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| |  "RANDOM GAMES (#39): Streets of Rage 4" , posted Fri 1 May 01:13  
I had completely forgotten that Streets of Rage 4 was being developed. But apparently it's out now, and... it looks interesting.
Four simultaneous players is a welcome addition to a beat'em up (too bad it's only for offline play), the new Floyd guy seems like a combination of SoR2's Max and SoR3's Zan, and the possibility of using characters from the past games with the same sprites they used to have... it manages to look lazy, weird and yet nice at the same time.
And the soundtrack sounds good. Sure, many people will complain that they wanted Koshiro back, but who knows, a change in direction can be good sometimes. It reminds me of how the Killer Instinct fanbase complained when Mick Gordon was chosen by Microsoft to make the soundtrack of the reboot game instead of bringing the old composers back, and some years later the man was being idolized for his work - to the point that, when he left after Season 2, people complained yet again that other people would be in charge of the Season 3 OST (which ended up being great as well).
Maybe I'm this person right in front of you... nah probably not though.
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| PSN: ShikyohMukuro
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| "Re(6):RANDOM GAMES (#40): Grand Upper-Review" , posted Fri 8 May 23:11:
quote:
So...Who is playing Streets of Rage 4/Bare Knuckle 4? How does it fair compared to past games? How does it fair compared to River City Girls?
I got it, played it, and like it. There's some depth in the mechanics, although some bosses have super armor you can't take out unless you use up a special. Also Lizardcube's art is just great, considering I've also liked the previous work they've done with Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap.
Streets of Rage 4 - Review, Overview, Rant, in-depth, whatever you call it.
I will try my best to provide an insight based on certain gamers. The Hardcore, regular, and casual player. The beat em up fan and the Streets of rage fan (which is probably more of my own opinion). I will also include an overview at the end.
Graphics
The graphics are absolutely beautiful and detailed. It will attract Hardcore, Regular, and Beat em up fans. What stands out the most is a perfect move by the team to attract newcomers in general like your casual gamer(s). New people means more sales and better exposure. It also gives a more welcome look for those new gamers alike. Even to a younger audience.
As an SOR fan, I still don’t feel that this graphic look blends well for SOR. It makes it more kid friendly and welcoming to those who want to experience a regular all-around game. It doesn’t have that raw, gritty, and mature feeling like previous titles and what it is known for. People were a bit nuts saying it looks like a mobile game when it was announced. This is more like, well, non-violent kid friendly look to me.
Audio/Music
The music is great and goes well throughout the game. Nothing boring or irritating. All gamers will feel comfortable, if not, rocking into the music the majority of the time. A variety of mixes and genres to listen. It will never feel stale.
As an SOR fan, I would say they did a good job overall. I will not complain that Yuzo and his team did not do the whole soundtrack, but the others and newcomers actually did a much better job overall. In particular, Olivier Deriviere definitely stole the show with his tracks. Kudos to the mixing of tracks and blending it into another type of rhythm/tempo as you progress to certain sections, event, or enemies. I love it.
Story
I think the story is straightforward and not confusing for all gamer. Although, as there is only one story line to whomever you pick, they may feel as though replaying the game would not be entertaining. It has a comic book style that will welcome anyone.
As an SOR fan, I think they story and its presentation could have been a lot better. Especially with previous excuse of “no more memory limitation,” they could have had a little sprinkle of voice acting maybe? Nevertheless, we should have seen some more dialogue and character interaction at least. For an example, Axel speaking with Shiva before the match. That would have been more awesome.
The presentation of the story could have also been better. There should have been some more animation within those cut scenes. I don’t see the point of still photos in this day in age.
Gameplay
Gameplay will welcome the hardcore, beat em up, and maybe the regular gamers. The SOR fans will feel right at home. Really at home, which I will go more later. It might not be as much for the casual gamer. It may be a one and done affair. But there is still some enjoyment and nothing complex. Most importantly, the replay value is there to have the best score and improve on your story/arcade campaign.
As an SOR Fan, the AI is still the same as ever before. Even the environment itself. For an example, You have a table in the middle of the area. Three enemies in the top and you in the bottom. They won’t attack or move close, unless you walk around in any direction. You wait for them, they don’t come. If I wanted to throw a knife over across the table, the invisible wall prevents that. The cheap shots are here and rocking like never before. For an example, Galsia charging with the knife has a huge hitbox where the slightest touch or even if you walk towards him from his back, which is nowhere near his knife, will still land a hit on you. But then, after he completes his charge, If you walk up to him to grab him, you don’t get hit at all. Like Really?
Replay Value
Many options for all gamers to utilize after the game. But since there is no story for each character, your regular and casual gamer may not play it after completion. For the rest is a higher replay value. You will replace the game to unlock all the characters and obtain higher scores. I will say the replay value is here but for those trying to get the high scores, higher combos, keeping your stars, and not losing lives, you will immediately get frustrated with, well cheap shots and the mechanics that I will go into later. Some Retro stages are also available to play during the story/arcade game. Pretty fun to experience.
Overview – My personal opinions.
Graphics. There some little nicks here and there involving the environments also. There is some background details that are reused in other stages like the people behind the tinted windows drinking with the lady standing. Some stages have people moving in the background to make the environment more alive and some just don’t move. Primarily, the fight against max. I mean at least most of these spectators can move after you get hit with Max like on the caged fight in SOR 2 under the baseball stadium. Those are small and nothing major.
I love the details from the Y Island environment that have the original Mr. X references practically everywhere like if he was a GOD. Even the robots from SOR 2 are there. It looks great and love the details in there.
Sound and audio. Some stages, primarily done by Olivier are amazing and rings in my head throughout the day. I love the tracks blending into another during the stages. That is a huge plus for me and it was done right. Even some of these tracks blend well with the enemies you encounter, it kind of makes it feel like it’s there theme song. The storm boat track is a perfect theme for Dylan and his goons. Chinatown perfect for Condor and his subordinate twins. Underground Tunnel is probably the best enemy theme all around.
Sadly, I don’t like the menu theme. Sounds to…..weak? Some boss themes are a bit bland. Shiva, although I want that rocking evil sound, has a nice theme to go with his change of personality. Most are nothing to remember about but some really do play in your head in an attraction to have you play again. The retro soundtrack is here also. Although, most tunes were from SOR 2 and , well the Game Gear/Master System version. Like, why?
Also, I feel as though the environments could have used a little background noise here and there. Another example again is the fight against Max. No noise from the crowd whatsoever. The underground tunnel could have used some bass from those speakers or sewer noise. The police station could have use some inmates cursing. These noises do play out during the loading times of a stage or when you progress into certain sections, but could have been used a little during the stages.
Characters and Mechanics. There was like two KOF reference that popped in my mind. The bald headed karate guy with the name GORO is practically Takuma Sakazaki. Dylan and his goons is Ryuji Yamazaki. All the new heroes are a good bunch. The bosses I have a major problem with. You fight the same bosses multiple times. You fight the same robot humanoid Koobo way to many times. That is a problem. Again, no excuses for memory limitation. It is not cool! What is also not cool is why SOR 4 version of Max and Shiva not playable? Come on now, really? Shiva especially? That is everyone’s dream to play Shiva with no bugs and secrets. Not cool DOTEMU! You better not make me pay for them. I like how the police officers also fight with the enemies. That is a real cool touch.
Speaking of which, let me go into how these enemies and bosses fair via gameplay and mechanics.
The majority of the bosses have a cheesy side to them. Shiva was probably the only actual competitive boss in the game. Ester, did have a cool battle with the police rocket launcher. Then it gets a bit cheesy at the end, but a nice type of fight nevertheless. MR. X’s twins’ solo battles were straightforward. Max was too easy and should have been more competitive. The rest, cheesy! The worst of them all is DR K-Washi.
The enemies, as I stated before, have their cheap hits like never before. I am only speaking from a competitive standpoint where you want your high scores. Oh my how annoying the biker girls Honey can be. Another problem is enemy attacks that can also hit enemies. An example is grenades, if the enemy throws one, the other enemies don’t get hurt. But if they throw fire or electric bombs, everyone gets hurt. Weird.
But the main problem is that all this can be avoided. If only, the characters had run and roll. I am not sure why they took this out from SOR 3. Only Cherry has run while Adam has dash. Everyone else feel so insufficient without run and roll. Slow and sluggish, especially Alex. He is not your all around balanced character anymore. I completed the game with everyone and didn’t even realize that I still needed to finish the game with Alex. Max, although slow, greatly benefits from his strength and power stats. Cherry is by far the most fun and complete character. Adam would have been the best character but his move set is simple and straightforward whereas Cherry can give you some experimentation. Max would be the third best with his insane grabbling moves and strength. Blaze would get the low end of the stick since, well she much slower than before. Alex get the worst rating because he is the slowest for his type of characteristics.
Each character has specific stats and moves. I still feel it is missing the differential for certain characters. For example, Max, slow but powerful and strong. But why should he need to be knocked down for certain attacks like Big Bens belly flop/ Everyone else I understand, but Max should have the benefit of the doubt to not get knocked down into the ground due to his strength stat.
Some enemies really defy gravity when it comes to some of their specific moves. Primarily those who attack flying. Who ironically, flies in the air like a curve ball to hit you. With no roll and run, it’s unavoidable. It just feel daunting with all this said I apologize. Because of the cheesy and cheap hits you will encounter throughout the game. As a result, you’re best using the SOR 3 characters if you want to reach that high score and not lose fights. But in general, other type of gamers won’t even pay much mind with what I mentioned.
In conclusion, I feel that this game is really more of a reimagining then a sequel. I don’t think it a complete package of players and there better be no paid DLC. Shiva, Max, and Ester should be playable. If anything, these characters should have alternative stages that aligned with the main cast. Like Adam playing two or three different stages in the beginning before meeting up with the gang. The story could have used more character interaction the dialogue. Although I would not mind more storytelling. But surely, fans may think it would have got into too much detailed for it to be confusing.
My final score is 8/10. Surprised?
Well the fact that it’s playable, re-playable, beatable, nice environments, great track mixes/blends, and fun new characters. All the negatives I mentioned prevented it become a full 10/10 classic and best game. Wow, that was a lot. It’s a series dear to me and as to the reason why I go into so much detail to talk about.
Long Live I AM!
[this message was edited by neo0r0chiaku on Sat 9 May 05:51] |
| | "Re(7):RANDOM GAMES (#40): Grand Upper-Review" , posted Sat 9 May 08:34
quote:
But the main problem is that all this can be avoided. If only, the characters had run and roll. I am not sure why they took this out from SOR 3.
This is a nostalgia-driven project. While I can't speak for the rest of the world, in the US I'd expect nostalgia is strongest for SOR2, and possibly least for SOR3? I'd guess the devs intentionally aimed for an SOR2 feel to the playable characters, even more so when there are also playable SOR2-versions of characters. As for why enemies don't follow the same design rules, that is probably a mix of variety as well as a bit of "retro-hard" attitude?
quote:
As an SOR fan, I still don’t feel that this graphic look blends well for SOR. It makes it more kid friendly and welcoming to those who want to experience a regular all-around game. It doesn’t have that raw, gritty, and mature feeling like previous titles and what it is known for. People were a bit nuts saying it looks like a mobile game when it was announced.
I wasn't a fan of the art in the trailers for reasons similar to those described. It looks a bit too cartoonish. Backgrounds look a bit too simple. It stood out even more when I saw shots of "classic" pixel characters mixed with new art enemies on the new backgrounds.
I later realized the art makes me think of UDON. I was a pretty big fan of Udon in their earlier comic book days, and also liked their Street Fighter artwork. That started to change when Udon started working on SSF2T HD Remix. WIP images were posted online throughout development, which led to underwhelmed fans not just saying it looked poor, but instead giving detailed explanations of numerous issues both within the art itself and within the management of the project. Once I'd been driven to take a close look at Udon's art, I couldn't unsee the numerous issues even in their other art, even when looking back at comics that I'd previously praised.
While that wandered a bit off-topic, I think of Udon when I look at SOR4 art. Not because it is inherently flawed, but just the general simplified, bright and clean style.
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| | "Re(7):RANDOM GAMES (#40): Grand Upper-Review" , posted Sat 9 May 16:22
quote:
Streets of Rage 4
...
The cheap shots are here and rocking like never before. For an example, Galsia charging with the knife has a huge hitbox where the slightest touch or even if you walk towards him from his back, which is nowhere near his knife, will still land a hit on you.
That's my problem with side-scrolling beat'em-up games, I can't like them, I tried, but the cheap CPU against you make them look very unfair to me.
To this I would add also that old games had that thing that to use special attacks you had to sacrifice your health (like in X-Men Arcade Game, they are mutants, come on, they use their power to make coffee or every mundane thing and when battling in this game they lose health?!!).
All these things were there probably to balance the games towards sucking tons of coins out of people's pockets, but I don't know if the genre evolved much past that.
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| PSN: ShikyohMukuro
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| "Re(9):RANDOM GAMES (#40): Grand Upper-Review" , posted Sun 10 May 13:42:
quote:
Baines
While that wandered a bit off-topic, I think of Udon when I look at SOR4 art. Not because it is inherently flawed, but just the general simplified, bright and clean style.
I can see the similarities. Now dont get me wrong, the game is still beautiful looking and it was also the right decision. If not, a good business decision. Better to attract more people including new comers in hopes of generating enough revenue for the series to continue. I would prefer that even if it looses a couple of die hard fans who decided not to buy.
quote:
Lord SNK
That's my problem with side-scrolling beat'em-up games, I can't like them, I tried, but the cheap CPU against you make them look very unfair to me.
To this I would add also that old games had that thing that to use special attacks you had to sacrifice your health (like in X-Men Arcade Game, they are mutants, come on, they use their power to make coffee or every mundane thing and when battling in this game they lose health?!!).
All these things were there probably to balance the games towards sucking tons of coins out of people's pockets, but I don't know if the genre evolved much past that.
Now I probably should have mention the new featured within the game mechanics that still makes the game more new and enjoyable then previous retro 90's beat em up games. I did not include this information in the review, nor the storyline, becuase one I assumed everyone have read/seen reviews of the game by other companies and Journalist. I also did not want to spoil the story.
So the mechanics goes like this.
Attack, Jump, Ex move, grab/throw, pick up items, and your super move.
Whats new for super moves is the life you loose, you can regain back by attacking. If you get it, you only lose what you were not able to regain. Three types of supers is defense, attack, and aerial.
Picking up items have some new features as well. You can catch weapons in the air if it was thrown by you or even the enemy.
Combos can generate high scores. The more hits you land, the higher the combo, the better the score. However, you have around 3-5 second during no action to claim those number of combos to convert into points. At anytime while you are increasing you combo count, if you get hit, you lose you combo count. As a result, you dont get any score for those combos.
Super Desperation Moves. Can be used when collecting the Star item. You start with one, and and up to 3 extras ones can be found throughout the stages.
Hope that makes sense. If I forgot anything please chime in.
quote:
Ishmael
'm curious about the game but there are a few things holding me back. The main one is the issue of movement that you mentioned. The lack of run and roll is perplexing and, depending on the character, makes the game look far too limited.
The jump and roll not being present and my justification for its disadvantage is solely when you trying to master the game at either a higher difficulty setting or when trying to obtain your high(est) scores. Playing the game as a whole is still perfect to anyone and the new features mentioned above still conducts some experimental techniques while playing. SO please play it, you will have fun regardless.
quote:
X-Men Arcade Game, they are mutants, come on, they use their power to make coffee or every mundane thing and when battling in this game they lose health?!!
Speaking of X-Men Arcade, Did anyone know about this game /Metamorphic Force?
Long Live I AM!
[this message was edited by neo0r0chiaku on Sun 10 May 13:48] |
| | "Re(2):Re(10):RANDOM GAMES (#40): Grand Upper-" , posted Tue 12 May 02:50:
quote:
Mastering crowd control by throwing dudes into other dudes or kicking people down bottomless pits are actions that are as timeless as they are beautiful and pure.
Punching the streets clean while walking from left to right is always going to be good
Also agreed! Uh, only in the game, I mean. Yeah, that’s it...
I'm also going to endorse this message.
Just thinking about the knocking people into bottomless pits part, did anyone here ever play the Pirates of Dark Water beat-em-up (Sunsoft, SNES)?
The game has its issues (the worst being that it's overlong and kind of a slog) but it has some great scenarios with traps and hazards. Each character has a different range for their throws (kind of mapping to slam dunk, free-throw, and 3-pointer), which really made it satisfying to guide people into the infinite abyss beneath the stage.
Also, unlike a lot of other, similar games, enemies are actually affected by the traps. You can bait people into spikes or flame jets, or toss them so they perfectly land on a hazard and stand up right before it goes off. There's one particular place where you can toss people across a gap that has a falling rock-on-a-chain trap right at the edge. if you time it right, they'll get whacked by the rock and be knocked backwards into the hole.
There are some other weird/dumb/interesting things about the game as well. Did anyone else ever play this one?
/ / /
[this message was edited by Mosquiton on Tue 12 May 02:52] |
| PSN: zonepharaoh
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| "Re(1): FLOWER IS THE GAME YOU WANT" , posted Mon 18 May 02:59:
JET LANCER: Those are indeed some Sega blue skies! Then again, I'm not really good at flying games unless it's the original SFC Star Fox.
Fortunately, the modern blue sky game par excellance, Flower, is on Steam and apparently has been for a year. How did I miss this!? If I get the PC version, my PS3 really will become my Dragon's Crown Playing Device exclusively, as I've always told Prof. Better still that Steam now takes PS4 controllers, so I tilt my wind-carried petals in the right direction.
As with all games with a strongly artistic bent ("Wander and the Colossus: Climb on Giant Monsters and Kill Them with Some Regret" doesn't begin to get at the importance of the game), the copy writers are at a loss: "Lush and Interactive Environments – Vast grassy fields, blowing in the breeze, create a lush, immersive environment." Well, yes. But I wonder how many people (except Sega blue sky seeking people) would make "grassy fields" their determining factor when buying a game. They should, though!
Meanwhile: Panel De Pon never came out in English!?
人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は．．．
[this message was edited by Maou on Mon 18 May 03:50] |
| |  "Re(1):Serious Sam 4: are YOU serious? +PSO2" , posted Thu 21 May 13:42
quote:
That’s great about PSO2! It holds a double fascination both because of my huge respect for Kodama Rieko’s foundational Mega Drive games that were so ahead of their time, and because PSO is so tied with the late 90s-early 2000s online era I love so much. Unfortunately, I still haven’t even beaten Phantasy Star 2.
In the best gaming news of 2020, I’m pleased to announce the arrival of Serious Sam 4 in August. The trailer says it all. It was always funny that it took a team of Croatians to make the hammy hilarious American action hero mania that Duke Nukem always tried and failed to be. Points in favor include the second game’s option for “hippie violence” to replace guts with flowers and hamburgers when an enemy dies, the headless goon with bombs for hands who runs unavoidably right at you, the first game’s final boss Mental riding a skyscraper-tall pyramid-shaped tank called the Mental Institution, and the cheerful power-up jingle “seriiiiiiious damage.”
I don’t even like shooters, but you’d better believe that a friend and I once made our own iron-on t-shirt designs featuring the frowning cartoon bomb on Sam’s own t-shirt.
I find that I don't like Serious Sam 3 nearly as much as the previous ones. It has levels you can actually get lost in because you aren't sure where to go, but the levels themselves aren't interesting. The gore is more realistic, but it doesn't make the game sillier. Sam himself is more of an asshole, and so rather than being someone who makes some dumb jokes and is a silly caricature, I'm just like "I don't even want to do this".
It's not as though the direction is wildly different from before, it's just increased slightly in a particular aspect that makes it much less joyful and pleasant for me.
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| | "Re(4):Serious Sam 4: are YOU serious? +PSO2" , posted Fri 22 May 01:17
quote:
I feel like I should be playing Huntdown. Milquetoast name aside, I do like the sprites on display.
I've already been playing this game!
I really like the spritework in the game, but the game is slightly more Blackthorne than Contra (e.g. you can hide in cover, you can't shoot upwards or diagonally, you have a health gauge, you don't move all that fast, but it's not like you have to backtrack and open doors like in Blackthorne). The game is fully voiced, which lends it a surprisingly curious flavor compared to Contra... it's not just one or two announcements and death cries, your characters quip, enemies quip, etc.
I actually bought the game entirely based on the spritework!
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| PSN: Ishmael26b
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| "Re(5):Serious Sam 4: are YOU serious? +PSO2" , posted Fri 22 May 04:33
quote:
I feel like I should be playing Huntdown. Milquetoast name aside, I do like the sprites on display.
I've already been playing this game!
I really like the spritework in the game, but the game is slightly more Blackthorne than Contra (e.g. you can hide in cover, you can't shoot upwards or diagonally, you have a health gauge, you don't move all that fast, but it's not like you have to backtrack and open doors like in Blackthorne). The game is fully voiced, which lends it a surprisingly curious flavor compared to Contra... it's not just one or two announcements and death cries, your characters quip, enemies quip, etc.
I actually bought the game entirely based on the spritework!
Blackthorne is an interesting comparison! When I saw the game my mind went more towards Elevator Action Returns. That's not the best comparison, however, since Huntdown doesn't appear to be as vertically designed or built around the idea of having to wait around to ride the dumbwaiter.
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| PSN: Ishmael26b
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CFN: Ishmael26b
| "Re(7):PS5" , posted Sun 14 Jun 23:25
quote:
Am I the only one who notices that these new generation of system really do not have anything new to give aside from how it looks? What are we really getting that we haven't had during the late 90s early 00s?
I mean, these games still have loading times, graphics are already realistic and great looking but quite frankly all looks the same(minus switch), still confined to play online against just those who have that system and not other systems, and no extra technology. Maybe I am missing something. I know you can go in details with graphics and sound but still, it's nothing evolutionary.
To tell you the truth, the only thing I would assume with be an evolution in gaming is , well going into a VR world matrix style.
Yeah, there was nothing revolutionary about what has been seen so far, it's just a bit beefier graphics and processing power. Plus, there's definitely a sense of diminishing returns as far as graphics go. Maybe things will be more impressive when I upgrade to a 4K television? But since I would need a new television, a new house to store that gargantuan set (and maybe cybernetic eyeballs so I can appreciate all those K's I bought) I'm not in any rush to get one of these new systems.
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| PSN: ShikyohMukuro
XBL: IAMDC1
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| "Re(5):Old G games for old people in HD" , posted Thu 25 Jun 01:38:
quote:
Thanks for the information! I must admit I didn't follow the news on the SvC card games, and after doing some research, the NGPC ones do seem to be much more interesting. And while the Pokémon strategy of simultaneously releasing two nearly identical games may be greedy, in this case I do like the idea, since the players can choose the version based on the company they prefer (and even the playable kids are different in each version).
It's a shame I didn't follow these games back then. Then again, I'm awful at card games, so maybe it was for the best.
Glad NGPC games are coming but would like to see more then just 3 games.
In other news, we finally get our hands on that title we all been asking for,
I bring to you G DARIUS in HD, announcement.
Update
VIDEO
Long Live I AM!
[this message was edited by neo0r0chiaku on Fri 26 Jun 00:03] |
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| "Re(3):Little Witch Nobeta" , posted Mon 29 Jun 02:30
Not to be confused with Trigger's debut OAV-turned-TV series Little Witch Academia or that other visual novel raisinngsim with Littlewitch in the name, Little Witch Nobeta has slowly been climbing the Steam popularity ranks due in part to its hyper contrasted moe-aesthetics with brutal, Souls-like third-person Gears of War style gameplay. I was made aware of this title from seeing a random gif of the titular witch tripping (completely wholesome stuff, don't worry), that made me try out the demo in curiosity. It turns out said "cute" tripping functioned as a mechanic for punishing players for depleting all their stamina, which is considerably excruciating during boss fights where being stun-locked could be a real threat, and boy does it really take its source material quite serious with its nice gothic interiors, spooky atmosphere, and enemies that will close the gap on you quickly. (No Estus Flask expy, as you'll be dependent on recovery gems that are "cursed": Using one means that upon death you lose half your souls-currency collected, kind of a midway point between Dark Souls and Dragon Quest.) Enemies are at times heavy on the i-frame dodging, but there's a little dash of Touhou in there that grazing projectiles and the like replenishes your mana i.e. your ammunition more.
Oh yeah, the Gears of War comparison...isn't coincidental. The spells you acquire are stand ins for your rifle, shotgun, machine-gun, etc. with different elemental properties. There's a fair amount of puzzle elements, but at most times its level design rewards you for using your abilities to get to seemingly out-of-reach places.
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| | "Re(2):Re(10):Segata Sanshirou is back... kind" , posted Wed 8 Jul 16:55:
quote:
If Sega is even temporarily back to its old habit of throwing money out the window can we at least get a new Virtua Fighter game? You got what you wanted! But not in the way you expected it! Yes, don't look now, but Sega's latest strategic (?) gambit is the release of the...uh...Astro City Mini, an absurdly small reproduction of its classic arcade cabinets?!?! 
...did old Sega games even use that cabinet abroad? They may need a new name.
AHH YES the Astro City! Together with Blast City they were the two most prevalent cabinets during the golden era of fighting games and most of the times the arcades used them for Capcom and SNK PCBs! The panels were swappable for mahjong games of course, like Super Real Majong, Hot Gimmick and whatnot. Ahh the good old days....
The site says it uses the same authentic materials for the buttons so I assume they're getting them from Seimitsu. Their wording isn't as clear on the stick, but if they're going authentic on it, it should be the Seimitsu LS-32, except Panasonic no longer manufactures microswitches so they now use microswitches from Omron, which I feel is slightly softer on touch.
(I can't help but notice how small the screen is compared to the cabinet.)
[this message was edited by Professor on Wed 8 Jul 17:09] |
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| "Re(3):Re(10):Segata Sanshirou is back... kind" , posted Wed 8 Jul 21:39
quote:
If Sega is even temporarily back to its old habit of throwing money out the window can we at least get a new Virtua Fighter game? You got what you wanted! But not in the way you expected it! Yes, don't look now, but Sega's latest strategic (?) gambit is the release of the...uh...Astro City Mini, an absurdly small reproduction of its classic arcade cabinets?!?!
...did old Sega games even use that cabinet abroad? They may need a new name.
AHH YES the Astro City! Together with Blast City they were the two most prevalent cabinets during the golden era of fighting games and most of the times the arcades used them for Capcom and SNK PCBs! The panels were swappable for mahjong games of course, like Super Real Majong, Hot Gimmick and whatnot. Ahh the good old days....
The site says it uses the same authentic materials for the buttons so I assume they're getting them from Seimitsu. Their wording isn't as clear on the stick, but if they're going authentic on it, it should be the Seimitsu LS-32, except Panasonic no longer manufactures microswitches so they now use microswitches from Omron, which I feel is slightly softer on touch.
(I can't help but notice how small the screen is compared to the cabinet.)
Who is in charge of doing these ports? Is it M2 again? Porting Saturn/arcade games isn't exactly a walk in the park.
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| PSN: zonepharaoh
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| "Re(9):Re(10):Segata Sanshirou is back... kind" , posted Wed 15 Jul 01:08
quote:
The game is rife with infinites, some ridiculously easy to do. Unless it gets balance patched, it's staying strictly at casual level.
Good point. And it's very unlikely that SNK would patch the balance, so no tournament for MotM.
Still, this game has so much content and diversity that I find it hard to believe that it wouldn't be a hit (even if a minor one) if it was re-released on the Switch and other platforms.
Yeah, and since I can't imagine anyone playing fighting games at a serious level on Switch anyway (Smash Brothers aside, I suppose) with that controller, I would think a fun, content-heavy, unbalanced game would be tons of fun and very popular there!
人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は．．．
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| | "Re(1):Collection of SaGa announced" , posted Thu 27 Aug 03:10
The success of the browser Saga and then the gacha Saga really made SQEX reconsider the series, did it? Or maybe they're tired of burning money for grandiosely vapid Final Fantasy projects, and they're starting to rediscover the value of smaller, more controlled games?
quote:
What's your favorite classic saga and why?
I really don't like any of them, but at least I respect 1 and 2 in the same way I respect FF2 and (begrudgingly) the original Romancing Sa.Ga 1: "they were necessary hurdles that our lord and savior had to overcome in order to achieve godhood and create the perfection that is Unlimited Sa every single game that he's ever created after those".
Honestly, even the DS remake of 2 was kind of cute, but less interesting than Saga Frontier 1, which is the only game to reuse some ideas from the GB games.
The problem with Saga is that since it's a series were the point is the complex and fun systems, going back to older, simpler games often feels like a step back. I think RS2 is the only one of the older games that can be seen as equal to Scarlet Grace without the nostalgia bonus, because it's the only one to achieve the perfect balance between having systems that are complex and fun, but also remaining relatively clear and focused in a way that all systems work organically together.
FF2 and Saga 1 and 2 are just too simple to be enjoyed as Saga games, but their stories are too hollow to be enjoyed as normal JRPG (Romancing Saga 1 just sucks and has no qualities besides the memes). All in all, even though Saga3 is not a Kawazu game and thus has no value in the grand scheme of our crusade, it's still a by-the-book, honest JRPG from the era. It has nothing interesting to say and thrives to achieve little, but it's at least competent for its time.
The other 3 games are just sketches for the better projects to come. They are the Vampire to Vampire Hunter/Savior, or Street Fighter Zero to Zero2/3. Their value is historical and little more.
Conclusion: where is the HD remaster of Minstrel Song SQEX, I'll buy ten of those and then ten more to distribute to my Steam friend list.
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| | "Re(4):Collection of SaGa announced" , posted Thu 27 Aug 19:44
quote:
SaGa Frontier I
It introduced combination attacks, something the series kept forward all the way to the gacha game.
It's also the last game with a deliberate world mashing of robots, meat-eating monsters, fairies and humans, mixing guns, swords and magic into a weird melting pot. Until of course the gacha revived all that because world building is not that important in these games.
And it also has tremendous Itoken music, with possibly some of the most memorable battle tracks of the series (5 of them!), not to mention each character having their own final boss theme (starting here, and the others follow).
Ah, also, Kobayashi's art on the game is fantastic, as always.
Another thing is that it's one of the rare games of the series with several romances, including one between two women. The series in general outside of Frontier 1 and 2 has never been interested in inter-personal drama and love stories, which I think is a positive generally, but also I totally stan Asellus x Shirobarahime.
Generally, Frontier 1 has two main issues: first, the mash-up of world settings, from heroic fantasy to sci-fi to real world to tokusatsu. It makes the experience extremely weird next to the carefully crafted worlds of RS1-2-3, and then later Frontier2, Scarlet Grace, and especially Unlimited's. It's almost like F1 was a crossover game of preexisting franchises, disregarding the origins of each character before pushing them all together. The game is Kamen Rider vs Interview with a Vampire vs Wall-E vs LOTR vs Harry Potter vs some gritty Netflix spy show vs Clerks. On the other hand, you could say that it's the very identity of the game, for better or worse.
The other issue is obviously its horrible art style. It looks like the degenerate offspring of the Donkey Kong Country style, with more ambition and less money. At least its sacrifice was not in vain, since SQEX abandoned this line for their subsequent PS1 2D games, and went with the lovely directions of both Frontier 2 and Legend of Mana.
I'd be really curious if the game could be saved by a remake along the line of Seiken3's: even something with uninspired, middle-of-the-road 3D graphics would be a step up for Frontier1, and may allow whatever qualities it has to shine better. As long as T260G remains the cutest character in the series, I'd play it.
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| PSN: zonepharaoh
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| "Re(5):Collection of SaGa announced" , posted Thu 27 Aug 23:00:
quote:
As long as T260G remains the cutest character in the series, I'd play it.
I like SaGa Frontier I, to be honest
Oh! So...so you all really do kind of like SaGa Frontier 1! [This is the point in the horror movie when the protagonist realizes that the abandoned castle they've entered is actually owned by a madman/vampire.]
Well, I really must be going... [The door is now locked.]
Oh! Ah...hahaha. Well. I, uh, actually love SaGa Frontier 1 as well! It’s certainly not like it turned me against the series for a decade until Iggy taught my the true ways. I mean, I played it through with at least two different characters, not so I could avoid admitting having wasted my money or anything, of course...hahaha...but because I was having so much fun!
Umm...Frontier 1 sure does have some fantastic Itoken music! Showdown with the Caballero Family, Nakajima Manufacturing Plant, Fight, Alkaiser!, and T260G's last boss theme are incredible. (This is going okay! What else...?!)
Uh...having Red’s story end with the game blacking out immediately after the last boss, and having Blue’s story end with the game freezing during the last boss because they’re in hell or somewhere is uh, very high-concept and certainly not a psychotic (even by SaGa standards) assault on the player. Yeah, that’s it! (I can’t keep this up!)
And...having characters learn combination attacks entirely randomly is a heartwarming reference to FFII’s beloved mechanic where you have to punch your own party members to gain HP and Ican’thideitanymore this game...really sucks!
Get me out of heeeeere! Is that Nosferatu?!
人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は．．．
[this message was edited by Maou on Fri 28 Aug 03:34] |
| | "Re(6):Collection of SaGa announced" , posted Thu 27 Aug 23:45
quote:
As long as T260G remains the cutest character in the series, I'd play it.
I like SaGa Frontier I, to be honest
Oh! So...so you all really do kind of like SaGa Frontier 1! [This is the point in the horror movie when the protagonist realizes that the abandoned castle they've entered is actually owned by a madman/vampire.]
Well, I really must be going... [The door is now locked.]
Ah...hahaha. Well. I, uh, love SaGa Frontier 1 as well! It’s certainly not like it turned me against the series for a decade until Iggy taught my the true ways. I mean, I played it through with at least two different characters, not so I could avoid admitting having wasted my money or anything, of course...hahaha...but because I was having so much fun!
Umm...Frontier 1 sure does have some fantastic Itoken music! Showdown with the Caballero Family, Nakajima Manufacturing Plant, Fight, Alkaiser!, and T260G's last boss theme are incredible. (This is going okay! What else...?!)
Uh...having Red’s story end with the game blacking out immediately after the last boss, and having Blue’s story end with the game freezing during the last boss because they’re in hell or somewhere is uh, very high-concept and certainly not a psychotic (even by SaGa standards) assault against the player. Yeah, that’s it! (I can’t keep this up!)
And...having characters learn combination attacks entirely randomly is a heartwarming reference to FFII’s beloved mechanic where you punch your own party members to gain HP and Ican’thideitanymore this game...really sucks!
Get me out of heeeeere! It's that Nosferatu?
Heh... I get your point, trust me. It was a very unfinished game, definitely (Fuse's aborted campaign doesn't really bother me, but the several cuts on the campaigns that made it to the final product bother me a lot). It's just that... I don't know, I just find it charming in a way. The characters are likeable, the diversity in settings is really cool (I mean, how many games have a cyberpunk city, a magical island, a dark supernatural land, a gigantic spaceship that also works as some sort of luxury hotel, a Resident Evil-like giant laboratory, ancient ruins...?), and the way how each campaign feels like its own game (ranging from creepy to comical) - at least the parts of them that weren't cut out, of course. Oh, and then there are the techniques (that pro-wrestling multi-part combo was amazing!), and the unique ways to develop each party members (with Monsters changing forms, Robots getting new parts, etc.).
I think this could have been the best SaGa game... emphasis on could have. Thanks to its unfinished state, Frontier ends up paling in comparison with the Romancing trilogy (which isn't really a trilogy as they aren't directly related, but... yeah). But it's still much better than Frontier 2 and Unlimited, in my opinion. And SquareEnix should definitely remake it someday and include the missing parts this time. But it's SquareEnix we're talking about, so of course they'll never do that.
Maybe I'm this person right in front of you... nah probably not though.
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| | "Re(6):Collection of SaGa announced" , posted Fri 28 Aug 04:53
quote:
Oh! So...so you all really do kind of like SaGa Frontier 1!
Oh! No, there's a misunderstanding here, I hate the game. I bought a PS1 coming off FF6 and RS2/3, and the first games I rushed to buy were FF7 and Frontier1. I do not have the vocabulary to describe the depth of the disappointment I still feel all these years later.
Still, it's a SaGa game, so it's better than 90% of the games out there. It's more that I have a personal grudge against the game, a sort of reverse-nostalgia.
I was just trying to list up anything positive I could think about the game. Which, to my surprise, is a list much longer than anything I can list for Frontier2!
Fortunately, once that boring series was done, Wild Card happened, mega-evolved into Unlimited: Saga, and all was right again with the world. Until obviously the game bombed horribly, but that's why we can't have nice things.
The thing about Frontier1 being unfinished is a stable in the series, though. Saga 1, RS 1 and 3 and Unlimited have obvious cut corners and missing elements that should have been there but weren't done, and Kawazu just said "fuck it, deadline is now". It may be sad, but on the other hand, it's thanks to that kind of thinking that FF12 escaped development hell, so, there.
A note at least: Blue freezing midway through his final stretch is not some cut corner, it was always intended to be like that. No, I don't know either.
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| | "Re(8):Collection of SaGa announced" , posted Fri 28 Aug 07:23
quote:
Saga Frontier 1 sounds like a sequel to Live A Live with the ambition of Dragon Quest 7 but the same amount of budget and time as Live A Live.
That's... a surprisingly accurate description of SaGa Frontier 1. The multiple stories with wildly different settings do feel similar to Live A Live, only they happen simultaneously here rather than in different eras, and occasionally cross over at some points (but remain independent from each other).
---
quote:
In conclusion: was Frontier 2 that bad? I get in trouble with Iggy and the Itoken legions every time I mention it, but the Hamauzu music is even better!
That's a matter of opinion. It's a very different game: while 1 happens in a modern setting, 2 takes place in a medieval setting; 1's stories happen in a relatively short time, while 2's span over generations. 2's combat system involves a good deal of management of your soldiers (in fact, there are several moments where you have to control an army to fight another army).
SF2 looks beautiful, that's a plus. The main problem to me is that it goes against everything that makes the SaGa series interesting: rather than presenting an open world where you can explore and do sidequests any time, SF2 is too linear, with too little room to do things differently and little variety of recruitable party members (maybe not in number, but definitely in personality). And while the story is good, there are points where it becomes too convoluted, and in my opinion, while SF1 has a good number of likeable characters, SF2 has few of them.
I don't know if it is a bad game in general, but it's definitely a bad SaGa game.
Maybe I'm this person right in front of you... nah probably not though.
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| PSN: zonepharaoh
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| "Re(9):Collection of SaGa announced" , posted Fri 28 Aug 08:20
At last, I've escaped Vampire Lord Baron von SaGa Frontier's haunted castle alive and can speak my mind! SaGa Frontier really sucks! I've finished other bad RPGs from the era that are objectively worse (Thousand Arms) or more boring (Wild Arms), but I've never had one give me the finger that brazenly, thus my shared grudge with Iggy towards it.
quote:
But also, Unlimited:SaGa is far greater and is my favourite Hamauzu piece of work, so there really is nothing left to Frontier 2 !
You included Travels through Space and Time! <3 <3 Despite never playing U:SaGa, I listened to that song on almost continuous loop for most of 2004-2005 for no apparent reason. However, you forgot Amakakeru Tsubasa, Wings that Soar Heavenward. Sometimes, people will tell you that it is not in fact the greatest vocal theme in all of Square Enix's history. These people are wrong!
Just a Person, was it you or Loona who had that special love for Live A Live, a game I played about four minutes of in high school once and always regretted not playing? I'd love to hear all about it. Specifically: can a lover of later-generation SFC RPGs and/or Saturn RPGs enjoy it in 2020?
人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は．．．
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| | "Re(10):Collection of SaGa announced" , posted Fri 28 Aug 08:33
quote:
Just a Person, was it you or Loona who had that special love for Live A Live, a game I played about four minutes of in high school once and always regretted not playing? I'd love to hear all about it. Specifically: can a lover of later-generation SFC RPGs and/or Saturn RPGs enjoy it in 2020?
...Loona, I guess? I mean, I did compliment Live A Live here, but wouldn't say that I have a special love for it; graphically it's not the best SFC game Square did back in the day (it's not bad, of course, but there are better-looking entries), and the combat system isn't particularly appealing. Which is kind of a problem in the Street Fighter-inspired story that takes place in the 1990s (which is incredibly short and consists only of combats, with zero exploration).
That said, the diversity in settings and stories is very nice (it helps that each of the stories was made by a different author, if I remember correctly), the gimmicks for each part are very interesting (from the stealth mission throughout the entire chapter in feudal Japan to progressing the story through mind-reading in the Akira-like chapter, and the heartbreaking one in ancient China that I can't detail without giving some severe spoilers), and the soundtrack is amazing.
Maybe I'm this person right in front of you... nah probably not though.
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| | "Re(10):Collection of SaGa announced" , posted Fri 28 Aug 20:37:
quote:
However, you forgot Amakakeru Tsubasa, Wings that Soar Heavenward. Sometimes, people will tell you that it is not in fact the greatest vocal theme in all of Square Enix's history. These people are wrong!
Oh, I did not forget about it, heavens! It's just that it was not a Hamauzu piece, as far as I remember.
I DO know however that the lyrics were written by Kawazu himself, and I believe it's the only song he's ever written... and it's surprisingly good for a song written by someone whose job has nothing to do with music normally!
Also, he was friend with the soprano I believe, or became friend with her during the recording of the song. He met some resistance to have her sing over some random idol of the moment, but fortunately it was the last project were he had a bit of clout at SQEX (plus PS2 Square was a bit more daring than the following era), so it ended up going forward.
quote:
You included Travels through Space and Time!
Possibly related: may I interest you in this barrel of the discoest disco sewer music you've probably ever heard in your life?
Seriously, if that's the music you can hear in real life sewers, I'd enroll to be a sewage worker tomorrow.
Strangely enough, the SFC version remains my favourite. The Minstrel Song version is great of course, as are the Re:Birth version and the live version (because there is no place for a violin more adequate than the bottom of a sewer disco), but the metallic synth samples of the original are just too good.
[this message was edited by Iggy on Fri 28 Aug 21:13] |
| PSN: zonepharaoh
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| "Re(2):Re(10):Collection of SaGa Sewer" , posted Fri 28 Aug 23:41
Just a Person, reading this, I think it was you! That is a glowing review of Live A Live, and reminds me of how I really need to get to it...especially if it's short!
quote:
Oh, I did not forget about it, heavens! It's just that it was not a Hamauzu piece, as far as I remember.
And I am here to spread the Good News, friend! Now that you've joined the Church of Kawaz...wait, I see you're already the director. Regardless! Amakakeru Tsubasa is now truly the godliest collaboration, because it's Kawazu on lyrics and Hamauzu on composition!
quote:
DISCO SEWER MUSIC
You'd better believe you can interest me in it! I was very close to starting the Sewer Music Thread but I'll do it here for now, though it's a...surprisingly robust genre! Just like the older and less produced version of FFIII's Eternal Wind is the most beautiful, the SFC Sewer version is best, even if the techno-neo-Tokyo Minstrel Song version is hot hot hot. Among other quality sewer tracks (!), I think this one beats FFVIII's Intruders and most others, though Chrono Trigger's Underground Waterway is VERY special.
人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は．．．
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| PSN: ShikyohMukuro
XBL: IAMDC1
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| "Re(4):Collection of Sewer Music" , posted Tue 1 Sep 07:52
quote:
Can't believe you brought up this track from Lunar. I was just listening to the OST from the Saturn game and that track was on repeat for quite sometime. Never played the game, hopefully I do. From SaGa to Lunar, all of the world’s greatest but slightly underappreciated RPGs from the 1990s are united by superior sewer music!
Which of the many (tragically incomplete) combined drama CDs/partial OSTs are you working from? Lunatic Festa? The game is worth your time. Play Silver Star on Saturn or PS, then play the superior original version of Eternal Blue on Mega CD (maybe even first, it still works out of order).
Meanwhile, did I just hear that Phantasy Star Online 2 was being re-released and somehow had never been west before, despite the first one having been pretty popular globally?
Its the complete Gamerip audio. I really want to play Saturn games that I never played before, but as stingy as I can be, I want to experience it on some kind of system where graphics and audio is improved(which Emulators do now but illegal)and most importantly, have no loading time. I am an impatient man with loading times. Am I wrong for this?
Long Live I AM!
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| PSN: zonepharaoh
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| "Re(5):Collection of Sewer Music" , posted Tue 1 Sep 11:48
quote:
Its the complete Gamerip audio. I really want to play Saturn games that I never played before, but as stingy as I can be, I want to experience it on some kind of system where graphics and audio is improved(which Emulators do now but illegal)and most importantly, have no loading time. I am an impatient man with loading times. Am I wrong for this?
Nice! Where’d you get it, and who ripped it? I’ve compiled various homemade soundtracks over the years due to the frustrating inability of Iwadare to ever put together a full official set of Lunar soundtracks, but the Saturn version of SSS I don’t have for some reason.
Until Sega makes all our dreams come true with a Saturn Mini, isn’t the Polymega from the other thread focusing on MCD, Saturn, Neo Geo CD, etc. as a piece of hardware, presumably with the ability to speed things up or add save states, unless they’re being pointlessly hardware-pure and are literally just including the original hardware?
人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は．．．
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| PSN: entropytempts
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Wii: SW-3287-7029-8309(Switch)
STM: ungenesis
CFN: ungenesis
| "Re(4):Collection of Sewer Music" , posted Tue 8 Sep 06:04
quote:
Meanwhile, did I just hear that Phantasy Star Online 2 was being re-released and somehow had never been west before, despite the first one having been pretty popular globally?
It's both! It came west back in February as a timed Xbox exclusive, had a disastrous PC release 2 months later in the Windows store, and now it's good to go on Steam. Then next year, PSO2 New Genesis will be released as a separate, open-world game to PSO2 (no more lobbies!), but you'll be able to import your characters and any cosmetics, including your gear (but it will apparently only work as a skin, since the gameplay mechanics will be all new). Then Sega is back porting the new engine to PSO2 and the graphics will be updated to current-gen.
Also, these sewer themes are bangin'!
"Hai ... Shindekudasai?"
Switch: SW-3287-7029-8309
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| PSN: zonepharaoh
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| "Re(6):Zelda Musou 2: Electric Boogaloo" , posted Wed 9 Sep 15:04
We interrupt Musou Sewer Music Fest to bring you the final Astro City Mini lineup. I still don't quite get why it's mostly really old arcade games and none of the 1990s AM2 glory days' releases except for Virtua Fighter 1 of all the damn things, but maybe you do?? Please help me undestand!
In addition to what was already out, I see Wonder Boy , Wonder Boy Monster Land, Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair, Puyo Puyo 1&2, Columns, Shinobi, Space Harrier, Flicky, Alex Kidd, Thunder Force, and Arabian Fight, among other things.
人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は．．．
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| PSN: zonepharaoh
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| "Final Last Remnant XVI" , posted Thu 17 Sep 07:21:
Hey, it's the trailer for FFXIV-2 FFXVI! It looks kind of like FFXIV, which makes sense since it's produced by Yoshida Naoki, the genius who heroically salvaged that game, and directed by Takai Hiroshi, the director of MMCafe's Favorite (?) Second-Tier 2000s RPG, Last Remnant.
It's been exactly twenty years since the last time Square released a Nomura-free, swords and sorcery non-online Final Fantasy (IX) that made be go, "Huh, that's definitely not what I was expecting." Well, maybe offline MMORPG FFXII, but that doesn't count. Either way, since I secretly suspect FFXIV of having the best Final Fantasy story in recent memory despite never having played it, and am certain that Yoshida is very talented, it seems like a good thing for everyone even if the characters' faces don't look very good. Did we finally hit the limit of expression in PS5?
I was also temporarily excited about the Wakamoto-esque guy at the beginning, but I'm not confident it's him after listening again.
quote:
The only games I have never played where dynamite headdy, alien soldier, and light crusader.
I still can't believe the dopey Dynamite Headdy made it onto the MD Mini rather than the eternally glorious Alien Solider. One day when you have played it, we will create a boutique mini-thread like the Super Robot Taisen one and only talk about the best boss rush game ever made.
人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は．．．
[this message was edited by Maou on Thu 17 Sep 07:22] |
| PSN: ShikyohMukuro
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| "Re(1):IKARUGA" , posted Sat 26 Sep 10:37
quote:
"WARNING: The big enemy is approaching at full throttle. According to the data, it is identified as Butsutekkai"
That's right, while everyone of course has already bought the Greatest Shooting Game on Switch years ago, what if I told you a weirdly-named company called Pikii is doing a small-run physical release with a special case, color manual, and model Ikaruga ship?
Who knows what's happened to Treasure, but we must continue praying for their reconstruction or eventual absorption by M2 by playing Ikaruga as much as possible, at all times.
Damn you Amazon. I was set to purchase from Pikii directly but then they said it was sold out. So I had no choice but the get the US version of this special edition by Nicalis. Now it's available again in Japan.
I am already playing again the switch digital version. Can never get bored of this game. Stage 3 is by far my favorite. Throws everything at you to challenge your instincts.
But in reality, we do need something like this for Radiant Silvergun. Hell, Treasure need to release a collection.
Long Live I AM!
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| | "Re(1):Capcom Leak stars" , posted Sat 21 Nov 19:52
On one hand, I'm really sad about what happens at Capcom, because the situation is really bleak there, just when they were becoming a major studio and it's possible the damage might be immense.
On the other hand, all these exciting titles! I want all of them!
On the other other hand, 2024 is such a long time away. Projects get cancelled all the time, and I'm sure some of these projects are just a design document on a piece of paper. Or rather a .txt, since it got encrypted on the server.
Which brings us back to the horrible situation, with people's passports in the property of assholes possibly linked to some crime syndicates, and the Japanese police being notoriously useless with cybercrime means no resolution is in sight until Interpol comes in.
But then again,
quote:
interesting to see what Rouge would look like in modern graphics!
OH MA GAD
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| PSN: zonepharaoh
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| "Zelda: Breath of the Colossus" , posted Tue 1 Dec 11:56
quote:
Holy Cripes. A sequel to Subarashiki Kono Sekai / The World Ends With You
What an amazing world, as the title says! I know some people knew it better as an anime than as a game, it's been so long.
Meeeeanwhile, I am finally playing Zelda: Breath of the Wild several years late and very impressed, even if my cooking is even worse than in Dragon's Crown. From the climbing energy gauge, to the random rock monster whose back you climb in the fairy woods, to the hard-to-handle realistic horses you can use to explore beautiful vast lands, I was reminded of Wander and the Colossus, an official Maou PS2 All Time Favorite Game.
Since for some dumb reason I've never really played Zelda games (this is the first non-portable Nintendo console I've had since SFC), I'm really interested to hear if Zelda has taken as huge an influence from Colossus as I think, or if the 3D Zelda games were already doing all this, so they borrowed back from Colossus which in turn was riffing on Zelda. Like, I've heard Colossus described as a sort of inverse/dark response to Zelda, where you're still exploring beautiful lands and trying to rescue a princess figure while riding a horse, except the land is barren and the selfishness of the hero's quest and his growing corruption become increasingly apparent. Which came first, the princess or the colossus?
人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は．．．
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| | "Re(1):Zelda: Breath of the Colossus" , posted Wed 2 Dec 11:02
quote:
Meeeeanwhile, I am finally playing Zelda: Breath of the Wild several years late and very impressed, even if my cooking is even worse than in Dragon's Crown. From the climbing energy gauge, to the random rock monster whose back you climb in the fairy woods, to the hard-to-handle realistic horses you can use to explore beautiful vast lands, I was reminded of Wander and the Colossus, an official Maou PS2 All Time Favorite Game.
Since for some dumb reason I've never really played Zelda games (this is the first non-portable Nintendo console I've had since SFC), I'm really interested to hear if Zelda has taken as huge an influence from Colossus as I think, or if the 3D Zelda games were already doing all this, so they borrowed back from Colossus which in turn was riffing on Zelda. Like, I've heard Colossus described as a sort of inverse/dark response to Zelda, where you're still exploring beautiful lands and trying to rescue a princess figure while riding a horse, except the land is barren and the selfishness of the hero's quest and his growing corruption become increasingly apparent. Which came first, the princess or the colossus?
I am so glad to see that our brother Maou is no longer living in sin and has finally seen the light of our Lady and Savior, Goddess Princess Zelda!
Zelda series has been (more or less) doing this free exploration thing since the Famicon era, albeit with the obvious limitations of the age. However, wandering the 64-bits fields of Hyrule while riding your horse was already a pure bliss back in Ocarina of Time. Breath of the Wild just takes it to a whole new level.
The great thing about Breath of the Wild is that, even if you don't enjoy the combat system (which I can understand), or don't like the new physical puzzles and lite dungeons (understandable as well), you can still have a blast just riding a horse and enjoying the views around you. The scenery in this game is so beautiful that the simple act of strolling around without any particular aim is a joy in itself. Now that venturing outdoors has become kind of dangerous, Breath of the Wild can provide some relief for the adventurous souls that are trapped indoors in these dark times of virus-induced confinement.
A Talking about Japanese History sword in hand
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| "Re(2):Zelda: Breath of the Colossus" , posted Sun 6 Dec 03:36:
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The great thing about Breath of the Wild is that, even if you don't enjoy the combat system (which I can understand), or don't like the new physical puzzles and lite dungeons (understandable as well), you can still have a blast just riding a horse and enjoying the views around you. The scenery in this game is so beautiful that the simple act of strolling around without any particular aim is a joy in itself. Now that venturing outdoors has become kind of dangerous, Breath of the Wild can provide some relief for the adventurous souls that are trapped indoors in these dark times of virus-induced confinement.
It's true that where the new Animal Crossing is the perfect pandemic game for seeing people and doing constructive things outdoors during the pandemic, Zelda is the perfect game for wandering aimlessly around and playing outdoors during the pandemic!
Horsebacking riding is great, and I appreciate that it's so hard to ride them at first. As someone who once knew how to ride, I can tell you, however, that 1) the advice to sneak up from behind the horse to hop on their back is dangerous nonsense, and 2) Link must be the most charming guy around to be able to domesticate wild horses so quickly just by patting them, without even offering them carrots! Were past Zelda horses hard to steer, as well, or is this another Colossus influence?
Meanwhile, I used the internet (!) to learn something (!!) and it sounds like this Zelda has indeed taken Colossus' climbing energy gauge, which seems like a fair trade since Colossus is a deconstructed Lonely Zelda. Well, that, and the Divine Beasts are literally Colossus designs, so I guess they felt pretty confident borrowing back.
人間はいつも私を驚かせてくれる。不思議なものだな、人間という存在は．．．
[this message was edited by Maou on Mon 7 Dec 14:22] |
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. There is some cross-thread (erotic) continuity going on here (“cross-play?”) and I couldn’t be more pleased. Short of also incorporating the ever-expanding (“expanding?”) writing thread MMC lore, that is. 
