What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

[BulletMagnet]

^ You should check out Yakuza 2. 4 has better/more refined gameplay, but I still think that 2 is easily the best in the series from a story standpoint. Ryuji Goda is the only antagonist that has ever felt like a true rival for Kiryu to me.

I am semi-tempted to try some of the older games, but the consensus I seem to be detecting among those who have played the entire series is "the earlier you go, the clunkier it is", which makes me more eager to follow the series going forward (assuming we get any more in English, anyways) than to explore its origins. I would still be hard-pressed to resist too hard if the HD remaster of the first two ever got here, though.

[Squire Grooktook]

Drag-on Dragoon 3: Never played the originals because I heard they were terrible

1 and 2 gameplay are almost universally regarded as bad from what I can tell, but the story in 1 is considered something uniquely quirky and weird. 2 was developed by a different team so the story is generic jrpg stuff while the gameplay is about as bad as 1.

[EmperorIng]

I've been thinking of dumping my copy of Drakengard 1 on ebay. While it's not terrible, grinding enemies for over an hour just so your weapons can keep up pace with the later levels gets old. It had great music and bizarrely engrossing world. I'm halfway between continuing and selling it.

I never played a musou game before, so maybe others are better, but the biggest gripe was essentially you basically have three moves (when not on dragon), and there are hundreds of goons you have to kill.

===

Browsing through Taito Legends 2 for fun.

Bonze Adventure/Jigoku Meguri - not entirely sure how power-ups work. Colorful and fun, though maybe a little harder than it needs to be.

Liquid Kids - this one is just a classic. I have lots of fun every time I play. High-quality sprites that are all the more fun to bop and pop around like water balloons. It feels pretty senseless and chaotic at times (much like the New Zealand Story), but the focused level design (something NZS doesn't quite have) makes it engaging.

[Squire Grooktook]

I would recommend just watching a longplay of Drakengard 1 or something. I know there will always be those who say "it isn't the same! You gotta experience it for yourself!" but with games like this your mileage may vary on whether playing enhances the experience or completely kills it.

[Ed Oscuro]

yay skyrimming

[Cata]

I think this day in age, I want a more personal Diablo game, something more like Elder Scrolls in Diablo's violent disturbing world. They could actually produce a pretty scary game if they really tried.

That would be way cool if it happened

[JBC]

On another Time Crisis kick. Just did better in 3 than I ever have. Really starting to get it down.

I'm playing with pedals & am abit out of shape. My reaction times have gotten dull, but I compensate by leaning the pedal to where I just barely have to press it.

Now let's see if I can get my shoddy Crisis Zone disc to install.

[Ed Oscuro]

http://www.allgamesbeta.com/2015/04/bet ... kyrim.html
hurrrf

[iconoclast]

the consensus I seem to be detecting among those who have played the entire series is "the earlier you go, the clunkier it is"

That's definitely true. The combat in Yakuza 1 is honestly pretty bad. They improved it a lot for Yakuza 2, and from there it got incrementally better with each release. It's probably difficult to go back to the PS2 games once you've gotten used to the more recent ones, but I think it's worth it if you like the story & characters.

[BIL]

I finally decided to get the lead out and look at it more systematically.

Good post, particularly appreciated with my having never been one for math. ^_~ On an instinctive level, I've long considered Dracula '86 the golden sprite/screen ratio for fast, precise action. It's why I don't consider IV's crowd-pleasing inflatable Simon a clear positive, nor do I mind later stuff like Vampire Killer, Ganryu or Taromaru keeping things compact.

I was about to list a number of changes I think would've made DB not bad, without fundamentally altering its character and turning it into Rolling Thunder or Spartan X. But then! I realised I was describing Capcom's similarly big-spritin' Mutant Apocalypse (SFC). It's got very similar level design to DB with pits, traps and platforming setpieces galore, plus it puts a lot more hazards onscreen, but it doesn't suck! Comparing the two it's interesting how MA actively compensates.

-a basic: no control lag. DB's laggy/slidey on turns and jumps, making the already-compromised reaction window even scanter.

-the big one: no collision with, nor contact damage on enemies. Liberates space otherwise rapidly devoured by character sprites, and restores reaction time by preventing enemies from simply blundering into the player.

-powerful close combat system. Aesthetic concerns about Dynamite's gun-crazed Batman aside, a major flaw is the total inability to hit stuff at point-blank. Yet more reaction time lost. In MA if something gets in your face, you can simply kick the shit out of it. Actually, you'll want to take the initiative and get in their face first, because...

-MA's a platform brawler first, platform shooter second. Projectiles can be useful, certainly for picking off distant ledge guarders and the like, but given the chance you'll want to be at close range. That's where you can do the most damage, while also benefiting from i-frames.

Obviously, all of the above are geared towards making close proximity with bad guys a positive thing, neutralising the impact of jumbo sprites. That's why MA works. Admittedly the end result is something very unlike the platform shooter DB was trying to be, but at the same time I don't think it'd have been impossible to recalibrate it thus.

[spadgy]

Tower of Guns. I normally get a bit snobby about procedural generation, but this is great fun.

[Ed Oscuro]

Obviously, all of the above are geared towards making close proximity with bad guys a positive thing, neutralising the impact of jumbo sprites. That's why MA works. Admittedly the end result is something very unlike the platform shooter DB was trying to be, but at the same time I don't think it'd have been impossible to recalibrate it thus.

Great follow-up, I'll be checking that out very next thing. It's funny how easy it is to assume game design elements like damage on sprite collision, and for most games it works to some degree, but when it doesn't it can be somewhat spectacular. This is the game design equivalent of the cargo cult programming that went on in so many releases. Sometimes the games that broke the mold are the least expected - Bio Force Ape, for example, tried to set up a pro wrestling moveset and super fast scrolling in levels; it naturally doesn't have contact damage so you can set up moves.

Hmm, now I just need to find a picture of these guys putting out the Bat-Signal. John Frum, He Come!

[Aquas]

Spelunker HD. It's pretty brilliant, no joke.

[ACSeraph]

The first Hokuto no Ken game for famicom. Hilariously violent and surprisingly playable once you figure out how everything works. Last night was my first night with it, shouldn't take long to finish I don't think. Made it to Souther.

[MrSalamander]

Beatmania IIDX

I also like playing music game

[Acid King]

Serious Sam 3: BFE - Sad to see that Croteam Timesplittered Sam. Playing the First Encounter and moving to this is like going from a crotch rocket to a moped, they don't even feel like they belong to the same series. Sam is an unstoppable killing machine. He doesn't have time to reload or look down sights and he certainly doesn't need to press a fucking button to run. I don't know who this joker is but it ain't Serious Sam. This feels like it could be a reskinned version of any number of faceless new school FPS games and thats pretty shitty. I'm only a little ways in so maybe it gets better, but so far I really don't like the changes.

[Sir Ilpalazzo]

Having played the whole series within the last year or so, I really think Serious Sam 3 is the best one by miles. The enemy lineup isn't quite as varied as TSE's, the game starts off too slow and the helicopter and witch enemies you fight later in the game aren't great, but I think it holds up as an extraordinarily well-balanced and well-paced action game in the end. The game having a proper checkpoint structure unlike its predecessors (and the levels being designed with that in mind) really helps elevate it over them.

Sprinting is a cool addition; I think it adds a cool little risk / reward element to combat. Same for reloading (although the assault rifle feels like its clip size is too small). Aiming down sights is pretty useless after the first couple of levels; I don't think it detracts from the game at all.

[jonny5]

Been playing Great 1000 Mile Rally again lately. 1CC is well off at this point, but improving bit by bit. Once you are about half way through you really can't make any mistakes. I've been credit feeding just to get some practice in on the later stages.

Only thing I find weird with this game is it doesn't really have any in game music.

[Mischief Maker]

Having played the whole series within the last year or so, I really think Serious Sam 3 is the best one by miles. The enemy lineup isn't quite as varied as TSE's, the game starts off too slow and the helicopter and witch enemies you fight later in the game aren't great, but I think it holds up as an extraordinarily well-balanced and well-paced action game in the end. The game having a proper checkpoint structure unlike its predecessors (and the levels being designed with that in mind) really helps elevate it over them.

Sprinting is a cool addition; I think it adds a cool little risk / reward element to combat. Same for reloading (although the assault rifle feels like its clip size is too small). Aiming down sights is pretty useless after the first couple of levels; I don't think it detracts from the game at all.

All the original Serious Sams had checkpoints, you just had to turn autosave on in the menu then lay off the quicksave. I beat TFE that way a couple years ago and it was wildly satisfying.

[Sir Ilpalazzo]

All the original Serious Sams had checkpoints, you just had to turn autosave on in the menu then lay off the quicksave. I beat TFE that way a couple years ago and it was wildly satisfying.

Oh, do they? I remember trying that and finding that they only gave you autosaves at the start of each level (and the levels tend to be fairly lengthy). It'd definitely be a point in their favor if they had solid checkpoints too.

[spadgy]

Been playing Great 1000 Mile Rally again lately. 1CC is well off at this point, but improving bit by bit. Once you are about half way through you really can't make any mistakes. I've been credit feeding just to get some practice in on the later stages.

Only thing I find weird with this game is it doesn't really have any in game music.

I'm lucky to have a full kit of this game, including packs of stickers for arcade operators to give to winners of organised tournaments. Must get back into it. I got the Over Top and Neo Drift Out 1CCs, but never this. So I don't even deserve the stickers!

[Ghegs]

I'm lucky to have a full kit of this game, including packs of stickers for arcade operators to give to winners of organised tournaments.

Those sound cool, can you show pics?

[spadgy]

Sure. I'll take a snap tonight. They are even still bundled together with incredibly perished rubber bands.

[Ruldra]

Finished the 30-level long scenario mode in Vantage Master Online. I struggled a lot with this game over the years, but this time around things were much easier. Turns out sending units behind enemy lines to capture magic stones is a very effective strategy. That, and also knowing which unit counters which.

Now I'm playing the 8-level long expert mode, so far I'm on the 3rd stage. All maps favors the enemy position and they're at a higher level than you are. It's getting tough but I feel that I can do this.

---

Also, super late to the party, but got La Mulana on Steam. Really appreciate how accessible the game is now - mainly how a lot of things are explained to you, and now you can load multiple software at once. I noticed a lot of the cartridges from the original are missing too. Hunting and combining them was something I absolutely hated in the original and I hope it's gone from this version.

Once again will try to beat it without checking guides.

[Ed Oscuro]

Not tied to any particular game, but why hasn't this gotten some more press?
https://www.eff.org/let-game-fans-keep- ... es-running

Would be just the thing needed. Doesn't go far enough IMO, but it would be a great start.

In other news:
http://www.vg247.com/2015/04/29/ps4-wit ... 0-on-ebay/
you needed proof that Konami is run by dicks?

[null1024]

Kishin Douji Zenki FX: Vajura Fight [PC-FX].

The Game Sack PC-FX episode made me give this a shot. It's surprisingly fun!
It's a boss-rush for the most part, with very tiny bits of level in between. Large focus on blocking -- if you get hit by some attacks, you'll lose a huge fucking chunk of your life-bar.
I played as the girl, whose name I can't remember now.

I dunno why I have to enable a switch on the controller to access moves the game seems like it's designed around [the attacks on the 4/5/6 buttons, unless there's a different way to use them].
The bosses are pretty neat. Lots of personality, very aggressive.
It's full of cutscenes that I can't understand yet. They give the game a bit of a frantic feeling, and they're decently voice-acted.

The graphics are quite well drawn. Nothing terribly fancy, though [except for the FMV background effects, which are kind of neat]. The PC-FX doesn't have any fancy scaling or rotation or anything. There's some REALLY nice parallax in the backgrounds.
The audio... sounds like a PCE-CD game. Sexy CD-Audio for music with PC Engine beeps and lo-fi samples for SFX.

this game is also making me wonder who the fuck designed this machine
like, apparently it was meant for a '93 release [which made sense... kind-of], but then it got released at the very end of '94 [with almost no changes to the hardware] and with a pricetag only an idiot would fall for
and the hardware pretty much meant it was only any good for VNs and the like -- it's got a pretty impressive hardware video decoder and that's about all there is that's special to the machine

[trap15]

Yeah, PC-FX is a pretty loltastic machine. Was supposed to come with a 3D chip that they ended up pushing forward to being an expansion and then just never released.

It's essentially a SuperGrafx+CD with a new CPU and a video decoder and 4 extra background layers.

[BIL]

In other news:
http://www.vg247.com/2015/04/29/ps4-wit ... 0-on-ebay/
you needed proof that Konami is run by dicks?

Konami can choke to death on my fucking cock.

Sorry - I try to be philosophical but sometimes it's like 2007 all over again >__>

[Ed Oscuro]

Yeah, PC-FX is a pretty loltastic machine.

Japan's CD-i. (But, of course, even the CD-i made the DVI RAM cartridge optional, due to that not insubstantial price problem.)

Konami can choke to death on my fucking cock.

\m/

If I ever need a Forum signature...

[Obiwanshinobi]

Different gameplay, but King's Bounty: The Legend reminds me of Ōkami in that for games this rich in content, it's amazing how none of it feels bloated. You can tell all the stuff they put in there is what they wanted to.
The downside is that I only ever seem to finish such games when unemployed. Those are not to be played when one's in a hurry.

After many a year I re-tried to get into Silent Storm (too many have spoken too highly of it as one of the genre's finest for me not to), but I find the tech as hard to put up with as it was the previous time around. Oft-sub-30-fps framerate could be forgiven considering turn-based gameplay, but no matter the settings, even on a CRT it looks like LCD displaying sub-native resolution. It would seem it's always 640x480 upscaled, yet the lowest resolution in settings menu is 800x600. In short, nothing can be done about the ugliness, for absolutely no apparent reason.
At least the sound (not music) is excellent.