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Post by Ex on Oct 24, 2024 13:35:32 GMT -5
TMNT: Fall of the Foot Clan / I think it's pretty nice. 27m, 6/10. That was one I had a legit cart for when I was 10 or 11. I remember beating it quickly because it's fairly easy. But the game's got nice graphics for its vintage, with big detailed sprites. Also, gotta love that Splinter number guessing bonus game. I think Konami served the IP better with their first GB entry than their first NES one. |
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Post by Sarge on Oct 24, 2024 14:16:31 GMT -5
Yeah, at least most kids could actually beat it.  |
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Post by Sarge on Oct 25, 2024 10:42:30 GMT -5
So, let's talk about Gargoyle's Quest II for a bit.
What started on NES was ported to Game Boy, and was even slated for release here in the States. Heck, I still very much remember the Nintendo Power article on it. And it turns out there was a prototype that leaked out as part of the "gigaleak" a few years back. (This is why I think anything that got a Nintendo Power review but didn't get a release probably has a prototype or nearly completed game out there somewhere.) So let's see how they stack up.
If you've played the first game, you know what to expect here. Movement is very similar, with a limited hover ability that you upgrade through the game, along with better jumping ability and some health extensions. You'll grab various plot-related items as you go, which get you through the "RPG" portions of the game. Really, though, this just uses the trappings of an RPG, it's really just an action-adventure game at heart. But the stabs at a little bit of depth and story are appreciated. In fact, this also gets rid of the random battles from the first game, further separating the action and exploration components. One unfortunate change from the NES version is that you walk much slower. I'm sure this was to compensate for the Game Boy's smeary image - too fast would have just made it a bleary mess. But I still miss the rapidity of the NES game.
Speaking of the NES game, losing color is a real blow here. The first game was built around the four colors of the Game Boy, but as this is a downport, it's very obvious that, while technically sound, it just doesn't have the same verve that the first game does, to say nothing of the NES version. It still looks good, but I couldn't help but be disappointed since I'm keenly aware of the NES version's graphical prowess.
Something interesting I noted, and maybe it was just the zoomed perspective, but it felt to me that Firebrand moved a bit more quickly here than in the NES version in the action stages. Could be just a visual trick, though.
The sound fares a bit better - while rendered in its usual Game Boy flair, it translates decently from the NES tunes since Capcom didn't exercise the PCM channel for that soundtrack. Where both versions suffer is compared to the original game - while the audio output is cleaner in both, neither comes close to approaching the incredibly forlorn soundtrack of the original game. If anyone ever tells you music doesn't make a difference in a game, point to Gargoyle's Quest and let them get back to you afterwards. Nothing bad, but man, the atmosphere that the original game established just can't be topped.
New to this version are two all-new dungeons, both with an upgrade. One looks like it takes cues from the ice areas in Demon's Crest, which has you sliding down walls since you can't keep traction. I liked the look of this one - it's a new tileset and you can tell it was designed for the GB version. The other has you navigating a jungle stage, and that already has a tileset since another stage takes place in a similar environment. This one sees you clearing out plant spikes by hitting various skull switches through the level. It's not terribly difficult to figure out, but I did appreciate the nod to variety. Both give you an upgrade - the first is an upgrade to your normal flame shot gives it homing capability, the second is the ability to astrally project yourself for a short time before returning to your body. The former can be useful in spots, although the homing capability is less than ideal in spots, often locking on to the wrong enemy or kicking in the homing late so you miss often. Sometimes it's better to just use your straight shots like the Buster or Claw.
The second ability has the potential to alleviate the worst problem with the game - the cramped screen. As you can imagine, the NES version afforded quite a bit more pixels, so a lot of jumps that weren't blind in that version are here. The astral projection lets you scout ahead and see what's around you. I really like the idea, actually. Unfortunately, I think this is something they could have just given you in the pause menu, and really should have given earlier in the game, because by the time you get it, you're starting to get enough hover capability that careful play compensates just as well without stopping the action completely to scout. (But then again, if this was a blind play, I might not think the same. There's a lot of NES knowledge bubbling in my head, to the point that I remembered pretty much all the tricky routing the game throws at you.) I also completely wrecked the last boss - turns out you can just crowd his space and pump him full of Darkfire. I don't remember if the NES version works the same way, but they did change some proportions in the fight so it plays out a bit differently either way.
(I also completely missed the Soulstream, I advanced too far and couldn't get back to get the Dagon's Scale. It's entirely optional, but might have saved me a replay of that last stage when I got to the end with no lives left.)
So was this worth playing? If you're a diehard fan, I'd say yes. The two new stages are worthwhile enough to see. But for most folks, I would point them to the NES version and skip this one. That doesn't make this version a bad game, but it's most certainly an inferior one. Took me just over two hours to finish (no save states!) and I'm sure I could whittle that down avoiding a few dumb deaths. I'll give this a 7/10. I know none of this text really reads like a 7/10, but the core game is still very solid - it's got good bones to build off of.
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Post by Ex on Oct 25, 2024 11:10:39 GMT -5
Nice review and I agree with all your thoughts, we're on the exact same page with GQ2GB. I used the heck out of the homing fire once I got that, and agreed the astral project ability should have been granted much earlier in the game. The two new stages were appreciated and the only reason I played through this version. While I'd never put this GB version over the NES one, it'd still be cool to see a romhack "DX" colorized version of GQ2GB regardless. I'm overdue a replay of GQ2 NES, last time in full was in 1998. I beat DC for the first time in 1998, got that bad ending without realizing it. Then beat it again in 2002 or so, that time to get the real ending. GQ1 I've beaten five or six times by now, my appreciation only grows for it with every replay. Best GB game in my book. Cumulatively GQ1/GQ2/DC make for one fine trilogy indeed.
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Post by Sarge on Oct 25, 2024 11:22:06 GMT -5
Yeah, I've probably beaten the original game around that many times as well. Really fun stuff. I've beaten the NES version probably that many, too, and Demon's Crest even more than that. |
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Post by toei on Oct 25, 2024 11:51:13 GMT -5
For nearly a decade, imageepoch was a prolific developer of mostly handheld RPGs, responsible for numerous DS and PSP titles: the Luminous Arc, 7th Dragon, and Fate/Extra series, Sands of Destruction, and a few Japan-only titles, along Arc Rise Fantasia on the Wii (one of their rare console titles), often in collaboration with publishers Marvelous or Sega. Things turned sour for them around 2012 or 13 with some flops (Time & Eternity...) and internal strife, and they went bankrupt around 2015. The CEO was reportedly went missing for a time. 2007's Luminous Arc was their first release, developed alongside publisher Marvelous Interactive. It's a simple SRPG mechanically, with the familiar isometric view used by most of the genre post-Tactics Ogre & FF Tactics. It was criticized by some for its by-then almost retro mechanics and PS1-like battle graphics, but I found the battles fun. They're straightforward but the enemies aren't push-overs and the pacing is good, with things rarely dragging on. One thing I liked is that leveling up restores all HP and MP, so being aggressive and planning moves in accordance to the exp. you're likely to receive is often strategically preferable. The game is only a little over 20 hours long, which is on the shorter side for the genre, so it doesn't overstay its welcome. The story is nothing special and a little too talky, concerning a conflict between a Church and (very anime) witches. It's almost like a generic fantasy VN in condensed form at times, but it's not too bad either, and it's still about 75% gameplay, 25% story (less if you don't do all the optional talking) - it's not actually a VN, just the writing and presentation are reminiscent of one.
I'll give it *** - it's pretty fun, and one of the better handheld-exclusive SRPGs I've played. Mechanically, Wild ARMs XF kills it (it has excellent gameplay and great mission variety), but the writing is actually worse in that one.
There are four games total in the series, but only the first two were released in English. imageepoch wasn't involved in the final game at all, which went to Flight Plan successor Felistella (known for the Summon Night series); instead, they released their own spiritual sequel, called Stella Glow, the same year, for the 3DS (2015). It was their final game.
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Post by Sarge on Oct 25, 2024 11:57:49 GMT -5
I actually played a good ways into Luminous Arc. Maybe I should jump back in and finish it.
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Post by toei on Oct 25, 2024 12:01:43 GMT -5
I actually played a good ways into Luminous Arc. Maybe I should jump back in and finish it. If you do, I'm going to say this - if it's not obvious, Leon is incredibly powerful with Charge. One of the most powerful tank characters in SRPG history. One of the things I liked about the game is it has several strong physical fighters (despite the whole witch focus) - I always favor those over magic-users. |
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Post by Ex on Oct 25, 2024 13:13:26 GMT -5
Yeah Luminous Arc is indeed a decent SRPG (or TRPG) for the DS. I beat it* for Simple Man™ reasons, as there's a fair amount of waifus in one's party. I plan to play through LA2 and LA3 (using the fan translation) eventually. *Review: gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ds/934969-luminous-arc/reviews/168280I've got a Wii Imageepoch game, I've still not tried in all these years: Imageepoch was quite a unique developer, they did their best to live up to that "savior of the JRPG" goal. |
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Post by toei on Oct 25, 2024 13:42:03 GMT -5
Be aware that the fan translation for 3 is machine-operated.
One interesting thing about imageepoch is how often people from other companies would end up working there for a few years, or maybe be hired on a freelance basis. Arc Rise Fantasia's lead writer was the scriptwriter for Tales of Symphonia and Tales of the Abyss. The 7th Dragon series' director also directed the original Etrian Odyssey. Sands of Destruction was hyped for reuniting Masato Kato (one of the writers on Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, and Chrono Cross) with Yasunori Mitsuda, which was widely (mis)understood as "the Chrono Trigger team coming back" (where's Sakaguchi and Yuji Horii?), plus the graphical style and combat system were based on Xenogears... but people were so disappointed with the result that I never ended up buying what had been the one DS RPG I was probably looking forward to the most. They strove to keep the Japanese RPG alive during a difficult era, mostly on handhelds, and judging by Luminous Arc and early impressions from their other games, their output was competent if aesthetically and narratively generic (I'll say that the original 7th Dragoon has great visuals, though - I just wish it was a regular RPG and not a dungeon crawler).
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