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Post by Ex on Jan 15, 2018 22:20:31 GMT -5
I've tried to get into the original Lufia a few times, but it just hasn't clicked for me. I think it's pretty crazy how the original Lufia starts at the end of what would later become Lufia II. It's like Neverland planned to produce a prequel right off the bat. Very wacky, but it works.
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Post by dunpeal2064 on Jan 16, 2018 9:35:59 GMT -5
What are your top 3 SNES platformers, dunpeal? Speaking strictly of platformers, and not action platformers or the like: 1. Yoshi's Island - My gold standard, and not just for the SNES. Game is beautiful, fun, intuitive yet mind-blowingly complex, clever, snappy, approachable for newcomers but offering a steep challenge for vets... everything I want in a platformer is here. Hell, everything I want in a game is here. Also, the baby is fucking brilliant. 2. Umihara Kawasi - This is, to me, the most platform-y game on the SNES. Its a platform game for platform lovers, that doesn't do anything else to try to sell itself. What is here, though, is really damn good. Its a grappling hook game, but really the game is all about momentum. Its level design allows this to flourish, too, letting the player attempt different routes depending on how confident they are in their skills. If anyone hasn't played this, go in blind and mess around, and then watch someone speedrun the game (Also do this for Yoshi's Island, both will likely blow your mind). Umihara is far from the complete package that stuff like Yoshi's Island, Super Mario World, and the like offer, but what it does it does well. It is to platformers what God Hand is to 3D beaters, what Joe Satriani is to guitarists. It is hyper-focused on accomplishing one thing, and it does it with great success. I dig it. 3. Donkey Kong Country 2 - Already spoke a fair bit about this one. I look at this as the polar opposite of Umihara, a huge, ambitious platformer with a ton of variety in every corner. Its beautiful, challenging, and just damn fun to play. As to the first Lufia game, I think I would likely fall into a similar camp as you guys. It doesn't look like anything stand out, which was what kept me from playing Lufia II for so long. I finally decided to just skip to II (Which worked out anyways), and was very glad I did. I don't think it sits quite at FFVI level for me (That game gets me all stirred up and feelsy, phew), but it certainly hangs out in the same ballpark.
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Post by Ex on Jan 16, 2018 10:32:43 GMT -5
We have very similar tastes on the platformer front Dunpeal. Kudos for you for understanding the majesty of Umihara Kawase.
If it counts as a platformer, the NES version of Bionic Commando is my all time favorite genre piece.
Failing that, Yoshi's Island really is the top tier one. I certainly love Umihara Kawase and the USA version of SMB2 as well.
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Post by Xeogred on Jan 16, 2018 17:08:05 GMT -5
My confession: I don't think I like grappling hook platformers. Heard a lot about Umihara Kawasi recently though... it had some release on Steam last year or something I think? I'll give the SNES game a shot sometime.
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Post by Sarge on Jan 16, 2018 17:39:42 GMT -5
Could have sworn I responded to this, but yeah, Yoshi's Island is my favorite on SNES, despite not having played through it in some time.
I'm not sure what takes my next slots, though. There are quite a few good ones, but none that hit the towering heights of Yoshi's Island. If it counts as a platformer still, probably Demon's Crest and Super Metroid.
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Post by Ex on Jan 16, 2018 23:11:24 GMT -5
I agree that Demon's Crest is amazing. Granted I say that as someone who is crazy about Gargoyle's Quest (not so much Gargoyle's Quest II, despite beating GQ2 on NES and GB). I first beat Demon's Crest back in 1998, thanks to finding a real copy of it in the wild. I had no idea the level of amazement I was in for. The atmosphere is astounding, the theme perfectly realized, the graphics outstanding, the OST ominously beautiful, and the gameplay is superb. Not to mention all the awesome bosses. Top tier stuff. (If only Capcom had made a Super Bionic Commando with the same level of artistry.)
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Post by Sarge on Jan 16, 2018 23:16:39 GMT -5
That would have been the absolute best. Demon's Crest definitely shows Capcom at the height of their powers.
I love Gargoyle's Quest II, but I think despite the graphical upgrade that the Game Boy game somehow hits a more eerie vibe. It's remarkable how effectively the music sets the mood.
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Post by Ex on Jan 16, 2018 23:31:03 GMT -5
I think despite the graphical upgrade that the Game Boy game somehow hits a more eerie vibe. I liked Gargoyle's Quest II better on Game Boy because it felt closer to the original, and it also had a few extra levels the NES version didn't. I was super happy when the English fan trans came out for GQ2 on GB. I love the whole series though, don't get me wrong, even the NES one is way above average.
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rik
HRG Curious
Currently Playing Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete (PS1)
Posts: 7
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Post by rik on Jan 17, 2018 1:22:41 GMT -5
Runner Up
When I bought a Sega-CD last year I got two games with it, with this being one of them. I barely knew anything about Lunar other than it was a JRPG. I was aware of the bad reputation the SCD gets for its load times, cheesy FMVs and bad voice acting, so I was very surprised with how quick the battles loaded, how snappy the combat animations were, and the use of sprite-based cutscenes over FMVs. Navigating through the fields was satisfying too because of the speed you move, and how you don’t come to a halt when you hit a wall; you keep moving while hugging the wall. Combat is a typical turn-based JRPG-style combat system where your party’s position matters, which allows for slightly more creative approaches to battle than other JRPGs of this era. Regular combat is started via random encounters, and most fights aren’t terribly difficult, but not easy enough that you can just keep mashing attack. The story is simple, sweet and satisfying. Although the overarching plot is a very typical “find the four dragons to defeat the bad-guy” story, the set-pieces throughout the story were memorable. The sprite-based cutscenes, which were few and far in-between, were genuinely impressive to me and felt like rewards for finishing major milestones in the game. The voice acting in the cutscenes were rad too, especially the antagonist’s. I was also surprised by how well written the game was for a JRPG of this era (the localization changes are a discussion for another thread). Overall, the game was an amazing JRPG and I’m surprised at how well it aged. This would have been my 2017 retro GOTY, but then I played the other game I got for my SCD… GOTY
This game frustrated me, hard. While it mostly played the same to its predecessor, there were some changes that completely pissed me off. The first thing I noticed was how sluggish everything felt compared to The Silver Star. Loading battles from random encounters took a lot longer and combat animations were a lot more sluggish (comparison here, but the player is probably playing it emulated, while I was playing on original hardware, and loading a battle felt even longer TSS: youtu.be/xeq9fPOxz6o?t=17m38s EB: youtu.be/7yAfF0ARHx0?t=15m15s ). The random encounter rate was drastically increased from the first game, which made exploring frustrating as all hell. I swear, there were multiple instances where there was a fixed 7-second interval between finishing one fight and going to the next that would persist until I reset the console. Worst of all, some battles, especially bosses, were ball-bustingly hard. Some bosses could one-shot certain party members unless you grind a lot (which I don’t ever do in JRPGs). Certain bosses frustrated me to the point I almost dropped the game. Yet, the story of Eternal Blue was captivating from start to finish that kept me playing it. The plot is about a goddess with a mission who gradually learns what it means to be human. Guiding her throughout her journey and watching her character development was a real treat that I’ve never quite seen before in a game from this era. There are many more of the same sprite-based cutscenes as in TSS, but they are far more amazing than the ones in TSS. Even though there are more of them, they still feel rewarding to watch in the same way they were in TSS. Despite the frustrations of Eternal Blue, the storytelling and characters really push it ahead of The Silver Star. Playing through Eternal Blue really made me feel like a kid in the 90’s again in a way that few retro games I played as an adult have, through the frustrating battles ultimately paying off and revealing an amazing epilogue. After playing it, I would not hesitate to call Lunar one of my favorite game series, or put Eternal Blue in my top 10 games of all time. I highly recommend it to all JRPG fans if they have yet to play it. At the turn of the year into 2018, I finished the PS1 remake of Silver Star, and I am currently playing the PS1 remake of Eternal Blue.
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Post by Ex on Jan 17, 2018 8:35:28 GMT -5
At the turn of the year into 2018, I finished the PS1 remake of Silver Star, and I am currently playing the PS1 remake of Eternal Blue. It would be interesting to see your take on the PS1 remakes, after having finished the SEGA CD versions. Personally I have only finished the PS1 remake of Silver Star (back in 2009), which I'd give an 8/10 to. I have not played Eternal Blue yet, mainly because I can't decide which version of it to play. (I have read countless arguments declaring both the SEGA CD and PS1 versions as being superior.) These are certainly above average JRPGs though, no question there.
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