sometimes the weak point is easy to rerach, and needs to be hit a bunch of times, sometimes it's hard to reach and only needs to be hit once. But again, in almost all cases, it's not something you're likely to figure out on your own. I wonder if all these "secret" things were listed in the manual, or if this is a game that just wanted to extend its playtime through obtusity?</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7QvfEglRYm9b3DfthwOO4bsXUF17jM3o-s5Mv5INFefOdD2q-tMqc9Hjs0daUFX0BwHmFaYDkDTmfb5gpSNRcU6xMbjWdb64RHB4t1_lHdsFqB_Avrx6PJ5xgbMpQm1TQvimwjFnbZL4TEI2xDklT_bfKJCFmzIfESKdR4vVeUmdilKS8ImL8mhWx0w/s272/Haunted%20Boynight%20(Japan)-240215-174255.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="272" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7QvfEglRYm9b3DfthwOO4bsXUF17jM3o-s5Mv5INFefOdD2q-tMqc9Hjs0daUFX0BwHmFaYDkDTmfb5gpSNRcU6xMbjWdb64RHB4t1_lHdsFqB_Avrx6PJ5xgbMpQm1TQvimwjFnbZL4TEI2xDklT_bfKJCFmzIfESKdR4vVeUmdilKS8ImL8mhWx0w/s1600/Haunted%20Boynight%20(Japan)-240215-174255.png" width="272" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>To be honest, this isn't a great game. Like I've described, it's mostly about figuring stuff out either through luck or through looking it up online. The first stage does do a good job of creating a ver Japanese haunted house atmosphere, but it's unfortunately a case of severe frontloading, and the following stages just feel like some generic 8-bit microcomputer platformer world. This isn't one you should seek out and play yourself. Maybe just play through the first stage, for the atmosphere, but don't bother going any further.</p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-68167022245302168072024-02-17T00:00:00.001+00:002024-02-17T00:00:18.067+00:00Silk (PS4)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrf4tT8nBnMaEQCD01SPEQG1NTBgoOsJYJUZInDw47NAYS1x8J9awm7Kn9t4MrBacAQe1MvB1GbtW5L3MYbYbGaLE1cp-y_5dHtirfqi4HKNiFff_IMeipMRfZZgXju22SDR9pyVe4UbgRHPDW559uNBMQvQnLBK-sgrjONIrH1ynxlmrwtdcywNmzCg/s1920/Silk_20240212220153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrf4tT8nBnMaEQCD01SPEQG1NTBgoOsJYJUZInDw47NAYS1x8J9awm7Kn9t4MrBacAQe1MvB1GbtW5L3MYbYbGaLE1cp-y_5dHtirfqi4HKNiFff_IMeipMRfZZgXju22SDR9pyVe4UbgRHPDW559uNBMQvQnLBK-sgrjONIrH1ynxlmrwtdcywNmzCg/w400-h225/Silk_20240212220153.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> Sometimes when you watch a particularly low budget horror movie or tokusatsu production, it's inspirational: these works stand as proof that it's possible to create interesting, entertaining works on modest budgets. Silk is kind of like that! Common wisdom would tell you that it's impossible to make a large scale RPG/trading sim/resource management game without a large team and the financial backing of a publisher. But here Silk is: claiming to boast the largest explorable world in videogame history, and it all appears to have been made by a solo developer (or at least, a very small team) on a shoestring budget.<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysoaYAx_b5NP6fgMx7gHngNSlN4G4eauTFceDE8xMOasKvObsxQFbZfCpPL48bSjr0RYp5mcI9OgHuV8xQcXNwT-PII7jEKpQdPnK9aW5NVDq09fX9IsaQmAKZVgXbNl-uXVngyREf7RDaOpoSutekQcZ9y6Sz6-DC9C1pEtyXOBa5eNBStYxqPumkcs/s1920/Silk_20240212221036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysoaYAx_b5NP6fgMx7gHngNSlN4G4eauTFceDE8xMOasKvObsxQFbZfCpPL48bSjr0RYp5mcI9OgHuV8xQcXNwT-PII7jEKpQdPnK9aW5NVDq09fX9IsaQmAKZVgXbNl-uXVngyREf7RDaOpoSutekQcZ9y6Sz6-DC9C1pEtyXOBa5eNBStYxqPumkcs/w320-h180/Silk_20240212221036.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Silk is an absurdly huge sandbox of a game. You start out by picking out a quest, though you really don't have to follow it if you don't want to, and you set off on your big adventure. THe name comes from the fact that you play as a trading caravan on the silk road, and as such, the aforementioned gigantic open world encompasses huge swathes of Europe, Asia, and Africa! The most basic mission is to get from the Roman empire, over to the Han empire in what is now China, and then back again. I've attempted this a couple of times now, and though I can just about manage the "getting there" part of the journey, my party always ends up starving to death in either the mountains or the desert on the way back. Or murdered by nomads, who for some reason are incredibly hostile to your little band of travellers. Even though technically, you're also nomads. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6a7OPERLkraKpNu_AOum5YcGN95ZlBiahdg8DSfv6cgVnt_VOFzbKVKPJVG0I-Xwv-QscTBHFRRgCefHRnb_EigXsN0nFe_XI7g3sw8cOrh488HB4OM6S211ixHJSuad0pu7JEHnBBcoEIS1gTiarggvsQgYKhBiAvj9vbnoJp1UvlkwackiRPJkNhY/s1920/Silk_20240212231533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6a7OPERLkraKpNu_AOum5YcGN95ZlBiahdg8DSfv6cgVnt_VOFzbKVKPJVG0I-Xwv-QscTBHFRRgCefHRnb_EigXsN0nFe_XI7g3sw8cOrh488HB4OM6S211ixHJSuad0pu7JEHnBBcoEIS1gTiarggvsQgYKhBiAvj9vbnoJp1UvlkwackiRPJkNhY/s320/Silk_20240212231533.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>You get across the world via dungeon crawler-style "blob" movement, being able to face eight directions, and move one big footstep at a time. Which is kind of how the game acieves its huge world claims: there's quite a bit of simplification and abstraction at play here. Distances are approximate, and there's a day/night cycle that goes round every few turns, and when you "enter" towns and other locations where trading is possible, it's all done via a menu. But somehow, this doesn't do anything diminish the sense of scale in the game! So much is done through clever game design that you might not even notice unless you're specifically thinking about it. For example, you start out in the Roman empire, in Europe. There's lots of water for fishing, forests for hunting, and friendly cities for trading, so you're never going to be short on food.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAgPBSzNskqwBL6LSrjfN1RUNhiC2RrpQNhiuJ5R1j7XtDkd2j8KFrQ-ywmfmCTCpczRHDq8lOeghpShg80drE8eycKzXDtvbD-tYCPXgoQ5YQTYaaStu85WAXK7hbude86HDFTqVh-WLdgFHKtOJzv3-vynrj-misCPSXmCa9kiGrbWj7NaFsVM-zFs/s1920/Silk_20240212223313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAgPBSzNskqwBL6LSrjfN1RUNhiC2RrpQNhiuJ5R1j7XtDkd2j8KFrQ-ywmfmCTCpczRHDq8lOeghpShg80drE8eycKzXDtvbD-tYCPXgoQ5YQTYaaStu85WAXK7hbude86HDFTqVh-WLdgFHKtOJzv3-vynrj-misCPSXmCa9kiGrbWj7NaFsVM-zFs/s320/Silk_20240212223313.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Your first big challenge coms when you get to the mountains: they're somewhat maze-like, there are no towns, and there's nowhere to hunt or fish. But unless you get really lost, this isn't a huge area, and once you get out, the Parthian towns on the other side are a little hostile, but they'll quickly warm up to you once you get in there and trade with them a few times. Later, though, you'll get to what the game calls the Sea of Death, which I think is supposed to be the real-life Taklamakan Desert. This place is huge, something like half as wide as all the ground you've covered before reaching it, and there's no woods, no water, and very few settlements. And a lot of the settlements that are there are surrounded and inhabited by the aforementioned very hostile nomads. So, to stand a chance of getting across here, you need to hire a bunch of guards, and also stock up on enough food to feed them for the several weeks it'll take you to get across. While you're in the desert, a little bit of flavour is also added by the unusually large amount of abandonded and ruined caravans you find, which will yield a small amount of silver, wool, and spices when you pass them. It really gets across how treacherous this terrain is, while also giving you something to trade for more food once you get to the other side and have to journey back again.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGn3PScjSrS3es_PZ0zbru-DbjBr3MnrwgZZOHupz8DpomUjkCK3lZfz6wbRt08eaBN-Dp9G6OXkplSouf2qwohwF76M8o0GKKZ54MzFxs24iu7M0r9unZ7945r7XVfuUmOL394SCdBZPTJp7udWysi_STjblm61fpQQTYHqMAgSIMRxbbuMSM8wywAU/s1920/Silk_20240212224601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGn3PScjSrS3es_PZ0zbru-DbjBr3MnrwgZZOHupz8DpomUjkCK3lZfz6wbRt08eaBN-Dp9G6OXkplSouf2qwohwF76M8o0GKKZ54MzFxs24iu7M0r9unZ7945r7XVfuUmOL394SCdBZPTJp7udWysi_STjblm61fpQQTYHqMAgSIMRxbbuMSM8wywAU/s320/Silk_20240212224601.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>While the game successfully gets across what a grand undertaking a silk road journey is, it still has the low budget charm and appeal that I mentioned back at the start of the review. All the sprites representing locations and obstacles like mountains, sand dunes, and so on all look like they were drawn using felt tip pens, and they haven't been filtered or sharpened up in any way. It creates a look for the game that really makes it very clear that it's a passion project and a work of pure creativity, and not a capitalist product that's been through focus tests and an overly powerful marketing department. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPg5T2Tc5rGw-73w8C9sth5iMt8G-QdeByIV30zAW_ptkouUQ8mEfcP4DZvoUssEzl_KH8cmZHKMTy7HBM5rUlBUt9Bp66vD3d7Qi4XdsplG5NeSjtW1EfJKnxvuLttiZsSm1GmkfLxzGyDyl2sObN15w0gXklAObedtc3Wz28izt3vsVbouxNaL5bBw/s1920/Silk_20240212221620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPg5T2Tc5rGw-73w8C9sth5iMt8G-QdeByIV30zAW_ptkouUQ8mEfcP4DZvoUssEzl_KH8cmZHKMTy7HBM5rUlBUt9Bp66vD3d7Qi4XdsplG5NeSjtW1EfJKnxvuLttiZsSm1GmkfLxzGyDyl2sObN15w0gXklAObedtc3Wz28izt3vsVbouxNaL5bBw/s320/Silk_20240212221620.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It might sound to some that I'm damning this game with faint praise, but honestly: I'd prefer it if all games were passion projects, and we never had to hear about crunch time or developers being traumatised by having to repeatedly watch real gore videos for reference or playing games that would obviously have been a thousand times better if some bean counter hadn't demanded more potential revenue streams or if some soulless animated corpse in a suit demanded less marketable elements be watered down or removed altogether. I'll be honest and say that Silk isn't really in one of my preferred genres, and it's definitely got its flaws, but it is an incredible achievement, the sense of scale is really awe-inspiring, and it represents a better way for videogames to be in the future. Furthermore, it often goes on sale for an absolute pittance, so if you want to give it a try yourself, it's not like it'll take a big investment to do so. And I definitely recommend that you do.</p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-47131331307490037432024-02-10T09:38:00.001+00:002024-02-10T09:38:22.828+00:00Crisis City (Playstation)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_9V6tz2U6hF8HfuXeBePIbXUzcx7x8diwHU2d4_wDeKygg-okE0HMEB4dXlA_3s-X0CK-1QO2H6YeQkOTfTeW6A8NtDhqSfQ4f0ZOOu-_GMkNEVka1AGp-cSPiQDB_6DVjZcrkBctJ55FF3uKW5MtYgoMsQ9i_B_5C1jpCOutC-2Nz9XEsZrMhJYoZ0/s320/Crisis%20City%20(Japan)-240120-195206.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_9V6tz2U6hF8HfuXeBePIbXUzcx7x8diwHU2d4_wDeKygg-okE0HMEB4dXlA_3s-X0CK-1QO2H6YeQkOTfTeW6A8NtDhqSfQ4f0ZOOu-_GMkNEVka1AGp-cSPiQDB_6DVjZcrkBctJ55FF3uKW5MtYgoMsQ9i_B_5C1jpCOutC-2Nz9XEsZrMhJYoZ0/w400-h300/Crisis%20City%20(Japan)-240120-195206.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> This is a game I've only got around to trying out fairly recently, and it coincidentally seems to have started to appear on a few other people's radars too (including in the comments of this very blog!). So I thought I'd better cover it before it stops being considered obscure! It's a game that attempts to answer a question I've thought about many times before, and I'm sure a lot of you have too: what if you used polygon characters on pre-rendered backgrounds like in Resident Evil and Final Fantasy VII, but for an action game? Two whole years before Capcom tried their hand at it with Dino Crisis 2, too!<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwvp8NhaHQXSkOI6JNU-Cqx66lV0PVP756O65Ev84IyYJCBEX7e5Axr-ry1AtWm0ZCCTNbXMfObm4YtymC6iUInNwfDVRP_d64nqgdH29Rl0Wv0CBnvmXoQuD9r7wDL0yU16k5paHiYrqyxCA8L2aVWuOAiW-vm3GZ-RKiauih1g1DU_Dh9q3y-36H1KY/s320/Crisis%20City%20(Japan)-240120-195652.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwvp8NhaHQXSkOI6JNU-Cqx66lV0PVP756O65Ev84IyYJCBEX7e5Axr-ry1AtWm0ZCCTNbXMfObm4YtymC6iUInNwfDVRP_d64nqgdH29Rl0Wv0CBnvmXoQuD9r7wDL0yU16k5paHiYrqyxCA8L2aVWuOAiW-vm3GZ-RKiauih1g1DU_Dh9q3y-36H1KY/s1600/Crisis%20City%20(Japan)-240120-195652.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It seems like the developers of Crisis City had a bunch of ideas for how to implement that concept into a game! There's a regular single player mode, in which you select a character and run through stages killing enemies; there's a versus mode where you select a character and fight one of the other characters in a duel (either against the CPU or another player, though unfortunately there's no arcade-style mode for fighting a series of CPU opponents, only individual battles); and a secret extra mode, which seems identical to the first mode, but there must presumably be some difference! (If anyone can figure out what the point of extra mode is, please tell me.)</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXu9pDVqG1MvoLakLOrOAZMPoIRLxRuULbbKZiObWMp0hyphenhyphendQnd09prc_Ef5sV8jLd342CwTV8HEEMbNKjEnBhRIBSRMTR8qEy5ntmgoUTujH7SEg4cluwqhTvcSECYs-iTZd1pVSC3Bo3dJ8CXyeit0hjc4M82dnAQrNMeqwNpSC0xXX5WQU6Pjb_P5M/s320/Crisis%20City%20(Japan)-240128-200816.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXu9pDVqG1MvoLakLOrOAZMPoIRLxRuULbbKZiObWMp0hyphenhyphendQnd09prc_Ef5sV8jLd342CwTV8HEEMbNKjEnBhRIBSRMTR8qEy5ntmgoUTujH7SEg4cluwqhTvcSECYs-iTZd1pVSC3Bo3dJ8CXyeit0hjc4M82dnAQrNMeqwNpSC0xXX5WQU6Pjb_P5M/s1600/Crisis%20City%20(Japan)-240128-200816.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I really wanted to like Crisis City, the concept is really cool, and aesthetically, it really lives up to the potential offered by the concept of "action game with prerendered backgrounds". I love the near-future shiny big city nighttime look and feel of it! There's also some really cool illustrations to look at while the game gives you exposition (unfortunatley in the form of scrolling Japanese text) before you start a story mode game. But beyond the excellent aesthetics is a game that's unfortunately not very fun to play, with a few small problems that all work together to the game's detriment.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8V11WrV1dXrX-M12gieHsBZOU7u9QC7Dv0puw_2pWVB97hEOiK1_V_1xgnhmE-EBYgChuwJDXL8xALPqS-Q-cA7t68VegFm33P8NWAgETHm9v3rsg4PLLE8RRSpwVj4BZvlx-4yaBBZeUSB65PwOdcTKQuAyRbS21KKMvnNOPlv7StV0SHQ7XYuoy2Ts/s320/Crisis%20City%20(Japan)-240204-192007.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8V11WrV1dXrX-M12gieHsBZOU7u9QC7Dv0puw_2pWVB97hEOiK1_V_1xgnhmE-EBYgChuwJDXL8xALPqS-Q-cA7t68VegFm33P8NWAgETHm9v3rsg4PLLE8RRSpwVj4BZvlx-4yaBBZeUSB65PwOdcTKQuAyRbS21KKMvnNOPlv7StV0SHQ7XYuoy2Ts/s1600/Crisis%20City%20(Japan)-240204-192007.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>First, it's just really fiddly. The very first thing to do when you start playing is press X to turn on lock on, as the game's unplayable without it, and even with it on, you have to be stood still and facing an enemy for it to aim at them (as despite what "lock on" sounds like, it's really more of an aiming assist). Of course, the enemies have no problems running around while shooting directly in your direction flawlessly. The second problem, and one that feels bizarrely specific, is that the game really loves putting you in situations where you might get run over by a car. It takes off half of your HP, and it's a car so it's faster than you, too. And it happens so much! Finally, there's a problem that kind of arises from the game's concept (though it could have been fixed with a little more care from the designers): it's sometimes not clear where you're supposed to go or what you're meant to do. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-awFFNjxXWhzty5AnYcBQL9eOEzS78LONagZpnQ8oRVPP6FK8mMk-2uDT_sJNRbTmzo7gKXS-1JgZ1xXYg8enI7OUalLL1PF3a1wHqEZm3C6j4p9Ylb7TQymErtbP9xUd4Oqkvmc5uNvE9D_DkjktXMG8YmKYsD0CmggtMeQpx7d7qIXGOTqNZ-11O20/s320/Crisis%20City%20(Japan)-240204-190832.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-awFFNjxXWhzty5AnYcBQL9eOEzS78LONagZpnQ8oRVPP6FK8mMk-2uDT_sJNRbTmzo7gKXS-1JgZ1xXYg8enI7OUalLL1PF3a1wHqEZm3C6j4p9Ylb7TQymErtbP9xUd4Oqkvmc5uNvE9D_DkjktXMG8YmKYsD0CmggtMeQpx7d7qIXGOTqNZ-11O20/s1600/Crisis%20City%20(Japan)-240204-190832.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>For example, there was one part in the stage that's the first stage for most characters (I guess each character has their own story, so they do things in different orders) where it seems like there's nothing to do after you've killed all of the local enemies. I even died of a time out on one attempt! It turns out that what you've got to do is completely destroy a nearby truck, which takes a lot more ammo than you might expect for something that's both essential and non-hostile, and that clears the path to the next screen. Also you take damage (and lots of it!) if you're stood too close when it explodes, which you probably will be, as since it's not an enemy, you can't lock on to it, and it's not always obvious whether or not your shots are hitting it.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2Ib4_P6tUFfcFhbjTezAwFarI2f4v1vxqTFaBQScMeP4xb-u0pTtQfm50oc8Benuw1QGCaZqk_LCgvgkZoXdJlcRu9gB58DM_ipPcYPfHluM_KnhSdzThtBNB2dTQz3_IstdySU6cfys9qBmjVtMF5ue-BBM12-BfeNUrYdyPPmGvQAM5qCEvHf-_aY/s320/Crisis%20City%20(Japan)-240204-190707.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2Ib4_P6tUFfcFhbjTezAwFarI2f4v1vxqTFaBQScMeP4xb-u0pTtQfm50oc8Benuw1QGCaZqk_LCgvgkZoXdJlcRu9gB58DM_ipPcYPfHluM_KnhSdzThtBNB2dTQz3_IstdySU6cfys9qBmjVtMF5ue-BBM12-BfeNUrYdyPPmGvQAM5qCEvHf-_aY/s1600/Crisis%20City%20(Japan)-240204-190707.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>So yeah, Crisis City is a game that looks great, and it deserves some respect for trying to pioneer a potentially cool concept (unless there's another game that did it first that I don't know about), but it just doesn't manage to get the execution right. I think you should definitely at least give it a try, just don't go in with high expectations for anything beyond the aesthetics.</p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-74860638167642419932024-02-02T23:03:00.004+00:002024-02-02T23:03:39.206+00:00Sutobasu Yarou Show (SNES)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzBaKmsXiPQaGIY8DcL3xEl0wJad-HUd5JfU-JE0ibIUsBn4C3hfuvHwGQ5kd7I66Op5KNDDlgtAt4ryN35ZutGhFlvMVo9LC8wZQpgYLAE3wHFMSBNVy1rzQa3Pl7Y9_WvEghYutco4Gal_r_52x-5cOGuijpSi29L4_DkpcUIqZXcQ_Gs2ItHAmm2fo/s256/Sutobasu%20Yarou%20Show%20(Japan)-240122-145636.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzBaKmsXiPQaGIY8DcL3xEl0wJad-HUd5JfU-JE0ibIUsBn4C3hfuvHwGQ5kd7I66Op5KNDDlgtAt4ryN35ZutGhFlvMVo9LC8wZQpgYLAE3wHFMSBNVy1rzQa3Pl7Y9_WvEghYutco4Gal_r_52x-5cOGuijpSi29L4_DkpcUIqZXcQ_Gs2ItHAmm2fo/w400-h350/Sutobasu%20Yarou%20Show%20(Japan)-240122-145636.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> Just like the last SNES game I covered, this is a licensed manga tie-in. But I think it might be notable as being the SNES game based on the least popular manga. As far as I can tell (because there's very little information out there), Sutobasu Yarou Show was a manga by Kouji Kousaka in Monthly Shonen Jump, and lasted long enough to be collected into two volumes. It has no anime adaptation, and Kouji Kousaka doesn't have any other published works, as far as I can tell. How did this get a videogame tie-in?! The answer probably lies in its subject matter: Basketball. Takehiko Inoue's Slam Dunk, which ran in Weekly Shoenen Jump in the first half of the nineties, was a huge success, to the extent that it's credited for inspiring an upsurge in the sport's popularity throughout east Asia in that time. Presumably, both the manga nad the game of Sutobasu Yarou Show were intended to ride its coattails to a quick buck.<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH6PFM54-C6Zk5nBSEBgsB86sWrHXLb65f9_RSkn1Q7SsJNi75xyTg3c247yt81F47TdQ1u6GTxFb6-6_QexfSvGIUeDxJPky_snMV_gF8fGD3vkmdH2-TE9ABXCG3b9bXRBWdbu3TwKZYQuUZuH20aSguPuBnfoN18TJHs_OpUvFRuCrXuaUNX-L7x1A/s256/Sutobasu%20Yarou%20Show%20(Japan)-240122-145325.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH6PFM54-C6Zk5nBSEBgsB86sWrHXLb65f9_RSkn1Q7SsJNi75xyTg3c247yt81F47TdQ1u6GTxFb6-6_QexfSvGIUeDxJPky_snMV_gF8fGD3vkmdH2-TE9ABXCG3b9bXRBWdbu3TwKZYQuUZuH20aSguPuBnfoN18TJHs_OpUvFRuCrXuaUNX-L7x1A/w320-h280/Sutobasu%20Yarou%20Show%20(Japan)-240122-145325.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>But anyway, this is a street basketball game, taking place on a court with only one basket, like previous subjects of this blog Jammit and Dunk Kids. Another trait it has in common with Jammit is that it's an incredibly annoying stickler for the rules. My first few attempts at playing it were severely hampered by my constantly getting fouls, for travelling, accidentally pushing an opponent,and more travelling. I don't know why sports games include the ability to accidentally trigger fouls like this, especially when it's in a way that wouldn't get you any advantage anyway. There's a jump button that seems to serve no purpose besides giving you a foul if you press it! Besides the fouls, there's some other rules in effect that are slightly annoying. For example, if your team is meant to be on the defence, but you get ahold of the ball after your opponents fumble it, you've got to pass to another player before you can try and score.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7XTtSrWiyTQGSJEk5BIx_V7Hkl8MWQnYXcafhyeEAXnssZ1m-XEnDn9Asa1kZF2QE_zvNh9VZh1_eay3Fh8OdCqSpcZh0RmSGOQLbh6Eoza8O1NCbl4H14pj2_lQrUv6pFbYA_E_8MEIuHOFe-hbUHNwQJkEJYVZUGCbe0LSshYMaImGOGmITGCT164/s256/Sutobasu%20Yarou%20Show%20(Japan)-240124-222306.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7XTtSrWiyTQGSJEk5BIx_V7Hkl8MWQnYXcafhyeEAXnssZ1m-XEnDn9Asa1kZF2QE_zvNh9VZh1_eay3Fh8OdCqSpcZh0RmSGOQLbh6Eoza8O1NCbl4H14pj2_lQrUv6pFbYA_E_8MEIuHOFe-hbUHNwQJkEJYVZUGCbe0LSshYMaImGOGmITGCT164/w320-h280/Sutobasu%20Yarou%20Show%20(Japan)-240124-222306.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Other than those little annoyances, though, this is a fairly enjoyable game. Good enough for me to persevere through at least an hour of constant losses before getting my first victory, at least. I think a big part of the game's appeal is in its presentation. Being based on a manga gives it the advantage that every player on every team (and there are three to a team) is a named character with their own unique look. So there's various different body types, and every player has a unique face, and when you pass the ball between the different members of your team, they all feel noticably different as they move around. Furthermore, there's a bunch of different stages that add some visual variety, though they don't affect how the game actually plays.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipaNYwylMKqiLASeAdm2pHRP-Pzm9iqIHdvOp5lbBu92yGXh5VBzwj0UVZFRz8zGI6Afffdp-1s_AJu9TJGPQ9tGj0NOgA9SCyG_xJ4CmOtSnb_D5N8nQr5dXQlgB5CmJWilUGsV2RUuAj5yYc6VLJzdpfYlEqE6h9hn3A7fI1A2oNW5DfPMnL-TG6hA8/s256/Sutobasu%20Yarou%20Show%20(Japan)-240124-230947.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipaNYwylMKqiLASeAdm2pHRP-Pzm9iqIHdvOp5lbBu92yGXh5VBzwj0UVZFRz8zGI6Afffdp-1s_AJu9TJGPQ9tGj0NOgA9SCyG_xJ4CmOtSnb_D5N8nQr5dXQlgB5CmJWilUGsV2RUuAj5yYc6VLJzdpfYlEqE6h9hn3A7fI1A2oNW5DfPMnL-TG6hA8/w320-h280/Sutobasu%20Yarou%20Show%20(Japan)-240124-230947.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It's also a nice surprise how diverse the characters are, too. Like, they aren't super diverse by modern standards, but while there's the usual one all-girl team, there's also a mixed gender team. And more than one team is made up of players of more than one ethnicity, too. It's not much, but it still seems like it's worthy of note to see in an early nineties sports game. Another surprise with regards to the presentation is the music: I'm no expert on the subject, but they've clearly put some effort into creating a soundtrack that comes as close as they can get to contemporaneous early nineties hip hop on the SNES. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo5bb1z2mIualskvGSpe1aMmbQMRfQ2cax5gHQembmEPoZLzhYIGVsF9K23OdM6dORGLCRSWRszKBQ-n7mxAWUoIszZjM0INvWJ_lf9-z7txO2gFd4W6Yuz-s5xG5KlC9SoJFwTTjb-ye3YKVmstS6nXlCutLmKYx1efAuLuri45pPOhMi9PmYGzpxpY0/s256/Sutobasu%20Yarou%20Show%20(Japan)-240124-231539.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo5bb1z2mIualskvGSpe1aMmbQMRfQ2cax5gHQembmEPoZLzhYIGVsF9K23OdM6dORGLCRSWRszKBQ-n7mxAWUoIszZjM0INvWJ_lf9-z7txO2gFd4W6Yuz-s5xG5KlC9SoJFwTTjb-ye3YKVmstS6nXlCutLmKYx1efAuLuri45pPOhMi9PmYGzpxpY0/w320-h280/Sutobasu%20Yarou%20Show%20(Japan)-240124-231539.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Sutobasu Yarou Show is a game that's slightly better than just okay, and it gets extra points for being unusually well-made, and for the curiosity of being based on a manga almost completely forgotten by history. Unlike a lot of games I've covered here in recent times, you should also be able to pick up a physical copy at a reasonable price too, which is nice. Finally, one of the teams in the game is named DRUGS, while the protagonist team in story mode is named JUMPS, and "JUMPS VERSUS DRUGS" sounds like it could be the name of some basketball-themed anti-drugs VHS tape to be shown in mid-nineties schools.</p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-83183720635723814662024-01-26T20:35:00.001+00:002024-01-26T20:35:08.525+00:00Shiren the Wanderer 4 Plus: THe Eye of God and the Devil's Navel (PSP)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1anTK_4nRs76bHbo4xX0J4OxdS0Lad2rqN6NmuJxydjnyACwyh3A6_y45L9irU2D5ipcMmFaeM9GgxmYQk2bY4liDZIhhx-KLQKAhJV80963FL9_XCE7XMOMelnflYdWsGYQzcvnWbFWxQ25V5gEwe0BD5biDD7PZvb8rZ9RWS8ecz40vzb8887AcBI/s960/2024-01-20-133729.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="960" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1anTK_4nRs76bHbo4xX0J4OxdS0Lad2rqN6NmuJxydjnyACwyh3A6_y45L9irU2D5ipcMmFaeM9GgxmYQk2bY4liDZIhhx-KLQKAhJV80963FL9_XCE7XMOMelnflYdWsGYQzcvnWbFWxQ25V5gEwe0BD5biDD7PZvb8rZ9RWS8ecz40vzb8887AcBI/w400-h226/2024-01-20-133729.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> Once again, a Shiren the Wanderer game has been fan-translated, so I thought it'd be worth covering, like I did with Asuka Gaiden almost exactly a year ago. Especially since I recently got the disappointing news that the translation for the first Game Boy entry in the series is on indefinite hold. I really want to see how such a complex game pans out on such low-powered host hardware! It also helps that I played a lot of this once it came out last week, finishing the main story dungeon in a couple of days.<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIf7X6NQIAR5_v9xOZeOc7Cbpgu9fkxH9cZ2PCBeLpSZSpu5FRQrBcBxFf_TZmCUiGDtj3FW5mK2AmuwWa8sogB0FN-8culxmKKsIhmkyLe4lKDIEGuXb0RQorDJx5B5X5hqHToLcuVFcem-fWrwPe5TCiebp7MOsknwXEohXkLTlK-DB7tzyyrOgcvRA/s960/2024-01-17-101229.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="960" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIf7X6NQIAR5_v9xOZeOc7Cbpgu9fkxH9cZ2PCBeLpSZSpu5FRQrBcBxFf_TZmCUiGDtj3FW5mK2AmuwWa8sogB0FN-8culxmKKsIhmkyLe4lKDIEGuXb0RQorDJx5B5X5hqHToLcuVFcem-fWrwPe5TCiebp7MOsknwXEohXkLTlK-DB7tzyyrOgcvRA/s320/2024-01-17-101229.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Unfortunately, I'll have to start the review like the game does: with a negative. One of the first things you'll see upon starting the game is probably the reason why this one never got an official translation: some absolutely horrific racist caricatures of black people. This game takes a break from the series' usual old-timey Japan setting in favour of a tropical island (and, in a rare bit of male character fanservice, Shiren gets a very skimpy little outfit for the occasion, too.) Luckily, other than the way they're drawn, the locals all talk and mostly act like normal people and not stereotypical "savage natives". Except for the short scene where they think Shiren and Koppa are monsters and try to burn them at the stake.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XqTtK4wH0Wa5wUBmABMOV_2hNVUqqVRPFGYyQtDiFU-SPtwyKjvm6lH0EKb9fkQr56ovMyMmwVyJHk6O0cJDMys95p_6rFY4lVokDBDFYWBFw8U12Vh2cn7uUBAisKlsm-9rtC7NNvHhGdnbCFW7Jk1ejsrcSNGD-ePHqs8NBTKrk1U5S-_d5Ao3_-U/s960/2024-01-19-194752.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="960" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XqTtK4wH0Wa5wUBmABMOV_2hNVUqqVRPFGYyQtDiFU-SPtwyKjvm6lH0EKb9fkQr56ovMyMmwVyJHk6O0cJDMys95p_6rFY4lVokDBDFYWBFw8U12Vh2cn7uUBAisKlsm-9rtC7NNvHhGdnbCFW7Jk1ejsrcSNGD-ePHqs8NBTKrk1U5S-_d5Ao3_-U/s320/2024-01-19-194752.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It's really a shame that the game is soiled by the presence of these character designs, as in every other respect, it's great. It plays as you'd expect from the finest series of roguelikes there is, including the series' staple of improving the towns you pass through on your journey by helping and building relationships with the people living in them, and stuff like the in-dungeon day/night cycle wherein the nights have their own monsters that can only be killed with limited-use spells. Plus, once you complete the main dungeon, there's also the traditional wealth of bonus dungeons. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHinKjcobER0fGHQz7rRtClLMh0KhsIzfsnZ3p-RQVd9rgjKkANfpUt0be7szPQRw8s4OMeSS8wsRXG3ToE0Lqe0-RoFrij3Ez7W7DS3cJjxylA0znWqyqrywKgHLWOkuyNpUqVctOGQDHUZHCQzoxDx6bk9naPpUpz0tu-vUHAPRhB9UV_erwhmYnNn4/s960/2024-01-17-104540.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="960" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHinKjcobER0fGHQz7rRtClLMh0KhsIzfsnZ3p-RQVd9rgjKkANfpUt0be7szPQRw8s4OMeSS8wsRXG3ToE0Lqe0-RoFrij3Ez7W7DS3cJjxylA0znWqyqrywKgHLWOkuyNpUqVctOGQDHUZHCQzoxDx6bk9naPpUpz0tu-vUHAPRhB9UV_erwhmYnNn4/s320/2024-01-17-104540.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>So far I've seen the monster cave, which is an old-fashioned 99 floor dungeon that doesn't allow outside items, and most of the items in there are unidentified until you use them, and the Two-Strike dungeon, which has its own special rule: any creature (including you) with more than one HP will be reduced to one HP if they take damage, and will be killed if they take damage at one HP. This makes for a fast and addictive game, especially since you still heal a hp by stepping away from an enemy once. You just have to avoid getting surrounded, or by momentarily forgetting the rules and making a silly mistake.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kRPN8F_TB_hBV-DGQjlnk6lufSXtSe-CqJ2kMImPyA63hIMTN0ru3NIIDoMw_p54JRwsVkDrH-dCBQym7l5LhtEn1QzcNuCd1j2y6GTXTQf4i2n2lgeHoSDZK-5B1d8-gWKVZydmHY1vcuqXkaTNr63Gyl9S6w45xrkP52ZccERTcaXCuMchwGFseEg/s960/2024-01-17-105557.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="960" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kRPN8F_TB_hBV-DGQjlnk6lufSXtSe-CqJ2kMImPyA63hIMTN0ru3NIIDoMw_p54JRwsVkDrH-dCBQym7l5LhtEn1QzcNuCd1j2y6GTXTQf4i2n2lgeHoSDZK-5B1d8-gWKVZydmHY1vcuqXkaTNr63Gyl9S6w45xrkP52ZccERTcaXCuMchwGFseEg/s320/2024-01-17-105557.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>As well as the game itself, there's also an enjoyable little story, which actually has an evil villain, which feels like a departure from the series' norm, which usually sees the dungeons as forces of nature that have to be traversed to obtain some mysterious treasure that'll solve some other problem. Unfortunaley, I can't really go in to any more detail than that, since the plot does have a few twists and deceitful characters that'd be spoiled by any more information than what I've given.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgt-xtl5GEXRCjNZY-c8L5CpyVMICyKxS2CJ4SEhk1rbiMPx6knZ3xzr9WeXaz0mINOV-bjJVgx7ZxiUATqKUa9h_3Yt3hFv5WJXAkvDJRJ4fLOo3FGoA5F19SD4KdwBZ2MYMH6tDZhegiYwros-fuPS2BrWfisPPwqz_Bbz08et7EW13fnHrv2SrD6w/s960/2024-01-16-142929.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="960" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIgt-xtl5GEXRCjNZY-c8L5CpyVMICyKxS2CJ4SEhk1rbiMPx6knZ3xzr9WeXaz0mINOV-bjJVgx7ZxiUATqKUa9h_3Yt3hFv5WJXAkvDJRJ4fLOo3FGoA5F19SD4KdwBZ2MYMH6tDZhegiYwros-fuPS2BrWfisPPwqz_Bbz08et7EW13fnHrv2SrD6w/s320/2024-01-16-142929.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I'm sorry to say that the racist NPCs make it very difficult to recommend The Eye of God and the Devil's Navel. In every other respect, it's an excellent game that stands well alongside its seriesmates as the pinnacle of roguelikes as a genre, plus I did really enjoy the plot, PLUS it's a fantranslation, and I always want it to be known that fantranslators are pillars of our community and their work is always values. But the NPC designs are a big, undeniable problem, and if you're like me, you're going to be playing this on a PS Vita anyway, so you might as well play that console's port of the fifth game in the series, The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate instead. <br /></p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-22614862253834766552024-01-20T12:23:00.002+00:002024-01-20T12:23:33.144+00:00Keio Flying Squadron (Mega CD)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8gswGhjgqhygWsQoZtT7yO_x-3eL2NaHdEk2q5an1ibu20nGX3xZE34Q71wbqRSZcv5y-3ZlSrsNGdWnlVh-hBrkGxVLNTk8W7szEELuhqH_W7Vdki7B5e_gT_F_IYbjdYIIsyofwoIwv-a265ShcMvTWZBZTIVRHnEm5Y5LAXolBn4EXBl6lNNdwt4/s256/Keio%20Flying%20Squadron%20(Europe)-240114-080900.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8gswGhjgqhygWsQoZtT7yO_x-3eL2NaHdEk2q5an1ibu20nGX3xZE34Q71wbqRSZcv5y-3ZlSrsNGdWnlVh-hBrkGxVLNTk8W7szEELuhqH_W7Vdki7B5e_gT_F_IYbjdYIIsyofwoIwv-a265ShcMvTWZBZTIVRHnEm5Y5LAXolBn4EXBl6lNNdwt4/w400-h350/Keio%20Flying%20Squadron%20(Europe)-240114-080900.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> This is another game where I'm not totally sure on its obscurity, but I'm going to go with the excuse that a moderately popular Mega CD game that's been mostly forgotten is still going to be obscure to most people. I wouldn't go as far as to say that any Mega CD game outside of Night Trap, Sonic CD, and Thunderhawk is obscure, but I also don't think it's too crazy a statement. But anyway, this is a game that surprisingly got a lot of coverage in UK magazines when it came out, even getting a demo disc given away with one of them!<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVrXoYw-FXDMOQANAqemwOzKapU93JU_wMjTQojtDCq24Kyeq0aFrkdd9JO6T8729jq2hKCtkyIRMICzbpsCo3bqsCZxQ-I8IFOa4443E8dqSoCwyrd98jR71YORDnUuz4ysrn1da9WigJ_DxiZEJ7ENvJT0npz45uqWYsdX4xdSrRBeL3dAjhKYRQm4/s256/Keio%20Flying%20Squadron%20(Europe)-240114-081427.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVrXoYw-FXDMOQANAqemwOzKapU93JU_wMjTQojtDCq24Kyeq0aFrkdd9JO6T8729jq2hKCtkyIRMICzbpsCo3bqsCZxQ-I8IFOa4443E8dqSoCwyrd98jR71YORDnUuz4ysrn1da9WigJ_DxiZEJ7ENvJT0npz45uqWYsdX4xdSrRBeL3dAjhKYRQm4/w320-h280/Keio%20Flying%20Squadron%20(Europe)-240114-081427.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It's a horizontal shooting game, and I think a large part of its appeal is that it was made specifically for the Mega CD, but it's also just a game that happens to be on CD instead of cartridge. Of course, there's lots of voice acting, an FMV intro, and a bunch of full screen pixel art cutscenes, plus a CD audio soundtrack, but as a game, it's just a regualr old shooting game with regular old pixel graphics. I suspect that it might take advantage of the increased onscreen colour palette the Mega CD offers over a stock Mega Drive, but it might also be that the artists were just really good atre-using colours and dithering. Maybe both!</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTTytX5atfFZcOZBgSM8-du5OiIYe-Iv3pVfvYvaVs1cb9qkL8Hg6rtpWhqHw8KPtJ_dqujK7bmU3IeDFk7BhUmG4enHf04wGUFU6lYFwVujilAbDXxUZZ1w4QRX6IoscG-nlbXebZPAYnrApKwrOMPZmfcZ5Yp7sVN_H82pOzjfTWDhnYhwPRM2K0gko/s256/Keio%20Flying%20Squadron%20(Europe)-240114-081823.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTTytX5atfFZcOZBgSM8-du5OiIYe-Iv3pVfvYvaVs1cb9qkL8Hg6rtpWhqHw8KPtJ_dqujK7bmU3IeDFk7BhUmG4enHf04wGUFU6lYFwVujilAbDXxUZZ1w4QRX6IoscG-nlbXebZPAYnrApKwrOMPZmfcZ5Yp7sVN_H82pOzjfTWDhnYhwPRM2K0gko/w320-h280/Keio%20Flying%20Squadron%20(Europe)-240114-081823.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>As for the game itself: it's pretty good! Nothing spectacular, but it does look really nice and it plays decently. I've got a few issues with it, like how your main weapon is incredibly weak before you've picked up a few power ups, and how the power up for your secondary weapon seems to take ages to cycle round to the one actually useful option. Also, it's absolutely merciless when you lose a life. It'll trick you at first into thinking it doesn't suffer from Gradius syndrome because when you die, you're only partially depowered, plus a couple of power up items appear onscreen, too. But the truth is, those power ups are all the way at the other end of the screen, and your invincibility time post-ressurection is woefuly inadequate in terms of getting you over there. There's been many times where things were going perfectly well, then I immediately lose all my lives in just a few seconds. It's infuriating, and I have to admit that Ihad to resort to using a level select cheat to take screenshots of later stages to add a bit of variety to the screenshots for this review! How shameful.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT8qLAc7NPJ-NQamINO4aZzEgwojZhYObtaYL_mEjz_2hgO0JLGrEY-7MKpHFYET_Tceb4PdXAcInG9ovvHVGMi3BE86qhJP3naQe5dhp4qL6-L2bLcWdldVM8LNJXcMGz6t3FijjSZoqR6mGF4O2QG9cvsRq5WXrHvzLYkwerj8Uf6cXj2noZ9-PNjig/s256/Keio%20Flying%20Squadron%20(Europe)-240116-101702.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT8qLAc7NPJ-NQamINO4aZzEgwojZhYObtaYL_mEjz_2hgO0JLGrEY-7MKpHFYET_Tceb4PdXAcInG9ovvHVGMi3BE86qhJP3naQe5dhp4qL6-L2bLcWdldVM8LNJXcMGz6t3FijjSZoqR6mGF4O2QG9cvsRq5WXrHvzLYkwerj8Uf6cXj2noZ9-PNjig/w320-h280/Keio%20Flying%20Squadron%20(Europe)-240116-101702.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>If wikipedia is to be believed, there's some weird stuff going on with the western versions of this game, that really flew in the face of the trends and accepted wisdom of the time. Apparently, the reason it's so aggressively odd and also set in a fantastical version of old-timey Japan is because they wanted to tap into the burgeoning popularity of anime in the US and Europe. The exact opposite of what most companies were doing up until almost a decade later! Also, Rami, the bunnygirl protagonist was intended to be bisexual? And another reason for the comedic themeing is to be as far away from the then-controversial Mortal Kombat as possible? I recommend going and reading that page, it's got an insane amont of detail for a mostly-forgotten thirty-year-old shooting game.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirz51vg3dQ71_S1CYUGwn5X2RVNAO56kX4EQoc9OCwTPKuq7-jKV3M7yyfBWi0GGOgAavrQb_jJX0NKr8UdDqIzqHoZzORSAlSVQ2e7_ravi9Nzhyphenhyphenz9337T-TzadI3afh_x3ib-yAhfHqeb-PLrZE9EnNt3O-232JGRHTJHAwXxGnh8_iytIIqBqXv3Pg/s256/Keio%20Flying%20Squadron%20(Europe)-240116-101938.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirz51vg3dQ71_S1CYUGwn5X2RVNAO56kX4EQoc9OCwTPKuq7-jKV3M7yyfBWi0GGOgAavrQb_jJX0NKr8UdDqIzqHoZzORSAlSVQ2e7_ravi9Nzhyphenhyphenz9337T-TzadI3afh_x3ib-yAhfHqeb-PLrZE9EnNt3O-232JGRHTJHAwXxGnh8_iytIIqBqXv3Pg/w320-h280/Keio%20Flying%20Squadron%20(Europe)-240116-101938.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>There's a couple more points of interest, too. The options screen, as well as looking unusually nice for an options screen, also includes the ability to slightly change the exact location of your sprite's hitbox, which is something I don't remember seeing in any other game before or since. There's also a secret hidden game! Inputting a certain sequence on the main menu takes you away to a faux-LCD (or LSI as they're called in Japan) game about a cat catching falling objects.It's not particularly exciting, but it's there, and that in itself is fairly interesting. I assume it must have been a while after the game's release that it was discovered, too, as I don't remember it ever being listed alongside the level select cheat in magazines (and hidden game cheats always stuck out to me, even for games I didn't have any access to. The very concept of them was fascinating, along with secret characters and stages back in the pre-32-bit days when those things were a lot rarer).</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8jTO7xL_6zNX2VoooxurgqVTF1SLfxvEXTNyMcwNWFY2cIB9HLV-pJqqZhvJx2Jg6RNoK9Me4uFtvEGqh-7NgYfycTo6AsrAPvL-cuv4bQv9abtjEyHVfllY0Ze4YqaOtq3R2NgWuMSdgXQSclKfiLF9A07b4rBIR91lRE9POxz3N0YNDQxe0H_IgAgM/s256/Keio%20Flying%20Squadron%20(Europe)-240114-082016.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8jTO7xL_6zNX2VoooxurgqVTF1SLfxvEXTNyMcwNWFY2cIB9HLV-pJqqZhvJx2Jg6RNoK9Me4uFtvEGqh-7NgYfycTo6AsrAPvL-cuv4bQv9abtjEyHVfllY0Ze4YqaOtq3R2NgWuMSdgXQSclKfiLF9A07b4rBIR91lRE9POxz3N0YNDQxe0H_IgAgM/w320-h280/Keio%20Flying%20Squadron%20(Europe)-240114-082016.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>One final thing I want to mention is that, as stated earlier, some of the cutscenes are FMV, and some are full screen pixel art. But somehow, the FMV looks almost as good as the pixels! It's big and colourful, and might only be bettered on the Mega CD by the ports of the Taito laserdisc games. Also, the voice acting is really reminiscent of English dubs of comedy anime from around the same time, which is nice and nostalgic, too. Keio Flying Squadron is a pretty good game, and it's full of charm, too. There are definitely better shooting games on Mega CD, but this is one that's still worth a bit of your time. The Mega CD is a system that seems to have been hit particularly hard with "the retro game curse", though, probably due to its unpopularity when it was new, so always assume that emulation is the only option for its games.</p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-58417126804063455062024-01-12T15:24:00.002+00:002024-01-12T15:24:32.280+00:00Natsuki Crisis Battle (SNES)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqE8an-_CHTlKGYS7sj1AIpEdGoEcwoFhX732r2V19r0QWT9z5yFq_Y5xq1hc6RX34Vj2rYDljxgkXT3suDsll3iWEwErOvJug7LpKM6cucfT4MxbLAEWAIch6nL97L2Ayo0DT8goQvCfTPo9XXcWmar4WQU18-itstp-imMiHwrsjkkN1rSL5Rs4SSi0/s256/Natsuki%20Crisis%20Battle%20(Japan)-240103-011320.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqE8an-_CHTlKGYS7sj1AIpEdGoEcwoFhX732r2V19r0QWT9z5yFq_Y5xq1hc6RX34Vj2rYDljxgkXT3suDsll3iWEwErOvJug7LpKM6cucfT4MxbLAEWAIch6nL97L2Ayo0DT8goQvCfTPo9XXcWmar4WQU18-itstp-imMiHwrsjkkN1rSL5Rs4SSi0/w400-h350/Natsuki%20Crisis%20Battle%20(Japan)-240103-011320.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> One of the most interesting things about the SNES back when I was first getting into emulation at the turn of the century (via the oddly xmas-themed DreamSNES emulator on Dreamcast) was that it had a ton of licensed anime tie-ins. I was just starting to really get into anime, thanks in no small part to other features of the Dreamcast, and having access to lots of games based on the likes of Dragonball Z, Sailor Moon, Gundam Wing and other 90s TV classics was great. But so entrentched was the SNES' status as the anime console of the early 90s, that it got games based on OAVs barely anyone's ever even heard of, let alone seen.<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafT92oxWz6ZBC8NE1KN9jjCbIG0hSVx-0Pf2yjEw42GWOKpb69ID7cx6eROjW5tmRTNa15OfotcphtyJ2bymaF2oEWuqrGRbDrkJlfhTpQwf-tiMp5jWf5S04-FM-Bpi4l1nH28PXmEHte6LUMmvo2yWCE0EHw0AdbRhoosTWWQkinpNX-5lhbAQ_0Kk/s256/Natsuki%20Crisis%20Battle%20(Japan)-240103-195935.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgafT92oxWz6ZBC8NE1KN9jjCbIG0hSVx-0Pf2yjEw42GWOKpb69ID7cx6eROjW5tmRTNa15OfotcphtyJ2bymaF2oEWuqrGRbDrkJlfhTpQwf-tiMp5jWf5S04-FM-Bpi4l1nH28PXmEHte6LUMmvo2yWCE0EHw0AdbRhoosTWWQkinpNX-5lhbAQ_0Kk/w320-h280/Natsuki%20Crisis%20Battle%20(Japan)-240103-195935.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Natsuki Crisis Battle is one such game, based on the OAV and manga Natsuki Crisis. The manga has never had any kind of English release, though the OAV at least got fansubbed in 2007. Anyway, it's about a schoolgirl who's good at karate, and ends up fighting people who are good at other martial arts. And so, as was the fashion at the time, this is a fighting game. There's a story mode where you can only play as Natsuki herself, plus a versus mode where you can choose your character, opponent, and stage for a single fight. Finally, there's the odd Hyaku mode, where you pick one of the characters, and fight off against (presumably) a hundred nameless opponents who gradually get stronger, all on a single health bar.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizs-RB30U4SEfFQQ4trlCM6t4s7uJ4PMltmlwY4TJepTcGNGrHVtTHIVOMF-PjJvr7iZjBM0QuSF3ELSVfdlvqPzqSS_24hRrP8LaFGtMUXfjdCJeHpI4qhtUKtt6ULJRP5DhYBVa6t7hVesif0KmllZ6NQmjg0ewKj5o351w_oUaFizPExxQ-RBkiQm4/s256/Natsuki%20Crisis%20Battle%20(Japan)-240109-012956.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizs-RB30U4SEfFQQ4trlCM6t4s7uJ4PMltmlwY4TJepTcGNGrHVtTHIVOMF-PjJvr7iZjBM0QuSF3ELSVfdlvqPzqSS_24hRrP8LaFGtMUXfjdCJeHpI4qhtUKtt6ULJRP5DhYBVa6t7hVesif0KmllZ6NQmjg0ewKj5o351w_oUaFizPExxQ-RBkiQm4/w320-h280/Natsuki%20Crisis%20Battle%20(Japan)-240109-012956.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Conspicuous by its absence, then, is a proper arcade-style mode, where you can pick any of the characters and fight all the others in turn, maybe with a character-specific ending to look forward to. While the modes that are present do offer a good few hours of fun (especially if you can get someone to play versus mode with you), this omission does hurt the game a lot, I feel. There's a lot working in the game's favour too, though: the realatively lo-fi feel of the fights is a nice change of pace, the small-but-detailed sprites look great(Rina, the wrestling character, has some really great-looking specials, in particular), as do the back grounds, and in the biggest surprise of all for a little-known licensed tie-in, it's a game that has a few ideas ahead of its time!</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp_oFIGHVhL3q30Xt9VvmxBAX5HovAQMKG6ctT9A6newQgH4hh4lqYenUpUsgqn-1jG9bQCXgQ6NLHIl7iZlNgT6Pzgz4ViH_R0xeLh7vlTIZaBmwsPC7JCMUtHSNU3yA0pzJylgz9nigOl576I15QRY1jjKg9DuYyB7Y-MPMD5AxZ97MLnQwFKUG_CJc/s256/Natsuki%20Crisis%20Battle%20(Japan)-240109-012511.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp_oFIGHVhL3q30Xt9VvmxBAX5HovAQMKG6ctT9A6newQgH4hh4lqYenUpUsgqn-1jG9bQCXgQ6NLHIl7iZlNgT6Pzgz4ViH_R0xeLh7vlTIZaBmwsPC7JCMUtHSNU3yA0pzJylgz9nigOl576I15QRY1jjKg9DuYyB7Y-MPMD5AxZ97MLnQwFKUG_CJc/s1600/Natsuki%20Crisis%20Battle%20(Japan)-240109-012511.png" width="256" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>First, it's the earliest fighting game of which I'm aware that has character with more than one costume. Not just different colour palletes, Natsuki and Rina have entirely different outfits in story mode than they do in all the other modes, meaning they essentially had to have been drawn and animated twice. Furthermore, there's forwards and backwards dashing! This had already been done (and better) in Asuka 120% Burning Festival a year prior, but I think this is the first I've seen it done in a console game. And on top of that, it does it in an interesting, idiosyncratic way: the shoulder buttons make you dash in their respective directions, and when you deash towards your opponent, it comes with a built-in attack, with a different attack happening if you hold up on the d-pad while doing it!</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifn0ERN4C-JRDYo7oo43SSwv3n7RfyRo4iruqtenjnrpgrhqUTX1qER-g4zzb9Hof5sE2X9CTHONbOgzv7jtu__3_QNvmB4AwdcJ7WEkccF2vJ0ybiyjX4pAG5essjj6LANv_xONFtPOsqSa0IMGgnlGgi-mlf0vzN8YcpwpXDee9WQaQ8VZ-hyr2EgKg/s256/Natsuki%20Crisis%20Battle%20(Japan)-240109-011415.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifn0ERN4C-JRDYo7oo43SSwv3n7RfyRo4iruqtenjnrpgrhqUTX1qER-g4zzb9Hof5sE2X9CTHONbOgzv7jtu__3_QNvmB4AwdcJ7WEkccF2vJ0ybiyjX4pAG5essjj6LANv_xONFtPOsqSa0IMGgnlGgi-mlf0vzN8YcpwpXDee9WQaQ8VZ-hyr2EgKg/w320-h280/Natsuki%20Crisis%20Battle%20(Japan)-240109-011415.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Natsuki Crisis Battle isn't a timeless classic, and it's not the best SNES anime fighting game, either (since that's obviously the unassailable Gundam Wing Endless Duel). But it is a very interesting and charming game, and I think those things are at least as important as being good. Maybe more, even. It's definitely worth an hour or two of your time, at least.</p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-53831316447838628222024-01-06T00:26:00.001+00:002024-01-06T00:26:10.268+00:00Gensokyo Pro Wrestling Muscle Tag Match (PC)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgng6G39daIfgi7ttTKZNRYXm-kn-aycxSrK921MWHcpfZCyaMD5jUJ9gI66zPMf-wngxKpSnqzdQCCBFhWdMZVkLpccj7YS7jaNhyphenhyphenSEjYBamkiDDAfL0WAsdcOYGrPNMJyo8EHFADeXLvRdL6WiqAEjdM2VtLxFP1FEwYNuPRMmu6PAkkBO-tGx56SpEs/s516/Unknown%202024-01-02%2014-40-07-84.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="516" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgng6G39daIfgi7ttTKZNRYXm-kn-aycxSrK921MWHcpfZCyaMD5jUJ9gI66zPMf-wngxKpSnqzdQCCBFhWdMZVkLpccj7YS7jaNhyphenhyphenSEjYBamkiDDAfL0WAsdcOYGrPNMJyo8EHFADeXLvRdL6WiqAEjdM2VtLxFP1FEwYNuPRMmu6PAkkBO-tGx56SpEs/w400-h336/Unknown%202024-01-02%2014-40-07-84.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> In the early 00s, there was a craze among doujin game developers to remake aracde and Famicom games from the eighties, but reskin them with the settings and characters of the various visual novels and slice of life manga that were popular at the time: To Heart, Azumanga Daioh, Clannad, and so on. A few years later, that trend was replaced with a slightly different one that still doesn't seem to have gone away even now: remaking arcade and Famicom games from the eighties, but reskinning them with the setting and characters from the Touhou series of shooting games. This is one such example, remaking Kinnikuman Muscle Tag Match (also known as Tag Team Match: M.U.S.C.L.E, because Americans in the eighties and nineties were just addicted to pointlessly rebranding Japanese properties).<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwwqLBa79_nA4XMlXEdCzgaeqbosVxPXdJ8BK6HKYm_kJ3wNkhgulQw3jcwg6ZkfgUl03X66i-Cldg4tpxYi_l4Xz4EPDkWJ8c_6WdX0JD_9fnI773lsShHqcbdnbgyNDzYB8Y_Tr3cle0AeRsLvBxMCW8OYUAjncAQ4iAWrT0CKTzYSUSwUu_01herY/s516/Unknown%202023-08-14%2021-47-08-26.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="516" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwwqLBa79_nA4XMlXEdCzgaeqbosVxPXdJ8BK6HKYm_kJ3wNkhgulQw3jcwg6ZkfgUl03X66i-Cldg4tpxYi_l4Xz4EPDkWJ8c_6WdX0JD_9fnI773lsShHqcbdnbgyNDzYB8Y_Tr3cle0AeRsLvBxMCW8OYUAjncAQ4iAWrT0CKTzYSUSwUu_01herY/s320/Unknown%202023-08-14%2021-47-08-26.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I assume the developers of this game must have had some strong nostalgia for their source material, as it's a terrible game. Awkward, fiddly, and buggy to the point of being close to non-functioning. This remake is at least better than it in the respect that it does actually work properly, and it's also a lot more colourful and has much bigger sprites than its inspiration. It still suffers from its biggest problem, though, which is unavoidable as its a fundamental one: this is a wrestling game with barely any wrestling in it.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShnoAfFmbcgx1mV6EC2sokci4PEqCWvjcR6dwL9DXaOkwnCxSjSOcsknPcD36kdICRyziDG89oXVDBSPlVJd-gY7M-Ds4b_ix1Rdv8LP7AdSOAH7xIVAa9p9M4e0XBBWoRVLk4oJgZtpfL7XPnepYeAAFaaGm6luAwMIZBAQsKHwqMthHVHk_AxWH3vw/s516/Unknown%202023-08-14%2021-47-56-21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="516" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShnoAfFmbcgx1mV6EC2sokci4PEqCWvjcR6dwL9DXaOkwnCxSjSOcsknPcD36kdICRyziDG89oXVDBSPlVJd-gY7M-Ds4b_ix1Rdv8LP7AdSOAH7xIVAa9p9M4e0XBBWoRVLk4oJgZtpfL7XPnepYeAAFaaGm6luAwMIZBAQsKHwqMthHVHk_AxWH3vw/s320/Unknown%202023-08-14%2021-47-56-21.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>You pick two characters to form your tag team, and you'll fight other teams in the ring. Fighting mainly consists of just walking up to your opponent and punching them, or bouncing off the ropes for a flying punch. If you manage to get behind your opponent and press the attack button, you'll do a German suplex, and there seems to be some way for performing a running neckbreaker, though there's a chance that it just happens randomly. Occasionally, a glowing orb will enter the ring, and collecting it temporarily increases your attack power, and your movement and recovery speeds. Also, when you're powered up, you'll sometimes do a huge dramatic finishing move that summons portraits of other characters looking on in awe and instantly wins the round. But like the neckbreaker, this seems to be a random occurance.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQNiuTHsIXyuP1o2E3Q6msTZApGGnsbtakNza4yNzYDMVMk12pfsvJ9vUKMBXWL3hhzmuNl4Du1wUrgNVTcrT0sEnqgC71uw-Kz2V-eiXLZoaDdLkfFiJWsBoTfPDVNjxOahXSBX76kEWs2t2NktjW-Fg2FPRJkKlkgC1ic4c5xIugpqYghyphenhyphenJon80j48/s516/Unknown%202023-08-14%2021-53-01-19.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="516" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQNiuTHsIXyuP1o2E3Q6msTZApGGnsbtakNza4yNzYDMVMk12pfsvJ9vUKMBXWL3hhzmuNl4Du1wUrgNVTcrT0sEnqgC71uw-Kz2V-eiXLZoaDdLkfFiJWsBoTfPDVNjxOahXSBX76kEWs2t2NktjW-Fg2FPRJkKlkgC1ic4c5xIugpqYghyphenhyphenJon80j48/s320/Unknown%202023-08-14%2021-53-01-19.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>There's not much more to say about this game. It's a slightly improved remake of a terrible game, and neither are really worth your time. I don't think there's anyone out there who's attempting to play every Touhou fangame in existence, but such a person is really the only one who should bother with this. Or someone seeking out obscure games to review, I guess. It's not painful to play or anything, and I did once play it for almost half an hour before getting bored of it. But still: don't even waste the time it would take to track a copy down, let alone the time you'd spend playing it.</p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-61101243711036870922023-12-23T18:11:00.002+00:002023-12-23T18:11:28.222+00:00Gungage (Playstation)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT32jlq_bdPSgy7OR0p3p2faeYV6pCjmrrNjKT-Pa7b6lXfSWs9tfubeFNFs2x7Nx5yGuBR6cqffel9Hh7RsIhcwvo9DeM9YhF2WuUceyhqBQ27MSbmvPKxDahKoI81-XOix3LngBQftHYBEtei-icQ5-x68FEkpt6Zi1HYUJKTVKDbn78JhI0uNNQYzk/s640/Gungage%20(Europe)-231220-012027.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT32jlq_bdPSgy7OR0p3p2faeYV6pCjmrrNjKT-Pa7b6lXfSWs9tfubeFNFs2x7Nx5yGuBR6cqffel9Hh7RsIhcwvo9DeM9YhF2WuUceyhqBQ27MSbmvPKxDahKoI81-XOix3LngBQftHYBEtei-icQ5-x68FEkpt6Zi1HYUJKTVKDbn78JhI0uNNQYzk/w400-h320/Gungage%20(Europe)-231220-012027.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> Something that I've been thinking of with regards to current videogames is the way in which certain control schemes have become ubiquitous, and the way in which this makes it difficult for games to have their own identity beyond feeling like reskins of the same basic concept. "Current" isn't really accurate of this phenomenon, come to think of it: I remember playing Gears of War and Army of Two on the same day at a friend's house fifteen years ago, and they felt like exactly the same game, except one had you shooting aliens, and one had you shooting people of colour.<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNw0rP4se72OupXef0_9FrZOBmpw7d5fYYXUbzSBCKcyNHZKpgU4V7KVqF5-1Z5vlzAvSwmgDx19VVlp35SgpHCmqPNztW-zF2bYydOTPKgkXb2qJ3SF506jVdw0P4po6bvdv-5D9DP_o4IeSIjjb-Vhz3eC2LtDwRe6OqxSEc328j5_UL0VXtp66fBoA/s320/Gungage%20(Europe)-231211-022433.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="320" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNw0rP4se72OupXef0_9FrZOBmpw7d5fYYXUbzSBCKcyNHZKpgU4V7KVqF5-1Z5vlzAvSwmgDx19VVlp35SgpHCmqPNztW-zF2bYydOTPKgkXb2qJ3SF506jVdw0P4po6bvdv-5D9DP_o4IeSIjjb-Vhz3eC2LtDwRe6OqxSEc328j5_UL0VXtp66fBoA/s1600/Gungage%20(Europe)-231211-022433.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Those are both third person shooters, and obviously, both are hurt by the way in which that genre had become "solved" and homogenised in the years leading up to their release, causing the situation which I described in the first paragraph, whereby it becomes more difficult for games in a "solved" genre to carve an identity for themselves. Gungae is also a third person shooter, from a much earlier point in the genre's existence, and as such, it doesn't use the now standardised controls of "left stick to move, right stick to aim, right shoulder to shoot". It's got controls that, on paper, sound like they'd be awkward and difficult to play with: the d-pad is used for turning and moving forwards and backwards, with strafing mapped to L1 and R1. (Note: Gungage did come out after the Dual Shock controller, so could theoretically hve used the standard control scheme. In fact, Love and Destroy, which released on Playstation six months after Gungage actually does use that control scheme!) </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkixdt7r8HhyQ3ZXhMjvbXn4vMcxlTT3Gh5vnnNsFQKryFrT3goOhjZd5ijHgfM8j2-WnKeYOKICb7ziQF-x93IFb3iy0bLKXuc2iVOVr4lWdbZsLbYL4IrCivQKVrTzqjhvEJbkGJkdO4KsedDXOtLkN-w14oFCA9cp63p0rNu1413Gu5zkW5WWoxm8/s320/Gungage%20(Europe)-231211-150931.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="320" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkixdt7r8HhyQ3ZXhMjvbXn4vMcxlTT3Gh5vnnNsFQKryFrT3goOhjZd5ijHgfM8j2-WnKeYOKICb7ziQF-x93IFb3iy0bLKXuc2iVOVr4lWdbZsLbYL4IrCivQKVrTzqjhvEJbkGJkdO4KsedDXOtLkN-w14oFCA9cp63p0rNu1413Gu5zkW5WWoxm8/s1600/Gungage%20(Europe)-231211-150931.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Anyway, despite the entirety of the past two paragraphs, I'm not saying that the modern standard 3D action game control layout is bad, but rather it's the monolithic ubiquity of it that's bad: You can make games that control differently! It's okay! (Furthermore, the same thing can be seen in other genres to a lesser extent. I think if you were to release a Mercs/Commando/etc. style top down shooter now, you'd get people asking why you didn't use twinstick controls.) So Gungage, then. The reason I'm using this game to talk about this subject is that it has a bunch of playable characters. Four in total, though I've only been able to unlock three so far: Wakle Skade the typical late 90s protagonist, Kard Berdysh the big rectangular military officer, and Steyr Harquebus the rebel terrorist girl.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJTlEUE4sm-RxC55Hi9rylOmeG0IJKdzSWWwbi8G3s7wmhS8bD6Hg-hanPcW9GAw5dvSOG5UjM726W1rUeCS551vTtlUGqLr9kgZY9kyJQkimhyphenhyphenZQL3oo8nma8Y_HvComkHK61ll6HZRN1PrDOTO5skJ1-3bTL_BGPibphHayCypyCF0nXYT306IpEoB8/s320/Gungage%20(Europe)-231211-143749.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="320" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJTlEUE4sm-RxC55Hi9rylOmeG0IJKdzSWWwbi8G3s7wmhS8bD6Hg-hanPcW9GAw5dvSOG5UjM726W1rUeCS551vTtlUGqLr9kgZY9kyJQkimhyphenhyphenZQL3oo8nma8Y_HvComkHK61ll6HZRN1PrDOTO5skJ1-3bTL_BGPibphHayCypyCF0nXYT306IpEoB8/s1600/Gungage%20(Europe)-231211-143749.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>What's significant is that though they go through the same areas (albeit in different orders, and sometimes with different enemies and slightly different layouts), and despite the fact that they're all obviously in the same game, all the characters feel completely different to each other as you play as them. It's not as simple as Kard being tougher and slower, or Wakle being the all-rounder, but they also have completely different main weapons, their super-weapons work in completely different ways, and the way they move all feel differently to each other. Wakle's got an automatic pistol, Kard has a big cannon with four different firing modes for different situations, and Steyr has a gatling gun that's as tall as her, yet she can run around firing like nobody's business. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0aYjM58VRu_yyp47QyoWTpbJQprVO173lczJ-cQc2mDx9FEdqaPYowy8ievzFa-Nng5X2CeYsPjOwUtTRBfOSmAvj-OHRA11hYtgUOatoyhebGLgotLdp4dL8U7LsQWkQzy3i-IjdfVKX6Hu_37EI3FTOFn2To8Lmd-WjC17E7qX4L369LF64eWy4ZF8/s320/Gungage%20(Europe)-231220-014559.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="320" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0aYjM58VRu_yyp47QyoWTpbJQprVO173lczJ-cQc2mDx9FEdqaPYowy8ievzFa-Nng5X2CeYsPjOwUtTRBfOSmAvj-OHRA11hYtgUOatoyhebGLgotLdp4dL8U7LsQWkQzy3i-IjdfVKX6Hu_37EI3FTOFn2To8Lmd-WjC17E7qX4L369LF64eWy4ZF8/s1600/Gungage%20(Europe)-231220-014559.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>More important than them all feeling different to each other, they also all feel great to play as. Wakle introduces you to the way movement and aiming work in the game at their most basic levels, Kard has you trying your hardest not to get hit while firing your slow, devastating arsenal (as well as picking the best of his weapons for each situation), and Steyr has you running and flipping around, shooting enemies and dodging their attacks with agility and grace, almost like a character from a more modern character action game like Bayonetta or the later entries in the Oneechanbara series. Furthermore, the stages themselves are designed in such a way that they're interesting to traverse and explore. You never feel lost, but you always feel like you can run around and seek out secrets. AND! The fact that the different characters do reach them at different times, with different enemies, and so on, really makes them feel like actual locations, where different things are happening in them at different times. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ElNDXk0k0NNebZNbK3JSgLu6IZoz-XnTnKnYnBJQGdyGUySwijPMHKxd6elCqOf7o-Vdafyx5WiXUxU_8UBviCM2YoML9n6o9cBMJAlNNstMGH412Da0krM90xD1ihadKllqCYcvM9stVk0SSVNxfhTyLo-bCE4KdIUQyhq5WIyIy3dYk5RmAA_t9sg/s320/Gungage%20(Europe)-231220-015330.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="320" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ElNDXk0k0NNebZNbK3JSgLu6IZoz-XnTnKnYnBJQGdyGUySwijPMHKxd6elCqOf7o-Vdafyx5WiXUxU_8UBviCM2YoML9n6o9cBMJAlNNstMGH412Da0krM90xD1ihadKllqCYcvM9stVk0SSVNxfhTyLo-bCE4KdIUQyhq5WIyIy3dYk5RmAA_t9sg/w320-h256/Gungage%20(Europe)-231220-015330.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Gungage is an excellent game, and one that's worth the time of anyone with even a passing interest in 3D action games. It's a mystery and a shame that it's not more well known. It actually did get a western release, and I don't remember anyone talking about it at that time. I didn't even see it in magazines! A new 3D action game from Konami, a year after their massive hit Metal Gear Solid, and it somehow just slipped under the radar? Madness. Fix the mistakes of the past, and play Gungage now. (But as always, don't pay the ludicrous online prices it fetches.)</p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-20517631386398808032023-12-16T20:04:00.000+00:002023-12-16T20:04:09.755+00:00Nosferatu (SNES)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7JKx3eSi60551n6ATLy_xI-sGakfb27zI5zLdrFjdboY7AdtvAaM4oNgGJusOpVDASwjpxcQcQBFAPuuGntG8OH1g4kzCCEH1ur-opRCatrFDqXmwCEZ9t3MriIRyYmtIL5s_3d4bCq_dCp1karxFjknPczFF3jBTcS_PkKLy6-GyFKKY8wtDENBLLo/s256/Nosferatu%20(USA)-231206-214013.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7JKx3eSi60551n6ATLy_xI-sGakfb27zI5zLdrFjdboY7AdtvAaM4oNgGJusOpVDASwjpxcQcQBFAPuuGntG8OH1g4kzCCEH1ur-opRCatrFDqXmwCEZ9t3MriIRyYmtIL5s_3d4bCq_dCp1karxFjknPczFF3jBTcS_PkKLy6-GyFKKY8wtDENBLLo/w400-h350/Nosferatu%20(USA)-231206-214013.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> It's incredibly easy to explain the idea behind Nosferatu: it simply asks "what if Prince of Persia was a beat em up and also Castlevania?". Though, it seems that the beat em up element gradually withers away as the game goes on. But anyway, that's the main thing: your main character (an average American teenage jock) runs and jumps and slides like the aforementioned Prince, but he's got punch combos and ducks and weaves like a boxer.<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7shpYx3hRtmfehS0Zezqs0OBMTcytJVo2qaL6ka5EobAOLpeEedc70GJMPmNzcUjhqPMcjgd5cgrm1OlCW9GonLUmWAf5pTqI-ciPvwFTiHxaeW0pskovoywaq7WE96l7eOwpPEBLp3y-LvXhdzdmPvx8FE1YOfAjcD3EYmPf-Pb3oCHe_LKSBUuSUvI/s256/Nosferatu%20(USA)-231201-014231.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7shpYx3hRtmfehS0Zezqs0OBMTcytJVo2qaL6ka5EobAOLpeEedc70GJMPmNzcUjhqPMcjgd5cgrm1OlCW9GonLUmWAf5pTqI-ciPvwFTiHxaeW0pskovoywaq7WE96l7eOwpPEBLp3y-LvXhdzdmPvx8FE1YOfAjcD3EYmPf-Pb3oCHe_LKSBUuSUvI/w320-h280/Nosferatu%20(USA)-231201-014231.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The plot's barely worth mentioning, so this is all it's going to get: your girlfriend's been taken by a vampire, and you've got to go and save her. This vampire is even more wealthy than most, owning several mansions, castles, and other large domiciles that you've got to get through to get him, and of course, they're all full of various minions to fight. Including, as the second boss, a pair of evil orangutans, which was fun to see.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKBsiPRvyX3nI2yRXdcNqdhIp2kuBrvyecIwHgBJX3gPYxQplu0DIy88EBtEMktbfPuv2LL7g6wIowFD5-ZlTKDDoOHe7qY-MTjSmO0xgdVj5dw7FWIIW_xGLnpSSkynekKpNMdTMkCIii9M3swvBYAT86KYLVSs1RHhT3sppsuh0o3E_9fvOFCQdRPE/s256/Nosferatu%20(USA)-231208-232111.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKBsiPRvyX3nI2yRXdcNqdhIp2kuBrvyecIwHgBJX3gPYxQplu0DIy88EBtEMktbfPuv2LL7g6wIowFD5-ZlTKDDoOHe7qY-MTjSmO0xgdVj5dw7FWIIW_xGLnpSSkynekKpNMdTMkCIii9M3swvBYAT86KYLVSs1RHhT3sppsuh0o3E_9fvOFCQdRPE/w320-h280/Nosferatu%20(USA)-231208-232111.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>A lot of effort has clearly been put into your guy's combat prowess, with his main stock in trade being punch combos, but he also counts shoulder tackles, roundhouse kicks, and more in his repetoire. There's even a vague kind of levelling system: collecting red crystals gradually unlocks more moves, but it's not permanent, as falling over (whether through monster attacks, traps, or general clumsiness) makes you drop your crystals. With all that in mind, it's a surprise that as the game goes on, it seems to de-emphasise combat in favour of platforming challenges.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZQVvEtLo82P0_L1IMLfOY9Sr3mtYK_6BNNiTpac-C8teKguN9XrtGdTYyKPqPZ4WgmFKXq5d7KLgVxUon4aViWgaYX02U_xa6UtgLiE_i230KtiUoSXu_XmqhG51qcyTrsNCoqspfj_JJEXnn5PX-PkFFpdkbNWx3gAcd0ye6xPx3VtXSkAXy-lzLBE/s256/Nosferatu%20(USA)-231207-221228.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZQVvEtLo82P0_L1IMLfOY9Sr3mtYK_6BNNiTpac-C8teKguN9XrtGdTYyKPqPZ4WgmFKXq5d7KLgVxUon4aViWgaYX02U_xa6UtgLiE_i230KtiUoSXu_XmqhG51qcyTrsNCoqspfj_JJEXnn5PX-PkFFpdkbNWx3gAcd0ye6xPx3VtXSkAXy-lzLBE/w320-h280/Nosferatu%20(USA)-231207-221228.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>There are still plenty of enemies as the game goes on, but fighting them becomes so inconvenient and time-consuming that they're more like aggressive, mobile obstacles that you're better off going around than through. Instead, the game starts to focus more and more heavily on platforming challenges, which really shows a lot of confidence on the part of the stage designers: everything hinges upon how well they're put together and they can't just rely on taking up more of the player's time by increasing numbers here and there, especially since the game also imposes pretty strict time limits. It's a testament to that skill on the part of the designers that I was just barely able to scrape through to the third stage.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjAvlBj5UYa2Vc60LMZ-MoJrj2AaTl3tur9eylrhvZ5Ob_pvCdYs09NWcUkR4W6sKcf9eKFr6kTXKozBN2UhvAEna1i7c7bG2aCZaijnxutKvAeBH1cOWgpxjdtEn6y2RKMbSVo3WNZcWPFsd5ufD6iAR9ahAYt3SIejNU21MBaEulCK_zcxBG7vcEHM/s256/Nosferatu%20(USA)-231206-214332.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="256" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjAvlBj5UYa2Vc60LMZ-MoJrj2AaTl3tur9eylrhvZ5Ob_pvCdYs09NWcUkR4W6sKcf9eKFr6kTXKozBN2UhvAEna1i7c7bG2aCZaijnxutKvAeBH1cOWgpxjdtEn6y2RKMbSVo3WNZcWPFsd5ufD6iAR9ahAYt3SIejNU21MBaEulCK_zcxBG7vcEHM/w320-h280/Nosferatu%20(USA)-231206-214332.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Getting that far already required near-perfect timing and dexterity, and having to maneuver safely through multiple traps and stage elements at a time. I think anyone looking for proper spatial platforming challenges is definitely going to be satisfied by Nosferatu. Most people will probably hit a brick wall in their progress pretty early on like I did, but at least while they're getting to that wall, the game looks and feels luxurious. It could just as much be an early Playstation or Saturn game as it is a mid-life SNES game, and no-one would bat an eye. There's even some psuedo-FMV CG cutscenes! Either way, Nosferatu is at least worth some of your time.</p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-58175176722920098992023-12-08T23:37:00.002+00:002023-12-08T23:37:08.173+00:00Moldorian: The Sisters of Light and Darkness (Game Gear)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWE5dd4Ef6zU80BiUxoftdIdjqGHQXfM6eIH5FX9Wg_nBW_ZjsmwOdC1bAh8M8owGINM0lJWvPfRIJOBAnfjzlipvV1_U-BU_2sb01umRHe7mL92evL6q1_sUPMFAYGuCTVSGZ24Wip0hxFFWF0oDP3OQGnusIyWutjCmYNl4UCHw0oHTD29_5t1gZhtM/s160/Moldorian%20-%20The%20Sisters%20of%20Light%20and%20Darkness%20(Japan)%20%5BT-En%20by%20Supper%20v1.1%5D%20%5Bn%5D-231119-232351.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="160" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWE5dd4Ef6zU80BiUxoftdIdjqGHQXfM6eIH5FX9Wg_nBW_ZjsmwOdC1bAh8M8owGINM0lJWvPfRIJOBAnfjzlipvV1_U-BU_2sb01umRHe7mL92evL6q1_sUPMFAYGuCTVSGZ24Wip0hxFFWF0oDP3OQGnusIyWutjCmYNl4UCHw0oHTD29_5t1gZhtM/w400-h360/Moldorian%20-%20The%20Sisters%20of%20Light%20and%20Darkness%20(Japan)%20%5BT-En%20by%20Supper%20v1.1%5D%20%5Bn%5D-231119-232351.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> Long before this game had an English translation patch, I was curious about it. The boxart looks interesting, and there's something about the title that made it sound like it might be a little more interesting than most 8-bit RPGs. Like, "Moldorian: The Sisters of Light and Darkness" sounds like it has a more specific vision in mind for its story than more vague titles like Final Fantasy, Phantasy Star, and Dragon Quest, right? Unfortunately, in most aspects, it's as generic as can be, and as soon as I stop typing this review, I'll probably immediately forget everything I know about it.<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDhgRidQA7HS9cBpCBGL9Wqs1MIWPbGLJcE8DXDdIq9rQhyphenhyphen6kB_KtQW_YtunDvK8A3HPZ5wJgjTvQ7ryQozgtI9MWoNHS3nJyA_V87U-oCxzx8MExZgfauypwxJ4hNppoQshHC61G_sbb-98nIkUI0wcs0n1khN17_qJkaEd99XYa25BmeOQGsJPRyto/s160/Moldorian%20-%20The%20Sisters%20of%20Light%20and%20Darkness%20(Japan)%20%5BT-En%20by%20Supper%20v1.1%5D%20%5Bn%5D-231119-232623.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="160" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDhgRidQA7HS9cBpCBGL9Wqs1MIWPbGLJcE8DXDdIq9rQhyphenhyphen6kB_KtQW_YtunDvK8A3HPZ5wJgjTvQ7ryQozgtI9MWoNHS3nJyA_V87U-oCxzx8MExZgfauypwxJ4hNppoQshHC61G_sbb-98nIkUI0wcs0n1khN17_qJkaEd99XYa25BmeOQGsJPRyto/w320-h288/Moldorian%20-%20The%20Sisters%20of%20Light%20and%20Darkness%20(Japan)%20%5BT-En%20by%20Supper%20v1.1%5D%20%5Bn%5D-231119-232623.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The game starts with a bit of ludonarrative dissonance, as everyone seems eager to tell you what a useless milksop you are, and how you'd be long dead if your childhood friend wasn't always looking out for you. But then you and said friend go out into the nearby forest on some minor fetch quest, and she's significantly weaker than you in every respect. Then, when it comes to entering the deeper forest where the first boss is, she gets scared and waits outside. This turns out to be a bad idea, since it's durig this time that she gets kidnapped by a flying monster. And so, your actual quest starts: to save the weak and defenceless damsel who's also you big sister figure who always has to protect you.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxMwD1HwWgK3rxTStrjdLa5D1VVLx13bVrvjfjW0chJDIp1c9Usqc5tHr8VWTCZ3H84Og4CpoTPXuqvax9E_FrNHAwr-LZcX0pJzngAKMzwM9our3hqKDS-hPNYw_59EECV_bDILngYO_SSDFOYRFRDjrzBUzHphGMpr1qqM8ZurfbJu-gdYmtMSKCaM/s160/Moldorian%20-%20The%20Sisters%20of%20Light%20and%20Darkness%20(Japan)%20%5BT-En%20by%20Supper%20v1.1%5D%20%5Bn%5D-231120-151010.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="160" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxMwD1HwWgK3rxTStrjdLa5D1VVLx13bVrvjfjW0chJDIp1c9Usqc5tHr8VWTCZ3H84Og4CpoTPXuqvax9E_FrNHAwr-LZcX0pJzngAKMzwM9our3hqKDS-hPNYw_59EECV_bDILngYO_SSDFOYRFRDjrzBUzHphGMpr1qqM8ZurfbJu-gdYmtMSKCaM/w320-h288/Moldorian%20-%20The%20Sisters%20of%20Light%20and%20Darkness%20(Japan)%20%5BT-En%20by%20Supper%20v1.1%5D%20%5Bn%5D-231120-151010.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I think I've played about six to eight hours, and the story doesn't get any more interesting or original in that time. There's a part where you have to take a secret exit tunnel out of a palace that's gone into lockdown, part where you have to get a rare fruit to make special medicine, and so on. The one interesting plot element that turned up is that a werepanther rescues your party at one point, before running away again. I suspect that this werepanther might be your dad, who went missing after going to rescue your friend slightly before you did. But this dangling thread isn't enough to keep me playing the game, so I guess I'll never know.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC0FNCrRS6mdo2URIXmKVQ3QXySpQtlXOFpIi2Gb0SmsLLkMoY7xDId-UPboRcT22wXbXHpnYr8ahpdQ3rrbojj2EX7A8NQx0RWmbT70ndrL4kSswHnFYZNrFxVjk3SYAUBSdOjpwjAvlspMDA6JHFisf_Oh2BZNIlehMagUCN1TNPP1LixH01cYKqtv0/s160/Moldorian%20-%20The%20Sisters%20of%20Light%20and%20Darkness%20(Japan)%20%5BT-En%20by%20Supper%20v1.1%5D%20%5Bn%5D-231130-154859.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="160" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC0FNCrRS6mdo2URIXmKVQ3QXySpQtlXOFpIi2Gb0SmsLLkMoY7xDId-UPboRcT22wXbXHpnYr8ahpdQ3rrbojj2EX7A8NQx0RWmbT70ndrL4kSswHnFYZNrFxVjk3SYAUBSdOjpwjAvlspMDA6JHFisf_Oh2BZNIlehMagUCN1TNPP1LixH01cYKqtv0/w320-h288/Moldorian%20-%20The%20Sisters%20of%20Light%20and%20Darkness%20(Japan)%20%5BT-En%20by%20Supper%20v1.1%5D%20%5Bn%5D-231130-154859.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>There's something in the game's mechanics that's kind of unique, but unfortunately, it's not in a positive way. Instead of picking your commands from menus in battles, you instead press a combination of a direction and a button to do each possible thing you might want to: right and button one to attack, up and button two for you're mage's fire spell, and so on. The problem is that you've got to memorise all of these things (though in the time I've played, I've only just got a character who can use magic, and she's basically just a healer, since her attack magic is so much weaker than the other party members' normal attacks, which don't use MP), and you only get about a second to remember and input the command you want, or the game just skips your turn and goes onto the next character (which is probably an enemy). I can see what they tried to do here, and it's just a shame that they didn't dump it after realising it was no fun.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhANiwLBZAJ0c3tnxjrnB2jq0WPTZvMxNRcMbJJhW_2fNBFEaQ_qr6TJ9FzFntgTQdkskhb9BX1HI6A-JTrrmBXchOOzIkSnEXQFYh5pCmRy-CWAD7H1juPedgG8Y38jbo7eSKt3sAsm26WGayBqYALDmNc5SFolPVsg4Eiyky1_dbyxZhPPsnbxT2CtXA/s160/Moldorian%20-%20The%20Sisters%20of%20Light%20and%20Darkness%20(Japan)%20%5BT-En%20by%20Supper%20v1.1%5D%20%5Bn%5D-231130-155333.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="160" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhANiwLBZAJ0c3tnxjrnB2jq0WPTZvMxNRcMbJJhW_2fNBFEaQ_qr6TJ9FzFntgTQdkskhb9BX1HI6A-JTrrmBXchOOzIkSnEXQFYh5pCmRy-CWAD7H1juPedgG8Y38jbo7eSKt3sAsm26WGayBqYALDmNc5SFolPVsg4Eiyky1_dbyxZhPPsnbxT2CtXA/w320-h288/Moldorian%20-%20The%20Sisters%20of%20Light%20and%20Darkness%20(Japan)%20%5BT-En%20by%20Supper%20v1.1%5D%20%5Bn%5D-231130-155333.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>This isn't a game that's completely without merit: it looks okay, and I think, in 1994, an RPG that's somewhat on par with the console RPGs of five or so years earlier with a running time to match definitely had a worthwhile place in a handheld's library, even if it is a bit generic. Unfortunately, it's not 1994 now, and I think every Game Gear RPG is available (officially or otherwise) in English, and I'm pretty sure that the only that isn't better than Molodorian is Defenders of Oasis. And even that game has the advantage of having a more interesting setting than this one.</p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-86409614111951315912023-12-01T23:13:00.004+00:002023-12-26T00:51:20.584+00:00Hashiriya - Ookami-Tachi no Densetsu (Playstation)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2UH1RqQI5cMpyUaw4-2-WPaeRu1fGhpkB0tPsAQSuy0NdBpqsUL74QBwTOmRwCkar_fFYTKEfpmc05FynahTtNc1K9WC1s89Vr7W2jdq070DXQYV86I2lz14LJpr9xA_8cZCoGnybI_U9as6jLeNjW294HsiXYN1H8O5BNmQpkM7ZJDMenbkFwgVQdk/s320/Hashiriya%20-%20Ookami-tachi%20no%20Densetsu%20(J)-231121-021636.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2UH1RqQI5cMpyUaw4-2-WPaeRu1fGhpkB0tPsAQSuy0NdBpqsUL74QBwTOmRwCkar_fFYTKEfpmc05FynahTtNc1K9WC1s89Vr7W2jdq070DXQYV86I2lz14LJpr9xA_8cZCoGnybI_U9as6jLeNjW294HsiXYN1H8O5BNmQpkM7ZJDMenbkFwgVQdk/w400-h300/Hashiriya%20-%20Ookami-tachi%20no%20Densetsu%20(J)-231121-021636.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> There's a certain look that I really like in racing games, and unfortunately it's very much a product of its time. Grainy textures, low poly models, driving around empty roads in the dead of night, all that stuff. It's mostly seen in drift racing games inspired by the manga Initial D and the 90s Option VHS magazine that people used to post lots of gifs from on Tumblr many years ago. Hashiriya is not only one of the best-looking of these games I've ever seen, but it's also definitely taking a lot of inspiration from those two sources.<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7fm3a7k_1022fPA1i8oTcyaV7GTNnI0__f6O_9Qth7_oeqiDvyXpg7AxjRcWdle99PIQPO923xHks05do8f3OQ1TKaf7sRrTvYSSNdDUsU25QKfKbVMl5FWef_2y9Vbr2vGe8Jsm_PpwBsRWmi5fntJI125kn6WRag2epebOjDR5fI5VgaXT6rEdING0/s320/Hashiriya%20-%20Ookami-tachi%20no%20Densetsu%20(J)-231121-022014.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7fm3a7k_1022fPA1i8oTcyaV7GTNnI0__f6O_9Qth7_oeqiDvyXpg7AxjRcWdle99PIQPO923xHks05do8f3OQ1TKaf7sRrTvYSSNdDUsU25QKfKbVMl5FWef_2y9Vbr2vGe8Jsm_PpwBsRWmi5fntJI125kn6WRag2epebOjDR5fI5VgaXT6rEdING0/s1600/Hashiriya%20-%20Ookami-tachi%20no%20Densetsu%20(J)-231121-022014.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The main single player mode has you picking from a bunch of characters, each with their own cars, and each a member of a different faction. They all also each have their own storylines, told in lengthy dialogue scenes between races. It'd be nice if someone translated these someday. There's no decision making or anything in these scenes, and you can definitely 100% play the game without being able to read them, but these scenes are unskippable, so it'd at least be nice to be able to understand what's happening in them. But yeah, you pick a character, and you have to win a bunch of races as them to get through the story. It doesn't seem like you unlock anything for doing so, though. Which is fine, I guess.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwy5TAu5cUCkNfb_3-OERmOYuVxSkD2pw3kdM1aVeEm1R8r5BkFdlTAu6Y7GiaLO6ZPpKVlsxogzqaV7T9U23pP-WuZKLHNqJseNbpzs-MRvJ4_JXpnpt2MwT2tfB1DzNtMZAfq8wAZ75a171ct5y9c3b0pEbrGVE2iUq3X1zYD0jV6GA3Dg26V5VrA0/s320/Hashiriya%20-%20Ookami-tachi%20no%20Densetsu%20(J)-231125-213130.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwy5TAu5cUCkNfb_3-OERmOYuVxSkD2pw3kdM1aVeEm1R8r5BkFdlTAu6Y7GiaLO6ZPpKVlsxogzqaV7T9U23pP-WuZKLHNqJseNbpzs-MRvJ4_JXpnpt2MwT2tfB1DzNtMZAfq8wAZ75a171ct5y9c3b0pEbrGVE2iUq3X1zYD0jV6GA3Dg26V5VrA0/s1600/Hashiriya%20-%20Ookami-tachi%20no%20Densetsu%20(J)-231125-213130.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>There's also a time trial mode, and a mode where you can set up single races how you like. Especially nice in this mode is that you can choose the time of day, so tracks that are always night time in story mode can be played in the daylight, and vice versa. It'd be even better if there were weather options, too. All of these features and nice graphics and such would be worthless, though, if the game didn't feel good to play. Luckily, it does! It's not quite Ridge Racer or Daytona USA, but it's still nice, it doesn't feel like you're constantly crashing the car, nor do you feel like you have to crawl around the tracks to be able to take corners adequately.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-IMDL5VFqiWVbp6YH2pT6oyA9LErM47zZRYUaFT12Mj4fOx2Ws5CDoaZrKCuy0a-uRN04XTRn5CTLTmapK3Y8qIU1-u0wkrU7GgqRE0hQlysFZwTQrbpJOL0HwBPgF9rdxFKywz5p8gAptDbsGZ0izN4C15pSFkmGcahliznSdxd6MpwbAnHzepyKTY/s320/Hashiriya%20-%20Ookami-tachi%20no%20Densetsu%20(J)-231122-232453.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-IMDL5VFqiWVbp6YH2pT6oyA9LErM47zZRYUaFT12Mj4fOx2Ws5CDoaZrKCuy0a-uRN04XTRn5CTLTmapK3Y8qIU1-u0wkrU7GgqRE0hQlysFZwTQrbpJOL0HwBPgF9rdxFKywz5p8gAptDbsGZ0izN4C15pSFkmGcahliznSdxd6MpwbAnHzepyKTY/s1600/Hashiriya%20-%20Ookami-tachi%20no%20Densetsu%20(J)-231122-232453.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It was a big relief for me, as when the translation patch for Racing Lagoon came out a while ago, I was kind of disappointed to find that I didn't enjoy how the racing felt in that game at all. Of course, that game looks amazing and it's by Squaresoft, so naturally my expectations were high. So a story-heavy racing game with really great-looking graphics that also plays well was a great find for me, especially since, like I said, being unable to read the story doesn't block you from being able to play through the game.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEYhZtgQao3MeXkS1B6gHWJfdRYxjc5bnbfi42n97KaXwaULeXtVnNrNzMcgfOBjJmPHPThbvavZRQr1guNqUtfIKhyRpExti9EnT5dkmRSBJR-udl-Q4cfsnYylzJE_nfGgzPZjjk9ZTcrQhRU1U_wiVARsuU8mZd0ApiObmzBjxjGD0zFqRZstYIWs/s320/Hashiriya%20-%20Ookami-tachi%20no%20Densetsu%20(J)-231121-022347.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEYhZtgQao3MeXkS1B6gHWJfdRYxjc5bnbfi42n97KaXwaULeXtVnNrNzMcgfOBjJmPHPThbvavZRQr1guNqUtfIKhyRpExti9EnT5dkmRSBJR-udl-Q4cfsnYylzJE_nfGgzPZjjk9ZTcrQhRU1U_wiVARsuU8mZd0ApiObmzBjxjGD0zFqRZstYIWs/s1600/Hashiriya%20-%20Ookami-tachi%20no%20Densetsu%20(J)-231121-022347.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>This is definitely a game worth playing. It's fun, looks great, and has a really nice atmosphere. It only has a few tracks, which is a little disappointing, but it's also actually pretty standard for racing games of the time. The massive array of tracks in Ridge Racer Type 4 is definitely the exception rather than the rule. But if you like this kind of racing game, then this is a very good example of it. It's a little surprising it isn't more well-known outside of Japan, to be honest. I would've thought the graphics alone would have gotten it some attention.</p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-32330661502281813342023-11-24T23:01:00.004+00:002023-11-24T23:01:31.190+00:00Galaxy Deka Gayvan (PC Engine)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JeRNXhiBnGF2YEW6I0ApjFGkoNsmd3nExav8jkyplHqHJjE78yhQWPWG2HC_7tHtgGQ-cD2ja-K_3DVjgrhDuAt-wOuxF0iucW1uIyp3v7k8d5pNPGkwrYOuz7r95XUiw1ieDf7xrXtJYi2GlEtJr-vCQ9fY4pxsCnQbaVZ-UGKlqAWSH-dZBg3Tj7s/s256/Galaxy%20Deka%20Gayvan%20(Japan)-231120-192604.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="256" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JeRNXhiBnGF2YEW6I0ApjFGkoNsmd3nExav8jkyplHqHJjE78yhQWPWG2HC_7tHtgGQ-cD2ja-K_3DVjgrhDuAt-wOuxF0iucW1uIyp3v7k8d5pNPGkwrYOuz7r95XUiw1ieDf7xrXtJYi2GlEtJr-vCQ9fY4pxsCnQbaVZ-UGKlqAWSH-dZBg3Tj7s/w400-h375/Galaxy%20Deka%20Gayvan%20(Japan)-231120-192604.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> Deka means Detective, so I guess the title is an attempted parody of the 1982 TV series Space Sherriff Gavan, though that parody only goes as far as the title and the fact that the player characters transform into Metal Heroes-style armoured forms. Which makes this the third Metal Heroes-inspired PC Engine single plane beat em up I've covered on this blog. What a weirdly specific subgenre! As single plane beat em ups go, it's pretty basic. The stages are just completely flat planes, and you go from left to right beating up enemies until you get to the end of them. You've got a little three-hit combo, plus jumping attacks and a couple of throws. Beneath your health bar, you've also got a power bar, though! It's for managing your transformation! You can transform at any time, and the meter slowly increases while you're not transformed, and slowly depletes while you are.<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ZKLJ-LDpJYLmDnDc7rgcmnA_R04EuOL6OD40eYYVmqP3zywn9zxHquqQO0ln0-abn8oOVHbyCVnC6oE7BLViOUGgW33KNbPQwXCmhvx-O-H-95Asi5Zb2ta9gIqLBgsTQOZ3PHZ6-iBBOs06palAZbPU1DSVEBoTpjsQAp-N0aAN0-aTLtCqs4ao1IA/s256/Galaxy%20Deka%20Gayvan%20(Japan)-231120-172230.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="256" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ZKLJ-LDpJYLmDnDc7rgcmnA_R04EuOL6OD40eYYVmqP3zywn9zxHquqQO0ln0-abn8oOVHbyCVnC6oE7BLViOUGgW33KNbPQwXCmhvx-O-H-95Asi5Zb2ta9gIqLBgsTQOZ3PHZ6-iBBOs06palAZbPU1DSVEBoTpjsQAp-N0aAN0-aTLtCqs4ao1IA/w320-h300/Galaxy%20Deka%20Gayvan%20(Japan)-231120-172230.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The game's biggest problem is that the transformation is so limp. You don't get any new attacks or abilities, even the animations for your attacks while transformed are traced over the sprites for your untransformed attacks. It's so unimaginative! I guess you have higher attack and defence while transformed, but the difference is so incremental that you'll barely even notice. It might even be a placebo and there's no difference at all! Considering that it's around this gimmick that the game is built, it really sucks the joy out of the whole thing.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXz6jaq1y-brFIkSn-cVZmFcJ0iptYIeHqrDBPi0NZ6XMw6qSWdkikT7O5w4oyVaZ3sdbXKxBvsX7KzFITWBJ5FaRsdsP_1P80S0khB32DnB5aMiR9foU_4GilaDHtszYocJmFex5VkRcpVxbBeCy_kOa-MocteaijtCVb02Z10QMvOBAEVkPFmPWaWA0/s256/Galaxy%20Deka%20Gayvan%20(Japan)-231120-194410.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="256" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXz6jaq1y-brFIkSn-cVZmFcJ0iptYIeHqrDBPi0NZ6XMw6qSWdkikT7O5w4oyVaZ3sdbXKxBvsX7KzFITWBJ5FaRsdsP_1P80S0khB32DnB5aMiR9foU_4GilaDHtszYocJmFex5VkRcpVxbBeCy_kOa-MocteaijtCVb02Z10QMvOBAEVkPFmPWaWA0/w320-h300/Galaxy%20Deka%20Gayvan%20(Japan)-231120-194410.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>There's a few other things I want to talk about, though: in its favour, it is one of very few PC Engine games with a two player co-op mode, and it's an early example of a beat em up with a versus mode that lets you play as a few of the enemies, too. And on the subject of enemies (as well as returning to the subject of parodies), some of them are from other games. Games from other companies, so they're unofficial references and/or parodies, not guest stars. There's a pair of enemies who are literally just Ninja and Kunoichi from The Ninja Warriors, and a little later there's an overweight version of Guile from Street Fighter II. As well as being fat, there is an actual joke in the Guile parody: he has an attack where he attempts a FLash Kick, but falls over onto his back afterwards. It's not a funny joke, but it is something, at least. (Also, the NW parodies first appear in stage 2. They don't appear in stage 3, though, so when they returned in stage 4, I thought to myself "The Ninja Warriors, Again?")(Now that's what I call attempted comedy!)</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfB1i5LIbDz83o-DCfMaILf7uEvaj1iJwXEsFFi1ayfLu2ShnOkfr8X4I6OVa5hR0_6kXjhQ6FHS-LlUp4iwqQlSqe8keJlCGYkqnCENwSmptJjgQ_d4JdPuOLmKsJ1I0IJK701dASo8Ideq9xWdn1iEy4YFG_QmxWXgNdqHrm7Yuh9-W0JuQ-4YRtzPw/s256/Galaxy%20Deka%20Gayvan%20(Japan)-231122-142252.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="256" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfB1i5LIbDz83o-DCfMaILf7uEvaj1iJwXEsFFi1ayfLu2ShnOkfr8X4I6OVa5hR0_6kXjhQ6FHS-LlUp4iwqQlSqe8keJlCGYkqnCENwSmptJjgQ_d4JdPuOLmKsJ1I0IJK701dASo8Ideq9xWdn1iEy4YFG_QmxWXgNdqHrm7Yuh9-W0JuQ-4YRtzPw/w320-h300/Galaxy%20Deka%20Gayvan%20(Japan)-231122-142252.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I can't really recommend Gayvan, unless you're really really desperate to play a co-op beat em up on PC Engine. If you really want a Metal Heroes-inspired game and you don't need a second player to be involved, then just go for Cyber Cross - Busou Keiji. That game is excellent, and if you're buying real copies, it's like a tenth of the price of Galaxy Deka Gayvan. This is an inoffensive game, but it's also an unexciting one with so much wasted potential. To make it worse, it's from Fill-In-Cafe, who'd later go on to make a bunch of really great fighting games and beat em ups.</p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-28724796584840883522023-11-18T00:08:00.003+00:002023-11-18T00:08:48.391+00:00Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (Game Gear)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZwrZIpdxiHqJmy0u9vGXQtFj0GEP4IJi5wOeV2gnRS1LI9rBVLxLbgfO8IUa2lVokzbkcVTHVvClrKENFskfKbwTtr4OIHlouyVxGHBwr2TK_Kxygcr3A-crB6FT3_2-piBzffxC6UoMWqBD1AIlK6UEMj4ctcIEXT8gxVnJJWzbwNvxvLzQY5B3LzH8/s160/Mighty%20Morphin%20Power%20Rangers%20(USA,%20Europe)-231116-002655.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="160" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZwrZIpdxiHqJmy0u9vGXQtFj0GEP4IJi5wOeV2gnRS1LI9rBVLxLbgfO8IUa2lVokzbkcVTHVvClrKENFskfKbwTtr4OIHlouyVxGHBwr2TK_Kxygcr3A-crB6FT3_2-piBzffxC6UoMWqBD1AIlK6UEMj4ctcIEXT8gxVnJJWzbwNvxvLzQY5B3LzH8/w400-h360/Mighty%20Morphin%20Power%20Rangers%20(USA,%20Europe)-231116-002655.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> When it comes to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers videogames, I think most people's first thoughts will either be the single plane beat em ups on Mega Drive, or the awkwardly entitled Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Fighting Edition on SNES, which is mainly remembered for the legacy it spawned in the form of Gundam Wing: Endless Duel and the Gundam Battle Assault series. But, as I found Dangerous Road while looking up a list of every game developed by SIMS, I noticed this on the list. I looked it up, saw some of that beautiful pixel art that the Game Gear has as its trademark, and needed to know more. So this isn't a super-obscure game, but it's one I think a lot of people will have automatically written off as shovelware and never tried out.<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBOtHS2gv13kEGiZll1lyjN4RXS1HA4SadXvOSTRBrvDGeqj1LQ15fxXkiavDq4J9EqydwzW5ScilBRhWOawBhPDNffolTA43xyHFaLsXyYhbQJa17guAIdHpzgfIwFFNmrOxE9BXY5PSrfmin_xJygYhVEVNusqeVRY4YytafDOy6P-iKNJ2Lfen0HiE/s160/Mighty%20Morphin%20Power%20Rangers%20(USA,%20Europe)-231107-234519.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="160" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBOtHS2gv13kEGiZll1lyjN4RXS1HA4SadXvOSTRBrvDGeqj1LQ15fxXkiavDq4J9EqydwzW5ScilBRhWOawBhPDNffolTA43xyHFaLsXyYhbQJa17guAIdHpzgfIwFFNmrOxE9BXY5PSrfmin_xJygYhVEVNusqeVRY4YytafDOy6P-iKNJ2Lfen0HiE/w320-h288/Mighty%20Morphin%20Power%20Rangers%20(USA,%20Europe)-231107-234519.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Interestingly, it's actually pretty similar in structure to the Gaoranger and Hurricanger games on Playstation: each stage has you picking a ranger, then playing through the action scenes of an episode. You fight some putties, the human-sized version of the weekly monster, and sometimes goldar will show up, too, and once you're done with that, everything gets bigger, and you control the Megazord against the giant version of the weekly monster (and again, Goldar sometimes shows up here). </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvwqyt6aLM9mxZnHynEXIbqmjzj_sZtahq4zNwgWB9BzHsSKPqH69pO7TeScQIMh5d1QKpcnAry_XMWSMF_9R43UoYLlph7dhmv0oTAwsrq89G_IPwaOiUDJu-2q0hHtZG6v3T0W6a169jOL_e7xXQqOLN92bw4NzjGTWltE4nz47W21soOQYkCeCt8Fw/s160/Mighty%20Morphin%20Power%20Rangers%20(USA,%20Europe)-231113-004922.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="160" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvwqyt6aLM9mxZnHynEXIbqmjzj_sZtahq4zNwgWB9BzHsSKPqH69pO7TeScQIMh5d1QKpcnAry_XMWSMF_9R43UoYLlph7dhmv0oTAwsrq89G_IPwaOiUDJu-2q0hHtZG6v3T0W6a169jOL_e7xXQqOLN92bw4NzjGTWltE4nz47W21soOQYkCeCt8Fw/w320-h288/Mighty%20Morphin%20Power%20Rangers%20(USA,%20Europe)-231113-004922.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The game keeps things focused entirely on the first season of the TV show, and actually makes great use of the license. There are seven stages, the third and fourth of which are dedicated to that season's most iconic storyline: Green With Evil. Stage three has you fighting the brainwashed green ranger Tommy in human- and giant-sized forms, while the second has you fighting the Dragonzord, followed by a final battle to free Tommy's mind. Of course, the best thing about this is that for the final three stages, you can play as Tommy in the human-sized parts, and for the giant-sized parts, you get to pick between the Megazord, the vanilla Dragonzord, and best of all, Dragonzord battle mode. I think this might be the only game where that particular robot is playable, even!</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVk5-6E8Y1_dUZYT2hUIwWF7yWe5DO8SzO-8lOYBXW8-cH5JmzsQiJfivOCox5JWSINAq_MWsTYqCybGxsGEE9W8Mh8xuvVXDag4x-zsIeIQzGmdiAE0DtbSqhrj8Omg-MF114IfasHLpy-O3ZaDYLyar-hMPJdKytaWbja-D9OAR7t3c2T3z5I7x-8o/s160/Mighty%20Morphin%20Power%20Rangers%20(USA,%20Europe)-231113-193743.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="160" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVk5-6E8Y1_dUZYT2hUIwWF7yWe5DO8SzO-8lOYBXW8-cH5JmzsQiJfivOCox5JWSINAq_MWsTYqCybGxsGEE9W8Mh8xuvVXDag4x-zsIeIQzGmdiAE0DtbSqhrj8Omg-MF114IfasHLpy-O3ZaDYLyar-hMPJdKytaWbja-D9OAR7t3c2T3z5I7x-8o/w320-h288/Mighty%20Morphin%20Power%20Rangers%20(USA,%20Europe)-231113-193743.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The rangers all have their own movesets, and Tommy happens to have the most effective and cool-looking moves, and while the three mecha are pretty equal in power, they do still all play pretty differently to each other, and it's cool to have the choice of three really great-looking designs. The Game Gear, like the Game Boy, has more decent fighting games than you might think, especially the ports of Neo Geo games like Samurai Shodown and Fatal Fury Special. But those are ports, and even though SNK are renowned for the great storylines and characters in their games, they are still designed around the idea that they'll be played against human opponents. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJz4DYSpRQgfCZLS1Jpjd3S_eqFHaY1olFuxA0dm0EZ1KEHZUPYNEuYptwsqjj9YrEpIojbctxqdWJJeZBC-MIblELHfUQzD_7MBUx_trzJTJthtaO99SY-5sjvLwzOwGZ1PI3UlO8FJUe82SZarxrYARAdzYPOqQ7P7LppQ0QQWhOss8ctnZYRTIBVI/s160/Mighty%20Morphin%20Power%20Rangers%20(USA,%20Europe)-231113-193931.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="160" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJz4DYSpRQgfCZLS1Jpjd3S_eqFHaY1olFuxA0dm0EZ1KEHZUPYNEuYptwsqjj9YrEpIojbctxqdWJJeZBC-MIblELHfUQzD_7MBUx_trzJTJthtaO99SY-5sjvLwzOwGZ1PI3UlO8FJUe82SZarxrYARAdzYPOqQ7P7LppQ0QQWhOss8ctnZYRTIBVI/w320-h288/Mighty%20Morphin%20Power%20Rangers%20(USA,%20Europe)-231113-193931.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Power Rangers has the advantage of being made specifically for the Game Gear, and so it's also designed around being a single player story experience. So you have five (six later on) characters all with their own movesets, but no matter who you pick, you'll be playing through the same storyline with the same opponents. The game doesn't need to come up with reasons for allied characters to be fighting each other, plus considering this is a cartridge-based game for a handheld in 1994, being able to save space by re-using Goldar and evil Tommy as opponents was surely a big help to the developers.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSq6BbhlnUWZ0uLXJ55SMZS7LaKB5oNZpex6jyU82Vl88NkCx0AFYP9nSxKa7d9az77uZnYpsckg-TD_qBvBuhv5Br7W1f3cOQQWR6grvfEPcJKEgZT1dbTRD_cYZ_2Il3oRcf5tbNp0xDjiyIjtjqHJ3sgYEG_spMtgvVOisjoTmZZ8nHbEEarn0Ycbc/s160/Mighty%20Morphin%20Power%20Rangers%20(USA,%20Europe)-231107-234343.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="160" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSq6BbhlnUWZ0uLXJ55SMZS7LaKB5oNZpex6jyU82Vl88NkCx0AFYP9nSxKa7d9az77uZnYpsckg-TD_qBvBuhv5Br7W1f3cOQQWR6grvfEPcJKEgZT1dbTRD_cYZ_2Il3oRcf5tbNp0xDjiyIjtjqHJ3sgYEG_spMtgvVOisjoTmZZ8nHbEEarn0Ycbc/w320-h288/Mighty%20Morphin%20Power%20Rangers%20(USA,%20Europe)-231107-234343.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>This is a pretty great game! It's definitely better than the Mega Drive Power Rangers games, and I'd say it's an equal-but-different altenative to Fighting Edition, too. All of the MMPR seemed to get univerally slated on release, but if you ever feel the need to play an of-the-time Power Rangers game, you'll have a better time with this one than you'd have with most of the others. And if you finish it, the Game Gear's Power Rangers The Movie game is pretty much exactly the same as this one, but with monsters from both the movie and the second season of the TV show.</p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-42979700416188368282023-11-10T22:59:00.002+00:002023-11-10T22:59:55.882+00:00Dangerous Road (3DS)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcncrk7M4KuatXhIj521f4Sf3kFIHlB-_VpdFo6SiaPlAE91PZ9vlsdsDLevJUlS09F4T_-H8bla4TXfggPrUTUBFQ9g2e09HAFHgsPqP503KCCUhEiWMFAGr-b1UzpMPDNIU1mPI3YaSQ2ecwJ0vW14w2Qdf9GonV1IvxNXHB38wDIWd7yKngpx74_M/s400/2023-11-07_03-04-06.995_top.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="400" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcncrk7M4KuatXhIj521f4Sf3kFIHlB-_VpdFo6SiaPlAE91PZ9vlsdsDLevJUlS09F4T_-H8bla4TXfggPrUTUBFQ9g2e09HAFHgsPqP503KCCUhEiWMFAGr-b1UzpMPDNIU1mPI3YaSQ2ecwJ0vW14w2Qdf9GonV1IvxNXHB38wDIWd7yKngpx74_M/w400-h240/2023-11-07_03-04-06.995_top.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> I had big hopes for this one. The title made me think it might be some Destruction Derby-style racing game, or maybe something topdown like Action Fighter or Gekitotsu Dangan Jidousha Kessen: Battle Mobile, Raising my hopes higher was how I discovered it: on a list of works by SIMS, those tireless stalwarts of the Master System and Game Gear in the early nineties, and I was excited to learn that they were still around and active as recent as 2016. They even worked on the most recent Ape Escape game in 2023!<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqCHjqQ2mxiQbg8dF4p5my-97FICCkS7b740cRbAHfN2IkG-RLmQ6xkbOXbRGsdWxUjzhrfNcXYCfikxDfyADEMqCNYNCoPYvpPLSSa8mGCaeUAsyL4X1_qfwU0a2T6JZl4MGxuvsjWSazn5Ic-DD_Kd_DNBs4qlmtg7u9ih4l79p4uuibNfZDX1uD7HM/s400/2023-11-08_11-22-11.450_top.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="400" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqCHjqQ2mxiQbg8dF4p5my-97FICCkS7b740cRbAHfN2IkG-RLmQ6xkbOXbRGsdWxUjzhrfNcXYCfikxDfyADEMqCNYNCoPYvpPLSSa8mGCaeUAsyL4X1_qfwU0a2T6JZl4MGxuvsjWSazn5Ic-DD_Kd_DNBs4qlmtg7u9ih4l79p4uuibNfZDX1uD7HM/w320-h192/2023-11-08_11-22-11.450_top.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Unfortunately, actually playing the game dashed all of those hopes. As Tak Fujii once said long ago, while toiling in the Konami shovelware mines: "It's a Frogger". I think the last time I saw a Frogger knockoff was on the Atari 2600, but here's one that came out in 2016 on the 3DS. It has a couple of new ideas, though! There are four playable characters, each with their own special ability, like being able to slow time for a few seconds or having slightly faster movement than the others.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbt9aAc3aITayntxtkhsSiFu2ofyLTlha2JbZjVghrmqIfMHAEzumFRMc7rJHRiT2qxOVHIlTEzNRdRdaUtNXEeCK6IbFeCFn7DD49xleR4D-9UkKj3cGzQnotS1OgnmzAZivqhURQJ6jPMPpjjL4GEX0MOPJEya1k0tjohX1eNb3jqh4PAbxRnxSRHn0/s400/2023-11-08_11-20-41.499_top.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="400" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbt9aAc3aITayntxtkhsSiFu2ofyLTlha2JbZjVghrmqIfMHAEzumFRMc7rJHRiT2qxOVHIlTEzNRdRdaUtNXEeCK6IbFeCFn7DD49xleR4D-9UkKj3cGzQnotS1OgnmzAZivqhURQJ6jPMPpjjL4GEX0MOPJEya1k0tjohX1eNb3jqh4PAbxRnxSRHn0/s320/2023-11-08_11-20-41.499_top.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The aim of the game is very slightly different to traditional frogger, too. Instead of just crossing the road to get home a few times per stage, you've instead got to go back and forth seeking out numbered flags (in order), before getting the stage clear flag. That's in the main Goal Run mode, at least. There's also that insanely irresponsible Survival Run mode. This one sees you trapped on a busy multi-lane highway (with a few train tracks to mix things up too), and your only aim is to survive for sixty seconds. It didn't really hit me how crazy it was for a game that seems to be aimed at kids to literally have a "play in traffic" mode until after I'd stopped playing. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLkKDHG_QRbMBh3dFWUkGe82tDOzCuTC-CxUHBBhVPakzOjeszC2Dk4yOA5x0MbRx0XaF6MKWog3WTGQIxQaIKVf7U22HS8hVA2xDQY8KDxvbyN13dAQiqPUH9dU72OWOYdhhnu2s0xmMcuzS-rgzAuPWpFP1TRRpEO4SCnF7MqHoU3WPts9MnwvKBHEM/s400/2023-11-07_02-59-02.997_top.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="400" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLkKDHG_QRbMBh3dFWUkGe82tDOzCuTC-CxUHBBhVPakzOjeszC2Dk4yOA5x0MbRx0XaF6MKWog3WTGQIxQaIKVf7U22HS8hVA2xDQY8KDxvbyN13dAQiqPUH9dU72OWOYdhhnu2s0xmMcuzS-rgzAuPWpFP1TRRpEO4SCnF7MqHoU3WPts9MnwvKBHEM/s320/2023-11-07_02-59-02.997_top.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I think what really hurts this game is the lack of scores. Especially in Survival Run: there's a star item that appears occasionally that gives you five seconds of invincibilty, destroying any vehicles that hit you in this time. It's a mildly amusing effect the first few times, but they might as well have just made it an item that reduced the remaining time by five seconds. If there was a score, and you got points for destroying the vehicles in this way, there'd be some point to this. I guess you'd score points when not invincible by playing chicken, and moving out of the way of vehicles as close to being hit as possible. But then I guess that would also exacerbate the irresponsibility of the mode.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNbZF4VyKngvePd3Om6enENRg2poVv-G2inaCIdl1fWrtzbRkKjEUGlftsz8w0cWwErRBzauWOBVylyM2nJZe4ZNAzMVhxy_CXAw2HZhApiDDuXRezgKsmtM8mByVXkqTYvEe2cVm15ivZPFFYFg1Zfk7rQOBk_wDM2J0HmhLq817O8Yq-oyFbQdw_EU/s400/2023-11-08_11-29-33.592_top.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="400" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNbZF4VyKngvePd3Om6enENRg2poVv-G2inaCIdl1fWrtzbRkKjEUGlftsz8w0cWwErRBzauWOBVylyM2nJZe4ZNAzMVhxy_CXAw2HZhApiDDuXRezgKsmtM8mByVXkqTYvEe2cVm15ivZPFFYFg1Zfk7rQOBk_wDM2J0HmhLq817O8Yq-oyFbQdw_EU/s320/2023-11-08_11-29-33.592_top.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>This is a game that exists. It's not terrible, but it's not particularly good, either. There's nothing about it that I can recommend, as it's just completely unremarkable. I played it because of the title, and to see what SIMS had been up to in recent times. Through reading this review, you've now got that information, and don't need to bother. <br /></p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-23184943891269460542023-11-03T19:43:00.001+00:002023-11-03T19:43:09.953+00:00Sigmatica (PC)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNK60-BBZafcVdOD26wt5amklDbYaAiES7d21v40biD34IGZ5of97XXyJg9GCN_ou3km9PqEv5TVmkaE4GoAInbIbJLVdvjWA99FlEDhdvocVnlmK7Dh3PVKXLtDYiKlZx23Nf4JEDdvg2syUOBxqHO4R4UHn6ilUDb0YYmk2fWo-_mGJtGqcBLWutgDU/s640/Sigmatica%202023-11-01%2009-36-51-64.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNK60-BBZafcVdOD26wt5amklDbYaAiES7d21v40biD34IGZ5of97XXyJg9GCN_ou3km9PqEv5TVmkaE4GoAInbIbJLVdvjWA99FlEDhdvocVnlmK7Dh3PVKXLtDYiKlZx23Nf4JEDdvg2syUOBxqHO4R4UHn6ilUDb0YYmk2fWo-_mGJtGqcBLWutgDU/w400-h300/Sigmatica%202023-11-01%2009-36-51-64.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> So, I've recently been worried that the level of obscurity of the games I cover hasn't been as deep as it could have been. In an attempt to assuage that feeling, I got ahold of a compilation disc of games made by the Chiba University Computer ResearchingSociety in 2013. Most of the games were very simple, very short minigames that I'd struggle to write a full post about (so I'll do a big patreon exclusive compilation post about all of them in the near future). But this one, Sigmatica (or Σtica The uncorporeal domain, as the title screen calls it), stood out head and shoulders above all of the others.<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEn5rGWf1pLVEcfGto8Bih1th11LWTGfPLQnJIh05YSip2KE4aRI_ow4iMDvoOY3Xayn34jSViw0fhOOidun2DhMDxmKnP0FJtaYt5_YxKG07fU6I7lBL0_LwwzO58yFILa3LgyLW_iA5jyk-SJf5WB0NfZpy2-LaOB8hzHSeRSe1qxgUehvk6_MB-e0/s640/Sigmatica%202023-11-01%2009-40-50-79.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEn5rGWf1pLVEcfGto8Bih1th11LWTGfPLQnJIh05YSip2KE4aRI_ow4iMDvoOY3Xayn34jSViw0fhOOidun2DhMDxmKnP0FJtaYt5_YxKG07fU6I7lBL0_LwwzO58yFILa3LgyLW_iA5jyk-SJf5WB0NfZpy2-LaOB8hzHSeRSe1qxgUehvk6_MB-e0/s320/Sigmatica%202023-11-01%2009-40-50-79.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Like you can tell from the screenshots, it's a shooting game! And though it uses an abstract visual style, with the player ship and all of the enemies being represented by simple wireframe polygonal shapes, the Touhou series was definitely a big influence on it. The most obvious manifestation of this is the way the screen is laid out, with the big info column on the righthand side of the screen showing your score, lives, bombs, and the number of bullets you've grazed. There's also the fact that the bosses take a long time to kill, with multiple healthbars, and distinct bullet/attack patterns to go with each healthbar.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPrW393WhPsp6trUFoPeHs6XE6sOQ4TlcukGbGiUoOhdAuv-n7Oh8CCdYRf_eJkOCNSrNUwvRUK6pyRWPIJi0jH3nVLS9R5AGYJHdFSg3ctuAO97_DMBSSyffmJy9qSO8yT5C3T0Op6mkW_RCmORv2ImrFAaVOSP5cEXdhg4WjhxSEGE3p_HMG7yF90Y/s640/Sigmatica%202023-11-01%2009-47-44-26.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPrW393WhPsp6trUFoPeHs6XE6sOQ4TlcukGbGiUoOhdAuv-n7Oh8CCdYRf_eJkOCNSrNUwvRUK6pyRWPIJi0jH3nVLS9R5AGYJHdFSg3ctuAO97_DMBSSyffmJy9qSO8yT5C3T0Op6mkW_RCmORv2ImrFAaVOSP5cEXdhg4WjhxSEGE3p_HMG7yF90Y/s320/Sigmatica%202023-11-01%2009-47-44-26.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It's a very simple game, as far as modern shooting games go. You can shoot and bomb, and you also have a focus shot that slows your movement. I'm not 100% on how the scoring system works, but I think you score more points the more grazes you do, and when you bomb, all the onscreen bullets turn into points items, too. So it's in your interest to graze and to use bombs at the most dangerous moments. Which is all pretty logical for survival play, too, with a little bit of risk thrown in by the graze counter. Even moreso is the end-of-game bonus you get: big bonuses for each stage you finish and how many grazes you got in total, plus if you finish the game, more bonuses for how many lives you had left over.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50YifntioyawKryDU1PHQpboqMiC5zvvHYlX6zFXXdjvNsY0qzN2e2h-6F4GRt5pHiDLPI1ruWhOAMjCmasGNrgPlv6syASmEBjHqSTbEDQJUfEePQHTB8Sg6mgdvY4RZ36_Z1XNbcANn2geIAa-vZqIx3I25gMbOIwvTsVa3mLCpihwxjYHq4jS2P4g/s640/Sigmatica%202023-11-01%2010-01-13-31.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50YifntioyawKryDU1PHQpboqMiC5zvvHYlX6zFXXdjvNsY0qzN2e2h-6F4GRt5pHiDLPI1ruWhOAMjCmasGNrgPlv6syASmEBjHqSTbEDQJUfEePQHTB8Sg6mgdvY4RZ36_Z1XNbcANn2geIAa-vZqIx3I25gMbOIwvTsVa3mLCpihwxjYHq4jS2P4g/s320/Sigmatica%202023-11-01%2010-01-13-31.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Which kind of brings up the only real problem I have with the game: it's really short! Only two stages! I know it's only a student project and all, but I was really getting into it, and then it suddenly ended! I guess that's a pretty good problem for a game to have, though. There isn't really much more I can say about Sigmatica. It's pretty good, and I hope its developer went on to make more shooting games in the decade since its release.</p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-65449361431360546082023-10-27T20:40:00.001+01:002023-10-27T20:46:30.769+01:00Asian Dynamite (Arcade)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcb9Xvu9lu2ZxueR0tiQx6g5AekgShAbiLEsNSnqsDzkQ-cIJ0s5u2C6xCa34cRNaAQmmslYjTRGLrw23haCD7l-8qFp4pfj7cUhpgJZa3VFiJu0go0VqZZtkoHpt7IOpLr7YlJJ-vLUzDo2uir91E6jYArrr9PwNUvV2rgLoN2DyQiIK-93LV8lB8D1M/s640/flycast%202023-10-23%2021-53-08-02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcb9Xvu9lu2ZxueR0tiQx6g5AekgShAbiLEsNSnqsDzkQ-cIJ0s5u2C6xCa34cRNaAQmmslYjTRGLrw23haCD7l-8qFp4pfj7cUhpgJZa3VFiJu0go0VqZZtkoHpt7IOpLr7YlJJ-vLUzDo2uir91E6jYArrr9PwNUvV2rgLoN2DyQiIK-93LV8lB8D1M/w400-h300/flycast%202023-10-23%2021-53-08-02.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> This is the third (or fourth if you count the greatly expanded PS2 port of the original) game in the Dynamite Deka series. Like so many SEGA arcade games from the 00s, it still doesn't have a home port, but it does run on the easily-emulated Naomi board. Though I do remember the early days of Naomi emulation, that this was one of the games I most wanted to play on that system, and it was so glitchy as to be unplayable. But that was a long time ago, and things have changed.<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2eb7Yl0DzAklQcgw3e3NcWmdce71B27DKzCK4OKzzz3JP6oztHaUtk5EGt1N0lOLFVwtJ6CZWb3Vr5k5ImcT6Awedc2Wo-dQ62cgIN5iwGFblS_2wR0ryDTi5Rq_BvK4VCvS9Rn30IsyfRetepM0WqSVA2-z2oEHsG9kpOaXUbj3dlHX1f2ixglg61OM/s640/flycast%202023-10-23%2021-45-44-21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2eb7Yl0DzAklQcgw3e3NcWmdce71B27DKzCK4OKzzz3JP6oztHaUtk5EGt1N0lOLFVwtJ6CZWb3Vr5k5ImcT6Awedc2Wo-dQ62cgIN5iwGFblS_2wR0ryDTi5Rq_BvK4VCvS9Rn30IsyfRetepM0WqSVA2-z2oEHsG9kpOaXUbj3dlHX1f2ixglg61OM/s320/flycast%202023-10-23%2021-45-44-21.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>So, in keeping with the series' main gimmick, it's a 3D beat em up where almost every item is a weapon or a healing item. Some are even both, as you can pick up plates of food, pressing punch to throw some food or kick to take a bite. The plot and structure seem to be a strange mish=mash of elements from the previous games: like the first game, you're storming a building that's occupied by terrorists who've kidnapped an important person's daughter. Like the second game, you choose one of three routes of increasing difficulty at the start of the game, plus there are setpieces in this game that are clearly reskins of setpieces from the second game. For example, the small kitchen where you fought a big fat chef in that game is a small room where you fight a big fat panda in this one (well, a guy in a very realistic panda costume, at least).</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNoj4WkfpK_0l6jCJ8r1txx_-ngIhYFeK4nWLYtfmcOsiGFjqxvkFy59uQtVG7Zep2iwrZmWNsS1S7v4WGFehJoRdOYk76gQ9DTx8lF9iHisFN7cV3kBBFPlS06B5nyItjkbL0SzzQJZQthAzYooSCoz1E-E_5TTJFp-OJfpDRyTqvK1k3GUyIJq0ukVM/s640/flycast%202023-10-23%2021-55-56-66.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNoj4WkfpK_0l6jCJ8r1txx_-ngIhYFeK4nWLYtfmcOsiGFjqxvkFy59uQtVG7Zep2iwrZmWNsS1S7v4WGFehJoRdOYk76gQ9DTx8lF9iHisFN7cV3kBBFPlS06B5nyItjkbL0SzzQJZQthAzYooSCoz1E-E_5TTJFp-OJfpDRyTqvK1k3GUyIJq0ukVM/w320-h240/flycast%202023-10-23%2021-55-56-66.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It also keeps and expands upon the costume mechanic from the first game's PS2 remake. There are three plyable characters, and while playing the game, there are three diffrent coloured briefcases that cane appear as items dropped by enemies. The costumes aren't just cosmetic, but they're entire transformations with their own movesets, and most of them also have their own unique ways of interacting with the many weapons littered around the stages. Surprisingly, none of the costumes are references to classic SEGA games. Also, a useful piece of information is that all of Jennifer's costumes are both useless for fighting with and boring to control. But, you should give her a try at least once just because they're also the strangest, being a levitating yoga practitioner, a creepy jester, and (letting the weird trio down a little) a blatant clone of Marvel Comics' character Elektra.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS0TeOcJFF-cxiAPZFwKhUpFg-gFlL5Rv2D4svDTwbdkQLxPdAfuKAmAvopgOmPezZu9gr7yn5EAk4LX63TxXImSFJtzexr-12FE6TBpXbF_mtAO7qkOnMiso9tPsU2SsTMSzAQw8fWbwzLsloL7Dktmw5pnM4vA8-50FFn3rWka9svmuI4AvodkeaA-o/s640/flycast%202023-10-24%2019-35-26-26.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS0TeOcJFF-cxiAPZFwKhUpFg-gFlL5Rv2D4svDTwbdkQLxPdAfuKAmAvopgOmPezZu9gr7yn5EAk4LX63TxXImSFJtzexr-12FE6TBpXbF_mtAO7qkOnMiso9tPsU2SsTMSzAQw8fWbwzLsloL7Dktmw5pnM4vA8-50FFn3rWka9svmuI4AvodkeaA-o/s320/flycast%202023-10-24%2019-35-26-26.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Another returning element that's been expanded upon is the scene transition QTEs. They're annoying like all QTEs are, but unlike a lot of worse implementations of the concept, they serve to create a branching path system (like they did in the previous games), rather than being a "press the right button or die" situation. They're expanded on here by sometimes taking the form of little multiple choice questions that you only have seconds to answer, and some of them are even trick questions, like the old "What colour is the word RED in this sentence?", with the word RED actually being blue. I guess it's a way of preventing players from just memorising every QTE and forcing a reaction even from well-versed players. I don't like it, but I do approve of the ingenuity in concept, at least.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJj4dxuwXeMH3sv3tJQc5HSnkr8yxoVRIJQYBWAogUD7GPvfeBlEgBYML8J3u32RBx7w5GhP9JywKIp-bquXRuyzpZuIiEV9ZXg5_SpAeod5Y7uI1TrzQrdRJFKdttdMkP5ilWjSX5Ox4V4cyq4gX5HeFuucW6XtTtC-XDeH-BUqoZGda_QfVAcj54tg/s640/flycast%202023-10-23%2021-57-02-92.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJj4dxuwXeMH3sv3tJQc5HSnkr8yxoVRIJQYBWAogUD7GPvfeBlEgBYML8J3u32RBx7w5GhP9JywKIp-bquXRuyzpZuIiEV9ZXg5_SpAeod5Y7uI1TrzQrdRJFKdttdMkP5ilWjSX5Ox4V4cyq4gX5HeFuucW6XtTtC-XDeH-BUqoZGda_QfVAcj54tg/s320/flycast%202023-10-23%2021-57-02-92.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Asian Dynamite is a pretty good game. If you like the arlier games in the series, this is mostly just more of those. In some cases, it's just bits of those with a new coat of paint (and a hilariously garish gold suit on the main villain). But the new coat of paint, being a big shiny multipurpose Hong Kong skyscraper is nice, and it's a fun and weird game to play. I recommend giving it a try, while we all continue to wait and hope that SEGA starts porting Naomi and Atomiswave games to consoles someday.</p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-13981986166937833622023-10-20T23:11:00.002+01:002023-10-20T23:11:39.256+01:00Firebugs (Playstation)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBK_DWnEGgCbnv0EFETQjtS_JgqFA2uXFDXib0rcqn_2VfIRua4aINWUlg7gv0jWJry24z8f653taQjZg9ppD89CBFGLMs663FhmnA40s-x60nGE8AXJ6pIzFQkG9PXRhiEusk-ngN7P65EmAbN3qSk7JnDfk-6kWKTfq755BFpdAPRgaDtqmeEnS9AXw/s555/SCES-03884_2023-10-15_18-31-22.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="555" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBK_DWnEGgCbnv0EFETQjtS_JgqFA2uXFDXib0rcqn_2VfIRua4aINWUlg7gv0jWJry24z8f653taQjZg9ppD89CBFGLMs663FhmnA40s-x60nGE8AXJ6pIzFQkG9PXRhiEusk-ngN7P65EmAbN3qSk7JnDfk-6kWKTfq755BFpdAPRgaDtqmeEnS9AXw/w400-h305/SCES-03884_2023-10-15_18-31-22.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> I'm sure a lot of you reading will remember Rollcage, the Playstation racing game featuring cars that were very obviously inspired by the radio control car Ricochet, released by Tonka a few years earlier. For some reason, it's a game I very heavily associate with magazine demo discs, even though I've long since played the full game, for a lot more time than I ever played the demo. Anyway, it had a sequel not long after release, called Rollcage Stage II (or apparently, Death Track Racing for its PC release in the US). Then, a few years later, Firebugs came out.<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKlx5D7RFNT0xzdVdFG0QWXnU5uZotxHxeIh40cp1CgjSy7Rduzi16BOD2iAFfP6Aa1P9EVretkRMxqVKutkDTdGSf2DBujrxKyMhpvztI00K2l5tDAs1Db0r5gYNuY2ZAeYVJ8Qb00e_uDmEfRs5dnDdxEHHS4X6NTWv_wL3dn9twcDrZdY245zpRcT8/s584/SCES-03884_2023-10-15_18-38-13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="584" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKlx5D7RFNT0xzdVdFG0QWXnU5uZotxHxeIh40cp1CgjSy7Rduzi16BOD2iAFfP6Aa1P9EVretkRMxqVKutkDTdGSf2DBujrxKyMhpvztI00K2l5tDAs1Db0r5gYNuY2ZAeYVJ8Qb00e_uDmEfRs5dnDdxEHHS4X6NTWv_wL3dn9twcDrZdY245zpRcT8/s320/SCES-03884_2023-10-15_18-38-13.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Mechanically, it's a sequel to the Rollcage games, though thematically, it's had some changes. The original games were similar in theme and setting to the Wipeout games, being set in a stylised luxury future with entire cities seemingly designed around the idea of having racetracks built in them. Firebugs, being a PAL exclusive released in 2002, seems to be following an idea I've seen in some late release Japanese exclusive Playstation games: the only people still buying games for the older console are probably kids. So there's a bunch of cartoony characters, and the world itself is a lot more brightly coloured, too (though the music is still the same kind of awful garbage that seemingly every European-developed Playstation game had to have since the console's beginning).</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDu7FnGLHvFUlmBZ0GPwmKGkFN0g69dgjc8uOC2J_Ao8xKJfPwv8V1gYXebY5m6t5N7okzrq41BlSPYjIuF1BujaIuzLCSprEA_J0VSYCi_pc8JRyFmFaOHSra0eYIYUMoeSTHqChP-Lzg87d__1SIAcBMVQXPCvoPL1vnEU2bEf_y0qbq7IcAzEmWZW0/s586/SCES-03884_2023-10-15_18-45-49.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="586" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDu7FnGLHvFUlmBZ0GPwmKGkFN0g69dgjc8uOC2J_Ao8xKJfPwv8V1gYXebY5m6t5N7okzrq41BlSPYjIuF1BujaIuzLCSprEA_J0VSYCi_pc8JRyFmFaOHSra0eYIYUMoeSTHqChP-Lzg87d__1SIAcBMVQXPCvoPL1vnEU2bEf_y0qbq7IcAzEmWZW0/s320/SCES-03884_2023-10-15_18-45-49.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It really does look great, too. The stages are stylistically rendered, with the textures all bearing very bright and bold colours, along with thick, stark black outlines. It's a clever way of getting some cartoony graphics out of the aging hardware that manage to avoid the game looking like a consolation prize for the kids who just got their older sibling's console as a hand-me-down. There's been some minor changes to how the game plays, too. No big changes to the concept or anything: you can still drive upside-down and on the walls and ceilings, but the handling is generally a bit less chaotic and frenzied, and while suddenly spinning around in the air and landing faced the wrong way was a near-constant problem in the Rollcage games before you got the hang of things, it's a lot rarer here.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYVyPqRj_lfFPc23nGhyphenhyphenJvQeGNtcIFgqvuaK7G81UUjuz8fA414zDSjsjtubR0g8R2yArVcZXQP9AUfHy17fttDmrvd-LejK1KtQOAy-aBb9vQlv3lI89w1HF2_eQnfnl9_JoQP-vkGnW8d-1h1gNi5Lam6xNne7k4Mv-_5SpAgy4dibx29zRDMo3HmFE/s585/SCES-03884_2023-10-15_18-51-33.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="585" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYVyPqRj_lfFPc23nGhyphenhyphenJvQeGNtcIFgqvuaK7G81UUjuz8fA414zDSjsjtubR0g8R2yArVcZXQP9AUfHy17fttDmrvd-LejK1KtQOAy-aBb9vQlv3lI89w1HF2_eQnfnl9_JoQP-vkGnW8d-1h1gNi5Lam6xNne7k4Mv-_5SpAgy4dibx29zRDMo3HmFE/s320/SCES-03884_2023-10-15_18-51-33.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Something I'd like to highlight is the power-up system. You have two power-up slots, which I'll refer to as left and right. The first time you get a power-up, it'll fill your left slot, which is a power that's unique to the character you're playing. Then, if you pick up another before using your left power up, it'll fill your right slot, with a randomly selected power-up from the game's standard pool. Most of the power-ups are standard stuff like missiles, shields, and speed boosts, but I do also like the one that slowly opens a portal in front of your vehicle, which then instantly sends you slightly further ahead on the track. In Firebugs, the portal is just a glowing white ring, but I wonder if this game had gotten a sequel on more powerful hardware, if you'd be able to see your destination through the portal in real time?</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXjiRS67f9z44QKhf8L0JUDUAYBA1QJHsg4ClObxNvL9pmihRPN1pyD2iSn2MZ0a-uRn8Tn5erV488vgaoBWTzpruK7z3r9FKfk3Hzcj6OHL_Dr9z4v_epPedjAhaUznK9bqQk_DXvIhSKiSXdQ2Vz087ifJeDu7SyrprZmQ-uS3pYuBriSCXlZ7Raios/s582/SCES-03884_2023-10-15_19-04-30.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="582" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXjiRS67f9z44QKhf8L0JUDUAYBA1QJHsg4ClObxNvL9pmihRPN1pyD2iSn2MZ0a-uRn8Tn5erV488vgaoBWTzpruK7z3r9FKfk3Hzcj6OHL_Dr9z4v_epPedjAhaUznK9bqQk_DXvIhSKiSXdQ2Vz087ifJeDu7SyrprZmQ-uS3pYuBriSCXlZ7Raios/s320/SCES-03884_2023-10-15_19-04-30.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>There's another weird quirk in the way that the single player mode is structured. There are five planets, and each planet has two main races, the first with three laps, and the final with five. If you come first in the first race, you get thirty points and go straight to the final. If you don't, you get significantly fewer points (second place only gets you ten!), and have to race in two very short one-on-one races before going to the final. You'll get some extra points for winning these races, but they really feel like a punishment, since they're so short that they're barely longer than the loading screens that precede them!</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpqA-qMnpc3qXHgbovMLsBqGuMkgkQWL2yx6TZvqP3D-mR8R5TKx9tDq_O_A8ANSJ3vN1EVYLeJrnEGeyPnAd-ErLP8IEXKulRDoc5gdncyFwuLpf_POl08d5Zo3L7wJ5qNq2UWMXgLbm13YY6UsKfvNM2rkP8cBxWaTdNhmVioNqZFUPLadedjieuqY/s583/SCES-03884_2023-10-15_19-31-32.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="583" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpqA-qMnpc3qXHgbovMLsBqGuMkgkQWL2yx6TZvqP3D-mR8R5TKx9tDq_O_A8ANSJ3vN1EVYLeJrnEGeyPnAd-ErLP8IEXKulRDoc5gdncyFwuLpf_POl08d5Zo3L7wJ5qNq2UWMXgLbm13YY6UsKfvNM2rkP8cBxWaTdNhmVioNqZFUPLadedjieuqY/s320/SCES-03884_2023-10-15_19-31-32.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Firebugs is a decent enough game, but there's just something lacking in it that I can't quite pin down. It's obviously a fast, exciting racing game, but it never really feels like it is. It doesn't really make sense, but against all logic, while playing the game, I quickly felt like I was just tediously going through the motions, waiting for the races to be over, rather than feeling like an engaged, active participant. I guess the best I can do is recommend that you give it a try yourself? It's clearly a competent game, but it just didn't click with me like I feel like it should have.<br /></p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-26558343710826559652023-10-14T20:35:00.006+01:002023-10-14T20:36:20.340+01:00Return of the Ninja (Game Boy Color)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGOrlNPrFgxs7X0zUwMQf6knCEAuWIsb1BS9GV9J3WwO8ZYeN0u8ELEJkp51fOo5adkyvqdkLUTHYCRCWHtgmX6QV7tITYkYXbtxbGT_HzVdofkSuHqhqPNGoXB1D0zt92H0bRDFxuEf5rTYrU7XkEblWDo3lvaZtyQNgHlGAYgGzftAXhh95R3t6g_c/s160/Return%20of%20the%20Ninja%20(Europe)-19.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="160" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGOrlNPrFgxs7X0zUwMQf6knCEAuWIsb1BS9GV9J3WwO8ZYeN0u8ELEJkp51fOo5adkyvqdkLUTHYCRCWHtgmX6QV7tITYkYXbtxbGT_HzVdofkSuHqhqPNGoXB1D0zt92H0bRDFxuEf5rTYrU7XkEblWDo3lvaZtyQNgHlGAYgGzftAXhh95R3t6g_c/w400-h360/Return%20of%20the%20Ninja%20(Europe)-19.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> So, all I knew about this game going into it was that it was supposedly a spiritual successor to Shadow of the Ninja, which is a great game from the late eighties/early nineties ninja platformer craze, and also that it got a licensed reprint in 2020. But the licensed reprint completely went under my radar, and since I don't think it's a game I've ever heard anyone talk about, I assume it went under everyone else's radar, too. But my assumptions based on the above were that it'd be more of that old-style action, maybe with some more modern "quality of life" additions.<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjth24QgyvHl7Ld3ixSMvBx8TfZpUPCTr1z_VrnXBR418FUAfEUYkb1EJoLssopPRnOP6o5Tln6l9jnctNvsHnlQjcUJu2viYkkq02PBMZym3knynPQ8dCPiptt6PLXMkwzqUkqD2JNHIz2kjbUmvfo6B-uB1-AeGb8egMlNtb1eT2Ve5KB8PUo7Wv7XjU/s160/Return%20of%20the%20Ninja%20(Europe)-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="160" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjth24QgyvHl7Ld3ixSMvBx8TfZpUPCTr1z_VrnXBR418FUAfEUYkb1EJoLssopPRnOP6o5Tln6l9jnctNvsHnlQjcUJu2viYkkq02PBMZym3knynPQ8dCPiptt6PLXMkwzqUkqD2JNHIz2kjbUmvfo6B-uB1-AeGb8egMlNtb1eT2Ve5KB8PUo7Wv7XjU/w320-h288/Return%20of%20the%20Ninja%20(Europe)-1.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>What I got was a mix of old and new, and while I was right on the "old" part being the aforementioned ninja-themed platformers, the "new" part was actually something more akin to a 2D interpretation of Tenchu Stealth Assassins. Human enemies will patrol back and forth on their little bit of territory, and only attack if they spot you, and you can actually sneak in and stab them from behind (though there's no cool little pixel animation Tenchu-style executions, unfortunately). So there is actually some stealth in this ninja platformer, something missing from the older games from whence it claims lineage.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZS1w8uHSSRplh6D5LS0JOpYPNpJuxvn2D3CkS4osEvy3AE5t9mEMhWLzqcoySFan9n5ycqR1jnD-ffBXR59vw_t8NnvV6dD_ySXvL9vTKJK71Nm2-3J0tmVqiByCtX2p0oe3tpl01dNilCnNk0KSovLLHKV0IIRuR1cTPp4W7GKbrnjTpTE1n3Ch1tu4/s160/Return%20of%20the%20Ninja%20(Europe)-5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="160" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZS1w8uHSSRplh6D5LS0JOpYPNpJuxvn2D3CkS4osEvy3AE5t9mEMhWLzqcoySFan9n5ycqR1jnD-ffBXR59vw_t8NnvV6dD_ySXvL9vTKJK71Nm2-3J0tmVqiByCtX2p0oe3tpl01dNilCnNk0KSovLLHKV0IIRuR1cTPp4W7GKbrnjTpTE1n3Ch1tu4/w320-h288/Return%20of%20the%20Ninja%20(Europe)-5.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The Tenchu influence doesn't stop at the stealth kills, either! After the first stage, you're told about various pieces of ninja equipment, that can be found littered around the next few stages. There's stuff for jumping higher, digging underground, clinging to ceilings, gliding, and more. Stages two to five can be tackled in any order and revisited after completion. Furthermore, if you find equipment and finish a stage, you keep it. But if you die, you lose all the equipment you've got (but completed stages stay that way). So I'm sure with a lot of experimentation, you could figure out the optimal order to complete the stages. Assuming you don't die, which is unlikely, as you can only take four hits, and health items are rare drops from enemies.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxTABcWjSTiHFMNQs6-voqD9jUMcBF47fxYvvzCZRZAFn-O14e741uKbfTa8IRoiQVIUtedOpKpQ-S1wwB7GRrJNavTsTd0fsqK4cN0v9vO-x2Ux1so0MQQkYJdWUWS1oYKwsIVt7m7MHVAiX1LAV7a3Ml3K0bck0Qi-qA1mW0JzbpJ-FJ6S8F5sRgp7Q/s160/Return%20of%20the%20Ninja%20(Europe)-10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="160" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxTABcWjSTiHFMNQs6-voqD9jUMcBF47fxYvvzCZRZAFn-O14e741uKbfTa8IRoiQVIUtedOpKpQ-S1wwB7GRrJNavTsTd0fsqK4cN0v9vO-x2Ux1so0MQQkYJdWUWS1oYKwsIVt7m7MHVAiX1LAV7a3Ml3K0bck0Qi-qA1mW0JzbpJ-FJ6S8F5sRgp7Q/w320-h288/Return%20of%20the%20Ninja%20(Europe)-10.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It's a shame they went with this kind of scavenger hunt structure, as I think the game would have been a lot better if you had access to your complete moveset at all times, and the stages themselves were designed around that. Generally, I just don't like this kind of progression in action games that restricts the player's control options. (I'm not a big fan of ability progression in action games generally, but especially when it's like this.)(Of course, I have to point out that there are always exceptions, or I'll get a bunch of "what about" comments in certain places.) A third and final piece of influence from Tenchu is that you're graded at the end of each stage on how stealthy you were, and rather than being given new weapons and stuff as rewards like in Tenchu, you're given cute little pixel art ninja trading cards! They don't actually do anything except have cool pictures and facts on them, which only serves to make them more charming!</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDCu79f4QXrpu36I8PEEFvSvucwd3kB9pND88ZuxuBGoigs7vfYTTQmR9oCzHta5Xz6JmCZ73oiMOJl-qnHOuIPfpFDsBtVGphzJP7L9awlrJm7RffbpWLWD0RE1sLlLr68AgJLSqJKs6hjgTkLbDgwrVtDq-rP3UpEzhXY2TgSr-aMw-fqjJTXaoeEQ/s160/Return%20of%20the%20Ninja%20(Europe)-15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="160" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDCu79f4QXrpu36I8PEEFvSvucwd3kB9pND88ZuxuBGoigs7vfYTTQmR9oCzHta5Xz6JmCZ73oiMOJl-qnHOuIPfpFDsBtVGphzJP7L9awlrJm7RffbpWLWD0RE1sLlLr68AgJLSqJKs6hjgTkLbDgwrVtDq-rP3UpEzhXY2TgSr-aMw-fqjJTXaoeEQ/w320-h288/Return%20of%20the%20Ninja%20(Europe)-15.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>But getting past the stuff I don't like about the game, I'll move onto what is easily its best aspect: the way it looks. I'm not sure how well this will come across in still screenshots, but this game looks amazing, and is definitely one of the best-looking games on the Game Boy Color. The colour palettes are all excellently chosen, the sprites are all full of character, and there's an amazing sense of place and atmosphere in every stage. The haunted woods are spooky, the caves are dank and cold, the big ship is full of life, and so on. The haunted woods especially make me think there's a lot of untapped potential for horror games on the Game Boy Color, with skilled enough developers.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE2iDJjLtaxcfwtB1CGz2UOLQyf0TnVzf7GwQlcU87VUD8v_y7yw4PIkhFaSUTW2aZ2Z4nQ0IadiNoL4g5zFtQcaaEsnbV-rsJoLjpHfvTonQxqpwuJ44j7j-cKuBr8rfHdRrRuS0fqYBwGofNJPnfBI07l4b7KmmU5BJZDdqIrWTbuqZXdcIoSJDacbI/s160/Return%20of%20the%20Ninja%20(Europe)-6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="160" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE2iDJjLtaxcfwtB1CGz2UOLQyf0TnVzf7GwQlcU87VUD8v_y7yw4PIkhFaSUTW2aZ2Z4nQ0IadiNoL4g5zFtQcaaEsnbV-rsJoLjpHfvTonQxqpwuJ44j7j-cKuBr8rfHdRrRuS0fqYBwGofNJPnfBI07l4b7KmmU5BJZDdqIrWTbuqZXdcIoSJDacbI/w320-h288/Return%20of%20the%20Ninja%20(Europe)-6.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Return of the Ninja is a game that's definitely worth giving a try. The only explanations I can come up with as to why it flew under the radar on release are that 2D platformers were seen as old hat at the time, and also maybe 2001 was a little late for getting anyone interested in a Game Boy Color game. But still, it's a game that really shows off the potential of the system, and it's full of both ideas and charm. But as always: don't give a penny to the ebay scalpers.</p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-60228001844101189632023-10-06T23:56:00.001+01:002023-10-06T23:56:13.256+01:00K-1 Pocket Grand Prix 2 (Game Boy Advance)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8qbzhI6lRggk2-AylI2srO-HkdxDjB2-tZKAjAbZjWR1xZiyUwn7PPOP8zIb6nxXiPab7exOBxdz7oZ6yEySPxaxEL8Sd-lPRmacUrSc98NxSIbdct1OyZq-7V-ny4IaLowU7pQnj3IVia-broD0J6iKsAK7iztHeWLthHVR0ZgQJ3pLuDv8EYFNeJY/s240/K-1%20Pocket%20Grand%20Prix%202%20(Japan)-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="240" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8qbzhI6lRggk2-AylI2srO-HkdxDjB2-tZKAjAbZjWR1xZiyUwn7PPOP8zIb6nxXiPab7exOBxdz7oZ6yEySPxaxEL8Sd-lPRmacUrSc98NxSIbdct1OyZq-7V-ny4IaLowU7pQnj3IVia-broD0J6iKsAK7iztHeWLthHVR0ZgQJ3pLuDv8EYFNeJY/w400-h267/K-1%20Pocket%20Grand%20Prix%202%20(Japan)-1.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> I don't know much about K-1, except that it's some kind of kickboxing-adjacent sport that takes place in a ring similar to a wrestling ring. And I only know that much because of the S-1 mode in the Fire Pro Wrestling games. But I saw the boxart for this game, upon which are shown photos of two men who don't look like each other, but they do both look kind of like Randy Orton, and I thought that was kind of funny, so I gave the game itself a try.<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg143OOVdyVgw7txA0hazK2FnYGLhWGIJu5_g4GOyeGqawjG84f12xe6jFc-VjmEqTLdgi59-MsgZdGwSix-HTRI-WodLqW8Llc-p3aIJEK6Xl-OWziJ4aWPzugedCCPuoqFIrUoVgEpVlHcdZdZB5w42rA4JGp_EVHLmQJGJEWJIFxS8WL_tBFJgAS2NM/s240/K-1%20Pocket%20Grand%20Prix%202%20(Japan)-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="240" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg143OOVdyVgw7txA0hazK2FnYGLhWGIJu5_g4GOyeGqawjG84f12xe6jFc-VjmEqTLdgi59-MsgZdGwSix-HTRI-WodLqW8Llc-p3aIJEK6Xl-OWziJ4aWPzugedCCPuoqFIrUoVgEpVlHcdZdZB5w42rA4JGp_EVHLmQJGJEWJIFxS8WL_tBFJgAS2NM/w320-h213/K-1%20Pocket%20Grand%20Prix%202%20(Japan)-0.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Surprisingly, considering how serious and po-faced real life combat sports, their enthusiasts, and associated media tend to be, this game takes a weird kind of cartoony approach. A bunch of real life fighters (all of whom are short haired or bald muscular men in shorts) are depicted in an almost super deformed style, and all the stages are Street Figher II=style collections of national stereotypes. An Australia stage with Uluru and kangaroos in the background, a Japan stage with Fuji and geisha, and so on. Furthermore, the fighters all have super moves and a Fighting Vipers-style hyper mode, which can be activated a limited number of times per fight.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRLvrNihts6xLQHSA0Wcyy8vu9gPGvvK_OO38TjqNBa4GtjyJ07ZngOQz1UvWTKoYLDEdjK1aszv_hUeCy-I5IUm0anSHOXwuMxVKNWPiuexKEYQVvxAglb2zYjRkMmnrFixIUf99CodFBmgkAjqCNwimVpHlIhlSqtelXYedOsllr8roYjwINuw3aN68/s240/K-1%20Pocket%20Grand%20Prix%202%20(Japan)-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="240" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRLvrNihts6xLQHSA0Wcyy8vu9gPGvvK_OO38TjqNBa4GtjyJ07ZngOQz1UvWTKoYLDEdjK1aszv_hUeCy-I5IUm0anSHOXwuMxVKNWPiuexKEYQVvxAglb2zYjRkMmnrFixIUf99CodFBmgkAjqCNwimVpHlIhlSqtelXYedOsllr8roYjwINuw3aN68/w320-h213/K-1%20Pocket%20Grand%20Prix%202%20(Japan)-2.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>So what concessions to realism does Pocket Grand Prix 2 make, to keep itself in the realm of "combat sports game" and out of "fighting game"? Well, there's a knockdown system, like in Battle K-Road. Get knocked down three times in a fight, and you lose, even if you've got health remaining. There's also theoretically a timed rounds system, though the knockdowns rarely come into things, and I've never had a fight go past the first round, simply because fights are decided by knockout very quickly. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhmTiU6b4JmtleQXrnlo43XhDPQsERlCFoJ-1zmoo44K0H6XDs_XVZJRc-i9uLp57Ekhh9vu1zgAlyo06zC-dNx6atkMp6Yn7WqTc7_tqEXI2IUQBe9JWT4VaPgUxXmg9nrfeo-1K7aDQ1VA44nQQFARPttsXQuSrDsdLDrwbUC-QjDpkewdA4iTinkrM/s240/K-1%20Pocket%20Grand%20Prix%202%20(Japan)-9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="240" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhmTiU6b4JmtleQXrnlo43XhDPQsERlCFoJ-1zmoo44K0H6XDs_XVZJRc-i9uLp57Ekhh9vu1zgAlyo06zC-dNx6atkMp6Yn7WqTc7_tqEXI2IUQBe9JWT4VaPgUxXmg9nrfeo-1K7aDQ1VA44nQQFARPttsXQuSrDsdLDrwbUC-QjDpkewdA4iTinkrM/w320-h213/K-1%20Pocket%20Grand%20Prix%202%20(Japan)-9.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Furthermore, there's also no jumping, and no throws. No jumping makes sense generally, because jumping just doesn't happen as much in real life as it does in videogames, no matter what the situation. And I know that K-1 doesn't permit throws in real life, as it's the same in the aforementioned Fire Pro S-1 mode, meaning you basically have to create specific characters with strike-based movesets to play it. This game also has a character creation mode, though it's very limited (your only appearance option is to change the colour palette of the one pre-made generic character), and, as far as I can tell, it seems to be impossible to make a character capable of standing a chance against the real guys.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARMivr9GgZjUPTIsT6F14VuSLcjLWp2Y2c28CtuO6oXun4Xby4W9KQqwS1WWcV7m0HHKYHeNECM52vrrsPA1hgUd0w4p-ZtHQ5xNcMW_Cd7IkoA79q6psl44KQvswFXF9d2ODX1mQgaJlde4Jp7l67xGEIKuMe4-JZ996QWdxqoKyKAJ6pvu1IOtoMRc/s240/K-1%20Pocket%20Grand%20Prix%202%20(Japan)-15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="240" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARMivr9GgZjUPTIsT6F14VuSLcjLWp2Y2c28CtuO6oXun4Xby4W9KQqwS1WWcV7m0HHKYHeNECM52vrrsPA1hgUd0w4p-ZtHQ5xNcMW_Cd7IkoA79q6psl44KQvswFXF9d2ODX1mQgaJlde4Jp7l67xGEIKuMe4-JZ996QWdxqoKyKAJ6pvu1IOtoMRc/w320-h213/K-1%20Pocket%20Grand%20Prix%202%20(Japan)-15.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>K-1 Pocket Grand Prix is a strange one. On the one hand, the boring-looking characters and completely pointless creation mode are going to put off people who aren't particularly interested in the real sport. But at the same time, the cartoony aesthetic and animal spirit-manifesting special moves are probably going to be off-putting to people looking for a serious sports game. I'm going to be predictable here, and say that the best solution for both groups is to get ahold of a Fire Pro Wrestling game, and spend some time setting up a roster of characters to use in S-1 mode. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if the GBA Fire Pro games have S-1 mode, though the second one does have the UFC-like Gruesome Fighters mode.</p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-30351183935193870632023-09-29T23:42:00.002+01:002023-09-29T23:42:34.275+01:00Occultist Girl Magatsuhi (PC)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo19YRxoyVs1Q5j-LE3lOUh02fur4Q4HeRrSlq-rB3V62VCQ3cG61Q9DAoxhWVG5TtoMw8PLcWzPXnpRp-mUk6YwCLastYpma22_HquE2WjLxO0llXT2vFnG0IONPtB6qeicFpQAh1d0NLDFonJ5YkkBTpUEJIDYpadiU6qwMyIsPGfXvnWmtRR3ziewo/s640/magatuhi%202023-09-25%2022-43-22-69.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo19YRxoyVs1Q5j-LE3lOUh02fur4Q4HeRrSlq-rB3V62VCQ3cG61Q9DAoxhWVG5TtoMw8PLcWzPXnpRp-mUk6YwCLastYpma22_HquE2WjLxO0llXT2vFnG0IONPtB6qeicFpQAh1d0NLDFonJ5YkkBTpUEJIDYpadiU6qwMyIsPGfXvnWmtRR3ziewo/w400-h225/magatuhi%202023-09-25%2022-43-22-69.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> To describe this game is to invoke that one image macro format with images of Vince McMahon getting progressively more excited with every new piece of information. It's a sprite scaling shooting game, in which you play as a flying onmyouji, and it's developed by Platine Dispositif. You see what I mean? As a list of bullet points, it's incredible! But what about as an actual game?<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifHVuAuwIoB7rzIaKB5oT3XseYDtqk4txtYYKvG4gA8oZy-0L364yUxjEyn71hJCsD0qGS-yBNLzZFq1png_MhO6ZQQv14oV2UWY_O8p8YRso09ad137K5BL-cy6p5u4qjKiyBCMedwRXvLXPof-G2Hmp5H1PLrvpstq4vKCDA-gS4wDCl17veTxIzITw/s640/imss0912001.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifHVuAuwIoB7rzIaKB5oT3XseYDtqk4txtYYKvG4gA8oZy-0L364yUxjEyn71hJCsD0qGS-yBNLzZFq1png_MhO6ZQQv14oV2UWY_O8p8YRso09ad137K5BL-cy6p5u4qjKiyBCMedwRXvLXPof-G2Hmp5H1PLrvpstq4vKCDA-gS4wDCl17veTxIzITw/s320/imss0912001.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Well, before we get into that, I should mention that I decided to abide by the rule of threes in the opening paragraph, as there's another bullet point I could have added: it takes inspiration from and makes references to Space Harrier, Night Striker, and Afterburner! All those games are undisputed classics of the genre, this just keeps getting better, right? And of course, it's got some ideas of its own, too. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUZS_0DGb2pOzt7X-UGsBRNCzGtZMXPdVLNZOBL-eKn6JfnpO2s8Ks-O3GEE5tyCxRKSFQOMZ8YaWQwqQ-TgSVdp-q0XpFFqiu6bcM5ukmEvFRz1jJakc2Y8eNssyarn2BkcVLZw4Vq3U3I5Id7o3uP730VTZAcHe2lQLzMDKDKxHy0ri2TA6ZtewxXU/s640/imss0912006.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUZS_0DGb2pOzt7X-UGsBRNCzGtZMXPdVLNZOBL-eKn6JfnpO2s8Ks-O3GEE5tyCxRKSFQOMZ8YaWQwqQ-TgSVdp-q0XpFFqiu6bcM5ukmEvFRz1jJakc2Y8eNssyarn2BkcVLZw4Vq3U3I5Id7o3uP730VTZAcHe2lQLzMDKDKxHy0ri2TA6ZtewxXU/s320/imss0912006.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>From Space Harrier, it takes the general feel of being a high-speed flying person weaving between the parts of the scenery that you can't destroy, the checkerboard pattern on a lot of the stage's floors, and there's even a tribute to that game's multi-sprite dragon boss. From Night Striker, there's the branching paths, the interstitial tunel segments, and a lot of the stage concepts seem to be taken directly from there, too. And from Afterburner, there's a heavy emphasis on locking onto multiple enemies at once with a homing shot, with escalating score rewards to match.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOiLwU1ygo1Kx_GI9JGMZoyH0GC3mv-URDzcxUl-_t2wnl_TC_mrFqF1wF6lBgfCZ6aiUdd9f_n06H5x2VGkJeRt6x-nSZutUEexgsFNeB0lRVldkhZnmG7A9zJ4_aYGXgAb3fLFa7bRO9uIhwmT6L7s8DrreOBMClw2gpO8spAsca8MJMIgZyEnz-YI/s640/imss0925002.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOiLwU1ygo1Kx_GI9JGMZoyH0GC3mv-URDzcxUl-_t2wnl_TC_mrFqF1wF6lBgfCZ6aiUdd9f_n06H5x2VGkJeRt6x-nSZutUEexgsFNeB0lRVldkhZnmG7A9zJ4_aYGXgAb3fLFa7bRO9uIhwmT6L7s8DrreOBMClw2gpO8spAsca8MJMIgZyEnz-YI/s320/imss0925002.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The game's own big idea is actually a little bit of an attempt at building upon the Afterburner lock-on system. Like in Afterburner, you lock onto enemies by aiming at them without firing, but from that point on, it gets a little more complicated. Each enemy type will be locked onto with either a red, green, or blue reticule, and each of those has its own fire button. You'll generally only have one type of enemy in each little squadron, and you only need to hold the correct button for a second to shoot all of them, but it's still a bit more concentration than you had to exert in Afterburner. (I've been playing with a Saturn controller, and mapped the three lock-on fire buttons to X, Y, and Z, which was a fine setup).</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5McQuvu88YxPw5JKafph7CM7G6hiKDAy1hMnc2FtfxFMVwuUDca0RY7p9giWRRSve0u1soD8X_KQ2IJAIh6CN2_4J1cHasKVSz_4M03L9UidNzMM-RWMhuc8sD0TDUJxl1GEks4M6YaJU9HIPRa4TLaeX2VczkWyu0C4GbwvChJF48snxZA821E69T8g/s640/imss0925006.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5McQuvu88YxPw5JKafph7CM7G6hiKDAy1hMnc2FtfxFMVwuUDca0RY7p9giWRRSve0u1soD8X_KQ2IJAIh6CN2_4J1cHasKVSz_4M03L9UidNzMM-RWMhuc8sD0TDUJxl1GEks4M6YaJU9HIPRa4TLaeX2VczkWyu0C4GbwvChJF48snxZA821E69T8g/s320/imss0925006.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>So yes, Occultist Girl Magatsuhi is a good game. I don't think it's quite as good as Space Harrier or Night Striker, and it's maybe a little better than Afterburner. The only real bad points I can come up with are presentational and definitely not deal breakers. Firstly, I don't think the enemies are particularly interesting. There's a lot of things like eyes, orbs, spinning tops, and so on that feels a bit bland and sterile. Secondly, there's the soundtrack. It's hard for me to be specific in criticising the game's music simply because I can't remember any of it. It just immediately leaves my brain as soon as I stop playing. I wouldn't normally bring this up, but all those games I listed as this game's influences all had incredible soundtracks, as did other big-name games in the genre, like Galaxy Force 2 and Super Thunderblade.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGCULmJ-xNsg1CzIXMiw1k2XYelzviVPUZTGvWJlDP6Un0AlYHWPeM4qhENCK0iiwgzK-uUcNypQwU5i4bZoGyP6Nlcry8GGjSkBacRU-41C8_c-KuEnpiZadW5WVk8zxWPqprYMNzlOrgX_5sIieg94p0ipZVmNP6yn5a_Ne1APqslxtzslbnNj4hcM/s640/imss0926001.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGCULmJ-xNsg1CzIXMiw1k2XYelzviVPUZTGvWJlDP6Un0AlYHWPeM4qhENCK0iiwgzK-uUcNypQwU5i4bZoGyP6Nlcry8GGjSkBacRU-41C8_c-KuEnpiZadW5WVk8zxWPqprYMNzlOrgX_5sIieg94p0ipZVmNP6yn5a_Ne1APqslxtzslbnNj4hcM/s320/imss0926001.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>To reiterate: this is a great game, though it's not a super-original one, and I have some minor criticisms regarding its presentation. Still definitely worth your time, though, especially if you're starved for some new (to you, at least) sprite scaling action.</p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8723625659539591772.post-18460437013713273322023-09-22T19:47:00.003+01:002023-09-22T19:47:57.510+01:00Zig Zag Cat Dachou Club mo Oosawagi da (SNES)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCO1zslDMpsVde736yxnMG6fy5E8fmq_ymLO_lY3L_R8-Itdt0mchI91fUxUeJ2DKAeqJuqgLzYTujrfrRobZRnuhVj79M-EgNnRYYdMoTCbpHZAti7PC53Ej5o7poORqFjWBrH_6Q0ExAUMQrSUEI0n5lsU8xSSjT4_EnnyLwFgllF-snCf6NnCPykqs/s299/Zig%20Zag%20Cat%20-%20Dachou%20Club%20mo%20Oosawagi%20da%20(Japan).b009%20copy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="299" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCO1zslDMpsVde736yxnMG6fy5E8fmq_ymLO_lY3L_R8-Itdt0mchI91fUxUeJ2DKAeqJuqgLzYTujrfrRobZRnuhVj79M-EgNnRYYdMoTCbpHZAti7PC53Ej5o7poORqFjWBrH_6Q0ExAUMQrSUEI0n5lsU8xSSjT4_EnnyLwFgllF-snCf6NnCPykqs/w400-h321/Zig%20Zag%20Cat%20-%20Dachou%20Club%20mo%20Oosawagi%20da%20(Japan).b009%20copy.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> It seems doubtful that I'll find another brick breaking game that comes close to being as good as either of the two titans that stand atop the genre, Puchi Charat and Prism Land Story, but I keep on looking. Zig Zag Cat, though it does have a few interesting ideas, definitely isn't the one to do it. And remember: interesting and good aren't always the same thing.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARiaAdguAnfWECvC0TeE0d9bQAV8jSD35SuLIJBGDToF2uMvxL1wcoFLlTJnhMht2s0pvFieOQYPlJzfVw3p2JtTcD5yy6107QbP-siHOQe1pcVLVHV4i7LpkqZSV_iizZcHs3L5Jt3OywsDeM1ON03EJPHP3mIh1hKYVxUd1zKE5dOqtIQcw4qb9w9c/s322/Zig%20Zag%20Cat%20-%20Dachou%20Club%20mo%20Oosawagi%20da%20(Japan).b001%20copy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="322" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARiaAdguAnfWECvC0TeE0d9bQAV8jSD35SuLIJBGDToF2uMvxL1wcoFLlTJnhMht2s0pvFieOQYPlJzfVw3p2JtTcD5yy6107QbP-siHOQe1pcVLVHV4i7LpkqZSV_iizZcHs3L5Jt3OywsDeM1ON03EJPHP3mIh1hKYVxUd1zKE5dOqtIQcw4qb9w9c/s320/Zig%20Zag%20Cat%20-%20Dachou%20Club%20mo%20Oosawagi%20da%20(Japan).b001%20copy.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>The biggest idea Zig Zag Cat has is structural: it's got some vague, very slight RPG bits mixed in with the Arkanoid-like action. Very slight meaning that there's little "towns" (contained entirely within one building each) between the stages, with save points, inns (that don't seem to actually do anything), and shops. The shops sell power ups, but they're as temporary as the ones that appear in the stages themselves, and coupled with the rarity of the coins, a bit pointless. There's no permanent equipment or levelling up or anything, though. Which on the one hand is a plus for the game's balance and difficulty curve, but it would at least have offered something a bit more exciting to talk about. I wonder how levelling up and permanent upgrades would even work in a game like this, for example.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMkQ8iMO_nGeJOuW9bzhJLw06uNbfqPW_yofnX6aeQHhBkLzJnAk7toUEC6j1in_UdRzwy0YOLE4KRQwEL86EQWUWspY1enZhENzxb5jNkRL9Po-wgPKLEcqK2a2yuubKQSj1WvBXwpIVJ6pgcKrApBJ9iYP2fRvbJKCKUzs4UyfyFXmbqhzbMndTdgaw/s321/Zig%20Zag%20Cat%20-%20Dachou%20Club%20mo%20Oosawagi%20da%20(Japan).b008%20copy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="321" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMkQ8iMO_nGeJOuW9bzhJLw06uNbfqPW_yofnX6aeQHhBkLzJnAk7toUEC6j1in_UdRzwy0YOLE4KRQwEL86EQWUWspY1enZhENzxb5jNkRL9Po-wgPKLEcqK2a2yuubKQSj1WvBXwpIVJ6pgcKrApBJ9iYP2fRvbJKCKUzs4UyfyFXmbqhzbMndTdgaw/s320/Zig%20Zag%20Cat%20-%20Dachou%20Club%20mo%20Oosawagi%20da%20(Japan).b008%20copy.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The stages themselves are vertically scrolling, and for the most part, sparsely populated with bricks to hit with your ball. And while the screen's scrolling, you can just hit them with your paddle as you get to them anyway. A few times in each stage, though, the scrolling stops, and you have to get through a more traditional Arkanoid-style stage, though even here you don't have to break all the bricks, just one particular one. It's a grey blob thing that opens an eye the first two times you hit it and disappears on the third. The stages are all completely linear, of course, and it all feels like a significantly more boring version of Devilish on the Mega Drive.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3vyLGKzhYOtla1qPkiwSnBVuZoGsZxFA6wfdOBgzrFeHJOsY_R4D5O_DHq9iqGaiiEkRT-xmx9uqC5njef20Ktmwe-cRgjEZZQ7w_gUBvuKYuquvvmrpVEdIYo8crhU0WfTef6LXmcL0mMSEwBWyUS8qv-h7sREyw4A8K6CkK5gOT9_i6HLRYjE9nTY/s323/Zig%20Zag%20Cat%20-%20Dachou%20Club%20mo%20Oosawagi%20da%20(Japan).b014%20copy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="323" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3vyLGKzhYOtla1qPkiwSnBVuZoGsZxFA6wfdOBgzrFeHJOsY_R4D5O_DHq9iqGaiiEkRT-xmx9uqC5njef20Ktmwe-cRgjEZZQ7w_gUBvuKYuquvvmrpVEdIYo8crhU0WfTef6LXmcL0mMSEwBWyUS8qv-h7sREyw4A8K6CkK5gOT9_i6HLRYjE9nTY/s320/Zig%20Zag%20Cat%20-%20Dachou%20Club%20mo%20Oosawagi%20da%20(Japan).b014%20copy.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Something else that makes this game noteworthy, other than its unusual combination of structure and genre is that it's a tie-in game to a Japanese comedy trio called Dachou Club. I don't really know anything about them, other than that the first related search result I found was a news story about one member's untimely death in 2022. They appear a few times to say stuff to your character, but I can't read Japanese, so I can't tell you anything about what they say. Since the protagonist is some kid, and the ball is his cat, I wonder if the tie-in was something added late in development? It seems more like pretty generic early nineties "it'll do" nonsense than something a group of famous comedians would come up with.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IVHPujDyV-N4NHDLMthx5jZEA--b3SyARClIKkGrRzNNiPw3_C1b3vdIzPLI5tYxMVT0VskeasNKIzaxYEoN3G_5oOfE4CyOzCgjsvioGGwS151A1fbaXoXY8ENsW6t8fJJpB1C4tJDhjjEDR96sLw4YghJc7NrVTScdKhr5Dg9838BV_YzU0T2oVeg/s320/Zig%20Zag%20Cat%20-%20Dachou%20Club%20mo%20Oosawagi%20da%20(Japan).b022%20copy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IVHPujDyV-N4NHDLMthx5jZEA--b3SyARClIKkGrRzNNiPw3_C1b3vdIzPLI5tYxMVT0VskeasNKIzaxYEoN3G_5oOfE4CyOzCgjsvioGGwS151A1fbaXoXY8ENsW6t8fJJpB1C4tJDhjjEDR96sLw4YghJc7NrVTScdKhr5Dg9838BV_YzU0T2oVeg/s1600/Zig%20Zag%20Cat%20-%20Dachou%20Club%20mo%20Oosawagi%20da%20(Japan).b022%20copy.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I don't recommend playing Zig Zag Cat. I played it for about an hour or two and at best I was bored, and at worst I was frustrated (and not in a fun way). But it's weird and unusual in various ways, and now you know about it. You're welcome, I guess?</p>Jonnyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01838220453077339756noreply@blogger.com1