Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

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

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Just finished the main story in Ape Escape, now going back through the levels to capture the rest of the apes. Is there an extra boss battle or special ending if you capture 100% of them?

    Comment


      Alright, y'all might have been on to something, Devil Crash MD might be quite good. Had a total blast with it last night, and although I can't put my finger on exactly what is making it so much easier, it's definitely appreciated - actually clearing multiple bonus stages in one shot? Revolutionary!

      Comment


        I've been playing a little known game, a hidden gem as it were. An obscurity. Mario 64

        So like everyone else in the universe I have actually played this before, but never properly. I never had a 64 back in the day, but dabbled at friend's houses, then on emulation, then via the DS version, but I've not sat down and had a real crack at it.

        I'm now 111 stars in via the Switch All Stars pack and, to state the obvious, what a game. It's remarkable how simply terrific the game is to this day - and when you consider the conditions it was made under, that Nintendo were literally inventing this type of game pretty much whole cloth, it's incredible.

        The thing that really stands out to me is how much I think the development team exceeded any expectations I think people might have had. It could've been a bit of a tech demo, but instead they've taken a maximalist approach. Tons of levels, tons of stars, and Mario's control is much more sophisticated than in many much more modern platform games.

        I've just recently finished Crash Bandicoot 4, which is not a bad game by any stretch. But this, from 1996, is so much better in so many ways. Learning to control Mario fully is a task in itself, but mastering his move set is intrinsically rewarding. Like every 3D Mario, it's fun to simply bounce around and interact with the world they've created.

        Of course, it's not a perfect game. The battles with Bowser feel perfunctory, and more like an obligation on the part of the developers than something they were genuinely interested in. Some of the stars are simply annoying - especially on the Tiny-Huge level, which I personally think is the weakest in the game. And the camera, these days, is a challenge, and not a good one. You're battling against it throughout, and while you do get used to it, it's far from ideal.

        But those are minor in the scheme of things. Mario 64, for me, is great because it's not just a landmark innovation in videogames, but also because it's hugely fun to play to this day. I'm so glad I've sat down do it properly. One of the very best games of all time, without a doubt.

        Comment


          I might have to download the port for the RG-350M. I’m much like you in that I never really played it for any great length of time save for some dabbling with the DS version.

          Comment


            Originally posted by wakka View Post
            I've been playing a little known game, a hidden gem as it were. An obscurity. Mario 64

            So like everyone else in the universe I have actually played this before, but never properly. I never had a 64 back in the day, but dabbled at friend's houses, then on emulation, then via the DS version, but I've not sat down and had a real crack at it.

            I'm now 111 stars in via the Switch All Stars pack and, to state the obvious, what a game. It's remarkable how simply terrific the game is to this day - and when you consider the conditions it was made under, that Nintendo were literally inventing this type of game pretty much whole cloth, it's incredible.

            The thing that really stands out to me is how much I think the development team exceeded any expectations I think people might have had. It could've been a bit of a tech demo, but instead they've taken a maximalist approach. Tons of levels, tons of stars, and Mario's control is much more sophisticated than in many much more modern platform games.

            I've just recently finished Crash Bandicoot 4, which is not a bad game by any stretch. But this, from 1996, is so much better in so many ways. Learning to control Mario fully is a task in itself, but mastering his move set is intrinsically rewarding. Like every 3D Mario, it's fun to simply bounce around and interact with the world they've created.

            Of course, it's not a perfect game. The battles with Bowser feel perfunctory, and more like an obligation on the part of the developers than something they were genuinely interested in. Some of the stars are simply annoying - especially on the Tiny-Huge level, which I personally think is the weakest in the game. And the camera, these days, is a challenge, and not a good one. You're battling against it throughout, and while you do get used to it, it's far from ideal.

            But those are minor in the scheme of things. Mario 64, for me, is great because it's not just a landmark innovation in videogames, but also because it's hugely fun to play to this day. I'm so glad I've sat down do it properly. One of the very best games of all time, without a doubt.
            Yeah its still amazing and its one game I play through on an almost yearly basis ever since it was released. Both this and Zelda OoT are pretty much perfect.

            For me, I just finished Ape Escape and got the true ending by capturing 100% of the apes. Its a fantastic little game thats full of creativity. Will have to try and play the second one at some point. Currently going through Resident Evil Directors Cut on the PS1 but this time in arrange mode. I know the regular game inside out and have probably finished it a hundred times so this arrange mode is quite interesting as it has alternative camera angles plus all the items are in different locations.

            Comment


              Been playing Daytona USA 2001 on Dreamcast the last couple of weekends. Really enjoying it but cannot get the hang of the powerslide. Read a bunch of guides but it just isn't clicking. Loving the game though. Also playing a mission or two of FFTA on GBA before bed. I've heard that people aren't big fans of it but I'm enjoying a relatively simple (bar the poorly explained job system at the start) tactics game before bed.

              Comment


                Finally started playing Deep Fear. I was a huge Saturn fan back in the day and remember being excited about this game after seeing previews of it in the official saturn magazine, a resident evil style game made by sega with an under ocean setting on paper seemed like it was going to be a classic like Resident Evil. Pictures in the magazine looked great with the 2D backgrounds being way more detailed than Resi 1. But because the game was released at the end of the Saturns life I wasnt able to find a copy at the time. Now with a mode thats not a problem so I was finally able to play the game. At first it starts off impressively, an interesting FMV intro with the credits, Kenji Kawai (who did the music for Ghost in the Shell and lots of other anime) is listed as composer, so far so good. Then the game actually starts and it very, very quickly goes downhill from there. Firstly the voice acting has to be the worst I have ever heard in a video game, it makes the original Resident Evil voice work seem oscar worthy in comparison. Theres one character in particular that has such an offensively stereotypical camp British voice that if this game was released today the social justice squads online would probably be smashing their keyboards in outrage and try to cancel the game. Just as bad is the script, the dialogue is completely wooden and is just laughably bad. The CGI FMVs are also both humorously terrible and nightmare inducing. Lastly because Deep Fear’s setting is an underwater military base, theres not a whole lot of variety in the locations and all the corridors look exactly the same, enemies as well are very limited so far, two hours into the game. However even though the voice acting, script, and movies are so abysmal, the game is strangely endearing and has been enjoyable to play so far.

                Comment


                  Been slowly working my way through the original Xbox Ghost Recon games, just finished GR: Island Thunder. Very short Campaign and bulked out by some unlockable Quick Mission challenges and extra, about half a dozen, Quick Mission DLC maps but clearly the focus of the developers was more on the multi-player.

                  The Rainbow 6 series on the Xbox are better games than GR and better suited to the original Xbox platform. Only exception is R6: Critical Hour which is very like Ghost Recon 2 in its failings and plays very similarly too: improved graphics but dumbed down squad control and a detrimental change to other elements of the gameplay.

                  Comment


                    Finished Mario 64 last night, and blasted onto the roof to meet Yoshi.

                    Phew, what a superb game. Some of the final stars I had to collect were pretty tricky - getting the 100 coins on Rainbow Ride took a little while. But overall I would say that the difficulty is well balanced. At its hardest it requires focus, but never feels impossible.

                    Going to give Mario a rest now before returning to play Sunshine at some point when the spirit moves me. Saturn next on the retro front - and the Sakura Wars translation

                    Comment


                      Originally posted by wakka View Post
                      Finished Mario 64 last night, and blasted onto the roof to meet Yoshi.

                      Phew, what a superb game. Some of the final stars I had to collect were pretty tricky - getting the 100 coins on Rainbow Ride took a little while. But overall I would say that the difficulty is well balanced. At its hardest it requires focus, but never feels impossible.

                      Going to give Mario a rest now before returning to play Sunshine at some point when the spirit moves me. Saturn next on the retro front - and the Sakura Wars translation
                      I had a great time with Sakura Wars. I want to go back and play through some of the other routes at some point (it's a fairly short game).

                      Comment


                        Originally posted by wakka View Post
                        I've been playing a little known game, a hidden gem as it were. An obscurity. Mario 64

                        So like everyone else in the universe I have actually played this before, but never properly. I never had a 64 back in the day, but dabbled at friend's houses, then on emulation, then via the DS version, but I've not sat down and had a real crack at it
                        ...
                        ...
                        Mario 64, for me, is great because it's not just a landmark innovation in videogames, but also because it's hugely fun to play to this day. I'm so glad I've sat down do it properly. One of the very best games of all time, without a doubt.
                        I was the same: N64 at a mate's house; occasionally via emulation; a bit on the DS!

                        I was convinced I wouldn't buy the 3D Collection, but then I read your post and it tipped me over the edge!

                        I’ve finally given Mario 64 more than a few hours and it’s brilliant. I’ve been hooked on it most of this weekend and managed to get 30 stars.

                        The camera can kiss my arse, and most of the textures look like they haven’t loaded in yet, but otherwise I can’t really fault the game. It feels fantastic and I have a huge grin whenever I come across things that are still present in recent games, like the huge bullets that follow you, or the logs you have to jump on to roll them forward.

                        I wasn’t pleased to find my 25-odd lives(that I’d farmed by repeating a certain bonus stage) had been reduced to four when loading my save.

                        Cheeky buggers!

                        E-Swat (MD)

                        I’m on a sewer stage that I don’t remember ever reaching when I had this game as a kid, so that’s cool. Otherwise, save states are helping me along

                        Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting (CPS1)

                        I’ve been trying to play through the game once a day. I’ve been playing all the SF games since SF2, just before SF2CE came out. I don’t have much to show for it so I’ve been trying to play this a bit more regularly to see what happens. I think this is my favourite one. I do love SSF2 Turbo, but it’s a bit too frantic.

                        Also played through SSF2 which was great fun.

                        The 8bitdo M30 I got helps me get into the games a lot more quickly. I used to spend ages on shaders, but once I settled on one I was drawn to joypad settings!

                        With the M30, I can play everything with just the initial setup. No more changing buttons cos I switched to my Saturn Pad!

                        Comment


                          Had an old school shooter evening - Transbot, Astro Warrior and Aerial Assault all on the Master System. I’ve always just assumed AA was the same on the MS as the GG version, which I’ve played to death, but it’s actually a lot better. Got to dig the lo-if aesthetic of Transbot. Tiny ROM size leading to loads of repetition of tiles and sprites but it’s bright and even has parallax scrolling. Astro Warrior must have been quite impressive at launch its impressively fluid and has plenty of fast moving sprites. All good fun.

                          Comment


                            Original Xbox Ghost Recon: Advanced War Fighter - horrible, given up on it. Dumbed down even more than the last pair of earlier GR games and on the original Xbox terrible frame rate drops. Lousy allied AI and not really a squad shooter, essentially a thinly disguised and not particularly interesting FPS with a ball and chain attached.

                            Not unplayable but why would you want to do this on the original Xbox? Can't think why they still released it on that platform and dread to think what the PS2 version is like.

                            Comment


                              Started Morrowind on a whim and got sucked back in. Set up a few simple mods to make it easier on the eyes and got myself re-accustomed to the archaic UI. Time just seemed to fly by until I reached the city of Vivec, at which point I remembered this was where I always stop.

                              It's a terribly designed city filled to the brim with miles upon miles of small, identically laid out halls and rooms. Once you know where everything is you can at least optimise your routes to each location, but getting to that point is an absolute chore. I was tempted to throw in the towel again, but the rest of the game has been so fun, it'd be a shame really.

                              Long story short, I'm out of there now and heading far north on a quest for the Fighters Guild. Hopefully I won't have to come back for a long time.

                              Comment


                                I started Morrowind a year or two back, having not played it since ~2003 or so, and that was exactly where I ran aground. Vivec is a goddamn boring place.

                                I do regret not persisting though. I really want to go back to it. There's a TES shaped hole in my life but I really can't be bothered to replay Skyrim or Oblivion, as I feel I know them both really well already.

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X