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NEC TG-16/TE/TurboDuo => TG-16/TE/TurboDuo Discussion => Topic started by: Necromancer on July 11, 2012, 05:45:56 AM

Title: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 11, 2012, 05:45:56 AM
Here's a thread for some personal navel gazing and braggadocio of my leet gaming skillz, along with my worthless thoughts about each game (unlike runin, my thoughts really are worthless).  The goal is to clear a game every two weeks or so, but we'll see how that goes when I run out of the easy stuff.



Clear #1 - The Legend of Xanadu

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7282/8951750977_e417630bf0_o.jpg)

To belatedly start the ball rolling ('twas finished just before the end of the June), it's teh LoX!  This is a fantastic adventurey rpg that any fan of the Ys games should take a look at; it's cutscenes are amongst the best you'll find on the PCE, the music is pretty good (though mostly chip tunes and not red book), the puzzles are plentiful and tricky but not frustratingly so, and the side scrolling bits and boss fights are absolutely beautiful.  Just one word of warning for those that find moon runes incomprehensible (like me): it's a bit hard to get started out, but the pace picks up considerably once you learn the ropes; I suggest starting with blueraven's walkthrough (http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=11171.0) to get you started with minimal fuss and consulting it (whenever it's finished) or the one at mindrec when you get stuck (it will happen).
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Arkhan on July 11, 2012, 10:01:39 AM
why did you put this in the Turbob section!  Xanaduder is a PCE game!

WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: soop on July 12, 2012, 12:26:29 AM
lol, stolen
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: _joshuaTurbo on July 12, 2012, 02:29:56 AM
why did you put this in the Turbob section!  Xanaduder is a PCE game!

WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE.

He PROLLY didn't know that there are DIFFRENT forum sections coz he's a NUB with only 10,000 POSTSTS.....

 :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

;)
Necro:  next is Emerican Dragoon?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Arkhan on July 12, 2012, 03:38:08 AM
Necro:  next is Emerican Dragoon?

EMERALD DRAGON!112

f*ck, that game is badass.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 16, 2012, 09:46:43 AM
Clear #2 - The Legend of Xanadu II

(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3698/8952944522_ae87f2fa3f_o.jpg)

This one is more of the same, only less so; it was almost disappointing after playing LoX I, but it's a fine game taken by itself (think Air Zonk and Super Air Zonk, but not that disappointing).  Though much shorter, more linear, with less impressive cut scenes, lacking the clever puzzles of the original, and missing the side scrolling sections before the boss fights, it's still lots of fun and has stayed the course (tunes and boss fights) or made minor improvements (overhead scenery).  All in all it's a fantastic ride, but I'd advise peeps to play this one first as an appetizer for the main course that is LoX I.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on July 16, 2012, 04:39:35 PM

Necro, I'm enjoying this thread so far. (http://junk.tg-16.com/images/pcds.png)

Especially your OUI OUI JUMBO-sized screenshots.

Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on July 17, 2012, 05:16:41 AM
MOAR!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: geise on July 17, 2012, 01:32:12 PM
Haha.  yay n00b spoilers! O:)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on July 25, 2012, 06:25:41 AM
MOAR!


Yes, indeed. (http://junk.tg-16.com/images/pcgs.png)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on August 02, 2012, 04:05:13 AM
Clear #3 - Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5443/8951751243_7fdf3269f5_o.jpg)

It's not terribly difficult or very long, but it was still kinda fun.   The presentation is rather primitive (about what you'd expect from an early CD-ROM2 title), but most of the backdrops look good or at least okay, and the little animated scenes when you're on the right track are cute (unfortunately there's only three of 'em).  It's too bad they didn't bring this one to the US; it would've fit in nicely with their edutainment stuff, and there's already an option to play in English anyway, though a few minor things are still in Japanese.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on August 02, 2012, 04:25:33 AM
Yes! Carmen SanDiego. I never thought I would play the PCE version, but I picked it up on a whim. So, you actually played this game. I can't believe it.

I played PC/C64 versions when I was a kid in the 80's.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: DragonmasterDan on August 02, 2012, 04:27:27 AM
Clear #3 - Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

(http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/408/sandiegoa.jpg)

It's not terribly difficult or very long, but it was still kinda fun.   The presentation is rather primitive (about what you'd expect from an early CD-ROM2 title), but most of the backdrops look good or at least okay, and the little animated scenes when you're on the right track are cute (unfortunately there's only three of 'em).  It's too bad they didn't bring this one to the US; it would've fit in nicely with their edutainment stuff, and there's already an option to play in English anyway, though a few minor things are still in Japanese.


I have to admit, I kind of want this version of it.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on August 02, 2012, 04:51:46 AM
I LOVED the Apple II version way back when. I didn't know the PCE version had an English language option! Looks like I will have to pick this one up.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: reno5 on August 02, 2012, 05:54:21 AM
Was playing Carmen Sandiego on a Tandy 1000 EX in 1984.. Need to find a copy for the PCE !
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on August 02, 2012, 06:02:27 AM
I highly recommend it to you guys; it's cheap enough that everyone should give it a try, even if they don't have any nostalgic feelings for it.  The tunes are pretty funky too - each location gets its own unique song, but they unfortunately stop when you do anything in the menu.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: reno5 on August 02, 2012, 06:22:05 AM
That's what i just did. Found one for 10$ shipped ! Love the "make offer" option in ebay !
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: SMF on August 02, 2012, 08:15:36 PM
Gonna have to be a game i pick up.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on August 04, 2012, 09:46:46 AM
For folks interested in this game: It should be super cheap (a few dollars) if you look in the right places. (http://junk.tg-16.com/images/pcgs.png)

Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: roflmao on August 06, 2012, 02:58:24 AM
I have fond memories of playing this as a young'un.  Another title to add to my wishlist... :wink:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on August 14, 2012, 06:44:31 AM
Clear #4 - Emerald Dragon

(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3691/8952944148_d2315e8576_o.jpg)

Not a bad RPG and close enough to the SF version that even a dummy like me could use its walkthrough and get to the end.  The cut scenes are quite nicely done, it's colorful (sometimes a bit too colorful, looking like a unicorn exploded or something), and its battle system is rather unique - it's turn based like most RPGs but attacking enemies is directly controlled by ramming into them (kinda like in Ys), and you control only the main character while the computer does a mostly competent job of controlling the rest of your party (healing where appropriate, running away when injured, and ganging up on whoever is closest).
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: reno5 on August 14, 2012, 10:42:09 AM
Nice, waiting for mine to come in and i'll play it
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on August 28, 2012, 04:02:53 AM
Clear #5 - Dracula X

(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2836/8951748503_a65980067e_o.jpg)

There's not much new to say about this one - if you like platformers at all, you owe it to yourself to get this one.  It's about as perfect as a game can get: fantastic scenery, nicely done cut scenes, an awesome soundtrack, superb controls, beautifully animated sprites, and excellent replay value with hidden exits, branching paths, and two playable characters.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on August 28, 2012, 06:45:57 AM
"POP THE TOP WADA"

'nuff said. (http://junk.tg-16.com/images/pcgs.png)

Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: PunkicCyborg on August 28, 2012, 08:16:22 AM
Carmen San Diego is about one of the easiest clears. That and Alzadick. I loved Carmen San Diego on pc when I was a kid so I really liked this version. Too bad the songs don't play for more then a few seconds because I really liked some of the tracks.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esadajr on August 29, 2012, 09:58:56 AM
Clear #5 - Dracula X

There's not much new to say about this one - if you like platformers at all, you owe it to yourself to get this one.  It's about as perfect as a game can get: fantastic scenery, nicely done cut scenes, an awesome soundtrack, superb controls, beautifully animated sprites, and excellent replay value with hidden exits, branching paths, and two playable characters.

I like those old school TV screen pictures. Best way to prove an emulator was not used.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on September 10, 2012, 08:46:03 AM
Clear #6 - Bazaaru de Gozaaru no Geemu de Gozaaru

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7375/8952942828_afffa3bac6_o.jpg)

This fun if easy puzzler is cuter than a bug's ear, just like the lil' NEC mascot it features.  It's hard not to smile while making Bazzy jump, dance, and spin his way to the exit, dodging barking doggies and mean warthogs along the way, and there's a decent amount of replay value in trying to collect all the money bags too (to spend on furnishings for the monkey bachelor pad).



If you get stuck: Bazzy Guide (http://www.mediafire.com/view/swxp8i9a6l9nvra/Bazzy_Guide.pdf).
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Arkhan on September 10, 2012, 08:49:34 AM
When you gonna beat Circus Lido and post that up!?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: PunkicCyborg on September 10, 2012, 08:55:16 AM
you should raffle off that bazzy now you are done with it! and only enter me into the raffle.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on September 12, 2012, 06:05:58 PM
Bazzy is one of those games that I want to play...but not sure when I'll ever get a chance to... WOE IS ME (http://junk.tg-16.com/images/pcgsad.png)

Also, Rover and I know that Bazzy loves platanos, not bananas (a common misconception we have been trying to dispel for years now).

Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on September 25, 2012, 06:13:47 AM
Clear #7 - Dragon Slayer: The Legend Of Heroes

(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5342/8951748239_164d0892e1_o.jpg)

Though definitely not perfect, it's a pretty good RPG if you have a sense of humor and enjoy cheesy dialogue.  I like to think of it as turn based Ys, as it has similarly cute little Falcom sprites, a bordered play field, and great tunes; and even though it's not ram 'em style fighting, the battles are quick and painless, even automatic if ya want.  Plus, you never really need to grind for hours on end just to make headway, and there's a handy item to reveal monsters when a little grinding is in order (bring the fight to the beasties!).  My only gripes are that it could use more cutscenes and that the voice work is ill fitting, but overall it's good fun and well worth a play through.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: reno5 on September 25, 2012, 12:27:05 PM
I still need to fin a copy of this game at a good price. Seem to be a great game.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: PunkicCyborg on September 25, 2012, 03:03:27 PM
damn Necro you are knocking them out! Next game should be MOTHER F'N ENERGY!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on October 11, 2012, 06:54:50 AM
Clear #8 - Dragon's Curse

(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2850/8951748059_a642099d9d_o.jpg)

It's a bit primitive looking, but not offensively so, as everything is colorful, cartoony, and cute as hell.  It's fun too, with enough wandering around and back tracking to feel more adventurey than tedius (quick warps back to town help a ton); I just wish it were a bit longer.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on October 23, 2012, 06:38:12 AM
Clear #9 - Urusei Yatsura - Stay With You

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7346/8951749679_87644f25ae_o.jpg)

Not bad as far as digital comics go, with the action moving along at a fair pace, few (and easily avoided) game overs, a handful of not terribly difficult puzzles, and a few cute and/or funny scenes.  It's definitely worth a look for anyone interested in the genre, or at least anyone that's interested in Lummy.  :D

Now I gotta get me a copy with the bonus music disc, which is what I should've bought in the first place.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Nando on October 23, 2012, 06:55:20 AM
how's the language barrier?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on October 23, 2012, 07:09:59 AM
I can't read a lick of those squiggly things, yet I didn't have any problems following the story from the pictures or making consistent headway by methodically clicking away at commands until something happens.  There's only a handful of spots where you can 'die', but I only had to see the game over screen a couple of times before being able to recognize what I shouldn't be clicking on; just remember to save often.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 06, 2012, 06:02:01 AM
Clear #10 - Splatterhouse

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7323/8952943182_b87705085b_o.jpg)

I really dig this one, and it's a good one to clear for Halloween, albeit a bit belatedly.  It's a bit grainy looking, but the gore and beastly badies make up for it, as do the creepy tunes and sound effects (my favorites being Jennifer's "help me" and the squeal of the fetus thingys).

P.S. - Is it just me or does that look a bit like Robin Williams?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on November 06, 2012, 07:27:14 AM
I think my favorite track in the game is during the final boss fight.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on November 06, 2012, 08:18:37 AM
Ha! Robin Williams!

And, yes, the most awesome moment in the game is when you have to kill Jennifer after she pleads for your help. Twisted.

(http://junk.tg-16.com/images/pcgs.png)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: PunkicCyborg on November 06, 2012, 08:27:51 AM
Necro you need to play splatterhouse wanpaku graffiti next on famicom its so awesome
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 06, 2012, 08:39:40 AM
Necro you need to play splatterhouse wanpaku graffiti next on famicom its so awesome

Famicom is not OBEY.  :P
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on November 06, 2012, 10:21:22 AM
Necro you need to play splatterhouse wanpaku graffiti next on famicom its so awesome


Famicom is not OBEY.  :P


Speaking of OBEY, you played Splatterhouse on HARD MODE, yes? If not, you haven't really beaten it properly. GO BACK AND BEAT IT LIKE A MAN (see what I did there?), NECRO.
http://junk.tg-16.com/audio/Monster_Maker/Track_08.mp3
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: vestcoat on November 06, 2012, 11:34:50 AM
"slidekick fetus"
OMG LOL Barf
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 07, 2012, 02:09:30 AM
Speaking of OBEY, you played Splatterhouse on HARD MODE, yes? If not, you haven't really beaten it properly. GO BACK AND BEAT IT LIKE A MAN (see what I did there?), NECRO.

Like all my clears, it was beaten on the normal difficulty level and without continues, but I'm willing to give it a go.  :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: PunkicCyborg on November 07, 2012, 03:16:48 AM
well even though wanpaku graffiti isn't OBEY it's still awesome if you are a splatterhouse fan
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: csgx1 on November 07, 2012, 10:36:05 AM
Speaking of OBEY, you played Splatterhouse on HARD MODE, yes? If not, you haven't really beaten it properly. GO BACK AND BEAT IT LIKE A MAN (see what I did there?), NECRO.

Like all my clears, it was beaten on the normal difficulty level and without continues, but I'm willing to give it a go.  :mrgreen:

Hard mode isn't that much harder than normal, from what I remember when I beat it on hard.  Enemies just take a few more hits.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 08, 2012, 02:35:51 AM
Do you get more points or a different ending on hard mode?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on November 10, 2012, 04:26:38 PM
Speaking of OBEY, you played Splatterhouse on HARD MODE, yes? If not, you haven't really beaten it properly. GO BACK AND BEAT IT LIKE A MAN (see what I did there?), NECRO.

Like all my clears, it was beaten on the normal difficulty level and without continues, but I'm willing to give it a go.  :mrgreen:

Hard mode isn't that much harder than normal, from what I remember when I beat it on hard.  Enemies just take a few more hits.

One-hit-death for poor Rick would be the best test of your skills.

Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 21, 2012, 05:24:56 AM
Clear #11 - Dungeon Explorer

(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3761/8952944292_d5da199e27_o.jpg)
(started with the fighter and switched to the princess after freeing her)

A top ten huey that everyone should have, but y'all knew that already.   So much fun (by yourself or with friends), with some of the best chippy tunes around and good replay value with the different characters (the princess and hermit are my favorites).  My only complaint is that it's a bit short, but that's where the sequel comes in.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Arkhan on November 21, 2012, 05:41:12 AM
Dungeon Explorer has the most ambient soundtrack on the PCE.   Best Echo/Panning use ever.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on November 21, 2012, 10:26:26 PM

'nuff said.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on December 03, 2012, 05:48:36 AM
Clear #12 - Dead Moon

(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5450/8951748701_a6a6ee69c8_o.jpg)

A cool shewty with great parallax, sweet tunes, nice boss designs (the skeletal end bosses more so than the ho-hum mid bosses), a handy tally for shewty efficiency, and sensible transitions from one level to the next (fly up to the moon, across the moon's surface, descend into a crater, etc.)  The only drawbacks are the enemies being rather bland, geometric shapes and it being easy; the latter is good for me and my weaksauce skillz, and those looking for more challenge can stick around for another loop, which cranks up the difficulty a notch.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: roflmao on December 03, 2012, 12:44:09 PM
Wow, Necro, I think you just sold me on this game. :D
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: ProfessorProfessorson on December 06, 2012, 10:17:53 PM
I really have to admit, I find Dead Moon to be a real bore. Its just about the most plain shooter out there. The strongest point was the background graphics. The player ship design was not too bad, but honestly just felt like a rip off of the ships from the Toaplan shooters. I am really surprised Natsume was willing to bother with it. My only guess is they got the rights on the cheap. When I think about this game I often just relate it to other meh shooters out there like Rock On on PCE, Darwin 4081 on Mega Drive, or Zed Blade on NeoGeo. Basically just shooters that are clearly first efforts, instead of products from a seasoned group or programmers. Doesn't mean they are terrible. Just terribly average.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on December 07, 2012, 08:52:52 AM
I really have to admit, I find Dead Moon to be a real bore. Its just about the most plain shooter out there. The strongest point was the background graphics. The player ship design was not too bad, but honestly just felt like a rip off of the ships from the Toaplan shooters. I am really surprised Natsume was willing to bother with it. My only guess is they got the rights on the cheap. When I think about this game I often just relate it to other meh shooters out there like Rock On on PCE, Darwin 4081 on Mega Drive, or Zed Blade on NeoGeo. Basically just shooters that are clearly first efforts, instead of products from a seasoned group or programmers. Doesn't mean they are terrible. Just terribly average.

"Terribly average" is the best way to put it—with a bit more inspiration, these games could really have been better. I think there is a polish to Dead Moon (decent controls, no blatantly offensive aesthetics, an internal cohesiveness of ideas/themes/play mechanics) that seemingly  elevated it above mediocrity, but Dead Moon is, at heart, pretty damn generic.

I still enjoyed the game, but that's because I am a slut for the genre and I have played such abominable shot-em-ups that Dead Moon gets credit for simply being meh.

I have commented on Rock On (a poor, intellectually-challenged man's R-Type) as NOT being horrendous (I've enjoyed it, for what it is), but I can't help but wonder how much more enjoyable a finely-executed R-Type clone would have been.

Similarly, Dead Moon could have been SO MUCH MORE.

End of rant.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on December 18, 2012, 04:56:46 AM
Clear #13 - Final Zone II

(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2866/8951747895_3ba1deb2b8_o.jpg)

"Sorry, this happens to be my hobby."

The Good - pretty good tunes (if often cheesy), decent replayability from being able to pick different characters on most levels (replete with unique music and weapons)

The Bad - bland backgrounds, too easy (though the latter half picks up a bit), very short, clunky shewty stage

The Ugly - the real reason to play this game is for the abysmal voice acting, lousy yet funny script, and a good bitch slapping when your woman gets mouthy
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on December 18, 2012, 07:32:12 AM
...and possible the worst cover art ever seen on US soil.  :P
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on December 18, 2012, 03:23:44 PM

I liked the music in Final Zone II.

What's your theory on the totally random vertical shoot-em-up helicopter stuff?

Was it a random unfinished demo that they threw into the game for the hell of it?

(http://junk.tg-16.com/images/pcds.png)

Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on December 19, 2012, 01:52:09 AM
It's just there to change up the action, with the jet-pack-over-the-water being a similar idea (but with boats!).  I like the idea, actually, it's just the implementation that stinks; fix the slow ass 'copter, add a few more, different enemies, and it'd be a lot more fun.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: vestcoat on December 19, 2012, 07:17:32 AM
...and possible the worst cover art ever seen on US soil.  :P
Nothing will ever top Takin' It to the Hoop.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on December 20, 2012, 11:28:26 AM
It's just there to change up the action, with the jet-pack-over-the-water being a similar idea (but with boats!).  I like the idea, actually, it's just the implementation that stinks; fix the slow ass 'copter, add a few more, different enemies, and it'd be a lot more fun.

Yes, those shoot-em-up stages were very monotonous (same strategy over and over)...had we been tasked to actually think/alter/develop different strategies to overcome different obstacles/enemy patterns/etc., it would have been very nice.

I also wish that the different attributes of the mechs played a larger role in the "strategy" of the game. Maybe if we were allowed to switch mechs at certain points (and the stages were designed with specific mechs in mind)--maybe this would have given the game more depth. I just feel that the different playable characters are wasted.

The game itself suffers from poor controls (IMHO)....had the controls not been as clunky, had the flow of the game been smoother...damn, it would have been a fun romp instead of a plodding detour into quicksand. Momoko is fast, though.

LAZER WHIP!



Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: blueraven on December 25, 2012, 05:21:36 PM
Clear #5 - Dracula X

There's not much new to say about this one - if you like platformers at all, you owe it to yourself to get this one.  It's about as perfect as a game can get: fantastic scenery, nicely done cut scenes, an awesome soundtrack, superb controls, beautifully animated sprites, and excellent replay value with hidden exits, branching paths, and two playable characters.

HA! I had 321 continues. Nice thread BTW. And holy shit.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on January 03, 2013, 05:18:52 AM
Clear #14 - Götzendiener

(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5337/8951750545_69a4732c51_o.jpg)

Even though it feels like an unfinished beta, I love this game for its unique isometric view and its heroine, Princess Kick Ass!  Where else can you find a damsel in distress that has to save herself when the would be hero is snuffed in the opening cinema?

The Good - red book tunes in cut scenes, nicely animated sprites, half of the scenery looks pretty good, a few small puzzles to figure out, and great cut scenes where the Princess progressively loses more and more of her clothes

The Bad - the in game chip music is pretty meh the first go 'round and downright grating after it loops a couple times, the other half of the scenery is bland and lacks detail, and it'll pause/crash at least a couple times while you're playing

The Ugly - slow down galore, the controls are clunky and slow, and the levels are often mostly empty, with few enemies to fight or puzzles to solve (you'll see plenty of spots where they surely planned more but ran out of time to implement 'em)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on January 03, 2013, 05:17:45 PM

I got stuck in Gotzendiener years ago... I gotta re-visit it.

I agree--it is a rough, flawed little game that has personality and is unique (for PCE, anyway)...
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on January 17, 2013, 05:47:24 AM
Clear #15 - Hatris

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7349/8951750399_c4f71a972d_o.jpg)

I'd rather have a well done port of Tetris (especially with a two player mode), but I still enjoy it for what it is: a falling block puzzler that lets you zone out and drop hats quickly, no intricate strategy required.

The Good - catchy tunes, reasonably paced action, decent looking title/stage select/ending screens, and getting to burn the customers

The Bad - it's rather easy and the difficulty never really ramps up much, bland in game graphics, and no two player mode

The Ugly - the customers!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: roflmao on January 17, 2013, 12:33:52 PM
Congrats!  I didn't know this game had an ending. :)  I'll have to try harder.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on January 18, 2013, 04:05:42 PM

Hatris!

'nuff said.

Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on January 29, 2013, 05:53:06 AM
Clear #16 - Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water

(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2851/8952943518_310bec38bf_o.jpg)

The Good - nicely drawn, colorful artwork, decent length (not terribly short but not drudgery either), most scenes are animated and change often, unobtrusive loading (mostly in the background while you're watching something else), and cool fan art at the end.

The Bad - mostly forgettable tunes, no puzzles to solve, and not in English  :mrgreen:

The Ugly - NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Arkhan on January 30, 2013, 05:32:24 AM
You left out : "No titties"
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on February 20, 2013, 03:24:26 AM
Clear #17: Cosmic Fantasy

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7416/8952942174_fba585ee3a_o.jpg)

Everything great (and not so great) from Cosmic Fantasy 2.  If ya love CF2, ya gotta give this one a go.
 
The Good - lovable characters; humorous story line with good looking cinemas; riding Monmo (cattank jr.) to safety when you're hurt; nice backdrops during battles (unlike CF2's black screens and dungeon/overworld back grounds); and two tasty nude scenes of Saya.

The Bad - bland looking overworlds, dungeons, and towns; encounter rate, especially later when money and experience are useless; and only two Saya bathing scenes.

The Ugly -  L  O  A  D  I  N  G  !   It loads a lot: in towns, every few screens in cut scenes, before battles, after battles, and even during battles.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 01, 2013, 03:57:37 AM
Clear #18 - Cosmic Fantasy 2

(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2877/8952942576_7c68a7ecb2_o.jpg)

The Good: fantastic story, if a bit sad; large cast of engaging characters; numerous, great cut scenes; and a few nice tunes.

The Bad: arrogant Frenchy computer, though the ending leads me to believe he's only half French; battle pacing is slowed down when using a group attack weapon (minor annoyance only); missing status attacks; the "CF3 Coming Soon" poster sucks 'cause it didn't happen; loading/reloading of each character portrait during conversations; and much of the WD 'humor' hasn't aged well or wasn't all that funny to begin with.

The Ugly: the encounter rate can get pretty tiresome at times, but it's really not that bad - instead of walking around and around to grind up a couple levels, just walking from point a to point b will often yield enough experience to be ready for the next challenge.  Either way you're killing x number of enemies, but it's a killer when you've gone to far and need to retreat quickly, so plan accordingly.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: galam on March 01, 2013, 04:01:50 AM
Swell work here.
Is there an engrish tranny of CF1?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 01, 2013, 04:10:13 AM
Is there an engrish tranny of CF1?


Dave Shadoff is (was) working on one, but it seems to be stalled ().  It's pretty playable for gaijin, though, as it's very linear and there are no puzzles to solve.  You can get all the menus from the linked video, and runin showed me this handy-dandy site (http://rko.jp/cosmic_fantasy-bouken_shounen_yuu/) for item lists, magic descriptions, etc. (run it through google translate).
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: galam on March 01, 2013, 04:19:36 AM
Is there an engrish tranny of CF1?


Dave Shadoff is (was) working on one, but it seems to be stalled (clicky (http://www.youtube.com/ywatch?v=HhPFay5PlMk)).  It's pretty playable for gaijin, though, as it's very linear and there are no puzzles to solve.  You can get all the menus from the linked video, and runin showed me this handy-dandy site (http://rko.jp/cosmic_fantasy-bouken_shounen_yuu/) for item lists, magic descriptions, etc. (run it through google translate).


My lord, sounds like more work than play.  :D
You are an inspiration.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: tpivette on March 01, 2013, 04:49:00 AM
CF1 is the only game in the series I don't have. Have to pick that one up...

Any plans to clear CF3 or 4.1/2?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 01, 2013, 05:28:04 AM
Any plans to clear CF3 or 4.1/2?

Yep, I'm planning to play 'em in order.  I might sneak something else in between 'em, though.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: PunkicCyborg on March 01, 2013, 05:55:34 AM


Yep, I'm planning to play 'em in order.  I might sneak something else in between 'em, though.
like Energy?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on March 01, 2013, 10:53:27 AM
I really do wish the encounter rate wasn't so damn high. It cancels out the music at every battle then restarts it afterwards. It keeps me from hearing the whole tune.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 12, 2013, 06:07:58 AM
Clear #18.5 - Cosmic Fantasy Visual Collection

Interesting but not of much value, other than to complete your PCE Cosmic Fantasy collection and for a peek at Babbette's nips.  At well over an hour, it takes a lot longer to get through than I expected (load, load, load some more!), but there's sadly precious little original artwork shown during the narration between cut scenes.  Why show me just the boring old logo when there's surely plenty of production sketches and fan art that could've been used?

P.S. - CF1 scenes 3 & 6 and CF2 scene 4 are the good stuff.  Giggitty.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 25, 2013, 08:45:26 AM
Clear #19 - Cosmic Fantasy 3

(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3713/8952942396_310573ec7d_o.jpg)

The Good: the expected CF humor and cast, many cute enemies that look like they might've escaped from Jim Hensen's puppet lab, and a preview of a Babette bitchslapping at the end.

The Bad: meh tunes (worst is the vocal track used in boss fights); enough status ailments for itself and all those missing from CF2 too, but at least they don't do much other than prolong the battles a bit; the cutscenes took a hit, as now many of 'em are just on screen portraits and text (like what is seen often in cart rpgs); it never crashed, but there's a bug towards the end that piles up all the enemies at the edge of the screen; and the encounter rate is pretty rough, but at least you can run from most any battle.

The Ugly: the battle system is needlessly complex, allowing you to pick between up to three weapons and how to use it; the hit/miss rate is abysmal, with roughly 40% of your main attacks being ineffective (though stuff like magic almost always connects); and the bosses are either wimps or pre-determined ass kickings*.

* - [spoiler] the main party gets their collective ass handed to 'em with one hit kills, just so someone else can ride in and save the day in an equally lopsided victory over the boss [spoiler]
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: roflmao on March 25, 2013, 03:38:23 PM
* - [spoiler] the main party gets their collective ass handed to 'em with one hit kills, just so someone else can ride in and save the day in an equally lopsided victory over the boss [spoiler]

Thanks for keeping this thread going, Necromancer!  I find your feedback very informative.

Also, that's a great way to hide spoilers!  I'm totally stealing your method if I need to in the future.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on March 26, 2013, 04:24:08 PM
Also, that's a great way to hide spoilers!  I'm totally stealing your method if I need to in the future.


Indeed it is. (http://junk.tg-16.com/images/pcgs.png)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on April 16, 2013, 10:23:41 AM
Clear #20 - Riot Zone

(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5347/8952943372_0ee8205de7_o.jpg)

It's no Final Fight, yet it's good fun and it likely wouldn't catch near as much flak if Hawk and Tony really did go down fighting... together.

The Good: colorful, varied, and nicely detailed backgrounds; great tunes from the folks at T's Music; controls are mostly spot on; lots of tasty street meat to eat and bonus point stuff to nab; nifty little wanted poster cut scene between levels; big sprites with not too much flickering; Lance the human porcupine; and I like the little rats scurrying about the floor, but you unfortunately can't pick 'em up and huck 'em at the enemy

The Bad: rather easy; not many enemies (too many palette swaps); in addition to special moves being executed by the RUN button, you can press buttons I and II simultaneously, which leads to accidental use when you're trying to jump kick someone; no weapons to pick up and no destroyable stuff (boxes, barrels, etc.); and some stiff animation, particularly Tony's stick-in-ass walk

The Ugly: no two player mode!  :|
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: ParanoiaDragon on April 16, 2013, 11:29:41 AM
Ah, someone who likes the tunes in Riot Zone!  It seems like most people don't like the music, but I think it's great!  It might not be my top tier choice, but still great. 

As for the rats scurrying about, & not being able to pick em up & throw them.....hmmmmmm, maybe we could do something like that in Dragon Arm!  I'll try to remember to mention that in our development for it, but if you end up beta testing it, try to remember that as a suggestion incase I forgot to mention it! :)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on April 17, 2013, 05:39:49 PM

Riot Zone...a bit more love (variety of enemies) and it would have been better, IMHO.

Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on June 04, 2013, 10:57:45 AM
Clear #21 - Godzilla

(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3821/8952944036_f2176538f3_o.jpg)

A great vs. fighter second only to Kabuki Itouryodan, but keep in mind I'm hardly a vs. fighter connoisseur.  Unless you're a collector, though, save the monies and get the PCE version with its all important bonus rounds.

The Good: great presentation (a bit like participating in a play) with fancy opening cinema, cool path/monster select screens, and 'bout card' screens showing each round's contestants; varied, sizeable, and good looking beasties; lots of fitting growls and beastly roars; and while it's a bit slow (kinda expected for giant monsters), it controls very well, especially considering there's only one attack button.

The Bad: Godzilla won't roar on command in one player rounds (why's that 'move' even in there?); you fight less than half the available opponents, so it's kinda short; clinch timing seems cheap, where 'zilla is often too slow to chomp (forget using a special move); and one player mode has you controlling Godzilla only - other monsters are playable only in two player mode and only after they're unlocked/beaten (see below)

The Ugly: the scoring is broken by the omission of the bonus rounds, making it nigh impossible to unlock the last two bosses.  I understand not bothering with the translation costs for the US version, as the quiz rounds don't add much to the fun factor and many gaijin wouldn't know the answers anyway, but couldn't they have adjusted the points required (or rewarded) easily enough?  :evil:



Gah!  I'm way behind, but I'll try to catch up and post more frequently.  :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 05, 2013, 11:08:52 AM
Clear #22 - Cosmic Fantasy 4, Chapter 1

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7430/9216675967_f13afd243a_o.jpg)

There's no one fatal flaw, but all the negatives added together make it hard to love.  Still, it's worth a shot for CF fans.

The Good: you get to whack what might be Wizda's long lost cousin; handy spell icons make attack spells gaijin friendly; a few nice tunes (my fave was in the ice cave); lots of different battle backgrounds that change often to match your surroundings; a few easy maze/puzzles to figure out; nice cinemas..... eventually; and the most important - Saya tittehs!

The Bad: lengthy digi-comic sequence at the beginning, and not a terribly good one either; the first half cinemas are mostly crap, with mostly unanimated talking portraits; dumb mosaic transition into and out of battles (just like the SNES!!!); they look good, but there's quite a few recycled enemies and background tiles from CF3; and the encounter rate is rough.

The Ugly: clunky, slow battle system with meter filling BS; possibly game ending bug*, so make sure you alternate save slots just in case (good practice for any RPG really); and Saya's abuse was just too much.

* - [spoiler] After the Saya tentacle rape/molestation, don't make a bee line to save her with Yu.  Find and talk to the two hurt guys (the rest of Saya's party?) in town first, else you'll never find the two bodies and you won't be able to leave town [spoiler]
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 24, 2013, 04:24:11 AM
Clear #23 - Cosmic Fantasy 4, Chapter 2

(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2879/9356487335_60aaf0c7ba_o.jpg)

Not surprisingly, it's a lot like Chapter 1; it's still flawed, but most of what sucked in Chapter 1 has been fixed or at least improved upon.  Get it, play it, love it!

The Good: starts off again with a digi-comic, but this one is shorter, funnier, better animated, and action packed; oft humorous story line continued from CF2; lots of different enemies, including various betitted descendants of CF2's harpies; though there's not enough, the cut scenes are great; sizable dungeons with plenty of hidden passageways and puzzles to figure out; and another Babette shower scene!

The Bad: half the story is told with just spoken dialog while you stare at the characters on screen - you don't even get portraits this time; shops no longer show who can use what equipment; overuse of status effects; hp/mp don't refill on level up this go 'round; tedious encounter rate (it wouldn't be CF without it!); slow starting where it's hard to tell what to do or where to go; and some annoying in-battle sprite flicker.

The Ugly: stupid meter filling BS - it's ridiculously slow in the beginning, but it's not so bad after leveling up and with more people in your party; and the final boss fight was rather BS.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: TR0N on July 24, 2013, 09:17:31 PM
Congrats necro man i wish some body would fan-translate cf 1,3,4.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on August 07, 2013, 06:48:34 AM
Clear #24 - Cratermaze

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7334/9460569924_18a917cf81_o.jpg)

A fun little game that's like a cross between Lode Runner and Bomberman - bury enemies alive from an overhead perspective or bomb 'em with the occasional, short lived bomb item (amongst other weapons).

The Good: bouncy tunes; fast pace; three difficulty levels with more, different enemies (clear it to unlock expert mode); plentiful temporary weapon items, freeze timers, speed downs, etc.; and short cinemas not found on many hueys

The Bad: only two bosses out of 60 stages; even on expert mode it's not terribly difficult; and occasionally two enemies will be directly on top of each other, leading to a cheap death (they can't both fall in the same hole)

The Ugly: NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on August 07, 2013, 07:36:34 AM
Not that you played the JP version, but:

DAMN! I don't think I've beaten this game? Can we compare this to the ending of the Japanese version? Are all the characters (in the image) the same (except our Protagonist, far-left, with the cute helmet)?

Doreamon is missing...but are the bosses the same?

I wonder  about these things.  (http://junk.tg-16.com/images/pcgs.png)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on August 07, 2013, 08:22:32 AM
(http://members.shaw.ca/turboduo/misc/cm4.jpg)(http://members.shaw.ca/turboduo/misc/dm4.jpg)
(http://members.shaw.ca/turboduo/misc/cm3.jpg)(http://members.shaw.ca/turboduo/misc/dm3.jpg)
(http://members.shaw.ca/turboduo/misc/cm2.jpg)(http://members.shaw.ca/turboduo/misc/dm2.jpg)
(http://members.shaw.ca/turboduo/misc/cm1.jpg)(http://members.shaw.ca/turboduo/misc/dm1.jpg)


In the scene where Doraemon is dreaming of a sideways vagina, his hands are animated to look like he is masturbating.

Cratermaze has the same soundtrack as the arcade, while Doraemon Meikyu Daisakusen has a new original soundtrack.

The final bosses are different. These shots are from The Brothers Duomazov-


(http://members.shaw.ca/turboduo/misc/cm5.png)(http://members.shaw.ca/turboduo/misc/dm5.png)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on August 07, 2013, 10:30:11 AM
Black_Tiger: I love all the screenshots/info! Is this from one of your unfinished projects?

I didn't expect the music to be different, now I want to compare the two.  (http://junk.tg-16.com/images/pcgs.png)

AND, I don't think I ever saw the arcade version! Damn.

Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on September 24, 2013, 06:54:08 AM
Clear #25 - Order of the Griffon

(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2839/9919119496_894494d977_o.jpg)

A great huey RPG with a decent if predictable story line.  Don't listen to the 'all US exclusives suck' naysayers - it's well worth your time.

The Good: lots of different enemies requiring different plans of attack; dancing skeletons (yes, I'm easily entertained); good selection of different characters to pick from to build varying parties; plenty of spells, weapons, and armor to collect; D&D aficionados would surely prefer more control over the stats, but I liked not having to worry about what they all meant to battle outcomes - just load up the best goodies you can find and kick ass; and the dungeons are plenty big and take time to clear (but see below).

The Bad: the tunes cut out as soon as you attack; a few cheap spots where you can get insta-killed by entering the wrong room (save often); lots of attack misses, but at least enemies miss too (kinda like CF); an overly abrupt ending; and the dungeons are often quite maze like, repetitive looking, and long, forcing you to bust out the graph paper (or just download 'em).

The Ugly: the backgrounds look fine when you're moving around, but every room is empty and you only get a description of what's there.  There's a coffin in the corner?  Where?!?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on September 30, 2013, 12:52:19 AM
The music cutting out, I remember that. (http://junk.tg-16.com/images/pcgsad.png)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: _joshuaTurbo on September 30, 2013, 04:10:29 AM
Clear #25 - Order of the Griffon

The Ugly: the backgrounds look fine when you're moving around, but every room is empty and you only get a description of what's there.  There's a coffin in the corner?  Where?!?

That's your DM explaining the situation!!  Use your imagination!

I think the music cutting out is my MAIN problem with the entire game.  I remember surveying the battle for long enough to hear the entire battle track.  It's a damn fine song too!!  It's a shame they got lazy and killed the music once someone made an attack... :(
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on October 04, 2013, 02:51:07 AM
That's your DM explaining the situation!!  Use your imagination!


Heh, I suppose so.  Still, they could've added a little variety in the scenery.



Clear #26 - Maison Ikkoku

(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2853/10084483383_ae61cb4df2_o.jpg)

The Good: decent if basic tunes and artwork; a few rather humorous moments, particularly with your 'girlfriend'; it's translated into English (one of only two such PCE digi-comic adventure games); and guest star Lummy!

The Bad: even in English there's stuff I don't understand - I presume reading the manual or watching the anime would help a lot; obscure goals; and an anti-climatic ending.

The Ugly: lots of ways to get a game over and no game save, just passwords.  Thankfully the passwords are easy to read and input, but you'll want to check a walkthrough to avoid dead ends and spending hours on the password screen.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on October 06, 2013, 01:21:20 AM
Ha, never knew this had L'Anglican Church version. Interesting, perhaps...
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on October 16, 2013, 03:30:15 AM
Clear #27 - Motteke Tamago

(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3672/10309928334_9e8aa0e97d_o.jpg)

A fun little game and a worthy addition to your multi-player party lineup, though it's a rung or two down from the greatness of Bomberman '93 / '94.

The Good: cute as a button, catchy tunes (choose between redbook and chippy), and a good variety of power ups to snag, dangers to avoid, and different modes to try.

The Bad: it's hard to win fights, a bit on the short side, and only three different worlds to visit.

The Ugly: Kinda pricey and no real case...... for now.  :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: SuperPlay on October 19, 2013, 08:39:55 AM
I loved the Maison Ikkoku Anime and I have also given this game some play, however I never managed to complete it.

Dam another one I need to go back to ;-)

Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 12, 2013, 03:28:07 AM
Clear #28 - Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective

(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3798/10745822905_6919bbd37b_o.jpg)

I like such games and luckily my memory has enough holes that I can come back every few years and relearn the particulars of each case.  The game is afoot!

The Good: sizable cast and nicely varied sets; pretty decent acting, especially by videogame standards; and some humorous bits, mostly from Holmes mocking my pathetic detective skills.

The Bad: while overall they're quite good for a very early FMV game, the videos are rather grainy and not exactly smooth; only three short cases to solve (it needs more cases and/or deeper plots requiring more detective work);  it uses high-res mode to shrink the videos, which might be a good thing making the videos smaller and hiding some of its flaws; and there's not much replay value - you can try to beat Holmes score, but where's the fun in skipping almost all of the videos?

The Ugly: a few videos would crash and automatically repeat (clean and unscratched disc).  :|
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Xak on November 12, 2013, 05:19:29 AM
Necro do you have all your games complete? I would hope so if you took on such an ambitious goal. I know I made sure I had the best of the best when 'collecting'
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on November 15, 2013, 09:28:34 PM
Necro: I bought the DVD version of Sherlock Holmes and Dracula Unleashed but now I can't find the damn things. I'm afraid I accidentally stuck them with my regular DVD's (which are all crushed in box somewhere in the garage).

Anyway, I bought the DVD version because I was curious about the improved video quality (needless to say, it is superior to the TG-CD and Sega-CD version of Sherlock). The trade-off, though, is that the "cheapness" of the costumes/sets is more apparent on a full-screen. It's actually not that bad, production-wise, so my point is not to mock the production values, but, rather, to show the silver cloud has a rusted iron lining.  An obvious complaint: the awkward DVD controls/menus detract from the flow of the game (it's not a deal-breaker, mind you, it's just a shame). I'm sure this varies by DVD player...my DVD player is nothing fancy (Samsung DVD + VHS combo from a decade ago).

DUH! MOMENT: It never occurred to me to play DVD Sherlock/Dracula Unleashed in their entirety on my COMPUTER/laptop! I don't know why I never did that (I took screenshots at some point using my laptop, but that's it).

OH, NOW I REMEMBER: I played Sherlock DVD whilst taking care of my daughter and she would have destroyed the laptop if it was with arm's reach.

BOTTOM LINE: Necro, you're one of the few crazy bastards to play Sherlock.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: _joshuaTurbo on November 16, 2013, 12:04:40 AM
Esty- Another 'DuH moment':  Play it on a PS2 or Xbox to gain the ability to play with a console controller!  ;)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on November 16, 2013, 02:35:08 AM
Esty- Another 'DuH moment':  Play it on a PS2 or Xbox to gain the ability to play with a console controller!  ;)


Wait, PS2 plays DVD's? Holy crap, I've never done that.

I bought PS2 late (2005-2005?), when I didn't watch DVD's much anymore.

Holy crap.  (http://junk.tg-16.com/images/pcgs.png)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Xak on November 16, 2013, 08:07:15 AM
Good job on beating order of the griffon Necro. I kinda wish someone would bugfix the battle music before I dive into it.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 18, 2013, 02:33:07 AM
I'd love to see comparisons of Sherlock between Turbob, Sega, and DVD versions.  Doo eeeet, esty!  :mrgreen:



Clear #29 - Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective Vol. 2

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7303/10927057336_8d238bda8c_o.jpg)

There's very little difference between the original and the sequel.  The judge is now in FMV glory and the video quality seems a touch better (SuperCD improvements or just wishful thinking?), but otherwise it's the same exact game with three different cases to solve.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: turboswimbz on November 18, 2013, 03:22:01 AM
268 that isn't to shabby of a score.  Last itme I played a case I scored 3XX to holmes 30 ish.   not sure of the exact amount just rember thinking damn I need to solve the case 10X faster to break even with him. 
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 18, 2013, 04:44:05 AM
Out of curiosity, I just checked gamefaqs to see what it takes to get Holmes's score; you only get to visit a handful of people / locations (a mere 3-5 for most cases).  Boring!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: blueraven on December 08, 2013, 09:38:27 AM
The game does look kind of boring. How quick did you beat it?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on December 09, 2013, 03:24:11 AM
Maybe three hours for each game, about an hour or so per case.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Xak on December 09, 2013, 09:59:54 AM
Man I COULD NOT play through Sherlock Holmes. Not back in 2005 when I first got it, not now after I dont have it.

Props for slugging through that .
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on December 09, 2013, 10:08:14 AM
Why not?  Too slow paced, can't take the fmv quality, just don't like the genre, or ?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Xak on December 09, 2013, 10:10:09 AM
Love FMV games. It the pacing I suppose. The Genre is hard to distinguish. I do like mystery games like graphic adventures a lot. But Sherlock I could not do it. Nor the giant ant game it came from ....
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: galam on December 09, 2013, 11:20:35 AM
Nor the giant ant game it came from ....

BLASPHEMY!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Xak on December 09, 2013, 11:47:20 AM
I love Loom and Beyond Shadowgate
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on December 09, 2013, 02:00:26 PM
I remember loving Sherlock Holmes on the Sega CD (even while squinting through the grains). I am not sure I could handle the crazy frame rate of the Turbo version after growing up with the version on the Turbob's rival.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on January 07, 2014, 02:30:45 AM
Clear #30 - Yawara!

(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5497/11819447403_e423451f6a_o.jpg)

Not a horrible digi-comic but not a particularly good one either.  Maybe it'd be better if I could read the script, but from what I could figure out not a whole heck of a lot was going on.

The Good: cute Yawara; nice looking pastel, watercolor-esque backgrounds; and funny facial expressions from your boss and Yawara's sensei (particularly the intermission screens).

The Bad: the backgrounds are almost all static; mostly muzak tunes; no real puzzles or challenge; and the story is rather bland.

The Ugly: only one upskirt panty shot!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Nando on January 07, 2014, 03:27:26 AM
only one Pantsu shot? Meh...
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on January 20, 2014, 06:04:26 AM
Clear #31 - Yawara! 2

(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3694/12051695884_eae90d8953_o.jpg)

More of the same type of stuff as found in the first game.  It's quite a bit shorter, though, which is somewhat made up for with mini-game crappola (trivia game, othello, vs. fighting game, character stats, etc.).
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Xak on January 20, 2014, 01:33:39 PM
do you speakie japanesie?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on January 21, 2014, 01:52:03 AM
do you speakie japanesie?

Nope, I still don't (nor do I read/write it), but I don't let that me keep me from enjoying PCE games.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: galam on January 21, 2014, 01:57:10 AM
I admire the time you have to kick the PCE's ass.  Not only having the time, but actually using it constructively
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: PunkicCyborg on January 21, 2014, 05:06:29 AM
Necro makes me want to play comic adventure games :D
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on February 04, 2014, 02:55:44 AM
Clear #32 - Gain Ground SX

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7433/12306918946_f76a9d4df5_o.jpg)

The Good: lots of characters to pick from and different enemies to defeat, requiring careful planning; cool tunes; and the action can get pretty hairy in spots.

The Bad: sometimes bland backgrounds; it defaults to easy (hit select on the title screen to set it to normal); a couple levels are kinda cheap hard, where you might run out of time trying to trigger an enemy to appear so you can whack him; no cinema or intro stuff; and no two or three player like was in the arcade original.

The Ugly: lots of flicker.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Nando on February 04, 2014, 08:09:55 AM
well that sucks on the no two player part.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 03, 2014, 08:05:18 AM
Clear #33 - Cadash

(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2877/12912846523_2ac6e40c62_o.jpg)

The Good: some nice, gory details (talking corpses!); cool bosses; atmospheric tunes; good replay value with four characters to utilize; two player action; and mermaid tittehs!

The Bad: kinda short, but there's no save feature either; cheap hits from iffy collision detection; and a few small bits of Ireland 'humor'.

The Ugly: NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Nando on March 03, 2014, 09:39:37 AM
I have a super soft spot for Cadash. Love, LOVE that game.

The cheap hits were quarter munchers.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Miracle_Warrior on March 03, 2014, 10:39:10 AM
I have a super soft spot for Cadash. Love, LOVE that game.

The cheap hits were quarter munchers.

Tell me about it.  I poured so many quarters in to this game growing up. 
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: HailingTheThings on March 03, 2014, 01:49:40 PM
Cadash is sweet. It cracks me up that I, without realizing it, spent so much time grinding that by the time I finished the last boss, I kinda didn't even realize it at first.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 28, 2014, 09:17:30 AM
Clear #34 - Efera & Jiliora

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7166/13472558873_14a77e42c9_o.jpg)

Not a horrible action rpg, but its got a lot of little flaws that hold it back... and will sometimes make you want to punch a squirrel.

The Good: lengthy with lots of different places to explore; a few good tunes; neat cut scenes composed of static but good looking back drops and small but well animated character sprites (think Beyond Shadowgate cut down to fit regular CD format); lots of different bosses to whack; and two player capability.

The Bad: it sometimes gets lost on loads; slow down when there's seemingly very little going on; clunky, backwards menus; much of the game play environments are bland and ugly; the light/dark gimmick gets real old, real quick; and the damage done from stuff on the floor/ground is just ridiculous.

The Ugly: lots and lots of cheap hits due to poor hit detection, only being able to hit one enemy at a time, the screen scrolling only when you're near the edge (leaving little time to react), and the limited range of sword attacks (especially if the enemy is below you).
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: HailingTheThings on March 28, 2014, 10:11:06 AM
Clear #34 - Efera & Jiliora

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7166/13472558873_14a77e42c9_o.jpg)

Not a horrible action rpg, but its got a lot of little flaws that hold it back... and will sometimes make you want to punch a squirrel.

The Good: lengthy with lots of different places to explore; a few good tunes; neat cut scenes composed of static but good looking back drops and small but well animated character sprites (think Beyond Shadowgate cut down to fit regular CD format); lots of different bosses to whack; and two player capability.

The Bad: it sometimes gets lost on loads; slow down when there's seemingly very little going on; clunky, backwards menus; much of the game play environments are bland and ugly; the light/dark gimmick gets real old, real quick; and the damage done from stuff on the floor/ground is just ridiculous.

The Ugly: lots and lots of cheap hits due to poor hit detection, only being able to hit one enemy at a time, the screen scrolling only when you're near the edge (leaving little time to react), and the limited range of sword attacks (especially if the enemy is below you).

Kinda wish there was an English translation for this game.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 28, 2014, 10:44:59 AM
You'll miss out on the story (more so than most rpgs due to the way the cinemas are done), but it's easy enough to play without moon rune skills.  It's fairly linear with the only back tracking being to places you couldn't enter the first go around.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: PunkicCyborg on March 28, 2014, 11:54:25 AM
You me and gbaplayer are all neck to neck on our game clears # at 34. I need to step up my game  :twisted:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on March 28, 2014, 02:42:52 PM

You me and gbaplayer are all neck to neck on our game clears # at 34. I need to step up my game  :twisted:


You kids have a long way to go to catch up with me. The fact that I can't play nearly as much as I used to will help even things out in the next decade or so, though.

Don't give up, little ones!  (http://junk.tg-16.com/images/pcgs.png)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on May 22, 2014, 07:02:06 AM
Clear #35 - Air Zonk

(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2908/14243704372_532eb80a17_o.jpg)

The Good:  nicely colored and detailed backgrounds with great parallax; sweet chip tunes (among the best on the system); tons of variation in enemies and bosses; many different weapons to try out; and great replay value to test out the various helpers, or go it alone and get different mini-helpers.

The Bad:  a little slow down and flicker; and King Drool (end boss) is balls tough compared to everyone that came before, but thankfully you can build up a pretty good stock of extra lives along the way.

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on May 22, 2014, 08:16:59 AM
Air Zonk was one of my first clears on the system. The final boss rush is a doozy.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: PunkicCyborg on May 22, 2014, 08:58:47 AM
King drool is easy once you get his pattern down. I first thought little thing that circles around you hit you but all it does is block your shot but you just need a couple good charged shots to clear it
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on May 22, 2014, 09:13:50 AM
I first thought little thing that circles around you hit you but all it does is block your shot but you just need a couple good charged shots to clear it.

Heh, no shit?  I'd die a lot less if I weren't flying in circles trying to avoid that thing.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: galam on May 22, 2014, 12:18:34 PM
Air Zonk was one of my first clears on the system. The final boss rush is a doozy.

I was playing this a few nights ago on me TE. I got to the boss rush, died, got pissed and shut it off. Then, literally 5 mins later i turned it on again and got to the boss rush again and died.  Got REALLY pissed and stopped.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on June 30, 2014, 06:20:57 AM
Clear #36 - Quiz Econosaurus

(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3920/14540971684_c154d16705_o.jpg)

I think of the LA as part of the Turbob family (they're branded as such), so I'm putting this here.  :mrgreen:

The Good: cute animated opening video, nice background music, not terribly engrishy, and a good spread of questions running the gamut from easy to esoteric.

The Bad: very little video - it could've been on Super CD and been just as enjoyable.

The Ugly: NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 10, 2014, 09:01:40 AM
Clear #37 - Galaxy Fraulein Yuna

(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3908/14433803917_d840417067_o.jpg)

A fun, colorful, and darn cute digi-comic with a bit more action than most, though the story isn't as easy to follow as some others.

The Good: many pretty girlies to beat the pants off of (quite literally), with lots of variation in their appearance, armor, and weapons; humorous bits sprinkled throughout; tons of voice work, not that it did me any good; a couple nice red book tunes; well done animated cut scenes; and a bikini contest with special guest judges!

The Bad: chip background tunes are rather bleh; turn based battles are repetitive and I never got the hang of the strategy required (if there is one), making their outcomes seem based more on luck than anything else; mostly static in game pics where the action between characters is shown with changing character portraits, which is why it's kinda hard to follow the story if you don't understand Japanese.

The Ugly: the sound of the different girls laughing at you is like an ice pick to your ears, but we'll see who get's the last laugh, bitches!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 18, 2014, 05:06:59 AM
Guide added to Bazaaru de Gozaaru (http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=12268.msg256742#msg256742).   (http://pcengine.freeforums.org/images/smilies/bazzy.gif)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 21, 2014, 09:19:51 AM
Clear #37.5 - Galaxy Fraulein Yuna HuVideo

(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5572/14688321366_e17a4fe89e_o.jpg)

If you're gonna get Yuna, it's well worth paying a couple bucks more for the re-release with the extra disc.  The HuVideo is short and kinda grainy, but it's pretty cool and there's not exactly a dearth of OBEY FMV to look at elsewhere, plus, the extra artwork stills are well worth a peek.  :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Bardoly on July 21, 2014, 10:39:47 AM
Clear #37.5 - Galaxy Fraulein Yuna HuVideo

If you're gonna get Yuna, it's well worth paying a couple bucks more for the re-release with the extra disc.  The HuVideo is short and kinda grainy, but it's pretty cool and there's not exactly a dearth of OBEY FMV to look at elsewhere, plus, the extra artwork stills are well worth a peek.  :mrgreen:

I did not realize that this existed.  It is not in the PC Engine Bible, although it is in PCE Daisakusen!  Is this the first two Yuna's combined on one disk with the extra disk being some HuVideos clips, or what?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 21, 2014, 11:10:30 AM
It's just the first game and a separate disc for the HuVideo clip and art stills.  As far as I can tell, the game disc itself is identical to the original release with the same product ID / disc number (HCD2031) and same track listing and sizes.

The PCE Bible could use a mention in the overview maybe, but I believe all the scans in the 'images' section are from the re-release version.  The manual front cover and game cd, however, would be the same from either version.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on August 06, 2014, 10:21:27 AM
Clear #38 - Galaxy Fraulein Yuna 2

(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5561/14846857235_a6e7c5989a_o.jpg)

I didn't think it possible, but it's even cuter and more humorous than the first outing; and if you don't smile at Yuri's "om-nom-nom-noms" and save screen graphic, you have no soul.

The Good:  as in the first game, cut scenes are quite well done; better animated on-screen action, making it easier to follow the story; gobs of good voice work; a couple mini-games (which are too short to really get into) and a few first person maze sections make up for the linearity of the story line; a nekkid bathing scene (more funny than sexy); and cute colored pencil / crayon art at the end credits.

The Bad:  after the dandy opening cinema, the title screen is queerly silent; the music is again rather bland; instead of all new stuff, the intermission pics are shared with the HuVideo disc; and a couple blinky, seizure inducing screens.

The Ugly:  the f*cking battles!  They almost ruin the game, taking far too long, requiring more luck than strategy, and the deck is often stacked against you (literally).
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esadajr on August 06, 2014, 03:25:02 PM
Clear #37.5 - Galaxy Fraulein Yuna HuVideo

If you're gonna get Yuna, it's well worth paying a couple bucks more for the re-release with the extra disc.  The HuVideo is short and kinda grainy, but it's pretty cool and there's not exactly a dearth of OBEY FMV to look at elsewhere, plus, the extra artwork stills are well worth a peek.  :mrgreen:

Sweet.

Do you know if there is a guide? (I haven't found any). Still, it is fun trying to figure out what every option does.

Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: slinkyturd on August 06, 2014, 06:33:07 PM
No Bloody Wolf?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on August 07, 2014, 03:44:49 AM
Do you know if there is a guide? (I haven't found any). Still, it is fun trying to figure out what every option does.

You don't really need a guide, as it's pretty linear.  There's generally only two or three places to explore at a time, and if nothing's happening where you're at, go somewhere else and poke around until you trigger something new.
Title: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on August 22, 2014, 11:24:22 PM
Clear #10 - Splatterhouse

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7323/8952943182_b87705085b_o.jpg)

...

P.S. - Is it just me or does that look a bit like Robin Williams?


(http://junk.tg-16.com/images/pcgsad.png) R.I.P. Robin Williams
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on September 04, 2014, 04:20:03 AM
Clear #39 - Atlantean

(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5558/14951827778_d5d82f11f2_o.jpg)

Kick ass homebrew on a 3D printed glow in the dark huey and case.  Buy one now or f*ck OFF!  :mrgreen:

The Good: sweet tunes; excellent sprite work and fantastic background graphics with loads o' parallax; great variety with different enemies that have differing attack tactics, various bosses to tackle, and mine dodging and Atlantean catching bonus levels to shake things up; and replay-ability with three difficulty levels and a score run challenge mode.

The Bad: some flicker here and there; you can't use a bomb during the short time you're invulnerable after dying, leading to loss of an Atlantean or another life when you madly dash ahead to save him; free life treasure trove practically guarantees you'll beat it (if you get to that spot); slowdown if you rush into a crowd (a quick bomb takes care of it); and at only four levels, it's kinda short.

The Ugly: NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: TheOldMan on September 04, 2014, 06:08:20 AM
Very nice.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Medic_wheat on September 04, 2014, 06:39:22 AM
I heard recently that it is possible to do 3D printing with metal instead of just resin or plastics.


Cant wait to see a TG-16 or PC Engine case done in shiny shiny metal.
Title: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on September 20, 2014, 04:01:37 AM
I heard recently that it is possible to do 3D printing with metal instead of just resin or plastics.


Cant wait to see a TG-16 or PC Engine case done in shiny shiny metal.

Bonknuts has done this, I believe, but I'm not sure it was 3D printing. Rather, it might have been machined (as in, metal shop).






Clear #39 - Atlantean

(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5558/14951827778_d5d82f11f2_o.jpg)

Kick ass homebrew on a 3D printed glow in the dark huey and case.  Buy one now or f*ck OFF!  :mrgreen:

The Good: sweet tunes; excellent sprite work and fantastic background graphics with loads o' parallax; great variety with different enemies that have differing attack tactics, various bosses to tackle, and mine dodging and Atlantean catching bonus levels to shake things up; and replay-ability with three difficulty levels and a score run challenge mode.

The Bad: some flicker here and there; you can't use a bomb during the short time you're invulnerable after dying, leading to loss of an Atlantean or another life when you madly dash ahead to save him; free life treasure trove practically guarantees you'll beat it (if you get to that spot); slowdown if you rush into a crowd (a quick bomb takes care of it); and at only four levels, it's kinda short.

The Ugly: NA

I missed this! Awesome. I gotta get ATLANTEAN.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on October 29, 2014, 03:54:45 AM
Clear #40 - Neutopia

(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3933/15472220129_d5fa27497a_o.jpg)

'Tis a great clone of Zelda (not that Zelda is entirely original anyway) that everyone should enjoy.

The Good:  plenty of variation in beasties and bosses, pleasant tunes, and cute and colorful graphics.

The Bad:  there's very little story progression (having each boss say a little something before getting beat down would've helped a lot), and it's not very long or difficult.

The Ugly: NA

P.S. - the princess is a bit of a whore, no?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: dallaspattern on October 29, 2014, 11:33:48 AM
*cough*
easy now
(sexism)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: seieienbu on October 29, 2014, 11:49:10 AM
Always liked Neutopia.  I had it a long time ago but lent it to a friend who never gave it back.  Seeing the ending screen I get the itch to play it again...
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: reno5 on October 30, 2014, 02:04:41 AM
Really like Neutopia too. I'm at the second crypt in the sky. Need to find time to finish it (never finished neutopia before. Finished Neutopia II like 10 times... )
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on October 30, 2014, 02:19:36 AM
Really like Neutopia too. I'm at the second crypt in the sky. Need to find time to finish it (never finished neutopia before. Finished Neutopia II like 10 times... )

Though I have finished it a couple times before, I'm in a similar boat:  I bought Neutopia II back in the day and beat it several times, but I didn't pick up (and beat) the original until relatively recently.  I loved part two and wanted the first outing, but I couldn't find it anywhere.  :(
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: jelloslug on October 30, 2014, 04:18:49 AM
I heard recently that it is possible to do 3D printing with metal instead of just resin or plastics.


Cant wait to see a TG-16 or PC Engine case done in shiny shiny metal.
Yes, you can print metal.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 10, 2014, 04:10:01 AM
*cough*
easy now
(sexism)

Don't be an idiot.  There's nothing about my observation that implies that all women would (or should) throw themselves at their savior.



Clear#41 - Neutopia II

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7548/15138002374_2eacbf1e18_o.gif)

If you liked the first one, here's another serving of much the same.

The Good: all the goodness of the original but it controls a bit better (diagonal movement) and you get a couple more weapons to work with; neat wavy underwater visual effect; and now the bosses chat with you a bit.

The Bad: just as short as easy as part one.

The Ugly: 199X my ass!

P.S. - back to the whore thing.... what happened to the romance?  You play as the son of the original hero and you're tasked with saving the daughter of the original princess, so does that mean you're saving your half-sister?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: HailingTheThings on November 10, 2014, 09:15:14 AM
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7548/15138002374_2eacbf1e18_o.gif)

The Ugly: 199X my ass!

Wasn't Frozen Utopia or possibly another Homebrew dev. working on the third installment?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 10, 2014, 09:32:49 AM
Wasn't Frozen Utopia or possibly another Homebrew dev. working on the third installment?

Yep, Nod was working on it.  It's on the back burner for now, but hopefully it'll get finished up some day.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: HailingTheThings on November 10, 2014, 03:13:04 PM
Wasn't Frozen Utopia or possibly another Homebrew dev. working on the third installment?

Yep, Nod was working on it.  It's on the back burner for now, but hopefully it'll get finished up some day.

^_^
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: seieienbu on November 10, 2014, 09:13:18 PM
So having recently run through the both of them, which Neutopia did you enjoy more?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 11, 2014, 03:00:42 AM
So having recently run through the both of them, which Neutopia did you enjoy more?

They're both good and quite similar to each other, but I'll give the nod to part two, as it's equal or slightly better in most every respect.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: mitsuman on November 11, 2014, 03:18:36 AM
Now I want to play Neutopia. Unfortunately, for now, it would have to be on the Wii VC...  :cry:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: seieienbu on November 11, 2014, 07:15:12 AM
Likewise.  I never really played part 2 outside of just checking out the rom briefly.  I wish I'd bought a copy but now I don't think I'm likely to ever own the game.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 11, 2014, 08:34:11 AM
Slap 'em on the everdrive and give 'em a go!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on November 11, 2014, 10:54:10 AM
Slap 'em on the everdrive and give 'em a go!

It's not like Hudson Soft is making anything off of Virtual Console purchases.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: seieienbu on November 12, 2014, 03:04:40 AM
I've been on the fence on an everdrive for a long time.  It seems like it would be the only affordable way to play the games that I never got (or the few that I've lost over the years) on real hardware.  At the same time, when I downloaded all the roms years ago and tried to play through a bunch of games it just didn't feel the same as hooking up my Turbo CD to a TV and using a controller that I've had since I was a kid.  When the Wii Virtual Console got a bunch of Turbo games I gave them a shot but again it didn't give me the same nostalgic feeling that the real games do. 

They're certainly cool, but I don't know if would enjoy having it or instead just not enjoy playing games the same way.  Hmm....
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 12, 2014, 03:11:08 AM
There also good for playing translated roms (not that there's a plethora of 'em) or in place of a region mod.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 18, 2014, 05:14:02 AM
Clear #42 - 3x3 Eyes

(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8682/15200806474_4b6b117f04_o.jpg)

This clear is sponsored by Bernie.  :mrgreen:

'Tis an interesting comic with violent, gory action and some of the best looking cut scenes (when using the Arcade Card).  If you're a real baller, pay a bit more and get the version with the VHS pack in.... or just watch the short video on youtube.

The Good: fancy, animated intro and short cut scenes sprinkled throughout; colorful, detailed, and often changing backgrounds; tons of voice dialogue, which is presumably a good thing when you comprehend what they're saying; handy save file utility that lets you view (and delete) saved games and how much room each uses; and it's not entirely linear for better replayability.

The Bad: lengthy load at boot to fill the Arcade Card, which is understandable and expected, but there are other areas where it annoyingly loads every few seconds; mostly elevator music bgm, though the redbook versions played in the intro and credits are nice; as nice as the backgrounds look, they're sadly mostly static; and the maze portion looks good but there's not much to do.

The Ugly: Annoying pounding sound in intro animation and once again towards the end.  WTF is that shit?  It can't be intentional, but how did they miss it during play testing?!?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on December 03, 2014, 02:23:40 AM
Clear #43 - Bakushou Yoshimoto

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7568/15315782014_d57c78efd9_o.jpg)

A fun but easy game; good thing it's cheap.

The Good:  mildly humorous scenarios, varied and nicely detailed backgrounds, lots of different 'enemies' to dispatch, okay music (track 8 recycles the laughing monkey sound found on Bonk 3 CD), and fun and silly mini-games.

The Bad:  it's very easy - only a couple levels offer any challenge at all in their platforming, and the only hard part of the mini-games is figuring out what you're supposed to do.

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on December 03, 2014, 08:15:30 AM
This is one of those games I don't know.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on February 10, 2015, 09:47:25 AM
Clear #44 - Ane-san

(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8620/16309060787_62bdff8d02_o.jpg)

I prefer Riot Zone (especially the tunes), but this one ain't all bad.  Give it a go some time.

The Good: some nice backgrounds, okay cinemas, one good tune, a couple little mini-games, and good replayability with different characters to try and different things to unlock and shit to buy (all women love to shop!).

The Bad: some not so nice backgrounds, there's not much variety in enemies, most of the tunes are pretty bleh, and it's super easy.

The Ugly: most of the girls
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on February 25, 2015, 03:50:51 AM
Clear #45 - Ys Book I & II

(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8651/16005662174_a62e135a51_o.jpg)

This one never gets old and is easily one of the best games of all time.

The Good: great storyline, interesting group of characters to meet, sweet tunes, talented voice work, good variety of environments to explore and items to use, and I even like the battle system.

The Bad: they're minor complaints, but the only things I dislike are the goofy background scrolling in the bell tower and that some of the voice work is a bit muffled.

The Ugly: NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Gentlegamer on February 25, 2015, 08:36:31 AM
I've never seriously tried to play Ys, but I can't imagine I will like the "bump into things" combat.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on February 25, 2015, 08:45:00 AM
I've never seriously tried to play Ys, but I can't imagine I will like the "bump into things" combat.

It never bothered me because it's not really that simple.  There's more strategy than just ramming enemies willy nilly, and you rely heavily on magic wands in the second half anyway.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: seieienbu on February 25, 2015, 02:06:36 PM
I've never seriously tried to play Ys, but I can't imagine I will like the "bump into things" combat.

It's definitely worth a serious attempt at playing the games; I hope you'll try Ys again.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: HailingTheThings on February 26, 2015, 04:27:04 PM
I've never seriously tried to play Ys, but I can't imagine I will like the "bump into things" combat.

Just like in real life, its very fun. Seriously, its fun. Seriously. Fun. Its. Seriouslyyyy. Do it. Fun. Yes.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: spenoza on February 26, 2015, 05:32:02 PM
I bump into things all the time, but only I get hurt. Ys is clearly an unrealistic game.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: schweaty on February 27, 2015, 04:40:42 AM
my only complaint with Y's was the pre-boss grinding.  but there werent many 90s RPGs that didnt require some grinding.  everything else was epic.  play this game!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on February 27, 2015, 12:10:13 PM

Clear #45 - Ys Book I & II

The Bad: they're minor complaints, but the only things I dislike are the goofy background scrolling in the bell tower and that some of the voice work is a bit muffled.

The Ugly: NA

Are you talking about the awesome orange scrolling clouds at the epic tolling of the bell?

Surely not.

Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 02, 2015, 02:09:39 AM
Are you talking about the awesome orange scrolling clouds at the epic tolling of the bell?

Surely not.

The clouds look good, but the ground and mountains below move choppily like some stuff in Ys III.

P.S. - Don't call me Shirley! 
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on March 02, 2015, 09:53:15 AM

Are you talking about the awesome orange scrolling clouds at the epic tolling of the bell?

Surely not.

The clouds look good, but the ground and mountains below move choppily like some stuff in Ys III.

P.S. - Don't call me Shirley!

That's the climax of awesomeness, racing up the tower before the bell tolls.

Holy crap. I love that part of the game.

Such pure greatness, and sadness, when the bell tolls.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 02, 2015, 10:18:27 AM
Yarr, that's an awesome scene. 
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 04, 2015, 10:21:53 AM
Clear #46 - Ys III

(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8661/16691642716_7592c32f61_o.jpg)

It's not as good as Ys I & II and I prefer overhead gameplay to this one's side view, but it's still thoroughly enjoyable and a must have in every collection.

The Good: good voice work (not as good as Ys I & II but way better than stuff like Final Zone II), fantastic music, fast paced action, and cool environments (I particularly like the clock tower).

The Bad: it's rather short, some of Elena's lines are rather trite and silly (Demanicus is person too!), and the choppy scrolling isn't very attractive.

The Ugly: NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: poponon on March 04, 2015, 10:29:21 AM
How long did it take to clear? Did you grind a lot?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 04, 2015, 10:34:23 AM
Because I often pause and wander off to eat, read the paper, watch tv, etc., I have a hard time estimating time spent on games.  It's pretty short, though, like maybe three or four hours.  Not much grinding is really needed; I only did it for a little bit if I was very near leveling up just before a boss and at the very end to replenish ~70 ring power points before fighting Demanicus.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: poponon on March 04, 2015, 11:07:48 AM
huh, I started playing this a while ago but I tend to get obsessive with grinding. Spent a bunch of time grinding the first cave to buy some of the best gear in the shop. Only 3 or 4 hours though! I've got to get back and finish it up
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: seieienbu on March 04, 2015, 07:02:57 PM


what time is it again?

...probably time for another drink.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: poponon on March 08, 2015, 05:28:50 PM
Went back to finish this game up today, just got to the last boss and realized i pretty much require the protect ring. dammit
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 09, 2015, 02:31:36 AM
It sure makes life easier, allowing you to hack off half his life before it runs out, but it's not entirely necessary.  I used the ring (and the ring power potion for a little refill) and beat him with half my life remaining, and I still had the herb and necklace thingy in reserve.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on April 14, 2015, 04:43:04 AM
Clear #47 - Ys IV

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7670/16959308178_0527eabc67_o.jpg)

More Falcom awesomeness.  I played through the fully translated version, which is very well done and more professional than many 'real' games from back in the day (no cheesy jokes or horribad voice acting).

The Good: sweet cinemas and lovely character portraits; nicely tweaked visuals that feel very much like those in Ys I & II but with more detail and colors; good tunes; revisiting friends and locales from the first game; well varied cast of baddies and bosses to beat down; and the developers room at the end, which really shows how much they cared about the game.

The Bad: the jazzy tunes aren't really bad, but they're not as rockin' as the those in the last two outings; I don't know if it's from recording too loud, the limits of adpcm, or what, but some of the voice work is clipped; and the fire floor trap is for the birds (c'mon, Dogi, keep the f*ck up!).

The Ugly: NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on May 19, 2015, 04:11:53 AM
Tangential Clear #47a - Ys IV: Mask of the Sun

(https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5338/17834713126_51af3801ca_o.jpg)

It wasn't horrible, but it pales in comparison to the Dawn of Ys.  The meh tunes, lack of cut scenes and character portraits, and the smaller, less varied, and often drab environments can be somewhat excused by the cart size limitations, but there's no good reason for the gimped battle system.  It's the familiar bump attack again, but this time a straight on collision means the enemy will take little to no damage and poor Adol gets his ass kicked; even worse is that the enemies are very good at adjusting their path to line up perfectly, and the touchy control make it difficult to nudge Adol off center at the last minute making you miss entirely.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: seieienbu on May 19, 2015, 01:46:25 PM
Like, yeah, it's not on CD and the music in Dawn of Ys is clearly superior to Mask of the Sun.  That being said, I always thought it was a pretty good soundtrack for a SNES game.  I thought that about Ys 3 and went back to give it a listen and then realized that I'd been wrong.  Afterward, I listened to Ys 4 from SNES and thought "Well, at least my memory was tricking me about this one." 

Pretty good.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on May 20, 2015, 04:43:10 AM
Its music isn't bad (way better than that in Ys III), it's just that it's not all that great even when compared to just SNES tunes.  Ys should be second to no one!



Clear #48 - Dynastic Hero

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8809/17861568931_d63a75daae_o.jpg)

'Tis a fun action rpg platformer (or however you want to classify it), it's just too bad that the US version is so pricey.

The Good: jaunty tunes, colorful backgrounds, nice variety of enemies and big bosses, little helper friends, and it's cuter than a bug's ear (bad pun intended).

The Bad: the title screen song is awfully cheesy, the backgrounds are too flat and would benefit greatly from some simple line scrolls, the little helpers wander off and have to be retrieved every time you stay at an inn, and it's sometimes hard to figure out where you're supposed to be going.

The Ugly: it's probably not a big deal if you're more coordinated than me, but there's a platform jumping room near the end that makes me want to punch a dolphin.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on June 30, 2015, 06:41:34 AM
Clear #49 - Magical Chase

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/532/19113125628_e32e7efbbc_o.jpg)

Another dang good but lamentably overpriced game.

The Good: bouncy tunes, colorful backgrounds and enemies, lots of neat graphical tricks not seen in most games, a good variety of weapons to try, and it's cute as hell.

The Bad: it's rather short, and skilled shewty players will find it too easy.

The Ugly: the price!!!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 22, 2015, 09:01:19 AM
Clear #50 - Travel Eple

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/494/19908395912_cc886ab9d2_o.jpg)

Here's a surprisingly fun one.  Add it to the rotation for something somewhat different between bouts of Bomberman and Battle Lode Runner.

The Good:  it's super cute, there's lots and lots of short but humorous (if basic) cut scenes, it saves your progress as you play so you don't have to finish it in one go, and there's a good variety of enemies, environments, and bosses.  And did I say it's cute?  It's almost too cute.

The Bad (or maybe The Meh):  the tunes are rather forgettable, and the variety of different maps you play on is nice but none of 'em are particularly well detailed or pretty.

The Ugly: NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: turboswimbz on July 22, 2015, 11:17:32 AM
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on July 24, 2015, 07:20:20 AM
I don't think I ever beat Travel Epule. Hmmm....do I still have it? Did I give it away?

We shall see...

Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 24, 2015, 08:04:23 AM
Play it, este.  PLAY IT!

Nobody can say no to such cute lil penguins.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 27, 2015, 06:35:58 AM
Clear #51 - Nemurenu Yoru No Chiisana Ohanashi

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/463/19871785480_a5f4294a03_o.jpg)
(  Please excuse the unfortunate cursor placement.  I swear it wasn't intentional.  )

This super cute point-n-click adventure demonstrates just how well the genre works on the Turbob; it's too bad we didn't get more.  I highly recommend it to anyone that likes cute lil animals and wants to get some use out of their mouse.

The Good: nicely drawn art, very well animated scenes, great tunes, often funny sound effects (you're dead inside if you don't get a chuckle out of the snail), mouse support, minimal and unobtrusive load times, and plentiful humorous bits.

The Bad: there's not much challenge, but I can't complain much, seeing as it's meant for kids.

The Ugly: the aforementioned mouse support is much quicker and more responsive at moving the cursor around, but it makes the car mini-game nigh unplayable.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on July 27, 2015, 06:49:30 AM
Clear #51 - Nemurenu Yoru No Chiisana Ohanashi

This super cute point-n-click adventure demonstrates just how well the genre works on the Turbob; it's too bad we didn't get more.  I highly recommend it to anyone that likes cute lil animals and wants to get some use out of their mouse.

The Good: nicely drawn art, very well animated scenes, great tunes, often funny sound effects (you're dead inside if you don't get a chuckle out of the snail), mouse support, minimal and unobtrusive load times, and plentiful humorous bits.

The Bad: there's not much challenge, but I can't complain much, seeing as it's meant for kids.

The Ugly: the aforementioned mouse support is much quicker and more responsive at moving the cursor around, but it makes the car mini-game nigh unplayable.


The cursor was the first thing I noticed. You damn pervert.

Folks who are curious can see a Japanese advert here (featuring Yuko Hara):

(http://archives.tg-16.com/images/pce_mouse_neko_kun.png) (http://archives.tg-16.com/Gekkan_PC_Engine_1993_04.htm#what_is_nemurenu)

What is Nemurenu...? (http://archives.tg-16.com/Gekkan_PC_Engine_1993_04.htm#what_is_nemurenu)

I'll have to ask: Did you compare Mouse vs. No Mouse? Can you? Does mouse help? Did you need a flat surface (e.g. book) to use the mouse on? TELL ME MORE (the car mini-game...is it better with a controller, or does it suck with both mouse and pad, just less so with pad).

MORE IMPORTANT: Explain all the mini-games you encountered/remember. I'm going to use your info to improve that page I linked to, since I only played a few minutes of Nemurenu...
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 27, 2015, 07:35:21 AM
The mouse logo is just too cute.  :mrgreen:

I started playing with a normal controller, then switched maybe a third the way through.  It's not at all hard to play with a normal controller, but the mouse is much quicker at moving the cursor around, and you do need a flat surface, just like you would for any mechanical (rubber ball) computer mouse.  As for the mini-games, there's one where you tap I to blow a whistle to direct the accident prone gray cat through some calisthenics, but it didn't seem to have any rules (just keep tapping 'til it's over); there's one where you had to tap I to keep a meter half filled to balance on a floating log; and there's the driving one that you can see in the ad.  You're always moving and must press the d-pad to change directions, which is pretty difficult to time when you're rolling a mouse; the first time I played with a normal controller and had no trouble beating all three stages, but I couldn't even beat the first stage when I went back and tried with the mouse.

P.S. - dig the bazzy table and stools.  (http://pcengine.freeforums.org/images/smilies/bazzy.gif)

Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on July 27, 2015, 07:56:36 AM
The mouse logo is just too cute.  :mrgreen:

I started playing with a normal controller, then switched maybe a third the way through.  It's not at all hard to play with a normal controller, but the mouse is much quicker at moving the cursor around, and you do need a flat surface, just like you would for any mechanical (rubber ball) computer mouse.  As for the mini-games, there's one where you tap I to blow a whistle to direct the accident prone gray cat through some calisthenics, but it didn't seem to have any rules (just keep tapping 'til it's over); there's one where you had to tap I to keep a meter half filled to balance on a floating log; and there's the driving one that you can see in the ad.  You're always moving and must press the d-pad to change directions, which is pretty difficult to time when you're rolling a mouse; the first time I played with a normal controller and had no trouble beating all three stages, but I couldn't even beat the first stage when I went back and tried with the mouse.

P.S. - dig the bazzy table and stools.  (http://pcengine.freeforums.org/images/smilies/bazzy.gif)



BAZZY STOOLS + TABLE = complete bazzy decor

Thanks for the additional info!

If you can remember anything else to add, however, trivial, please post more :)

Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on July 27, 2015, 12:36:14 PM
Clear #42 - 3x3 Eyes

(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8682/15200806474_4b6b117f04_o.jpg)

This clear is sponsored by Bernie.  :mrgreen:

'Tis an interesting comic with violent, gory action and some of the best looking cut scenes (when using the Arcade Card).  If you're a real baller, pay a bit more and get the version with the VHS pack in.... or just watch the short video on youtube.

The Good: fancy, animated intro and short cut scenes sprinkled throughout; colorful, detailed, and often changing backgrounds; tons of voice dialogue, which is presumably a good thing when you comprehend what they're saying; handy save file utility that lets you view (and delete) saved games and how much room each uses; and it's not entirely linear for better replayability.

The Bad: lengthy load at boot to fill the Arcade Card, which is understandable and expected, but there are other areas where it annoyingly loads every few seconds; mostly elevator music bgm, though the redbook versions played in the intro and credits are nice; as nice as the backgrounds look, they're sadly mostly static; and the maze portion looks good but there's not much to do.

The Ugly: Annoying pounding sound in intro animation and once again towards the end.  WTF is that shit?  It can't be intentional, but how did they miss it during play testing?!?

Necro quote here (no pun intended)

Does anyone know what the menus in this game translate to in English?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on August 24, 2015, 08:44:50 AM
Clear #52 - Sylphia

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/631/20228494463_e02f72dbbc_o.jpg)

The Good: Cool techy tunes, a veritable smorgasbord of different enemies and sweet looking bosses, a bit naughty (harpie tittehs!), nice looking cut scenes and intermission screens, and some of the backgrounds are very well done (I particularly like the second half of the underwater level and being inside the tower).

The Bad: Some of the backgrounds are rather bland, and it's pricey.

The Ugly: NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on August 24, 2015, 09:59:22 AM
^^While I like Syphia I feel that it's overrated. Not one of Compile's best, but still a good shewtie.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on August 24, 2015, 10:06:42 AM
Agreed.  It's pretty good and has a lot of nice things going for it (especially the mythical setting instead of the usual space shewty), but it's not as consistently great as Lords of Thunder or Gate of Thunder.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on August 24, 2015, 06:23:20 PM
Agreed.  It's pretty good and has a lot of nice things going for it (especially the mythical setting instead of the usual space shewty), but it's not as consistently great as Lords of Thunder or Gate of Thunder.

IMO the cinemas were lacking especially considering it's a Super CD. I've seen regular CD-ROM2 titles with more engaging scenes. Again this is nitpicking.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on August 25, 2015, 03:24:32 AM
IMO the cinemas were lacking especially considering it's a Super CD. I've seen regular CD-ROM2 titles with more engaging scenes. Again this is nitpicking.

True, they're not terribly exciting compared to great stuff usually found in RPGs (like LoX), but they're okay compared to most shewties.
Title: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on August 25, 2015, 08:13:05 AM
IMO the cinemas were lacking especially considering it's a Super CD. I've seen regular CD-ROM2 titles with more engaging scenes. Again this is nitpicking.

True, they're not terribly exciting compared to great stuff usually found in RPGs (like LoX), but they're okay compared to most shewties.

Yeah, shewties don't often have much cinema action. It's funny—cinemas in a shoot-em-up is a total "bonus", while they are expected from other genres... (I wish all golf games had cinemas, and, no, I'm not lying and, yes, SUPER ALBATROSS).

Does Sylphia have difficulty settings?

This is one of those games I was unwilling to pay $70 for years ago and now I wish I hadn't purchased tons of crappy mahjong games with that $70.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on August 25, 2015, 08:19:03 AM
Yeah, shewties don't often have much cinema action. It's funny—cinemas in a shoot-em-up is a total "bonus", while they are expected from other genres... (I wish all golf games had cinemas, and, no, I'm not lying and, yes, SUPER ALBATROSS).

Le true.  It's no big deal if the cinemas are bleh (or missing) in platformers or shewties, but it's a real bummer in an RPG.

Does Sylphia have difficulty settings?

Yep.  Besides normal, there's easy, hard, and special hard, but I can't say how big of a difference there is between 'em, as I didn't spend much time trying 'em out.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on August 25, 2015, 09:07:24 AM
^ Good, there is Hardy and Extra Hardy.

I like the soundtrack. Of course, Paranoia_Drafon, being the anti-electronic-music-bastard that he is, created an alternative soundtrack entirely comprised of GnuMetal (Satriani? Some guitar dude.)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on August 25, 2015, 11:15:37 AM
I had in mind the Macross shewtie during my above post. With its awesome cinemas it's quite possible that I got spoiled. :)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: ParanoiaDragon on August 25, 2015, 05:08:36 PM
^ Good, there is Hardy and Extra Hardy.

I like the soundtrack. Of course, Paranoia_Drafon, being the anti-electronic-music-bastard that he is, created an alternative soundtrack entirely comprised of GnuMetal (Satriani? Some guitar dude.)

I like the original soundtrack, I just felt like a rock inspired theme worked better.  And I got the tracks from various Vinnie Moore albums thank you very much!  :D But I do like Satriani.  Vinnie Moore's stuff tends to be closer to Lords of Thunder generally speaking compared to Satriani.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on August 25, 2015, 07:07:11 PM

^ Good, there is Hardy and Extra Hardy.

I like the soundtrack. Of course, Paranoia_Drafon, being the anti-electronic-music-bastard that he is, created an alternative soundtrack entirely comprised of GnuMetal (Satriani? Some guitar dude.)

I like the original soundtrack, I just felt like a rock inspired theme worked better.  And I got the tracks from various Vinnie Moore albums thank you very much!  :D But I do like Satriani.  Vinnie Moore's stuff tends to be closer to Lords of Thunder generally speaking compared to Satriani.

Vinnie Moore! I was trying to remember who it was, but I refused to look it up. :)

I think folks should create more alternative soundtracks...it's fun to see what songs people choose for specific stages/sequences. :)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: ParanoiaDragon on August 27, 2015, 08:02:33 AM
That's one of many things I've thought about doing, but I just don't have the time.  I have to stick to what little time I have to work on Mega Man for the time being, with Jackal probably being the next(thinking very Telenet for the sound), plus a few old soundtracks I want to get back to, even if the games themselves never get finished(Jungle Bros. for instance).
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on August 27, 2015, 09:18:26 AM

That's one of many things I've thought about doing, but I just don't have the time.  I have to stick to what little time I have to work on Mega Man for the time being, with Jackal probably being the next(thinking very Telenet for the sound), plus a few old soundtracks I want to get back to, even if the games themselves never get finished(Jungle Bros. for instance).

PARANOIA, we need for you to WIN THE LOTTERY so that you could make PCE (and Konami 8-bit) music full-time!

I know, though...I love the idea of homebrew soundtracks... Or even remixes/mashups.  So much patient owl for fun, creative ideas, IMHO.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on September 15, 2015, 09:35:23 AM
Clear #53 - Magicoal

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/577/21454653071_8a2a53e90c_o.jpg)

A lovely adventure rpg that requires more strategy than most such games, mostly in the form of teamwork.  As much fun as it was to play through, though, it'd be even better if I knew more of the story and how all the different magics work; that's not to say it's unplayable sans moonrune skillz, but a translation would sure be nice.

The Good: two player; cute as hell; lots of colorful, well animated, and usually humorous cut scenes; nicely detail and varied environments to traverse; loads of different enemies and bosses with sundry modes of attack; several secrets to find and magics to master; and it's a bit naughty, with plenty of panty flashing and betitted statues and magic idols.

The Bad: the AI controlling the second player is often retarded, forcing you to switch players and manually pull them away from shooting at an enemy they can't reach or disabling their attack spells altogether so they're forced to heel.

The Ugly: Melvy's hands in a couple cut scenes.  She's got man hands, Jerry!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: jtucci31 on September 15, 2015, 10:06:02 AM
You beat it! Congrats! That end screen is pretty looking, I'm sure (as you described) the cutscenes are just as good. Cool to see you beat that timed level. I'd like to try this at future Turbo meetups with simultaneous two-player action.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on September 15, 2015, 10:58:39 AM
Melvy has gloves permanently affixed to her hands. That is all.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on September 15, 2015, 11:51:52 AM
Those interested in Magicoal should be aware that it plays more like an adventurey Wolf of the Battlefield/Ikari Warriors style game than Secret of Mana.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on September 15, 2015, 02:45:06 PM
Those interested in Magicoal should be aware that it plays more like an adventurey Wolf of the Battlefield/Ikari Warriors style game than Secret of Mana.

I still want it now, tho I didn't before clicking into Necro's post.


....That sounded wrong.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on September 17, 2015, 12:48:18 AM
Here is a collection of various Magicoal ads...not all of these are full-page ads, some of these were small ads tucked inside ads for other games.

http://archives.tg-16.com/Gekkan_PC_Engine_1993_03.htm#magicoal


Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on September 17, 2015, 04:00:12 AM
Thanks, este; those are great.  I see a few magic attacks I never found (or could use), and I agree that they should've shown Melvy kicking more ass.  Rhun has a good protection spell that works on Melvy, so I often played as her for attacking bosses, letting Rhun hang back out of the fray.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on September 17, 2015, 02:45:03 PM
Cool. I'm kind of getting a Game Arts/Lunar vibe from those ads. The game itself is probably completely different I imagine.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on September 18, 2015, 04:04:54 AM
Yarr, it definitely doesn't play like Lunar.  It's kinda like Ys II where you rely on the wands more, except you can't ram people at all, there's lots and lots of different magics to use, you can jump, and there's no experience points, leveling, or armor.



I forgot to mention the 'battle mode' earlier.  I couldn't figure out exactly what's going on (there's lots of moon runes to sift through), but it's basically Melvy and Rhun attacking each other in two player only.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: DragonmasterDan on September 18, 2015, 04:07:59 AM
Cool. I'm kind of getting a Game Arts/Lunar vibe from those ads. The game itself is probably completely different I imagine.

With Magicoal not really.

An interesting one that has a lot of Lunar similarities despite being a completely different type of game is Gotzendiener.

Studio Alex made it. Gainax did the art.

Studio Alex made Lunar. And Toshiyuki Kubooka who worked for Gainax did the art.

 
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: johnnykonami on September 18, 2015, 04:25:42 AM
I got Magicoal years and years ago but I don't remember ever finishing it.  Cute little game though.. one day I will...
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on September 18, 2015, 04:14:07 PM
Cool. I'm kind of getting a Game Arts/Lunar vibe from those ads. The game itself is probably completely different I imagine.

With Magicoal not really.

An interesting one that has a lot of Lunar similarities despite being a completely different type of game is Gotzendiener.

Studio Alex made it. Gainax did the art.

Studio Alex made Lunar. And Toshiyuki Kubooka who worked for Gainax did the art.

 

Ohhh?! Hmm....
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on September 29, 2015, 06:27:49 AM
Clear #54 - Dungeon Master: Theron's Quest

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/655/21815094885_1e932b8f4f_o.jpg)

This one's a bit of a mixed bag, where many of the good things are balanced by a few related flaws.

The Good: good tunes (I particularly like the harpsichord number of the last level); decent opening and closing cinemas, though the ending could've used a voiced narrative like the intro; different baddies for each level, some of which are pretty creepy looking and sounding; the puzzles can get pretty tricksy; and it controls very well if you learn to use the d-pad for movement and not the on-screen arrows.

The Bad: the bland water dripping 'atmospheric' tune that plays far too often; there's no cut scenes for each stage, just a little text blurb and a still photo; the baddies aren't very well animated; and you don't get to keep any goodies from one dungeon to the next, making it more like seven mini-games to beat instead of one cohesive whole.

The Ugly: every once in a while, you'll hit a glitch that makes one of your characters max out the load they're carrying (even if you strip 'em to nothing), which makes you move slower and forces you to rest repeatedly.  The alternative is to let the f*cker die, as everything goes back to normal upon resurrection.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on October 05, 2015, 11:43:06 AM
Clear #55 - Galaga '90

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/709/21978999851_78c2490d72_o.jpg)

The Good: jaunty tunes, fast action, a well varied mix of baddies with differing attack patterns, pretty (if basic) backgrounds, excellent controls, and great replayability with multiple paths to follow and endings to see.  In short, everything is damn near perfect.

The Bad: Nothing is particularly unpleasant, but the game is rather primitive compared to something like Soldier Blade.  I can't really fault it for that, though, seeing as it's a part of its arcade game heritage.

The Ugly: NA


P.S. - What's the trick to triggering the red capsule?  I've only snagged it a handful of times over the years, and luckily this playthrough was one of 'em.  'Twas a real life saver getting back the big ship for 'free' just before the final boss.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on October 05, 2015, 02:13:02 PM
 But you didn't tell us the most important thing about Galaga '88 / '90: how is the parallax?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on October 05, 2015, 04:10:27 PM
Normally red canisters are only released later in the game by killing the last enemy in any given formation.

I love this game to pieces. If I would've been smart back in '92 and asked for a Turbo Duo instead of a Sega CD this would've surely been one of my faves since I loved the arcade version so much. Thanks Namco!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on October 06, 2015, 03:17:09 AM
But you didn't tell us the most important thing about Galaga '88 / '90: how is the parallax?

Like most everything else in the game, it's somewhat basic but very satisfying.  :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on October 06, 2015, 12:27:14 PM
^^^ HahahhHhha.  Yup.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Gentlegamer on October 06, 2015, 12:59:18 PM
Out of nowhere, PARALLAX APPEARS!

(http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/yellowfearmonster8.jpg)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on October 06, 2015, 01:04:54 PM
Dockers.  The best pairoslacks you'll ever own.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: blueraven on October 17, 2015, 01:30:53 PM
I felt the same way about Dungeon Master, but I tried to get through it in Japanese. Never made it all the way through, but the game was pretty cool.

Glad you made it through Galaga. Hopefully this will cause ceti to realize that Galaga, and the forum requires his attention. WARP ME TO HALIFAX.

It gets pretty addictive... I should say that the Arcade version has some of the same tricks but the response time is way different. They used to have it at the pizza place down the road from my old house, and I always gave it a whirl, but never came up with the sames scores as on the PCE.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on October 26, 2015, 10:08:21 AM
Clear #56 - Loom

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/699/22313429599_153eb45212_o.jpg)

'Tis an entertaining point-n-click adventure, well worth playing for any fan of the genre.

The Good: it's humorous, the tunes are great (even if they cut out and/or fail to loop consistently), Bobbin is a right smart-ass, the colored pencil-esque scenery is usually lovely, and the puzzles are quite nice if simple.

The Bad: it's rather short, Bobbin is one slow mo-fo, it loads entirely too often, there's no mouse support, and some of the backgrounds suffer from a low color count, looking like they forgot to tweak the art after running the PC version through an automatic converter utility.

The Ugly: seizure inducing, flickering cursor
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: MNKyDeth on October 27, 2015, 01:37:36 AM
When I was younger and the first time I beat this game I had no idea wtf just happened. So I played through it 2-3 more times and still had no clue wtf happened. It just ends.

I should play though it again, maybe it will make sense now. I always thought there would be more than one ending. I never did find out if there was.


^^^ Talking about Loom.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on October 27, 2015, 04:25:38 AM
It ends with Bobbin transcending and joining his mom and the other weavers on a higher plane of existence.  The abrupt ending is supposedly from them planning on it being continued in two sequels, which sadly never happened.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: reno5 on October 27, 2015, 07:10:15 AM
I'll have to give it another try. Didn't play long enough last time i tried it.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: roflmao on October 29, 2015, 03:27:19 PM
Nice! I'm really close to the end of Loom. I'll try to finish it this weekend. :)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: ParanoiaDragon on October 29, 2015, 06:28:17 PM
I was just thinking about Loom.  There's a remake of Day of the Tentacle coming next year, & it made me think how it'd rock to have Loom remade(if kept 2D), but more importantly, if it springboarded them to make the sequels!  I do wish they would've used adpcm or just pcm for the spells in this instead of redbook.  That way, it wouldn't stop the music(maybe fade it out?), but also missing tunes could be in it(I believe are the FM Towns version).  Also, there was a voice edition with full voice acting on PC, but they did redbook, & had to rewrite lines to fit all the lines on the cd.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 10, 2015, 09:21:43 AM
Clear #57 - Beyond Shadowgate

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/711/22898302756_7bc0b3ab74_o.jpg)

As good as Loom is, Beyond Shadowgate has it beat.  For point-n-click games, you'd be hard pressed to find a better one.

The Good: colorful, detailed, hand-painted looking backgrounds of well varied locations; very nicely animated sprites of strange and sundry creatures; fantastic, atmospheric tunes and pretty good voice acting; non-linear game play with several puzzles to figure out, most with more than one solution; multiple endings for replayability; and dying has never been more fun, with dozens of humorous and unexpected ways to meet your demise (save often).

The Bad: no mouse support; though the bats are pretty awesome ("I'm a bat! I'm a bat!"), the backgrounds are mostly static; the battles are pretty tedius; and there's no real 'the end' screen.

The Ugly: NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 18, 2015, 09:23:41 AM
Clear #58 - Star Parodier

(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5629/23107116271_1943f09a88_o.jpg)

The Good: fantastically cute, colorful, and well varied set of enemies and scenery; three different ships with their own sets of armaments, making for good replay value; charming intermission screens; and a nice and jaunty soundtrack.

The Bad: it's almost too cute, making me feel sorry for beating up on some of the enemies; it hands out extra lives like candy on halloween, making a not terribly difficult shewty downright easy (at least on 'normal'); and most of the voices sound shrill and crackly.

The Ugly: NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on November 18, 2015, 02:05:07 PM
You forgot a "Good"...A copy of Super Star Soldier in the PC Engine craft's huey slot. :)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: jtucci31 on November 18, 2015, 02:12:31 PM
You forgot a "Good"...A copy of Super Star Soldier in the PC Engine craft's huey slot. :)
Whaaaaaat? When do they show that? I need to replay this game, it's great! I love the music in this game, adds to the cutsey-vibe
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on November 18, 2015, 03:01:07 PM
You forgot a "Good"...A copy of Super Star Soldier in the PC Engine craft's huey slot. :)
Whaaaaaat? When do they show that? I need to replay this game, it's great! I love the music in this game, adds to the cutsey-vibe

Watch the intro.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: jtucci31 on November 18, 2015, 04:01:10 PM
You forgot a "Good"...A copy of Super Star Soldier in the PC Engine craft's huey slot. :)
Whaaaaaat? When do they show that? I need to replay this game, it's great! I love the music in this game, adds to the cutsey-vibe

Watch the intro.
Just popped it back in, I saw it. Just plain text, but still pretty cool nonetheless :)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 19, 2015, 01:32:42 AM
You forgot a "Good"...A copy of Super Star Soldier in the PC Engine craft's huey slot. :)

Indeed.  There's a lot of nice references in the game, like the huey weapon upgrade icons and pce shuttle and sgx motherships in the ending.  :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on November 19, 2015, 01:50:59 AM
Lots of great special effects and parallax as well.

I don't like the chip tunes for boss battles. If they were going to switch from redbook in stages to chip tunes for bosses, then the chip tunes should have been both great compositions and featured good use of sound.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on November 19, 2015, 09:48:56 AM
You forgot a "Good"...A copy of Super Star Soldier in the PC Engine craft's huey slot. :)

Indeed.  There's a lot of nice references in the game, like the huey weapon upgrade icons and pce shuttle and sgx motherships in the ending.  :mrgreen:

I was gonna mention those but wasn't sure if I wanted to spoil it for teh newcomers. The SGX ship was my favorite! :D
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on December 08, 2015, 02:36:33 AM
Clear #59 - Mine Sweeper

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/651/23583381056_fff1a57f95_o.jpg)

It's just Mine Sweeper, but it's a surprisingly good port considering it's from Pack-In-Video.  It goes well beyond what you'll find in the Windows game (play and edit modes are analogous to the original), including both The Voyage and Cook's Quest modes for more depth.  The former is 210 maps spread over 10 progressively larger and more treacherous maps at each of 7 battle sites and 3 centuries; the latter is a much shorter adventure where you lead cute little Cook through a trap laden cave, looking for eggs to make an omelette.

The Good: the above mentioned play style variety; decent and well varied muzak (see below); nicely done static intermission screens showing naval scenes; and quick and easy controls.

The Bad: no mouse support; 210 stages for The Voyage is overkill; and while the tunes are pleasant, there's only one song for each century of The Voyage, meaning you'll listen to one song for hours (not including the short little map success and failure tunes).

The Ugly: Accidentally hitting both Run and Select when you haven't been writing down the passwords.  :evil:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on December 08, 2015, 09:52:41 AM
^^Why do some games that really really need to use the backup RAM that's right there in the CD-ROM2 attachment refuse to do so? With hundreds of levels the devs should've known better.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on December 18, 2015, 11:20:01 PM

^^Why do some games that really really need to use the backup RAM that's right there in the CD-ROM2 attachment refuse to do so? With hundreds of levels the devs should've known better.

When Cook makes an omelette, he was bound to break some eggs. 
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on December 19, 2015, 11:39:46 AM

^^Why do some games that really really need to use the backup RAM that's right there in the CD-ROM2 attachment refuse to do so? With hundreds of levels the devs should've known better.

When Cook makes an omelette, he was bound to break some eggs. 

Nice one! :)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on January 07, 2016, 03:12:32 AM
Clear #60 - Boxy Boy

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1568/23935489900_887343de81_o.jpg)

A fun puzzler with a weird stage layout, where you must beat the first 100 levels to 'win' and unlock the second set, which you must then beat to unlock the final 50 levels.

The Good: it automatically saves progress and uses real words for passwords (good if you can't save); lots and lots o' puzzles, which get quite tricksy as the game progresses; handy 'rewind' button for when you make a mistake; no time limit; and the tunes are quite nice.

The Bad: The scenery isn't exactly bad, but it's very bland and changes little between countries; I'm not a fan of the fake endings, preferring that they just offered a difficulty selector from the title screen; and there's no reward for beating the complete game, instead showing you the same ending three times.

The Ugly: NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on January 07, 2016, 10:50:04 AM
I assume this has been posted in that other thread, too :)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: grolt on January 07, 2016, 10:58:26 AM
Never really reading the manuals growing up, I always used to play the game without even knowing about the rewind function.  Passed the time, I guess!  The puzzles definitely are challenging, and the further you make it the more handy that rewind function becomes.  There are many games today that actively feature a rewind feature (I can think of Forza Horizon 2 and Rare Replay for recent games I've played), but it certainly was forward thinking back then.  Can anyone think of any games that predated this that used such a feature?  BOXYBOY was one of the first games I had growing up so I have a soft spot for it, but I've never finished it, let alone slogged through the other two endings.  You are more man than I, Necro.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on January 08, 2016, 01:57:24 AM
I assume this has been posted in that other thread, too :)

If you mean Bardo's clear 'em all thread, no.  I started playing B.B. nearly a month ago, so this clear doesn't qualify.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on January 08, 2016, 09:09:39 AM

I assume this has been posted in that other thread, too :)

If you mean Bardo's clear 'em all thread, no.  I started playing B.B. nearly a month ago, so this clear doesn't qualify.

Aha! That means if I start playing Boxyboy tonight...

:)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on January 20, 2016, 02:51:14 AM
Clear #61 - Alzadick: Summer Carnival '92

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1645/24092119609_398175d2a0_o.jpg)

Easiest clear evah?  :mrgreen:

The Good: multiple gameplay options (more than just the regular 2 and 5 minute modes anyway), good tunes, nice parallax areas in the background, and a well varied group of enemies.

The Bad: the backgrounds are mostly blandly colored and repetitive, limited weapon system, and the story mode is so short on actual story that it's almost embarrassing.

The Ugly: the bland one page intro and success pages of story mode.  It would've been so much better had they made it one story with two 'stages' and added a couple little cut scenes and credit roll.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on January 22, 2016, 09:10:48 AM
Clear #62 - Super Air Zonk

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1574/23862129543_e08329cbc6_o.jpg)

A cute shewty that's pretty good in its own right, but it pales in comparison to its predecessor in most every way.

The Good: colorful backgrounds that don't suffer from repeat like those in Air Zonk, cool and different music (the game over tune is great), a well varied mix of baddies and zany bosses to blast, a neat stage select screen (sadly only for the first four stages), and you get more control options for how your rescued friend helps out.

The Bad: very little parallax, not much weapon variation, slow pacing, and you can't pick which helper you get.

The Ugly: NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Jason_dicarlo85 on January 22, 2016, 11:04:42 AM
Aww man... Super air zonk is a fantastic game ... Fun with the kids around as well
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on January 22, 2016, 12:34:34 PM
I waited too long in acquiring this SAZ. Too much dough now though I haven't looked into the import version for a long time. One day.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on February 18, 2016, 02:30:38 AM
Clear #63 - Prince of Persia

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1700/24990170712_b05c482751_o.jpg)

The Good: extremely well animated sprites, a good mix of baddies with varied fighting styles, great tunes from T's Music, simple but pleasant looking environments, and the Princess's cute lil mouse.

The Bad: some garish colors used in the mostly static cut scenes, and a few cheaply located enemies that almost guarantee you'll take a hit before you can defend yourself.

The Ugly: the non-responsive and laggy controls almost ruin the game, forcing you to replay the level over and over just to try again at a particularly difficult jump.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: MNKyDeth on February 18, 2016, 05:38:40 AM
I played and beat Prince of Persia on the Sega CD back in the 90's. I don't own it for the TG16. But I remember the very sluggish controls.

It's worth playing through once but because of the controls even if I ever did get it for the TG16 I am not sure I could play through it again just because of my memories of this games controls.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on February 18, 2016, 05:59:17 AM
Indeed.  The controls are quite frustrating, so I wouldn't blame anyone if they skipped trying to beat it and just played the first few levels, where there's no particularly tricky jumps.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 17, 2016, 03:30:10 AM
Clear #64 - Double Dungeons

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1483/25227474914_a8d7976ae8_o.jpg)

"Sense something strange?"

The Good: lots of cool looking different enemies to slice and dice (i.e. - Mr. Pumpkinhead, Lamia, and a snowman), decent tunes, fast pacing, fluid animation of the walls (unless there's a door in view), the password is available whenever you want (except in battle), you can easily walk away from fights when you find yourself outclassed, and a two player mode.

The Bad: 3/4 of the screen is HUD in single player mode, no save file option, there's no cut scenes and almost no story (what little is there is filled with engrish and typos), the latter dungeons are too damn big, and the enemy sprites are static and the scenery bland and unchanging.

The Ugly: NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on March 17, 2016, 01:41:08 PM
I've tried many times to get into DD. Maybe I have zero taste lol
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on March 18, 2016, 12:57:37 AM

I've tried many times to get into DD. Maybe I have zero taste lol

Unless you are a big D&D fan, it's not surprising.

It is not for everyone.

:)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on April 11, 2016, 04:55:28 AM
Clear #65 - Lords of Thunder

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1659/26345106256_59e114e825_o.jpg)

Easily one of the best shewties ever made.  If you don't have a copy and love it, there's something wrong with you.  :P

The Good: well varied, detailed, and beautiful environments, with a few environmental interactions tossed in for good measure; nice cutscenes and more story than you find in many shewties; tons of different, awesome looking enemies, ranging from small fry to giant monstrosities; kickass, rockin' tunes; and you get some good replay value experimenting with the four different suits of armor and the order in which you play the levels.

The Bad: Not much, other than the shop owner is mute in the US version and the cut scenes would be better if there was a voice over.

The Ugly: NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: seieienbu on April 11, 2016, 10:09:08 AM
I didn't know the shop keeper said anything in Winds.  I'm going to youtube that just to hear what she sounds like lol
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on April 11, 2016, 12:58:41 PM
I didn't know the shop keeper said anything in Winds.  I'm going to youtube that just to hear what she sounds like lol

The Sega-CD version has English shop keeper samples and narrated cinemas. I believe that Tom's bi-compatible Sega-CD/Super CD Lords of Thunder has the Sega-CD's cinema narration during PC Engine mode.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on April 14, 2016, 05:15:08 AM
Clear #66 - Bonk's Adventure

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1717/26401501456_6da4ea8969_o.jpg)

One of the best platformers on the Turbob.  It never gets old or feels frustrating, making it a perfect game to revisit every once and a while for a quick play and to make me smile.

The Good: cute, cartoony characters; jaunty tunes; numerous hidden areas and flowers to find; fun little bonus stages; and perfect controls for easy platforming, swimming, and head butting and enemy juggling.

The Bad: none of it is particularly bad looking, but the backgrounds are often repetitive and occasionally bland.

The Ugly: NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on April 14, 2016, 10:32:49 AM
The more time goes on, even as I rarely play the Bonk games anymore, the more my opinion shifts further towards Adventure>Revenge>Big Adventure.

You nailed the best part about Adventure: that it never feels dated or poorly designed. Even though it was reportedly made in a couple weeks, it really feels like it was playtested and adjusted till it was free of cheap difficulty, yet challenging enough to remain engaging and most important of all, always fun the whole way through.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: EmperorIng on April 14, 2016, 10:58:58 AM
I'm curious to hear your thought as to where Revenge stumbles, even if it's only recollection.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on April 14, 2016, 11:08:44 AM
It's never bothered me any, but the most common complaint I hear about Bonk's Revenge is how they changed the spin mechanics.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on April 14, 2016, 11:44:34 AM
The biggest problem with Revenge is that I only rented Adventure once while it was current and bought Revenge when it came out. Playing Revenge to death kept it my favorite for years, but it's made it harder to enjoy now in recent years.
Title: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on April 14, 2016, 12:16:53 PM
I'm curious to hear your thought as to where Revenge stumbles, even if it's only recollection.

We have a few threads over the years that explores this topic.

I played Adventure to death when it was released. I considered it a decent game, but nothing groundbreaking. It was enjoyable, but countless NES games gave it a run for the money, IMHO. Many NES games were superior.

When Revenge was released, I felt it was SOOOOOO MUCH BETTER than Adventure.  Lots of fun, even though the spinning mechanics were slightly different.

At that time, I would have said: "Revenge is superior in every way, except perhaps for the music (Adventure had nice tunes that held up well)."

Now, my mind got stuck on "Revenge is superior." For years.

But as I revisited these games many times over the past 20+ years, I realized I had been overly harsh on the original game—for example, I kept going back to Adventure to replay (Revenge seems a bit of a chore to play through...Adventure less so).

I wish both games were more challenging. I felt this way when they were released. I feel the same now. 

Also, I have not found the SNES Bonk games to be as strong as the PCE titles.

---------

OVERALL: I have come to a similar conclusion as Black Tiger.

But, to expand on things, I have realized that I was really harsh, back in the late 80's/early 90's, in judging all the games I played. I just assumed that "better games" existed ...and it would only be a matter of time before I eventually played them. However, as I played tons of arcade/Genesis/SNES/NES/SMS I slowly came to the realization that many of the games I had heavily criticized were actually pretty good, relative to all the other games.

Later, when I was able to play "import" games on Japanese 8-bit/16-bit consoles...it was clear that a lot of mediocre games (which I still enjoy) were released. This shattered my naive expectations (that an unlimited number of AAA titles I had been eluding me for my entire life).
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on April 18, 2016, 04:34:05 AM
Clear #67 - Bonk's Revenge

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1622/26231435140_6f046c6db7_o.gif)

Almost everything good from Bonk's Adventure made even better.  8)

The Good: the graphics are much improved, with better variety, more detail, and more vibrant coloring throughout; it's less linear and has more stage exploration; lots of fun bonus rounds; a cool bonus elevator / train ride between stages; and crab Bonk!

The Bad: the tunes are good, but many of 'em are recycled from Bonk's Adventure; spinning is slower and you can't juggle enemies for points any more; and the bonus train forces you to skip a level if you collect too many smileys.

The Ugly: NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on April 18, 2016, 06:40:00 AM
I really don't like the in-game use of the Turbo marketing Bonk artwork. Really stuck out bitd.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on April 22, 2016, 04:07:10 AM
Clear #68 - Bonk 3: Bonk's Big Adventure

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1526/25971853074_9824217a63_o.jpg)

All the goodness of Bonk's Revenge and a bit more!

The Good:  colorful, cartoony backgrounds and enemies; all new jaunty tunes; eatin' candy to grow/shrink; two player mode; larger levels and hidden passages for more exploring; getting eaten and pooped out of a giant lipped fish thingy; and they brought back enemy juggling and fixed the spin jumping.

The Bad:  certainly the easiest of the three Bonks, especially the bosses; the candy isn't used to great effect; and the two player mode can get tedious when the other player can't keep up on tricky jumps.

The Ugly:  NA



Clear #68.5 - Bonk 3 CD

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1626/26303977970_6845de956f_o.jpg)

There's very little different between the two versions.  All of the huey's comments apply, so these are specific to the CD:

The Good:  nice redbook tunes and an added vs. mode in each stage for short, simple battles between two players.

The Bad:  a few animation frames were dropped to fit the confines of Super CD ram.

The Ugly:  a couple stages have overly loud, repetitive environmental sounds overlaying the otherwise lovely redbook tunes.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on April 22, 2016, 06:02:52 PM
I just can't get excited about Bonk III though I've tried many many times. For me the magic ended with Revenge. And for sheer atmosphere Adventure is tops.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: seieienbu on April 23, 2016, 05:11:48 AM
I didn't have 3 as a kid.  The first time I played the game all the way through was after getting the Tobias repro so I'm looking at the game without quite as much nostalgia.  I thought it was pretty enjoyable but it didn't have the same magic to me that the first two had but that's probably due to my not playing it as a kid.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: NightWolve on April 23, 2016, 05:57:27 AM
I just can't get excited about Bonk III though I've tried many many times. For me the magic ended with Revenge. And for sheer atmosphere Adventure is tops.

Yeah, I found it boring (Bonk III: Bonk's Big Boring Adventure), mainly due to the music... Bonk super-sprited to take up most of the screen was cool though akin to China Warrior, and it allowed for 2 simultaneous players.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: ParanoiaDragon on April 24, 2016, 05:40:25 PM
The soundtrack has a few decent tunes, but I always hated that it was a different sound engine.  I've always wondered how it would sound with the original sound engine used in the first 2.  I've probably mentioned it before, but I have thought about redoing the tunes(for CD) to have a more Bonk 1 & 2 style.  I've already done other Bonk tunes, & I feel like they really capture the sound of the first 2 games, while being updated redbook style. I did about 8 songs thus far of my other Bonk project, I'll get back to it one of these days, THIS, I COMMAND!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on April 24, 2016, 11:41:27 PM
The soundtrack has a few decent tunes, but I always hated that it was a different sound engine.  I've always wondered how it would sound with the original sound engine used in the first 2.  I've probably mentioned it before, but I have thought about redoing the tunes(for CD) to have a more Bonk 1 & 2 style.  I've already done other Bonk tunes, & I feel like they really capture the sound of the first 2 games, while being updated redbook style. I did about 8 songs thus far of my other Bonk project, I'll get back to it one of these days, THIS, I COMMAND!

You will drop all other projects and finish the Bonk remakes.

THIS, I COMMAND!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: NightWolve on April 25, 2016, 01:56:40 AM
I've probably mentioned it before, but I have thought about redoing the tunes(for CD) to have a more Bonk 1 & 2 style.

Ah, that's true, it'd be easy to produce an alternative soundtrack for the CD version, rip the game to ISO/WAV/CUE, swap wave files around, and if needed, use TOC Fixer if the LBA offsets of audio tracks are hardcoded. Some games like Ys IV dynamically fetch the starting LBA of audio tracks from the TOC, so replacement is as easy as copying a new wave file, but games like Dracula X will require you to use my TOC Fixer app or they'll crash. But yeah, a good soundtrack would improve the experience for that game by quite a lot!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on April 25, 2016, 03:00:13 AM
I forgot to mention one of my favorite aspects of the CD version: it uses Godzilla roars and battle music for the final showdown with King Drool.  8)

How're the atmospheric shit sounds done?  I assume they're ADPCM played over the redbook tunes, as they'll sometimes keep playing at stage end even though the music has stopped.  I'd be okay with the tunes as is, if those noises could be made to play way less often or even deleted entirely.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on April 27, 2016, 04:52:19 AM
Clear #69 - Basted

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1500/26403566810_663a147008_o.jpg)

I wasn't expecting much based on reviews, so I ended up being pleasantly surprised that it's not as short and empty as they make it sound.  It's light on action and long on cut scenes and story, making it more of an action based digi-comic than a full fledged action rpg like Ys or Magicoal, but I had fun playing it..... and it seemed fitting for clear #69.  :mrgreen:

The Good:  two cute characters to choose between; good tunes; an interesting battle system with quite a few attack options unique to each character; charming overworld/town sprites, almost like those common in Falcom games; 'tis quite humorous at times, though I'm sure it'd be even better if I understood what they were saying; tons of full screen, colorful, and detailed cut scenes; and tittehs!

The Bad:  simple, repetitive scenery; no two player option; annoying engrish yells for fully charged attacks; and the cut scenes are mostly static, often showing nothing but moving mouths.

The Ugly:  a couple blinky, seizure inducing cut scenes.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on April 28, 2016, 01:29:16 PM
I've always been curious about Basted. Wish I had a copy but eBay killed that idea.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on April 29, 2016, 02:45:45 AM
Yeah, it's kinda spendy for a somewhat mediocre title.  It's not a game often talked about or recommended as a must have, so I assume its price is due to it being a later game presumably produced in relatively small quantities.

But it's worth a quick play through.  Burn it, man!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on April 29, 2016, 03:04:59 AM
I regret never playing this game....

Ugghhh....

I judged you unfairly, Basted! I listened to GUTS, when I should have listened to my HEART...

...Ugghhh...what is that white light?

...pfshhhhh...
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on April 29, 2016, 08:10:40 AM
Yeah I'll have Jodi make me a booty. :)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: seieienbu on May 03, 2016, 01:28:07 PM
I'm curious about something.  To the best of my knowledge there are 140 official releases including the 2 system cards.  After that you have:

3 girl-y games,
Implode,
Meteor Blaster,
Insanity X,
Pyramid Plunder,
Atlantean,
Mysterious Song

It looks like there are 6 games I don't know about?  Mind filling me in on the rest?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: HailingTheThings on May 03, 2016, 06:29:02 PM
Revival Chase & Hypernova Blast*?

*just remembered I never picked it up and the site is down. Shite.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on May 04, 2016, 02:59:58 AM
I'm curious about something.  To the best of my knowledge there are 140 official releases including the 2 system cards.  After that you have:

3 girl-y games,
Implode,
Meteor Blaster,
Insanity X,
Pyramid Plunder,
Atlantean,
Mysterious Song

It looks like there are 6 games I don't know about?  Mind filling me in on the rest?

There are only 2 girly pic galleries, but they are not games.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on May 04, 2016, 03:21:01 AM
There's three: Bikini Girls, Hawaiian Island Girls, and Local Girls of Hawaii.

My personal collectard reasoning starts with the 147 titles listed on PCE Daisakusen!!, subtracts the LoT and GoT demo discs since they were never sold at retail, then adds Champions Forever Boxing (huey variant), Ys pack-in version, Meteor Blaster DX Signature Edition, Meteor Blaster DX pressed version, Mysterious Song, Mysterious Song reprint, Hypernova Blast, J.B. Harold - Manhattan Requiem, Quiz Econosaurus, and Vajra.  I don't include Aetherbyte's goodies, however, as they are branded as PCE games.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on May 04, 2016, 03:49:15 AM
Lol, I guess I was thinking that they wouldn't have put out two hawaiin releases. :P

Atlantean has a huge TurboGrafx-16 logo on the cover and you get to choose the region.

Necro, I'm pretty sure that I have one or two Turbo games that you don't, but I don't count nearly as many titles and variants as you do. Even Mysterious Song, which (like Meteor Blaster DX) I count as a single game. :P
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on May 04, 2016, 04:23:21 AM
Atlantean has a huge TurboGrafx-16 logo on the cover and you get to choose the region.

Yarr, Atlantean is branded as both.  I guess I could (should) include it.

Necro, I'm pretty sure that I have one or two Turbo games that you don't, but I don't count nearly as many titles and variants as you do. Even Mysterious Song, which (like Meteor Blaster DX) I count as a single game. :P

Like I said, it's collectard reasoning for me and me alone.  If others want to omit LA games as a separate system, ignore the five variants, or include even more variants based on box/manual differences instead of just the ones that have code changes, that's their business.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: seieienbu on May 04, 2016, 07:36:05 AM
Thanks for the answers guys.  If I ever get around to posting my collectard percentage I'd likely leave out variants but I'm glad to know what the total list you've been referring to is.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: TheClash603 on May 04, 2016, 01:33:02 PM
What a bunch of collectards.

Now I will go back to playing with my complete set of Sega Saturn demo discs.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on May 23, 2016, 04:27:37 AM
Clear #70 - Bubblegum Crash

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7456/27098684302_41f48b4113_o.jpg)

Knight Fabers?!?

If ya ever wanted to dip your toes in the digi-comic pool, this is the place to start.  It's straightforward, cute, easy to finish, and translated!

The Good:  Cute gals; touches of humor and perverseness; and nekkid Linna butt!

The Bad:  The tunes are forgettable and the scenery mostly static and bland; it's rather short; and the end battles seem to require more luck than strategy, as one time you'll get your ass beat bad and the next you'll win easily doing the same attacks.

The Ugly:  The enemy encounter rate gets frustrating in the warehouse at the end, a warehouse that is mostly empty and a rather boring.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on May 23, 2016, 05:13:35 AM
Knight Fabery!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on May 23, 2016, 05:59:59 AM
Ha!  I assume that was scrawled by Nene when she was trying to peek at Linna in the shower.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: OldTurboBastard on June 01, 2016, 09:00:01 AM
I've never seriously tried to play Ys, but I can't imagine I will like the "bump into things" combat.

Sorry to respond so late to your post, but if you are still around, as a classic gamer Y's vI and II is a must play. Fondest memories of my video gaming youth come from this game - it's just amazing.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on June 14, 2016, 04:10:39 AM
Clear #71 - Chiki Chiki Boys

(https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7428/27593314131_cafcc8c8b6_o.jpg)

The Good:  Bright, cute, and colorful graphics that match up well with the arcade original (see below); a well varied cast of baddies to beat down and different worlds to visit; neat touches like the swimming mask and dracula's shorts; two player simultaneous play; saving cute Amazon girlies; and two (maybe more?) endings for replayability, where you gotta find the key to open the final treasure chest, free the dragon, and get the 'good' ending.

The Bad:  The backgrounds look good but are missing all of the parallax of the original, even though a few spots could've easily handled sprite based parallax or simple line scrolls; a couple bosses get recycled; and few of the enemies give much of a fight, with only the final boss (fought twice) being much of a challenge.

The Ugly:  The flickering mess that is the end credits; the bottom two shots shown above aren't really that dark on screen, but that's how the screen capture thingy interprets the flicker.  It's like they wanted to punish you with seizures for having the gall to beat the game.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: EmperorIng on June 14, 2016, 11:59:37 AM
If you haven't had the chance, the Genesis port of Chiki Chiki Boys is really swell. It looks/sounds nicer (for one!), and the added souped-up shop system (think Forgotten Worlds) adds a lot of replayability to the game.

It's fine Capcom platforming; there's something novel about a diminuitive fat clown being the ultimate evil final boss.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Medic_wheat on June 14, 2016, 12:25:58 PM
If you haven't had the chance, the Genesis port of Chiki Chiki Boys is really swell. It looks/sounds nicer (for one!), and the added souped-up shop system (think Forgotten Worlds) adds a lot of replayability to the game.

It's fine Capcom platforming; there's something novel about a diminuitive fat clown being the ultimate evil final boss.

It's gotten kind of pricy as of late.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on June 15, 2016, 02:52:47 AM
I ain't no FEKA agent!  :mrgreen:

They did a nice job porting it and keeping it colorful without making it all brown, but other than the parallax it isn't nearly as faithful to the original, omitting too much detail and variety.  And where's the girlies and two-player option?  I won't say one sounds better than the other, though, as all the music is pretty meh (even the arcade), but at least the PCE version has the various enemy samples intact (roaring dragons, clanking tank treads, etc.).  'Tis still a good game, of course, but I can't say it's the better game.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: SavagePencil on June 15, 2016, 04:28:56 AM
If you haven't had the chance, the Genesis port of Chiki Chiki Boys is really swell. It looks/sounds nicer (for one!), and the added souped-up shop system (think Forgotten Worlds) adds a lot of replayability to the game.

It's fine Capcom platforming; there's something novel about a diminuitive fat clown being the ultimate evil final boss.

There's also the emulation of the arcade version done on the Capcom Classics Collection 2 for Xbox and PS2.  I need to go back and do a comparison of the two, as Chiki Chiki always felt like an updated Wonder Boy in Monster Land infused with Capcom-style platforming.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Gentlegamer on June 15, 2016, 04:32:21 AM
I've never seriously tried to play Ys, but I can't imagine I will like the "bump into things" combat.

Sorry to respond so late to your post, but if you are still around, as a classic gamer Ys vI and II is a must play. Fondest memories of my video gaming youth come from this game - it's just amazing.

I'm going to try it, but my expected misgivings about bump combat remain.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on June 15, 2016, 06:27:02 AM
Only the short Ys one is mostly a bump'n action game. Ys II is mostly an overhead 4-way shooter. Ys IV even more so.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: SavagePencil on June 15, 2016, 09:04:57 AM
I ain't no FEKA agent!  :mrgreen:

They did a nice job porting it and keeping it colorful without making it all brown, but other than the parallax it isn't nearly as faithful to the original, omitting too much detail and variety.  And where's the girlies and two-player option?  I won't say one sounds better than the other, though, as all the music is pretty meh (even the arcade), but at least the PCE version has the various enemy samples intact (roaring dragons, clanking tank treads, etc.).  'Tis still a good game, of course, but I can't say it's the better game.

In watching an arcade longplay, I noted that there was a charge meter that appears in the HUD at screen bottom.  I'll have to check when I get home, but is this meter built up by holding a button, or is it a Legendary Axe/Magic Sword (also 1990)-style charge meter that builds while you don't attack?  It almost feels like Chiki Chiki has a little bit of a wink and a nod at Magic Sword and Black Tiger.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on June 15, 2016, 11:32:24 AM
In watching an arcade longplay, I noted that there was a charge meter that appears in the HUD at screen bottom.  I'll have to check when I get home, but is this meter built up by holding a button, or is it a Legendary Axe/Magic Sword (also 1990)-style charge meter that builds while you don't attack?

It builds when you're not attacking in the PCE game, but you can't see the meter until after you've used up your magic attacks (they're in the same spot on the HUD).
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on June 24, 2016, 03:49:51 AM
Clear #72 - Gate of Thunder

(https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7280/27841864986_a4c5cc57d0_o.jpg)

An essentially flawless shewty.  Own it, play it, love it..... or go f*ck yourself.  :mrgreen:

The Good:  fast pacing with practically zero load times; rockin' tunes and clear voice samples, except I'm not sure what it's saying when you pick up the pair of options ('tusks'?); colorful, detailed backgrounds with lots of parallax; decent opening and closing cut scenes; and oodles of different enemies with big, cool looking bosses and mid-bosses to destroy.

The Bad:  ummm.....  pretty much everything is good.  The only thing it's missing is a proper 'The End" screen, though there's aforementioned ending cut scene and proper credit roll.

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: jtucci31 on June 24, 2016, 07:13:38 AM
Yeah it does miss a cool end screen, but the song that plays during the credits is amazing! Worth a playthrough of the game each time just to hear that track
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on June 24, 2016, 09:18:46 AM
Gate of Thunder is the first game I tested my TurboDuo with after having it refurbished by Keith Courage. I was shocked by how not only were the load times faster than when I got the system brand new bitd, they really were no longer than most cart games and shorter than so many others.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 01, 2016, 04:20:25 AM
Clear #73 - Xak I & II

(https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7300/27738004010_8feafd65a5_o.gif)

If you liked Ys I & II, you'll enjoy this action rpg.  There's many similarities, including the bump battle system, the simple equipment and inventory screens, how it plays as a single game, and even a few familiar looking locations that feel next door to Ys sites (i.e. - burn land and the cleria mines).

The Good:  the unnecessary umlaut in Cöntinue; great redbook music, some tracks using horns and whatnot to sound a bit Ys-like; cool and sometimes humorous cut scenes (Fray gets mad!); neat (if jerky moving) background scenery seen through the castle windows; lots of different environments to explore; loads of different enemies to whack, some quite large and cool looking; and cute touches not seen often in other arpgs, like shrinking to go mousehole spelunking and the Dragon Spirit-esque vertical shewty bits.

The Bad:  bosses are mostly chumps, easily destroyed with little to no effort; the loading gets annoying in spots; and the post jumping section is just plain crap, with safe landing spots that don't match up with the visuals.

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: geise on July 01, 2016, 04:39:29 AM
Only the short Ys one is mostly a bump'n action game. Ys II is mostly an overhead 4-way shooter. Ys IV even more so.

Yeah.  Once you get that magic...
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 01, 2016, 04:47:32 AM
Another Ys similarity: Xak I & II also has magic but only in the second half.  It's not very well implemented though, as I played through quite a bit of part II before figuring out how to use it, even then only because it's the only way to damage some bosses.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: EmperorIng on July 01, 2016, 05:40:00 AM
The bump system felt more to me the "pin enemies up against the wall" system, because that is the safest and most efficient way to handle the game's monsters.

The worst thing about this game is that it does not seem like you can hurt the water dragon boss (the second boss of the game) unless you are level 14. Which means a lot of grinding (I got there at level 9 in my normal play). By the time you are level 14, nothing in Xak 1 can even hurt you, including the final boss. They all die within 1 second of contact with your sword.

Actually, building off of that, the balance in Xak's PCE remake is very off, with the above being symptomatic of it. Either you are one level under what you should be, and everything kills you in one hit, or you are one level over, in which nothing can kill you. Most of my deaths were probably in the very beginning, and at the very poorly-designed platforming segments.

The dragon segment is cool but I don't know why they only give you horizontal control of your dragon's movement and lock you in the center of the screen. The only way to change your position is to get hit and have the natural knockback throw you down... where you still can only move left or right! It smells half-baked.

The magic is hilariously broken because it tries to do the Ys thing of "one fireball on-screen at a time." However, Falcom understood that to balance this meant that the fireball had to go through the enemy leaving you locked to that one fireball shot unless you were on the edge of the screen. In Xak it destroys on contact, resetting the limit. This means that if you get close to an enemy or a boss, you will rapid-fire them into oblivion. It's how I killed Badu in half a second at the end of Xak I, as well as Gospel in Xak II. I don't know what Telenet did, but I highly doubt the PC games were that wonky.

I enjoyed the game in a "this is kinda fun" sort of way.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: NightWolve on July 01, 2016, 07:49:32 AM
Clear #73 - Xak I & II

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7300/27738004010_8feafd65a5_o.gif

If you liked Ys I & II, you'll enjoy this action rpg.  There's many similarities, including the bump battle system, the simple equipment and inventory screens, how it plays as a single game, and even a few familiar looking locations that feel next door to Ys sites (i.e. - burn land and the cleria mines).

The Good:  the unnecessary umlaut in Cöntinue; great redbook music, some tracks using horns and whatnot to sound a bit Ys-like; cool and sometimes humorous cut scenes (Fray gets mad!); neat (if jerky moving) background scenery seen through the castle windows; lots of different environments to explore; loads of different enemies to whack, some quite large and cool looking; and cute touches not seen often in other arpgs, like shrinking to go mousehole spelunking and the Dragon Spirit-esque vertical shewty bits.

Huh, gonna check out the soundtrack then. I bought it from EmperorIng not that long ago, but I haven't messed with it.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: EmperorIng on July 01, 2016, 08:19:42 AM
Xak series music is excellent; moreso on the pc (which has has more tracks than what the PCE CD can allow). Even Fray CD! But the best Xak OST is Xak III, in my opinion.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 01, 2016, 08:30:25 AM
Agreed on the borked difficulty level.  You're weak and gotta carefully attack and rest (like Ys, you heal when standing still in the open) to get enough EXP to gain a level and/or enough money to buy the next gear, then you rape everything in your path, oft times not even needing to draw your sword.

Full OST - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJMeNWHBj4U
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on July 01, 2016, 03:26:42 PM
I'd like to hear your thoughts on Xak III as well.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 27, 2016, 05:08:13 AM
Clear #74 - Xak III

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8608/28554227096_2d95b071f5_o.jpg)

A nice sequel to Xak I & II where the bump battling has been changed to deliberate sword swings.  Make sure y'all play it with the lovely translation patch (thanks NW!), though it's just the menu and cut scene text and not the voice overs (no biggie).

The Good:  good tunes; better use of the platform jumping; a few funny cut scenes and interactions, particularly those between Fray and Pixie; lots of different characters (faeries, centaurs, snails, Mr. Pumpkinhead, etc.) to speak with and have join your party; a bit more blood and gore than usually seen in such games, though it's mostly confined to a couple short bits near the beginning and end; and another little Dragon Spirity shewty section.

The Bad:  magic is pretty much pointless and unnecessary, you can't even use it in the later part of the game; some of the scenery looks okay but most of it is undetailed, repetitive, and rendered in nothing but drab grays and browns; slow pacing, both in walking speed and the large towns and castles you wander around in for little payoff; a few glitchy areas where you jump and land in spots that you can't escape (save often!); most of the character interactions take place in small portrait text boxes instead of nicely animated and voiced cut scenes; and other than blind luck, I don't know how you're supposed to figure out how to pass through the area leading up to the final confrontation with the Necromancer.

The Ugly:  some annoying sprite flicker in a few spots, mostly in cut scenes or in background scenery where it could've been eliminated by modifying the art a bit.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: NightWolve on July 27, 2016, 01:05:54 PM
Clear #74 - Xak III

A nice sequel to Xak I & II where the bump battling has been changed to deliberate sword swings.  Make sure y'all play it with the lovely translation patch (thanks NW!), though it's just the menu and cut scene text and not the voice overs (no biggie).

http://xak3.ysutopia.net/#downloads

(https://s5.postimg.cc/sz8ah0xyb/facebook_like_thumb.jpg)

How did the literal nature of the translation strike you BTW ?

I find it to be the most boring of any project I worked on (and I'm the least proud of the final result), but hey, better than Japanese! Paul wasn't as literal as Shimarisu at least.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on July 27, 2016, 03:45:30 PM
One thing I do remember with the brief time I spent with the translated version of Xak III was it's depressing atmosphere. I like dirt and grit in my games at times but this took it too far for me. I'll give it another chance though. If Necro likes it there's no reason I should turn a blind eye.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 28, 2016, 02:31:14 AM
I don't know, mathius, I like just about every game.  Wanna play Hatris?  :mrgreen:

As for the translation, it's not bad at all.  There's a few stretches that're a bit stilted, sure, but I've seen plenty of official regionalizations that're far worse.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on August 16, 2016, 09:51:26 AM
Clear #75 - Dragon Egg!

(https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7473/28948448241_095edd257e_o.jpg)

The Good:  Several cute yet creepy baddies to roast; neat clouds zipping by behind the trees / outside windows and wavy reflective water; nicely animated sprites, especially for the protagonist and her growing dragon; boldly colored and nicely varied locales; and it has a pretty good intro scene for a huey.

The Bad:  Other than the aforementioned clouds and water, the background is static, and there's not much detail, variety, or heavy color use either; it's short and overly easy, especially once you've fully powered up your dragon (hard mode helps); and the skull 'bomb' thing is pretty much useless, as I'd always accidentally trigger it when it wasn't needed.

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on August 16, 2016, 11:09:02 AM
Clear #75 - Dragon Egg!

...Other than the aforementioned clouds and water, the background is static, and there's not much detail, variety, or heavy color use either; it's short and overly easy, especially once you've fully powered up your dragon (hard mode helps); and the skull 'bomb' thing is pretty much useless, as I'd always accidentally trigger it when it wasn't needed.

You had me at "static" :)


Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on August 16, 2016, 01:30:40 PM
I had this game for a while before I traded it off. It had the same effect on me that MAKAI PRINCE DORABOCCHAN had with their colorful yet flat backgrounds and simple gameplay. Those themselves aren't detrimental to any game, but with these two I couldn't stay engaged.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 22, 2016, 06:00:55 AM
Clear #76 - Override

(https://c5.staticflickr.com/6/5345/30357742004_b907d0fffd_o.jpg)

The Good:  Hectic action with lots of speedy foes zooming at you; neat parallax in stage three; nice weapon system with a powerful charged shot and multiple weapons from which to chose (though only the super powerful green and homing red are really useful); and the difficulty level is nicely offset by the plethora of ship upgrades and extra lives given.

The Bad:  At only five stages, it's pretty short; the last stage and its boss rush is nearly half the game; and while they're not exactly bad, the tunes and backgrounds are pretty meh.

The Ugly:  The green thingys that surround you in the last level.  Seriously, f*ck those guys.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: jtucci31 on November 22, 2016, 12:28:40 PM
Yeah f*ck that last stage. But I think given its shortness, it would be a cool game to rack up a high score with continuous playthroughs one after another.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on December 13, 2016, 02:27:52 AM
Clear #77 - Night Creatures

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/661/31583470496_b85c0349ae_o.gif)

Night Creatures is a thoroughly frustrating game that has a lot of good things going for it, but it's entirely let down by shoddy controls and shit hit detection.  Think of it as Shape Shifter lite, where there's a lot of similarities but it's worse in every way.

The Good:  Good parallax; though few and rather short and repetitive, the tunes are decent; dark, sinister, and nicely detailed backgrounds; and lots of different creepy crawlies to battle, including some cool bosses like Mr. Pumpkin Head, some broad that rips her own guts out and uses 'em as weapons, and a 50 shades of obey dominatrix that comes at you with a flail.

The Bad:  Dumb ending; it's short if you know where to go, with a mere 15 minutes of play time if you never die, yet it's easy to run out of time (a timer punishes exploration), run into a dead end, or die repeatedly; and it feels unfinished with a bear transformation that's never needed, areas you need never explore (Swamp?  What swamp?), and a lengthy boss rush at the end that surely has a couple bosses that were meant to head levels that were never completed.

The Ugly:  Cheap difficultly level due to piss poor hit detection and unresponsive controls, particularly when trying to fly the owl transformation.

Full Disclosure - I usually only count a 1CC as a clear, but I can't imagine trying to beat this one in one run (you can only save after dying).
Title: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on December 13, 2016, 08:33:40 AM
^ I have never made it far in Night Creatures. I have tried, but I die. Die. Die.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on December 13, 2016, 08:58:31 AM
I died dozens of times.  Dozens!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on December 30, 2016, 02:39:31 AM
Clear #78 - Energy

(https://c3.staticflickr.com/1/644/31944510266_c5411616ee_o.jpg)

With cabbage's fine translation patch (http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=21795.0), which also fixes the slow text and scrolling, this game is actually kinda fun.  It's flawed, sure, but it's definitely worth a look.

The Good:  sweet tunes, a bit of humor in the dialog, cute Yukiko dance, and the faces in the walls are kinda neat.

The Bad:  flat and primitive backgrounds, goofy looking and not very well animated sprites, you spend too much time retracing your steps (especially if you're not following a guide and don't know where to go), a short and bland ending without a proper credit roll, and the many enemy spawn points that force you to take cheap, unavoidable damage.

The Ugly:  without cabby's patch, the slow text boxes, screen transitions, and unskippable opening cutscene will drive you to drink.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: NightWolve on December 30, 2016, 08:09:17 AM
That's pretty good hacking talent that the PCE library rarely receives if he also fixed flaws like that.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on December 30, 2016, 10:22:24 AM
That's pretty good hacking talent that the PCE library rarely receives if he also fixed flaws like that.

I officially ordered a 2GB microSD card for TED...it only took me ___ years...
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on December 30, 2016, 04:59:36 PM
Looks like I need to feed TED a new ROM.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: blueraven on January 03, 2017, 05:25:36 PM
Ok. I need to get an everdrive now.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on February 01, 2017, 02:59:22 AM
Clear #79 - Circus Lido

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/730/32648492365_a4ebb85196_o.jpg)

Every time I'd get stuck just a few levels in, so I never thought I'd beat this one.  I figured I was too dumb to figure out the puzzles, but it turns out I was just too dumb to figure out that you can climb on the usually lethal spikey vines by nabbing a pill bug; thanks to youtube, though, I finally got somewhere!  It's probably explained in the manual, but I can't do moonrunes and who's got time to read anyway?  :lol:

Overall it's good fun, but it definitely has its frustrating moments.  Visit Videogame Den (http://www.videogameden.com/hucard/reviews/cli.htm) for a nice story about the game's odd release history; I'm glad it's no longer teh rarez, so now everyone can easily pick up a copy and save Leon the Chameleon.

The Good:  nice tunes, particularly the end credits track; tricksy puzzles that'll get ya thinking; easy to use password system; no time limits; optional bonus levels; and cute lil Leon.

The Bad:  Leon is often dirt slow, and his controls are a bit clunky - I often threw stuff the wrong way or too far; bland background scenery with little variety, though the animated rain and waterfalls behind the x-shaped vines look nice; the bosses don't appear if you're using passwords to save progress, and the final boss (a sweet looking giant venus fly trap) doesn't seem to appear even if you play straight through sans continues, but they're thankfully accessible with a password.

The Ugly:  cheap, unfair hits from shoddy hit detection.

Full Disclosure - Rather than my usual 1CC, this is another one where I used continues and passwords.  Beating this one in one run would be mission impossibru.


P.S. - My copy is No. 001237.  :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on February 27, 2017, 04:14:40 AM
Clear #80 - JB Harold Murder Club

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3897/32306009564_93869733de_o.jpg)

The Original Kill Bill?  :mrgreen:

The Good:  Lots of nice voice acting, which is easily skipped or turned off all together if you want to speed things along; cool digitized pics; a motley cast of characters; 'tis a good mystery with red herrings and a good plot twist but no silly time limits or penalties for asking the wrong questions; and great jazzy redbook tunes with mediocre background chip muzak.

The Bad:  While they look okay as is, the digitized pics could look a lot better with more colors; the police station background tune has an annoying cymbal 'tsss' that sounds more like a staticy hiss than music; and it's lame how searching locations again after they've already been searched once sometimes magically turns up new clues.

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on April 12, 2017, 05:13:33 AM
Clear #81 - JB Harold Manhattan Requiem

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2891/33994222835_02d18393ee_o.jpg)

More of the same type of game play, but now with FMV intro/confession/ending, improved location pics, and nicer character portraits.

The Good: tons of voice acting, which you can again turn off to hurry things along; a good whodunnit with a couple unexpected plot twists; more fun jazz tunes, which you can play at will in the bar jukebox and look at the album art; lots of characters to talk to, many of which are rather cute; and a mildly entertaining diversion playing weird blackjack (see below).

The Bad: There's only two locations to search for clues, and you again have to search more than once to get everything; earned Blackjack credits seem useless (even if you go broke, you can leave and come back in to start back at 20); and you gotta flip the disc a lot near the end.

The Ugly: NA




Quote
The Rules of Blackjack

[ Card combinations ]

1. Special Blackjack
(ace & jack of spades)
BET + BETx15 - defeats even the dealer's Blackjack

2. Semi-special Blackjack
(ace & jack of the same suit)
BET + BETx5 - defeats even the dealer's Blackjack

3. Blackjack
(an ace, and a 10, jack queen or king of any suit)
BET + BETx1.5 - ends in a draw

4. 6cards
(6 cards totaling up to but not exceeding 21)
BET + BETx5 - wins unconditionally

5. 7cards
(7 cards totaling up to but not exceeding 21)
BET + BETx10 - wins unconditionally

6. 8cards
(8 cards totaling up to but not exceeding 21)
BET + BETx15 - wins unconditionally

7. 777
(3 sevens)
BET + BETx15 - wins unconditionally

8. Other
(Having a higher count than the dealer but not exceeding 21)
BET + BETx1 - wins

[ Advanced technique ]

1. SPLIT PAIR
If the two cards are the same number, each card can be bet as a hand.
If the player has two aces, only one more card can be dealt.
In this case, a face card and ten are counted as 21, not as B/J.
(Note This is possible only when the player has the same or higher points than the first BET.)

2. DOUBLE DOWN
Although the player can double the first BET points when two cards are dealt, the player can draw only one more card.(Draw one unconditionally.)
(Note The player needs the same or higher remaining points than the BET points.)

3. INSURANCE
When the card that the dealer shows is an ace, the player can save half the points of the first BET.
In case the dealer's cards are Blackjack, the player gets the insurance BETx3.
If the dealer's cards are NOT Blackjack, all of the insurance BET goes to the dealer.

[ Commands ]

1. HIT - Need another card

2. STAND - Need no more cards

3. DOUBLE - Double the points of BET
(Refer to the section above for a detailed explanation)

4. INSURANCE - Save half the points BET as insurance

5. SPLIT - Try 2 hands by dividing your pair
(Refer to the section above for a detailed explanation)

[ Rules ]

Bet first.
Following the BET, cards are dealt to the player, and then to the dealer, one at a time.
The dealer and player each should have two cards to play the game.
As many cards as the players wants can be dealt.
If the total of the player's cards "win unconditionally" or "defeat the dealer's hand," the game is over.
If the player's cards are "BUST," the dealer wins the game.
If the player's cards are not "BUST," the dealer takes as many cards as necessary, and the player and dealer compare their cards.
If the card totals are the same, the game ends in a draw.
The points of the BET are returned to the player.
(When the dealer's cards are Blackjack, the player loses unless the cards can defeat or end the game in a draw, even if the player's cards are 21.)

[ Supplement ]

1) When counting the winning points, omit the figure below the decimals.

example When the cards are Blackjack at 1 of the BET points.
The points can be figured out
= BET + BETx1.5
= 1 + 1x1.5
= 2.5

However, in this game, the points are calculated as
= 1 + 1x1.5
= 2

2) The maximum points the player can bet at one time are 1,000.

I've never seen such convoluted rules, but at least it pays out with half-nekkid girlies!  It wouldn't be an LA game without boobs, right?  :lol:

As far as I can tell, you get normal NY scenery pics if you win 100+ credits in a hand:

Pic 1     Pic 2

Or if you win 1000+ credits, you get girls in lingerie:

Pic 3     Pic 4     Pic 5

Pic 6     Pic 7     Pic 8

It's too bad these pics are transparent overlays with scenery backdrops; it looks goofy.  Also, I can't say how many there are total, but I saw at least a dozen and no repeats.
Title: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on April 12, 2017, 06:10:42 AM
This is one of the reasons why I want LaserActive.  .)

Ha!

I can't wait to look at those pics when I'm not in family-land.

Also, I just remembered that it was EXACTLY* ONE YEAR AGO that Necro sent me tons of images for a half-finished project. (http://archives.tg-16.com/Bikini_Girls_on_TurboGrafx_TurboDuo.htm#BG/011)

Now I must put that on my to-do list.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: seieienbu on April 12, 2017, 08:18:00 AM


I've never seen such convoluted rules, but at least it pays out with half-nekkid girlies!  It wouldn't be an LA game without boobs, right?  :lol:


So that's why Laseractives go for so much money. :lol:

In all honesty, I've often wondered what the big deal with the platform is.  At some point I'll get around to looking into what unique games are actually on the platform.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on April 12, 2017, 09:14:03 AM
The only reason to get it is for the novelty and to play regular PCE and/or FEKA games on it.  The LA games themselves aren't anything spectacular, many of which are on other platforms anyway.

Speaking of boobehs, I counted 76 risque pics, which would require an awful lot of Blackjack to see 'em all:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tVA_ERfgxM




I forgot to mention my best Blackjack hand, one where I won 10,000 credits on a 1,000 credit bet (the maximum).  I won with 3 + 2 + 5 + 2 + A + A + J to the dealer's 9 + 10.  I figure I should've busted, though I could've stopped at six cards (only 14) and won 5,000.  I don't get why it paid out at all, but who's gonna argue when the dealer's trying to give you free monies?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: NightWolve on April 12, 2017, 05:02:37 PM
Hm, I never would've thought to ever try JB Harold Murder Club. Interesting you found the voice acting to be good.
Title: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on April 13, 2017, 04:37:14 PM
The only reason to get it is for the novelty and to play regular PCE and/or FEKA games on it.  The LA games themselves aren't anything spectacular, many of which are on other platforms anyway.

Speaking of boobehs, I counted 76 risque pics, which would require an awful lot of Blackjack to see 'em all:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tVA_ERfgxM



I love that you counted the pics.

That's what I would have done, too.

:)




Hm, I never would've thought to ever try JB Harold Murder Club. Interesting you found the voice acting to be good.


I like the music in this game (only because it's from JB Harold).

http://archives.tg-16.com/music_database.htm?col=jp&val=JB

Normally, this isn't my cup of tea...but it's from JB, so it's great. That's the power of LaserActive...

:)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on May 16, 2017, 06:41:42 AM
Clear #82 - Bomberman

(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4166/34658937926_f7a98b1d9c_o.jpg)
( Good thing you're a robot, eh?  She's touching your eyeball! )

Though '93 and '94 sport better tunes, more enemies, better level layouts, etc., the basic goodness is all here.  It feels primitive by comparison, sure, but nothing is particularly offensive.

The Good:  neat unfolding title screen logo, short but sweet opening and closing cut scenes, cute enemy sprites, okay tunes, multiplayer and 'Express link modes, and tricksy enemies like the bastard Boyons and the final boss battle against the Black Bomberman and his friends.

The Bad:  very little variety in the scenery or enemies, boring rectangular stage layouts, and the only way to use the save/password function is to die.

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on May 16, 2017, 10:02:23 AM
My kids are loving Bomberman '93...I should break out the original for them, too.

I'm saving Bomberman '94 until summer  :)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on May 16, 2017, 02:24:24 PM
My kids are loving Bomberman '93...I should break out the original for them, too.

I'm saving Bomberman '94 until summer  :)
Bomberman '94 seems to be a fitting game for summertime play.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on May 16, 2017, 03:56:09 PM
My kids are loving Bomberman '93...I should break out the original for them, too.

I'm saving Bomberman '94 until summer  :)
Bomberman '94 seems to be a fitting game for summertime play.

Hell yes.

:)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on May 17, 2017, 02:24:05 AM
My kids are loving Bomberman '93...I should break out the original for them, too.

Definitely.  They gotta know their roots!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: seieienbu on May 17, 2017, 11:45:39 AM
Clear #82 - Bomberman
The Ugly:  NA

I definitely would have said "The box art."  It's like they took the loveable cartoon-y Bombermen and tried to cram them into modern day bomb disposal gear looking at least semi-realistic.  I always found it offputting and would rather they had gone for a friendlier look.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: jtucci31 on May 17, 2017, 01:45:19 PM
How long does this first one compare to 93 and 94? So far I've only ever stuck through 93 to completion. I need to go back to this and 94.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on May 18, 2017, 02:54:25 AM
I definitely would have said "The box art."  It's like they took the loveable cartoon-y Bombermen and tried to cram them into modern day bomb disposal gear looking at least semi-realistic.  I always found it offputting and would rather they had gone for a friendlier look.

Heh, true.  That shit is horrible and doesn't match the in-game art at all.

How long does this first one compare to 93 and 94? So far I've only ever stuck through 93 to completion. I need to go back to this and 94.

They're all similar in length.  I've not timed 'em myself, but youtube longplays clock 'em in at 1:20:11 (Bomberman), 1:14:10 ('93), and 1:24:02 ('94).
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: lukester on May 20, 2017, 02:33:55 PM
How long does this first one compare to 93 and 94? So far I've only ever stuck through 93 to completion. I need to go back to this and 94.

All 3 are absolute classics. The snes ones don't really compare in my book, though I like 1 and 4.

93 is my favorite, but 94 is the overall fan favorite next to Saturn in the retro circle.

Some of the first Pce games I've ever played as a kid.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 13, 2017, 04:48:08 AM
Clear #83 - Tenchi Muyo!

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4307/35766806381_aa97ca6a11_o.jpg)

The Good:  Cute girlies vying for your attention, sometimes in the buff (there's a lot of T&A for a game that's not Dragon Knight, Hi Leg, etc.); jaunty chip tunes and tons of voice acting; colorful, nicely detailed scenes; several humorous bits; you never get a real game over screen - you're just admonished for f*cking up and sent back to the beginning of whatever scene you failed; and it's not completely linear, with branching paths and at least two different endings (see below) for good replayability.

The Bad:  The scenes are mostly static and overlayed with talking heads, making it harder to follow the story for a dumb round eye like me; a few scenes look kind of weird, with detailed and subtly shaded background art but flat shaded / black outlined foreground art; and all the voice acting means lots of loading.

The Ugly:  NA



You're given separate scores for 'achievement', 'display', and 'voice' rates (translations from google translate).  My last known scores were 29%, 30%, and 18% (respectively), but you sadly don't get a final score at the game's end and the last save opportunity is quite a ways before the credits roll; I'm sure I didn't end higher than 50% in any score, though, so there's lots more to see.

I got this ending: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm1041580, but there's also this ending: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm30462917.  The latter has a fancier sequence at the end, perhaps HuVideo?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on July 13, 2017, 05:53:28 AM
HuVIDEO!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on July 13, 2017, 02:02:45 PM
NEC/HE made such a big deal about HuVideo that if they added it to a special ending you'd think they would advertise it.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on July 14, 2017, 05:52:58 PM
I love a lot of the artwork and pixelart in Tenchi Muyo, but haven't finished it before. That clip of the fmv looks 32-bit quality. I tried accessing it through the debug mode, but had no luck. :/
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on July 15, 2017, 12:23:26 PM
After reading through Necro's post again, I now finally understood it correctly that he didn't actually see this in the game, so I don't think it actually is a part of the PC Engine version.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 17, 2017, 03:29:52 AM
Yarr, I didn't see that clip in my play through, though the final battle and end credits before it were the same.  I only found the FMV when I went spelunking to see if there's different endings; it's entirely possible that whoever made that video clipped something from the anime or from the PC-FX game on at the end.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on September 15, 2017, 05:03:12 AM
Clear #84 - Coryoon

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4337/36772459850_f700f8af62_o.jpg)

A great shewty.  If you like Air Zonk, ya gotta give this close relative a try.

The Good:  super cute lil dragon; nice voices sprinkled about and goodish tunes; a motley group of silly looking enemies, some of which can get pretty aggressive; tons of parallax and oodles of sprites, yet flicker and slowdown are rarely an issue; and it has timed score modes for extra fun.

The Bad:  it's awfully easy with tons of weapon pickups (which let you take a hit) and extra lives handed out (though they max out at 9); while never ugly, the backgrounds lack the variety and detail found in Air Zonk; the fruit can get annoying (but can be disabled with a code), blocking your view of incoming bullets and weapons you might not want; it's not terrible, but it's unfortunate that they blew up the end game screen (above) to big clunky pixels instead of redrawing it to the correct resolution.

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on September 15, 2017, 11:40:15 AM
I never knew there was a code to remove the fruit! I love collecting it but it does get annoyingly cumbersome later on. What is this wonderful code?

This is one of those games I wish I had a real copy of. At least I have an Everdrive.  :)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on September 18, 2017, 03:29:18 AM
Yarr, I'd love a real copy too.  It's a shame it's so pricey.  :|

Here's all the codes:

Quote from: PC Engine Bible
Play the following tracks from the sound test:
4 SCREEN MODE: 6, 4, 8, 6, 4, 8, 6, 4, 8
BLACK & WHITE: 1, 4, 5, 6, 5, 6, 5, 6, 5, 6, 5, 6
4 SCREEN BLACK & WHITE: 1, 1, 7, 6, 8, 0, 0, 0
20 LIVES: 3, 7, 3, 5, 1, 8, 8, 1, 4
NO FRUIT: 0, 3, 5, 10, 0, 3, 5, 10
SHOT POWER: 8, 8, 1, 1, 8, 2, 4, 7
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on September 18, 2017, 06:55:45 AM
Yarr, I'd love a real copy too.  It's a shame it's so pricey.  :|

Here's all the codes:

Quote from: PC Engine Bible
Play the following tracks from the sound test:
4 SCREEN MODE: 6, 4, 8, 6, 4, 8, 6, 4, 8
BLACK & WHITE: 1, 4, 5, 6, 5, 6, 5, 6, 5, 6, 5, 6
4 SCREEN BLACK & WHITE: 1, 1, 7, 6, 8, 0, 0, 0
20 LIVES: 3, 7, 3, 5, 1, 8, 8, 1, 4
NO FRUIT: 0, 3, 5, 10, 0, 3, 5, 10
SHOT POWER: 8, 8, 1, 1, 8, 2, 4, 7
Thank you kind sir. :)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on October 09, 2017, 10:08:28 AM
Clear #85 - J Thunder

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4507/36886689494_659f33528d_o.jpg)

This is surely the smuttiest PCE game I've played (easily outdoing Steam Hearts and Basted anyway), but it's sadly not all that fun.

The Good:  the tunes are okay if rather elevator music-y; nice artwork and cool robots; "good" ADPCM moans and pants of the ladies getting the business; and quite a bit of tits and (censored) ass.

The Bad:  at maybe a half hour in length, it's extremely short; the pedo-esque title screen pic doesn't really fit the rest of the game; there's nearly zero interactivity; and the cut scenes are almost entirely static (see below) and do a poor job of relaying the story, making it far harder for me to follow along and understand the plot compared to other digi-comics.

The Ugly:  stupid crotch pixelization, which is oddly animated while nothing else is.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on October 10, 2017, 05:48:09 PM
Every now and then a pce game gets mentioned that I've never heard of. This is one of them. Too bad it's so smutty and no good. The pic has a Transformers vibe to it. Is it Super CD?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: turboswimbz on October 11, 2017, 12:38:21 AM
Every now and then a pce game gets mentioned that I've never heard of. This is one of them. Too bad it's so smutty and no good. The pic has a Transformers vibe to it. Is it Super CD?

It's an early unofficial release, yes it is a Super CD. I sadly don't know too much more about it as I only came across this game in a lot that I was thinking of purchasing.  I ended up not. 

Necro,  Seems like that all this thing has is artwork.  Does anyone know who did the artwork?  and why they didn't make an actual game, instead of a picture disc? 
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on October 11, 2017, 03:05:37 AM
It's worth burning a cd and taking a peek, I guess, but it's definitely not a great game.... or even much of a game at all.  There is a story to go with the pictures, but you need moonrunes skills for it.

Too bad it's so smutty...

What?!?  That's the best part!!!   :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on October 11, 2017, 09:09:58 AM
Every now and then a pce game gets mentioned that I've never heard of. This is one of them. Too bad it's so smutty and no good. The pic has a Transformers vibe to it. Is it Super CD?

Same here!

I guess I have heard this title mentioned a few times over the years but I never paid attention to it.

Ha!

Sadly, with a title like J-Thunder, I am expecting a shootemup, not smutty non-game.

MOAR PICS would be nice, though.

Damn!

:)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on October 11, 2017, 10:48:11 AM
Yes a few more pics please.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on December 19, 2017, 09:11:52 AM
Clear #86 - Deep Blue

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4594/38286276425_8fbeb83e95_o.jpg)

Are you a sadistic bastard that's always wanted to dive deep under the waves and kill hordes of lil fishies for no damn good reason?  Now's your chance!

The Good:  half of the tunes are okay; the scenery looks nice and there's even a little parallax, but there's not much variety within stages; lots of different enemies and big bosses; and you can rebuild health when not attacking.

The Bad:  the other half of the tunes are grating; only four levels; and no real ending, it just loops.

The Ugly:  cheep difficulty level where collisions are often unavoidable, making the only way to win to tuck your tail and run away as much as possible.  It's a shewty where you're not supposed to shewt.... who the f*ck thought that was a good idea?!?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: gex on December 19, 2017, 09:20:43 AM
It's a shewty where you're not supposed to shewt....
When people said this I always thought they were kidding  :shock: Probably why I've never gotten very far myself
Title: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on December 19, 2017, 09:30:33 AM
I was trying to play Deep Blue recently...my kids didn’t hate it as much as I did when I first played it.

I HAVE NEVER BEATEN DEEP BLUE.

I MAY HAVE ONLY GOTTEN TO LEVEL THREE.

I am considering replaying this game over XMAS just to see if I can beat it (using the lame hide in a...corner? Is there a safe place I can hide? I usually get hit when I attempt to hide in lower left part of screen.

I do like the fact that you attack sub is called A.N.G.E.L.

:)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on December 19, 2017, 10:24:59 AM
When people said this I always thought they were kidding  :shock: Probably why I've never gotten very far myself

It's the only way I can get very far.  If I aggressively try to kill everything I can, I get creamed.

I am considering replaying this game over XMAS just to see if I can beat it (using the lame hide in a...corner? Is there a safe place I can hide? I usually get hit when I attempt to hide in lower left part of screen.

Youtube long plays taught me to hang out in the middle (left to right) and near the bottom of the screen but not off the screen; that still leaves you room to dip under frontal assaults or go up over any bottom sneak attacks, and it lines you up to kill a lot of the fishies coming head on.  You'll still get hit a lot, but if you're lucky you'll be spending enough time not shooting to recover more health than you lose.  I think it helps being closer to the right edge of the screen, so you don't have to wait so long for your shot to sail off screen so you can shoot again.

Also, use the green spirally shot.  It's easily the strongest and widest spread weapon.

I do like the fact that you attack sub is called A.N.G.E.L.

Heh, that is pretty cool.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: seieienbu on December 19, 2017, 11:36:29 AM
Ugh, Deep Blue.  I'll get to a point where I've got full health and a good weapon and then I'll start trying to shoot stuff because why would I run away when I'm not trying to regenerate my health?  ...and then I always promptly take damage and have to go back to being a coward.

Not my favorite game, sure, but I do enjoy the mood the game creates.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on December 19, 2017, 12:11:27 PM

I MAY HAVE ONLY GOTTEN TO LEVEL THREE.
You know what other game where I've only gotten to level three? Nexzr.


...I may have made it to level four once. Once.  8-[
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: shubibiman on December 19, 2017, 05:28:20 PM
Congrats on this one. I've never managed to clear this game. And it's hard to get any motivation with such a shitty game.

Clear #86 - Deep Blue

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4594/38286276425_8fbeb83e95_o.jpg)

Are you a sadistic bastard that's always wanted to dive deep under the waves and kill hordes of lil fishies for no damn good reason?  Now's your chance!

The Good:  half of the tunes are okay; the scenery looks nice and there's even a little parallax, but there's not much variety within stages; lots of different enemies and big bosses; and you can rebuild health when not attacking.

The Bad:  the other half of the tunes are grating; only four levels; and no real ending, it just loops.

The Ugly:  cheep difficulty level where collisions are often unavoidable, making the only way to win to tuck your tail and run away as much as possible.  It's a shewty where you're not supposed to shewt.... who the f*ck thought that was a good idea?!?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: turboswimbz on December 20, 2017, 02:02:48 AM
Yeah that's how i beat it too, duck and keep close enough you can shoot quickly when you need too.

It's just a disappointing game. it good be good, but falls short.

the lack of ending is just stupid.

It's not horrible, I just always feel like there isn't anything particularity good about it.

there is something weird about a game you can finish with less than 100,000 points. it reminds me of the helicopter game AKA flappy bird.  where your only goal is to avoid collisions.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on December 20, 2017, 02:08:37 AM
I think the score goes up a good bit as a reward for starting the next loop, but yeah.  100k for one loop and the counter goes to 100 million, so it'll take only 1000 loops to max out the score!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: seieienbu on December 20, 2017, 05:35:54 AM
Though I never will, that makes me kinda want to play through the game using savestates on emulator to max out the score just as a dumb challenge.
Title: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on December 20, 2017, 07:34:54 AM
Though I never will, that makes me kinda want to play through the game using savestates on emulator to max out the score just as a dumb challenge.

PLEASE DOCUMENT THIS AWESOME ACCOMPLISHMENT with occasional screenshots of each stage/boss.

I will use the screenshots/footage.

Promise.

(https://s3.amazonaws.com/tapatalk-emoji/emoji4.png)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on December 20, 2017, 10:16:38 AM
Though I never will, that makes me kinda want to play through the game using savestates on emulator to max out the score just as a dumb challenge.

PLEASE DOCUMENT THIS AWESOME ACCOMPLISHMENT with occasional screenshots of each stage/boss.

I will use the screenshots/footage.

Promise.

(https://s3.amazonaws.com/tapatalk-emoji/emoji4.png)
He will not survive the process.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on December 20, 2017, 10:55:11 AM
Though I never will, that makes me kinda want to play through the game using savestates on emulator to max out the score just as a dumb challenge.

PLEASE DOCUMENT THIS AWESOME ACCOMPLISHMENT with occasional screenshots of each stage/boss.

I will use the screenshots/footage.

Promise.

(https://s3.amazonaws.com/tapatalk-emoji/emoji4.png)
He will not survive the process.

Hahahahahahhajaha.

Damn.

Suicide mission.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: seieienbu on December 20, 2017, 01:20:11 PM
I'm not even saying that I'm going for it yet, but I played a bit and up to 200k.  So, .2%.  At this rate, I could be there in a mere 500 days assuming I can find the same amount of time to play every day for a year and a half.

 ](*,)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on December 20, 2017, 01:45:59 PM
I'm not even saying that I'm going for it yet, but I played a bit and up to 200k.  So, .2%.  At this rate, I could be there in a mere 500 days assuming I can find the same amount of time to play every day for a year and a half.

 ](*,)

IT IS *totally* worth it, but you need to document the passing of time by taking a picture outside everyday (or something like that).

It is worth it.

Even if it takes a decade.

:)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: seieienbu on December 20, 2017, 02:23:41 PM
If I get to a million I'll make a thread to document my adventures.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on December 20, 2017, 11:13:19 PM
If I get to a million I'll make a thread to document my adventures.

Figure out a way to show the passing of the seasons... for example:

(1) stop shaving/cutting your hair (indefinitely) and take a daily photo next to Deep Blue title screen.

(2) film the bird’s nest outside the window that is visible from your desk...we will witness the miracle of life as you trudge through months/years of Deep Blue.

(3) you get the idea...

:)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Bardoly on December 21, 2017, 06:05:46 AM

I MAY HAVE ONLY GOTTEN TO LEVEL THREE.
You know what other game where I've only gotten to level three? Nexzr.


...I may have made it to level four once. Once.  8-[

Go for it!  Nexzr, while difficult, is not impossible.  I know this, because I bear it a couple of years ago, after working hard on it for several days.  After I beat it, I immediately went back and beat the caravan version just to see the differences.


Congratulations, Necromancer on a hard fought clear!  I don't know if I have the fortitude to go after clearing Deep Blue, myself...    ](*,) ](*,) ](*,)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on January 16, 2018, 11:03:35 AM
Clear #87 - Exile

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4661/25861094728_a08ee49394_o.jpg)

A fun action RPG that's often overlooked but is well worth playing, especially since there's so few RPGs in English.  There's also an un-worked designs patch if you'd rather play the translation without the various stats changes, though I found the regular USA version to play just fine as is.

The Good:  sweet tunes and better than average voice work; Valis, Exile 2, and Cosmic Fantasy references, including a Yuko cameo and wardrobe change; colorful and often nicely detailed scenery with gruesome and more 'adult' themes and a cool host of enemies; and an island (Lesbos?) full of nekkid girlies!

The Bad:  kinda short; lame WD-isms, such as a dude being burned at the stake and proclaiming "I hate mesquite!"; annoying maze like dungeons with waaay too many doors, doors that would have to work like teleporters rather than actual doors; and a sad fate for poor Rumi.  :|

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on January 16, 2018, 11:59:32 AM
The music in Exile is hugely nostalgic for me as it was one of my first US CDs years ago. I love its music but, like Necro, I hate those damn door mazes that make zero logical sense. That kind of stuff drives me bananas. There is a door in Fallout 3 like that. It bugs the hell outta me.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Gypsy on January 17, 2018, 02:13:59 AM
Exile is a fantastic game. I had the same general complaints especially the fact that it is really short. On the other hand, it's kind of nice as a short, easy and enjoyable game.

The US version is really easy, and presumably WD made it slightly more difficult so if that's the case the Japanese version likely beats itself.

It's definitely one of my favourites on the system.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: geise on January 17, 2018, 04:43:17 AM
Everything about Exile 1 is better than WP in the US. I always had a hard time enjoying/completing WP but I can always have fun with the first Exile.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on January 17, 2018, 07:33:54 AM
Everything about Exile 1 is better than WP in the US. I always had a hard time enjoying/completing WP but I can always have fun with the first Exile.

I agree. Exile was totally fun and enjoyable (multiple replays over the years)...

But Wicked Phenomanomanoaminsjfkfg?

Not an instantly charming game, even though I *want* to like it.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Gypsy on January 17, 2018, 01:53:37 PM
I guess I should try WP at some point. Low priority though.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: ParanoiaDragon on January 17, 2018, 08:06:14 PM
The one thing I think WP does better, is the cinemas.  Ultimately, I don't feel like Exile has the greatest cinemas as far as animation, color & sharpness goes.  But WP shines, at least, comparatively to the previous game.  Not saying it looks & animates like a saturday morning cartoon, but it's deffinitely nicer to look at.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on January 18, 2018, 01:51:01 AM
The sequel's are definitely better (especially in animation), but Exile's aren't bad for just a regular CD.

The US version is really easy, and presumably WD made it slightly more difficult so if that's the case the Japanese version likely beats itself.

Ha!  It's definitely not a tough one; other than the bird thing (f*ck him), even the bosses are pretty easy, especially if you use a couple stat buff drugs for 'em.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: seieienbu on January 18, 2018, 08:42:54 AM
Exile was a game I'd show people to demonstrate why CDs were cool.  Between the cinematic sequences and all the voice acting combined with a serviceable action game?  This, Ys (obviously), and Last Alert were generally what I'd show people early on. 

I've still never played the US release of the sequel.  I missed it completely back when and after getting back into older stuff everything I've read (plus the price tag) has kept me wary about the game.  At some point I'd like to get around to trying the game out but it sure sounds at least a bit miserable to play from the descriptions.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on January 18, 2018, 09:10:42 AM
Do what I'm planning to do and play the un-worked designs patched version.  That way you get the best of both worlds: playing in English and with the original difficulty level.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Punch on January 18, 2018, 10:06:56 AM
Exile is one of my favorite flawed games on the system. So much potential but clearly rushed at some point in development :(
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on January 18, 2018, 10:13:05 AM
Do what I'm planning to do and play the un-worked designs patched version.  That way you get the best of both worlds: playing in English and with the original difficulty level.

I did not know about this! Woo!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on January 18, 2018, 10:19:10 AM
I did not know about this! Woo!


The guy (supper) has patched all sorts of Working Designs games, including Cosmic Fantasy 2 to let Babs flip the bird and fix some minor stats changes:  http://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=23436.0.

Not all heroes wear capes.  :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Punch on January 18, 2018, 10:26:58 AM
Oh by the way there's a series of youtube videos of this game that explain the religious references in annotations, plus the uploader is kinda insane lol. Worth checking out.


(https://i.imgur.com/defRFnt.png)

It only gets better from there.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on January 18, 2018, 10:32:10 AM
I did not know about this! Woo!


The guy (supper) has patched all sorts of Working Designs games, including Cosmic Fantasy 2 to let Babs flip the bird and fix some minor stats changes:  http://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=23436.0.

Not all heroes wear capes.  :mrgreen:

Bookmarked. Thank you! Will these patches work on real hardwear?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on January 18, 2018, 10:35:23 AM
As far as I know they all do, though the only one I've tried so far is Wicked Phenomenon.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Gypsy on January 18, 2018, 01:21:08 PM
Exile was a game I'd show people to demonstrate why CDs were cool.  Between the cinematic sequences and all the voice acting combined with a serviceable action game?  This, Ys (obviously), and Last Alert were generally what I'd show people early on. 

We talking PCE only or any early CD games?

Do what I'm planning to do and play the un-worked designs patched version.  That way you get the best of both worlds: playing in English and with the original difficulty level.

Definitely the way to go.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: seieienbu on January 18, 2018, 08:00:36 PM
Exile was a game I'd show people to demonstrate why CDs were cool.  Between the cinematic sequences and all the voice acting combined with a serviceable action game?  This, Ys (obviously), and Last Alert were generally what I'd show people early on. 

We talking PCE only or any early CD games?

I didn't have a cd drive for a computer for a few more years.  The first PC CD game I got was Warcraft 1 so I must have gotten it around 1994 or so.
Title: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on January 18, 2018, 10:32:13 PM
Oh by the way there's a series of youtube videos of this game that explain the religious references in annotations, plus the uploader is kinda insane lol. Worth checking out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RApaSQ3afiU

(https://i.imgur.com/defRFnt.png)

It only gets better from there.


I know this person has to be goofing...OR IS HE?

j/k, this person is off his meds.

(https://s3.amazonaws.com/tapatalk-emoji/emoji4.png)

Also, since we are talking about Exile, the game we know on PCE/TG-16 as “Exile” is actually the second installment...and the first game is supposed to be totally wacky/crazy with its plot/storyline/premise.

Or so I’ve been told, anyway.

Here is the most important thing:


I “fixed” the American flag featured in a boss fight, only to realize that the *original* design in the game is actually far more charming.

No, I’ve never played MSX Exile.

But I will.

Before I die.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: ParanoiaDragon on January 18, 2018, 10:39:10 PM
Yeah, I've wanted someone someday to go all out & make the first game on the Turbob, though it'd also be nice if someone hacked Exile to include the levels that were removed when porting it from the PC versions, to the Turbo.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Gypsy on January 19, 2018, 12:34:29 AM
Exile was a game I'd show people to demonstrate why CDs were cool.  Between the cinematic sequences and all the voice acting combined with a serviceable action game?  This, Ys (obviously), and Last Alert were generally what I'd show people early on. 

We talking PCE only or any early CD games?

I didn't have a cd drive for a computer for a few more years.  The first PC CD game I got was Warcraft 1 so I must have gotten it around 1994 or so.

Heh, my family was poor. I don't think we even had a PC until I want to say 98 or 99 and it was an old one removed from a bank when they got new ones.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: xelement5x on January 19, 2018, 04:13:42 AM
I did not know about this! Woo!


The guy (supper) has patched all sorts of Working Designs games, including Cosmic Fantasy 2 to let Babs flip the bird and fix some minor stats changes:  http://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=23436.0.

Not all heroes wear capes.  :mrgreen:

Bookmarked. Thank you! Will these patches work on real hardwear?


Yeah, I have messed with the Popful Mail one as well and it worked fine.  Popful Mail was always challenging with the difficulty as it was, though it was cheap in spots too considering the stat boosts.  The Un-Worked version is good if you want to play though the game without as much grinding for gold to buy items.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Gypsy on January 19, 2018, 08:28:22 AM
Popful Mail is my favourite old Japanese game. It just has it all.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: in99flames on January 19, 2018, 08:43:00 AM
I didnt know about those patches....this is something I must try.  Cant argue with fixing stuff :-P

Although I cant see a link on where to get the patches. It could be my phone but i see no links that point to his work.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on January 19, 2018, 09:21:12 AM
The game titles and screen shot pics are the download links.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on January 30, 2018, 08:55:09 AM
Clear #88 - Exile: Wicked Phenomenon

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4613/39990795491_d59bfbf1ce_o.jpg)

Another good action RPG, but this time you definitely will want the un-worked designs patch to play in English but with the original (rather easy) difficulty level.  The normal US version is too frustrating to be fun.

The Good:  more great tunes and competent voice acting; even better cinemas and backgrounds; multiple characters to switch between for good replay, though I mostly stick to Sadler and his broad sword swing; funky diorama manual art with the added bonus of the JP version art on the back cover; less ridiculously long maze/door/hallway sequences; and Rumi lives!

The Bad:  just as short as the first; more WD "wit" (poopy boy, really?); all caps in text boxes; iffy hit detection and screen scroll is much too close to the screen edge, leading to no reaction time and cheap hits; loss of the overworld map, making the game even more linear than the first; and beginning is spelled with three n's - you got it right in the first game, dammit.

The Ugly:  It's only ugly without the patch, where you'll be hacking away at every enemy for far too long.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Gypsy on January 30, 2018, 10:16:25 AM
Yeah those early WD releases were really bad with the added jokes. It did kind of get better as they went.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: lukester on January 30, 2018, 10:59:45 AM
Exile is a fun little game, and the genny port is almost as good. There was some kind of "future" section in the computer versions that wasn't in the remake.

The sequel looks nicer but Necro I agree, the loss of the map is a loss.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Punch on January 30, 2018, 11:56:40 AM
There was some kind of "future" section in the computer versions that wasn't in the remake.


I wish they kept it. It could have made the game much more memorable.

(http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/msx2/a/xzr-2.png)(http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/msx2/a/xzr-15.png)(http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/msx2/a/xzr-16.png)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on January 31, 2018, 02:23:19 AM
I forgot to mention how the main antagonist in WP made me think of Trump -

1.  His name is Do-Tar (dotard).
2.  He's a product of generations of anger, sadness, hate, jealousy, and despair.
3.  Those that submit to the inescapable power of his hate live without worry.  His followers fear nothing.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: xelement5x on January 31, 2018, 02:29:43 AM
I forgot to mention how the main antagonist in WP made me think of Trump -

1.  His name is Do-Tar (dotard).
2.  He's a product of generations of anger, sadness, hate, jealousy, and despair.
3.  Those that submit to the inescapable power of his hate live without worry.  His followers fear nothing.

Wow, does he also work in real estate 'cause that would knock it out of the park!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on February 14, 2018, 09:29:50 AM
Clear #89 - Space Adventure Cobra

(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4667/40268948161_0572a5a221_o.jpg)

This is one weird game.  Ever been chased by a t-rex, hatched a baby dragon, and been eaten by a giant shark shaped spaceship and pooped back out in an escape pod?  It's all in a day's work for our hero.

The Good:  it's filled with crazy scenarios and freaky people, all of which are nicely drawn, detailed, and colorful; the scenes are mostly static, but they change regularly so you're not stuck looking at the same pic for long; lots of scantily clad ladies, some even topless; mostly good tunes, particularly the end credits track (it coulda been an Exile tune); 'tis fairly linear and easy to make progress in even if you don't read moonrunes, though I had to hit up Duomazov for the one numeric code sequence; and it's impossible to get a game over, letting you get through each clinch point using trial and error.

The Bad:  a few tunes are bland and/or grating; the pictures don't do as good of a job telling the story as some other digi-comics, so I didn't follow the story very well; and there's a couple seizure inducing flicker shit screens right near the end.

The Ugly:  some of the scary peeps you meet.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on February 14, 2018, 11:00:49 AM
^^I need to get with it and start playing this series. I've had a loose copy of the 2nd game for eons but haven't played it much since my OCD demands I play the 1st one, um, first. A cheap copy will come my way one day.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on February 14, 2018, 12:38:45 PM
The Sega-CD version is a great port with an amazing localization.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on February 14, 2018, 01:57:33 PM
The Sega-CD version is a great port with an amazing localization.
I'd love to play it one day. Super expensive though and I rarely emulate. I've been keeping my eye out for a nice bootleg since owning real copies isn't a top priority
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Gypsy on February 14, 2018, 02:20:37 PM
The Sega-CD version is a great port with an amazing localization.

This is on my to play list this year. Probably after my current JRPG binge.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: crazydean on February 14, 2018, 03:13:03 PM
The Sega-CD version is a great port with an amazing localization.
I'd love to play it one day. Super expensive though and I rarely emulate. I've been keeping my eye out for a nice bootleg since owning real copies isn't a top priority

Rumor has it that the Sega CD will play burned copies. Shhh....don't tell anyone.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: seieienbu on February 14, 2018, 08:59:33 PM
Rumor has it that the Sega CD will play burned copies. Shhh....don't tell anyone.

What great idea will Feka steal from the Turbo next!?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on February 15, 2018, 01:32:50 AM
^^I need to get with it and start playing this series. I've had a loose copy of the 2nd game for eons but haven't played it much since my OCD demands I play the 1st one, um, first. A cheap copy will come my way one day.

Dooo eeeet! :mrgreen:

The Sega-CD version is a great port with an amazing localization.

That's the second game, which is next up to bat.  I'm thinking of playing both versions and seeing how they compare.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Gypsy on February 15, 2018, 01:43:09 AM
Well that's kind of silly. Too bad the first one hasn't been translated.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on February 15, 2018, 08:30:16 AM
The Sega-CD version is a great port with an amazing localization.
I'd love to play it one day. Super expensive though and I rarely emulate. I've been keeping my eye out for a nice bootleg since owning real copies isn't a top priority

Rumor has it that the Sega CD will play burned copies. Shhh....don't tell anyone.

I know lol. I've never successfully burnt one yet. The learnage will come to me one day.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: NightWolve on February 20, 2018, 05:18:05 PM
https://i.imgur.com/defRFnt.png

It only gets better from there.

Haha, tin-foil hat on-the-fly conspiracy generation!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on April 05, 2018, 10:27:28 AM
Clear #90 - Space Adventure Cobra II

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/877/40546764294_7e49c80a74_o.gif)

More out of this world weirdness.  :mrgreen:

It's very similar to the first game, so I'll mostly cover what's changed -

The Good:  visuals are improved, with larger images (often full screen) and more animation, and more interactivity with timed events and turn based battles.

The Bad:  even more ugly flicker and rapid color cycling, and there's a couple annoying sequences that you have to play through with an alarm braying.

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on April 05, 2018, 10:33:19 AM
How's the tunes?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: seieienbu on April 05, 2018, 10:57:12 AM
That's the second game, which is next up to bat.  I'm thinking of playing both versions and seeing how they compare.

So, have you played the Feka CD one yet?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on April 06, 2018, 02:27:53 AM
How's the tunes?

They're okay but nothing you'll be whistling in the shower later.  :-"

So, have you played the Feka CD one yet?

Not yet.  I started playing Moonlight Witch on PSP, so maybe after that one.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: ParanoiaDragon on April 06, 2018, 08:46:48 PM
How's the tunes?

They're okay but nothing you'll be whistling in the shower later.  :-"

So, have you played the Feka CD one yet?

Not yet.  I started playing Moonlight Witch on PSP, so maybe after that one.

The English version I assume?  I think I enjoyed that the most of the Gagharv trilogy, though I think Song of the Ocean has the least amount of engrish in it.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on April 09, 2018, 03:52:49 AM
Yep, the US version on my PSP Go so I can pretend it's a console.

So far I'm enjoying myself, but I can see why some peeps would be turned off, as there's an awful lot of dialog and running around to talk to different people.  It feels like it's half rpg and half digi-comic, plus the battles themselves are rather slow and boring.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: ParanoiaDragon on April 09, 2018, 08:44:35 PM
Yeah, I think I did hear they changed something about the battles when porting it to the PSP.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on May 02, 2018, 11:19:25 AM
Clear #91 - Renny Blaster

(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/947/40957169735_a0341167a9_o.jpg)

This one gets more hate that it deserves, likely because it's teh rarez/pricey and because it's an obvious rip-off of Dracula X.  There's no question that it's flawed, but I've played far worse games.

The Good:  Cool art in cutscenes; nicely animated sprites and detailed background tiles; good (if short) music; two different characters, four different endings, and several different special moves to earn and use, increasing the replay value; and a more 'adult' setting and visuals than what's often seen.

The Bad:  It's pretty easy; cutscenes are static and rather boring, with some of the characters being oddly proportioned and looking amateurish; the backgrounds are rarely animated and lack depth; music tracks are short and loop too often - in the case of the ending credits, the track ends half way through and leaves you in silence; it loads much too often; and the platforming (jumping and stair climbing) is clunky.

The Ugly:  Questionable hit detection and more often than not you'll end up turning around and taking a hit in the back instead of blocking.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on May 02, 2018, 12:02:17 PM
Unfortunately, I don't think you did a very good job in persuading me to plop Renny Blaster into my Duo for another go.   :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: roflmao on May 02, 2018, 01:21:59 PM
Unfortunately, I don't think you did a very good job in persuading me to plop Renny Blaster into my Duo for another go.   :mrgreen:

I dunno.
I've never played it, but I'm intrigued now. :)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on May 02, 2018, 02:56:25 PM
Unfortunately, I don't think you did a very good job in persuading me to plop Renny Blaster into my Duo for another go.   :mrgreen:

I dunno.
I've never played it, but I'm intrigued now. :)

I think I tried to BURN this years ago and it might actually work. I’ll have to find it since I’m f*cking looking for my TED anyway.

Holy f*ck!

Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on May 03, 2018, 02:33:11 AM
At least ya tried it, mathius.  It's not great, but there's enough good things in it to be worth burning a cdr and playing through at least once.

Dooo eeeet, rofl and esty!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on May 03, 2018, 07:34:28 AM
At least ya tried it, mathius.  It's not great, but there's enough good things in it to be worth burning a cdr and playing through at least once.

Dooo eeeet, rofl and esty!

*sigh* Alright fiiiiiine! I'll try it once more. *Looks at Renny Blaster with the same facial expression that I give the cat's litter box*
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on May 03, 2018, 08:15:55 AM
Hahahahaha!  It can't be that bad!

It's better than Night Creatures and Impossamole, so there's that.  :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: KingDrool on May 03, 2018, 08:30:08 AM
Hey now, I've got a soft spot for Impossimole. I mean...he's a mole. Named Monty! He kicks stuff! And the game came with stickers!

I...

(yeah, it sucks.)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on May 03, 2018, 09:00:38 AM
I've honestly not put that much time into it.  Maybe I'd actually like it (or not hate it) if I tried harder, kinda like I've done with Energy and Darkwing Duck.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: EmperorIng on May 03, 2018, 04:12:40 PM
This one gets more hate that it deserves, likely because it's teh rarez/pricey and because it's an obvious rip-off of Dracula X.  There's no question that it's flawed, but I've played far worse games.
Did you at least enjoy it with an officially sponsored and licensed Renny Fruit Blaster Soft Drink, just for the love of it?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on May 03, 2018, 04:43:52 PM
This one gets more hate that it deserves, likely because it's teh rarez/pricey and because it's an obvious rip-off of Dracula X.  There's no question that it's flawed, but I've played far worse games.
Did you at least enjoy it with an officially sponsored and licensed Renny Fruit Blaster Soft Drink, just for the love of it?
You know he did as well as dressing up in his Renny BlasterTM brand two-piece suit.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: ParanoiaDragon on May 03, 2018, 09:30:04 PM
I've honestly not put that much time into it.  Maybe I'd actually like it (or not hate it) if I tried harder, kinda like I've done with Energy and Darkwing Duck.

Yeah, when I first played Impossamole when it came out, intense hatred brewed within me because of the hit box being jacked up.  However, I really came to appreciate the game, if only for the music, over the years.  In a warped way, I have fond memories of the game.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on May 04, 2018, 02:32:56 AM
Did you at least enjoy it with an officially sponsored and licensed Renny Fruit Blaster Soft Drink, just for the love of it?

Ha!  For the love of it, I burned a CDR.  :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: seieienbu on May 04, 2018, 01:48:58 PM
Renny Blaster is one I can't understand at all.  Yes, it looks pretty good but it plays Awful.  Does anyone want it for any reason other than "it's expensive"?


The Bad:  music tracks are short and loop too often - in the case of the ending credits, the track ends half way through and leaves you in silence

...that's absolutely hilarious.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on May 04, 2018, 04:15:40 PM
Renny Blaster is one I can't understand at all.  Yes, it looks pretty good but it plays Awful.  Does anyone want it for any reason other than "it's expensive"?


The Bad:  music tracks are short and loop too often - in the case of the ending credits, the track ends half way through and leaves you in silence

...that's absolutely hilarious.
Even the Duomazov Bros. didn't have too much good to say about it, though Runinruder tried his hardest if I remember correctly.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: KingDrool on February 13, 2019, 10:11:33 AM
Alright Necro, get back to work!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on February 13, 2019, 10:57:57 AM
I got a half dozen or so stockpiled.  I just need to type up my scribbled notes into something coherent.
Title: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on February 13, 2019, 11:38:13 PM
Clear #92 - Private Eye Dol

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1796/42215752750_6538263d78_o.gif)

A combo of digicomic and point and clicky adventure.  Tis cheap fun and one of the better polished games on the system.

The Good:  cool chip tunes that fit the environments well (my favorite was the cave song); tons of voice acting; lovely backgrounds and well animated cut scenes with lots of detail; nice big portraits of the people you talk to, but only if it's one on one - if it's in a group setting, the portraits are small and kinda bland; light hearted and humorous (get busted as a fake cop!); a few little puzzles to solve; sexy sunbathing and shower scenes; and the funny ending screen (see below).

The Bad:  it's inconsistent on when you see dialog portraits - sometimes they're there for the dialog and response selection screen and sometimes only for the dialog; it's also inconsistent with menus - sometimes it remembers the last picked option and sometimes it defaults back to the first option.  Both issues are minor things.

The Ugly:  overall it has very nice art, but the characters' eyes are often jacked up.


The ending screens shown above roughly translate as the publisher (Hunex) and developer (NEC Home Electronics), a screen saying it's over / don't you turn off the power?, a screen showing how to access the oomake and dev room goodies, and finally one saying this time it's really over.  Each stays up for quite a while before showing you the next "hidden" message.   8)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on February 14, 2019, 04:48:04 PM
Private Eyedoll is lots of fun while you're coasting smoothly and not stuck.

It also has some of the best 16-bit JRPG graphics.


(http://superpcenginegrafx.net/misc/pcecolor2.png)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on February 14, 2019, 05:36:05 PM
Your screen shots are what convinced me to get a copy and play it.  It's so pretty.   8)

I agree about the language protection, especially the interrogation at the end.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on February 14, 2019, 08:35:10 PM
I got stuck for what felt the longest on the cruise ship. It was frustrating then and other times, because I was actually correct in what I thought needed to be done to progress, but it was too often hard to trigger events because of the language barrier.

Even though it felt like a long and at times challenging game, I think that it only took me a day and a half from start to finish. Playing on my JXD while on vacation.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: gex on February 21, 2019, 02:13:07 PM
Private Eyedoll looks sexy
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on February 24, 2019, 11:30:18 PM
Clear #93 – Future Boy Conan

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1780/42215747420_d22108b459_o.jpg)

A fun platformer based on Hayao Miyazaki’s anime.

The Good:  jaunty tunes that turn hectic when things get serious; though not terribly colorful or filled with detail, the cut scenes are cute and plentiful; I don't like the mechanic (see below), but the sprite animation when you fall too far is awesome – Conan turns towards the screen and glares at you, clearly disgusted with how you've mistreated him; and there's a funny little dancing sprite animation if idle too long.

The Bad:  the blind jumps where you fall too far feel cheap and lead to death or unavoidable hits due to the stun delay; the unskippable cut scenes kinda kill the pacing; the platforming suffers from slippery controls; and the SNES-esque mosaic transitions are le dumb.

The Ugly:  the water parallax, ugh.  It looks okay where there's only a small strip, but it's rather bleh when covering a taller area.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on March 02, 2019, 10:05:22 AM
I had Conan for several years before finally giving it a try, because it looked like a budget production.

I was shocked by the quality of the overall presentation with talking heads, voice acting, as well as the gratuitous parallax, animation and special effects. The pixelart is polished with nice vibrant color and it really suits the source material.

My enjoyment of the game is still a little stifled by my decades old preconceived notions and instinct to not take it seriously, but it is definitely a fun game with good overall variety.

I really like the color cycling effects and don't remember any that didn't work out very well. But I haven't played through the game in a long time.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 10, 2019, 11:03:42 PM
Clear #94 – Mysterious Song

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1771/42215806330_0d294902b4_o.jpg)

The Good:  humorous (have you seen my pussy?); damn fine voice work, easily as good as or better than any other US game except maybe Ys; nicely colored and detailed battle backgrounds (which correspond to the overworld graphics, a nice touch), cut scenes, and town graphics; EX game (an extended version of the original game) and fillable bestiary and item lists for good replay value; unlockable bomberman style mini-game; and Tiger's sprite looks like Milhouse, and the cave demon looks like the cookie monster.   :mrgreen:

The Bad:  the cutscenes are mostly static; the overworld doesn't look bad, exactly, but it's overly repetitive and “tiley”; status effects are too common and get annoying, but at least they're never really a threat; and the main game is rather short, but no biggie when the EX game awaits.

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Punch on March 11, 2019, 12:15:41 AM
I don't know, this is a game that I never was able to enjoy. Dunno why but I can never play it for a significant amount of time.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on March 13, 2019, 12:50:34 AM
Private Eyedoll looks terrific in Black Tiger's screenies. There's some really good shading that almost rivals Anearth, but at the same time there's some rather bland tile-work mixed in with it all. Kinda strange that it's inconsistent.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: _joshuaTurbo on March 13, 2019, 09:53:49 PM
Private Eyedoll looks terrific in Black Tiger's screenies. There's some really good shading that almost rivals Anearth, but at the same time there's some rather bland tile-work mixed in with it all. Kinda strange that it's inconsistent.

I know right? I literally ran the 'teh bay' and snagged a copy for $11 and it arrived TODAY!!  Arriba!! Gonna have to put it in the queue of roughly 24334 other import RPGs I've yet to play on PCE. lol   :boom:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on March 13, 2019, 11:29:43 PM
Private Eyedoll looks terrific in Black Tiger's screenies. There's some really good shading that almost rivals Anearth, but at the same time there's some rather bland tile-work mixed in with it all. Kinda strange that it's inconsistent.

I know right? I literally ran the 'teh bay' and snagged a copy for $11 and it arrived TODAY!!  Arriba!! Gonna have to put it in the queue of roughly 24334 other import RPGs I've yet to play on PCE. lol   :boom:

I'm gonna see if MGC has any quality copies in the vendor hall next month.....if I can remember to search for it.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 14, 2019, 01:40:30 AM
Nice, guys.  It's so cheap that it's hard to pass up; I hope you like it.   :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 18, 2019, 01:03:26 AM
Clear # 95 – Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes II

(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1935/30005611227_9fb33a3048_o.jpg)

If you like the first game (and what heathen doesn't?), here's more of the same.  It shares the same menus, basic game mechanics, and overworld map... but sadly it's not in English.

The Good:  tons of different and varied funky enemies, sometimes with funny failed attacks (like getting their claws tangled and not being able to hit you or a balloon inflating and blowing away); sweet tunes; passable but not terribly exciting cut scenes; and it's a good long game to get your money's worth.

The Bad:  not gaijin friendly, making it hard to guess where you're supposed to go or what you need to do; annoying dark caves, necessitating buying oodles of torches/lamps and causing lots of sprite flicker; and far too much of the game is spent within said caves and mazey corridors, which look much too similar to each other and are rather bland and boring.

The Ugly:  bullshit one hit kills – how'm I supposed to defend against that crap?!?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on March 18, 2019, 04:03:26 PM
Sounds like a game I'd love to hate. I don't like needlessly long/too many mazes in video games. One-hit-kills seals the deal.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 18, 2019, 10:45:25 PM
I guess I've made it sound worse than it is.  Those things stink, sure, but I don't regret playing it.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on March 19, 2019, 12:42:18 AM
I love the first game, but the sequel was a chore to play and I quit during a long period of running around in the caves. The character designs aren't as endearing, the cinemas don't feel as special, I don't enjoy the chiptunes which feel kinda goofy instead of epic...

I also played it back before I had access to any kind of Japanese guides.

I'll definitely give it another shot if it receives a translation, but I'd rather play dozens of other PCE RPGs again first.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 19, 2019, 02:20:43 AM
I'll definitely give it another shot if it receives a translation, but I'd rather play dozens of other PCE RPGs again first.

Same here.  Once was enough as it is now.   :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Punch on March 19, 2019, 02:49:24 AM
I have yet to play the first Dragon Slayer. I guess this is about the right time to start? :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on March 19, 2019, 01:32:21 PM
Here's some details to help you decude:

You can choose to have stats increase automatically when gaining a level or set it to have complete control over their distribution. So you can have a variety of playthrough experiences by customizing characters. You can get some powerful results from favoring magic or physical attacks.

Similar to Tengai Makyo II, the game is chapter based and early on you have a limited area to explore. In later chapters you can warp to previous areas and near the end you can fly around the world.

Battles seem random at first, but there are actually invisible mobs wandering around. There are items you can use to see them temporarily and one that is permanent.

Rwgular battles are designed to play out very fast.

It has a bunch of fetch questing later in the game.

Many weapons have special effects like killing an enemy with a single hit. Luck seems to affect this, but there also seems to be a hidden luck limit, after which it won't happen any more.

Some special items and gear are only available as rare drops.

It has a great Falcom CD soundtrack.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 19, 2019, 09:07:39 PM
I have yet to play the first Dragon Slayer. I guess this is about the right time to start? :mrgreen:

Hells yeah, me lard!  :pcgs:

Regular battles are designed to play out very fast.

Automatic even.  Later in the game when you're strong enough to withstand most any enemy attack, you can seriously cheese grinding, setting it to auto and letting the beasties come to their slaughter while you make a grilled cheese or play a quick round of Hatris on the TurboExpress.  :mrgreen:

Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 23, 2019, 05:54:18 PM
Clear #96 - Island Adventure

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7830/32509547467_6a28ce4ff1_o.gif)

I hope not!  I'd love to see it fleshed out to a full length game.   :mrgreen:

Here's a fun if short homebrew trip from good guys Cabbage and Sarang.  It was made for a coding competition, so it's quite impressive for the (relatively) short amount of time put into making it; the graphics are basic but serviceable (like an early NES game), the tunes are jaunty fun, and the gameplay is solid.  Give it a spin, you bastards!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 31, 2019, 12:29:10 AM
Clear #97 – Soldier Blade

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7839/47451347611_b8565fe9e3_o.jpg)

One of my first buys back in the day, this one quickly became (and still is) my favorite vertical shewty.   :mrgreen:

The Good:  awesome tunes; lots of different enemies, many quite large; giant bosses with varied attacks, with the best being the near end boss that tosses bits of the scenery at you and picks up the 'arms' of vanquished versions of himself (a nice variation from the usual reincarnated boss rush); a good selection of weapons with unleashable super attacks; mostly competent backgrounds with smatterings of parallax here and there; and the few voices used are nicely rendered and clear.

The Bad:  they're not really all that bad, but some backgrounds are kinda flat, undetailed, and boring

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on March 31, 2019, 10:24:30 PM
Soldier Blade is mind-blowing both audibly and visually no doubt about it. I'd have few gripes as well though for me I wish the power-up process was extended some. I enjoy shooters that make you go through more than just three pickups to get fully powered. Raiden being a good example. Part of the thrill for me is to juggle becoming incredibly powerful along with surviving. Of course, dying right before your last pick-up can be a huge downer lol
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on April 01, 2019, 01:02:53 AM
Yeah, it'd be cool if they had another thing to build, like missles maybe.  I like that they act like a life bar, though, keeping you from dying instantly.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on April 20, 2019, 11:18:53 PM
Clear #98 – Niko Niko Pun

(https://live.staticflickr.com/7820/32509546577_ec9509453e_o.jpg)

Help a cute lil dragon get big and strong in this super cute platformer.   :mrgreen:

The Good:  colorful and well shaded backgrounds with nicely animated sprites.

The Bad:  there's only one song for all six levels, and its rather bland and simple.

The Ugly:  the elephant trumpet sounds horrid.

PS – why do you swim away on the dragon's back at the end (godzilla style!) when he's full grown and can fly?!?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on April 30, 2019, 11:35:14 PM
Clear #99 – Splash Lake

(https://live.staticflickr.com/7887/32509548657_238e67aaa6_o.jpg)

A great puzzley action game that doesn't get mentioned much.  It's not exactly hidden, but it sure is a gem.   :mrgreen:

The Good:  super cute and colorful; sweet tunes from T's Music; two player simultaneous - some levels are soooo much easier with two players working together; hunting for hidden items to unlock all the stages, making it a rather long game; several different (and often silly) enemy types with different strategies needed to deal with each; and Ostrich Theater, the humorous little cut scenes between stages.

The Bad:  the maps change for each of three groups of levels, but the backgrounds, music, and enemies are the same; and some levels are crazy tough, requiring several attempts before you'll pass 'em.

The Ugly:  NA

P.S. - the smoking stump is the best enemy ever.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Gredler on April 30, 2019, 11:51:52 PM
I've been wanting to play this for a long time, thanks for sharing - now I want to play it even more!

 :clap:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on May 21, 2019, 12:12:04 AM
Clear #100 – City Hunter

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47844382122_935bffcfb6_o.jpg)

Triple digits!  It seemed rather fitting for my century mark to be community linked in some way, so here's another awesome translation from good guy cabbage.  If I ever go to South Korea (or if he ever visits cornland), the beers are on me.   :mrgreen:

The Good:  lots of different weapons to find and use against a motley crew of enemies (tigers, flame thrower toting badasses, a minotor, etc.); the stages are big enough to be a bit challenging and require some exploring, but they're never so huge or convoluted that they become annoying or in need of mapping; kickass Sunsoft tunes (like Batman's); and sexy gals that you leer at and drool over.... somehow getting healed in the process.

The Bad:  it's rather short; there's not much variety or detail in the scenery; and while the enemies are cool overall, they're mostly the same group of baddies in each level.

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on May 21, 2019, 06:09:47 PM
Thanks Cabbage!!! I used to own this for reals but never played it due to the moon runes. Gonna have to load up the 'ol Everdrive me thinks.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on June 02, 2019, 10:50:51 PM
Clear #101 – Popful Mail

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47990541902_56fe198ffb_o.jpg)

Since I started the first 100 clears with Falcom (Legend of Xanadu), I figured there's no better way to start the second 100 clears than with another Falcom goody!

The Good:  great tunes; three characters to switch between, each with their own special strengths - there's set of levels that separate the group, forcing you get familiar with each character; tons of voice work and lovely cut scenes; and cute Falcom sprites.

The Bad:  while some conversations have nice, big character portraits to watch, most are just long blocks of unskippable text; many areas are boring and empty or full of slow moving platforms you have to wait for; and the latter bosses ramp up the difficulty awfully fast, especially the final boss and his cheap insta-death bullshit.

The Ugly:  the flashing, seizure inducing title screen logo.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on June 03, 2019, 12:20:01 AM
Did you ever play the Sega CD version, Necro? If so, how do you think they compare?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on June 03, 2019, 12:46:11 PM
I played it years ago, but from what I remember it's so different (more of a reimagining than a straight port) that it's hard to make a direct comparison.

I'd planned to play them back to back and post a tangential clear (like I did with Ys IV), but my Sega PAC apparently shit the bed.  It's gonna have to wait until the PAC returns from the chopspital.   :|
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on June 03, 2019, 06:24:13 PM
I played it years ago, but from what I remember it's so different (more of a reimagining than a straight port) that it's hard to make a direct comparison.

I'd planned to play them back to back and post a tangential clear (like I did with Ys IV), but my Sega PAC apparently shit the bed.  It's gonna have to wait until the PAC returns from the chopspital.   :|

*writes down "chopspital" *
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on June 06, 2019, 04:07:02 PM
Popful Mail is one of my favorite PCE games. It's hard to believe that it was published by NEC, because it has all of the polish, extra touches and magic of a top quality Hudson adaptation like Dawn of Ys. I suspect that Falcom made this version themselves, similar to the arrangement for Legend of Xanadu.

From what I've played of the computer versions, Falcom managed to create solid and fun gameplay based around choppy movement, much more successfully than the great job they did with the Ys III. If you glance at screenshots of the computer versions, the PCE port looks extremely faithful. It does capture everything good about the original, but the in-game assets are actually mostly or completely redrawn. The new pixelart is very well done with excellent color usage and they added a massive amount of animation to the sprites.

The jump from choppy movement to 60fps transforms the visuals, but they also fine tuned the gameplay to match. If you appreciate the battlling gameplay of Ys I & II and IV, then you'll love how Popfil Mail plays. Even though the perspective is radically changed, it feels like a natural evolution from those games. It's too bad that Ys III doesn't use this formula and a PCE version of Dragon Slayer IV with the same treatment would have been a dream come true.

Although some spots can feel tedius to explore the first time through and some bosses difficult to figure out, it's still better than it tends to be in the average game from this genre. Breaking the game into stages and hubs really cuts down on time wasted travelling around.

The cinemas feature top quality art complimented by polished pixelart, vibrant coloring and an unbelievable level of professional animation for a Super CD game. It's jarring to look at the Sega/Mega-CD cinemas after you're become accustomed to the PCE version.

The Mega-CD game was very ambitious but doesn't fully realize what the developer seemed to be shooting for. Much of the background assets look cool in screenshots, but lackluster on a crt with decent image quality. It could really benefit from a color hack. The heavy use of the Sega/Mega-CD soundchip is a neat gimmick, yet disappointing compared to what an FM/PSG soundtrack could have been.

The base gameplay is fine, but feels hollow and tedius and really needed better enemy layout and stage design to compliment it. It feels like the Sega-Falcom colaboration fizzled out during the development of the game and it's a shame that they didn't begin with Ys IV.

Don't bother with the Working Designed Sega-CD version. Either play the Japanese game or the de-Irelanding hack.

If you're interested in giving the PC Engine version a try, here is an ancient version of my guide:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/turbocd/563722-popful-mail-magical-fantasy-adventure/faqs
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on June 06, 2019, 08:31:16 PM
Wow, BT, thanks! I have the US Sega CD release, and the PCE Arcade/Super CD though I haven't put much time into the latter. I'm afraid my opinion differs on the use of the Sega CD's soundchip in the "enhanced" Sega port. Similar to Snatcher, the chip music used in this version really takes me places and is perfect when enjoyed on a warm, breezy day. But, you've piqued my interest in the NEC port and I'll give it another go here soon. Have you seen any noticeable differences between Arcade Card and Super System Card usage? 
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: xelement5x on June 07, 2019, 11:45:08 AM
As is well known I'm a big Popful Mail fan, but I have to agree with Mathius about the SegaCD audio over the PCE version. Part of it could be my own nostalgia as well but I really like it.

I agree that the SegaCD version could use some better palette optimizations though, and that the US release is a bit overly difficult.  If you play the game enough it's not too bad, but the original difficulty makes the game much more fun to just pickup and play through quickly.  The real charm of the US version is the localization though in my opinion.  Some may have beef with how Victor Ireland did the translation but I enjoy it and think it makes the game more memorable.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on June 23, 2019, 11:40:43 PM
Clear #102 - Dungeon Explorer 2

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48117922421_88ba4c70ac_o.jpg)

All the awesomeness of the first game and then some.   :pcgs:

The Good:  playing blackjack against the grim reaper for more lives; it's much longer and less linear than the first game, with many optional side quests and hidden stuff to find; some great chippy tunes and sweet redbook remixes of songs from DE1; oodles of distinct characters (many unlockable as you find them) that you can switch between in most any town, and some places are only accessible with the correct character, making you sample others which you might otherwise never try; lots of different enemies and big bosses; and fantastic, colorful, and well animated cut scenes with pretty decent voice work.

The Bad:  though never offensively ugly, the backgrounds are often repetitive, dark, and rather bland (similar to DE1); overall it's quite good, but the voice actors do tend to get a little overdramatic at times; and BE's (my favorite character, of course) upgraded weapon sound effect is so shrill and annoying that I end up turning down the volume.  Sorry, lil guy.  :|

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Mathius on June 24, 2019, 12:41:46 AM
I agree with your assessment. For whatever reason, though competent it may be, the Redbook overworld theme doesn't thrill me the way the variety of OW themes do on the original chip version. And the whole game has a kind of depressing aura surrounding it in places but there's some rocking underworld themes there to compensate.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: MNKyDeth on June 24, 2019, 11:34:56 PM
DE2 was always my go to game for showing off the system. The intro animation, the colors .... were not seen at the time.

One of my favorite games on the console to this day.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on June 25, 2019, 03:54:32 PM
DEII is overall a top quality game and only nitpicked minor things are disappointing to me by contrast. I love the visuals as-is, but the chip sound quality is so basic compared to the original game and the 3D/echo/reverb effects are gone.

The localization is as good as anything Working Designs has done, but the main villain is even more annoying than Ghaleon in Lunar Silver Star. The last boss was kind of a letdown, since you're supposed to be fighting a giant, but there are lots of memorable boss fights throughout the game.

The music and cinemas are great, but some of the redbook covers of bgms from the first game used different instrumentation than I'd imagined since I mastered the original years earlier.

I found the game in my mailbox when I came home from highschool for lunch. I didn't go back to school that day. I made the decision the moment the title screen appeared after those two intro cinemas. :)

I love BE, who instantly became my favorite character between the two games and I always imagined him as a sentient toaster.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on June 25, 2019, 11:48:10 PM
DE2 was always my go to game for showing off the system. The intro animation, the colors .... were not seen at the time.

Heck yeah.  There's some super fancy opening cinemas in latter day PCE games, but DE2 is near the top in coolness among US games; only Ys is better hands down.

I love BE, who instantly became my favorite character between the two games and I always imagined him as a sentient toaster.

Ha!  With wings, like an escapee from after dark.   :pcgs:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: geise on June 28, 2019, 08:35:45 PM
Hell yeah necro! Nice on the clears!  O0
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 15, 2019, 12:16:01 AM
Thanks, goosey.  This next one is because of you and the GotM.   :pcgs:




Clear #103 - Last Alert

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48237673132_cb8267c176_o.jpg)

The Good:  the hilari-bad voice acting; neat rank system based on score, granting you new (usually better) weapons and more health; pretty decent redbook tunes; tons of different stages, some of which are non-linear and some reward stealth instead of just having you blast away at everything; plenty of variety in enemies, bosses, stage design / graphics, and weapons / sub-weapons; and the cut scenes are pretty impressive for such an early title.

The Bad:  the hilari-bad voice acting; the stupid short timer in many levels, forcing you to rush ahead and ignore enemies, and yet you still might run out of time, causing insta-death and game over or continue; and I feel bad for the sad melty snowmen.  The poor bastards....  :|

The Ugly:  NA

Full Disclosure - unlike most of my clears, this one is not 1CC.  I can't imagine trying to blow through this in one sitting and without ever running out of time; 'tis frustrating as fuck.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 20, 2019, 02:46:58 AM
Holy crow!  It's been four months!!!   :-[




Clear #104 - Fray in Magical Adventure

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49087789253_ff28322828_o.jpg)

The Good:  great opening and closing cut scenes; Fray is super cute and bumbles into all sorts of silliness; bright, colorful, and nicely varied backgrounds and settings; a fun mix of mainly overhead platforming with a couple of shewty / surfy stages to break up the action (kinda like Final Zone 2 but with cuteness and humor turned up to 11); Fray's ever changing facial expressions, representing her moods or current health; several weapon and bomb-like options; plenty of funky enemies and giant bosses; and did I mention Fray's cute?   :mrgreen:

The Bad:  spotty jumping that leads to lots and lots of falls; and not enough animated cut scenes, with the story mostly being told with voicework and moonrunes, making it hard to follow the story.

The Ugly:  jumping on the falling logs will piss you off!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: geise on November 20, 2019, 03:21:40 PM
I love Fray! Thanks for selling me your Dupe years ago. I have yet to finish this one as well. I am taking a ton of time of for holidays this year. So I'll be making time to sit down and play some pc-e / turbo.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 20, 2019, 04:38:08 PM
December's GotM?   :cook:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Gypsy on November 20, 2019, 06:55:28 PM
This is a game I've always been on the fence about and never pulled the trigger even with a burn. I do have the iso just sitting in a folder here. Heard so many mixed things and I'm just not sure if it's worth my time.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 20, 2019, 09:20:37 PM
Doooo eeeet!  Cute lil Fray is definitely worth a look.  The falling logs are annoying, but it's a short bit of an otherwise great game; don't let it scare you off.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Androsynth on November 22, 2019, 01:25:47 PM
Doooo eeeet!  Cute lil Fray is definitely worth a look.  The falling logs are annoying, but it's a short bit of an otherwise great game; don't let it scare you off.

My PCE knowledge is rusty (first time in 6 years I've been able to unpack and get back into it), but I think I missed this game even back then. This looks fun, might track a copy down once I get my Duo fixed.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: _joshuaTurbo on November 22, 2019, 03:45:32 PM
Doooo eeeet!  Cute lil Fray is definitely worth a look.  The falling logs are annoying, but it's a short bit of an otherwise great game; don't let it scare you off.

My PCE knowledge is rusty (first time in 6 years I've been able to unpack and get back into it), but I think I missed this game even back then. This looks fun, might track a copy down once I get my Duo fixed.

It might be slightly more annoying, but just make sure you get the US version rather than the imported version. :)

The US voice acting is so terribly amazing, it's a classic!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 22, 2019, 04:13:51 PM
Jashy forgot the Cook.   :cook:


On a serious note, I'm told the MSX version has been translated, but I'm not weeb enough to mess with turdy old PC stuff.   :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Androsynth on November 25, 2019, 11:04:51 AM
Quote

It might be slightly more annoying, but just make sure you get the US version rather than the imported version. :)

The US voice acting is so terribly amazing, it's a classic!

Yeah, the 90's era CD voice overs are a pleasure in and of themselves. A good friend of mine and I sat down with his Sega CD and CDI collections one evening with some beers and went through this whole 'how bad can games get' thing. I was actually sore from laughing afterwards.

I'll have to nab this one once I get my duo fixed
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on December 19, 2019, 09:24:07 PM
Clear #105 - Doraemon Nobita no Dorabian Night

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49245545932_f0419369c7_o.jpg)

The Good:  cute, colorful, and cartoony scenery and enemies, with a giant djinn to fight at the end and nice, simple parallax in some spots; cool couch time warp scene between areas; several different weapons and special items; going back and replaying levels to enter previously unreachable areas; and how the end of the stage often previews the setting for the next stage.

The Bad:  slow pace, especially the level map screen; the screen doesn't center well vertically, leaving you open to attacks from your blind side if you don't jump up to force scrolling; and going back to previous stages seems kinda pointless - for what purpose do the pom-poms and microphone serve?

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: roflmao on December 19, 2019, 11:06:47 PM
Nice! My son and I played through the other Doraemon game (the Bomberman/Loderunner mashup) and it was fun, but got pretty repetitive by the end. Still, it was enough for us to hunt down and watch a few episodes of the cartoon, which made for a fun weekend afternoon. :)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on December 20, 2019, 12:02:58 AM
That's awesome, rofl.  There's so much good doreamon stuff in Japan, but all we got was generic, bastardized cratermaze.   :|





Clear #105.5 - Doraemon Nobita no Dorabian Night CD

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49245545342_9754250f1a_o.jpg)

This is essentially the same game, so my comments are about the differences -

The Good:  better detail and coloring in backgrounds; a couple nice, new redbook songs; fancy new intro and outro scenes; and added voicework for when you pick up items, switch weapons, etc.

The Bad:  the game itself uses the same chip tunes, no redbook at all; the couch warp screen is now static and boring; and though the redrawn window skeletons are less flat and look more like they're popping out to get you, their preportions are off, looking weird and bulgy.

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on February 10, 2020, 10:05:13 PM
Clear #106 - CD Battle: Heroes of Light

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49519023566_5e31a96415_o.gif)

Easiest clear ever?  It's almost as silly as a syscard clear!  You pop in a couple CDs to form opposing teams, you battle, and then it's back to the team formation screen to try again.

The Good:  it's unique, I guess; the art, what little there is, looks kinda cool; at least it's not pricey and dumb; and it's good to know that the Evil Dead musical's soundtrack forms a formidable team.

The Bad:  there's very little content, with no dungeons, towns, bosses, or other enemies.

The Ugly:  having bought it back in the day, expecting a real game.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Black Tiger on February 11, 2020, 03:00:50 PM
Have you cleared Tadaima Yusha Boshuchu?

I haven't had the patience/free time to figure out and translate a bunch of of it, but it was much more interesting than I expected while kinda brute forcing my way through play sessions.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on February 11, 2020, 07:11:29 PM
I've not played it; it looks interesting, if a bit heavy on the noodle word menu gaijin protection.  I see there's a SNES version too, but I don't know how similar they are to each other.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on February 13, 2020, 09:19:20 PM
Clear #107 - Hypernova Blast

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49519245582_c6170a5319_o.jpg)

More sweet homebrew fun, this time a port of a Defender style shewty on Intellivision called Novablast.  Everyone should have a copy!  :pcgs:

The Good:  kick-ass tunes, which you can shuffle through on pause; different ships to play as, though I can't tell for sure if they are physically different or just aesthetic; fast action and a good challenge, at least on higher levels or higher difficulty settings; and I've yet to sample it with friends, but there's some sort of multiplayer option.

The Bad:  no variety in the graphics or gameplay, just 200 progressively tougher levels; sometimes enemies and bullets get lost in the background due to inadequate contrast; and bombing the water walkers is iffy on hit detection.

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on May 08, 2020, 11:25:07 PM
Clear #108 - Battle Lode Runner

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49868572378_9437e42607_o.jpg)

The Good:  a fun bunch of cute enemies, including random black bombermen swapping in for the usual stage's baddies; sweet tunes, especially the chippy harpsichord in Rumania (their spelling, not mine), which is what I think Dracula X could've sounded like on huey; there are handy save slots, passwords, and stage select options to help you through the oodles of tricksy stages; and in addition to the fine single player game, there's a solid multiplayer mode and the option of creating your own levels.

The Bad:  the annoying stages that require a string of tedious, carefully timed moves, where one little mistake means you have to start the stage over; though better than the earlier pack-in-video game, the scenery is rather bland, basic, and repetitive; and the game ending outro is the same for beating stages 51-101 as it is for 1-50, with no extra reward for beating the second (harder) batch of levels.

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on May 17, 2020, 08:58:10 PM
Clear #109 - Lode Runner - Lost Labyrinth

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49907475482_36069a05d1_o.jpg)

An older, more basic version of Lode Runner.  It's inferior in pretty much every way to BLR, but it plays good and is still a decent port.

The Good:  a funky variety of well animated enemies; handy passwords and save system, though unfortunately only one save slot; lots of head scratching levels; and you can again make your own levels.

The Bad:  almost no music, though what little there is is inoffensive; boring and repetitive scenery; too many hidden trap blocks that you must find to finish the level; and a few more of the BS timed ladder stages.

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on June 05, 2020, 07:41:48 PM
Clear #110 - Bakuretsu Hunter

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49975206211_15def3a078_o.jpg)

This one is essentially a literal digital comic, like if they'd scanned in a hand drawn comic and made a slide show.  It splits them into separate panels (not just rectangular), though, and uses some animated transitions to spice it up ever so slightly.

The Good:  some cool art that's nicely detailed, no small feat for a low color monochromatic look, which can be toggled between sepia (best looking one), grays, blues, and greens (GB mode?); the whole thing is read to you via voiceover; some funny bits; and a few sexy T&A scenes at the beach and a half nekkid whip wielding dominatrix.

The Bad:  the complete lack of animated action makes it hard for a gaijin to follow; and it's just a slide show, yawn, with the only interaction being page advance (if not set on auto), bookmarking your current page, and picking a color scheme.

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 05, 2020, 02:36:42 PM
Clear #111 - Shadow of the Beast

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50080007781_cea8c3c833_o.gif)

Can you tell it's from a British developer?   :cook:

The Good:  fluid sprite animation, especially the hero; though awfully short, cut scenes are nicely animated in a 3D pre-rendered look; a creepy atmosphere with a wild cast of weird enemies (the slinky and the coiled snake springing from wall to wall are my favorites); and sweet parallax, at least when you're outside.

The Bad:  bosses barely move and are pretty easy to defeat; it's quite short, easily under a half hour if you know where you're going; too many fast, swarming enemies, forcing you to proceed slowly (step, wait a tick, punch enemy, repeat); and the last boss is dumb - why is he tossing comparatively small rocks when he could just stomp on you?

The Ugly:  NA

PS - no dragons were hurt in the writing of this post.   :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on August 27, 2020, 01:04:27 AM
Clear #112 - Snatcher CD-ROMantic

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50273791277_72c8a55cbf_o.jpg)

An iconic digi-comic that borrows heavily from Blade Runner and a bit from Terminator.

The Good:  great, atmospheric chippy tunes and a sweet redbook song at the end; tons of voice work; detailed settings and cutscenes with a gritty, cyberpunk feel and occasional bits of humor (my favorite was Gillian trying to keep up with the moto-unicycle) often coming from the real hero, metal gear; fun if infrequent shooting sequences; and I like how it's more violent, gory, and pervy than most games.  What's wrong with perving on a 14 year old girl?

The Bad:  the cutscenes look nice but are mostly static with small bits of animation; and the third act is kinda boring, essentially just a big long cutscene and lots of blah-blah-blah.... though no doubt it's more entertaining if you know the language.

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on August 31, 2020, 10:19:05 PM
Clear #112.5 - Snatcher Pilot Disk

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50292538646_76cf004799_o.gif)

Here's a preview disc with five things to whet your whistle for the full game:

1)  play the first two chapters in full, including the gun practice range and a shooting sequence
2)  a lengthy promo trailer cutscene, unfortunately with spoilers that show parts of the end scene
3)  an encyclopedia featuring main character bios (with neato colored pencil-esque portraits) and various gear like your blaster and vehicles
4)  interviews with people that worked on the game (or so I assume) with voice overs and digitized photos
5)  jukebox of three tunes to which metal gear dances
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: roflmao on September 03, 2020, 06:18:37 PM
Wow, Necro. You've been on fire lately! I've tried a couple of times to get into Snatcher, but I haven't gotten very far thanks to the language barrier. Bakuretsu Hunter sounds easy enough to make it through, though sounds like something I'd only do once.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Keith Courage on September 04, 2020, 05:26:35 PM
Quote
An older, more basic version of Lode Runner.  It's inferior in pretty much every way to BLR, but it plays good and is still a decent port.

The Good:  a funky variety of well animated enemies; handy passwords and save system, though unfortunately only one save slot; lots of head scratching levels; and you can again make your own levels.

The Bad:  almost no music, though what little there is is inoffensive; boring and repetitive scenery; too many hidden trap blocks that you must find to finish the level; and a few more of the BS timed ladder stages.

The Ugly:  NA

I really want to like the PCE version of Lode runner but since I grew up playing the apple II version as a kid, it drives me crazy not being able to see the entire screen at all times. Wish there was a zoom out option. So my favorite console version is the Sega sg-1000, 2nd to that ps1.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on September 07, 2020, 07:09:56 PM
Zoom out would be cool.  You pan around when paused, but that's not as useful or as quick.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: roflmao on September 11, 2020, 12:16:46 AM
I introduced my kiddo to Lode Runner and Battle Lode Runner not too long ago and he fell in love with creating custom maps! He eventually paid for a version on his Switch so he could make levels in the comfort of his room, haha.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on October 20, 2020, 09:43:56 AM
Tangential Clear #112a - Snatcher (Sega CD)

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50508714017_0026c93b5e_o.jpg)

There's minor color differences, a little censoring, and some extra shooting bits near the end, but it's essentially the same game in english.  I don't much like the extra shooting stretch, though, as it's too long compared to earlier ones and rather hard.  It's not terrible and I'm sure it's better with a good sega pad, but my feka pac has shit the bed again, so I got stuck playing via emulator on my PSP Go with a turdy DS3 d-pad.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on November 19, 2020, 02:41:58 AM
Clear #113 - Space Ava 201

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50612456671_9c6ba9e4bd_o.jpg)

A recent homebrew release with turn based puzzley action.  Give it go!

The Good:  the step by step action is quite unique, unlike anything else I can think of on PCE, and the puzzles offer a fun challenge; the cut scenes are cute, funny, and plentiful; "Yes!  We Have No Bananas" in the end credits, which is especially humorous when one character looks like a banana; several different enemy types and bosses, mixed with varied gameplay styles between stages; and two (maybe more?) endings with a teaser for a sequel.

The Bad:  the tunes aren't offensive, but they are simplistic and there's some abrupt track changes in cutscenes; it's rather short; and it's download only (just for now, I hope!).

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: roflmao on November 19, 2020, 05:58:44 PM
Clear #113 - Space Ava 201

A recent homebrew release with turn based puzzley action.  Give it go!

The Good:  the step by step action is quite unique, unlike anything else I can think of on PCE, and the puzzles offer a fun challenge; the cut scenes are cute, funny, and plentiful; "Yes!  We Have No Bananas" in the end credits, which is especially humorous when one character looks like a banana; several different enemy types and bosses, mixed with varied gameplay styles between stages; and two (maybe more?) endings with a teaser for a sequel.

The Bad:  the tunes aren't offensive, but they are simplistic and there's some abrupt track changes in cutscenes; it's rather short; and it's download only (just for now, I hope!).

The Ugly:  NA

Congrats!  I hope I'm close to finishing it, too. It's been a lot of fun, especially considering it's price, haha.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on November 26, 2020, 06:13:51 PM
Clear #113 - Space Ava 201

A recent homebrew release with turn based puzzley action.  Give it go!

The Good:  the step by step action is quite unique, unlike anything else I can think of on PCE, and the puzzles offer a fun challenge; the cut scenes are cute, funny, and plentiful; "Yes!  We Have No Bananas" in the end credits, which is especially humorous when one character looks like a banana; several different enemy types and bosses, mixed with varied gameplay styles between stages; and two (maybe more?) endings with a teaser for a sequel.

The Bad:  the tunes aren't offensive, but they are simplistic and there's some abrupt track changes in cutscenes; it's rather short; and it's download only (just for now, I hope!).

The Ugly:  NA

You dirty bastard! I only found out about this game a couple days ago!

More importantly, I have never beaten Shadow of the Beast on PCE... I need to play that game. I keep passing it over in favor of shootemups. Very sad.

:)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: geise on December 01, 2020, 08:59:26 PM
Holy Shit! Look what the cat dragged in. Good to see you around esteban. Have wondered how you've been. Hope all is well.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on December 12, 2020, 12:22:19 PM
Holy Shit! Look what the cat dragged in. Good to see you around esteban. Have wondered how you've been. Hope all is well.

I have been slowly clawing my way through sealed shipping cartons of Make My Video: KRIS KROSS to get here!

It's only taken... three years? Yeah, I think that's right.

 :pcgs:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on February 02, 2021, 09:11:24 PM
Clear #114 - Sailor Moon

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50900715957_e9fc50334c_o.jpg)

A fun digi-comic with a fantastic translation patch from good guy supper.  The patch is bad ass, translating all the text, adding subs, and even showcasing a shit ton of voice work and art (some complete, some only sketches) that was found unused on the disc.

The Good:  while nothing fancy, the tunes change often and fit each scenario's mood; great replayability with different paths for each girl; plenty humorous bits and silliness; quality voicework from the same actors as the show; and nicely drawn and ever-changing scenes.

The Bad:  while they look nice enough, many scenes aren't terribly high colored, detailed, and/or filled with animation, not for a 1994 release anyway; and the actor's engrishy pronunciations of English names is lulzery.

The Ugly:  Past Wiseman's giant tits.  Seriously, what's up with that?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 28, 2021, 09:57:52 PM
Clear #115 - Sapphire

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51011100985_af9a4f53e2_o.jpg)

'Tis a damn fine shewty that really shows off the capabilities of the Arcade Card.  I've beaten this quite a few times in years past, but I've struggled mightily in recent years to 1CC 'er again.  It's finally done, though, after I stopped getting myself killed trying to "save" my bombs.

The Good:  rockin' tunes, courtesy of Ts Music; two player simultaneous fun and four somewhat different ships with their own cute girly pilots and weapons; nice cutscenes for the intro and outro, though nothing more fancy than what you'll find in many a Super CD title; long loading times between stages are cleverly disguised with 'pilot briefings'; a charged options attack that lets you build score for extra ships; and some of the coolest graphics found in any PCE title, with detailed, layered, and animated backgrounds and lots of variation in enemies, sub-bosses, and bosses (many of which are huge), with neato lighting effects and morphing of sprites and backgrounds.

The Bad:  the ships are slow and clunky, and the difference between the four is not as great as it could be; high score doesn't save; it could use another level or two, as it's a bit on the short side; and the girls never get nekkid.

The Ugly:  the loud, grating sound effect used for some ship/weapon combos while firing; and the weird partially invisible face in the ending (pallette error?).
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: roflmao on April 02, 2021, 06:24:13 PM
Clear #115 - Sapphire

Awesome! It's been awhile since I've 1cc'd it, too. Now I'm tempted to try that again.

I used to stick to the faster ships (I think blue was my go-to), but lately I've been practicing with the green ship. It's so slow, but so powerful.

Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: kazekiri on April 05, 2021, 08:50:17 PM
Clear #115 - Sapphire

Awesome! It's been awhile since I've 1cc'd it, too. Now I'm tempted to try that again.

I used to stick to the faster ships (I think blue was my go-to), but lately I've been practicing with the green ship. It's so slow, but so powerful.

Yeah. I used to be OK at Sapphire long ago, but now every time I try to pick it up again it just kicks my ass. Need to get back in the saddle again someday.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on April 06, 2021, 02:39:00 AM
My usual choice is Syphon (pink haired girl) and her blue weapon.  It seems to be decently powerful and speedy enough.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on April 10, 2021, 07:04:40 PM
Clear #116 - Lady Sword

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51107395397_d2a6fef03f_o.gif)

Word and line breaks are often fucked, but overall the translation patch is pretty nice; there's even a patch with an invincibility cheat added.  Give it a go if you have a flash drive.

The Good:  a nice opening cut scene; a plethora of enemies, all nicely drawn and cool looking; decent tunes that change for each floor; save, rest (heal), and setting a warp point is easy..... which is damn good because you'll need them a LOT; a handy auto map feature; nekkid girlies; and a crocodylar enemy (thanks, Ricky!).

The Bad:  the wall scroll is chunky, and the walls always look the same; the encounter rate is ridiculous, where you often get attacked every step or even just turning in place; the map doesn't show warp points or pitfalls, it rotates with your character in game, and it doesn't scroll or show full screen to let you see the entire thing at once; and the ending is weird - did I do good or not, dammit?!?

The Ugly:  NA
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on June 05, 2021, 12:47:56 AM
Clear #117 - Final Soldier

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51226657065_56d5304cc7_o.jpg)

Another GotM inspired clear.  Thanks, goosey!

The Good:  several weapon option upgrades that you can preselect before playing; lots of different enemies, sub-bosses, and screen filling stage bosses; two and five minute score attack modes; colorful scenery; and some cool tunes to rock out to.

The Bad:  some backgrounds are kinda flat and bland; it's missing a bomb / super attack thingy like the one in Soldier Blade; and the TG-16 was inexplicably denied a localization.

The Ugly:  the wibbly-wobbly purple puke background of the final stage.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: roflmao on June 09, 2021, 10:35:27 PM
Clear #117 - Final Soldier

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51226657065_56d5304cc7_o.jpg)

Another GotM inspired clear.  Thanks, goosey!

The Good:  several weapon option upgrades that you can preselect before playing; lots of different enemies, sub-bosses, and screen filling stage bosses; two and five minute score attack modes; colorful scenery; and some cool tunes to rock out to.

The Bad:  some backgrounds are kinda flat and bland; it's missing a bomb / super attack thingy like the one in Soldier Blade; and the TG-16 was inexplicably denied a localization.

The Ugly:  the wibbly-wobbly purple puke background of the final stage.

Congrats! This is the only Soldier game I've managed to complete.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on June 10, 2021, 01:27:24 AM
Thanks, man.  I've beaten Soldier Blade too, but Super Star Soldier and Blazing Lazers (a step-brother in the series?) still elude me.  Maybe one day....
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 05, 2021, 09:08:56 PM
Tangential Clear #101a - Popful Mail (Sega CD)

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51293438469_57eb853b31_o.jpg)

FEKA PAC is still borked, so I had to play this on the PSP Go via emulator.   :|

It's hard to pick one game over the other, as they're both great games.  Here's some differences:

Pros:  it has very well animated cut scenes, has lots of parallax in the backgrounds, and it's in english with pretty good voicework.  I played the unworked patch, so I avoided Vic's unnecessary difficulty bullshit.

Cons:  it has less colorful cut scenes, and it's missing the three extra character specific levels.

Push:  the sprites are good and all (more '16 bit' like) but I love the cute lil sprites too (like the ones in the PC-88 original); the chip tunes are great, as are the redbook tunes in the PCE game; and both final boss fights feel a bit cheap due to the floors - here the floor disappears and doesn't regenerate, but at least the spikes below aren't an instant game over.

In short:  play both!
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: DarkKobold on July 07, 2021, 02:33:31 PM
Tangential Clear #101a - Popful Mail (Sega CD)

Pros:  it has very well animated cut scenes, has lots of parallax in the backgrounds, and it's in english with pretty good voicework.  I played the unworked patch, so I avoided Vic's unnecessary difficulty bullshit.


I actually stopped playing the Sega CD version a few years back, because it was so borked in difficulty.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on July 07, 2021, 08:06:09 PM
I actually stopped playing the Sega CD version a few years back, because it was so borked in difficulty.

Heh, it's not that bad.  Ya gotta try it again with the patch; it's worth it!





Clear #118 - Cleopatra's Curse

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51292730161_582b44e5e3_o.jpg)

Another damn good homebrew game.  Y'all better snag a copy and give some play time!

The Good:  lots of exploration in multiple big areas/levels; many items to find and buy; several different enemies and bosses with well varied attacks; a decent challenge and fairly long game; and two endings.

The Bad:  some of the whip swinging feels cheap as hell, particularly when you fall to your death from a missed swing; a few glitchy (stuck) tiles are annoying but at least they don't affect gameplay; you can't really re-explore the dark areas (no torches); and the 'bad' ending is too short at just a single screen and no credit roll.

The Ugly:  DickfaceTAS!   :cook:

Edit - I was incorrect; after completing the whole dark area and able to exit, the lights come on and you can explore to your heart's content.  8)
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: roflmao on July 10, 2021, 12:55:03 AM
Another damn good homebrew game.  Y'all better snag a copy and give some play time!

The Good:  lots of exploration in multiple big areas/levels; many items to find and buy; several different enemies and bosses with well varied attacks; a decent challenge and fairly long game; and two endings.

The Bad:  some of the whip swinging feels cheap as hell, particularly when you fall to your death from a missed swing; a few glitchy (stuck) tiles are annoying but at least they don't affect gameplay; you can't really re-explore the dark areas (no torches); and the 'bad' ending is too short at just a single screen and no credit roll.

The Ugly:  DickfaceTAS!   :cook:

Congrats!

I need to get back to this! Every time I sit down with it, I feel like I'm getting a little farther. It's no cakewalk, though.

Using a six-button controller really helps out, imo.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on September 26, 2021, 08:39:01 PM
Clear #118.5 - Cleopatra's Curse Demo

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51522402990_f39571deb4_o.jpg)

If you haven't bought this yet (and what the fuck are you waiting for?!?), at least play the demo.  It gives you a great taste of what the whole game is like, being nearly the first third of the game in its entirety.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on September 30, 2021, 10:53:35 PM
Clear #119 - Bomberman '94

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51522409645_e3aa53a6de_o.jpg)

The Good:  fantasticly fun and bouncy tunes; much more variety in map layouts (no more basic grids) with great detail and animations (the wavy screen and swimming fishes are my favorite), and there's even a few interactive elements in the background (mine cart rides, barrel smashes, etc); cute little kangaroos to ride on, though they're mostly only good for absorbing one hit; cool but not terribly tough bosses; and the best multiplayer vs. experience with lots of maps, environment hazards, and different Bomberman types with differing play styles (when computer controlled).

The Bad:  it feels rather short, though longplays show all three games with similar completion times; you can cheap out and not kill all enemies before exiting each level, making the game even easier; and I can't help but feel bad about blowing up poor 'roo eggs.

The Ugly:  going back to replay earlier worlds and finding out that you can't leave....
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on January 02, 2022, 12:31:52 PM
Clear #120 - Madou Monagatari

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51794835814_e6765cb5bb_o.jpg)

New year, new clear!  It's too bad this sweet little dungeon crawler is so expensive, but you're going to need to burn a CDR to play supper's fantastic translation patch anyway.

The Good:  full screen, decently animated, nicely detailed, and colorful cut scenes; oodles of different enemies, ranging from cute to gruesome; simplified status system that fits well with the theme, where most stats are unknown though your health is revealed in Arle's facial expressions and your XP is shown on a ribbon that progressively changes color as you near leveling up; and this has got to be one of the funniest, most adorable games around, with the teasing dialog, oft cute enemies, and darling attacks like mini-elephants and sleep, where Arle dons a charming sheep costume and blows a horn to send tiny little sheep at the enemy for them to count and subsequently fall asleep.

The Bad:  some extra grinding needed near the end, but few RPGs don't have some grinding, usually lots more; one overly obtuse puzzle on Floor 4; there's a lot of items that don't seem to have any real use, like toothpicks and crayon boxes; and it's almost too cute, making me feel a bit bad about killing some enemies (especially puyos).

The Ugly:  Drunk Tanuki and his big hairy sack which he pulls up over himself as a Scrotal Barrier - now I'm no prude, but this perv really doesn't fit the character of the rest of the game, nor does it seem appropriate when the protagonist is a six year old girl.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on March 14, 2022, 01:04:59 AM
Clear #121 - Sol Moonarge

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51936829756_8965b82d29_o.jpg)

Another clear from the GotM thread.   :pcgs:

I don't know if Irem made any other RPGs, but this one sure is nice.  Check it out some time!

The Good:  pleasant if forgettable music; the overworld is meh, but dungeons, battle backgrounds, character designs, and cut scenes all look great - colorful, detailed, and often silly and humorous; a day/night cycle that adds a little extra depth, requiring you to visit some locations at both times; a handful of cool graphical tricks (scaling/rotation/warping) with my favorite being the character sprites when viewed through the beakers; there's some good variety in gameplay, with some areas being typical RPG overhead and some being side scrolling platformers (but no jumping and attacks are still random), as well as a couple of mini-game like spots where you don an animal suit to complete a task using that animal's skills; and don't miss the omake section (a code is given in the credits) where you can replay tunes and cutscenes and watch a couple of funny animated sketches.

The Bad:  the intro has English and Japanese voiceovers played simultaneously for some odd reason; it's not terribly gaijin friendly, so you'll need to use google translate and/or bumble around until you figure out the next step; slower than necessary battles due to attack animations and group attacks (watch the animation 4x), which is particularly frustrating in the final battle; and the enemies will all too often get to sneak attack and get a free round of attacks before you can do anything.

The Ugly:  an annoyingly high encounter rate (CF2 levels), where you'll be attacked within seconds of exiting the previous battle.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on February 15, 2023, 12:40:16 AM
Clear #122 - Speccies2

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52689798961_12a7609991_o.jpg)

A fun little homebrew puzzler from Galahad.  Give it a shot if you crave some quick puzzley action.

The Good:  a decent challenge that ramps up slowly but never feels frustrating.

The Bad:  no tunes or sound effects, and it doesn't take long to complete.

The Ugly:  NA

Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: esteban on February 16, 2023, 09:00:07 PM
I totally forgot about this thread.

Ha! It's heartwarming that this is still going...

It also makes me wonder why i spend so much time trying to beat Raiden PCE CD (i can't, just can't, beat this *extended* game) instead of playing other games.

I could definitely have beaten 5-6 games during my recent ___ weeks of masochism (too ashamed to reveal it's been 5-6 weeks).
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on February 20, 2023, 12:00:42 AM
Thanks, estebanjo.  I was pretty shit at adding new clears last year, but hopefully I can step up my game this year.





Clear #92.5 - Private Eye Dol with translation patch

With a bad ass translation patch from good guy supper, this game is made even better.  The interrogation at the end is still kinda derpy, but overall it's not too tough to keep progressing.  In typical supper fashion, pretty much everything is translated (or with subs), so make sure you leave no stone unturmed, including the hidden debug and omake sections.  You need to watch Motoko in the shower one more time anyway, right?   :pcgs:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on May 01, 2023, 01:57:46 AM
Clear #123 - Vax

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52859858392_63a6c63e18_o.jpg)

Here's another great homebrew release, with lots of extra value.  Besides Vax, you get three other games on the disc and a rerelease of Implode on its own disc. 

The Good:  the hero cat, NN9, is too cute for anyone to not want to help; rockin' tunes; the action is quick and can get a little frantic; there's only 50 randomly generated and quickly beaten stages, so it's different each play through and doesn't get tedious; and the end cutscene and credit scroll are very nicely done.

The Bad:  the 50 stages are enough, but it could use a better ramp in difficulty - some stages are pretty tough and some are rather easy, but it's doesn't seem to matter if you're on level 4 or level 40 for which end of the spectrum you'll get;  the end scene is great, but there's no attract intro or anything in game to push the story before then; and there's little variety in enemy types or scenery throughout.

The Ugly:  the end is depressing as fuck, even more so with the passing of BT and knowing that a sequel (and NN9 salvation) will never happen now.

Here are my quick thoughts on the other three games:

Zar's - a Yar's Revenge clone that is kinda slow and I suck at something fierce
Wave of Thunder - an addictive score based game where you pilot a boat up stream and try to stay afloat as long as possible, avoiding obstacles by steering and sometimes jumping over them
Slope Dope - a similarly addictive scoring game, but this time you're skiing downhill and avoiding all the trees, bears, etc.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Paranoia Dragon on May 02, 2023, 06:39:56 PM
Yeah I completely missed out on this one. Didn't know it was released till months layer, and then BT passed away. So when. I went to order it, I kept getting a refund until they finally told the owner had passed, so they're  not fulfilling any more orders. Maybe I can find one on ebay someday. It'd be nice to have his final release.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on May 02, 2023, 09:49:06 PM
Yarr, that's unfortunate.  Hopefully one of the other guys he worked with over the years can someday make a deal with BT's family to buy out the stock and rights.  I'd hate to see the goodies fade away.   :cry:
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Paranoia Dragon on May 06, 2023, 04:30:03 PM
I have one guy on the Evercade Discord offering to grab me a copy of a place called Turbo Town, he says Nathan McClaine is selling off copies there. That name sounds familiar. I want to say he either did the music for some of their games or graphics? Did Fragmare do gfx for Mindrec games, I want to say that he did at least for some of them. Maybe that's him?
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Necromancer on May 08, 2023, 08:37:19 PM
I don't know what he helped on, but his name is in the credits for Vax and Hypernova Blast.
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: _joshuaTurbo on June 02, 2023, 01:14:34 PM
I have one guy on the Evercade Discord offering to grab me a copy of a place called Tuebo Town, he says Nathan McClaine is selling off copies there. That name sounds familiar. I want to say he either did the music for some of their games or graphics? Did Fragmare do gfx for Mindrec games, I want to see that he did at least for some of them. Maybe that's him?

I actually know Nathan, he's a good dude. If you want help in reaching out to him, I know I can PM you some details on how to get copies of Mindrec stuff. :D
Title: Re: Necro's game clears and mindless musings
Post by: Paranoia Dragon on June 03, 2023, 03:40:57 AM
I got in touch with him. We've been talking back and forth since we haven't spoken in quite some time. I knew his name sounded familiar! He's also known as Vodkatron. Sounds like he's waiting for the last of the Vax Collection to be shipped to him.