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Post by toei on Aug 14, 2021 23:36:45 GMT -5
Shinobi (GG) Ex said: I've played this one, not beaten it. I preferred the SMS version. To be clear, they're not the same game. The two GG Shinobi entries are original games. They're solid. The SMS game is a diminished port of the arcade original, so I'd recommend the OG instead. Burning Rangers This got a lot of hype at the end of the Saturn days, but I never played it. I wasn't into "weird" game design or game objectives then - I'd have rather beat up or shot people to put fires out. I'm more open-minded now. Astal Astal is beautiful, but very ordinary gameplay-wise. I never beat it either, despite owning it in the late '90s. Panzer Dragoon Never cared for rail shooters much, but I did play the first two Panzer Dragoons, and they're pretty cool. Didn't beat them. I'd mess with them some more eventually. Sylvan Tale This is one of the better 8-bit ARPGs. Of course, that still means there are literally dozens of better 16-bit ARPGs. Still, though, it's pretty good.
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Post by Ex on Aug 15, 2021 0:40:06 GMT -5
The SMS game is a diminished port of the arcade original I don't think the word "diminished" is fair, I think "conversion" is more apt. The SMS version's gameplay has some nice changes versus the arcade: A health gauge, rather than one hit you're dead. Hostage rescue is optional. Rescued hostages provide upgrades to melee and ranged weapons, health gauge expansions or health refill. Bonus stages occur more often now, after regular stages, instead of only after boss fights. Bonus rounds supply ninjitsu magic not just points. The player may hold up to four ninjitsu magic types instead of just one. The amount of melee weapons, ranged weapons, and ninjitsu magic types were all expanded.It's these gameplay changes that make me prefer the SMS version. That said, the SMS version does not look as good, nor sound as nice, as the arcade original. So from a presentation standpoint, sure the SMS version is "diminished". Also gotta love this arcade flyer:
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Post by toei on Aug 15, 2021 0:49:58 GMT -5
The main issue is speed, not presentation. The Master System version is slow, choppy, and less precise. It tries to make up for it by being Easy Mode.
That's an interesting flyer. It shows that Sega of America was already into cocky marketing years before the famous "Genesis Does What Nintendon't" campaign. Also, being that I'm not an arcade game collector, I didn't know that conversion kits didn't typically come with their own DIP switches. I never really thought about it, but standard System 16 games were almost like Neo Geo games in that they ran on the same hardware, and you just had to change the game. Though I'd assume it was a bit less practical than in the Neo Geo's case, and the games were probably a little more expensive, too.
Random Sega trivia I just learned: "The name NAOMI was reportedly selected by Sega R&D head Hisashi Suzuki in honor of the British model Naomi Campbell." Surprised Namco didn't try to hit back with the "NAMCO CINDY CRAWFORD".
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Post by Ex on Aug 15, 2021 1:23:00 GMT -5
The Master System version is slow, choppy, and less precise.
I find the SMS version's slower speed to lend itself to a more tactical play style. As a result, SMS Shinobi is like a cover shooter from 1988. I don't know what emulator you were using, but the game's not choppy on real hardware at least. I never found attacking to be imprecise either. While I don't agree Shinobi on SMS is "easy", I do concede it is easier than the arcade version designed to devour quarters. (Presumably to fill that cardboard box with.) All of that said, I'm definitely nostalgically biased for the SMS version, so being 100% objective is likely not possible for me. Anyway yeah, the Game Gear version is completely different than both the arcade and SMS conversion. I don't remember much about The G.G. Shinobi. I'll give it a second chance this month.
Now that is an arcade board I could get behind.
I only ever had one "supermodel" poster on my wall, back when I was in middle school. And yeah, it was a Cindy.
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Post by toei on Aug 15, 2021 1:31:28 GMT -5
I like The GG Shinobi 2 a bit more over the first game. The main gimmick in those games is that you have multiple ninjas with different powers, which promotes exploration. The second game has a light action-adventure component as you free the ninjas one by one, which allows you to go back to earlier levels and use their specific powers to reach previously inaccessible areas. You also find permanent health upgrades.
The choppy part in SMS Shinobi is when you jump between planes. The way that animation is handled is awful. The arcade original is already purely tactical, and the "cover shooter" aspect is already there. It's not some frantic action game, it's just not sluggish. If anything, the fact that you can't afford to take any hits at all probably makes it more methodical.
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Post by Ex on Aug 15, 2021 1:37:15 GMT -5
The choppy part in SMS Shinobi is when you jump between planes. Ah okay, I thought you meant when you walk and the background scrolls. Yeah it is choppy when you leap up or down between planes, I agree. I still like all the extra stuff that the SMS version adds though. That doesn't mean I'm saying the arcade version is inferior. It's just not my preferred version from a gameplay perspective. I'll check out The G.G. Shinobi II: The Silent Fury also.
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Post by anayo on Aug 15, 2021 8:30:03 GMT -5
Finished up Valkyria Chronicles tonight! 27h37m, with some side mission "reports" done and 8/9 skirmishes. Not sure why the last one didn't unlock but maybe there's a lot of NG+ content here. Never had to grind.
+ Incredibly cool take on mixing the SRPG genre with real time 3rd person elements controlling units personally. + Lot of systems and customization's to work with, never overkill though.
+ Nice cel shading anime aesthetic + Excellent music +/- Story/characters was fine but nothing too deep. +/- Wasn't too big on the Tetris-block styled equippable upgrades for the tanks. But it eventually felt like you could ignore a lot of upgrades or just focus on a few specific things. The game in general seems to amp up for NG+ content to fully unlock everything.
- You'll probably die and have to reload throughout, then have to button mash through dialogue parts and such to get back to the action. Enemy turns can take awhile too. - Some infuriating levels with gimmicky one-time boss fights or weird mission perimeters, a few "what do I do now" moments, or annoying moments with things that will kill your units instantly. Too much trial and error in the back half at times.
[/spoiler] [/div] Looking forward to playing the rest of the series. I'd give this one an 8/10 or so.
[/quote] I have had this in my Steam library since about 2015 or so. I must have forgotten about it and double dipped, since I have it on PS3, too. The graphical style and "World War I except anime" setting both really appeal to me. Not to mention I love SRPG's in a way that overrides my usual ambivalence toward JRPG's. I'm not sure exactly when I'll play it, but I went ahead and downloaded and installed it. I'll bet it would look amazing with my GTX 1050 Ti (found free on FB marketplace *) and 1440p G-sync monitor. *a guy on FB marketplace gave me a server he was probably using to mine etherium. He removed all the GPUs except for a 1050 Ti. That's pretty bottom of the barrel by 2021 standards, but it's nicer than the Radeon HD 7800 I was using before, and the GPU market is still in such a state of disarray that a 1050 Ti costs $200 on eBay.
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Post by Ex on Aug 15, 2021 21:04:35 GMT -5
anayo From what I've seen, you prefer real time strategy to turn based strategy. What is cool about Valkyria Chronicles is that it combines both RTS and TBS into a "best of both worlds" hybrid (the BLiTZ system). I think you would very much enjoy this game.
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Post by Ex on Aug 16, 2021 12:59:19 GMT -5
I finished the first 2 zones in Sonic Rush for DS last night. So far this has been a considerable downgrade from SA2 and SA3. Especially graphically (unless you value low res polygons). My biggest complaint is the level design has been super trollish so far, especially zone 2... never blindly fell into so many pits in a Sonic game before this. Hopefully that'll let up in future zones. I think there's 8 zones total here, so I've still got a ways to go. Not impressed at this point. Especially considering the same primary director and primary producer of the Advance series resumed their roles here. Well, maybe it'll get better.
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Post by paulofthewest on Aug 18, 2021 18:44:09 GMT -5
Okay I know I'm late to the party on this one, but any Saturn recommendations (besides Sonic?)
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