Classic games you don't like.

[Shatterhand]

Mario Kart - Personal grudge, the game is alright and its a great concept. The AI though is a force to be reckoned with. In all Mario Kart games, the AI somehow manages to find ways to fly up the field, stick with you and hassle you, only to pip you on the line. Playing with friends is great though.

I don't dislike Mario Kart, I actually do enjoy it. But I do find this REALLY annoying in the game. I remember I once was playing Mario Kart 64, I was in the Wario Stadium, playing with Wario (My fav char in that version). Right in the last turn of the track, just before you get in a VERY LONG STRAIGHTWAY, I shot Donkey Kong who was 1st place , and got the lead, while he was spinning... at this point you get this very long straightway, and all you do is ACELLERATE... there's nothing else to do but that, I just kept at full speed at all the time. And by the end of the straightway, Donkey Kong was just overtaking me.

HOW THE HELL COULD HE DO THAT ? Cheat, the AI cheats, and that's something everyone knows. It's damn annoying, I can tell you.

[sethsez]

Maybe you've played it, I don't know, but Sonic Advance 2 fits the Precision Platforming bit quite nicely. (in my own opinion) Pick it up and try and get some fast times. Other than that, yeah, I agree somewhat.

Huh? If any Sonic game actually fits the "hold a direction and jump once in a while" stereotype, it's Sonic Advance 2.

[Iccy]

Maybe you've played it, I don't know, but Sonic Advance 2 fits the Precision Platforming bit quite nicely. (in my own opinion) Pick it up and try and get some fast times. Other than that, yeah, I agree somewhat.

Huh? If any Sonic game actually fits the "hold a direction and jump once in a while" stereotype, it's Sonic Advance 2.

Feels like that, but I got into playing it for Time Trial and there's a lot more to it. As with all platformers, a lot of it comes down to timing still, but with getting a fast time, you need to be bang on precise with Air Dashing and Tricks, as well as knowing the right routes. Kind of works out as being a bit of a race game actually. I had an old run of the last level lying around somewhere, but i've had to reformat since then. I'll have a look for it though.

[zaphod]

My list
1) Galaxian. i think i speak for a lot of people when i say BLAH! GO play galaga instead.
2) metal slug games. I'm sorry, i just cant' get over the slow framerate present in every metal slug I've ever seen. This s supposed to be the pinnacle of wallkabout shooter design???
3) Robotron X. Frameskipping BAD, mmkay? That alone kills the game for me.
3) Metroid 2. This has not aged well. The first one was still brilliant, though.
4) Dracula X for turbo duo. Everyone says it's the best castlevania ever made, and while it's not a bad game, I just don't see it.
5) Any mortal Kombat. I know I'm not alone here.
6) Klax. It's a fun enough game for a bit, but it seems to have too much of a luck factor, and the way the difficulty ramps up so fast boggles me. I'e never seen a klax master. I've seen peopel tear up Colums even tho I suck at it, so I know it can be doen but never klaxx.
7) Tetris Attack. puzzle mode was fun, bt that's about it...
Double Dragon. I'm sorry, but the final castle level is just cheap with the spears and blocks. And other than that, you just elbow your way thru it. this is supposed to be one of the best beat-em-ups ever??? Oh, and wayy too much slowdown...
9) Gauntlet and gautlet II. Gauntlet 1 is incredibly dull, and while gauntlet II is actually more intereting, this is tempered by it's cheapness with depriving you of food when you score enough points. Sad thing is, with all it's bugs, the NES version f gauntlet is actually an IMPROVEMENT over both arcade games. Yes, a while ago i used to think gauntlet and gauntlet II were so cool, but emulation has revealed how mind-numbing dul they actually are, and how little true stratey is required for them.
10) Magic Sword. I'm sorry, i don't know what everyone sees in this game. even more mid-numbingly boring than Gauntlet 1.
11) Dragon's Lair. All graphics, and no gameplay. Truly ahead of it's time, Still as the first of it's kind, it has it's place...
12) Comix Zone. oooh, cool, someone pencils in an enemy and it comes to life. lets go beat it up. What? Game ove ralready, an dno continue? How am i supposed to have fun with this thing? It looks liek it's supposed to be an epic game, but I die too soon to have fun.
13) Defender/Stargate. I'm sorry, I have to agree on control complexity for control complexity's sake. WHY WHY WHY??? one joystick, thre buttoms. all you needed. no, they have to tack on thrust and reverse! Controls should be ter eto help you play the game, not inconvenience you.
14) Phoenix. I'm sorry, that game is ruined by it's crappy hardware. would actually be fun if parts weren't so jerky.
15) Tempest. While it was really trippy back in the day, it has NOT aged well. Tempest 2000, despite a few niggles i have wit hit is much better, and brings it's trippiness up to date.

[Davey]

Tetris Attack. puzzle mode was fun, bt that's about it...

That's just silly. I'll admit the initial learning curve is a bit prohibitive, but it's a great game once you get the hang of it. Even my ex-roommates used to play the shit out of it, and they weren't even really into gaming.

Puzzle mode is my least favorite part, actually.

Phoenix. I'm sorry, that game is ruined by it's crappy hardware. would actually be fun if parts weren't so jerky.

How popular was this back in the day? The first time I played it (or heard of it, for that matter) was a few months ago when I noticed it shoved away in the back of my local laundromat. It didn't take me long to realize the game was utter ass, so I went back to playing Galaga. I didn't care for the lack of a joystick, either.

[zaphod]

What bothered me about tetris attack was the fact that you have to drag stuff all over the screen all the time repetedly to get the big combos to win, instead of using planning to set them up. I always was too slow to get the "skill chains" and i ended up saying "screw it, this is NOT FUN" If that combo mechanic was strippe dout and the only combos were ones that didn't involve dragging things halfway acrross the screenl, I'd enjoy it more.

There's nothing wrong with the concept of swapping pieces to line up 3 in a row or more, but that particular execution of t reall drives me up the wall.

And yes phoenix is considered a classic by many, and is fondly remembered by a number of people.

[Dartagnan1083]

Feels like that, but I got into playing it for Time Trial and there's a lot more to it. As with all platformers, a lot of it comes down to timing still, but with getting a fast time, you need to be bang on precise with Air Dashing and Tricks, as well as knowing the right routes. Kind of works out as being a bit of a race game actually. I had an old run of the last level lying around somewhere, but i've had to reformat since then. I'll have a look for it though.

This is the problem I have with Sonic Adventure 2.
it pretty much requires you to use the air tricks.
Memorizing a route without friendly backtracking is also bothersome.

[Specineff]

10) Magic Sword. I'm sorry, i don't know what everyone sees in this game. even more mid-numbingly boring than Gauntlet 1.

The problem with Magic Sword is the &%$#@! annoying degenerative disease that affects the character. I know it's a coin-op and it's supposed to make you money, Capcom... but having the life bar go down even when you don't get hit is an unforgivable sin. Repeated in certain versions of Konami's Crime Fighters.

I'll go play Alien Vs Predator to wash away the bad taste.

[Dynamite Force]

10) Magic Sword. I'm sorry, i don't know what everyone sees in this game. even more mid-numbingly boring than Gauntlet 1.

The problem with Magic Sword is the &%$#@! annoying degenerative disease that affects the character. I know it's a coin-op and it's supposed to make you money, Capcom... but having the life bar go down even when you don't get hit is an unforgivable sin. Repeated in certain versions of Konami's Crime Fighters.

I'll go play Alien Vs Predator to wash away the bad taste.

I take it you must've REALLY hated the Gauntlet games 'cause those suffer from the same problems, but anyways.

Grandia II - The voice acting was great and the battle system was nice, but it was way too easy.

Final Fantasy 7 and up - I couldn't get into these games like I did with FF6 and once the graphics buzz wore off, they turned out to be rather mediocre games.

Tales of Destiny - The battle system was clunky and slow, not to mention I couldn't get attached to any of the characters at all.

[Elixir]

Pacman.

It's the same level which repeats itself, and slowly the enemies aren't affected by energizers as long, making it harder.

Oh boy, how fun it is to play the one level which Pacman has. I don't see how this game makes much sense. I have no recollection of any Pacman game that saved your high scores after the console is turned off. Making your experience worthless. More to the point, getting fruit is a dumb idea. Gain an extra life and die in th process.

Ms. Pacman is much better. I don't bother with my Pacman for GBA anymore because of it's stupidity. I know that Ms. Pacman was on SNES, Megadrive and MS. Each level changes and there's different layouts. 5 modes. Big, mini, strange, arcade. At least they've done something right.

There was a kid a few years ago who played hundreds of consecutive Pacman rounds constantly. Somebody has no life.

[Dartagnan1083]

It wasn't a kid that played the rounds.
It was a grown adult that owns and opperates his own Hot-sauce company.
He now hold the guiness record and has his stupid mullet pictured in EGM.

I don't really care, it's only pac-man
If it were something like missile command I'd be more impressed.

[Moogs]

Pacman.

It's the same level which repeats itself, and slowly the enemies aren't affected by energizers as long, making it harder.

Oh boy, how fun it is to play the one level which Pacman has. I don't see how this game makes much sense. I have no recollection of any Pacman game that saved your high scores after the console is turned off. Making your experience worthless. More to the point, getting fruit is a dumb idea. Gain an extra life and die in th process.

Ms. Pacman is much better. I don't bother with my Pacman for GBA anymore because of it's stupidity. I know that Ms. Pacman was on SNES, Megadrive and MS. Each level changes and there's different layouts. 5 modes. Big, mini, strange, arcade. At least they've done something right.

There was a kid a few years ago who played hundreds of consecutive Pacman rounds constantly. Somebody has no life.

Since you mention playing Pac-Man on a console, I can only assume you're not old enough to have actually been there when Pac-Man originally came out in the arcades. This was the shit at the time. Playing an identical level over and over wasn't an issue, getting your initials at the number one spot on the high score table, and keeping it there until the arcade operator unplugged it was what it was all about.

[sethsez]

Well, yeah, but "fun at the time" doesn't always translate to "fun now."

[TVG]

it does, at least for me.

i still play the shit out of pacman, and no, i havent been there when it was released, ive re-discovered pacman, not some whack PC clone like i used to play, a few years ago.

its perfect, change anything and its not.

tho, the gba rev isnt that good, the fullscreen is just a carbon copy of the neogeo pocket version, way too small to play as well as you can.

[BUHA]

Pac-Man IS videogames.

I can't believe somebody could say that about Pac-Man!!

[BrianC]

it does, at least for me.

i still play the shit out of pacman, and no, i havent been there when it was released, ive re-discovered pacman, not some whack PC clone like i used to play, a few years ago.

its perfect, change anything and its not.

tho, the gba rev isnt that good, the fullscreen is just a carbon copy of the neogeo pocket version, way too small to play as well as you can.

Umm. The NGPC rev has a bigger fullscreen. I like the GBA rev in the Pac-Man collection, but I actually recommend the Classic NES series Pac-Man. It has better full screen and truer ghost AI to the arcade.

[neorichieb1971]

Haha, its a pity that Konami get no praise for their little number.

Amidar is the best pacman variant, I would even go as far to say that Mr DO! is better than pacman but thats more like Dig Dug.


Anyway, Amidar has so many mazes, much better tunes, better strategy and was made in 1982 and I would still play it today. In fact I just bought the Stern PCB

I got that music in my head now. Pacman has survived through marketting and its color and shape.. not through its gameplay.

[LoneSage]

After playing Pac-Man Arranged on the GameCube collection, there's no going back.

[BrianC]

Haha, its a pity that Konami get no praise for their little number.

Amidar is the best pacman variant, I would even go as far to say that Mr DO! is better than pacman but thats more like Dig Dug.


Anyway, Amidar has so many mazes, much better tunes, better strategy and was made in 1982 and I would still play it today. In fact I just bought the Stern PCB

I got that music in my head now. Pacman has survived through marketting and its color and shape.. not through its gameplay.

I wish Amidar got more home ports. The Atari 2600 port of it isn't that great. I have the infamous generic hack of it. C64 got a decent port of it, though.

Umm...Pacman wouldn't have been successful if it wasn't for the gameplay. Just becuase the game is popular and marketed quite a bit doesn't mean that people don't like the game for the gameplay.

[neorichieb1971]

Its the lack of variety in the gameplay I guess. Even if your good at it, surely after level 10 your like "what the hell, I can't be bothered anymore".

Apparently only 1 person has ever beaten Pacman (or clocked it) and that was only about 2 years ago. Its nice to see people still remember the classics though. I actually prefer the 3D game Pacmania, at least that has jumping.

[dai jou bu]

Diablo II. My sanity can only go as far as Act I. After that, I begin to vegetate if I try to continue.

Although World of Warcraft shares a lot of Diablo's traits, I can play that game almost all day.

[Elixir]

Since you mention playing Pac-Man on a console, I can only assume you're not old enough to have actually been there when Pac-Man originally came out in the arcades. This was the shit at the time. Playing an identical level over and over wasn't an issue, getting your initials at the number one spot on the high score table, and keeping it there until the arcade operator unplugged it was what it was all about.

I was there. And don't think for a second that my opinion is going to differ over a game which revolves around repetitive gameplay. But hey, think what you like.

Diablo II is pretty annoying. Mostly because people are idiots. Here, I'll attempt to explain: You take a free online game, involding characters, items, friends, and enemies. Now, if you drop an item, somebody will steal it and leave immediately, or attempt to scam you out of other items in order for you to obtain it back.

Next you have the people duping items and ruining the community. Then, that isn't enough. Let's have "hacked" items so that any random person whose actually bothered to get the best items still won't be good enough.

4 level 99's and a bunch of random time consuming fun later, I quit. I still have a few characters myself, but the game is dying.

[neorichieb1971]

Mario Kart - Personal grudge, the game is alright and its a great concept. The AI though is a force to be reckoned with. In all Mario Kart games, the AI somehow manages to find ways to fly up the field, stick with you and hassle you, only to pip you on the line. Playing with friends is great though.

I don't dislike Mario Kart, I actually do enjoy it. But I do find this REALLY annoying in the game. I remember I once was playing Mario Kart 64, I was in the Wario Stadium, playing with Wario (My fav char in that version). Right in the last turn of the track, just before you get in a VERY LONG STRAIGHTWAY, I shot Donkey Kong who was 1st place , and got the lead, while he was spinning... at this point you get this very long straightway, and all you do is ACELLERATE... there's nothing else to do but that, I just kept at full speed at all the time. And by the end of the straightway, Donkey Kong was just overtaking me.

HOW THE HELL COULD HE DO THAT ? Cheat, the AI cheats, and that's something everyone knows. It's damn annoying, I can tell you.

One of the buttons actually allows a map around the perimeter of the screen. DK can actually catch up pretty quickly, I would say at least 1.5 times your top speed.

On another note, playing with people is not perfect either. I think me and my friends played it over 300 hours and found out most of the short cuts. The Wario stadium shortcuts are ridiculous, I think someone did all 3 laps in less than 12 seconds once.

[PaCrappa]

I forgot that I always hated Space Harrier, never liked Columns and always thought that Puyo Puyo games were pretty well overrated.

Pa

[TVG]

BrianC: are you positive on this? the nes classics is closer to the arcade pacman than the pacman collection, has fullscreen (which i tought the nes didnt have, only scrolling, i hate that) and a bigger screen that wont give me a headache after 10 minutes of play?
if its true ill just get it ASAP.

[BrianC]

BrianC: are you positive on this? the nes classics is closer to the arcade pacman than the pacman collection, has fullscreen (which i tought the nes didnt have, only scrolling, i hate that) and a bigger screen that wont give me a headache after 10 minutes of play?
if its true ill just get it ASAP.

The NES version doesn't have scrolling. It does have a slightly altered board, unlike the NGPC and GBA versions. Actually, the Pac-Man collection Pac-Man is closer in graphics and sound to the arcade, but the classic NES version is closer in some other ways like ghost patterns. The sprites are much bigger in the classic NES version, but there are times when Pac-Man slightly clips the walls. There are also times when Pac-Man looks a bit stretched out. So it's still not perfect graphics, but IMO, the bigger sprites are much easier to see than the other full screens.

[BUHA]

I haven't played the GBA NES classics Pac-Man, but the original NES Pac-Man was all wrong. The ghost patterns were right, but the game moved a LOT slower. the first level is so much slower than the first level on the arcade version. The slower speed makes the game way easier to play.

That's all i have to contribute to the Pac-Man debate. I dont know about the other versions!

[BrianC]

I haven't played the GBA NES classics Pac-Man, but the original NES Pac-Man was all wrong. The ghost patterns were right, but the game moved a LOT slower. the first level is so much slower than the first level on the arcade version. The slower speed makes the game way easier to play.

That's all i have to contribute to the Pac-Man debate. I dont know about the other versions!

Yes, it's slower thant the original, but it's not A LOT slower, or at least my idea of "a lot". My idea of a lot slower is the speed of the GB Mortal Kombat 1 where the characters move at a snails pace and even the special moves are slowed down. It's definatly slower, but "a lot" is kind of a streach. It doesn't run at a snail's pace or anywhere near there. Now, Namco's version the NES/GB/GG Ms. Pac-Man. That's a lot slower than the original. Anyway, there is yet another Pac-Man coming to GBA soon, so it might be worth waiting for that one. Digitial Eclipse is porting it this time around and they made the awesome Atari Anniversary Advance, the only GBA compliation with any sort of tate mode.

[zaphod]

More games.

Final Fantasy. the first one. Clumsy battle mechanics forcing you to spread your attacks so you don't waste time attacking a defeated foe, enemies that cna instant-kil you despite protective accesories that are supposed to stop that sort of thing? ICK.

Crazy Climber. Again, a case of controller complexity for it's own sake. bad design.

[FatCobra]

[quote="zaphod"]Final Fantasy. the first one. Clumsy battle mechanics forcing you to spread your attacks so you don't waste time attacking a defeated foe, enemies that cna instant-kil you despite protective accesories that are supposed to stop that sort of thing? ICK.
[quote]

INEFFECTIVE and those damn Ice Cave Sorcerors still haunt my memory. I do argee the whole game was kinda clumsy but Square must have done something right because there's like what, 12 sequels out now?

Here's one I don't like:

Breath of Fire I

Four letter names for EVERYTHING? Yuck. Same thing goes for Paladin's Quest as well I guess.