(Retro) What have you been playing this week? Vol.2

[Baseley09]

Tbh I played every Ridge even 5 & 7 largely on the digital pad.I havnt got time for R4 it's a bit of a fart compared to real ridge racers.

Nice intro and menus mind.

[dataDave]

Tbh I played every Ridge even 5 & 7 largely on the digital pad.I havnt got time for R4 it's a bit of a fart compared to real ridge racers.

Nice intro and menus mind.

I love the tracks and the 'story' mode/GP bits. The presentation, colour palette, and the control in general really tick all my boxes too. Compartmentalising Grip and Drift control is a great idea. It's just the progression for unlocking liveries seems very. very archaic. Everything since Ridge Racers (PSP) probably spoiled me there.

Going back to Revolution it's like stepping foot back onto a local pikey fairground from 1994/1995. Mostly due to the announcer and soundtrack/audio. The basic colour schemes compared to R4 are such a contrast, too. I can almost smell the diesel fumes mixed with the sweet scent of burger relish!

[Atticus]

Everything was going fine until I got to one of the first boss battles with Spike. Suddenly the combat seemed near impossible.

A difficulty Spike huh …

[egparadigm]

Ba-dumpsh!

Managed to change the difficulty setting on Manhunt this evening. The radar makes a helluva difference!

[Atticus]

Managed to change the difficulty setting on Manhunt this evening. The radar makes a helluva difference!

I bought Manhunt on my Series X recently (I understand there are issues on PS5) ... shame to hear about the lack of headset support but looking forward to going through it again (it'll be the first time since the PS2).

[egparadigm]

Yeah it’s a pity because I thought it looked pretty snazzy on Series X. Also bit of a shame the lack of support is not documented (even if unsurprising).

[egparadigm]

Got my 360 RGH’d and OG Xbox Cerbiosed, with 2TB HDDs a piece. Been enjoying some Jet Set Radio (XBLA) and GoldenEye (leaked).

[fuse]

Stuck the Castlevania Advance Collection on again the other day, and for the first time decided to have a proper crack at Dracula XX / Vampire's Kiss. Every time I've played it in the past I just romp through the first couple of levels, whereas I decided I was finishing it by fair means or foul this time. Savestates were a wise idea, as I have no idea if I'd have had the patience for that last boss even at my youngest and most mentally agile state. While it's still better than most games it's only 'alright' on the Castlevania scale. Somewhere in my mind I have it that someone tried telling me once this version is better than PCE Rondo, and if I ever remember who it was I'm having them arrested.

While I had that on I also saw to getting the proper ending in Aria of Sorrow, as for some reason I only did the 'bad' end and Julius on this version before. I did consider trying to get all souls as well, but then realised I'd have to replay all the way up to Legion and that seemed a bit more effort than I was looking to commit.

Also played some of the Gun Stream 'challenge' version now that arrived. It's neat! GG Aleste 3 is a fairly tough act to follow, and there's no getting around that this is just a 3 minute caravan snapshot of what's to come, but it gets plenty happening on screen and feels like it's likely pushing the Game Gear to (more likely: well beyond) its limits. There's no battery backup, but you can set a 4-letter name and it'll generate a password with your name + score you can then load up in future and shoot for again, or share with your buddies. So on that note, come at me bros.

[gunrock]

Got my 360 RGH’d and OG Xbox Cerbiosed, with 2TB HDDs a piece. Been enjoying some Jet Set Radio (XBLA) and GoldenEye (leaked).

The Cerbios is amazing, sorted out my SSD startup failure issue (used to have to boot off a burnt DVD first to allow the spin up time of the SATA-Pata converter).

[egparadigm]

The Cerbios is amazing, sorted out my SSD startup failure issue (used to have to boot off a burnt DVD first to allow the spin up time of the SATA-Pata converter).

It was something the man who ho did the work recommended. Certainly good the hdd is fully unlocked, although I miss the original bootup animation!

[fallenangle]

Since I finished original Xbox Doom 3 I thought I might as well have a go at the also included on the disc: Doom Ultimate which includes a hidden secret Xbox only level accessed via an alternative exit from the first level.

I've done numerous Doom WADs on the Xbox with emulation including Doom Ultimate but had no idea there was an Xbox exclusive level. Found that yesterday and it is a real challenge - dozens of enemies and limited ammo.

[fuse]

Stuck the Castlevania Advance Collection on again the other day [...]

While I had that on I also saw to getting the proper ending in Aria of Sorrow, as for some reason I only did the 'bad' end and Julius on this version before. I did consider trying to get all souls as well, but then realised I'd have to replay all the way up to Legion and that seemed a bit more effort than I was looking to commit.

That line of thought didn't last long. I ended up doing a NG+ run on hard, and proceeded to play through all of that while getting all of the souls in the process. Then moved back over to Circle of the Moon, replayed that on Magician mode, and got the platinum trophy for the collection. Going that way round did highlight how much these games came on with each release, and how CotM is definitely on the weaker side of things. Just stating it clearly here and now though: I really, really want there to be a DS collection in the same vein as this one.

[Colin]

Was a bit quiet in the shop today so I decided to download something new to play on openemu. Happened across Gatchaman - The Shooting, a game I’d never owned or played, loving the flashbacks to my love of Battle Of The Planets as a kid, was a really fun wee find. It then led to me trying to find a nice Gatchaman/Battle Of The Planets poster to frame up for in the shop.

[egparadigm]

Decided to go back to Buffy despite earlier frustrations. Promptly died and had to restart another long checkpoint for the third or fourth time. Thought I’d try the infinite health cheat… and still managed to die twice by accidentally falling into the water!

[egparadigm]

The game is mostly a breeze on easy with infinite health, although I’ve still racked up quite a few deaths from falls and insta-death obstacles (and even the odd enemy attack that appears to get past). Ways I’ve died this morning: hitting an invisible wall when jumping platforms, skidding off the end of platforms, getting near to a scythe (but not making any actual contact), hitting the wrong button for jump (genuinely my fault), doing a kicking attack too near the edge, pulling up onto a platform minutely too late and being hit by a scythe. Just about made it through the first part of the dreamer’s realm after a dozen attempts or so. Luckily the boss wasn’t too bad (mean of them to put her at the end of such a long platforming section!)

Here’s a vid for reference:

EDIT: Finished the game now. That will do wonders for my blood pressure!