|
Post by Sarge on Apr 24, 2023 12:52:34 GMT -5
Problem is, I'm having a hard time scraping up SMS stuff I care about, too. Probably should get out of the console space and do what I said I would, investigate more on MSX and the like.
|
|
|
Post by Ex on Apr 24, 2023 13:13:18 GMT -5
There's a few good SMS platformers you may not have beaten yet:
Alex Kidd in Shinobi World Disney's Aladdin Kenseiden Quartet Sonic the Hedgehog Chaos Wonder Boy Zillion Zillion II
That said, third gen PC gaming is respectable.
|
|
|
Post by Sarge on Apr 24, 2023 14:01:36 GMT -5
There's a few good SMS platformers you may not have beaten yet: Alex Kidd in Shinobi World Disney's Aladdin Kenseiden Quartet Sonic the Hedgehog Chaos Wonder Boy Zillion Zillion IIThat said, third gen PC gaming is respectable. I've actually beaten quite a few of those! AK in SW - My favorite of the games I've played. Quite fun. Aladdin - Not too difficult, but a fun PoP-like with auto-scroller levels. Kenseiden - I actually wrote about this one for GameSpite Journal 11. I want to like it, but it's a game that actually doesn't afford you much freedom - stick to the upgrade route or you die. Sonic Chaos - I didn't love it, but it's a decent time. Zillion II - Very difficult game, pretty decent but didn't light my world on fire or anything. I've played bits of the others. I don't actually remember if I ever beat Wonder Boy or not. I highly recommend Dragon's Trap, though. Quartet might be the only one I actually haven't tried.
|
|
|
Post by Ex on Apr 24, 2023 14:09:40 GMT -5
Quartet is good, I beat it as a kid long ago. It's different than the arcade version. To get the "good ending" is very tricky, wouldn't worry about that part.
I've never beaten Wonder Boy, but I owned it as a kid too, I plan to finally finish it for this theme. I'm currently in the midst of finishing a different Wonder Boy game that I rented a few times as a kid.
The original Zillion is a good game. It's kind of like Mission Impossible and Metroid mixed together. It starts off kinda "meh" but it gets better the deeper you get into the base. Zillion II is completely different, much simpler and linear.
I've never personally played Alex Kidd in Shinobi World, but I keep reading that it's a good time, so I'll dabble in it sometime soon.
Spellcaster, Power Strike II, and Dragon Crystal are all good SMS games I've beaten in recent years. Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa is an excellent shmup as well. Recommend that stuff.
|
|
|
Post by Sarge on Apr 24, 2023 14:58:32 GMT -5
Yeah, I beat Spellcaster, Power Strike II, and DC myself. Power Strike II is easily the best of those - Compile wizardry at its best on that hardware. Spellcaster was solid, too - it wasn't amazing, but I liked the melding of adventure and side-scroller elements. Dragon Crystal I had to save-state cheese at the end. Yeeeeeeesh did it get tough! I think I could probably take it on a better run, but that particular one had gone really well right up until the end and I didn't want to start it over.
I will eventually try Zillion again - I've tried many times to get into it and just bounced off, but if it's as you say and pretty meh until you get further in, then maybe I just need a little more patience.
|
|
|
Post by Ex on Apr 24, 2023 15:15:12 GMT -5
Title: Wonder Boy in Monster LandPlatform: SEGA Master System Region release played: USA Year of release: 1988 Developer: West One Publisher: SEGA Graphics: 3/5 Audio: 4/5 Challenge: 4/5 Fun factor: 3/5 Quick Thoughts: Wonder Boy in Monster Land is an action-adventure-platformer wherein Wonder Boy must defeat a dragon in a castle. To do that, he'll do battle through a dozen stages fighting fantasy monsters and avoiding traps. He'll also need to collect gold to buy weapon and armor upgrades with, though he'll never have enough to buy everything he wants. The game design is a prototypical action-RPG-platformer, but it hews closer to action-adventure overall. This game's cheerful and colorful veneer belies its difficult and often unfair core, only recommended to action-platforming masochists. +Early example of incorporating action-RPG mechanics into an action-platformer. +Lots of talkative shopkeepers to buy gear upgrades from. +Not every stage requires beating a boss to finish. +Some unusual platforming mechanics here and there. +Pretty good sound design overall. -You'll randomly get hit by enemies no matter how carefully you stab them. -I want a freaking down-stab and I want a freaking up-stab. -A continuous timer slowly depletes your life. -The final stage is a big frickin' maze of course. -You get one life and no continues, good luck! Ex's time to beat: 55 minutes
Ex's rating: 6/10 I rented this game twice as a kid and never beat it. I remember why now.
|
|
|
Post by toei on Apr 24, 2023 15:20:52 GMT -5
Zillion 2 is the purest arcade side-scroller experience on a 8-bit console. That's why I love it. The on-bike segments are the closest thing to Atomic Runner on the Master System. But that also means it's not good for the same reasons a fan of NES platformers would enjoy them. Kenseiden is really good, much better than any 8-bit Castlevania. But yes, figuring out where the upgrades are and mapping out a good route is an integral part of the experience. Once you understand how the level design works and where traps tend to appear, it's also not a super cheap game, unlike so many NES platformers. Few instant deaths to be found that I remember. But it's hard. I don't like the first Zillion. No game should have as many different types of security cards. Ex Yeah that Monster Land sword is way too small for such a chubby sprite, that's why I never stick with it. Sarge Try Psycho Fox, maybe? It's a pure platformer with some level of apparent quality. Slippery, though.
|
|
|
Post by Sarge on Apr 24, 2023 15:32:11 GMT -5
Yeah, Psycho Fox is a weird one. Never liked how it handled, but it does have its fans. If I remember right, it's the same dev that did Kid Kool on NES, which also feels very similar.
|
|
|
Post by toei on Apr 24, 2023 16:28:56 GMT -5
Yeah, Psycho Fox is a weird one. Never liked how it handled, but it does have its fans. If I remember right, it's the same dev that did Kid Kool on NES, which also feels very similar. Vic Tokai, yeah. Same team, I think. It feels similar to that, and also Decap Attack.
|
|
|
Post by Sarge on Apr 24, 2023 16:57:50 GMT -5
Yeah, I only found out recently that Decap Attack is also part of that set of games, I never actually played much of it. The aesthetic just didn't appeal. But the Japanese version is very different, apparently based on an anime series.
|
|