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Post by toei on Jan 23, 2021 23:50:59 GMT -5
I think what is likely going on is that the boss mostly has invincibility unless you hit them directly after they attack. I might need to test this theory, but the video I saw appears to be so. And yeah, I can imagine it feels more fair with more people. I agree with your assessment. I don't know how it is in two-player mode, but as a single-player beat-'em-up, it's too frustrating and poorly-balanced to be any fun. I put it behind not only the Genesis and SNES beat-'em-ups (maybe not R, though), but even behind the Game Gear platformer. The special attacks look amazing, though.
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Post by Sarge on Jan 24, 2021 10:38:45 GMT -5
Some mulling over, and it really was just that last stretch that impacted my opinion so negatively. I hate it when an otherwise solid game does that. It looks absolutely gorgeous, though, no question. Not sure if it's the emulation, but some of the music was horrific, though, as if they were using some MIDI instruments out of time or something. I might actually give the SNES game a full run, just to complete the experience. Didn't see myself playing so much Sailor Moon this month, that's for sure.
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Post by Ex on Jan 24, 2021 11:41:15 GMT -5
Didn't see myself playing so much Sailor Moon this month, that's for sure. Why stop now?
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Post by Sarge on Jan 26, 2021 15:56:50 GMT -5
After finding myself in the gaming doldrums the last few days, I think I've finally found a game I can cotton to again. I think I might move it over to the MiSTer to play on the big screen, though - the tiny GBA/DS Lite screens perhaps aren't the greatest in that respect.
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Post by Ex on Jan 26, 2021 16:08:22 GMT -5
the tiny GBA/DS Lite screens perhaps aren't the greatest I haven't yet decided if it's due to getting older, or advancing phone screen sizes, that the DS Lite's screens keep getting smaller every year. - Edit: Guess I'll add a Spiral Chaos update. From what I understand, this game has 31 main missions. I just reached mission 25 last night. I wager I have less than 5 hours left to finish the main campaign. There's post-game missions as well, but I doubt I'll do those. More 仕事には安全ではありません shots of screens:
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Post by Sarge on Jan 26, 2021 16:35:24 GMT -5
Probably a little bit of both. I can still use the DS Lite, but it's awfully nice to stretch the ol' eye muscles on a big display. Plus, we spend so much time on computers that our eyes are already likely pretty strained when we go at handhelds.
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Post by Ex on Jan 26, 2021 16:42:28 GMT -5
I can still use the DS Lite, but it's awfully nice to stretch the ol' eye muscles on a big display. I can still use a DS Lite as well, thankfully. But what messes me up about it, is after I use a DS Lite for a couple hours, it takes a while for my eyes to adjust to seeing things at other distances. Like my eyes will be blurry for a little while, and start to feel kinda sore afterwards (not during use). There's a technical term for this loss-of-plasticity issue that my optometrist told me, but I can't remember now. Just something that happens as one ages. Doesn't help that I've had awful vision since I was 12 anyway. Anyway, there's always the option of using an emulator to play DS games much larger on a computer screen, as you already mentioned. Granted I can't as easily recline with my laptop as I can a DS, but it's good to have the option.
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Post by Sarge on Jan 26, 2021 16:47:31 GMT -5
I'm lucky that my vision is still mostly very good. But I have my limits, and yeah, it takes time when you read or play games up that close for long periods of time.
EDIT: This game is a lot longer than I thought... and a lot tougher, too. I'm liking it overall, but it's definitely trying my patience in spots.
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Post by Sarge on Jan 28, 2021 14:29:58 GMT -5
Still making progress in my mystery GBA game. For an anime/manga property, it's got surprising teeth to it. I've taken some game overs quite a few times - it definitely demands some cautious play! EDIT: Got it in under the wire. Shaman King: Master of Spirits is down for the count. I should probably go ahead and write up my thoughts now while they're really fresh. Anyway, this is based on the anime/manga, and I honestly know absolutely nothing about it. What does matter from a conceptual view is that the game shares a lot of DNA with Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. Granted, in this game, souls aren't random drops, but you do collect them, and get various powers both passive and active to help you proceed through the game. Some are optional, some are needed to proceed. The engine here has to be related to Aria as well. It feels like a Castlevania game. There are differences, though - you have a little hitch in your jump, sword combos have a hitch as well - but it definitely feels like it cribs from that excellent series. Where it differs, though, is in the details. You don't get one big map - instead, the game is broken up into stages, much like Order of Ecclesia. That sounds like it would be pretty nice, but it's not early on. Once you clear a route, you still have to traverse it on foot until late in the game when you pick up an optional spirit that takes you to the exit of any stage you've cleared. Furthermore, none of these stages give you an in-game map. That means, unlike your typical Igavania, it's harder to remember exactly which stage you saw an impassible barrier, and where you might have missed exploring. It's a lot easier in those games to see blank map areas where you couldn't explore and come back later, but you should take notes here. I remembered most, but confess to checking a guide to shorten my checking every single stage for missed stuff. (And I still did miss a little bit, but not much.) Still, each of these stages plays pretty well. Some are short, some are long, but each one either feels very Castlevania-ish or more like a maze-style 16-bit platformer. Some of them get pretty involved for this type of game, what with the key hunts and finding the right paths (there's only one key to open up the exit door in those stages), but I found them a nice change of pace from just running through basic platforming areas. A few others are just boss chambers (or mostly only that). Those are nice to refill your life, as every time you finish a stage, you get a partial life refill. Run through once or twice and you're back in business. Speaking of life, there's a shop you can visit on the overworld map, but all they sell is food items and an antidote. Those are important, though - stages can be quite grueling. Especially if you haven't found the various sword/armor upgrades, enemies can hit like a truck. You can't actually just max out on healing items, though, as each one has an associated weight to it. So you have to decide, do I want a bowl of ramen that refills my entire gauge but takes up 3/10 of the inventory, or something cheaper that only takes one or two? Where you're at health-wise generally makes that decision - hamburgers are the best early on as they basically give a full refill for 2/10. Also unlike Castlevania, this game has no level ups. You can't grind to make spots easier - the only way to get stronger is to find items that make you tougher or spirits that boost your offense/defense. That's why the game in a lot of ways will test you more than an Igavania. In those, you can hit a rough spot but decide to build a few levels and make it through, but here, you don't get this reprieve. Also, bottomless pits suck - you'll be bailed out by your primary spirit, but it takes a huge chunk of health off. Graphics look really nice, here, with heavy Castlevania vibes. The sound has some good tracks, but it definitely isn't up to Michiru Yamane's standard. Overall, though, I have to say I enjoyed my time with the game. It's definitely missing that Iga magic, but it's a darn fine substitute. I'd say this is a 7.5/10, perhaps pushing an 8/10. While my final save time says 6h30m, I'd estimate it's closer to eight hours, especially with the deaths I took in several spots. Like I said, the game can be tough (but mostly fair). I definitely recommend this one to exploratory platformer fans. EDIT: Oh, one annoyance. Several traversal powers have to be mapped to L or R. This is pretty lame, especially when one of them is a dash and another a slide. Let down + A be the slide, and a double-tap be the short-range dash. It would alleviate a lot of inventory/loadout swapping. At least the game gives you four loadouts you can toggle through.
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Post by Sarge on Jan 30, 2021 18:58:24 GMT -5
Well, I'm probably not going to finish anything else, so let's see what we have here...
6) Sailor Moon / Genesis / 4.0 / 1h / Jan 11 7) The Violinist of Hameln / SNES / 8.0 / 3h30m / Jan 15 9) Gulliver Boy / SNES / 6.0 / 3h30m / Jan 19 11) Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Duel / SNES / 8.5 / 50m / Jan 22 12) Sailor Moon / Arcade / 4.0 / 55m / Jan 23 13) Shaman King: Master of Spirits / GBA / 8.0 / 8h0m / Jan 28
Some disappointing games, some "meh" games, and some really good ones. Can't complain, especially since I found three separate 8+ games for the month. At some point, I will follow up with Master of Spirits 2. I wonder if they made any of the changes I suggested above?
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