What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

[m.sniffles.esq]

Well, tbh honest yes I can watch some trailers and read reviews online.

Oh, I didn't mean you. I meant the "I watched 2 seconds of the trailer, spend 10 minutes explaining it to me as I can't be bothered with the the other 28" comment I quoted (sorry, if that wasn't obvious)

[Sumez]

"Here's a thing I really liked!"

"Oh what did you like about it?"

"Do your own research, man, I can't babysit you"

[XoPachi]

Playing Maximo for the first time in 20 years. This game is actually a lot of fun. I forgot how much risky decision making was involved playing this and I really like the camera, save, and movement systems here. Really immediately solid game. I like how Maximo is really cartoony and goofy but is still a really cool character design.

I was randomly thinking about the game this morning and was wondering why they never ported it and it's sequel or even make mention of it anywhere.

[Daytime Waitress]

Well, tbh honest yes I can watch some trailers and read reviews online. However I happen to love this shmup community, and share most of people here gaming's opinion and liking.
This is why I will always prefer recomendations given by a fellow player on this forum, than some random reviews (dont mean to be rude with people actually working hard to write review, sorry) and videos anywhere else on the interweb.

I guess this is also why this thread is so popular ? You tell which game you play and like and why, and people in the community may discover new titles to try for themselves.

Although I haven't been around a long time, I honestly think this is what compelled me to sign up to these boards in the first place - that capacity for the expression of enthusiasm (or disdain).
More than just a love of shmups, or arcade titles, or challenging games in general, folks around these parts have a wonderful knack of articulating their passion for the unearthed obscurities, the tragically missed opportunities, and even the everyday but viewed in a new light.

I'll admit that I've winced a little every time this thread has received a bump in the last couple of weeks, knowing that it's just going to entrench the "Tales of" hijack.
But whilst the series is of absolutely no interest to me, it genuinely warms my cold, dead, cynical heart to know that some day, some weeb is going to go looking for info on those games, and mayhaps they'll stumble upon a spirited discussion, pages long, by people that obviously give a shit about it; maybe tomorrow, maybe three months from now, maybe a decade down the line - but long after socmed and Chat Program du Jour ephemera have scattered to the wind.

[Sumez]

I'll admit that I've winced a little every time this thread has received a bump in the last couple of weeks, knowing that it's just going to entrench the "Tales of" hijack.
But whilst the series is of absolutely no interest to me, it genuinely warms my cold, dead, cynical heart [...}

Lol, exactly the same here. I have zero interest in reading a single word written about any game with a title that starts with "Tales of", and I'd tap out of the thread for as long as it carries on - but the passion driving a discussion about the qualities of such a series always has my respect, so I'm just happy that it has a home.

[m.sniffles.esq]

Let the record show, Hello Kitty: Island Adventure =

Spoiler

(ps I just got an email from someone who's way more of a Nintendo-file than I, that states HK: IA--as it will referred to from now on--"successfully mashes up breath of the wild and animal crossing". However, they find the find "ease" of which the two games were combined to be a little "dispiriting", as "it makes you realize how many of Nintendo's efforts are interchangeable"

While I'll acknowledge this person knows more about the subject than I do, I also think it's a little unfair. Just because they perceive ease in this combination doesn't mean it was devoid of work. I mean, actors rehearse endlessly so it may appear to the audience they're making it up as they go along)

[XoPachi]

Lol, exactly the same here. I have zero interest in reading a single word written about any game with a title that starts with "Tales of", and I'd tap out of the thread for as long as it carries on - but the passion driving a discussion about the qualities of such a series always has my respect, so I'm just happy that it has a home.

Same somewhat. Can't stand the games, but sometimes I do actually read a bit of the posts. I've come to find that crowds like this have very nuanced perspectives for things and seeing arcade/STG heads talk JRPG's is an interesting blend of discussion.

[Sima Tuna]

People who play shmups usually played a lot of some other genre before/after/during playing shmups, and are usually obsessive video game heads regardless.

We won't all agree as far as our tastes go (who would?) but we are passionate and weird nerds.

[vol.2]

While I'll acknowledge this person knows more about the subject than I do, I also think it's a little unfair. Just because they perceive ease in this combination doesn't mean it was devoid of work. I mean, actors rehearse endlessly so it may appear to the audience they're making it up as they go along)

I think it's actually very insightful, but it would have been nicer if they had said it in a way that couldn't so easily be construed as judgmental. It's essentially fluff, but it's fluff with high production values. Who among us doesn't like some fluff with high production values?

That they use familiar characters is also gratifying.

[m.sniffles.esq]

For the record, they were saying that they really liked the game.

It was just they always considered Animal Crossing and Breath of the Wild to be very different games, and that any attempt to combine them wouldn't yield real great results. Therefore they found the seeming ease of which they were squished together perhaps meant the games weren't as different as they thought.

I just added that they didn't see the 28 attempts that didn't work at all, only the attempt that did.

[XoPachi]

Maximo's bosses suck but, this game is REALLY fun so far.

I like how all it's collectibles serve a real purpose. Keys let you open chests to replenish supplies. Fairies give you additional continues. And coins usually give lives in platformers but here, they're required to save or buy powerups which has a nice bit of tradeoff and a pressure to go for the more risky placed hauls. Most are in typical strings along paths but a lot of them can be placed in trap locations.
Sometimes coins will be in grave pits where skeleton hands will come up and swipe at you. Sometimes they're over tricky, deadly platforming sections. Sometimes they're in places below you where you don't immediately have all information and need to spontaneously defend yourself for your prize. And others are just in strange locations you need to figure out how to reach which can just generally lead to damage if you're not careful. And since there's a lot of chests with coins, there's mimics to punish hasty chest opening. Dickhead crows will also try to steal your coins. So if you suck at stuffing their approach or killing them before they fly away with your cash, you're incentivized to stay on top of coin gathering to offset that potential loss. Ghosts also challenge fairy hoarding by knocking them out of you if you're not paying attention.

I also appreciate the emphasis on defensive wariness which surprised me for something that isn't necessarily a beat em up of any kind. Standing and blocking everything can lose you your shield and upgrades/replacements in my time have been rare. You have to really move, jump, and position yourself properly to preserve survivability and Max's movement is quite limited and he has noticeable recovery on his sword. There's no rolling/dashing, parries, i-frames, or general evasive buttons. Enemies aren't super hard but they whiff punish like *crazy* in this game and the more robust bastards are a problem if even just 2 come at you from different angles. His sword has a decent sweep but it's a bit smaller than it looks so you need to be close to enemies that all have very quick attacks. Without the double swing lock spot upgrade, you only have one swipe which frequently leaves you open. You really can't just swing as much as you want as the heavy attack and even the slam starts to get blocked by badder enemies. I think the only thing that is nearly unbeatable is a swing from a powered up sword. But you have 20 hits before you lose the upgrade which moderately balances it.

I know some people would probably hate the camera, but I actually usually like it. It feels like this other thing that's very deliberately limited making you consider angles at all times. Like it's trying to make you be less reckless in how you're moving through environments and tracking threats. The game really feels like every system has something that contests it.

This is a really cool game. I need to see what else this team made because between this and Crash Bandicoot they really know how to make a great 3D platformer.

[nogden]

I’m playing The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors and wow what a great game. Whoever does the pixel art for Natsume is top tier

[nogden]

Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition on switch. I know the new Dynasty Warriors just came out but I never finished this game so I figured I’d come back to it first. God I love the Koei tecmo twist of all the Zelda characters. Great game and a shit ton of content.

The second one based on Breath of the Wild is also fantastic if you're into Musou games. It's also got a lot more plot related meat on its bones than Breath of the Wild has and much better characterization (by consequence of all the major characters being dead in Breath of the Wild, you're really just wrapping up loose ends there rather than being a player in a plot). Zelda in particular is written better rather than spending all of the memories moping because her power won't activate for unspecified reasons except long after it's actually needed. In Age of Calamity, she actually gets to be functional and independent, taking direct meaningful actions even without needing her special powers to activate (it also helps that her Sheikah Slate moveset is hilarious and effective).l

Idk how I’m just now seeing this, but I was actually wondering about age of calamity after playing this one. Thanks for the description! Definitely sounds like I’ll have to pick this one up too

[XoPachi]

Shinobi on the PS2 is really good. @-@
It really is just a 3D translation of 2D action games. No real frills.

[Gamer707b]

Just finished Castlevania Bloodlines on the Anniversary Collection. Didn't use save states. Just saved after finishing each level. Never got into the series back then, but I've always wanted to. Played through Super Castlevania 4 right before Bloodlines, and now I can say, I'm definitely on team Bloodlines.

[XoPachi]

Beat Fire Emblem 8 last night. First tactics game I've ever finished. I'm gonna try hard mode next.

[vol.2]

Just finished Castlevania Bloodlines on the Anniversary Collection. Didn't use save states. Just saved after finishing each level. Never got into the series back then, but I've always wanted to. Played through Super Castlevania 4 right before Bloodlines, and now I can say, I'm definitely on team Bloodlines.

I agree. I haven't finished Bloodlines yet, but I liked what I've played more than I did SC4. It definitely has that Genesis feel to it, and it's more arcade-like. I also like the level design and characters a lot; their weapons and attacks are interesting and add some great variety to the whole Castlevania canon.

I also like SC4 for sure, but it's much more of an extension of C3 than it is a whole new game. Even with the new whip mechanics and rotating sections, it still feels very much connected to the first and third games. I wouldn't say SC4 is exactly lacking in variety, but it lacks a lot of variety outside of what it draws upon. There's maybe (to me) the most graphically interesting level is the library.

[To Far Away Times]

Just finished Castlevania Bloodlines on the Anniversary Collection. Didn't use save states. Just saved after finishing each level. Never got into the series back then, but I've always wanted to. Played through Super Castlevania 4 right before Bloodlines, and now I can say, I'm definitely on team Bloodlines.

I agree. I haven't finished Bloodlines yet, but I liked what I've played more than I did SC4. It definitely has that Genesis feel to it, and it's more arcade-like. I also like the level design and characters a lot; their weapons and attacks are interesting and add some great variety to the whole Castlevania canon.

I also like SC4 for sure, but it's much more of an extension of C3 than it is a whole new game. Even with the new whip mechanics and rotating sections, it still feels very much connected to the first and third games. I wouldn't say SC4 is exactly lacking in variety, but it lacks a lot of variety outside of what it draws upon. There's maybe (to me) the most graphically interesting level is the library.

I am definitely team Super Castlevania IV. One of my favorite games ever. It’s the most atmospheric game of its era, bar none. I absolutely love the way the music and levels come together. The game just has immaculate vibes. And when you get good at it you can do a full run in under two hours. I’ve played through it more times than I can count. I also have a tradition to play it every year on Halloween as well.

[Gamer707b]

Since I played two Castlevania games back to back, I'm Castlevaniaed out. Have a bunch of games I bought at conventions and such last year and decided to fire up some Rocket Knight Adventures. Played through the first couple levels and I can already tell, I'm gonna love it. Feels like a game made by Treasure.

[Gamer707b]

I’m playing The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors and wow what a great game. Whoever does the pixel art for Natsume is top tier

Are you playing the Switch Remaster? Got it a couple years back. Loved it. Never played the Snes original, so I had no bias. Just a quality game.

[XoPachi]

I wish I grew up with Ape Escape. This is kind of exactly what I needed lately. 2 and 3 at least. I'll get to 1 when I burn myself out on this FANTASTIC PS2 emulator.
High saturation colors, fun controls, Soichi Terada's cool ass music, great character designs. 2 even has a bit of extra nostalgia with Ash and Misty's VA of the time.

[To Far Away Times]

I wrapped up Final Fantasy VII Rebirth last night. Kind of a hard game to talk about without spoilers so I’ll spoiler Rebirth and Remake here:

Spoiler

I was really enjoying this game but didn’t care for the ending sequence. I was fully onboard with Remake’s story changes. For those that haven’t played it, towards the end of Remake it’s revealed that it’s both a remake and a multiverse sequel of sorts, where things play out along the same story beats but characters who died in the PS1 version might live in the Remake. Zack, for example, doesn’t die when he’s supposed to, and seemingly is aware that he should have died. Remake ends when you leave Midgar, and Rebirth ends when Aeris meets her fate. Remake sets up that the Aeris *could* survive, and she even seems to be aware that her fate can be changed, but when we finally reach that moment in Rebirth, the game opts to tell this section of the story in an intentionally confusing simultaneous multiverse dual narrative, where we see the character both survive and not survive. It robs the moment of its impact. Ultimately, Aeris dies in our universe and survives in the other, and can’t cross over, and tells Cloud she’ll try to help from afar. Cloud can see her in the multiverse (kind of like a ghost that isn’t transparent) but the other characters can’t. I really wish they would have fully committed to either having her survive or perish. I thought Remake’s very vague multiverse angle was really clever, making Aeris’ fate a surprise all over again, and giving the game some very interesting narrative tools to work with. What they actually did with it in Rebirth, and some of the new rules they established here were stupid.

[nogden]

I’m playing The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors and wow what a great game. Whoever does the pixel art for Natsume is top tier

Are you playing the Switch Remaster? Got it a couple years back. Loved it. Never played the Snes original, so I had no bias. Just a quality game.

Yes I am! I’ve never played the original either but yeah this game is very solid. I love all the natsume remakes

[Lord British]

Finally played through a Shenmue game, Shenmue 2. The QTE shit drove me nuts, but it was worth the trip if for no other reason than the sheer atmosphere of it. The whole thing felt like a dream/nightmare. It's some of the best color I've seen in a game even by today's standards and the music is really good too.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

FF6: the GBA version's really solid honestly. The translation is vastly superior to the SNES one for a start. The music's quite decent too even if it's not quite SNES tier. Where it suffers most are the sound effects I think, but it's worth it to get the best translation of the script.

I tried doing a low level, natural magic (no espers) run but I gave up at the Opera House when I realized how obnoxious it is getting past the rats and getting the ideal fights on the forced EXP battles. On console so can't savestate/cheat to avoid getting exp (it's possible but extremely unforgiving and RNG based to get past the rats). It'll still be a low level run but it won't be anal retentive "perfect" low.

[To Far Away Times]

I played the FFIV, V, and VI through the GBA versions and I regret nothing. They’re nice ports.

[Sima Tuna]

I played the FFIV, V, and VI through the GBA versions and I regret nothing. They’re nice ports.

Nor should you. They remain, in my opinion, the best way to play the classic FF games. I have FF1-6 all on game boy advance (minus 3 of course) and I'd find it very difficult to sell any of them. The pixel remasters are not terrible but they do lack some of the features from the GBA versions. The art changes for the pixel remasters can also be considered a downgrade with certain games, such as FF6 (which loses a lot of its steampunk grunge through the increasingly pastel and happy colors of the Pixel Remaster.)

[BareKnuckleRoo]

The art changes for the pixel remasters can also be considered a downgrade with certain games, such as FF6 (which loses a lot of its steampunk grunge through the increasingly pastel and happy colors of the Pixel Remaster.)

At least they're not the really awkward, stiff character poses in battle of the mobile version...

I hear the Pixel Remaster also ditched the bonus dungeons from some of the games which is unfortunate. FF6 allows you to get pretty stacked in terms of power so somewhere to actually use it is kinda nice. The bonus dungeons in FF1's GBA version were kinda tacked on, they sacrificed the main game's difficulty with everything aside from the final boss being trivialized, and all the difficulty comes from the bonus dungeon bosses or the final boss, so I can see leaving those out to try and restore the original difficulty balancing. The PSP version's challenge dungeons are a bit more interesting (and not as long a slog to get through compared to farming items in Whisperwind Cove).

[it290]

Finally played through a Shenmue game, Shenmue 2. The QTE shit drove me nuts, but it was worth the trip if for no other reason than the sheer atmosphere of it. The whole thing felt like a dream/nightmare. It's some of the best color I've seen in a game even by today's standards and the music is really good too.

Shenmue 2 is so epic. I can recall being a little disappointed with the first game at release, then playing through this one a couple of years later and just being blown away by how cinematic it is. I've always been a bit obsessed with Kowloon and setting the game there was a truly inspired choice. The temple in the middle of the city = chef's kiss.

[Gamer707b]

Finally played through a Shenmue game, Shenmue 2. The QTE shit drove me nuts, but it was worth the trip if for no other reason than the sheer atmosphere of it. The whole thing felt like a dream/nightmare. It's some of the best color I've seen in a game even by today's standards and the music is really good too.