Granada appreciation thread

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RoninBuddha
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Re: Granada appreciation thread

Post by RoninBuddha »

i read the title as "Grandpa appreciation thread" thinking it'll be about the senior folks around here...
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No_not_like_Quake
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Re: Granada appreciation thread

Post by No_not_like_Quake »

Been fucking around with an X68000 emulator for the past few days.

Fuck, Arcus 2 is Motoi Sakaruba's best musical work from back then, IMO. Seems like a decent RPG too.

Also, as remembered, Granada is superb. It feels like, while good, the Megadrive version was butchered. Still playable but if you get the chance, play the X68000 version.
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Enhasa
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Re: Granada appreciation thread

Post by Enhasa »

Found this thread due to louisg mentioning it in a shmups chat thread, thanks. BTW, why isn't this there?

Anyway, I don't know if you can find a bigger Granada fan at this site. I have it as one of the most underrated games of all time in any genre. It's going in my top10 when we vote next year. If you think about how it came out in early 1990 (over two years earlier than Recca!!), it's even more impressive.


louisg: st5 boss is really easy. Just go undernearth him like you say, or even better, just get behind him and blaster away. st6 boss is really really tough. First part isn't bad, just lock upwards and strafe left to right between the gaps. When he separates, pinpoint blaster. Next form is tough, dodge while locked upwards and more blaster. Final form is insane and I don't think it's worth dealing with the drones, there's too many of them. I just go all out and try to kill him ASAP. Sometimes in this game, the best defense is a good offense.

Last stage: Yeah, it's really tough. Cannon the bases like you said. Biggest thing with this stage is to be careful not to fall off, especially getting pushed off by those rubber explosives and by the pushers on the narrow walkways. For bases, shoot the red shots down with cannon, but hit them with blaster. There is a huge, clearly-intended-as-a-secret shortcut you can take straight to the boss by suiciding and using your invincibility to cross the gap. (Note: I don't remember, but I'm not sure if this works on x68000 version.) It is well worth it. Final boss isn't hard if you know what to do, ask if you need help.

gameoverDude wrote:
Stormwatch wrote:What ruins Granada is the Genesis' controller. Multidirectional shooters simply don't work right without a SNES-like controller, or two sticks, to move and fire independently.
That probably would've been an optional control setup in a SNES version, with ABXY to aim and L&R to fire the cannons/guns. I don't think the Genesis/X68000 control scheme breaks it however- but I do admit a few spots in the game are slightly tough with this control scheme.
No, that would completely ruin it. I'm a big fan of this strafing setup over dual stick (a rare breed I know, but I dislike the "freedom" of running right and shooting left) except when the game was designed for dual stick like Ikari Warriors, and while SNES ABXY can work as in that one Metal Warriors ship, it would be awful here. There aren't enough buttons, which means you would have to chord trigger R+X+Y for blaster up-left, and your thumb isn't fast enough to switch firing directions easily. It would be really tiring too. Plus, you would be limited to 8 directions instead of the 16 available as it is now. PLUS, without a dedicated strafe button, you wouldn't be able to execute the best and coolest move in basically any game: pointing your cannon in the opposite direction, strafing backwards, and rapid blaster for fastest method of movement. This technique is absolutely necessary when playing for either score or speed.

The level design is built around strafing too. Really, some games are built around dual stick, some are built around strafing, and switching either to the other type wouldn't make sense. louisg is right, if you play this game for a while, most people will probably change the ridiculously customizable key config to something different from default. Like him, I put lock + cannon on a button, and blaster and normal cannon on the other buttons. There's also a toggle for those strange people who prefer toggle autofire over custom buttons in MAME.


Man, that gamesetwatch article was intolerably bad. BTW louisg, I think it'd be really sweet if you started a strategy thread, even if only a GD. I'm going to start a hi score thread sometime myself, and it would be cool to have a place to talk about it strategy-wise.
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louisg
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Re: Granada appreciation thread

Post by louisg »

Enhasa wrote: BTW louisg, I think it'd be really sweet if you started a strategy thread, even if only a GD. I'm going to start a hi score thread sometime myself, and it would be cool to have a place to talk about it strategy-wise.
Done! =)
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gameoverDude
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Re: Granada appreciation thread

Post by gameoverDude »

Something I thought of on the Genesis version: in the later levels it might pay to get a Time Over just before you reach the boss. The later the stage, the higher the time bonus.

It's a shame you can't map a strafe button on the X68000 one. On this one you have to let off the shoot button a moment to use your blaster.
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Enhasa
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Re: Granada appreciation thread

Post by Enhasa »

Yep, it's worth insane points due to stage multiplier. Even better is to timeout suicide right before you kill the boss though.
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gameoverDude
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Re: Granada appreciation thread

Post by gameoverDude »

Enhasa wrote:Yep, it's worth insane points due to stage multiplier. Even better is to timeout suicide right before you kill the boss though.
I ran out of time once on the stage 4 boss (not on purpose though). This bastard is annoying, but I didn't take too long to kill it after the Time Over. Lots of points, but I'd rather have done this later in the game.

Does the stage 4 boss die after a certain number of its cores are shot, or do you have to bank enough bullets so they hit him from behind?
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Enhasa
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Re: Granada appreciation thread

Post by Enhasa »

There's a somewhat lesser-known trick about the stage 4 boss. You can actually ride along the walls around the pit. So just ride them until you're behind him, all while strafing and keeping your turret pointed straight upwards. It's technically still banking, but it's a lot easier.


BTW all this kind of stuff should probably go in the strategy board thread but whatever. :)
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beam
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Re: Granada appreciation thread

Post by beam »

No_not_like_Quake wrote:Fuck, Arcus 2 is Motoi Sakaruba's best musical work from back then, IMO. Seems like a decent RPG too.
The soundtrack is wonderful, not the game.
For your information there's a soundtrack cd available.

On the contrary Arcus 1-2-3 is the best rpg Wolfteam ever made and ... the soundtrack from Arcus 2 is used and expanded during all 3 games !
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Enhasa
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Re: Granada appreciation thread

Post by Enhasa »

I know this is a very pedestrian viewpoint but it's still true for me.

I LOVE Arcus 1-2-3 like a long-lost son but I still would have to put Tales of Phantasia (and most tri-Ace games for that matter, but not Tales Studio games) above it in terms of Wolf Team RPGs, and Tales of Phantasia and a couple others like Granada and maybe Sol-Deace or El Viento above it in terms of Sakuraba soundtracks "from back then." Still highly underrated though.

Oh, Sakuraba's non videogame or live concert / solo / arrange stuff is almost all fucking ace. Baroque in the Future, Gikyokuonsou, Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile live concert, Forest of Glass, check all that shit out! The first live concert DVD was so awesome I almost exploded, highly recommended.
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