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Post by Xeogred on Dec 2, 2018 11:16:05 GMT -5
December is upon us as we come close to wrapping up 2018 and the first full year of HRG. A lot of us did some hardcore retro gaming this year and there's still time to knock a few more out!
Do you have a top 5, or even top 10?
Favorite moments and experiences in a game? Most surprising game?
Favorite OST or select tracks?
Honorable mentions?
Biggest disappointment?
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Post by toei on Dec 2, 2018 18:35:59 GMT -5
Definitely, but I'm thinking of waiting a few more weeks before I answer since there's still a full month left to the year.
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Post by anayo on Dec 2, 2018 21:02:52 GMT -5
1) The Revenge of Shinobi
2) Shinobi III
3) Lightening Force
4) Jewel Master
5) Battle Mania 2
I'll follow up later with more details about why I chose these and ranked them in this order.
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Post by Ex on Dec 2, 2018 23:01:01 GMT -5
I'm glad this thread exists, but I'm not going to put my answer in yet. December just started, I've got a few more games yet to beat for this year. I will come back and fill in the blanks at the end of this month.
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Post by Sarge on Dec 2, 2018 23:32:31 GMT -5
So, when I finalize this, I will try to make it only games that I've newly beaten. I played a lot of stone cold classics along the way that I've finished many times before, and they constitute all of my 9.0+ games. The highest new games so far... 8.5: Top GearTop Gear 2Faselei!8.0: Orcs & ElvesKing's Field: The Ancient CityAs a reminder, I'm using a modified GameFAQs rating system, so 8.0 is great, and 8.5 is between great and outstanding. We'll see what the rest of the year holds, though! The biggest surprise of the year was King's Field: The Ancient City, no question. Much like Ex, I did not enjoy it to start. But once you start to get a feel for what the game expects of you (and get some decent equipment!), I'm not sure there's much out there that sets such a strong atmosphere and actually has a feeling of "place" that other games often don't have. Highly recommended. Another surprise was JaJaMaru Gekimaden. I was expecting trash, and got a fun ARPG. Also, I derived a lot more enjoyment than I'd have expected playing through a couple of games I'd normally not bother with, Quake and Thief Gold. I'm actually pretty surprised at how well both hold up after all this time. I actually have a lot of disappointments this year, though. Yeah, I know. It's been that kind of year for new retro games. Firstly, the Legendary Axe games. I knew they had a great rep going in, or at least the first one, but I thought it was just decent. I was also expecting more out of Legend of the Mystical Ninja than I got. I was really disappointed in Gotzendiener as well. It looked like such a cool game, but in a lot of ways it feels like an unfinished tech demo. I might make some folks angry with this next one, but I didn't really care for Alien vs. Predator. I mean, it was good, but I wasn't overly impressed with the combat, which felt rather halting to me. It's the same problem I have with Capcom's D&D arcade games. And while I'm on beat-'em-ups, I don't know if I've ever legit beat Guardian Heroes until this year. Again, good game, but I'm not sure it's quite worthy of the effusive praise it gets. That's all for now. I'll update a bit more at the end of the year.
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Post by Ex on Dec 7, 2018 11:51:48 GMT -5
Well the first week of this month is already over, and I don't see myself beating any other large games outside the one I'm currently playing ( Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance). So I guess I may as well answer Xeogred . (I will come back at the end of this month and post a full list of all the games I beat in 2018 - I'm getting awful close to 100, it might just happen.) Do you have a top 5, or even top 10? I can do a top 5 best games Ex played in 2018... Aquanaut's Holiday: Hidden Memories (PS3) (2008)
Without a doubt this was the very best game I played this year. An absolutely astonishing experience with pure blissful gameplay. It makes me sad that hardly any western gamers will experience this masterpiece. I imagine even if this had had a domestic release in the west, that would still be the case. Closed minds being what they are - closed and poorer for it. ( Ex's review.) God Hand (PS2) (2006)
My oh my what a divisive title. I'll freely admit this is not for everyone. But it was for me. A brilliant, delightfully goofy, always brutal, completely unique experience. Easily the best 3D beat 'em up ever made. If you enjoy a tough challenge and beat 'em ups, you should absolutely play this game. I always adored God Hand, even when it was handing my battered and bleeding ass back to me. Hyper Iria (SFC) (1995) I wasn't expecting much when I started playing this game. As a long time fan of the anime, I was expecting disappointing licensed potboiler as all too often video games based on anime tend to be. That was not the case with Hyper Iria. Rather this is a wonderful video game experience lovingly based on its source material. ( Ex's review.) Mass Effect 2 (360) (2010) Too new for HRG discussion; I'll simply say it did not disappoint. I look forward to wrapping up the trilogy next year. Urban Reign (PS2) (2005)
I'm not sure if it's Stockholm syndrome, a deep-seated masochistic streak, or my love of conquering the equivalent of video game mountains... but holy shit did I enjoy Urban Reign. This was, without a doubt, one of the absolute most difficult video games I've ever beaten... and that was on Normal difficulty! Plenty of people have sampled Urban Reign, but I'd wager only 0.05% of those players actually beat it. To use a very over-played analogy; Urban Reign is the Dark Souls of beat 'em ups. It makes God Hand seem like a piece of cake. Those who can push beyond the difficulty (again playing at least on Normal), will find a tiered ladder of ever increasingly challenging battles - made blissful by an absolutely incredible fighting engine. Urban Reign will forever be misunderstood, neglected, and loathed by impatient players of lesser skill. But for the few who "get it", this is a straight ticket to hard-knuckled Heaven.
Favorite moments and experiences in a game? Absolute favorites? Exploring the shallow seas and deep abysses of Aquanaut's Holiday: Hidden Memories; an absolutely incredible experience. And of course, finally beating Urban Reign, that was a dopamine rush that lasted into the next day.
Favorite OST or select tracks?I don't get as crazy about video game OSTs as some folks around here - I'm not prone to listening to a video game OST all on its own for example. But I of course always appreciate a good OST while I'm playing its corresponding game. Anyway, a few tracks that I can recall enjoying this year:
Biggest disappointment? Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii) (2010 - Japan release date)
This game is still too new for me to discuss deeply on HRG. I'll just say XC did not live up to its hype, insofar as actual game design and plot writing. The graphics and audio were blissful though, admittedly.
Most surprising game? NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams (Wii) (2007)
I wasn't expecting much out of this. It's a forgotten Wii title based on a forgotten Saturn mascot. What I got however, was an obvious labor of love, full of innovative whimsy and heart galore. Biggest surprise? The final level making me cry literal tears of joy. While it's hardly a perfect video game, NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams is a perfect soul. ( Ex's review.) Honorable mentions?
All of these were noticeably above average...
Air Gallet (Arcade) Armored Warriors (Arcade)
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (3DS)
Destination: Treasure Island (PC)
Light Crusader (Genesis)
Madoola no Tsubasa: The Wing of Madoola (NES)
Mitsume ga Tooru (NES)
Power Blade 2 (NES)
Shadow Hearts: Covenant (PS2)
Shatterhand (NES)
Zillion II: The Tri-Formation Cycle (SMS)
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Post by toei on Dec 19, 2018 21:46:06 GMT -5
2018 Retrospective.
I have finished 71 games in total, excluding a few replays. Oldest: Space Harrier (1985). Newest: Code of the Samurai (2005). A span of exactly 20 years, though I mostly stuck to a few years between the late '80s and mid '90s.
The platform I played the most was the Genesis, with 16 games. The best: Mystic Defender, Elemental Master, Jewel Master. The worst: Valis 3. Aside from that one, I liked all of them to different degrees.
I explored the Master System library a bit more, and found a few more games I liked. My favorite was Kenseiden. On Game Gear, I liked Ninja Gaiden, which is more Shinobi than Ninja Gaiden, and Zenki.
I grew to hate Ninja Gaiden on NES. Code of the Samurai on the PS2 was even more of a struggle, but I still liked it to some degree. Part of the difficulty comes from the fact that the only English version is the 50fps PAL release, which completely messes up the entirely timing-based gameplay. I ended up playing it in forced 60fps, but it was still a bit harder than the original 60fps Japanese version.
I played six graphic adventures. The best was Ankoku Shinwa / The Dark Myth on NES, which features sidescroller-style boss fights and a nice atmosphere. The others I finished were all okay, neither bad nor good.
I had a short SRPG binge where I played through three in a row - Langrisser (very good), Yu Yu Hakusho: Tournament Tactics (very bad), Blazing Heroes (very, very good, to my surprise).
I struggled to find a PCE-CD action I liked that wasn't Double Dragon 2. Valis 2 was pretty good. Nothing else was. I turned my attention to the plain ol' HuCard PC Engine, where I found the excellent Legendary Axe.
Early in the year, I discovered Hissatsu! on Saturn. I was actually searching for something else, but I forgot what it was. I took a liking to the game a few levels in.
I played through 8 SNES action games, and only really liked one: Batman Returns. I liked the sim parts in Actraiser, as well as the overall aesthetics, but not the side-scroller levels.
I finally finished a Castlevania: Circle of the Moon on GBA. I liked it and decided to play Symphony and the other GBA entries in the future. I tried multiple times to get into the older, pre-Symphony series, and couldn't.
On the arcade front, I finally finished Shinobi. I played through Legionnaire again with a better understanding of its mechanics and enjoyed it. While in my TAD Corporation period, I discovered Heated Barrel, and had fun with it. The frantic shooting left my hands numb. The final boss is insane. Space Harrier finally clicked; I realized it has a sort of mild auto-aim where your shots curb towards the enemy if they're close enough. When the action goes wild, the game is thrilling in a way only a visit to the arcades could be. I also liked E-SWAT, especially in the earlier, human levels, which felt like a more forgiving Shinobi.
So that's about it. I think my favorite game of the year is Legendary Axe. It's just so perfectly polished and smooth. Hard at times, but not unfair. A great side-scroller.
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Post by anayo on Dec 25, 2018 10:45:13 GMT -5
1) The Revenge of Shinobi 2) Shinobi III 3) Lightening Force 4) Jewel Master 5) Battle Mania 2 I'll follow up later with more details about why I chose these and ranked them in this order. 1) The Revenge of ShinobiI first played this at Chibby's house on Sega Smash Pack for the PC. Then I got my own copy via the Sega Smash Pack Volume 1 for the Sega Dreamcast in 2003 or 2004. I loved it then and still love it now. The soundtrack is fire. It's challenging in a way that reminds me of Mega Man or Castlevania, with a very nice tactile feeling that makes it pleasant to play over and over again. I'm glad to have finally beaten this. It's amazing and I'll definitely beat it again if I ever pick up the Genesis Classics Collection on Nintendo Switch. 2) Shinobi III
I got a Genesis in 1995, so I prefer Genesis graphics from closer to the end of its commercial lifespan rather than the clunkier early stuff. So, Shinobi III's graphics are better in my view. It's just full of spectacular and memorable set pieces, like fighting ninjas while plummeting down a cliff on moving boulders, fighting ninjas while riding a rocket powered surfboard, or fighting a huge mutant monster who takes up the whole screen. But I have to rank Revenge of Shinobi as the better game. This is probably because Shinobi III gives you more abilities, which is cool, but it makes the game easier. It took me 2 or 3 weeks to beat Revenge of Shinobi, but only 2 or 3 days to beat Shinobi III. Apparently this is an ongoing controversy among Sega fans though. The one thing that's agreed upon is that they're both incredible must-play titles. 3) Lightening ForceI actually didn't like this back when I first picked it up a few years ago. That's because the correct way to experience this game is to play Thunder Force III first. I couldn't appreciate all the improvements of this iteration otherwise. It just squeezes the Genesis's sound and graphics as far as they'll go, and the difficulty curve is perfect. It felt dishearteningly tough at first, but it takes effort. Learning to play it was really fulfilling. 4) Jewel MasterIf this game played as bad as it looks, I'd hate it. The graphics look like those Ghanan movie posters that toei told us about last month. But it's mechanically rock solid. I like how one power up makes you shoot a projectile that moves in a sine-wave shape. It just feels really gratifying to line up my shot that way and deal massive damage to enemies. The swords and sorcery setting really does it for me, too. I mean, it's not like we don't have fantasy games today, the genre just doesn't feel the same as how it's portrayed in Jewel Master, Alicia Dragoon, or Elemental Master. Jewel Master also has an incredible soundtrack that had me humming when I wasn't playing. There's some ineffable quality about this game really embodies the time period for me. 5) Battle Mania 2There's no good reason why this deserves to be here instead of MUSHA, except that I had known about MUSHA for 15 years but just sort of discovered this. So Battle Mania 2 feels more like a hidden treasure. It's got production values comparable to Gunstar Heroes, but never came out in the West, which I think is inexcusable. Its only weakness is that I beat it in 2 or 3 days. I could have rented this back in the day and experienced all it had to offer. It's hard to fault it for that, though, since everything it has to offer is superb.
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Post by Ex on Dec 28, 2018 0:54:29 GMT -5
I'm still hoping to beat Dark Lord before 2019. Unfortunately the Holidays have been extraordinarily busy for me, due to multiple real life obligations of a large variety - to the point I haven't played a video game in over a week. Ugh. So in the the meantime, I'll at least post a list of all the games I've beaten this year. Apparently I was wayyy off on my initial count. I've only beaten 88 games so far, not 99: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance - Nintendo GameCube Heavy Barrel - NES Gate of Doom - Arcade Nitro Ball - Arcade Sly Spy: Secret Agent - Arcade Shadow Hearts: Covenant - PlayStation 2 Time Slip - Super Nintendo Dragon Fighter - NES Mitsume ga Tooru - NES S.C.A.T.: Special Cybernetic Attack Team - NES Shadow of Destiny - PSP Professor Layton and the Unwound Future - Nintendo DS CrossFire - NES Shatterhand - NES Power Blade 2 - NES Power Blade - NES Demon's World - Arcade Silent Hill 2: Born From a Wish - PlayStation 2 Silent Hill 2 - PlayStation 2 Marine Raider - Android Jack in the Dark - PC Nanashi no Game (The Nameless Game) - Nintendo DS Fatal Frame: Special Edition - Xbox Resident Evil 6 - Xbox 360 Onirim - Android Wurm: Journey to the Center of the Earth - NES Light Crusader - Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Mass Effect 2 - Xbox 360 Nights: Journey of Dreams - Wii WarioWare: Smooth Moves - Wii Klonoa - Wii Treasures of the Deep - PlayStation Virtual Boy Wario Land - Virtual Boy Space Squash - Virtual Boy Dolphin Island: Underwater Adventures - Nintendo DS Destination: Treasure Island - PC DK Jungle Climber - Nintendo DS Dolphin Blue - Arcade Windjammers - Arcade Insmouse no Yakata - Virtual Boy Aquanaut's Holiday: Hidden Memories - PlayStation 3 Battle Circuit - Arcade Robo Army - Arcade Hook - Arcade God Hand - PlayStation 2 Wizard Fire - Arcade Armored Warriors - Arcade Guardian Heroes - Sega Saturn Final Fight: Streetwise - PlayStation 2 Urban Reign - PlayStation 2 Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone - PlayStation 2 The Bouncer - PlayStation 2 The Lord of the Rings: Conquest - Xbox 360 Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon - Nintendo 3DS Xenoblade Chronicles - Wii Orcs & Elves II - Mobile Mazes of Fate DS - Nintendo DS Gears of War 2 - Xbox 360 Chronicles of Mystery: Curse of the Ancient Temple - Nintendo DS The X-Files Game - PC Alive - PlayStation PYST - PC Dennis Miller: That's News To Me - 3DO The Yakyuu Ken Special: Konya wa 12-kaisen - Sega Saturn Madoola no Tsubasa: The Wing of Madoola - NES The NinjaWarriors - Arcade Alien Syndrome - Arcade Body Slam - Arcade Time Gal - Arcade Titanic Mystery: Melody of Blue - NES Space Hunter - NES Gall Force: Eternal Story - NES Layla - NES Dirty Pair: Project Eden - NES Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker - Wii U Tomb Raider (2013) - Xbox 360 Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings - Nintendo DS Aliens: Alien 2 - MSX Super Back to the Future II - Super Nintendo Zillion II: The Tri-Formation Cycle - Sega Master System The Terminator - Sega CD RoboCop - Arcade Hyper Speed GranDoll - PlayStation Appleseed: Oracle of Prometheus - Super Nintendo RoboCop Versus The Terminator - Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Hyper Iria - Super Nintendo Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse - Sega Mega Drive/Genesis Air Gallet - Arcade The longest game I beat this year was Xenoblade Chronicles: 80 hours 46 minutes
This was a very unusual gaming year for me, largely due to spending so much time on Racketboy's "Together Retro" monthly themed events. Most of my 2018 gaming time was actually driven by those themes. I've since retired from Racketboy, so that won't be happening again next year. As for our own "Club Retro", well we'll see how it goes. I don't see any point in doing a Club Retro at HRG every month if we're only getting three participants per theme. That'd be a waste of effort IMO. But if we get a half dozen or so regular participants, fair enough. In the 2019 meantime I'm going to focus on playing games I'm specifically interested in, with a healthy dose of those being HRG compliant of course.
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Post by Sarge on Dec 28, 2018 2:08:55 GMT -5
I thought I was running well under my total from last year, but it turns out I'm above. I'm at around 135 games total, although several of those are too new for here. It's also buoyed by an inordinate number of beat-'em-ups.
I'll still likely do the occasional game for RB, but I plan on making it stuff that I actually care about as well. I'm actually not sure where I'm going to find the time for all this stuff I've picked up over the holidays (the gaming drought is over, y'all!), but don't be surprised if you see a decent number of Game Boy and Game Boy Color games from me in the near future. That EverDrive GB X3 needs some work. I even busted out the old green screen, and... well, it takes really good lighting to make it worthwhile. Thank goodness for better LCD screens these days.
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