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Post by Ex on May 24, 2018 21:28:36 GMT -5
Hardcore Retro Gaming's Community Summer Challenge 2018 Ah yes, soon it will be summer. That special time of the year that's either great, or terrible, depending on where you live. Hopefully some long lazy days will bless us all in the upcoming months, regardless of climate. During that time... I've got an idea! It could be fun. (It could be dumb.) I was thinking it'd be cool if HRG had a community summer challenge. By that I mean, during June/July/August. Nothing big or complicated, just something simple we could all do together. So for each summer month you try to beat one game for this challenge; a total of three games in all. But each game has to meet special criteria: Easy Mode = Beat a retro game, in a genre you enjoy, that someone here recommends for you, which you've never beaten before.
Normal Mode = Beat a retro game that's a bonafide classic*, that someone here recommends for you, which you've never beaten before.
Hard Mode = Beat a retro game in a genre you normally avoid, that someone here recommends for you, which you've never beaten before. Nightmare Mode = Beat a retro game widely considered to be super difficult, that someone here recommends for you, which you've never beaten before.
The whole "that someone recommends to you" aspect would take into account platforms you have at your disposal. And can even be done by taking your current available library into consideration. You choose a difficulty mode for each month, have us help you pick corresponding games, and then try to beat all three choices before summer's end. During which time you come here and discuss your experiences, while bantering with others about their experiences as well. That's it! There's nothing to "win" in this challenge other than self-accomplishment, and a sense of applied communion. What we all can get out of this is good discussion, learning, new play experiences, and just good ol' fashion retro gaming. For those of us who are also taking part in the new Together Retro over at Racketboy, it's possible to roll one of these games into a current TR theme as well, saving you some time. (Although I recommend doing something unique for this challenge personally.)
So who wants to participate? Come on guys, it's just three games in three months!
*It can be a community vetted classic if you wish.
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Post by Sarge on May 24, 2018 22:12:51 GMT -5
I'm... err... game.
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Post by Ex on May 25, 2018 1:19:39 GMT -5
I'm... err... game. Alright, there's one! I guess it goes without saying that I'll participate as well.
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2018 1:37:37 GMT -5
Sign me up for nightmare mode. Although it would be appreciated if the games were also somewhat of a classic and belonged to a genre I'd normally avoid. Lately I have mostly been playing FPSs, really.
I'd also be glad to be the one giving recommendations.
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Post by dunpeal2064 on May 25, 2018 4:17:30 GMT -5
Definitely in on this.
I'd want to do at least one month on Nightmare mode, but I do want to purposefully play things outside my comfort zone (And also bonafide classics!)
I'm also cool with recommending games!
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Post by Ex on May 25, 2018 10:55:00 GMT -5
Alright cool, we've got four participants so far. This ball is starting to roll. Let's see how many members want to join by the end of this month, hopefully a few more! Meanwhile, if you want to go ahead and start having folks recommend games for you, we can do that. The best way to do this IMO, is to list what difficulty mode you want for each month, and list which platforms you have available. If you pick a mode that requires extra criteria, be sure to list it as well (genre stuff). I'll go ahead start as an example: EX's modes/months:June = Normal Mode July = Hard Mode (I normally avoid 4X strategy, sports, and puzzle games) August = Nightmare Mode Platforms available: Everything seventh gen and back. Bring on those recommendations!
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2018 11:34:24 GMT -5
Platforms available: NES, SNES, PS1, PS2, Mega Drive, SMS, Saturn, GC, Neo-Geo, GB, GBC, GBA, PSP, NDS, Dreamcast, N64, GG. And, well, PC. June: Nightmare Mode July: Nightmare Mode August: Nightmare Mode I'll play anything except Battletoads. I'd prefer games that are considered to be very challenging but also good. EX's modes/months:June = Normal Mode July = Hard Mode (I normally avoid 4X strategy, sports, and puzzle games) August = Nightmare Mode I'm sure people here have lots of good recommendations, not to mention I also have no clue about 4x strategy, sports and puzzle games, so I'll go straight to August as I have a game in mind you might enjoy. Severance: Blade of Darkness is a third person hack and slash game that came out for PC in 2001. The game is pretty much the Spanish precursor to Demon's Souls. It doesn't feature as many RPG elements, but really manages to convey that constant feel of dread and tension throughout the whole experience - you can never let your guard down. I can't overstate how challenging yet satisfying this game feels. Sure, you can save at any point in time, but the game gives you a rating depending on how many times you saved during your playthrough. I'd suggest only saving at the very beginning of each level and trying to keep the rating as high as possible. The developers behind Severance went on to found MercurySteam, which is the team behind the newest Metroid: Samus Returns. The game used to be for sale on GOG, but not anymore. It can't be purchased online and I assume it won't be easy to track down a hard copy. I've got the game from GOG when it was still available, so I can hook you up with it if you like.
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Post by Ex on May 25, 2018 14:19:29 GMT -5
This is a good suggestion. I've owned Severance for many years (physical and GOG version), but have not yet played it. I'll definitely keep this in mind for August, thanks. Platforms available: NES, SNES, PS1, PS2, Mega Drive, SMS, Saturn, Neo-Geo, GB, GBC, GBA, PSP, NDS, Dreamcast, N64, GG. And, well, PC. June: Nightmare Mode July: Nightmare Mode August: Nightmare Mode You've got a lot of options to work with. Hmmm. I'll throw some ideas out there... NES = Takeshi no Chōsenjō (AKA Takeshi's Challenge) SNES = Rendering RangerPS1 = Irritating StickPS2 = Contra: Shattered SoldierMega Drive / Genesis = Nightmare CircusSMS = Aztec Adventure or Cloud MasterSaturn = Assault Suits Valken 2Neo-Geo = King of the Monsters 2GB = Swamp ThingGBC = Rats!GBA = Dancing SwordPSP = Ultimate Ghosts 'n GoblinsNDS = Commando: Steel DisasterDreamcast = DUXN64 = Uchhannanchan no Honoo no Challenger: Denryuu IraIra BouGG = Home AlonePC = Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Rogue Spear or Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (This is not the same thing as the console versions.)
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Post by toei on May 25, 2018 15:19:08 GMT -5
I'm down. I agree with Tsumuri, though, about Nightmare Mode - let's recommend games that are hard but actually good. I've got two recommendations (should we end up collecting all recommendations in one post or something?): Double Dragon 3 NES. Very hard, but doable. It's a different game from all other DD3s, so only this one counts. Rolling Thunder Arcade, both loops. This one's really ultra hard to me, though the first loop is really cool. As for me, do I have to call out which months I want to do which challenge in advance? I'm interested in Normal, Hard & Nightmare modes. For Normal, I might as well mention that I've never finished a Metroid or Castlevania game. I'm really not interested in pre-Symphony of the Night, though, I've tried most of them. Of course, other recommendations outside these series are still welcome. For Hard, genres I don't normally play include most everything first-person, pure platformers (ie Mario, Sonic), sports, run-n-guns, RTS, FPS (I'm not gonna do it), rail shooters (ie Panzer Dragoon, etc.), shmups. Although, to be honest, I'm interested in Twinkle Tale (which I have played but never finished) and the Battle Mania games. Ex, you want to recommend a King's Field?
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2018 15:34:16 GMT -5
I've owned Severance for many years (physical and GOG version) Why am I not surprised? NES = Takeshi no Chōsenjō (AKA Takeshi's Challenge) SNES = Rendering RangerPS1 = Irritating StickPS2 = Contra: Shattered SoldierMega Drive / Genesis = Nightmare CircusSMS = Aztec Adventure or Cloud MasterSaturn = Assault Suits Valken 2Neo-Geo = King of the Monsters 2GB = Swamp ThingGBC = Rats!GBA = Dancing SwordPSP = Ultimate Ghosts 'n GoblinsNDS = Commando: Steel DisasterDreamcast = DUXN64 = Uchhannanchan no Honoo no Challenger: Denryuu IraIra BouGG = Home AlonePC = Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Rogue Spear or Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (This is not the same thing as the console versions.) Oh, very nice list. I'm going to play the Tom Clancy games regardless, so no need to make them my summer challenge. Among the others I'm particularly interested in Contra: Shattered Soldier, Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins, Dancing Sword and the Assault Suits game. Shouldn't it be called Assault Suits Leynos 2 though? As far as I can tell, Assault Suits Valken 2 came out on the PS1 and it's a SRPG. I'm interested in Normal, Hard & Nightmare modes. toei, ninjas seem to be your thing. Are you by any chance familiar with the Tenchu series? It could either be a normal ( Tenchu: Stealth Assassins) or nightmare ( Tenchu: Fatal Shadows) challenge. PS: Added the GameCube to my platforms.
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