I stopped playing Eternal, the card game after about a month.
This game is free on mobile, Switch, PC, your save is cross-platform. It is your typical Magic the Gathering clone : card game where you build a deck of cards by choosing your cards among a big pool of cards, and go PvE or PvP with it. No "roguelike" elements here as can be found in Slay the Spire for instance.
As an MtG clone, this one works very well : color and mana system very similar, ability to play "instant" spells during the enemy turn, strategy and synergy needed to build a good deck.
Content is very impressive : new cards coming out regularly, interesting single player (PvE) with many game modes, good online multiplayer (PvP) also with lots of game modes, events with unusual rules to spice things up. Game even has online PvP contest, official world championship with real money prizes, and everything.
Of course the game has IAP and you can spend some $$ to buy new cards and stuff. During the whole month I played this game, I never felt that IAP would help me progress a lot, and I dont think IAP is necessary to progress through the game. Getting good at strategy helps you progress.
This game has this very good aspect of regular deck building game : you find yourself thinking about your strategy even when not playing, always find new methods to improve your deck, always find a new objective to achieve.
Of course I stopped playing precisely because of this, I know I can become overwhelmed with this kind of games and sink way too much time into it.
TLDR : Eternal, the card game is a definite recommend if, like me, you had time to play MtG in your youth but dont anymore ; or if you want to try a good strategy card game and dont like "roguelike" elements.
What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
Bravo jolie Ln, tu as trouvé : l'armée de l'air c'est là où on peut te tenir par la main.
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
I think that's a pretty low standard, honestly.To Far Away Times wrote:I wish more open world games were about rewarding wanderlust like Skyrim is.
Skyrim is IMO an example of a game that could have used a ton more density - it starts feeling repetitive and empty long before you are done playing it. It's something that'll happen eventually to all games in the genre, but you'll probably be at least 70 hours deep into Elden Ring before you get a similar feeling.Personally I'm glad more open world games have returned to feeling more rewarding to explore, even if they are still the minority.
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
I'm 100 hours into Skyrim and my open world hating ass has yet to find it's repetition dull. The world definitely became less spontaneous 60 hours ago, but that's less of a bad thing and more me having found control in this world.
I personally find this genre has only gotten more aggravating which is why I'm finding Skyrim so refreshing. I haven't played Elden Ring though so I can't speak on that. I've played most of the other big ones.
I hate dragons though. They always ruin whatever you're doing and won't go away. l:^[
I personally find this genre has only gotten more aggravating which is why I'm finding Skyrim so refreshing. I haven't played Elden Ring though so I can't speak on that. I've played most of the other big ones.
I hate dragons though. They always ruin whatever you're doing and won't go away. l:^[
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
Playing Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise on PS4. I've actually never played a Yakuza game before and decided to start with this one because I'm currently watching the complete TV series (up to around episode 80 at the moment) and wanted more HnK content. It's an interesting experience, with a lot of kind of trashy elements but somehow it manages to hold together, definitely moreso than the progenitor of these games, Shenmue. The bartending and baseball minigames are standouts for me so far, the former especially for its pure ludicriousness, although I haven't tried the hostess club management yet. The combat is 'interesting' in that it seems to have a lot of purely optional depth that seems to be usually pretty unadvisable to use. Are all the (action based) Yakuza games like that?
We here shall not rest until we have made a drawing-room of your shaft, and if you do not all finally go down to your doom in patent-leather shoes, then you shall not go at all.
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BulletMagnet
- Posts: 13899
- Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 4:05 am
- Location: Wherever.
- Contact:
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
It's been awhile since I played Lost Paradise (which, I should note, I enjoyed quite a bit despite being only marginally familiar with HnK), but I seem to recall eventually using at least a fair variety of the moves I unlocked because some eventually restore health while others build super meter and so forth. I will say that the Yakuza games, particularly some of the older ones, do have a lot of highly situational moves, most notably the ones that require a specific, seldom-encountered environmental element to be present, but as you note they're largely there to try out and check off the box on your completion list if you're into that.
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
Seriously. The move where Kenshiro catches a crossbow bolt between his fingers and hurls it back at his antagonist (which is an iconic thing from the series) took me about 5 minutes of baiting a lone crossbow dude to pull off. It does seem like something that was added purely out of love for the source material / for completionists rather than something that would ever be a viable defensive option.
We here shall not rest until we have made a drawing-room of your shaft, and if you do not all finally go down to your doom in patent-leather shoes, then you shall not go at all.
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
I never played that HnK game, but the Yakuza games are basiclly exactly as you're describing. I think "trashy elements that somehow manages to hold together" describes them incredibly well. All the minigames are usually quite bad, individually, but it creates a wacky context that really defines the series.
The combat in the games is mostly quite shallow. It's satisfying, but only really gets challenging at the boss fights which are usually one-on-one fights, where the enemy will simply become impervious to certain moves as the fight progresses, and you need to figure out what works.
Generally though, I think almost all your moves are useful and serve a purpose. The different games have different methods of learning and utilizing moves, and different characters with slight differences in how they move, but overall the combat remains quite basic.
Though on top of that you also have all the purely contextual moves, like BulletMagnet mentions - they are the flashy and often comedic ones that depend on what's immediately nearby, or which makeshift weapon you have in your hand, with a full energy bar. I wouldn't say those are unadvisable to use either, though, as they are all very advantageous. There's little actual difference between them, as they mostly come down to watching a satisfying animation and dealing a lot of damage - the "gameplay" comes from analyzing what options you have in your vicinity and making use of them. Not chasing down specific ones.
The combat in the games is mostly quite shallow. It's satisfying, but only really gets challenging at the boss fights which are usually one-on-one fights, where the enemy will simply become impervious to certain moves as the fight progresses, and you need to figure out what works.
Generally though, I think almost all your moves are useful and serve a purpose. The different games have different methods of learning and utilizing moves, and different characters with slight differences in how they move, but overall the combat remains quite basic.
Though on top of that you also have all the purely contextual moves, like BulletMagnet mentions - they are the flashy and often comedic ones that depend on what's immediately nearby, or which makeshift weapon you have in your hand, with a full energy bar. I wouldn't say those are unadvisable to use either, though, as they are all very advantageous. There's little actual difference between them, as they mostly come down to watching a satisfying animation and dealing a lot of damage - the "gameplay" comes from analyzing what options you have in your vicinity and making use of them. Not chasing down specific ones.
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Creamy Goodness
- Posts: 240
- Joined: Wed May 05, 2021 1:23 am
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
Playing Crash Bandicoot 2 on the N. Sane Trilogy. Only Crash game I have ever played is the first one on the PS1 and I do not remember it being nearly as hard as this one. Not sure if 2 is just harder or if it has to do with changes in these versions, but this game is hard as shit. I started playing this game with the expectation of it being a bit on the chiller side as a break from trying to 1cc games, but man this game is kicking my ass hard. I also just picked up Crash 4 and apparently it makes the N. Sane Trilogy seem easy. Kind of afraid to even bother with that one.
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
Card Shark
Been looking for something more laid back. Seriously it's wonderful.
Been looking for something more laid back. Seriously it's wonderful.
You're sure to be in a fine haze about now, but don't think too hard about all of this. Just go out and kill a few beasts. It's for your own good. You know, it's just what hunters do! You'll get used to it.
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
Picked up Eastward on Switch and been playing it. A lot of quality and polish here. It's got that Earthbound charm to it.
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
Loved the N. Sane Trilogy when that came out. And don't be put off by Crash 4. Excellent sequel done right. It only gets hair pulling difficult if you're going for a 100% completion. Otherwise, it's a nice platforming experience that takes you away from the usual 1cc grind as you mentioned.Creamy Goodness wrote:Playing Crash Bandicoot 2 on the N. Sane Trilogy. Only Crash game I have ever played is the first one on the PS1 and I do not remember it being nearly as hard as this one. Not sure if 2 is just harder or if it has to do with changes in these versions, but this game is hard as shit. I started playing this game with the expectation of it being a bit on the chiller side as a break from trying to 1cc games, but man this game is kicking my ass hard. I also just picked up Crash 4 and apparently it makes the N. Sane Trilogy seem easy. Kind of afraid to even bother with that one.
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
Bought that game Souldiers.
huge mistake
huge mistake
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Mischief Maker
- Posts: 4802
- Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 3:44 am
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
Thanks for the heads up!XoPachi wrote:Bought that game Souldiers.
huge mistake
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!"
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!"
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
Having recently acquired an A500 Mini I've been dipping my toes into the Amiga game waters again and trying out some titles that I haven't played before or have only dabbled with in the past. One of these that has captured my interest is Benefactor, DICE's premiere non-pinball game on the platform and quite a unique one.
The idiosyncrasy of the Amiga library is one of it's greatest strengths and weaknesses; often developers would just try weird stuff that you really wouldn't see elsewhere. Benefactor is one such game, often described as a cross between a cinematic platformer and Lemmings—you control a gorgeously animated, tiny pacifist man who has to run around a big level full of hazards whilst trying to save a bunch of cute aliens (who, unlike the aforementioned Lemmings, are often helpful and intelligent, though not always). The whole thing really is pretty unique and very charming, especially some of the really creative and fluidly animated enemies. The closest direct comparison would probably be something like Abe's Odyssee, but Benefactor is slightly more focused on brain teasers over precision input, and the affair feels very different because each level is a distinct puzzle that takes place over a few screens ala Lemmings. The devs also did a great job of making everything work within the parameters of a one-button control scheme.
Furthermore, this is one of those games that really benefits from emulation—probably the worst part of the game is how finicky the platforming can get sometimes, and save states really help minimize the frustration. The challenge and fun of the game is really in the puzzle-solving and not the platforming, so nothing is lost via save states. Given the option, I'd also recommend the CD32 version over the floppy version, as you get one 'do-over' per level which restarts you right where you died if you happen to fumble a jump or something, which also helps with reducing the frustration.
The idiosyncrasy of the Amiga library is one of it's greatest strengths and weaknesses; often developers would just try weird stuff that you really wouldn't see elsewhere. Benefactor is one such game, often described as a cross between a cinematic platformer and Lemmings—you control a gorgeously animated, tiny pacifist man who has to run around a big level full of hazards whilst trying to save a bunch of cute aliens (who, unlike the aforementioned Lemmings, are often helpful and intelligent, though not always). The whole thing really is pretty unique and very charming, especially some of the really creative and fluidly animated enemies. The closest direct comparison would probably be something like Abe's Odyssee, but Benefactor is slightly more focused on brain teasers over precision input, and the affair feels very different because each level is a distinct puzzle that takes place over a few screens ala Lemmings. The devs also did a great job of making everything work within the parameters of a one-button control scheme.
Furthermore, this is one of those games that really benefits from emulation—probably the worst part of the game is how finicky the platforming can get sometimes, and save states really help minimize the frustration. The challenge and fun of the game is really in the puzzle-solving and not the platforming, so nothing is lost via save states. Given the option, I'd also recommend the CD32 version over the floppy version, as you get one 'do-over' per level which restarts you right where you died if you happen to fumble a jump or something, which also helps with reducing the frustration.
We here shall not rest until we have made a drawing-room of your shaft, and if you do not all finally go down to your doom in patent-leather shoes, then you shall not go at all.
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BareKnuckleRoo
- Posts: 6169
- Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2011 4:01 am
- Location: Southern Ontario
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
Revisiting a couple of older titles so I don't get too burned out trying to clear Donpachi:
• Wing Commander: Privateer
Neat game, once you get a handle on how the economy expects you to progress. You have to outfit your starting ship, a Tarsus, so that you can handle basic encounters early on. Selling the starting missile launcher to buy an afterburner and two sets of torpedo launchers is REALLY helpful. You're also encouraged not to switch ships too soon, or else you're stuck with a brand new ship... that's missing basic loadout essentials. You have to make sure you have enough extra cash when you upgrade a ship that you'll have enough for a proper energy upgrade, shield generators, and so on.
The Orion's still my fave of the three non-starter ships (it'd be VERY tough to beat the game using the starting Tarsus since it's missing several tiers of shield and energy upgrades). It's big, has a rather small cockpit, has only one missile slot... but when maxed out it has top-tier shielding and energy usage, giving it a very special niche use. You can RAM your way to victory, smashing through smaller ships without taking damage yourself, and it's fast enough to outrun enemies as need be. The huge shielding also helps for asteroid battles. The downside is its maneuvering thrusters are easily damaged, so you have to watch your shields there, but your armor can take a massive beating from stray hits that make it through.
The Centurion is obviously the intended endgame ship and it performs well at that role too, even if it's a bit on the flimsy side for my tastes.
The Galaxy is a complete and utter waste. I quite like the design as it has a Millenium Falcon kind of vibe to the cockpit, but the hitbox is gigantic. It generally gets you destroyed in any kind of combat it seems, and the two turrets at the top and bottom can't be set to autofire, which seems like a massive waste, and more hassle to use if you're afterburnering away from enemies compared to simply using one rear turret. If the game had autoaim on the turrets, it'd be potentially a lot more interesting, but as it stands, it's a huge, expensive waste. Sure, it's got a big cargo hold, but that's pretty much all it's got going for it.
Gotta remember to save often as it's prone to the rare crash now and then.
• Quest 64
The combat's a bit repetitive, but it's fast enough that it's not bad by any means, certainly no worse than the first Dragon Quest game was. The environments look nice enough for an early full-3D rpg, and the exploration's fun, even if the game is pretty linear. There's enough nooks and crannies to check out that it doesn't feel too dull.
It's not spectacular by any means, and the story isn't terribly engaging given there's no party members and you're a silent protagonist, but it's by no means bad. It's just very average and understandably a big disappointment for a generation hoping for the next big Final Fantasy style RPG on a platform that basically got nothing in the way of grand RPGs.
• Wing Commander: Privateer
Neat game, once you get a handle on how the economy expects you to progress. You have to outfit your starting ship, a Tarsus, so that you can handle basic encounters early on. Selling the starting missile launcher to buy an afterburner and two sets of torpedo launchers is REALLY helpful. You're also encouraged not to switch ships too soon, or else you're stuck with a brand new ship... that's missing basic loadout essentials. You have to make sure you have enough extra cash when you upgrade a ship that you'll have enough for a proper energy upgrade, shield generators, and so on.
The Orion's still my fave of the three non-starter ships (it'd be VERY tough to beat the game using the starting Tarsus since it's missing several tiers of shield and energy upgrades). It's big, has a rather small cockpit, has only one missile slot... but when maxed out it has top-tier shielding and energy usage, giving it a very special niche use. You can RAM your way to victory, smashing through smaller ships without taking damage yourself, and it's fast enough to outrun enemies as need be. The huge shielding also helps for asteroid battles. The downside is its maneuvering thrusters are easily damaged, so you have to watch your shields there, but your armor can take a massive beating from stray hits that make it through.
The Centurion is obviously the intended endgame ship and it performs well at that role too, even if it's a bit on the flimsy side for my tastes.
The Galaxy is a complete and utter waste. I quite like the design as it has a Millenium Falcon kind of vibe to the cockpit, but the hitbox is gigantic. It generally gets you destroyed in any kind of combat it seems, and the two turrets at the top and bottom can't be set to autofire, which seems like a massive waste, and more hassle to use if you're afterburnering away from enemies compared to simply using one rear turret. If the game had autoaim on the turrets, it'd be potentially a lot more interesting, but as it stands, it's a huge, expensive waste. Sure, it's got a big cargo hold, but that's pretty much all it's got going for it.
Gotta remember to save often as it's prone to the rare crash now and then.
• Quest 64
The combat's a bit repetitive, but it's fast enough that it's not bad by any means, certainly no worse than the first Dragon Quest game was. The environments look nice enough for an early full-3D rpg, and the exploration's fun, even if the game is pretty linear. There's enough nooks and crannies to check out that it doesn't feel too dull.
It's not spectacular by any means, and the story isn't terribly engaging given there's no party members and you're a silent protagonist, but it's by no means bad. It's just very average and understandably a big disappointment for a generation hoping for the next big Final Fantasy style RPG on a platform that basically got nothing in the way of grand RPGs.
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
Finished the amazing Guardian Heroes a couple days ago and just finished The Takeover today. What can I say. Been in a beat em up mood lately.
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
Returned Card Sharks after about an hour. Wasn't because it was bad...not sure...never have I done such a quick 180 on a game.
After seeing it for years and wavering cause of reasons I picked up Death's Gambit:Afterlife with the Vados dlc. A forum member who I can't remember mentioned a little while back that Afterlife was a huge upgrade from the base game.
Really digging it after the first few hours. I usually don't like 2d Souls, but it's working for me. I get Bloodborne vibes here and there.
After seeing it for years and wavering cause of reasons I picked up Death's Gambit:Afterlife with the Vados dlc. A forum member who I can't remember mentioned a little while back that Afterlife was a huge upgrade from the base game.
Really digging it after the first few hours. I usually don't like 2d Souls, but it's working for me. I get Bloodborne vibes here and there.
You're sure to be in a fine haze about now, but don't think too hard about all of this. Just go out and kill a few beasts. It's for your own good. You know, it's just what hunters do! You'll get used to it.
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
I remember Jack mentioning DG:A in the scrolling action thread, sounds doubly excellent now!
光あふれる 未来もとめて, whoa~oh ♫
[THE MIRAGE OF MIND] Metal Black ST [THE JUSTICE MASSACRE] Gun.Smoke ST [STAB & STOMP]
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
Ah yes! That was the post. Thanks Birru 
You're sure to be in a fine haze about now, but don't think too hard about all of this. Just go out and kill a few beasts. It's for your own good. You know, it's just what hunters do! You'll get used to it.
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TransatlanticFoe
- Posts: 1741
- Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2011 11:06 pm
- Location: UK
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
The House of the Dead - Remake (Switch)
Picked this up when I found out gun shells do exist for Switch joycons, in the form of shotgun that comes with a crappy shovelware title Chicken Range. Having a weighty gun shell helps mitigate that the hardware is just really not up to this - I've yet to find a comfortable config for gyro aiming, it'll work for ages (albeit re-centering regularly) and then it'll just not aim. I'm sure this is from me trying to follow the camera movement though, because it usually happens on the Hangedman boss. As a result it's a real shame there's not just a static shooting range to play around with configuration settings, because doing them in game is fiddly and makes it hard to compare.
It's fiddly but not unplayable, but it definitely needed an easier way to re-learn how to play with wonky gyros instead of a light gun/Wiimote, without having to basically play the game badly just to get it set up.
It gets the stage layouts right though, everything is as I remember it and while it looks like an xbox 360 game, it's a massive improvement on the Saturn version. Apparently there are licensing issues with the music, so there's a disappointing generic background score instead of the original soundtrack
Picked this up when I found out gun shells do exist for Switch joycons, in the form of shotgun that comes with a crappy shovelware title Chicken Range. Having a weighty gun shell helps mitigate that the hardware is just really not up to this - I've yet to find a comfortable config for gyro aiming, it'll work for ages (albeit re-centering regularly) and then it'll just not aim. I'm sure this is from me trying to follow the camera movement though, because it usually happens on the Hangedman boss. As a result it's a real shame there's not just a static shooting range to play around with configuration settings, because doing them in game is fiddly and makes it hard to compare.
It's fiddly but not unplayable, but it definitely needed an easier way to re-learn how to play with wonky gyros instead of a light gun/Wiimote, without having to basically play the game badly just to get it set up.
It gets the stage layouts right though, everything is as I remember it and while it looks like an xbox 360 game, it's a massive improvement on the Saturn version. Apparently there are licensing issues with the music, so there's a disappointing generic background score instead of the original soundtrack
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m.sniffles.esq
- Posts: 984
- Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2019 5:45 pm
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
Returned Card Sharks after about an hour. Wasn't because it was bad...not sure...never have I done such a quick 180 on a game.
Okay. I was like "didn't he call it 'wonderful' like three posts ago?" And thought my reading comprehension was failing me.
The trailer made it look like "Barry Lyndon: The Video Game". And the reviews confirmed it was indeed "Barry Lyndon: The Video Game" which I suppose is... uh... original. But just because an idea's original doesn't make it good. And personally, I think there's a very good reason no one has ever watched Barry Lyndon and said "Y'know what? This would make an awesome video game!" And that's because it wouldn't
I hear the dev is working one "My Dinner with Andre: The Game" next.
---
I've yet to find a comfortable config for gyro aiming, it'll work for ages (albeit re-centering regularly) and then it'll just not aim
I think this is just the Switch's gyro. Even with Ring Fit Adventure, everything will be fine (again, with frequent re-centering) then suddenly the thing just either freaks out or just kind of dies altogether.
Okay. I was like "didn't he call it 'wonderful' like three posts ago?" And thought my reading comprehension was failing me.
The trailer made it look like "Barry Lyndon: The Video Game". And the reviews confirmed it was indeed "Barry Lyndon: The Video Game" which I suppose is... uh... original. But just because an idea's original doesn't make it good. And personally, I think there's a very good reason no one has ever watched Barry Lyndon and said "Y'know what? This would make an awesome video game!" And that's because it wouldn't
I hear the dev is working one "My Dinner with Andre: The Game" next.
---
I've yet to find a comfortable config for gyro aiming, it'll work for ages (albeit re-centering regularly) and then it'll just not aim
I think this is just the Switch's gyro. Even with Ring Fit Adventure, everything will be fine (again, with frequent re-centering) then suddenly the thing just either freaks out or just kind of dies altogether.
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
Nope wasn't you. My wife even said the same thing. She was like "You said you really liked that game".m.sniffles.esq wrote:Returned Card Sharks after about an hour. Wasn't because it was bad...not sure...never have I done such a quick 180 on a game.
Okay. I was like "didn't he call it 'wonderful' like three posts ago?" And thought my reading comprehension was failing me.
The trailer made it look like "Barry Lyndon: The Video Game". And the reviews confirmed it was indeed "Barry Lyndon: The Video Game" which I suppose is... uh... original. But just because an idea's original doesn't make it good. And personally, I think there's a very good reason no one has ever watched Barry Lyndon and said "Y'know what? This would make an awesome video game!" And that's because it wouldn't
I hear the dev is working one "My Dinner with Andre: The Game" next.
---
I've yet to find a comfortable config for gyro aiming, it'll work for ages (albeit re-centering regularly) and then it'll just not aim
I think this is just the Switch's gyro. Even with Ring Fit Adventure, everything will be fine (again, with frequent re-centering) then suddenly the thing just either freaks out or just kind of dies altogether.
That game came out 30 years ago: )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AUaXI4jU88
You're sure to be in a fine haze about now, but don't think too hard about all of this. Just go out and kill a few beasts. It's for your own good. You know, it's just what hunters do! You'll get used to it.
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
Haha, I literally called it that when sharing the trailer with my girlfriend. And then I went and read about all the candles they used on set and Mr. Kubrick's NASA-issued lens again.m.sniffles.esq wrote:The trailer made it look like "Barry Lyndon: The Video Game".
We here shall not rest until we have made a drawing-room of your shaft, and if you do not all finally go down to your doom in patent-leather shoes, then you shall not go at all.
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sunnshiner
- Posts: 192
- Joined: Mon May 09, 2022 3:42 pm
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
Sega Rally Championship with the Model 2 emulator. I've loved this game since it came out- I played it in the arcade BITD and had it for my Saturn and I keep coming back to it. Nothing else comes as close (for me) to driving game nirvana.
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Sengoku Strider
- Posts: 2213
- Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2020 6:21 am
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
No arcade racer has ever topped the feel of that game imo. The gameplay is just flawless. It's even somehow better with a dpad than the analog stick or racing wheel. It makes Mizoguchi's followup Sega Touring Car even more disappointing in retrospect. That's one I really wish they'd gone back and Champion Editioned.sunnshiner wrote:Sega Rally Championship with the Model 2 emulator. I've loved this game since it came out- I played it in the arcade BITD and had it for my Saturn and I keep coming back to it. Nothing else comes as close (for me) to driving game nirvana.
On the subject of Saturn/arcade racers, I feel massively let down by game reviewers and the community in general for never telling me Shutoko Battle was a Ridge Racer clone back in the day. Like, they make endless comparisons and whine about tiny details in everything, but left that out??
RR was my favourite racing series ever, hands down. I would have been ecstatic knowing there was a competitor with extensive car customization and a story mode. And with a couple of localized Dreamcast sequels, no less! The PS1's awful texture mapping, lack of z-buffering & inadequate resolution absolutely ruining R4's art was literally the thing that pushed me over the edge into getting a Dreamcast (my first Sega console) in the first place. I thought it was just some random charmless dudebro Need for Speed thing.
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
Playing Billy Hatcher lately. I love this game.
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m.sniffles.esq
- Posts: 984
- Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2019 5:45 pm
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
RR was my favourite racing series ever, hands down. I would have been ecstatic knowing there was a competitor with extensive car customization and a story mode. And with a couple of localized Dreamcast sequels, no less!
You mean the Tokyo Extreme Racer games?
Those are great. I still play part two all the time
Edit: I mean, XTREME Racer. Sorry
You mean the Tokyo Extreme Racer games?
Those are great. I still play part two all the time
Edit: I mean, XTREME Racer. Sorry
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Sengoku Strider
- Posts: 2213
- Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2020 6:21 am
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
So since writing that I ended up playing Jaki a bunch, and did eventually warm up to it. My initial criticisms still stand, but it does have a rhythm you can get into. And I agree, the bonus rounds - which are much better telegraphed as bosses here, for decades I had no idea the Crush games could actually be beaten - are definitely the best in the series. I like that your ball changes colour after beating one as a way to chart progress. I don't like the silly way multi-ball is implemented though. Due to the perspective, as soon as one ball drops to a lower screen the camera follows it. You have no clue what's happening with the other one above, all but ensuring it's going to gutter.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.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
But yeah, if I'd had this back in the day, I would have been pretty satisfied with it and played it a ton. Which is why it's weird it never got localized, given that Alien did well enough for NEC to localize Devil's, and Devil's/Dragon's Fury did well enough on Genesis to merit its own side-sequel there.
But this week I got Kyūtenkai Fantastic Pinball for Saturn, and dang if that game hasn't hogged the attention. Technosoft did the Mega Drive version of Devil's Crush, and while I don't know if there's any staff continuity they made an awesome followup here. The game looks incredible, I don't know how it doesn't wind up on every 'top 10 2S Saturn graphics' list. Really colourful, well animated, huge elements. The only two downsides that might bug purists is that the flippers move kind of slowly compared to real pinball, I don't know why they did that. I find myself having to hit the button before the flippers are even on screen, based on anticipating ball trajectory. The other one is there's like 5-10 seconds of loading or something when you enter a bonus/boss room, which is weird. There's no way they needed to do that, and I wonder if this game was engineered for the PS1 & its single meg of RAM first, and Tecnosoft didn't change it for the Saturn.
Still, I really like it, I can see myself playing it for quite a while. I don't anticipate getting another pinball game for a couple of months at the earliest.
I do! I'll be getting those at some point for sure. I also started playing another Saturn RR clone, Wangan Dead Heat Plus Real Arrange. The drift physics in this one are super tricky. In fact I'm not even sure they are drift physics, rather than my car fishtailing out of control if I turn while braking or re-engaging the gas. But the gimmick here is that you impress 90s Japanese gravure idols with your driving, enough for them to get into the car and act impressed or bitchy between races, depending on how you did. This is one of those rare games that uses the Saturn's twin operator card, and I've gotta say, the video quality is SHOCKINGLY good for 1996. 480p and 30 fps through SCART looks legit amazing compared to, y'know, most everything else from the time. A quarter-century later there's still web content being put out there at that quality. So while I can't vouch for the quality of the racing, the game does let me date Yuka Nakamori - who I had a huge crush on back in the day - in possibly the highest quality footage that exists of her in her prime. The fact of which alone probably would have made this a lock for my gaming Mount Rushmore in the mid-90s.m.sniffles.esq wrote:RR was my favourite racing series ever, hands down. I would have been ecstatic knowing there was a competitor with extensive car customization and a story mode. And with a couple of localized Dreamcast sequels, no less!
You mean the Tokyo Extreme Racer games?
Those are great. I still play part two all the time
Edit: I mean, XTREME Racer. Sorry
Also, after playing that a bunch I jumped over to Hang-On GP '95, which suddenly felt Mario Kart by comparison. If you know how that game plays, you know that's no small feat. It was like taking the training weights off.
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m.sniffles.esq
- Posts: 984
- Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2019 5:45 pm
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
I do! I'll be getting those at some point for sure.
You can probably just get part 2 (unless you're being a completist). As the sequel operates under the 'exactly like the original, just more and better' theory. More cars, more customizations, more rivals, more road, better graphics, better sound, better handling.
You can probably just get part 2 (unless you're being a completist). As the sequel operates under the 'exactly like the original, just more and better' theory. More cars, more customizations, more rivals, more road, better graphics, better sound, better handling.
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Sengoku Strider
- Posts: 2213
- Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2020 6:21 am
Re: What [not shmup] game are you playing now?
So after Ms. Nakamori refused to get out of my dreams and into my car for the 20th consecutive time, I had the genius flash of insight to try alternate input methods with this. Sadly it won't acknowledge the 3D pad at all with the analog switched on, despite releasing a couple of months after it. I guess being Plus or Real or Arrange doesn't include stuff like that.Sengoku Strider wrote:I also started playing another Saturn RR clone, Wangan Dead Heat Plus Real Arrange. The drift physics in this one are super tricky. In fact I'm not even sure they are drift physics, rather than my car fishtailing out of control if I turn while braking or re-engaging the gas.
Also, after playing that a bunch I jumped over to Hang-On GP '95, which suddenly felt Mario Kart by comparison. If you know how that game plays, you know that's no small feat. It was like taking the training weights off.
But thankfully the racing wheel was a different story altogether. The game controlled like an absolute dream with it, which surprised me as it can be hit or miss. Things that had me fishtailing into a wall with the dpad were suddenly really easy to correct out of. I could enter, control and exit slides well, which as I mentioned before I wasn't even sure was an actual mechanic. It's like they built the game's physics entirely around the wheel, and barely tested the dpad at all. Which is weird because vanilla Wangan Dead Heat (AKA Highway 2000) was an earlier release, and this isn't just Wangan Dead Heat Plus, no no, it is the arrange, the real arrange, of the plus.
But this isn't all that uncommon with Saturn racers. For instance Sega Touring Car is seemingly uncontrollable with the dpad, but with the analog pad it is elevated from a hideous train wreck to being just a bad ugly game (the wheel is no help at all here). Which is a shame, because you can feel the Sega Rally dna in there, keeping the whole thing from flying apart at the seams...on occasion. The game was obviously rushed onto store shelves with barely a month before the Saturn's final Christmas in the West, still well before it was ready.