Incline Revisiting Old Games (Again)

[Grauken]

read periods reviews for that, only people who at least are disposed to like them would play them these days

 

[Duralux for Durabux]

read periods reviews for that, only people who at least are disposed to like them would play them these days

Every fucking time, these days, you will see someone praising a game (saying it doesn't have any flaws even if they all appear in front of their screen).

 

[Grauken]

read periods reviews for that, only people who at least are disposed to like them would play them these days

Every fucking time, these days, you will see someone praising a game (saying it doesn't have any flaws even if they all appear in front of their screen).

yeah, but these days, if a game comes out on Steam, you get a lot of negative reviews as well, some of them well written and good enough to get an idea whether a game would work for you or not

 

[Duralux for Durabux]

yeah, but these days, if a game comes out on Steam, you get a lot of negative reviews as well, some of them well written and good enough to get an idea whether a game would work for you or not

On witcher 3 for example WHICH IS REALLY FAR FROM perfect, didn't see that much .( or i didn't even see well-written critical negative reviews about Witcher 3).

 

[Falksi]

One of the reasons I'm steering clear of some of those is because I can't get on with them, PST in particular. I can see the potential, and loved the setting, setup & humour, but I just can't be arsed reading so much text without it being broken up by good combat.

On the flipside, I fucking love both Baldur's Gate games, so for all those games for me it's just about knowing what balance you prefer and playing those which suit you.

They've been covered enough on here anyway. If anyone else wants to post 'em go for it, but I'm currently really enjoying playing through the 8-16 bit collection, and would sooner cover games which have far less exposure (like X-Com Apocalypse - as good as any of the famed games constantly praised on here like Jagged Alliance, but criminally overlooked)

I'm tired of everyone praising the same game over and over again, it would be cool if you highly criticize thoses games. A fun,highly critical review on wizardry 7-4-3-5 or old Utimas will be cool. (or even fallout 1 god if you do the same review for fallout 1 i can't imagine how many retarded ratings you will receive because of how much you will have trigger those retarded fanboys)) .

I'm not a fan of first person RPGs, so have always steered clear of the Wizardry games (did try them, but the style bugged me as it always does). The Ultimas will likely get a look in though. Again, I've kinda left them in case anyone else wants to chuck in with them. I'll defo be doing the more obscurer stuff first either way (balancing it with the odd big hitter).

Fallout's an odd beast to me. My first Fallout game was Fallout 3 and I absolutely loved the first playthrough because it was so new to me, and everything was fresh and exciting. Second playthrough was shite though as it had fuck all real depth. I think the franchise as a whole will always snag the gamer with the first one they play because of this tbh.

Some games are just to hard to get into now if you've never played them before, despite the underlying brilliance if you invest in them. Also, bare in mind that over the past few years I've become chronically ill, so my general stamina & tolerance for things which require work to get into has diminished too. Hence one of the reasons I'm finding the 8-16 bit era so much fun, as most games are a breeze to slip into.

The Witcher 3 is astonishingly overrated though, and you're crusade against it & the decline it represents is a noble one.

 

[Grauken]

Hence one of the reasons I'm finding the 8-16 bit era so much fun, as most games are a breeze to slip into.

For me it's pure nostalgia, and I don't mind. That was the time my taste was formed for what I like in games and those fond memories always translate into a good experience, even old games I didn't play at the time

 

[Falksi]

Hence one of the reasons I'm finding the 8-16 bit era so much fun, as most games are a breeze to slip into.

For me it's pure nostalgia, and I don't mind. That was the time my taste was formed for what I like in games and those fond memories always translated into a good experience, even old games I didn't play at the time

Yeah, there's definitely an element of that. That's why I like commenting on the impact of the game in social circles etc. As kids we built parts of our lives & culture around some of these games, and that was just mint.

But some are definitely still worth playing without doubt. I'm surprised how many are still so enjoyable. I've had Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Persona 5, and Devil May Cry 5 all sat there to play these past few months, and I'm bored to tears with all of them after about 10min on each, and have found myself spending hours on Golden Axe, Final Fight, Shining Force 2 & Final Fantasy 2 (the latter 2 will get a review soon). I can't believe how much fun I'm still genuinely having. As a turn based RPG I'm loving Shining Force 2 WAY more than I did Persona 5.

 

[Grauken]

Hence one of the reasons I'm finding the 8-16 bit era so much fun, as most games are a breeze to slip into.

For me it's pure nostalgia, and I don't mind. That was the time my taste was formed for what I like in games and those fond memories always translated into a good experience, even old games I didn't play at the time

Yeah, there's definitely an element of that. That's why I like commenting on the impact of the game in social circles etc. As kids we built parts of our lives & culture around some of these games, and that was just mint.

But some are definitely still worth playing without doubt. I'm surprised how many are still so enjoyable. I've had Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Persona 5, and Devil May Cry 5 all sat there to play these past few months, and I'm bored to tears with all of them after about 10min on each, and have found myself spending hours on Golden Axe, Final Fight, Shining Force 2 & Final Fantasy 2 (the latter 2 will get a review soon). I can't believe how much fun I'm still genuinely having. As a turn based RPG I'm loving Shining Force 2 WAY more than I did Persona 5.

If you haven't, you should get a complete MAME set and try out some of the old arcade games, often even superior versions of the console adaptations and some games that never made it over, I've had a lot of fun with them in the last years

 

[Falksi]

If you haven't, you should get a complete MAME set and try out some of the old arcade games, often even superior versions of the console adaptations and some games that never made it over, I've had a lot of fun with them in the last years

I've been dying to do this for ages, but I'm a bit of a spaz and can never get the fucker set up right. One of the big reasons I drop back onto ZSNES & Kega Fusion is coz they're so simple.

Anything Mame-based which falls in line with that? Whatever I seem to find always requires a load of faff & I'm to spazzed up now to stick with it lol.

Be great to add some arcade hits on here.

 

[Grauken]

If you haven't, you should get a complete MAME set and try out some of the old arcade games, often even superior versions of the console adaptations and some games that never made it over, I've had a lot of fun with them in the last years

I've been dying to do this for ages, but I'm a bit of a spaz and can never get the fucker set up right. One of the big reasons I drop back onto ZSNES & Kega Fusion is coz they're so simple.

Anything Mame-based which falls in line with that? Whatever I seem to find always requires a load of faff & I'm to spazzed up now to stick with it lol.

Be great to add some arcade hits on here.

It's actually really easy, just find a torrent for any MAME set, download the MAME version with the same number and the rest is easy peasy. Most of the time people try to play rom sets with different MAME versions and that's where all the trouble starts

 

[ValeVelKal]

I would like a review of the old "Siege" classic. Or "Walls of Rome", alternatively

Else, Chaos Gate.

 

[Pink_Clouds]

I had to search for a while to find what that post was on about, and found that I was naming several games instead of just one: Both the Universe series of games and the two B.A.T. games, of which Sukhāvatī was so gracious to link to above.

I hope this clears up any confusion.

Thank you so much

 

[Darth Canoli]

Golden Axe, Final Fight, Shining Force 2

I had a lot of fun with the Arcade versions of the Golden Axe and Final Fight and i also played them on Megadrive/SNES and they're were great too (except Final Fight SNES only had a 1 player mode, such a disgrace, that's why Streets of Rage was superior).

And Shining Force 2 ... Probably my favorite console tactical/RPG.

 

[Falksi]

I would like a review of the old "Siege" classic. Or "Walls of Rome", alternatively

Else, Chaos Gate.

I'm not really into games like Walls of Rome, so it'd be an unfair review really as it'd have to pull some eral stops out to blow me away.

Chaos Gate however I'm all over. Will get that done over the next few weeks.

Golden Axe, Final Fight, Shining Force 2

I had a lot of fun with the Arcade versions of the Golden Axe and Final Fight and i also played them on Megadrive/SNES and they're were great too (except Final Fight SNES only had a 1 player mode, such a disgrace, that's why Streets of Rage was superior).

And Shining Force 2 ... Probably my favorite console tactical/RPG.

I literally couldn't stop playing them. It's crazy how good they still are, and currently I'm at Shining Force 2 every night for at least an hour or so.

Top taste mate, top taste.

 

[ValeVelKal]

I would like a review of the old "Siege" classic. Or "Walls of Rome", alternatively

Else, Chaos Gate.

I'm not really into games like Walls of Rome, so it'd be an unfair review really as it'd have to pull some eral stops out to blow me away.

Chaos Gate however I'm all over. Will get that done over the next few weeks.

Golden Axe, Final Fight, Shining Force 2

I had a lot of fun with the Arcade versions of the Golden Axe and Final Fight and i also played them on Megadrive/SNES and they're were great too (except Final Fight SNES only had a 1 player mode, such a disgrace, that's why Streets of Rage was superior).

And Shining Force 2 ... Probably my favorite console tactical/RPG.

I literally couldn't stop playing them. It's crazy how good they still are, and currently I'm at Shining Force 2 every night for at least an hour or so.

Top taste mate, top taste.

Walls of Rome is the better designed, but the cruder Siege is pure fun and the one I enjoyed the most. I believe Siege can put some reals "stops out". I actually wanted to AAR it but there are problems with my screencap tool when I am running these 2 games.

Actually, I am not sure how one can like Chaos Gate and think they won't like a game like Siege or Walls of Rome. Walls of Rome and Mindcraft's Siege are pure battles, no base building and no management of any sort.

 

[Falksi]

I would like a review of the old "Siege" classic. Or "Walls of Rome", alternatively

Else, Chaos Gate.

I'm not really into games like Walls of Rome, so it'd be an unfair review really as it'd have to pull some eral stops out to blow me away.

Chaos Gate however I'm all over. Will get that done over the next few weeks.

Golden Axe, Final Fight, Shining Force 2

I had a lot of fun with the Arcade versions of the Golden Axe and Final Fight and i also played them on Megadrive/SNES and they're were great too (except Final Fight SNES only had a 1 player mode, such a disgrace, that's why Streets of Rage was superior).

And Shining Force 2 ... Probably my favorite console tactical/RPG.

I literally couldn't stop playing them. It's crazy how good they still are, and currently I'm at Shining Force 2 every night for at least an hour or so.

Top taste mate, top taste.

Walls of Rome is the better designed, but the cruder Siege is pure fun and the one I enjoyed the most. I believe Siege can put some reals "stops out". I actually wanted to AAR it but there are problems with my screencap tool when I am running these 2 games.

Actually, I am not sure how one can like Chaos Gate and think they won't like a game like Siege or Walls of Rome. Walls of Rome and Mindcraft's Siege are pure battles, no base building and no management of any sort.

I might give them all a blast in time then

If you've a passion for them mate, feel free to drop your own review here.

 

[Falksi]

Shining Force 2 - Megadrive

After recently returning to the original Shining Force and finding it to be a bit disappointing, I was braced for impact with this one. I'd already lowered my hopes expecting fond memories to be shat on from a great height, but fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised.

After an awfully long, drawn out and dull intro you're thrown into one of THE best paced games going, which displays an absolute masterclass in bait & deliver. Everything is balanced absolutely superbly, with enough roleplaying & secrets to indulge in, before a nice tactical battle ensues to get your teeth into. The battles are such an upgrade on the original game too. You have to genuinely employ tactics now to progress, and if you don't power-game each battle can swing either way unless you're careful what you do (on the harder difficulties anyway). Also, whilst the odd battle is a bit generic, the majority of them have enough individuality to constantly keep things interesting.

Loads of games have some form of rock-paper-scissors involved in their battle systems and SF2 is no different, but again it just nails what it does with that and HP, ATT, DEF, MOV and Magic all intertwine very well to balance out a great system. Each character has their own strengths and weaknesses, but each offers options too, and it really does come down to how you use them with even the "weaker" ones OK in the right squad. It's very simple, but it works and is a lot of fun. I would recommend playing on the harder levels though, even on first playthrough, as the lower difficulties aren't very challenging.

As always there are gripes. There's some great music in there, but the way it's set up means you are often forced to listen to the first 10 or so seconds of the track over & over, and that becomes annoying. Also, the last section towards the end devolves into just battle after battle with little rest-bite. The battles are great so it's not too much of a bother, but a bit more roleplaying in between would have been nice to keep things broken up like throughout the majority of the game.

But the cracking roster of companions, the superbly balanced plethora of RPG elements, the excellently crafted battles, the enjoyable story (albiet cliche) and just overall quality shine through constantly. It truly feels like a great adventure, and rarely dips throughout.

It's an absolute classic which still holds up strong to this day. A perfect blend of simplicity & casual depth, which creates a brilliant experience.

 

[Dramart]

would recommend playing on the harder levels though, even on first playthrough, as the lower difficulties aren't very challenging.

Whooa! Are you a tactical god? Tell me your secret.

 

[Duralux for Durabux]

Falski where is your review of Golden Sun( I want this one first, same company that made Shining force)? Dragon quest ?Earthbound? Metal Gear? Lucas Arts games?Ghosts 'n Goblins?
keep it up. Your thread is really good don't let it die.

 

[Thac0]

How is your FF2 review coming along Falksi ?
Its a highly polarising game and the only one in the mainline games where my own opinion is divided aswell. Would be interesting to see how you find it.

 

[DeepOcean]

One of the reasons I'm steering clear of some of those is because I can't get on with them, PST in particular. I can see the potential, and loved the setting, setup & humour, but I just can't be arsed reading so much text without it being broken up by good combat.

On the flipside, I fucking love both Baldur's Gate games, so for all those games for me it's just about knowing what balance you prefer and playing those which suit you.

PST surprised me right of the bat with the multiple ways you can get out of the Mortuary, with a sphere you get right on the begining of the game that seems useless and later right by the end of the game it can become the most powerful spell in the game, with you having multiple tiers of character interaction with Dakkon, where if you have enough wisdom you can make him understand his own faith and become wiser on the process, you can lierally convince the villain that you can convince yourself that you dont exist and he will disappear as consequence as you your wisdom so high that you become like some sort of fantasy Neo as you understand how the universe works and you are able to consume your previous encarnations to become whole again, the way PST does stat checking, it is very rare on RPGs to this day but of you are in the mood of just killing shit... it is a bad idea to get a dialog centric game.

Most people see the codex top 70 and assume they must like all games in there but all games are in there for a reason, the question is if that reason allign with your interests on the moment. There is this endless fighting on the codex since 2005 about how classic games are shit, in reality is all games are shit, the question is if they have somehting that isnt. Many newfags get so butthurt and decide they are on a crusade to convince the world the old games are shiet because they didnt like it, then they come with shit like "Fallout 1 combat sucks." then go ranting about it, of course genius, I know that since 1998.

Depends of the mindset and expectations you have when you are playing, to me was on contrary, played PST and really liked the game, played Baldurs Gate 2 afterwards, seemed like a game written by teenagers for teenagers with really cringe vomit inducing writing, with really shit writing specially on the romances, the combat is much better than PST but after ToEE,when you know the magic that is well made TB, you never turn back.

ToEE is a much better game for killing shit and getting loot.

About Fallout, it is a pity that Fallout 3 was your first Fallout, Fallout 3 stole everything Fallout 1 had of good and took a dump over with so much retardation. Recomend you play Fallout 1 at least. I dunno if it will be the same experience as you got your first interaction with the setting with the Bethesda filth.

 

[Falksi]

Falski where is your review of Golden Sun( I want this one first, same company that made Shining force)? Dragon quest ?Earthbound? Metal Gear? Lucas Arts games?Ghosts 'n Goblins?
keep it up. Your thread is really good don't let it die.

All in good time mate, all in good time

I'm playing all the games through to the finish so I can pass a proper opinion on them, and savouring each one too. Prob take me at least another year or two, but we'll get there

How is your FF2 review coming along Falksi ?
Its a highly polarising game and the only one in the mainline games where my own opinion is divided aswell. Would be interesting to see how you find it.

Around 1/3rd of the way in so far. Enjoying it, but have to confess that Shining Force 2 just sucked me in so much that I stopped playing it for a week or so whilst I finished that.

At the mos I'd say it's more favourable than not, but yes there are a few mixed feelings in there. I reckon it's gonna be at least another 2-4 weeks before I finish it tbh, as I'm having a few medical treatments this weekend, but shouldn't be too long bud.

One of the reasons I'm steering clear of some of those is because I can't get on with them, PST in particular. I can see the potential, and loved the setting, setup & humour, but I just can't be arsed reading so much text without it being broken up by good combat.

On the flipside, I fucking love both Baldur's Gate games, so for all those games for me it's just about knowing what balance you prefer and playing those which suit you.

PST surprised me right of the bat with the multiple ways you can get out of the Mortuary, with a sphere you get right on the begining of the game that seems useless and later right by the end of the game it can become the most powerful spell in the game, with you having multiple tiers of character interaction with Dakkon, where if you have enough wisdom you can make him understand his own faith and become wiser on the process, you can lierally convince the villain that you can convince yourself that you dont exist and he will disappear as consequence as you your wisdom so high that you become like some sort of fantasy Neo as you understand how the universe works and you are able to consume your previous encarnations to become whole again, the way PST does stat checking, it is very rare on RPGs to this day but of you are in the mood of just killing shit... it is a bad idea to get a dialog centric game.

Most people see the codex top 70 and assume they must like all games in there but all games are in there for a reason, the question is if that reason allign with your interests on the moment. There is this endless fighting on the codex since 2005 about how classic games are shit, in reality is all games are shit, the question is if they have somehting that isnt. Many newfags get so butthurt and decide they are on a crusade to convince the world the old games are shiet because they didnt like it, then they come with shit like "Fallout 1 combat sucks." then go ranting about it, of course genius, I know that since 1998.

Depends of the mindset and expectations you have when you are playing, to me was on contrary, played PST and really liked the game, played Baldurs Gate 2 afterwards, seemed like a game written by teenagers for teenagers with really cringe vomit inducing writing, with really shit writing specially on the romances, the combat is much better than PST but after ToEE,when you know the magic that is well made TB, you never turn back.

ToEE is a much better game for killing shit and getting loot.

About Fallout, it is a pity that Fallout 3 was your first Fallout, Fallout 3 stole everything Fallout 1 had of good and took a dump over with so much retardation. Recomend you play Fallout 1 at least. I dunno if it will be the same experience as you got your first interaction with the setting with the Bethesda filth.

I'll definitely return to Fallout 1 & 2 at some point, but I think I'll be saving them for the Winter months where I can hibernate a bit with them and gove them the full attention they deserve.

 

[Falksi]

NOTE: I am getting through some of the requested games, but the RPG's and 30 hour+ games are obviously taking longer, hence why the 20-60min games are being reviewed quicker


Golden Axe 2 - Megadrive

^haven't I seen you somewhere before?

So back in the day I remember this was largely brushed to one side as "too similar" to GA1 to be really worth playing. It got a quick once-over, then forgotten about by most reviewers, and you only have to look at the screenshots to see why too. When you compare the visual "difference" between this & the original, it's understandable. But similarity is not a crime in itself, is it any good or not?

Two things hit me from the off. On the good side the gameplay was speedier & tighter. Golden Axe played more than well enough, but combat here definitely seemed to have been more refined, and it just feels a step up. Enemy groupings are also more varied than the original, with you often fighting more opponents too, and this really adds to the fun as it makes things way less predictable. Also, even though it does occur in the odd area, it's also far harder to get cheap kills by luring or knocking enemies off the edge of ledges. Again, another pro in the gameplay department.

On the bad side though the graphics are significantly weaker than the original, and so is the music too. The enemy sprites aren't too bad (although whoever thought it was a good idea to include pink skeletons wants fucking with a wire brush vigorously), however the backdrops are outright fucking wank. Part of the original game's lush charm was the fact that most screens would feel like part of the adventure you were moving through, whereas GA2's backdrops are bland as fuck for the most part, and it really hurt the experience for me.

But back to the good stuff, and again gameplay gets a thumbs up in the magic department. Now you can specify how many books (which were potions in the pervious games) you can use at one tmie, and this gives it way more of an impact and balances the combat-magic trade off out way more too. A very welcome addition. And yes, back to the bad stuff, enemy repetition was a complaint of the original and it's just as bad - if not worse - here. With end of stage "bosses" especially. Between that & the lackluster, repetitive environments, and you're soon gagging for some fresh stuff.

GA2 is a real mixture of welcome change & improvements, and steps backwards which come across as lazy. When it hits it hits higher than the original, but it's misses are lower and sadly I'd say there's more misses than hits. It wears you down far quicker than the original, and suffers greatly for failing to convey any real sense of adventure like the original did.

If Golden Axe was Conan the Barbarian, then Golden Axe 2 would be Conan The Destroyer. It makes some positive steps forward, but lacks core sparks of magic which made the original so spot on. Disappointing.

 

[Falksi]

Golden Axe 3 - Megadrive

^nice pussy

So whilst we're on the Golden Axe games we may as well give 3 a blast. I never even knew this existed until emulation came on the scene, so no rose tinted specs here.

For me this is a return form, albeit one which still falls a fair bit short of the original game's lofty heights. They've now struck a nice balance between familiarity & freshness, with the game's foundation a tweaked version of the original, but the additions & changes such as new characters, different style graphics, additional combat moves, branching paths etc. definitely make it feel like it's own game. The whole vibe is that of a B-movie spin off in fact.

They've also remembered to bring the adventure with them this time. It's still lacking compared to the original, the backdrops themselves are a bit bland, but it's still a step up from GA2, and at least the environments convey more of a sense of adventure simply by varying significantly. I'd say it's firmly rooted in the middle of GA1's superb fantasy journey, and GA2's bland walk to somewhere. Music returns to form for the most part too. Again it doesn't hit the heady heights of GA1, but it does enough to convey a sense of excitement and fore-mentioned adventure.

But what they have forgotten is to include a bigger variety of enemies again. In fact IMO the enemy repetition in this game is the worst of the series tbh. Magic is also the worst in the series too, as not only have they done away with the improved system in GA2, but the visual FX on the spells are fucking dire. I mean real nasty shit.

Even though it had worn me out towards the end, I liked it. It didn't blow me away, it's not a classic by any stretch, but I enjoyed playing and will play it again. If GA1 is Conan The Barbarian & a timeless fantasy romp which hits all the right notes, and GA2 Conan the Destroyer & a mix of lazy cash-in gumph with the odd great step forward, then GA3 is like The Beastmaster - a B movie spin-off coming from the same foundation but a different angle, and whilst not threatening the original Conan, it's different & fun enough to be worth your time.

 

[Machocruz]

I rented GA2 back when it came out. This review is accurate, but I'm probably even less enthused about the game. Felt very stale and, compared to the original's arcade version, budget. Disappointing. I think not having an arcade version first lowered the standard. I don't care what anyone says, Revenge of Death Adder is the only true sequel.