|
Post by toei on Mar 26, 2022 9:40:08 GMT -5
I'm also giving up on Galahad, like Ex . I don't think it's trash or anything - it has some merits, especially for a European game - but I was already pretty tired of the whole "find the key, then go back to the gate" routine after just 5 levels, and apparently there are 21. Also, you can give yourself credits in the Options menu (you get none by default, wtf?), but using them means you come back without the armor and weapon you'd bought, which makes you completely useless. I hate when games penalize you so much for continuing. If it's going to make the game nearly impossible, why even give the option? Also, at the level I was at you have to jump on falling sacks of flour or something to progress, but the timing on that is completely absurd. It takes forever for them to show up, and you have to jump a tiny fraction of a second after they become visible or it won't work. The same gimmick is used in a lot of old platformers - Revenge of Shinobi has that in the second or third level, for example - but I've never seen it done with such obnoxious timing.
|
|
|
Post by Xeogred on Mar 26, 2022 10:21:49 GMT -5
Looking back, I saw Ex played a sequel to Rastan. What do you guys think of the original arcade game? It looks pretty dang cool.
|
|
|
Post by Ex on Mar 26, 2022 10:56:58 GMT -5
I've never seen it done with such obnoxious timing. Sounds like a Euro platformer alright. Galahad was almost a decent game, but it never reached good status for me at all. It's another entry like Chakan I'd like to see entirely remixed to have enjoyable level designs. What do you guys think of the original arcade game? It looks pretty dang cool. I'm sure I played the arcade version of Rastan back in ye days, but I hardly remember it. Certainly never finished it. If you're going the MAME route the first game that comes to mind is Cadash, it's worth a playthrough.
|
|
|
Post by toei on Mar 26, 2022 11:23:07 GMT -5
Xeogred Rastan is great, but it's incredibly hard. You get a congratulations screen for beating the first level. I never made it very far, but I intend to, one day. Cadash is ok, and it has decent ports on the PC Engine and Genesis. It has light RPG elements, but it's probably just a couple hours long at most.
|
|
|
Post by Sarge on Mar 26, 2022 17:24:47 GMT -5
I'm a huge fan of the original. Tough, but awesome.
|
|
|
Post by Ex on Mar 27, 2022 0:08:42 GMT -5
Title: Magic SwordPlatform: Arcade Region release played: USA Year of release: 1990 Developer: Capcom Publisher: Capcom Graphics: 3/5 Audio: 3/5 Challenge: 3/5 Fun factor: 3/5 Quick Thoughts: Magic Sword is an action-platformer wherein the player becomes a sword wielding barbarian climbing the Dragon's Tower to destroy Drokkmar, master of the Black Orb. The tower consists of 50 floors, with each floor being a short unique level with an exit door (and occasionally secret doors). As the player ascends, they unlock combat partners from jail cells, and open countless treasure chests for power-ups and points. Occasionally tricky platforming adds variety to the endless slicing and dicing of fantasy monsters. Magic Sword is a sequel of sorts to Capcom's 1987 title Black Tiger, and was adapted to SNES and mobile phones. The arcade version is included in Capcom Classics Collection Remixed for PlayStation Portable and Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox, along with Final Fight in a two-in-one bundle titled Final Fight: Double Impact for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. +As distilled as "platformer with a sword" can get. +The constant stream of mini-levels keeps the variety flowing. +Well balanced difficulty considering it's an arcade release. +Player can choose their own ending. +You can get a frickin' ninja as your partner.
-Could use more enemy and boss variety. -The platforming could have been harder. -The platforming could have been more often. -Damn those trapped cells. -Damn those trapped chests.
Ex's time to beat: 55 minutes (climbed the whole tower, no shortcut doors used) Ex's rating: 7/10
|
|
|
Post by Ex on Mar 27, 2022 1:06:08 GMT -5
Knocked another arcade title out tonight:
Title: Ken-Go: Lightning SwordsPlatform: Arcade Region release played: Europe Year of release: 1991 Developer: Irem Corp. Publisher: Irem Corp. Graphics: 2/5 Audio: 4/5 Challenge: 4/5 Fun factor: 3/5 Quick Thoughts: Ken-Go: Lightning Swords is an arcade-exclusive action-platformer released in Japan and Europe. The player is a samurai armed with a sharp katana they can focus chi power into (to explode outward). There aren't many stages, but the few stages available have a carefully hand crafted feel to them (as opposed to random chaos so many arcade games of this ilk offer). Boss battles require careful balancing of sword charging and explosive release while avoiding contact. If you're a fan of samurai or ninja action-platformers, this one is worth a try and won't take long to slice through. +I really enjoyed the OST. +The overall aesthetics fit the theme perfectly. +Stage design and enemy placement is all carefully considered. +Very focused game design, all extraneous fluff removed. +The fantasy Feudal Japan vibe is accomplished. -Super short amount of content. -Graphics are generally spartan and lacking good animation. -Not much enemy variety. -It sure is hard to stay on those horses.
-There's a boss rush at the end.
Ex's time to beat: 19 minutes Ex's rating: 6/10
|
|
|
Post by toei on Mar 27, 2022 8:26:15 GMT -5
Ex Yep. You're right about it being carefully crafted. That's something most of the arcade games I like have in common. If you learn to use the charge well, you can absolutely 1CC this game. In general I agree with most points you made - it's too short, that little horse section is rough, etc. - but I think the graphics are good, especially the use of colors. Nanao (the Irem-affiliated company that made this game) had a very distinctive palette. I could never get into Magic Sword. Sort of the opposite of Ken-Go - it's too random and too long for what it is (though at least it's not too cheap).
|
|
|
Post by Ex on Mar 27, 2022 10:12:25 GMT -5
The palette is pleasant I agree. It's just the sprites and background graphics are a bit unpolished overall, and there's a distinct lack of animation in general. I don't think the graphics are awful though. Magic Sword's enemy placement is pure insanity in general, but I found its level designs decent enough. That said, there's so many short levels they all blur together in retrospect. Whereas with Ken-Go the levels are longer and far more distinct, there's just not very many of them is all. I found another arcade game last night that seems very promising, I'll be hitting it up next.
|
|
|
Post by toei on Mar 27, 2022 11:19:25 GMT -5
The palette is pleasant I agree. It's just the sprites and background graphics are a bit unpolished overall, and there's a distinct lack of animation in general. I don't think the graphics are awful though. Magic Sword's enemy placement is pure insanity in general, but I found its level designs decent enough. That said, there's so many short levels they all blur together in retrospect. Whereas with Ken-Go the levels are longer and far more distinct, there's just not very many of them is all. I found another arcade game last night that seems very promising, I'll be hitting it up next. That was an issue I had with Magic Sword too, there are so many levels that it ends up feeling even longer than it is. I think the sweet spot for pure action arcade games is about 40 minutes for a playthrough, excluding levels you have to redo. And it's true, the Ken-Go sprites don't have the polish of a big name company game. I think it all comes together well, though. For my personal tastes, it's a more visually attractive game than Magic Sword, even though the latter has more detail. I don't like tiny sprites.
|
|