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Post by Sarge on Nov 21, 2019 22:25:52 GMT -5
It's okay, I have lots of games I've started and stopped. I did polish off one of them (from a 30-hour save) this year in Breath of Fire III, though. I still want to beat Legaia 2 someday. I've got over 30 hours into it, too. As a pretty big Dragon Quest fan myself, I haven't finished any of the Monsters games (although I have played many of them), don't own Builders, and pretty much am sure the only spin-off I've beaten was Rocket Slime, which was splendid. So many puns, and they were awesome. I forced my way through Phantasy Star, and I respect the heck out of it, even if it isn't my favorite. It smooths out quite a bit past the intro, but the early going is pretty slow. As for the Retron 5, part of me wouldn't mind one, but I also hear the emulation isn't necessarily that great. As a cart dumper, though, I could see it being useful. I bought a Retrode for that, and recently dumped virtually every SNES and Genesis game I have. (Couldn't dump my SA1 games, though.) I also have one of the older Infinite NES Lives boards and dumped my save games. I now have my Dragon Warrior IV save backed up for posterity. Ultima VII is the one in that series I'd love to finish. Alas, most games I like the idea of playing more than actually playing them. Which reminds me of this gem:
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Post by Ex on Nov 22, 2019 14:39:11 GMT -5
Dark Savior on the Saturn is pretty decent and interestingly experimental This is one that's always looked interesting to me. I had wondered if it had any connection to Landstalker. Despite how disingenuous it is to what came before, I have often thought Alundra 2 looked inviting. You're the first person I've seen on a retro forum post a positive opinion about that game. Ladystalker and Star Ocean: Blue Sphere are the two translations I am hoping Gid finishes before he retires from his ROMhack career. I mean it's his time, he can translate what he wants. But he started on those said two translations before this flurry of SRW hacks. And I've personally not met anyone on forums who was a SRW fan - not sure who's even clamoring for that stuff. Oh cool! I didn't know that was a roguelike - interest kindled. Secret of Mana is a big white whale for me (language doesn't matter, I still get lost). If you're talking about the SNES version - I've come to the decision it hasn't aged well. Yes SoM still looks great and sounds wonderful, but the game design is not so hot really. I've never played much of any of the proper Ultima games. I was turned off when I learned that many of the Ultima entries expect you to roleplay as the epitome of virtue in order to finish them. Being the ultimate good guy is boring IMO. Also I'm not a fan of the extremely strange isometric viewpoints some of the Ultima entries use, it just bothers me on an aesthetic plane. That said, I can respect the mechanical achievements these games' engines innovated with. My all time favorite 8-bit JRPG, and my all time favorite 16-bit JRPG. Can't recommend them enough personally. I'll just say that Rare's N64 platforming games were not up my alley at all. Not when they came out, not today in retrospect. I don't blame you for bouncing off these. I bounced off Alundra due to its sadistic timed jumping+switch puzzles, and the fact you have to wail on plebe enemies way too much to kill them. That said, I don't think Alundra is a bad game at all. I hypothetically understand why gamers like toei love it. I put 30 hours into that game and then quit playing it. I had super enjoyed exploring the wild lands and small villages around the great city of Baldur's Gate. Mapped everything out, had very powerful characters. Then I finally entered the city of Baldur's Gate, and found myself at once feeling overwhelmed and burned out. So I quit. I regret that decision, I wish I'd just finished the game.
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Post by Sarge on Nov 22, 2019 15:35:41 GMT -5
I haven't finished Banjo-Kazooie (or Tooie) either. hooplehead could probably weigh in on those, though!
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Post by Xeogred on Nov 22, 2019 19:13:11 GMT -5
I'm still a bit fan of Secret of Mana. Sadly seems to get rarer and rarer to see people online that like it.
Then SD3 has my favorite ARPG combat system ever.
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Post by toei on Nov 22, 2019 21:01:43 GMT -5
Ex Technically, Landstalker and Lady Stalker is a two-game series, Alundra & Alundra 2 is another, and Dark Savior isn't related to any of these. But all of them tend to be grouped together as a spiritual series because they stem from the same creators at Climax (some of whom spun-off into Matrix Software) and share strong game design similarities that set them apart from other action RPGs. Time Stalkers is just a Climax crossover, as the original title Climax Landers implies, and while it features Nigel and Lady as playable characters, it also has Pyra from Shining in the Darkness and an original main character.
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Post by Ex on Nov 22, 2019 22:13:43 GMT -5
toei Thanks for the clarity on those games. I will be checking out Landstalker next year. Maybe we can have a 2D action-RPG Club Retro theme or something.
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Post by Xeogred on Nov 24, 2019 11:13:56 GMT -5
Valkyrie Profile - as someone that's played most of the beloved AAA SNES/PSX JRPG's, this one has always been one of the biggest gaps in my resume. For as long as I remember, dating back to high school, physical copies have commanded a ~$100 price tag, which is far too much for me on a "gamble" purchase when I'm never sure if I'll like a game or not. I actually did buy the PSP version years ago, but I hated using the PSP model I had, especially for sidescrolling stuff. I waited for years and years hoping this one would get a PSN release, but we're about to hit 2020 and it's clear it'll never happen now. Is the IP license tied up somewhere? I own the PS2 game though, but obviously need to play this one first.
This game has been on my mind a lot these past few months, once I started emulating PSX stuff a bit more and I've been on a weird long games / RPG kick this year. I don't think I set any goals this year, for better or worse. But I plan to make 2020 the year I finally play this. Like Shadow Hearts, it sounds like a lot of content is easy to miss without a guide, so I guess I'll have to reference one along the way.
What I expect: - I've gotten more into Motoi Sakuraba's music these past few years, so I'm excited and imagine this might be one of his best OST's. - Dark and or unique storyline and characters? Think I've heard that about this one. Demigods, life and death, stuff like that apparently.
- Gorgeous pixel art. - Unique combat system.
In fact, since I didn't beat any PSX games this year (yet?), maybe that should be my plan for next year:
- Valkyrie Profile - Front Mission 3
- Vagrant Story - Tron Bonne
It's possible I might replay FF7 as well before the remake.
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Post by Sarge on Nov 24, 2019 23:21:43 GMT -5
I don't usually recommend playing with a guide, but... you should probably play with a guide, at least if you want the "best" ending. It's pretty arcane how to unlock it.
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Post by Xeogred on Nov 24, 2019 23:33:28 GMT -5
Is it just different endings? Always kind of sounded like a ton of extra content locked that's easy to miss if you don't do things correctly.
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Post by toei on Nov 25, 2019 1:43:00 GMT -5
Is it just different endings? Always kind of sounded like a ton of extra content locked that's easy to miss if you don't do things correctly. Yep, that's what it is (lots of content). The story doesn't even make sense if you don't get the proper ending. It just feels like you messed up somehow, even though the probability of you actually unlocking the proper path without help on the first playthrough is like 00.01%.
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