What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Anything from run & guns to modern RPGs, what else do you play?
Gamer707b
Posts: 576
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2015 7:14 am
Location: Bakersfield, Ca

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Gamer707b »

I think I may have found just as big a Treasure nut as myself. Lol. I can talk about Treasure all day. I was going to actually get the Mega Drive version of Alien Soldier, but didn't want to pay those prices, so I happily settled with the Sega Genesis Switch cart with Alien Soldier on it. From what I can tell, it's pretty close in terms of how it runs. But I can be wrong. I'm happy with it. Cleared it on Super Easy a while ago. I like it more than Gun Star Heroes.

I got the first S & P but haven't played it yet. LOVED the 2nd game on Wii, so if it's anything like that I'll probably end up loving that one too.On a side note, did a bit of SIlloette Mirage and was able to figure out the Rabbit vendor a bit. Figured out how to replenish more energy.Got to level 3. Enjoying it so far.
User avatar
To Far Away Times
Posts: 1661
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 12:42 am

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by To Far Away Times »

Treasure is one of my favorite developers. So many great games. And Treasure games have a certain feel to them that is so damn good. Gunstar Heroes is my favorite game of theirs. Ikaruga is legendary of course. Mischief Makers is an underrated classic. I liked their Bleach DS fighting games a lot too, I used to play those online all the time.
User avatar
Sengoku Strider
Posts: 2203
Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2020 6:21 am

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Sengoku Strider »

Gamer707b wrote:I think I may have found just as big a Treasure nut as myself. Lol. I can talk about Treasure all day. I was going to actually get the Mega Drive version of Alien Soldier, but didn't want to pay those prices, so I happily settled with the Sega Genesis Switch cart with Alien Soldier on it. From what I can tell, it's pretty close in terms of how it runs. But I can be wrong. I'm happy with it. Cleared it on Super Easy a while ago. I like it more than Gun Star Heroes.

I got the first S & P but haven't played it yet. LOVED the 2nd game on Wii, so if it's anything like that I'll probably end up loving that one too.On a side note, did a bit of SIlloette Mirage and was able to figure out the Rabbit vendor a bit. Figured out how to replenish more energy.Got to level 3. Enjoying it so far.
I was going to get Alien Soldier as well, and I was willing to accept the price tag. Everything Mega Drive has gone through the roof in the last year and a half with stuff like Gley Lancer & Vampire Killer up over the $500 mark ( I think that Ratalaika port drove a lot of demand for Gley)...Eliminate Down went from like $900 to $1500, making goofy prices like $900 for a video game suddenly seem like a solid investment.

But Alien Soldier has consistently stayed around that $500 mark, and is challenging enough to potentially provide an equivalent amount of entertainment hours. Except lo and behold, when I was ready to pull the trigger post New Year's expenses, it had vanished from all the reasonable outlets (ie. not eBay or Western retro dealers). I wasn't completely frozen out of the action game S-tier though. Super Shinobi II (JP Shinobi III) shot up from $100 to $250 over the past year. I just bought it at auction for $160 which stung a little, but I was willing to take it to complete the MD Shinobi set. I had already held off at $140 last year, only to watch it go up and up and up. So that was probably as good a deal as I was going to get without holding out for a miracle.

Back to Treasure, Saturn Silhouette Mirage is one which mercifully wasn't obscenely expensive, but tbh I haven't been able to get into it. It just seems overcomplicated, and that they massively improved on the polarity concept in Ikaruga by making it instantaneous. But I simply may not have sat down and spent a big enough chunk of time with it while in the right mindset yet.
Gamer707b
Posts: 576
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2015 7:14 am
Location: Bakersfield, Ca

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Gamer707b »

Sengoku Strider wrote:
Gamer707b wrote:I think I may have found just as big a Treasure nut as myself. Lol. I can talk about Treasure all day. I was going to actually get the Mega Drive version of Alien Soldier, but didn't want to pay those prices, so I happily settled with the Sega Genesis Switch cart with Alien Soldier on it. From what I can tell, it's pretty close in terms of how it runs. But I can be wrong. I'm happy with it. Cleared it on Super Easy a while ago. I like it more than Gun Star Heroes.

I got the first S & P but haven't played it yet. LOVED the 2nd game on Wii, so if it's anything like that I'll probably end up loving that one too.On a side note, did a bit of SIlloette Mirage and was able to figure out the Rabbit vendor a bit. Figured out how to replenish more energy.Got to level 3. Enjoying it so far.
I was going to get Alien Soldier as well, and I was willing to accept the price tag. Everything Mega Drive has gone through the roof in the last year and a half with stuff like Gley Lancer & Vampire Killer up over the $500 mark ( I think that Ratalaika port drove a lot of demand for Gley)...Eliminate Down went from like $900 to $1500, making goofy prices like $900 for a video game suddenly seem like a solid investment.

But Alien Soldier has consistently stayed around that $500 mark, and is challenging enough to potentially provide an equivalent amount of entertainment hours. Except lo and behold, when I was ready to pull the trigger post New Year's expenses, it had vanished from all the reasonable outlets (ie. not eBay or Western retro dealers). I wasn't completely frozen out of the action game S-tier though. Super Shinobi II (JP Shinobi III) shot up from $100 to $250 over the past year. I just bought it at auction for $160 which stung a little, but I was willing to take it to complete the MD Shinobi set. I had already held off at $140 last year, only to watch it go up and up and up. So that was probably as good a deal as I was going to get without holding out for a miracle.

Back to Treasure, Saturn Silhouette Mirage is one which mercifully wasn't obscenely expensive, but tbh I haven't been able to get into it. It just seems overcomplicated, and that they massively improved on the polarity concept in Ikaruga by making it instantaneous. But I simply may not have sat down and spent a big enough chunk of time with it while in the right mindset yet.
I don't buy hardly any "triple A" games, so I don't mind splurging on the occasional retro game that I REALLY want to play and own. But, $500 is stretching it for me. That might be too crazy, even for me. Which is why I don't collect arcade PCBs. I'm perfectly content with my console game collection. Anyway, I think I'm done with buying for a while. I completed my Treasure collection. The games I wanted the most anyway. I think there's just one or two that I may get later. I got all the heavy hitters now. I got the last 5 I wanted. Sin & Punishment N64, Silouette Mirage, Astro Boy and Michief Makers weren't that bad. It was Guardian Heroes that was a good chunk of change. The North American version of GH had also shot up in the last couple years. Don't think you can find it for less than $250 complete.

Good thing with me though is that I don't buy these games just to "collect". I get a lot of play out of them. I'm much less a collector and more a gamer. I just like to have my physical games. Grew up in the 80s, what can I say.
User avatar
Mischief Maker
Posts: 4802
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 3:44 am

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Mischief Maker »

Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem is really, really good. The Raiden IV to Serious Sam 4's Raiden III.
Two working class dudes, one black one white, just baked a tray of ten cookies together.

An oligarch walks in and grabs nine cookies for himself.

Then he says to the white dude "Watch out for that black dude, he wants a piece of your cookie!"
User avatar
Sengoku Strider
Posts: 2203
Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2020 6:21 am

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Sengoku Strider »

Gamer707b wrote:I don't buy hardly any "triple A" games, so I don't mind splurging on the occasional retro game that I REALLY want to play and own. But, $500 is stretching it for me. That might be too crazy, even for me. Which is why I don't collect arcade PCBs.
Part of my thinking is that I routinely do stupid things with money, but small stupid things. Eating out too much. Buying books I'll never have time to read. And especially impulse gaming purchases. So better to get that money out of my hands by doing one big dumb thing that will likely hold some value, rather than the usual death by a thousand cuts.

And that, kids, is the story of how I came to own Pulstar on Neo Geo despite already having the perfectly fine $8 ACA version.
I'm perfectly content with my console game collection. Anyway, I think I'm done with buying for a while. I completed my Treasure collection. The games I wanted the most anyway. I think there's just one or two that I may get later. I got all the heavy hitters now. I got the last 5 I wanted. Sin & Punishment N64, Silouette Mirage, Astro Boy and Michief Makers weren't that bad. It was Guardian Heroes that was a good chunk of change. The North American version of GH had also shot up in the last couple years. Don't think you can find it for less than $250 complete.
Another part of buying this stuff for me is telling myself it's Japanese practice, so I only buy Japanese systems & games. Things like Guardian Heroes are waayyyy more affordable there - it cost me $40. Panzer Dragoon Saga's in the same boat. Systems are a relative bargain as well. My gen 1 JP Saturn complete in box cost me $100, whereas the exact same console apparently averages more than double that over here.

For sure there are stupid-pricey games - Hyper Duel is up to like $700, and after the Cotton Saturn Tribute Collection came out with like 87 frames of input lag Cotton 2 & Boomerang went through the roof - but on the whole costs are much more reasonable thanks to the language barrier, yet at the same time somehow the same stuff sells for much more over here.
Good thing with me though is that I don't buy these games just to "collect". I get a lot of play out of them. I'm much less a collector and more a gamer. I just like to have my physical games. Grew up in the 80s, what can I say.
This is the sensible path. I know some people really love their digital games, but it would kill me to know if I ever hit a rough patch and sold off a console with 200 games all I'd get is the depreciated value of the used console for it.

Even without the worst-case scenario thinking, there's the inevitable thing where one day in my old age I'd sit down and tally up how many tens of thousands I'd spent on games over the decades. And then feel terrible that it was all gone up in smoke because the servers went down 20 years ago, the console's hard drive gave out, and Microsoft Warthog™Hunter-Killer drones maim anyone who their omnipresent Cortana™ surveillance AI detects trying to download ROMs now that they own all video game IP except Mother 3.

Living in that world with a creaky old Neo Geo barely running Pulstar will at least be a little more palatable.
User avatar
third_strike
Posts: 1191
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2007 7:34 pm
Location: Brazil RJ

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by third_strike »

BareKnuckleRoo wrote: Incredible run! I'm glad to see others enjoying the game. :) Super clean run too, no damage on the loop 2 final boss after the stress of playing for an hour, very impressive. I think you said you've cleared with all characters; do they all play the same? As far as I can tell I think they all perform identically but I was curious if there were differences I hadn't noticed.

I skipped ahead at one point and was confused to see the life indicator only showing 3. I was all like "doesn't the loop give you an extend or is my memory shoddy?". But then I saw this. YOU WERE ROBBED, ROBBED I SAY. ;w;

That chicken bravely flew off into the dusk with its 1UP never to be seen again.
Thanks!
I believe which all they play the same. if there is any difference, it should be very minimal.
BareKnuckleRoo wrote:I skipped ahead at one point and was confused to see the life indicator only showing 3. I was all like "doesn't the loop give you an extend or is my memory shoddy?". But then I saw this. YOU WERE ROBBED, ROBBED I SAY. ;w;

That chicken bravely flew off into the dusk with its 1UP never to be seen again.
That bugged me too when I was watching the run. I knowed which it was no miss, but I only have three lives in the last stage. Then I remembered this fact.
User avatar
Sumez
Posts: 8019
Joined: Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:11 am
Location: Denmarku
Contact:

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Sumez »

From the overrated shmup thread to avoid off-topic:
BareKnuckleRoo wrote:What's the general consensus on DKC nowadays? I thought it was pretty competent, but not necessarily mind blowing. You don't have the freedom of movement options you have in other platformers, so levels feel a bit "narrower" if that makes sense, but I didn't think it was a bad game by any means.
The first DKC is a heavily flawed game. It feels cramped like you're saying, and shares many of the common europlatformer tropes. It doesn't have a lot of stuff going on, and even though the game is fairly easy, you will still die tons of unfair deaths to the heavily unwieldly camera that obscures obstacles and enemies until they are basically on top of you.

DKC2 incredibly manages to feal similar in terms of the core engine, but is a fantastic game, miles better than the first. Improved in every way and then some. You can tell the developers were completely aware of all of the first game's shortcomings and decided to fix them all. Easily the best western developed platformer for many years after its realease.

When I see people talking about the series nostalgically, they are usually still fond of the first, and tend to lump the first two games together (while ignoring the third outright). I think that's very disingenuous, and honestly if someone were to sit down and replay the series today I'd advise them to just skip the first one.
Gamer707b
Posts: 576
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2015 7:14 am
Location: Bakersfield, Ca

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Gamer707b »

@Sengoku Strider There is ways to save money when buying Saturn games, but some games just aren't as playable. Yes, Panzer Dragoon Saga Japanese ver. is WAY cheaper than the North American game, but not really playable. Not for a game like that. I was actually debating getting the Japanese ver. of Guardian Heroes on my recent purchase . but I figured with all the text and story it has, it would have somewhat ruined my experience. Even if I used translation guides. So I ended up biting the bullet and getting the N. American game. Some games like shooters, fighters , beat em ups, platformers are totally playable. But not something that has significant story. Thankfully I bought my Panzer Dragoon Saga copy over 10 years ago. And even then, it was $190.00.
User avatar
BrianC
Posts: 8859
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 1:33 am
Location: MD

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by BrianC »

One thing to note is that some (not many) JP Saturn games play in English when the system's language is set to English. Dynamite Deka is one of them (voices are already in English, but with the system's language set to English, text and button prompts are in English too), despite all official Die Hard references being removed. Nights also plays in English. If I remember correctly, the JP localized versions of World Series Baseball either play in English or are mostly in English, but AFAIK, the US versions of those are still pretty cheap (and WSB '98 didn't get a localized JP version, though it does have a Greatest Nine counterpart, which probably isn't as English friendly).

I remember liking the third DKC quite a bit, but it has been a while since I have played it. I remember liking that snowman boss quite a bit.
User avatar
Sengoku Strider
Posts: 2203
Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2020 6:21 am

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Sengoku Strider »

Gamer707b wrote:@Sengoku Strider There is ways to save money when buying Saturn games, but some games just aren't as playable. Yes, Panzer Dragoon Saga Japanese ver. is WAY cheaper than the North American game, but not really playable. Not for a game like that. I was actually debating getting the Japanese ver. of Guardian Heroes on my recent purchase . but I figured with all the text and story it has, it would have somewhat ruined my experience. Even if I used translation guides. So I ended up biting the bullet and getting the N. American game. Some games like shooters, fighters , beat em ups, platformers are totally playable. But not something that has significant story. Thankfully I bought my Panzer Dragoon Saga copy over 10 years ago. And even then, it was $190.00.
Oh sure, I wasn't suggesting that everyone run out and buy Japanese copies of rpgs, unless you want to strap a phone to your face with a translation app on. Guardian Heroes would indeed lose a lot without the text. I can read Japanese, but it was hard AF to learn and needs constant reinforcement or it gets lost. Hence I justify these purchases to myself on those grounds.

On the topic of Saturn games, Last Gladiators is such a perfect podcast game. You can just shift your brain into automatic and go at it for hours. Though Warlock seems to be way more entertaining than the other three (though Gladiator's alright).
User avatar
mycophobia
Posts: 751
Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2016 4:08 pm
Contact:

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by mycophobia »

BrianC wrote: I remember liking the third DKC quite a bit, but it has been a while since I have played it. I remember liking that snowman boss quite a bit.
third one's my favorite of the three. one of the best looking games on the system
User avatar
Sir Ilpalazzo
Posts: 414
Joined: Tue Jul 30, 2013 11:32 pm

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Sir Ilpalazzo »

The only DKC I get much out of is the second. The first is a functional but bland game with uninteresting mechanics and stage design. The second pivots into making most stages centered around some unique gimmick, which is kind of a smokescreen to cover up how unexciting the core mechanics are, but the gimmicks are pretty well-considered, and the levels around them are built well. I don't like it as much as even mid-tier 2D Mario games, but it's a solid game.

It feels like all their good stage gimmick ideas were used up with DKC2. 3 uses the same type of design as 2, but most of its level concepts are uninspired or actively tedious. It's probably still somewhat better than the first game but I'm not much of a fan. I agree that it is gorgeous to look at though.
User avatar
Sima Tuna
Posts: 1428
Joined: Tue Sep 21, 2021 8:26 pm

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Sima Tuna »

Jet Set Radio and Jet Set Radio Future, while I wait to see if Bomb Punk Cyberfunk ends up any good.
User avatar
Herr Schatten
Posts: 3259
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 12:14 pm
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Herr Schatten »

My only experiences with the DKC games are with the first. The cart came with a used SNES I purchased a couple of years ago. I vividly remembered the rave reviews it got on release, so I eagerly popped it in. First thought (and lasting impression): "Man, this hasn't aged well." If the second one is actually so much better I might give it another try someday.

How are the Game Boy versions? They can't rely on flashy visuals to veil design flaws, can they? Are those any good?
User avatar
BrianC
Posts: 8859
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 1:33 am
Location: MD

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by BrianC »

Herr Schatten wrote:My only experiences with the DKC games are with the first. The cart came with a used SNES I purchased a couple of years ago. I vividly remembered the rave reviews it got on release, so I eagerly popped it in. First thought (and lasting impression): "Man, this hasn't aged well." If the second one is actually so much better I might give it another try someday.

How are the Game Boy versions? They can't rely on flashy visuals to veil design flaws, can they? Are those any good?
The first Donkey Kong Land suffers from some of the same flaws as DKC and has a rushed feel to it. It was also designed in a way that's hard to see on an older GB and it has graphical glitches on newer models.2 and 3 are more polished (but still have graphical glitches on newer GBs) but are toned down versions of DK2 and 3 with less unique content. GBC DKC is a portable DKC using the Donkey Kong Land engine.
Gamer707b
Posts: 576
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2015 7:14 am
Location: Bakersfield, Ca

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Gamer707b »

I don't know. The 3 DKC games on Snes always felt bland to me. At least the gameplay. Graphically they are amazing no doubt. I could be wrong about the 3rd game, because I never actually played all the way through it. but I finished the first 2 and they didn't feel that special. DKC Returns and DCK Tropical Freeze were actually more enjoyable to me.
User avatar
Sengoku Strider
Posts: 2203
Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2020 6:21 am

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Sengoku Strider »

Is it just me, or does Jaki Crush kinda suck? "A Super Famicom Crush game? This is gonna be amazing!!"

Except there's way less happening on screen than in Devil's. The sound effects are super limp. And for some obscene reason, they didn't put the score on the game screen. You have to hit select, which will pause it and display the score table screen. Scoring is literally all you do in pinball.

There is some cool stuff about it. The bosses look pretty awesome. There are a bunch of cool occult/ folklore references in there, like the ancient numbering system, the Sanskrit character for 'ja' inside the ball making its movement cues much more dynamic, or titling the high score board 'banzuke,' which was a term for a ranking of stage performers back in the Edo period. But overall despite coming after the other two and being on more powerful hardware, it feels like a distant third in the trilogy.
User avatar
Sima Tuna
Posts: 1428
Joined: Tue Sep 21, 2021 8:26 pm

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Sima Tuna »

I've been playing Jet Set Radio and Jet Set Radio Future. Amazing games. I never played JSR, but I beat JSRF when I was a teen, on the og xbox. It's just kind of a shame that air control in the first Jet Set is a little lacking. Your controls are very tank-like once you get some speed, and maintaining that speed while turning or maneuvering can be extremely challenging. Future is almost hilariously easy to control by comparison. Speed management in general is a pain in original Jet Set, because you can't easily generate speed. In Future, you can do tricks manually and the tricks will give you speed. You also have a boost button, so it's easy to manage how fast or slow you move. Jet Set OG isn't so kind. There's also a lot of hitscan damage in original Jet Set.

That said, both games are absolutely some of the most unbridled fun you can have anywhere. They're relentlessly cheerful and funky. DJ Skankfunk is also a musical god.
User avatar
BrianC
Posts: 8859
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 1:33 am
Location: MD

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by BrianC »

Sengoku Strider wrote:Is it just me, or does Jaki Crush kinda suck? "A Super Famicom Crush game? This is gonna be amazing!!"

Except there's way less happening on screen than in Devil's. The sound effects are super limp. And for some obscene reason, they didn't put the score on the game screen. You have to hit select, which will pause it and display the score table screen. Scoring is literally all you do in pinball
There is an in-game score display, but it can be turned on and off by pressing a button (not the one that pauses the game), IIRC. I think it can be done in Devil's Crush too. I enjoy the game quite a bit, but it does take longer to warm up to. I found it to have the best bonus rounds in the series and the main board does get more interesting once more things are activated.
User avatar
Eyvah_Ehyeh
Posts: 129
Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2021 5:10 am
Location: Sweden
Contact:

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Eyvah_Ehyeh »

I'm taking a stab at Draw Distances Vampire the Masquerade visual novels, and I'm in love with the second one, "Vampire The Masquerade - Shadows of New York". After having played maybe 20-30 of them, I've completely given up on japanese visual novels, having come to the conclusion that I think even the best ones have subpar writing compared to what's possible, so right now I'm trying out some polish ones instead. :) Moacubes "Solstice", also Polish, was also a visual novel I really enjoyed.
User avatar
128x.k
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2022 4:52 am
Contact:

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by 128x.k »

Hey! New user here! This is my first post, excited to be a part of community! I am playing silent hill and having problems lol
User avatar
Sengoku Strider
Posts: 2203
Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2020 6:21 am

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Sengoku Strider »

BrianC wrote:There is an in-game score display, but it can be turned on and off by pressing a button (not the one that pauses the game), IIRC. I think it can be done in Devil's Crush too. I enjoy the game quite a bit, but it does take longer to warm up to. I found it to have the best bonus rounds in the series and the main board does get more interesting once more things are activated.
I thought I tried every button, but I'll give it another shot.
Eyvah_Ehyeh wrote:I'm taking a stab at Draw Distances Vampire the Masquerade visual novels, and I'm in love with the second one, "Vampire The Masquerade - Shadows of New York". After having played maybe 20-30 of them, I've completely given up on japanese visual novels, having come to the conclusion that I think even the best ones have subpar writing compared to what's possible, so right now I'm trying out some polish ones instead. :) Moacubes "Solstice", also Polish, was also a visual novel I really enjoyed.
I read both of the first two, and thought they were pretty good. The second one seemed kinda cut back compared to the first, but it's not the worst thing in the world. I was disappointed to hear people saying the werewolf one was one of the worst games of the year though.

Also before giving up Japanese VNs forever, I'd feel remiss if I didn't mention Raging Loop, if you've never tried it. It's hardly trope-free, but I really enjoyed the characters, the way it grappled with its premise and where it went with it. The bonus mini-novels it included were enjoyable too. I liked it so much that even after doing everything possible, I went out and bought the collector's edition.
Randorama
Posts: 3503
Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2005 10:25 pm

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Randorama »

Well, Tora E no Michi 2-loops out of the way, just in time for the Tiger year...

I have also 1-cc'edNastar/Rastan II and Warrior Blade/RastanIII.

Upon reading this line you will probably ask: "ZOMG why??!1!"

Well, completist purposes.
Neither title is particularly difficult, though Nastar looks and plays like ass (OST is ace, though).
I liked this game as a kid because I was extremely biased towards Taito, and it was the sequel to Rastan, simply put.
The game features 5 stages; in each stage, the first part involves very bland fighting, the second part involves tight, often frustrating jumps and micro-dodging manoeuvres, and the third part is the stage boss.
Once you have the jumps down for each second part, bosses and first parts are not particularly difficult (each boss is: "hit after opening, X times", basically).
I know that I will sound like an heretic, but the "parody of an early Amiga game" ass-like design actually inspires me, even after all these decades.

Warrior Blade is a brawler, and possibly the closest that Taito was to following the Capcom model.
Crowd control is quite important, and once you learn how to do it, the game is not particularly difficult.
It has much nicer and well-animated graphics, a great OST and an interesting game system.
You can choose amongst four stages and then you move to the final fifth stage.
If you meet certain conditions, you may get "bad fortune" extra stages that however will gift you with useful permanent power-ups (grand total: 9 stages).
it features a lot of gratuitous German, as enemies speak in this arcane language to sound more...dunno? Evil? ("wer bist du?!").
Sadly, I never 1-CC'ed this in the arcade in 1992, when my uncle owned the cab (it was a 2-screener, like Darius II).
So, even if the game is really just average, I had to 1-CC it sooner or later. Same for Nastar, really.

I must say that Warrior Blade has this rather melancholic OST that rubs me off the wrong way, on the wrong day.
Getting back to something that I started 31 years ago and completing it, in a completely different point of the planet and under completely different conditions (i.e. teen playing at his uncle's arcade with not a care in the world vs. expatriate, rather stressed adult with tons of worries), feels...eerie, like some kind of exorcism.

Magician Lord may be next, then!

EDIT: or Bonze's adventure, another open file of my own personal gaming history...

(Birru-sama, if you need more coherent thoughts for posterity, I am going to edit and improve the post).
Chomsky, Buckminster Fuller, Yunus and Glass would have played Battle Garegga, for sure.
User avatar
Sengoku Strider
Posts: 2203
Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2020 6:21 am

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Sengoku Strider »

Randorama wrote:I have also 1-cc'edNastar/Rastan II and Warrior Blade/RastanIII.

Upon reading this line you will probably ask: "ZOMG why??!1!"
LOL, I literally did think "Why??" as I read that sentence. Rastan II is like some alien kid's school science project on what Earth video games are like.

Image
I know that I will sound like an heretic, but the "parody of an early Amiga game" ass-like design actually inspires me, even after all these decades.
Feel the magic.

Image
User avatar
Blinge
Posts: 5369
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2013 4:05 pm
Location: Villa Straylight

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Blinge »

hah those look rad..
Image
1cc List - Youtube - You emptylock my heart
User avatar
Eyvah_Ehyeh
Posts: 129
Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2021 5:10 am
Location: Sweden
Contact:

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Eyvah_Ehyeh »

Sengoku Strider wrote:I read both of the first two, and thought they were pretty good. The second one seemed kinda cut back compared to the first, but it's not the worst thing in the world. I was disappointed to hear people saying the werewolf one was one of the worst games of the year though.

Also before giving up Japanese VNs forever, I'd feel remiss if I didn't mention Raging Loop, if you've never tried it. It's hardly trope-free, but I really enjoyed the characters, the way it grappled with its premise and where it went with it. The bonus mini-novels it included were enjoyable too. I liked it so much that even after doing everything possible, I went out and bought the collector's edition.
Wow, cool, did NOT expect anyone to have played these games, especially seeing how "japanese style" visual novels seem much more popular than for example draw distances work in the genre. What do you mean that the second game seems more "cut back"? I also played "Werewolf The Apocalypse - Heart of the Forest", but didn't find it as interesting, even if it has much more reactivity than almost all visual novels, which I like in theory - I just didn't connect with the story and characters. But I mean how cool would it be if there were more visual novels with the kind of reactivity that Disco Elysium affords? Seems like people that play visual novels are quite satisfied with how things are right now though, but I would really enjoy much more "gamey" visual novels and hope that there's a market for them in the future

We'll see about Raging Loop. Like really, I didn't enjoy Danganronpa V3 nor the first nonary game, so I think that I'm for real a lost cause when it comes to anime as a genre - I just find it endlessly meandering, which, ironically, is the same critique someone had of Shadows of New York, in that they couldn't stand the main character and their stream of thoughts. I guess it will always be the case that someone's long-winded never-ending wall of text is just someone else's "fruitful exploration" of stuff.
Randorama
Posts: 3503
Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2005 10:25 pm

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Randorama »

Sengoku Strider wrote: LOL, I literally did think "Why??" as I read that sentence. Rastan II is like some alien kid's school science project on what Earth video games are like.
...no ZOMG!??1! (The "1" can be pronounced as you wish).

Really, as a kid I firmly believed in the "cargo cult of Taito", or: "Anything released by Taito is arcade perfection and as such it shall be played and worshipped".
I quite literally played *every title* that they released, and that my uncle bought for his arcade.
Can you say Ninja Kids? I can, and I 1-CC'ed that with glee (and people were generally perplexed at how I could actually enjoy playing it).

Actually, I even own the "Taito GSM" CD's (and loads of other Zuntata releases) including Nastar's OST.
If this is not scary enough, I can confess that I actually never owned an Amiga, but somehow I loved playing those disturbingly ugly early titles at my friends' places.
Mal comune, mezzo gaudio (shared evil, half a joy).

The Zuntata CD's, I don't regret: 20 years ago, they were generally cheap, and frankly I can afford a degree of "silly otaku vibes" in my musical cellar.
On the other hand, 1-CC'ing Nastar felt like a perversely weird exercise in satisfying some false memory of my child self, or something - as a kid, I got stuck on st4 and gave up once I couldn't finally stomach the graphics.
I recently figured out that I could go back and reach the result with a few tries, as I discovered by chance how to get past an apparently impossible jump.

Quite frankly, the me of 1988 would probably have thought about jumping to a different world & time-line (i.e. from <w,t> to <w',t'>, or something), if he knew that his older self would waste time 1-CC'ing Nastar (and posted about it on-line, in apologetic-sounding terms).

Now, where are my notes about Mega Blast and Master of Weapons...?
Chomsky, Buckminster Fuller, Yunus and Glass would have played Battle Garegga, for sure.
User avatar
BareKnuckleRoo
Posts: 6162
Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2011 4:01 am
Location: Southern Ontario

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by BareKnuckleRoo »

I was playing Quake recently, and discovered there's a bug with Fiend leap attacks where if they land on you in midair, instead of hitting once for damage as intended they hit several dozen times in the space of a few frames. This will instant kill you even at 200 red armor and 100 health if it triggers. Apparently maps with Rottweilers can trigger this too if they're positioned high enough to do their jump attack on top of you.

Someone suggested I try the source port Mark V because it's better than Quakespasm, but I can't get music working in Mark V for the life of me. The newest version of Quakespasm seems to work fine anyways.
User avatar
Steamflogger Boss
Posts: 3075
Joined: Sun Jul 09, 2017 3:29 pm
Location: Eating the Rich

Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

Post by Steamflogger Boss »

Chrono Trigger

Some classic square jank sequences but overall a good experience and in the cut above group of SNES JRPGs along with FF4/6*.

*I know the gameplay in 6 is hilariously broken, doesn't matter.
Post Reply