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Post by toei on Aug 3, 2021 23:54:23 GMT -5
Xeogred It definitely sounds like work, but I really don't have money to burn, especially for how little time I put into video games. I'm actually off work for 3 weeks, though, so if I'm going to be playing a longer, narrative-driven game at all this year, that'd be now. Or am I too lazy for this tech shit? To be continued...
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Post by Ex on Aug 4, 2021 0:22:34 GMT -5
toei It's really not that hard. Once you have the OS installed to the external drive, and you boot the computer off the drive, it's just like using a normal computer again. Except everything you do remains isolated from your work HDD. Sarge Gain Ground arcade sounds rough. Reminds me of Osman if you know what I mean. So... no dip switch settings to alleviate the final level BS? - Yep I like the niptastic Japanese box art better than the USA box. Title: SpellCasterPlatform: SEGA Master System Region release played: USA Year of release: 1989 Developer: SEGA Publisher: SEGA Graphics: 4/5 (great for its time and platform) Audio: 3/5 Challenge: 4/5 (or 3/5 if you use a guide) Fun factor: 3/5 Quick Thoughts: SpellCaster combines Japanese style menu adventure gaming with action-platforming. There's also a robust spell casting system, so the game is aptly named. A moody atmosphere and mature-themed narrative provide an above average plot. The fun is hampered by byzantine "puzzle" designs, which are best navigated using a strategy guide (unfortunately). But the platforming stages and boss fights, story exposition and strategic magic usage, all cast a fun spell. +Ambitious game design for its day.
+Plenty of locale variety and surprising events. +LOTS of boss fights. +Mature narrative that doesn't coddle the player. +The final boss rush is a shmup!
-I'd rather the crappy menu "adventure puzzle" portions had just been linear cutscenes. -I wish the spell names had been in English. -The pyramid level sucks, the final area's time-wasting backtracking sucks. -You can't duck and shoot simultaneously. What is this, Mega Man? -Rough localization... grammar mistakes, misspellings, cultural substitutions, and good ol' Engrish. Ex's time to beat: 4 hours 30 minutes (used a guide fairly often)
Ex's rating: 7/10
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Post by Sarge on Aug 4, 2021 0:31:23 GMT -5
Nope. Well, I mean, yeah, you can reduce the difficulty, but no switches to let you continue there. It's still super hard, regardless. I'm really peeved at myself - had a great run going in Gain Ground SX, which indeed is far better than the arcade version. But in a really dumb decision, I decided to save a dude that was tagging along... with one of the few dudes I had that could finish the stage before time ran out, leaving all my other troops to their death. Yeah, no recovering from a mistake like that. Dumb, dumb, dumb. And not playing via emulator, so I didn't have a save state. Bummer. Still, it confirmed to me how much the console versions beat the pants off the arcade game. GGSX does things a little differently, though - it has the full-size arcade fields, but zooms in a lot and has a scrolling playfield. The Genesis version compresses the maps to a single screen. I guess technically neither of those count, anyway, since they were ported by companies other than Sega. EDIT: Oh, man, that's frustrating, I was right there at the end boss, too. Kept thinking this version had the extra stages like the Genesis port. Wonder if I can find a code to get back there? If not for that dumb mistake, I probably would have taken it down.
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Post by toei on Aug 4, 2021 0:58:26 GMT -5
The arcade versions of Shinobi and E-SWAT also didn't let you continue in the final level, so this was something like a Sega tradition in the late '80s, for better or worse. Ex Makoto Okino's art was pretty dope. Peacock King is about an exorcist Buddhist monk, so there are lots of cool demon designs, along with all kinds of references to religions from different times and places. We don't have a name for it in English (that I know of), but it's a whole genre in Japan. Megami Tensei could be said to be part of it, just with an occasional cyberpunk twist. He also wrote the outline for King Colossus and did the character designs.
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Post by Ex on Aug 4, 2021 9:32:09 GMT -5
Makoto Okino's art was pretty dope. I agree, his style was unique and I find it aesthetically pleasing. Have you ever watched any of the OVAs or live action films from this franchise? www.anime-planet.com/anime/spirit-warriorwww.anime-planet.com/anime/spirit-warrior-2www.imdb.com/title/tt0093367/www.imdb.com/title/tt0098971/- Edit: So it turns out I already beat Jewel Master back in 2019 according to my HLTB. Not sure how I forgot about that. I gave the game a 6/10, and wrote "Kinda bland and bad game with one unique mechanic (mixing rings for spells), but the OST is really great. I'm pretty sure FromSoftware took inspiration from this game when they created "Eternal Ring " on PS2."
I beat Eternal Ring a long time ago, and I remember thinking it was fairly fun. In Eternal Ring you mix rings on your fingers the same way you do in Jewel Master, in order to create various spells. Although Eternal Ring is a 3D first person action-dungeon crawler, not a 2D side-scrolling action-platformer. But still, I'd recommend Eternal Ring to anybody who enjoyed the magic system in Jewel Master. Because in Eternal Ring there are LOADS more magic rings to mix and match:
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Post by Sarge on Aug 4, 2021 12:24:10 GMT -5
Oh, I played some Mystic Defender last night. Seems pretty fun, but I very quickly burned all my lives/continues in the fire level. (Ha, "burned" them. I'll show myself out now.)
And yeah, that's quite the divergence on the cover art for SpellCaster.
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Post by Ex on Aug 4, 2021 12:50:04 GMT -5
I plan to play that one next. At least there's no menu-puzzle-adventure crap in it.
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Post by toei on Aug 4, 2021 13:55:14 GMT -5
Oh, I played some Mystic Defender last night. Seems pretty fun, but I very quickly burned all my lives/continues in the fire level. (Ha, "burned" them. I'll show myself out now.) And yeah, that's quite the divergence on the cover art for SpellCaster. Yeah, that's one of the harder parts. You have to learn to jump lightly in that one so you don't hit the ceiling, while letting your spiritual flamethrower handle the enemies coming at you. Ex I watched the OVAs when I wrote the HG101 article a few years back. They're OK, but the manga (what's translated of it so far) is better. The second OVA series tends to really focus on overblown final confrontation stuff but doesn't have the buildup to justify it. There's some really good music and it's well-done visually, though.
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Post by Sarge on Aug 4, 2021 21:10:42 GMT -5
Whew, Gain Ground SX done. Almost blew it again, except against the last boss. Ran out of time because it's incredibly difficult to dodge the homing missiles and then get up there to blast him before you run in terror from the missiles again. Had my long-distance gunner come in on the continue and get in the last shots. And yeah, again, this is not technically developed by Sega, but the original game was, so sure, I'll toss it in here. About an hour to finish off, and I'd say it's a 7.5/10. Very good, and much better balanced than the arcade game.
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Post by Xeogred on Aug 4, 2021 22:26:46 GMT -5
More fun art... I know the anime one isn't MD/Genesis, but I love it.
This comic styled cover is pretty cool too though in this case:
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